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When I started doing bead embroidery, I was totally clueless. All I had to go on were the amazing pictures of bead embroidery jewelry by people like Sherry Serafini and Heidi Kummli. There really weren't any good, well-written instructions with tips and techniques for bead embroidery. So most of...
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As someone who has suffered from migraines and eye strain, I'm always looking for beading tools to make my beading time easier on my eyes. Someone once suggested to me that I try a pair of drugstore magnifiers or reading glasses, but because I'm near-sighted and only need corrective lenses for...
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Last weekend, I started a new necklace making project using a huge crystal stone and an antique Chinese carving I bought from the FamilyonBikes Etsy shop. Designing the focal point of the necklace was structurally challenging, but I had a clear vision in my mind of how I wanted it to look. Making the...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Sep 21, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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On my recent trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia, I made a trip across the river to southern New Jersey, where I got to meet up with the fabulous Amy Blevins and see her gorgeous bead shop, Bead & Glass Boutique . When I travel, I like to seek out small, independent bead shops and do a little shopping...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 27, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Polymer Clay Beads, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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If you think it takes a long time to walk through the show floor of a huge bead show like Bead Fest Philadelphia, try doing it where you know just about everyone behind the tables in the booths! Bead Fest Philadelphia was a great time for me to catch up with people that I haven't seen since the Tucson...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 23, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Peyote stitch, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Kumihimo, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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I've been doing a lot of wire jewelry making projects lately, thanks in no small part to my ever-improving wire jewelry making skills. I've discovered that just knowing how to make simple loops, wrapped loops, and jump rings can translate into a whole wire jewelry project! So after seeing some...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jul 23, 2012
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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When I'm working on a necklace making project for myself, I have to pay attention to the length of the finished necklace. I recently realized that I have quite a long neck for someone who is so short, so when I wear very long necklaces (like lariats or opera-length pearls), I sort of look like a...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jul 20, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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You might remember about a month ago, I had set out to work on my entry for the sure-to-be-fabulous Battle of the Beadsmith, hosted on Facebook by Steven Weiss. The idea was this: Steven would pair up eighty of the world's best (and willing) beaders into an elimination competition. Each beader had...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jul 13, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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I don't wear bracelets too often, even though I have bags of them in my collection of handmade beaded jewelry. Most of the time when I'm designing a new piece of beaded jewelry, I usually come up with necklace making designs, not bracelet making designs. But, once in a while, a great bracelet...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jul 4, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Bracelet Making, Necklace Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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The debate rages on among beaders as to which beading thread is the "best". Are you a fan of nylon beading threads, or have you cross over to the gel-spun fishing line-type threads? I've heard passionate discourse from both camps as to which type of beading thread they prefer for bead-weaving...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 27, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Crystals, Bead Making, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beads, Beading Daily
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I'm sure I've told the story before, about how the first time I attempted a piece of bead embroidery I wound up chucking it in a drawer for two years before I had the courage to pick it up and try it again. Well, it's been a very long time since my first attempts at bead embroidery, and I...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 22, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Triangulations by Kathie Khaladkar Crystal beads are everywhere these days! When I was at the Tucson bead shows earlier this year, you couldn't turn around without seeing some glitz and glam, and walls and walls of sparkling crystal beads. Truthfully, I was not a huge fan of crystal beads when I...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
May 3, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Herringbone Stitch, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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When I was learning how to bead, I made loads of mistakes. Nobody's perfect, right? And that goes double for me, especially when it comes to my beading. Now that I've been beading for many, many years, I'd like to say that I make fewer mistakes. I'd like to say that, but I can't....
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 19, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Bead Crochet, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Making an open-backed bezel for a cabochon has certain advantages over making one using bead embroidery techniques. If you're using a transparent or translucent cabochon, stitching an open-backed bezel for it will allow light to pass through it and make it brighter. Or when using a transparent cabochon...
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Beading Instructions
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Apr 16, 2012
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Filed under: Brick Stitch, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Crystals, Beading Tools, Peyote Stitch, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How to Bead, Bead Embroidery, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beaded Jewelry, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Bracelet Making
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The beginning of April brought me my first box of treasure from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club through A Grain of Sand, and I could barely contain myself as I opened the box. I'm totally addicted to vintage beads and findings, so this was going to be a huge treasure hunt, and I certainly wasn't...