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With so many recent styles pointing back toward yesteryears, it's no surprise that gold has hit it big as a primary metal in contemporary jewelry designs. I used to think of it as the metal of my mother's generation, but I've recently caught the fever and want everything I wear to be gold...
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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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Daily Blogs
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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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Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm addicted to cabochons. I don't know why I'm fascinated by them, but I am. The idea that you can take a jewelry making component without any holes, like a cabochon, and turn it into a piece of jewelry using bead-weaving and wire wrapping is still amazing...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 20, 2012
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Gemstones, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Bead Crafts, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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I have to say, since I've been receiving my monthly shipments of vintage beads and jewelry making components from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club , I really look forward to seeing what's in each month's box. I love the challenge of designing beaded jewelry with the vintage...
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Beading Supplies We Love
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 9, 2012
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Filed under: Wire Wrapping, Wire Jewelry, Crystals, Beading Tools, How to Bead, Glass Beads, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, mixed media jewelry, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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I've really been getting into working with easy wire wrapping projects lately, and these two blank metal cuff bracelets from this month's A Grain of Sand Bead Hoard Curiosities Club just spoke to me as soon as I saw them. They wanted me to wrap them with wire and beads to make a couple of fun...
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Beading Instructions
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Aug 8, 2012
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Filed under: Wire Jewelry, Seed Bead Patterns, Beading Tools, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How to Bead, Gemstones, Bead Crafts, Wire Wrapping, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads
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Not too long ago, Tammy Jones wrote a great blog over on Jewelry Making Daily about five essential jewelry making techniques for jewelry artists . And it got me thinking -- while my primary interest for jewelry making still remains with my beloved seed beads, there are so many great new jewelry making...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jul 16, 2012
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Lapidary, Mixed Media Jewelry, Earring Making, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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One thing I like to do every season is start planning my craft and jewelry projects for the upcoming season. I know it's only July, but I wanted to create some pieces I could wear this summer and then transition into fall. After reviewing some of New York Fashion Week's runway videos online,...
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Inside Jewelry Stringing Magazine
by
Kate Wilson
on
Jul 9, 2012
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Filed under: Stringing, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Crystals, Beading Tools, How to Bead, Bead Crafts, Earring Making, Beads, Beading Daily, Jewelry Making
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Beaded necklaces are usually my first choice when designing beaded jewelry, but in the winter, I find myself hunting for some great beaded earrings to wear with my favorite cozy sweaters and turtleneck shirts. I find myself designing beaded earrings more and more often these days, since making a pair...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 29, 2012
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Earring Making, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Steampunk jewelry is one trend that doesn't seem to be going away any time soon! This wonderfully creative jewelry making style combines the best of the romantic Victorian era and the development of mechanized industry with just a touch of science fiction and fantasy. If you feel intimidated by the...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 27, 2012
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, Steampunk Jewelry, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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When I'm out there selling my finished beaded jewelry, one of the points I like to talk about with my customers is how every piece I make is one-of-a-kind, usually right down to the findings that I use to assemble it. You might think that making your own jewelry findings would be difficult, but really...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 25, 2012
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Earring Making, Necklace Making, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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The only thing I like better than beading, is cooking. I could spend hours in my kitchen with my recipe books, my favorite set of knives, and my trusty cast iron skillet. And in a lot of ways, cooking is a lot like jewelry making: you need to master certain basic skills before you can put them all together...
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In last week's blog , I mentioned the fact that my mom was quite fond of the Summer Anklet I shared with you a few weeks ago and subsequently requested one for her birthday! After checking out several different chains online, and doing some major digging through my stash, I settled on this pretty...
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An important part of learning how to bead is learning which jewelry making findings will be most useful to you when it comes to making beaded jewelry that will last. I am always amazed at how the selection of jewelry findings at my local craft store has grown exponentially over the years, and I'm...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 13, 2012
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Filed under: Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Necklace Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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The other night, I had a dream that I was browsing through a table of Czech glass beads , and they were all on sale for half off their marked price. Imagine how disappointed I was when I woke up, only to discover that there were no new beads in my stash! It's not like I don't already have bags...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jun 8, 2012
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Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Just in time for showing off your tan legs and super-cute sandals this summer, I've created a fun anklet that you can make in a matter of minutes. The finished size of the anklet shown is 9 1/4". What you'll need: 11 dusty rose size 6° seed beads, or other small glass beads, about 4mm...