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Bead Fest Santa Fe is just around the corner (March 14-17)! I always look forward to this annual bead show in beautiful New Mexico. Anyone who has ever been there can tell you why, but here are my favorite things about this sassy southwest show: 1. The instructors are fabulous. Every year, the Santa...
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Have you ever thought about entering a jewelry-making competition? Whether your new to jewelry-making, or you've been creating your own beaded jewelry designs for several years, taking that leap and entering your work in a competition can be a fulfilling and eye-opening experience. Entering a jewelry...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 20, 2013
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Filed under: Pearls, Crystals, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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As a kid, I spent a lot of time playing in my mother's and grandmother's jewelry boxes. When it was time to play dress-up at my grandmother's house, I always gravitated towards a triple-strand vintage pearl necklace that I eventually wore to my eighth grade dinner-dance and my high school...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 18, 2013
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Pearls, Bead Making, Stringing, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Pearl
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Design by Tracy Gonzales (for TierraCast) Everywhere you look, leather jewelry is a hot trend. At Bead Fest Philadelphia last summer, I saw lots of leather jewelry-making supplies, from the wonderful "licorice" leather for making fun beaded bracelets to fish leather for bead embroidery and...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 15, 2013
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Filed under: Bead Embroidery, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, How To Bead, Mixed Media Jewelry, Bracelet Making, Necklace Making, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making
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Sabine Lippert, one of Beadwork Magazine's Designers of the Year for 2013 has started distributing her newly-designed Rizo beads here in the United States. So far, the response has been fantastic! What is a Rizo? Sabine designed the Rizo bead to fill in the gap in sizes between a drop and a dagger...
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Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and keeping with the theme of love and hearts and all things sparkly, A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club had some beautiful vintage jewelry-making supplies in it this month! Take a look at my favorite pics: I loved the fun jewelry in this month's box...
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Beading Supplies We Love
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 13, 2013
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Filed under: Crystals, Seed Bead Patterns, How to Bead, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, mixed media jewelry, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Bracelet Making, Beaded Jewelry
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As I go further into my daily practice of yoga and meditation, I'm learning more about the ancient beliefs surrounding the physical and spiritual aspects of the poses. I'm particularly interested in the chakras, or energy centers, that are believed to exist in certain key areas of the body. There...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 13, 2013
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Filed under: Pearls, Crystals, Bead Making, How To Bead, Beading Tools, metalsmithing, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry, Pearl
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Mirrix Looms is having a great contest, perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to try bead-weaving on a loom or tapestry weaving. My Mirrix Loom is one of my favorite beading tools. Mirrix Looms are sturdy, well-made, and extremely versatile. Whether you love to weave fibers for tapestries or for beaded...
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It's true: if you've never used any kind of a torch, the idea of holding something in your hand that's capable of spitting out more flame than a barbecue lighter can be a little intimidating. For years, I used a single fuel torch for making my own lampwork glass beads, but the idea of using...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 11, 2013
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Filed under: Chain Maille, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, How To Bead, Beading Tools, Mixed Media Jewelry, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily, Beaded Jewelry
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With Valentine's Day just around the corner, here's an idea for some little beauties you can whip up for yourself or for someone you love. 2 jet 4mm Swarovski crystal bicones (mine are from FusionBeads.com ) 2 ruby 6mm Swarovski crystal bicones (also from FusionBeads.com ) 2 frosted filigree...
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Inside Jewelry Stringing Magazine
by
Dblair
on
Feb 10, 2013
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Filed under: Stringing, Bead Making, Glass Beads, Wire Jewelry, Crystals, Beading Tools, How to Bead, Bead Crafts, Beaded Wedding Jewelry, Earring Making, Beads
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I've just unpacked my bags after spending several days at the Tucson Gem and Mineral shows, shopping, trend-trolling, visiting friends and associates, and soaking in a little sun. Whew! What a great trip. Since I hadn't been to the shows in a few years, this visit was especially fun. I got lost...
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Inside Beadwork Magazine
by
Jean Campbell
on
Feb 9, 2013
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Filed under: Crystals, Stringing, Bead-weaving, Native American Beadwork, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Bead Crochet, Beads, Beading Daily, How to Bead
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Aside from having really cool and gently used clothing, my local thrift shop is a great place to find craft supplies for my beading projects! I love to dig through the bins of sewing notions and craft supplies, looking for unusual items that I can use. My three best finds so far include a large package...
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Daily Blogs
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Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 8, 2013
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily
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HIGH VOLTAGE EAST END BRACELET Anne Potter CRAZY LEAF Abbi Berta FLAVORS OF FRINGE Chloe Chatenever SUNNY DAY Debbie Blair NEON LIGHTS Leslie Salisbury PARTY ANIMAL Jamie Hogsett VINTAGE MOXIE DANCING TASSELS Megan Milliken DECO DIVINE Allison Hoffmann THE LONG & SHORT OF IT Maria Hutzler TWIN NECKLACE...
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Once upon a time, I found myself finishing up a bead embroidered necklace, and as usual, I didn't have a clue as to how I would add fringe to it. After I finished the brick stitch edging, I must have tried six or seven different patterns for fringe. Nothing looked right. Looking at it on my work...
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I can't imagine a better way to learn about making wire jewelry than with a few fast and fabulous earring making projects. The best part about making earrings with wire is that you don't need a lot of beads, and you don't need to be a wire expert to create fun, flirty little earrings! Earring...
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Daily Blogs
by
Jennifer VanBenschoten
on
Feb 4, 2013
Filed under:
Filed under: Gemstones, Pearls, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Wire Jewelry, Wire Wrapping, How To Bead, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Earring Making, Bead Crafts, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily