Hi Im new here....and to the world of beads...

Hi, My name is Kaela, I am 17 years old and just started beading. I just started beading at the beginning of the month actually.....so i am very new to the world of beads. It all started when i went to the store, i always look in the jewelry sections of stores and usually find things i just love! but sadly they are usually so expensive. So i got this notion in my head that i could make my own beaded jewelry. So my mom took me to Michaels Craft Store and i must say i got a little carried away.... I ended up paying $165 for beads, wire, crimps, and tools, when i saw the bill i was astounded. I figured beads would be cheap, it would be a nice little hobby i would be able to sell stuff and get all my money back.....not the case so far...lol. so far i have put about $250 into my beading fantasy. I have since figured out that beading is hard work, it takes a long time, mostly when i am using seed beads, those little beads fly everywhere. I have sold about 6 pieces of jewelry thus far, i am really excited to continue jewelry making. I show rabbits and usually the rabbit shows can become very boring, in between showing when you are just sitting there doing nothing, so that was another reason i decided to do jewelry, i can sell the jewelry at the shows in between show times. I started out making single stranded necklaces, yesterday i make my first double stranded necklace, and then last night i made a three stranded goth necklace....im not goth.....but i used black and grey beads and it took on a goth look. I will have to take pictures and show everyone, i am so very excited about this particular necklace......its the best one i have created so far. I have also made sets of necklaces and bracelets as well. i am really wanting to start earings too but am really intimidated....I have no clue how to make earings, if anyone has any tips/pictures of making earings please share:) Well thats about all there is to tell.

Thanks,

Kaela

 Kaela:

Welcome!!   That is so great about you starting to bead.  I do not work with seed beads except using them as accent beads, but there are a bunch of wonderfully talented stringers and weavers on here that use them a lot.

I do more beading with wire and chains and such.  I also use polymer clay to make my own beads.  it is really great stuff that you can make the beads and bake in your own oven, you don't need a big expensive kiln like you do for metal clay (although metal clay is beautiful). 

You will find a lot of helpful information on these forums as to how to make all kinds of things, where to find things, what tools are good to use and much more.  There are also a lot of free tutorials for jewelry making.  That is pretty much how I got started. 

The good and bad thing about beading and jewelry making is that it does save you money making your own but it is soooo addictive that you will find you want/need more and more beads, tools, wire, etc. to just make more and more and more and more.    And as your skills grow, you will find new tools and toys you want to use.  I have all kinds of stuff and I started a couple years ago with just a simple jewelry kit from Michaels to make some earrings.  LOL  

It will be a fantastic journey though and one you won't regret.  I sure wish I had started making jewelry at your age.  I would be one of the pros that teach by now if I had.  :)

I used to show rabbits too when I was younger.  I showed Rex rabbits.

Please share a picture of some of your work when you get a chance.  We all love seeing each others projects.

Laurel

 Thank you for the nice welcome!:) I dont do the weaving or anything like that yet with seed beads, i also just use them in between the larger beads sometimes if i am going for a certain look. they are just so small there must be 100 of them stuck in the carpet by now..lol. Has anyone read the book called spellbinding Bead Jewelry by Julie and Christine Ashford? I got it from the library and the jewelry is just gorgeous, they weave all these sead beads and crystals and its just so beautiful, i would love to some day be able to do some of the stuff they do in this book.

rex rabbits are really cool:) i love the soft feel. I show Lionheads, Holland Lops and Netherland Dwarfs, this is my website www.legendaryminis.com i designed the website, i just like creating things:)

I will get pix of my jewelry and soon as i can get good enough lighting, the camera always makes the jewelry look dark and grainy...ugg, im going to try and see if i use a white background and maybe some extra light if that will work better to really capture the look of the jewelry.

Thank you:)

Kaela

 Welcome Kaela!  I actually started beading when I was about your age, actually a little younger.  Now I am 27 and bead crazed.  I know what you mean about walking out of the store with a bigger ticket than you expected.  I kinda go nutz too when I go in a bead store.  But you will soon find you will have a huge stash of beads that you can go thru and create all kinds of interesting things!  I actually work more with seed beads but do very little stringing...I do more woven projects.  So far it looks like your off to a great start!  One place that I started with when I began is about.com.  I can't remember the exact link but they have free beading patterns for everything - earrings, necklaces, etc.  And keep in mind that you don't have to go super intricate esp starting out.  You will find your niche naturally - whether that be stringing or weaving or both!  Definately post some of your pics!!!!  We all love to look!  Another thing you could do is check out the pictures of some of the earrings some of the other talented beaders on this forum made in the Secret Santa Earring Swaps.  I will post a link in a min.  That might give you some ideas and or inspiration!  Good luck and happy beading!!!  =)

Kaela Shannon:

I show Lionheads, Holland Lops and Netherland Dwarfs, this is my website www.legendaryminis.com i designed the website, i just like creating things:)

AHHHH!!!  I used to have a little black Lionhead...I LOVED him.  I miss him SO much!!!  I got him when he was just a little black fuzzball that fit in the palm of my hand!!!  Lionheads are SO hard to find as pets around here though...

 Here's the link for the earring showcase...

http://www.beadingdaily.com/forums/t/4789.aspx

 Welcome to the forums glad to have you join us.

I'm a basic stringer - but since joining in here I've begun to branch out into weaving. But still love to string it's more instant gratification than weaving.

Don't be intimidated earrings are as simple to make as you want them to be or as complicated. I think the first thing I ever made was a pair of earrings. The main thing is to have fun and enjoy the process.

LYILHA gave you some good sites. If you do a simple free earring pattern internet search you will get lots of hits and lots of inspiration.

Drop by often and chat or if you've got questions there is always someone around to give support and answers.

see ya in the posts

sellen

Kaela -

Welcome to the forums and welcome to beading.  It's a wonderful hobby, one that can bring you a great deal of pleasure for the rest of your life (speaking as a beader who has been at it for almost 20 years).

I think it's wonderful that you've been able to start selling stuff right away - and that you've got the cost of your craft in perspective.  I can teel you that it's incredibly easy to get carried away with buying supplies - not only beads but tools as well.

I did have a little bit of a laugh when you mentioned rabbits, and minis in particular.  Right around the time I started beading, I bought a rabbit.  I didn't know anything about the species, and it was small, grey, affectionate - and cute.  The clerk in the pet store told me it was "Belgian dwarf" and would get to be about 3 lbs, max.  He didn't have a clue - when I took Harvey to the vet to be neutered when he was about a year old, he weighed 16 lbs, and the vet told me he was a Flemish giant and could grow to almost 20 lbs.  Which he did. 

Lita

 WELCOME Kaela! So nice to have you join us. This is  GREAT place to learn. And make friends, and show off... and so on. I myself have been beading my entire life... started out as a little 3yr old facinated with shiney plastic beads.... and it's just snowballed from there. YES, buying beads can REALLY add up. I reccomend signing up for the emails from Michaels and Joann's, then you'll hear when they're having the 30 and 40% off beads or findings and things. ALSO very good cupons in their flyers and emails. You'll find you can buy a LOT of beads for less online at places like fire mountain gems.... but that means you have to have a credit or debit card. But for lots of the basic beads and findings, they are far more economical. You can get a LOT more bang for your buck. The stores are better for special, unusual, and items you need NOW. Hey, you might ask your parents for a giftcard to fire mountain gems for christmas!

Sorry, tangent there. Anyway, the one thing you need to know for earrings is how to make a simple wire loop, or a wrapped loop. Here is the link to the HOW TO section here...

http://www.beadingdaily.com/blogs/howto/archive/2008/12/08/basic-loops-free-video-class.aspx

http://www.beadingdaily.com/blogs/howto/archive/2009/02/13/wirewrapped-loops.aspx

you might also consider finding the latest copy of "stringing" magazine, they always have LOTS of earrings inside to give you inspiration, they also have all the basic skills in the back so you can refer to it whenever.

Lois

Welcome Kaela ~ You've gotten lots of great advice already.  Please share your creations with us when you can

 how do i post pictures? I made another post on the forum with my pictures but they didnt come through.....i dont know how to get them on here....

Thanks:)

Kaela

Hi Kaela, I am new too. Name is bettypc the only way to get them on that I know of is to put the pictures in the scaner-printer mine is HP. then click on document viewer and the pictures will be there. email them to your site. Hope this helps as I am not a computer person. I wish I had a camara I think this would really make a difference. 

 Ok, Pam wrote wonderful directions on how to post photos, so here is the link to her thread....

http://www.beadingdaily.com/forums/p/3936/48396.aspx#48396

It's kind of a pain, but oh well!

Lois

Hi Kaela, welcome to our addiction!  I laughed when I read your post, because I got into beading thinking it would be an inexpensive hobby too.  It is, until right after you finish your first project or two.  After that the addiction has set in and you have to keep buying more and more...

Lita, your rabbit story was funny.  Belgian, Flemish...same difference (unless you happen to live there).

Hey Kaela,

Welcome to the forum.

When I first started I also went to Michaels and bought loads of stuff. I was happy with most of it, but I wasn't so happy with their headpins. I found that their finish would chip and peel. If found that if you spend a little more on headpins they are better. I have bought headpins from other companies but the red white and blue package you get at Micheals isn't worth what you pay for it. If you have a Hobby Lobby, or Joanns they have better headpins.

Yes, this is an expensive and addicting hobby, someday they may have a 12 step program for some of us.