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As crafters, why do we love to do what we do? I've met a lot of beaders during the last ten years, and I've even created some new beaders through my beading classes, and they all have one thing in common: they are utterly passionate about beads and beading. We all have our different reasons for...
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 7, 2012
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Peyote stitch, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Glass Beads, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Necklace Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Ok, so this may require that you dabble in a medium you have never thought about before, but if you're willing to try your hand at a little polymer clay to make your own large-hole beads, it looks like Sculpey--one of the authorities in polymer clay--is about to make it easy! The Premo Bead Cores...
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For National Craft Month, I thought I would participate in the Fusion Beads 30 Day National Craft Month Challenge. The Day 1 challenge was, of course, to make a pair of earrings! And I just happened to have a pair of these lovely 14mm Swarovski crystal stones that were just begging to be made into a...
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Beading Instructions
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 2, 2012
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Filed under: Wire Jewelry, Seed Bead Patterns, Herringbone Stitch, Bead-weaving, Crystals, Beading Tools, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How to Bead, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beaded Jewelry, Mixed Media Jewelry, Earring Making
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Today starts National Craft Month! I can't think of a better time to celebrate doing what we love best: beading and jewelry making! This morning, I opened my email to discover an invitation from Fusion Beads to participate in their 30 Day National Craft Month Challenge , and I decided to jump right...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Mar 1, 2012
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Filed under: Crystals, Bead Making, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Mixed Media Jewelry, Earring Making, Bead Crafts, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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Bead crafts have been around for hundreds of years. The first bead crafts were probably related to adorning clothing with thousands of tiny beads, but artists soon discovered that they could use beads to craft other items such as baskets, jars, and ornaments. There are many wonderful examples of bead...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 16, 2012
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Filed under: Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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What's not to love about beaded bracelets? I've had a longtime love affair with beaded bracelets. Never met a beaded bracelet I didn't like. They're fun to make, fun to wear, and everyone likes a bracelet or two (try pairing up a couple of different bracelets sometime when you feel adventurous...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Jan 12, 2012
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Bracelet Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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This sparkling crystal bead chain works great by itself or with a special pendant. This project was inspired by an amazing ceramic and crystal pendant I bought from Lisa Peters Art on Etsy . I loved the colors as well as the way Lisa combined the ceramic and sparkling crystals. It sat in my stash for...
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The Ootheca cuff by Rachel Nelson-Smith is a perfect example of how crystals can provide sparkle without being front and center. I love bead-weaving with crystals, but I don't think I do it often enough. (Somehow, it just doesn't work for me to wear a crystal bracelet or earrings while we're...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Dec 6, 2011
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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Diane Fitzgerald is the author of several classic beading books, as well as the recipient of The Spun Gold Award for her lifetime commitment to fiber arts. From Jennifer: Anyone in the beading business knows that marketing your beadwork can be tough. So for today's Beading Daily blog, I'm so...
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Oh, yes, I'm one of those people that decorate the house with beads every holiday season. My beads bring me so much joy throughout the year that it only seems natural to incorporate them into my holiday decorating and gift-giving, too! Seed bead patterns are great for making beaded jewelry, but there...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 29, 2011
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Filed under: Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Bracelet Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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This summer, I started playing around with resin after seeing some absolutely beautiful resin pendants and earrings at my local farmer's markets and craft shows. It seemed easy enough: measure, mix, and pour. My first few resin pendants and earrings were successful, so I thought I'd venture out...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 22, 2011
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Filed under: Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Mixed Media Jewelry, Bracelet Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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I love making beaded bracelets , but bracelet making presents its own unique set of jewelry-making challenges! "Kissing your hand may make you feel very good, but a diamond and sapphire bracelet lasts forever." - Anita Loos I think Ms. Loos was onto something there, don't you? I love bracelet...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 13, 2011
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Filed under: Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bracelet Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily
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If you've ever seen the awesome and inspiring bead embroidery of artists like Sherry Serafini, you might have been inspired to try your hand at this particular beading technique. Unlike other types of off-loom beadweaving, bead embroidery is the stitching of seed beads to a fabric or felt-like backing...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 10, 2011
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Gemstones, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Native American beadwork, Bead-weaving, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beadweaving, Beads, Jewelry Making
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This bright and cheerful wire-wrapping, wire-coiling teardrop earring project was designed by Lindsay Burke for Fusion Beads. With the upcoming holiday season, these would look great for all those office parties and family get-togethers on your busy calendar! Now, I'm no wire wrapping or wire jewelry...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Nov 6, 2011
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Crystals, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Earring Making, Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Bead Crafts, Beads, Jewelry Making
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The piece: a twisted herringbone rope accented with two lush tassels of fringe and a crystal flower centerpiece. Come up with the best name for this piece of beadwork, and you win the beading kit pictured below courtesy of Red Panda Beads! Sometimes I think that naming my beading projects is the hardest...