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Awl

Sometimes you just don't want to connect elements with loops, but rather a simple hole with a jump ring. Once you’ve flattened an end of wire, it takes just an awl and hammer to put a hole through it. No drill necessary.

Related Posts

  • Who's Afraid of Big, Bad Resin? Not Me!
    It seems that among jewelry-makers and beaders, nothing strikes fear into the heart as quickly as the suggestion of using resin for making mixed media jewelry. I'm a little perplexed by this -- I've seen people who are completely fearless when
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  • Stitch Pro: Galvanized Seed Beads 101
    Learn the basics about the differences between galvanized vs. permanent finish seed beads
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  • Crystals: Ways to Add Subtle Sparkle to Your Beaded Jewelry Projects
    While there is definitely something magical about the look of crystals, my personal style means that I prefer to have crystals play a supporting role, instead of the lead, in most of my beading projects. The good news is that even when crystals take a
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  • Jewelry for Dad
    Father's Day is just a few short days away! Before you go out to buy your old man yet another necktie, consider giving him a piece of tasteful handmade jewelry instead. And if he balks at the idea of wearing jewelry, you might want to remind him that
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  • Options for Finishing Your Kumihimo Braids
    I blame it all on Beadwork magazine Designer of the Year Jill Wiseman. Jill is infamous for getting hundreds of beaders hooked on doing kumihimo with beads through her amazing and easy-to-follow classes at big bead shows like Bead Fest Philadelphia. Above
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  • Beadwork, August/September 2013
    Great beading ideas abound in Beadwork’s Aug/Sept 2013 issue. Learn how to stitch herringbone beaded beads, bead a chevron collar, bezel a gemstone donut, embellish focal beads, and more. Plus, discover 4 ways to make jewelry with Superduo 2-hole beads.
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  • It's Beading Contest Season!
    Laura McCabe's necklace, 2013 Saul Bell Award competition It's the time of year for you to get your bead on! There are some great bead contests going on, and I love seeing the different styles and techniques used by artists all over the world
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  • 4 Ways to Create Your Own Breathtaking Beaded Jewelry Designs
    Have you ever made a breathtakingly beautiful piece of beaded jewelry from a set of instructions and been inspired to create your own beaded jewelry designs? It might seem overwhelming at first, but chances are, if you have the skills necessary to make
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Summer 2013
    Celebrate the summer with Jewelry Stringing ’s second annual special mixed-media issue! Experiment with exciting resin, riveting, and patina techniques in 13 step-by-step projects to expand your jewelry-making repertoire and add some great new pieces to your collection. This issue has 77 new jewelry
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  • Calling All Kings and Queens
    Only one more week until submissions for our Winter issue are due and I am so anxious to see what our talented contributors have come up with! The four themed categories are Retro, Baby; Days of Kings and Queens; Sparkle, Dazzle, Shine; and Chain Meets
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  • Step Into the World of Bead Substitutions With a Live Webinar
    When it comes to substituting one type of bead for another, you'll quickly find out that not all seed beads have been created equal. This is especially true with the dozens of new shapes and types of seed beads available to beaders around the world
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  • Are Two Needles Better Than One? Double Needle Right-angle Weave
    Once upon a time, in the middle of a long Adirondack winter, a lonely beader found that she needed a project to keep her occupied while she searched for a job. On a whim, she opened up her old copy of the "White Russian" beading book, and decided
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  • Summer Trend: Chain Handpieces
    As the temperatures continue to rise and summer gets further underway, I have been noticing a lot of handpieces out and about as well as popping up online. This isn't a trend I have ever sported myself, let alone tried to make, but there is something
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  • Getting Started With Wire Wrapping
    Even though I'm no wire expert (at least, not yet!), just like any other craft, before you get started with wire wrapping, it's good to have a firm foundation on which you can build your wire wrapping skills. As I've worked my way through
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  • Hip Shade of Pink Taking Design Community By Storm
    Pinks and purples are among my favorite colors, so when I heard a podcast recently about "sheer rose" being the hot color of 2013, my ears pricked up. The podcast was from Planet Money , a radio program about what's going on in the global
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  • Coming Soon: 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings
    Today we send the 2013 issue of 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings off to our printer (2012 issue pictured at right). Yippee! We've been working on this issue for months and months. Why? Because it's chock-full of awesome, all-new projects
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  • Do Ergonomic Tools Make a Difference in Jewelry Making?
    Just in time for this blog, what should land in my mailbox but a brand-new set of ergonomic jewelry-making tools from Cousin Corporation? It got me wondering, would using ergonomic tools for my wire jewelry-making projects really make that much of a difference
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  • The 7 Most Common Clasps
    If you're fairly new to jewelry making, it might be difficult at first to determine what type of clasp you should use when designing your bracelet or necklace. Below are seven of the most common. (Photos courtesy of FusionBeads.com) Box clasps are
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  • Make This Easy Wire Jewelry Project Using Your Favorite Glass Beads!
    Welcome to Wonderful Wire Week here on Beading Daily ! This week, I'm going to explore just a few of the ways in which wire jewelry has woven its way into my beading and jewelry-making projects, and I hope you'll enjoy the ride. Not so long ago
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  • Sneak Peek: Beads 2013 Buyer's Guide
    Every year we put together a buyer's guide that is chock-full of the latest and greatest beads, findings, and tools. We have quite the collection to share with you in the Fall '13 issue of Jewelry Stringing , but that doesn't hit newsstands
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  • Jewelry Business: Notes From The Other Side of the Counter with Andrew Thornton
    Andrew Thornton is a fine artist who resides in western Pennsylvania. As a well-known jewelry artist and now the owner of the fine art and craft gallery, Allegory Gallery in Ligonier, Pennsylvania , Andrew Thornton has a unique perspective to share with
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  • Stitch Pro: Threading the Needle
    Needle-threading tips from the Stitch Pro
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  • Three Easy Ways to Take Steampunk Jewelry and Make It Your Own!
    The key to making successful steampunk jewelry, it seems, is all in the material that you choose. You can really use any kind of jewelry-making technique to create gorgeous steampunk jewelry, if you know what kinds of beads and components work best to
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  • Do You Keep a Beading Journal?
    More and more beaders are keeping some kind of photographic journal to document their work on seed bead patterns and beading projects. Are you one of them? I know lots of professional designers who keep a photographic journal of their seed bead patterns
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  • Crafting for Soldiers
    Today is Memorial Day here in the U.S., and what better way to observe this day than by honoring some of our enlisted military personnel or veterans with a handwritten note or handcrafted item? Operation Gratitude Operation Gratitude sends 100,000 care
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  • Global Etsy Craft Party
    Etsy has become a wonderful way for crafters to come together digitally, and now they are using the power of their expansive online network to bring people together at their annual Craft Party. Every year, Etsy designates a specific date and theme for
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  • Win A One Year Subscription to Craft Daily!
    There are lots of reasons to learn a new craft or a new skill by watching a video. It's convenient, for one thing -- you can watch at home, anytime you want to, and you can stop and start the video wherever and whenever you feel like you need to see
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  • Essentials of Earring Making
    If I knew now what I didn't know then...that's how I feel about everything that I've learned about earring making since I started beading over thirteen years ago. While I spent my time doodling beaded necklace and bracelet designs in my notebooks
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  • Infuse Your Beadwork with Native American Symbolism
    Native American beadwork has a rich heritage of symbolism through the use of colors, gemstones, and animal totems to tell stories and convey meaning. If you're looking to infuse your beadwork with a few special and meaningful symbols, check out some
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  • Beading Challenged
    Are you feeling a little beading challenged lately? I was certainly starting to feel sort of sluggish, like my ideas were all stuck in the same rut. Then my next challenge kit from Beadwork magazine landed on my doorstep, and I decided to look around
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  • How-To: Easy Engraved Bracelet
    Looking for an easy way to add a word or phrase to your next jewelry project? Recently I tried out the Micro Engraver from Bead Smith and learned a few tricks by making this easy mixed-media cuff. To make a similar cuff, you'll need the following
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  • Tips for Traveling With Your Beading Tools
    It's that time of year again -- I can't believe that summer is back already! Pretty soon, I'll be packing my bags and hitting the road for places like Bead Fest Philadelphia, a couple of trips down to do some serious bead shopping in New York
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  • Get Inspired! Tips for Creating Original Designs
    Submissions guidelines for the Winter issue of Jewelry Stringing were officially posted last week. We have already had some really stellar designs come in, and we can't wait to see the rest of the projects that our new themes inspire you to make!
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  • Why Should You Learn About Beadmaking?
    Why should you learn about beadmaking? Even if you only ever do bead-weaving (or think that you'll only ever do bead-weaving, and nothing else!) knowing a little bit about beadmaking can actually help when you're working on your own beaded jewelry
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  • Essential Beading Wires For Your Bead Stash
    I recently made a necklace for the Fall issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine using 24-gauge gunmetal wire. As I was sifting through my box of wires deciding which to use for this project, I realized it might be useful to discuss wires...especially the
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  • What Can You Learn On Craft Daily? Everything!
    I got bit by the crafting bug early on. As a child, I watched my mother creating with crochet, knitting, and needlepoint, and some of those designs included beads. Some of those projects were among my first exposure to beading and bead crafts in general
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  • New Portable Bead Organizer from Ezel Findings - Meet the Beading Pal!
    One of the many things that I love about my job is when I get to see new beading products before they're available to the general public. My friend Sunyoung Park of Ezel Findings made my day last week when she sent me their latest innovative beading
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  • Five Fantastic Pearl Shapes For Your Beaded Jewelry Designs
    It's true -- pearls never go out of style. Whether you like to do bead stringing or bead stitching, freshwater pearls are an elegant and classic addition to any beaded jewelry design. Pearls come in so many different shapes these days that it's
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  • Decadent Jazz Age Jewels
    The release of The Great Gatsby has been highly anticipated by many since last year and it finally hit the theaters this past Friday! I haven't seen it yet, but I'm anxious to take in the glamour and grandeur of it all. I've heard that the
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  • Now Accepting Winter '14 Jewelry Stringing Submissions!
    I know that many of you have been patiently waiting for the themes and guidelines for the Winter 2014 issue of Jewelry Stringing to be posted. Well the wait is over! Details about issue themes, color palettes, Pinterest boards, and deadlines (submissions
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  • Free Cabochon Beading Projects
    I love a good challenge, don't you? How about the challenge of using a cabochon, without a hole, in a piece of beaded jewelry? When I was learning how to bead, I was thrilled to find out that I didn't need to know metal smithing techniques to
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  • What’s Your Favorite Odd-Count Peyote Turnaround?
    If you're familiar with Beadwork magazine then surely you're already aware of the versatility of peyote stitch. One of my favorite things about this stitch is that there are often several ways to achieve the same look, especially when it comes
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  • But Is It Wearable? Necklace Making From a Different Perspective
    Wearing my Battle of the Beadsmith piece at last year's Bead Fest Philadelphia with friends. In the last few years, I've seen more and more emerging bead artists who are pushing the envelope with their beautifully over-the-top beaded necklaces
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  • Free Tutorial From Our Friends at Ornamentea
    Every so often, it's fun to follow along with someone else's tutorial and not have to invent my own. Such was the case when I received this fun tutorial from Ornamentea in my inbox last week--I knew I had to make these earrings! Not one who typically
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  • Gemstones and Fashion Inspiration for Spring!
    From Jennifer: Spring is in full swing here in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, and that means it's time to freshen up my jewelry-making projects with some new gemstones! Whether you love to use gemstones as beads for jewelry stringing
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  • Thoughts On A Snowy May Day
    May Day always makes me think of fresh wildflowers, sundresses, maypoles, and bare feet, so you can imagine how grumpy I was to be greeted by a fresh blanket of snow when I woke up on May 1st this year! As I was walking out to my car, bundled in layers
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  • What Was Your First Beadweaving Stitch?
    Whenever I teach a beadweaving class, my students always want to know: what was the first beadweaving stitch you learned? (Followed closely by: which beadweaving stitch is the easiest and best stitch to learn?) It only took me a few hours to make my very
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  • Stitch Pro: Set Yourself a Deadline
    I received a note from a beader on Facebook this week asking, "...what are you up to these days?" Boy...other than working a full-time job, fostering a loving relationship, preparing for yet another move (we bought a house!), dealing with an
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  • Get The Inside Scoop On How to Get Your Designs Published in Beadwork Magazine!
    Have you ever thought about submitting your original beaded jewelry designs for publication in Beadwork magazine? There are many well-known bead artists who got their start in the beading world by doing just that . Do you want to get the inside scoop
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Beads and Findings From Goody Beads!
    From Jennifer: Spring is in full swing right now, but summer is just around the corner, and for the June/July 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine, our editors and readers were asked to take this sand and sea-themed kit of glass beads and jewelry-making findings
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  • Sneak Peek into Summer Jewelry Stringing!
    Yesterday we put the finishing touches on the Summer 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine and sent the files off to the printer. Yay! I think you all are going to like this issue. But don't just take it from me. Enjoy the exclusive preview below
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  • What Motivates You To Finish Your Beading Projects?
    "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then is an empty desk a sign?" ~Albert Einstein When I've run out of storage bags for my UFOs, it's time to start finishing my beading projects. I think Einstein was on to
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  • What's Your Earring Style?
    While warmer weather means it's time to bear your arms and break out the bracelet collection, earrings are a fun accessory during any season! In case you're in the mood to whip up a new pair or two, I've gathered a few varied designs from
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  • From Chain Maille to Beads: Conquering the Dodecahedron
    After my last couple of experiments with chain maille, I was feeling brave, so I decided to attempt my most difficult chain maille project yet: a Japanese chain maille ball, otherwise known as a dodecahedron. Pretty little dodecahedron balls, all in a
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  • Getting Published: A Path to Beaded Bliss
    "I think I may have startled a co-worker with my celebratory Snoopy dance!" "It is my birthday this week, and you just gave me the best present I could ask for!" "You have just made my week, how exciting!" "This is very
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  • Wishlist-Worthy Gemstone Printed Scarves
    I happened upon these printed gemstone silk scarves and had to share them! Owned and operated by author, artist, and photographer Jen Altman , Cisthene is an online store that "honors the art of ancient crafts with modern sensibilities" in their
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  • Alternatives to Using Crystal Beads In Your Beading Projects
    What I'm about to tell you is something that I've never before declared publicly. You may be shocked. You may be appalled. You may even urge me to seek counseling. But it needs to be said, so here it goes: I designed this necklace using just vintage
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  • Vintage Beads I Love: Mercury Glass Beads from A Grain of Sand
    I've always had a soft spot for vintage beads, and if you look through my collection, you'll find all sorts of old glass and Lucite goodies tucked away in bags and boxes. Suzanne Branca over at A Grain of Sand contacted me recently to let me know
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  • Easy Ways to Add Color to Metals
    With more options than ever for adding metals in your jewelry-making projects, this is a great time to be a jewelry artist! A couple of years ago, I started experimenting with adding colors to metals when I did some experiments with brass metal beads
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  • What is Raku?
    As a jewelry artist, do you incorporate ceramic or porcelain beads or pendants into your jewelry designs? How about raku? Awhile back I purchased a beautiful raku pendant at a bead show and, seeing how much it differed from traditional ceramic pieces
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  • Beading Cures
    We all know that beading is great for relieving stress, but I got to thinking the other day about how beading can "cure" so many other unpleasant things. Now, I'm no medical expert, but I've noticed that my seed bead patterns can cure
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  • Tips for Designing Collar Necklaces?
    One of the themed sections in our Fall '13 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine is going to be Collar and Bib Necklaces: This structure-driven design trend has been one of the smash hits of jewelry fashion as of late, and I am itching to try my hand
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  • Our Biggest Giveaway Ever!
    Last week, Beading Daily hit a great milestone -- there are now 20,000 of you who follow us on Facebook ! Isn't that amazing? 20,000 of us who are all connected through our love of beading, beadwork, and jewelry-making! To celebrate, we're giving
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  • Bead Crochet: It's a Well Done Experience
    From Jennifer: Bead crochet was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult beading techniques that I ever learned. But once I mastered it, bead crochet quickly became a source of inspiration and a great way to give my beady brain a well-deserved break
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  • Beadwork, June/July 2013
    Find 20 exciting beaded jewelry designs in the June/July 2013 issue of Beadwork. You’ll learn how to make a beautiful soutache necklace and fun beaded tubes for a licorice-leather bracelet. Plus, get 2 ideas for making beaded bracelets with peanut beads.
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  • 5 Jewelry Making Mistakes to Avoid
    I've been beading for almost ten years now--ever since I joined the staff of Jewelry Stringing . And over those ten years, I've made lots of beading mistakes. Thing is, those mistakes turn into lessons. Hard-earned lessions sometimes, yes, but
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  • Stitching Durable Beadwork: How to Create and Care for Lasting Jewelry
    In today's blog I share one of my favorite sidebars from my book Mastering Peyote Stitch, plus a few extra tips and techniques that aren't included in the book. Follow these simple stitching tips and care guidelines to keep the jewelry you devoted
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  • How to Bead Comfortably
    It's not often that I get a long stretch of hours to sit and bead lately, but when I do, I take full advantage of it. Most of the time, I only get a few minutes here and there to sit down and bead, so when an opportunity for a marathon beading session
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  • Snappy Sandals and Other Sunny Accessories
    I'm pretty sure I've been in love with these sandals since last summer. I honestly don't recall when or where I came across this photo, but I've had it saved on my computer ever since. Made by Etsy artist, Gabriela Pomplova , the beaded
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  • Unlock the Potential of New Shaped Beads
    Gone are the days when the only shapes of beads we had to choose from were cylinder or round. In the last two years, designers of glass beads have created innovative and exciting shapes of glass beads that have unlimited potential in your own beaded jewelry
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  • In Defense of Jewelry Kits
    I always feel a tad guilty when I make jewelry from a kit. After making jewelry for so many years and seeing firsthand how much work goes into the planning and design stages of each piece, I feel like I am cheating when I use a kit to skip over those
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  • Fresh, New Wire Wrapping Projects Just For You!
    Of all the jewelry-making supplies out there, my favorite (next to seed beads, of course) has to be wire. I wasn't always a fan of wire wrapping techniques, but once I saw just how versatile it is, I started reading up on my wire wrapping tutorials
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  • Good Bead Reads
    What reading materials--besides Jewelry Stringing magazine--do you have on your bedside table? Did you know that there are a number of novels out there about beading? It's true. I was browsing Amazon today, and discovered some great-sounding books
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  • Haiku Wire Jewelry with Guest Blogger Barb Switzer
    Sometimes, the simplest designs are the most powerful. Wire jewelry made with clean lines and bold colors can make just as big a statement as a piece of wire jewelry made with intricate bends and wraps. In fact, it can actually be more difficult to create
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  • Stunning Soutache
    Here in the Jewelry Stringing office, we like to keep our eyes and ears open to what's hot in the jewelry and fashion industries as a whole, not just what pertains to the type of jewelry we feature in our magazine. I first heard the term "soutache"
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  • Shape Up with Herringbone Stitch
    Have you tried working with herringbone stitch yet? Whether you're a baby beader just getting started, or you feel comfortable with your bead-weaving skills, herringbone stitch is a great beading stitch to know. When worked with all the great two
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  • Great Gatsby Jewelry
    I have been EAGERLY awaiting the latest film interpretation of The Great Gatsby (originally slated for a December 2012 premier date), and now we are just a few short weeks away from its May 10th release! With its flapper fashions and extravagant parties
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  • Make Peyote Stitch Your Spiritual Practice
    Many of us love to do bead-weaving, and peyote stitch in particular, because of its meditative nature. The gentle rhythms of peyote stitch, along with the little mantras, or sayings, that we repeat to ourselves as we stitch are so soothing and calming
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  • Jazz Up Your Bracelet Making Projects with Beautiful Bugle Beads
    Kelli Burns' Tuscan Tiles bracelet is a beautiful, stylish way to use copper bugle beads. When I first started learning how to bead, I only thought of using bugle beads as fringe for the dozens of peyote stitch amulet bags that I made. Later, I started
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  • Glass Beads I Love: Never Understimate the Power Of The Druk
    I recently rekindled my love of the glass druk when I started designing my Hoarder of Beauty necklace using a handful of Czech glass gumdrop beads. As I was designing the individual components that went into the finished design, someone suggested that
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  • What's Your Bracelet Style?
    When it comes to favoring a particular type of bracelet design, honestly, I'm all over the board. It just depends on my mood and my outfit. Is your style casual and easy-going? Or do you love the sophistication of more classic pieces? Perhaps bold
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  • Fall Submissions Are In!
    Spring has barely spring, but for the past few months we have been calling in submissions for our Fall '13 issue of Jewelry Stringing . Yesterday we finally got to lay them all out and get a look at them. Meetings like this one are definitely one
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  • Wildly Peyote by Guest Blogger Jayashree Paramesh
    From Jennifer: Even if you don't recognize her face, you'll surely recognize her gorgeous peyote stitch and crystal bracelets on the cover of this month's Beadwork magazine -- today's guest blogger is Jayashree Paramesh! Jayashree's
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  • Wildly Peyote Zebra Bail by Jayashree Paramesh
    A small, flat peyote strip doesn't have to be uninteresting -- there are so many different ways that a strip of peyote stitch can be used! Try this free beading project for an easy peyote stitch bail for use with a crystal pendant or a gemstone donut
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  • 6 MORE bead shapes! Meet the new Bricks, Rullas, Pyramids, BeadStuds, Rizos, and Long Drops
    I loved Jean Campbell's post last week on the difference between Superduo and Twin beads so much that I thought I'd follow up this week with a few more of the new shaped beads. If you missed Jean's in-depth look at two-hole seed beads, see
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for April 2013: A Sneak Peek and a Contest!
    Are you a member of the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club from A Grain of Sand ? If not, April might be your lucky month -- A Grain of Sand is having a Design Challenge using a special vintage jewelry-making component included in the April club boxes. The staff
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  • Great Advice From My Favorite Stitch Pro: Jean Campbell
    Jean Campbell has long been someone that I look to for information and advice about everything related to beaded jewelry design. Along with her sense of humor and her twenty-plus years of beading experience, she's an absolute treasure trove of tips
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  • Fun Easter Accessories to Make
    The official first day of spring arrived last week, but you sure can't tell it where I live! Just this past weekend, we were hit with one of the more significant snowstorms of the season! But that hasn't put a damper on my desire to create a few
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  • What You Should Know About Gemstones For Bead-weaving
    Although lately I've been incorporating more and more glass beads into my bead-weaving projects, when I first started learning how to bead, I used lots and lots of gemstone beads in my designs. There's something about the look of gemstones in
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  • DIY Spring Jewelry
    Winter isn't always the most creative time for me--it can be tough to feel motivated when I know that any new jewelry I make will just be covered up with scarves and coat sleeves. But now that spring has officially sprung, I am getting really excited
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  • Earring Making: Almost Instant Gratification
    Oh, yes, even though I always seem to have a hard time coming up with designs for beaded earrings, I love to stitch up earring making projects from other talented beading designers! I really can't get enough of them -- earring making projects are
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  • Stitch Pro: Twins vs. Super Duos
    I had a bead shop owner friend call me a few weeks ago, asking about the differences between Twins and Super Duos, two brand names for the two-hole oval seed beads that are all the craze among beaders right now. She said she'd called around to vendors
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  • Enter Bead Star Now & Save On Entry Fee!
    Enter the Bead Star contest by March 28th and take advantage of reduced entry fees! (The final deadline is May 24th.) All early bird entries (submitted on or before March 28, 2013) are $15 for the first entry and $5 for each additional entry. All regular
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  • Selling Your Original Beading Patterns Online: Advice From Three Master Bead Artists
    Cynthia Newcomer Daniels Mikki Ferrugiaro Beadwork by Nancy Dale The internet is an amazing thing for beaders like us. If we're looking for a new beading project or pattern to stitch up, all we have to do is search through places like Etsy or Artfire
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  • Bead Lovers Meet, Swedish-Style!
    Swedish bead artist Anna Lindell From Jennifer: One of the awesome things about learning how to bead is being able to connect with other beaders around the world. When I was a competitor in last summer's Battle Of the Beadsmith, I "met"
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  • Make These Fun Boho-Chic Earrings
    Have you seen the Spring issue of Jewelry Stringing yet? One of my favorite sections to help curate this time was the Coachella Chic collection, which features a host of stylish indie looks. Very recently, I came across three clever DIY earring and bracelet
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  • St. Patrick's Day Jewelry Projects
    St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away! What better way to accessorize your St. Paddy's ensemble than with a piece of handmade green jewelry? If you don't have time to create a design if your own, browse through our collection of eProjects
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  • Love Crystals? Love Free Beading Projects?
    There's no doubt about it: crystal beads can turn an ordinary beading project into something truly extraordinary. Maybe it's the sparkle, maybe it's the color of the crystal beads, or maybe it's the feeling of pure luxury that you get
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  • Brand New: Quick & Easy Beadwork
    Desert Thistle Earrings by Kristen Winter Feb/March 2013 Beadwork We're so excited to announce that we're now accepting submissions for our first-ever Quick & Easy Beadwork, a special issue from the editors of Beadwork magazine! Many of today's
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  • Can Bead-weaving Save the World?
    So, there I was, in December of 2001: fresh out of college, armed with a degree in environmental science, and ready to save the world. But things don't always work out the way we plan. After a few years working in non-profit community development
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  • Earring Making Makeover: A Pair of Beaded Pearl Earrings
    One of my favorite sources of inspiration for making beaded jewelry is antique and vintage jewelry. So when my good friend gifted me with a huge box of very special antique beaded jewelry, I decided to repurpose some of the jewelry for new jewelry-making
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  • Tips for Choosing the Right Glue
    Have you ever been stumped when trying to figure out which kind of glue to use in your jewelry projects? Here, I've shared a few tips from jewelry designer, Molly Schaller, which originally appeared in the 2011 edition of Handcrafted Jewelry magazine
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  • Pantone Fall 2013 Fashion Color Report
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  • Why Bother With Bead Embroidery? Guest Blog By Cyndi Lavin
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  • My 4 favorite blogs from Inside Jewelry Stringing Magazine
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  • The Perfect Beaded Wedding Accessories
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  • It's a Secret: Make This Faux Chain Maille Bracelet by Jane Dickerson
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  • What to do with those Dapping Projects

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  • Our Favorite Oscars Jewelry
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Seed Beads and Brass Findings
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  • Start Designing Your Own Beaded Jewelry, Part 3: Putting It All Together
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  • Enter Our Beading Contest Now!
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  • Start Designing Your Own Beaded Jewelry, Part 1: Herringbone Bezel for a Bead
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  • Caring for Your Silver Jewelry
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  • Only One More Week to Submit Your Designs!
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  • Are You Captivated By Cabochons?
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  • Book Review: Suzanne Golden Presents - Interviews with 36 Artists Who Innovate with Beads
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  • Are You a Bead Star?
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  • Love Those Vintage Pearls!
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  • Curious About Dapping?
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  • Trend Watch: Statement Earrings
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  • Try This Free Riveting Bracelet Making Project
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  • Do You Rizo?
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  • Beadlepoint, Beadlepoint, Beadlepoint
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for February 2013
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  • Make This Easy Crystal Chakra Pendant
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  • Win a Free Mirrix Loom!
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  • Who's Afraid of a Teeny Tiny Microtorch?
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  • Make These Easy Romantic Earrings
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  • Stitch Pro: Tucson!
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  • DIY: Upcycle Your Mardi Gras Beads
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  • Spool Beaded Beads
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Spring 2013
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  • How to Make a Brick Stitch Ruffle
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  • Four Fast and Fun Wire Earring Making Projects
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  • What do Skiing and Jewelry Have in Common?
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  • Valentine's Day Charms & Materials
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  • Our Favorite Free Gemstone Beading Projects
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  • Just Announced: Jewelry Stringing's Fall Submissions Guidelines!
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  • Glass Beads to Look Out For in Tucson
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  • Less Than 24 Hours Left to Save On My Favorite Beading Resources
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  • Fuzzy, Fun, Felted Beads!
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  • Can’t Get Enough Organization Tips?
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  • Need Something To Do This Weekend?
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  • Last Day: Make Your Voice Heard!
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  • Sign Up for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party This Weekend!
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  • Steampunk Style Beading with Cynthia Newcomer Daniels
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  • Amazing "New" Beading Tool!
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  • How to Prepare for the Tucson Bead Shows
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  • Another Necklace Making Makeover: Tiny Shell Beads Transform a Cabochon
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  • Free Wire Wrapping Project: Gypsy Wire Bangle
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  • Inaugural Fashion
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  • Tell Us What You Think!
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  • Boring Bead Crochet?
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  • Stitch Pro: Breaking Bad...Beads
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  • Improve Your Jewelry Photography With a Live Webinar
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  • Win Big Prizes in Our Best Beading Contest Ever!
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  • Vintage Jewelry Making Components From the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club
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  • Have You Tried Peyote Stitch with Twin Beads Yet?
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  • Make These Easy Mixed Metal Earrings
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  • Easy Steps to Metal Jewelry Making with Guest Blogger Gwen Fuller Youngblood
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  • Make These Wintry Stamped Earrings
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  • 2013 Pantone Color of the Year: Emerald
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  • Are You a Beader?
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  • Get the Look: Stunning Statement Jewelry
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  • Learn Kumihimo As Easy As 1-2-3
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  • Top Beading Teachers Share Their Favorite Beading Tools!
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  • Free Resources for Your Beady Resolutions
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  • Spring Trend: Raw Gemstone Jewelry
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  • 3 Easy Ideas for Mixed Media and Bead Embroidery
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  • Learn How to Add New Beading Thread with a Slipknot from Melanie Potter
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  • Use Your Seed Bead Patterns to Get Out Of Your Beading Rut
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  • Beadwork, February/March 2013
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  • Name That Beaded Bracelet and Win a Kit of Beads from The Creative Fringe
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  • More Reasons to Love Herringbone Stitch with Guest Blogger Melissa Grakowsky
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  • Free Wire Jewelry Projects That You'll Love to Make!
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  • The Business of Jewelry: Alternatives to Etsy
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  • Free Beaded Bead Project by Carol Huber Cypher
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  • The Great Necklace Making Makeover: Updating Vintage Jewelry
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  • Stitch Pro: Stitch a Beaded Snowflake
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  • Get Published in Beadwork Magazine!
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  • Why I Love My Vintaj Big Kick Machine
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  • Happy Holidays from Jewelry Stringing!
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  • How to Date Your Vintage Crystal Beads with Guest Blogger Suzanne Branca
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  • Favorite Tutorials of 2012
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  • Only A Few More Days To Submit Your Jewelry Designs!
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  • Bead-weaving With Wire
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  • New Year's Resolutions: Beading in 2013
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  • Help Fund The Beaded Body Project on Kickstarter
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  • Big Savings on 12-12-12!
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  • Peyote Stitch and Spike Beads: Made For Each Other
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  • The Top 12 Beading Daily Blogs of 2012 - And a Giveaway!
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  • Featured Bead Artist: Beki Haley
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  • Learning How to Bead Isn't Just for Beginners!
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  • Socially Conscious Gift Guide
    If you don't have time to give handmade gifts to everyone on your list this year, why not give something that will help those in need? Consider shopping at one of these sites instead of the big box stores and you'll be making a difference in someone's
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  • Hollywood's Best Movie Jewelry
    When it comes to making a character really pop on the silver screen, having the right costume jewelry can be just as important as the clothes that the actor is wearing. There are far too many examples of stunning movie jewelry to discuss in one post,
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  • Free Embossed Leather Earring Project
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  • How to Oxidize Metal with a Hard-Boiled Egg
    Lately I've been playing around with combining wire and seed beads in my jewelry designs and found this quick, affordable, and nontoxic way to color sterling silver wire and findings. I used to mix up batches of liver of sulfur to oxidize, but that's
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  • Decorate Yourself For the Holidays
    We spend a lot of time decorating our house for the holidays: lights go up around the front door and all around the big back porch, and we collect evergreen boughs from the woods that are tied together with big, red ribbons. I tend to get a little carried
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Winter 2013
    With 28 necklaces, 22 bracelets, and 30 earrings, the Winter '13 issue is packed full of brand new jewelry designs. For the first time, we have the pleasure of announcing the winners of our annual Bead Star competition in Jewelry Stringing magazine. In this edition, you will get step-by-step instructions
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  • Designing with Birthstones
    Like many of you, my daughter has a December birthday. I'd like to create a special piece of jewelry incorporating her birthstone so I've gathered a few tips from some very helpful web sites with information on birthstones and gemstones. This
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  • How Has Jewelry Making Changed Your Life?
    It's funny how learning one jewelry making skill can lead to so many others. When I first got serious about learning how to bead, I was mostly doing stringing and making earrings using head pins and eye pins. Then after my mother gave me a beautiful
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  • Reader Photo Gallery Giveaway, Week 3: Show Us Your Best Crystal Beading Projects!
    Ootheca cuff by Rachel Nelson-Smith It's December 1, and that means it's time to start thinking about all those glittery crystal bead jewelry pieces that we're going to wear for the holidays! True, I don't usually wear a lot of beaded
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  • The Gift of the Season--Jewelry Kits!
    The Winter '13 issue of Jewelry Stringing hits newsstands in a few days--just in time for the holidays! Giving DIY kits seems to be the trend of this holiday season, so I have decided to choose a design from our upcoming issue and compile my own jewelry
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  • Make This Resin Clay Heart Necklace!
    Earlier this year, I started playing with two-part epoxy clay and made some fabulous rings and pendants set with tiny crystal stones. In June, I took at class at York Beads with my bead buddy Betcey Ventrella from Beyond Beadery and got some more inspiration
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  • Stitch Pro: Coloring Braided Beading Threads like FireLine
    Seasoned beaders consider their thread like Yo-Yo Ma might his bow, Serena Williams' her racket, or heck, a 14-year-old girl considers her texting keyboard. (You probably know that I'm referring to my own daughter, who is a texting pro...she clocked
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  • Stringing Soon Available on iPad!
    This week is an exciting one in the Jewelry Stringing office. We're putting the final touches on our iPad version of the Winter 2013 issue--the first to be available the iPad. It will be available in the Apple Newsstand December 7. We already have
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  • How to Choose Gemstone Cabochons for Jewelry Making
    Lexi Erickson is a contributing author to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist. From Jennifer: I love buying gemstones, particularly gemstone cabochons. When I look at a beautiful gemstone cabochon, I feel as though the wonderful natural colors and patterns
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  • Look What You Can Do With Brick Stitch!
    Brick stitch , as I've said before, will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first bead-weaving stitch that I felt I had truly mastered, and for a very long time, I used it for all of my beaded amulet bags and most of my beaded jewelry
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  • Tips for Accessorizing Your Party Attire
    Soon enough the holiday parties will be in full swing. For inspiration, I've paired a collection of party dresses with select projects from the winter issue of Jewelry Stringing , which is due to hit newsstands on December 11th. You still have time
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  • Save More Throughout The Weekend
    Have you checked out the Bargains and Blowouts Sale in the Beading Daily Shop ? If not, there's no better time than now! In fact, throughout the weekend you can save an additional 15% off already marked down flow prices when you use coupon code EXTRA15
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  • Submissions Deadlines Coming Up!
    The holidays are a busy time for everyone, which is why we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that submissions deadlines for 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings and the Summer '13 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine are right around
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  • The Beading Stitches of Native American Beadwork
    Being a history geek, I love to know the whole story behind how things came to be, including many of my favorite bead-weaving stitches. Many of these stitches developed independently all over the world throughout the history of the human race, but chances
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  • Art Deco Pearl Earrings: Inspired by Downton Abbey
    There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to in the New Year, but at the top of my list is the return of Downton Abbey (here in the U.S. it's on PBS). I'd almost be willing to bypass the rest of the holidays altogether for the first day
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  • My Top Picks for Beaded Jewelry Design Resources
    If I had to choose one thing that I love about creating my own beaded jewelry designs, it would be the unlimited possibilities that are presented to me every time I sit down with my sketchbook and my beads. Really, I can't think of another jewelry
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for November 2012
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  • Sign Up Now for Lori Anderson's Memories and Thanks Blog Hop
    Lori Anderson, the creator of the original Bead Soup Blog Party, is hosting a blog hop in January 2013 called the Memories and Thanks Blog Hop. Meant to honor someone we cherish -- a mother, a sister, a brother, a friend -- this blog hop is all about
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  • Free Necklace Project: Inspired by Sundance
    I have been enamored with this lemon topaz ring with its ornate etched motif ever since my Summer catalog arrived from Sundance months ago. Over the weekend, I crafted a simple pendant using the embossed metal technique shown in one of my past blogs here
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  • My Favorite Entries in the Beadwork Magazine 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest
    I was expecting to see great things in the Beadwork magazine 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead contest, but, wow, the creativity of the entries really blew me away! I've always been fascinated with beaded beads, and I was really eager to see how folks
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  • Crafty Subscription Boxes
    Have you heard of wine of the month clubs? Frankly, I never saw the appeal; but in the last year a handful of companies have launched a new take on monthly subscription boxes that I can get on board with. Companies like For The Makers , Whimseybox , and
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  • A Free eBook Fit For a Queen, All About Pearls!
    Who among us can resist the lure of beautiful handmade pearl jewelry ? The legacy of pearls throughout history is as fascinating as it is mysterious: pearls were once a luxury enjoyed only by kings and queens, retrieved from the depths of the oceans and
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  • Chain Maille Supplies from Blue Buddha Boutique
    Back in March, I made my first-ever chain maille project from a free set of project instructions here on Beading Daily . I was a little nervous when I set out to try it, since wire work has never been my strength in jewelry-making, and I was more than
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  • 5 Basic Beading Terms
    Have you ever been in a class, reading a pattern, or beading with friends and stopped to wonder the difference between "pass through" and "pass BACK through"? Do you often hear references to "tension" and wonder if this refers
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  • How to Make a Slide Knot
    I find myself often using slide knots--those knots you can form on leather that slide up and down on the leather, allowing you to shorten or lengthen your piece as desired. It's an easy knot to form and works especially well with simple necklaces
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  • It's Time to Think About Your Holiday Bead Crafts!
    Holidays are always made better with the addition of one of my favorite things -- beads! What better way to celebrate the winter holidays than sharing the love with a few beautiful and joyful bead crafts? Every year, holiday time gives me a reason to
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Wildly Bohemian Blackberry Bush Kit of Beads!
    It's that time again! Time to look at what one of our wonderful editors over at Beadwork magazine has done with the Bead Challenge , come up with a name for that piece, and enter for a chance to win one of the bead kits used to make it! This time
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  • Coral Multistrand Necklace How-To
    I've been saving back several hanks of coral-colored Czech seed beads in various sizes for a rainy day. Today it didn't rain, but it was a quiet day at the office and I decided to give the bead spinner a go and put together this chunky necklace
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  • What Makes the Perfect Gift?
    Beautiful, easy Snow Tunes resin earrings by Danielle Fox. A few twists of wire and crystals are all you need to create these Sparkling Snowflakes earrings by Chloe Chatenever! It's that time of year again, where I start to think about making jewelry
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  • Fun With Fringe (Free Project!)
    Inspired by the fringe trend that has found traction in the fashion world lately, I made this pair of super simple, super stylish fringe earrings. I was so pleased with how they turned out that I decided to share them with you! I chose gray beading thread
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  • Bead-weaving Stitches in Action: Choosing the Right Stitch For Your Beading Project
    Looking at a few of my favorite bead-weaving stitches , the first thing that I notice is that the beads are lined up in pretty much the same way: rows stacked on top of each other, nice and neat, with a few variations in the alignment of the seed beads
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  • Stitch Pro: A Traveling Healing Bracelet Stops at my House
    As you've read in a previous post by Mallory Leonard, Sig Wynne Evans has developed a wonderful round robin of healing with her Traveling Bracelets Project. Mallory's blog inspired Sig to design another bracelet that would begin with an Interweaver
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  • Make 12 Holiday Jewelry Designs
    A little bit ago, I posted a blog about how much fun the Jewelry Stringing staff had while working on a collection of holiday-jewelry projects. I'm proud to announce that the Create Christmas Jewelry: 12 Holiday Designs eBook is now available here
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  • Five Reasons to Love Seed Bead Patterns
    Why do we love seed bead patterns so much? I recently posted something on the Beading Daily Facebook page about NaSeBeMo (National Seed Beading Month) , and I was thrilled to see that there are as many people out there who are obsessed with working with
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  • Free Quick-and-Easy Necklace Project
    I've been so excited about the themes for the Summer 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing , one of which is "Modern Cowgirl," that when I came across a sheet of western-themed clip art in our stash, I just had to whip up a fun cowgirl necklace
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  • Four Beading How-Tos You Need to Know
    Little did I know when I first sat down to learn how to bead how many skills I would learn in the coming years! It makes you realize that there's a lot more to making beautiful beaded jewelry than just sitting down and stringing some beads on wire
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  • Put Your Stamp On It
    The lull between Halloween and Thanksgiving is a great time to think about handcrafted gifts that you might want to make in preparation for the holidays this year. Growing up, we would dip candles every year to give as seasonal gifts to our friends and
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  • What's Your Favorite Type of Clasp for Bracelet Making Projects?
    No matter how much time and care you put into your bracelet making projects, choosing the right clasp can make all the difference in the world. Choosing a clasp that's easy to work, comfortable, and secure for your bracelet making projects might seem
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  • NaSeBeMo 2012 - Join Me For Some Seed Beading Every Day!
    Some of you might remember that last year, my friend and bead artist Dulcey Heller had pondered what would happen if there were a National Seed Beading Month, similar to National Novel Writing Month. I loved the idea, so I declared November to be NaSeBeMo
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  • From One New Beader to Another
    Although I've made strung jewelry for years, I'm pretty green when it comes to beadweaving. I've quickly fallen in love with the craft, but also hit some frustrating walls I've had to climb along the way. I have the luxury of endless learning
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  • Master Peyote Stitch with Melinda Barta
    What is it about peyote stitch that keeps us beaders coming back for more? I struggled with peyote stitch when I was learning how to bead -- there was just something about the thread path that I couldn't keep straight in my mind. But once I found
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  • When Wire Won't Behave
    The more I learn about making wire jewelry, the more it brings out my inner science geek. I mean, really, how many people get excited when they start hearing about the molecular structure and malleability of wire when they sit down to make a wire jewelry
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  • Fun with the Easy Ear Wire Maker!
    One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is being able to try out new tools and materials that I might not otherwise try. I had a blast a few weeks ago trying my hand at embossing metal blanks using the Vintaj die-cutting and embossing machine ( see
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  • Summer 2013 Contributor Guidelines Posted!
    We just finished putting the finishing touches on our Summer 2013 Jewelry Stringing submissions guidelines, and we can't wait to see this issue come together! Read through the guidelines and submissions instructions here . (Note: We have made some
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  • Free Blooming Heart Mixed Media Jewelry-Making Project from Nunn Designs
    Silly me. All through high school and college, I thought that jewelry making with materials like fiber, clay, fabric, and paper was just a fun way to make jewelry. Little did I know that it's actually mixed media jewelry, and when I need to stretch
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  • Beadwork, December 2012/January 2013
    Cozy up to the December 2012/January 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine and enjoy 16 amazing beaded jewelry designs. This issue highlights your favorite shaped beads—peanuts beads, spikes, Super Duos, and more. Plus, get a sneak preview of the 2013 Tucson bead shows.
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  • How to Build a Portable Bead Studio
    Bead Fest Texas kicks off tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited! There's just something so comforting about being around "my people"-you know, people who fully understand and accept you for being obsessed with beads. People who can
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  • How to Get Published in Jewelry Stringing Magazine
    Five years ago, Beading Daily published a question-and-answer blog about how to get published in Jewelry Stringing magazine. I still get many of the same questions, so I decided it would be helpful to revisit the answers, which have changed slightly over
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  • Beading In the Lap of Luxury
    Long gone are the days when I would bead sitting cross-legged on my bedroom floor, scooping my seed beads out of plastic containers and trays. These days, I've got myself a pretty sweet place for beading, and I've armed myself with quite an arsenal
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  • How to Bead For Halloween!
    Halloween is arguably my favorite holiday for the fun factor: watching my son get dressed up in his costume, carving pumpkins, and, of course, my favorite fall foods like roasted pumpkin seeds and apple cider donuts. But even if you don't dress up
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  • How to Sell Your Jewelry at a Craft Show
    With the holiday season quickly approaching , some of you may be considering selling your handmade jewelry at a craft show for the first time. A friend recently invited me to join her in selling our handmade jewelry at a small, local craft show. It's
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  • Behind the Scenes: Spring 2013 Submissions Meeting
    The submissions for the Spring 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing have been rolling in for weeks, and yesterday we finally had a chance to lay them all out and start making our selections. We always try to seize opportunities to give you all a peek of what
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  • Whip Up A Herringbone Stitch Rope With Some Texture!
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  • Beading the Odds: Beads of Courage (Part II)
    In yesterday's post , I spoke of Beads of Courage , a remarkable program in many hospitals that enables children battling serious illness to use beads to track and celebrate their medical journeys. When I was learning about Beads of Courage, I had
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  • Beading the Odds: Beads of Courage (Part I)
    Jean Baruch is a medical professional with a heart for children. During her early years as a nurse, Jean discovered some gaps in the specialized care aimed at children battling serious illness. She returned to school at the University of Arizona's
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  • How to Find Free Technique Help
    One of the main goals of Jewelry Stringing magazine is to teach our readers how to make their own jewelry. We do this by providing thorough step-by-step instructions with every featured design in the magazine. We also have a Technique Focus column in
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  • Easy Ways to Get Started Using Metals in Your Jewelry Making Projects
    I've always gravitated towards using metals in my bead-weaving and jewelry making projects. Metallic glass seed beads and metal seed beads are favorite beading supplies of mine, and now I've discovered how easy (and how much fun!) it is to use
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  • 5 Secrets for Great Bead Embroidery
    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
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  • The Shifting Feather Trend
    Here in the Jewelry Stringing office, we've just begun poring over some of the submissions we've received for the spring 2013 issue. One of the themed sections for this issue is "Coachella Chic," named after the annual music festival
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  • Jewelry for Book Lovers
    As any of my friends will tell you, I am a book lover through and through (although they might say that the phrase "crazed book fanatic" is more apt...). I simply can't pass a bookstore without going in, and hardly ever leave without making
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  • It's Right-angle Weave to the Rescue With Our New Free eBook!
    Do you love working with right-angle weave ? This superhero of bead-weaving stitches can do just about anything with any kind of beads that you have handy. When I want to bead just for beading's sake, I'll grab two or three colors of seed beads
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  • Add Some Sparkle and Texture To Your Polymer Clay Beads!
    A big thank-you to Iris Weiss of Polyform Products for sharing this free polymer clay bead making tutorial with us, and thank you to Suzanne Anderson of Yikes Studio for creating this tutorial! If you've made some of the big hole polymer clay beads
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  • Stitch Pro: Circular Square Stitch
    Learn circular square stitch
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  • Fa La La Lots of Earrings!
    The Jewelry Stringing and Beadwork office is always abuzz with activity. It feels like we always have a million things going on at once. Right now, though, our biggest push is to finalize our newest eBook, Create Christmas Jewelry: 12 Holiday Designs
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  • Polymer Clay Bead Making Techniques: Learn How to Make a Skinner Blend
    Learning how to make a Skinner blend opens up a whole new realm of possibilities when it comes to bead making with polymer clay. A big thank-you to Iris Weiss of Polyform Products for sharing this free polymer clay bead making tutorial with us. How to
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  • 3 Easy Ideas for Making Large Hole Polymer Clay Beads
    I've found a new appreciation for polymer clay bead making these last few months, and I'm lucky that the lovely folks over at Polyform Products have agreed to supply me with a steady stream of free polymer clay bead making projects! This free
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  • Bead Chic with Beaded Beads
    There is something so appealing about a beaded bead: It can sparkle with simple elegance or it can demand attention the moment you enter a room. The beaded bead can change your entire look with one color or with a multihued pattern. It's one of the
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  • What's Your Necklace Making Style?
    Necklace making is such a personal expression of your style, and it's one of the reasons why I love making my own beaded jewelry. I definitely have my own sense of style when it comes to fashion, and so do you! You may not realize it, but your choices
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  • Editors Share Their Ergonomic Beading Tips
    I'll be the first to admit that posture isn't exactly my strong suit when sitting in front of my computer screen for 8 hours or working on a beading project in my spare bedroom at home. So I've asked the editors of some of your favorite bead
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  • 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings 2013
    Our last issue of 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings hit newsstands three months ago--and we are already gearing up for the next one! Once again, the issue will be built around 16 different color categories (below). We have 101 brand new projects
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  • Express Yourself With Bead Crochet
    Toni Rexroat is the editor of Crochet Me A note from Jennifer: Today's guest blogger is our own Toni Rexroat from Crochet Me . Toni loves how bead crochet edgings allow us to express ourselves, and they're certainly one one of my favorite projects
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  • Tribal-Inspired Fashion
    From beaded bags to full-size headdresses, the tribal-inspired trend dominated fashion blogs and retail catalogs last summer and has continued into fall. Just one fashionable beaded bracelet can be the perfect accent to that earth-toned outfit for an
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  • Behind the Scenes: Jewelry Stringing Project Editor
    When I tell people that I'm Project Editor for Jewelry Stringing and Beadwork magazines, the question I get is "So, what do you do ?" So I thought I'd show you a little behind-the-scenes look into what it's like working for jewelry
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  • Make a Wire God's Eye Pendant In Under an Hour!
    I get some great inspirations for my beading and wire jewelry making projects from the things my son does in preschool. Just the other day, we made weavings using popsicle sticks and yarn -- do you remember making those as a kid? You glue the popsicle
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  • Meet a Chain Maille Genius
    While I'm relatively new to the art of chain maille, I've been making my own lampwork glass beads for the last nine years. So when I was at Bead Fest Philadelphia last month with Jewelry Making Daily 's Tammy Jones, I was a little confused
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  • Support Breast Cancer Awareness with Free Facebook Cover Art
    October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and to help raise awareness, we're offering a free Facebook cover image that you can download and use for the entire month of October! We want to invite you to use this cover design for your own social
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  • Bejeweled Halloween Ideas
    With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to spook up a few appropriately-themed jewelry components, tutorials, and just-plain-fun eye candy! I love the clever use of chain in this spider web bracelet and necklace set. Find the
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  • Reader Photo Gallery Giveaway, Week 2: Show Us Your Best Beaded Beads!
    This year, we've been treated to a whole series of great beaded bead projects in each issue of Beadwork magazine as part of their 15th Anniversary Celebration , so I thought it would be fun for the second week of our Reader Photo Gallery Giveaway
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  • CraftOptics Telescopes for Beading
    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
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  • There's An App For That!
    Want to keep up with the latest blogs and videos from BeadingDaily.com while you are on the go? There's an app for that! I'm sure you all have been hearing about the iPhone 5 craze that is sweeping the globe. Perhaps some of you even camped out
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  • Master the Art of Bead-weaving With Our New Free eBook
    There's no doubt that if you're reading this, you're someone who knows that there's a special kind of magic in bead-weaving . I don't know how else to explain the feeling I get after sitting down with just a pile of beads, a needle
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  • Psyched for Spikes!
    Lately, I’ve been seeing some very inspiring beadwork made with spike beads—so inspiring, in fact, that I finally ordered some for myself. Beware: Designs incorporating these hot new beads are anything but subtle! Today, I share with you a
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  • Favorite FREE Beading Projects
    Did you know you can find free beading projects at BeadingDaily.com? Many of the beading projects were originally featured in Jewelry Stringing magazine. I was looking through the free projects the other day and discovered that many were favorites from
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  • Learning How to Bead: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
    One of the best gifts I ever gave to myself was when I signed up for my first series of lessons to learn how to bead. It was supposed to be a little reward to myself for finishing up my Bachelor's degree after ten years of working my way through college
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  • Favorite Picks and Projects from Handcrafted Jewelry 2012
    Before I discovered beads, I would make jewelry out of anything I could get my hands on. When we were kids, my sister and I made earrings out of thick watercolor paper, strung bracelets with buttons and thread, and spent hours on tiny needlepoint pendants
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  • Musings on the Beader's Stash
    While perusing some of the forums on Beading Daily, I noticed that "the stash" seems to be a popular topic. A reader posed the questions, “Do you buy beads more often than you use them up?” and “When you create, do you use
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  • Embellished Leather Cuff
    A few weeks ago, the editorial teams from Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines got together to consolidate our office stash of beading materials. As you can imagine, we have A TON of fun materials to play with around here, but for a long time they
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  • The Hardest Part of Necklace Making
    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
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  • Healing Power of Beads: The Traveling Bracelets Project
    Sig's Indian Paisley Bracelet: Traveling Bracelet #1 There are many ways to respond to cancer diagnosis. Long-time beader Sig Wynne-Evans bravely accepted news of her uterine cancer earlier this year, underwent surgery in May, and missed three weeks
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for September
    I can hardly believe that it's already September! But here we are, autumn is coming here in the mountains, and I'm starting to stockpile beads and supplies for my beading and jewelry making projects to get me through the long, cold Adirondack
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  • Inside an Editor's Toolbox: 5 Must-Have Tools
    When I first began my job as an editor for Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines, I had no prior jewelry-making experience. I had no beads, no findings, no wire--nothing. My new coworkers helped me remedy that situation very quickly. The first thing
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  • Meet the Cinderella of Bead-weaving Stitches: Chevron Stitch
    Chevron stitch is one of those bead-weaving stitches that doesn't get enough attention, I think. It's an incredibly useful bead-weaving stitch that can be used to create simple beaded necklaces and bracelets as well as larger, more intricate,
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  • Use Basic Wire Jewelry Skills to Make a Fabulous Floral Collar!
    A couple of months ago, Jewelry Making Daily 's Tammy Jones wrote about a very cool stick pearl bracelet she made using wire and a metal cuff bracelet. When I saw her tutorial for her wire jewelry making project, I was inspired to finally use one
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  • New Tutorial: Using a Die-Cutting Machine to Emboss Metal
    Awhile back, I had the good fortune of learning how to emboss on metal from an expert in the field, Jess Italia Lincoln, who is the director of advertising and education at Vintaj Natural Brass Company. Jess held a workshop wherein we created a miniature
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  • Reader Photo Gallery Giveaway, Week 1: Show Us Your Best Bead Embroidery!
    One of the things I love about the Beading Daily online community is the Reader Photo Gallery . It's so inspiring for me to look in there every day and see all of the beautiful beaded jewelry made by the members of the Beading Daily community! You
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  • DIY Jewelry Techniques: The Hollywood Look For Less
    AP Photo by Richard Drew, via CBS News Elizabeth Taylor was famous for much more than her extravagant jewelry collection, but her dazzling diamonds and gemstones didn't exactly go unnoticed, either. The Hollywood star's collection of more than
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  • Handcrafted Jewelry, 2012
    Handcrafted Jewelry is back...and this year it's bigger than ever!
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  • The Business of Selling Beaded Jewelry: Is Your Online Shop Ready for the Holidays?
    Okay, I have to 'fess up: I'm one of those people who rolls her eyes when she sees the Christmas and holiday displays being put up in the drugstore or the departments stores before Halloween. And I really despise the hustle and bustle and the
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  • Beading Supplies I Love: Thread Catchers, Bead Mats, and Crafting Totes from Judi Patuti
    I love my little "corner office" where I have my desk, my computer, and my beading area set up. What I don't love is that because we have a large dog who gets into things, I have to constantly remember to empty my garbage can of thread scraps
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  • Stitch Pro: Taming the RAW Monster
    First off, let me say how pleased I am to be writing to you from the ether again, this time on Beadwork 's very own page! Editor Melinda Barta has let me loose as my "Stitch Pro" alter-ego, my column in Beadwork magazine. It's here that
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  • Spring Fashion Preview
    Here in the Jewelry Stringing office, we've been planning our Spring 2013 issue for quite some time now. In fact, a few weeks ago we released our Contributor Guidelines with all the info you need to know in order to submit your own jewelry designs
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  • Getting Started with Flat Peyote Stitch
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  • Beading Supplies I Love: Kumihimo Beading Supplies from Tapestry Beads
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Beads from Red Panda Beads!
    My experiences with a group of traveling Tibetan Buddhist monks inspired me to create this peyote stitch prayer box necklace. Some of you may remember a blog I wrote earlier this year about the time I got to spend praying and meditating with a group of
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  • New Beading Tools for Flat Peyote Stitch from Deb Moffett-Hall
    Flat peyote stitch is a great bead-weaving stitch to know, but starting a new piece in flat peyote can be tricky, especially for a beginner. Those first three rows always seem to want to twist in on themselves, and if you're trying to work from a
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  • 5 Bead Making Projects for Everyone - Even You!
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  • Enter a Beading Contest!
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  • Back to the Basics
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  • The Joy of Glass Beads!
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  • Geometric Beadweaving
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  • Cutting You Off: Beading Tools for Cutting Your Beading Thread
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  • All About Agates!
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  • Easy Long-and-Short Necklace
    I purchased this necklace several years ago at a department store. At the time, it was a double-strand necklace, but I really only wanted to wear it long. So I detached a few things here and there, joined it back together, and, voila! One long necklace
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  • Thrift Store Jewelry Display
    Yesterday I stumbled upon this idea from Martha Stewart for cute and easy jewelry storage using mismatched teacups and saucers: I set out to create my own version of this adorable display (on a budget, of course), and was pleased to discover that my local
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  • Like Wire Wrapping? Try Wire Embroidery!
    These very cool 36 gauge copper sheets from Lilly Pilly Designs open up a whole new world of design possibilities! Chain stitch using wire makes a great decorative element when working with rustic style jewelry designs. I don't know about anyone else
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  • Jewelry Making Components and Supplies from Lillypilly Designs
    Lillypilly now offers a large selection of fine gauge copper sheets, perfect for mixed media jewelry making projects! The fine gauge copper sheets are available with both patina and embossed patterns on them. It's easy to stitch through the copper
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  • Make a Leather Glitter Bracelet!
    For some time now I have been lusting after those suede boots with glittery backs. Have you seen them? Not wanting to pay $200 or more for a trendy item like this, I searched the Web for cheaper options and luckily found lots of fun blogs with DIY instructions
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  • Welcome to Inside Beadwork Magazine
    Welcome to Inside Beadwork Magazine ! We couldn't be more excited to launch our new blog where, on a weekly basis, we'll bring you up-to-date community events, let you in behind the scenes, share the trends we spot, and simply chat about everything
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  • Free Beading Project: Leather Bubble Bead Cuff Bracelet
    I was so in love with this neon green Regaliz Greek leather from Antelope Beads that I wanted to make a cheerful yet modern beaded cuff bracelet with it. I adapted a technique I learned from both Sig Wynne-Evans and Gail Crossman Moore to create the little
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  • Where Will Kumihmo Take You? Everywhere!
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  • Beadwork, October/November 2012
    Beadwork’s Oct/Nov 2012 issue boasts 23 fabulous jewelry designs made in your favorite stitches—peyote, herringbone, right-angle weave, and others. Plus, learn more about today’s most popular techniques, such as kumihimo braiding and beading with Tilas.
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  • Leather Supplies and New Metal Pendants from Antelope Beads
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  • Fashion Trend: Gold Fever
    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
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  • Beading Shops I Love: Bead & Glass Boutique of Pitman, New Jersey
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  • Beadwork Magazine: The Best in Beaded Jewelry Design
    I can still remember what inspired me to create my first original beaded jewelry design . I was flipping through a book about antique jewelry, and one of the photographs caught my attention. It was an antique seed pearl necklace made up of three components
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  • 10 Things You Didn't Know About: Kate Wilson
    A few months ago we did a meet-the-editors series of posts, in which you got to know me ( 10 Things You Didn't Know About: Chloe Chatenever ), managing editor Debbie Blair ( 10 Things You Didn't Know About: Debbie Blair ), and our Editorial Director
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  • Is That Just a Wire?
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  • Scenes From Bead Fest Philadelphia, Day 2
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  • Wild Beading Supplies for Bead Embroidery
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  • Win Great Prizes in Soft Flex Company's Contest
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  • A New Angle on Right-Angle Weave
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  • Beading Supplies for Beaders On the Go!
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  • Bead Fest Philadelphia, Day 1
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  • Use Wire to Bezel a Cabochon
    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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  • Accessorize for Fall
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  • "Pin"spiration
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  • 6 Free Favorite Herringbone Stitch Beading Projects!
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  • New Beading Supplies You'll Want Now!
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  • Three Great Beading Tools for Learning How to Bead
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  • 4 T-Shirts, 2 Necklaces
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  • Lovely, Lacy, Bead Crochet Jewelry
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  • Spring 2013 Jewelry Stringing Guidelines Posted!
    We have finally published our updated Contributor Guidelines for the Spring 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine. A lot of thought and planning went into the themes for this issue and we can't wait to see the submissions that you all create! Read
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  • Making Great Steampunk Jewelry: A Brief History of Chain
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  • August Vintage Bead Treasures from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club
    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
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  • Statement Jewelry: Bring on the Bling
    Lately I've noticed a growing number of jewelry designers are incorporating brightly colored crystals and other gemstones into their pieces. And this bling isn't just for playing dress-up: saturated pastels, electric neons, and lollipop-like hues
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  • Free Beading Project: Easy Wire Wrapped Cuff Bracelet
    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
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  • Runway-Worthy Beaded Wedding Jewelry
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  • How to Use a Color Wheel for Your Beading Projects
    Coloring in this color wheel on my own was a great way to learn more about color theory for bead-weaving. Choosing colors can be the hardest part of any beading project. For a long time, I just chose colors on a whim. If they worked together, I always
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  • Common Lengths of Necklaces for Necklace Making Projects
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  • Matching Your Favorite Necklace Lengths to Your Favorite Necklines
    After my last blog about ways to adjust your beaded necklaces to get the perfect fit, a couple of my co-workers here at Beading Daily asked me how I match up my necklaces with the different necklines of shirts. What a great idea for a blog!, I thought
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  • Tutorial: Epoxy Clay Ring
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  • Sneak Peak of Fall Jewelry Stringing!
    The Fall 2012 issue of Jewelry Stringing doesn't hit newsstands until August 21st, but you can get a sneak peak into this exciting issue right now on the Jewelry Stringing site! A few of my favorite things about this issue: - Our contributors have
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Fall 2012
    In addition to 28 beaded necklaces, 20 bracelets, and 26 pairs of earrings, the Fall 2012 issue of Jewelry Stringing features a special shopping guide, which includes 100+ of our favorite new beads, findings, and tools. The projects in this issue are broken up into five exciting, themed galleries: Earthly
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  • Treat Yourself to a Little Crystal Bead Luxury and Celebrate Beading Daily's 5th Anniversary!
    That's right! Beading Daily is five this month! Five years of beading blogs, beading projects, beading techniques, making new beading friends, and gorgeous beaded art. We've had the likes of Michelle Mach, Jean Campbell, Leslie Rogalski, and the
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  • Glass Beads I Love: New Czech Gumdrop Beads from York Beads
    Are you ready for a sweet glass bead treat? York Beads in New York City has a new shape of Czech pressed glass bead ready for us -- the gumdrop! I got a sneak peek of these little lovelies last week, and now York Beads is ready to show them to the world
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  • Gold, Silver, and Bronze Beading Supplies
    I've got Olympics on the brain. Right now, I'm watching "The Fab Five" win the women's all-around gymnastics competition. Michael Phelps just became the most decorated Olympian ever with 19 metals. This is good stuff. In honor of
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  • Beading Books I Love: Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes
    So, when it comes to beaded ropes, you think you've seen it all, right? Think again. I've just seen a preview of Lark's latest book in their Beadweaving Master Class series, Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes. With this book, Jill has
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  • My Favorite Materials for Mixed Media Beadwork
    One of my long-standing obsessions is using found objects in my beaded necklace and beaded bracelet designs. When I inherited a portion of my mother's old jewelry after she passed away in 2008, I started thinking about ways I could use them in new
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  • Favorite Bead Stitches, 2012
    Beadwork Presents: Favorite Bead Stitches 2012 is back by popular demand . . . now with 34 more favorite Beadwork projects and 6 all-new quick-and-easy designs! This special issue is packed with 144 pages of stunning projects and clear instructions, carefully selected and conveniently grouped into 5
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  • Incorporating Sentimentality into your Jewelry
    I've had an idea for a particular necklace since I came back from Bead Fest Santa Fe last March. I had picked up these ceramic buttons and pendant from Antelope Beads 's booth with the intention of creating a sentimental piece of jewelry for myself
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  • My Favorite Seed Bead Patterns of 2011
    If you love seed bead patterns, 2011 was a very good year. Beadwork magazine's Designers of the Year included beading legends Carol Wilcox Wells, Sherry Serafini, Cynthia Rutledge, and Kelly Wiese. Beading pattern designers everywhere were pushing
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  • Update Your Jewelry Using New Fashion Trends
    Original necklace from LOFT Blue and gray ribbons Coral and pale yellow ribbons Pearls Perfected by Linda Larsen Handcrafted Jewelry 2012 While I tend to go for classic styles that can be worn for years, I like to have at least one trendy jewelry piece
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  • Getting Started with Chain Maille: 5 Things You Need to Know
    Chain maille is such a fascinating technique for jewelry-making, but I have to admit, I approached it with more than a little trepidation. Once I got started, though, the rhythm of opening, linking, and closing all those jump rings created the same soothing
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  • The Battle of the Beadsmith: How Not to Enter a Jewelry Competition
    Well, the first round of voting in The Battle of the Beadsmith competition ended last week, and the winners have been announced. Much to the surprise of many, my piece, Mother of Dragons, didn't make it into the second round. But, get this: it lost
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  • Learning to Use a Bead Spinner
    I know bead spinners are nothing new, yet today was my first time trying one. I've spent hours on various projects stringing one seed bead at a time. This is the tool, I've heard, that would have spared me those hours. Project Editor Kate Wilson
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  • How Do You Like Your Herringbone?
    When it comes to versatility in bead-weaving stitches , you can't beat herringbone stitch. I can't think of another beading stitch that offers so much variation! The thread path of herringbone stitch (also called Ndebele stitch because of its
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  • 5 Tips for Making Beautiful Wire and Bead Chains
    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
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  • Favorites in Floral Fashion
    This week, we've been doing a lot of planning for the Spring 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing . And one of the hot trends we're seeing for spring happens to be floral prints. Here, I've put together a little collection of my favorite floral
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  • Pretty in Punk
    Confession: In high school I went through a brief punk phase. Wide-leg pants, black-and-red plaid, suspenders hanging down around my knees--the whole shebang. I have since given up the safety pins and thick black eyeliner, but I still haven't been
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  • Making Necklaces That Flatter: Why Necklace Length Matters
    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
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  • Jewelry Trends for 2013
    The other day, I met with the other jewelry editors and designers here at Interweave in Loveland, Colorado. Believe it or not, we're already planning our Spring 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing . In anticipation of that issue, we got together to discuss
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  • Beads I Love: Vintage Treasures from the July Bead Hoard Curiosities Club
    July's shipment from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club held some fabulous finds! I couldn't take pictures of everything in the shipment (or we'd be here for a very long time), but I wanted to share a few of my favorites. (And
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  • Free Beading Project: Wire and Bead Chain Using Vintage Metal Beads
    I loved these curved metal beads from the July 2012 shipment of A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club. They reminded me of stringing macaroni onto yarn with my mother and sister when I was kid! But their lovely gold finish and their unusual
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  • Who's Afraid of Shaped Beadwork? Not Me!
    Beaded broad collars started popping up everywhere about the time that I started learning how to do bead-weaving, but I waited a few years until I really felt comfortable with the stitches before I started experimenting with shaping my beadwork. I was
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  • Battle of the Beadsmith: What I'm Learning from the Battle
    If you haven't seen it yet, there is some serious beady eye candy over at the Battle of the Beadsmith group on Facebook. Eighty beaders from around the world were selected to compete, and the finished beaded necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and accessories
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  • Wedding Jewelry Trends for Summer
    Don't you just love summer weddings? One of my office mates has been busily planning her nuptials, which will take place later this month. Getting a glimpse of just some of the things that will make her day special has inspired me to see which accessories
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  • 5 Essential Jewelry Making Techniques from Tammy Jones
    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
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  • The Battle Has Begun: Battle of the Beadsmith!
    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
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  • 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings 2012
    The third annual edition of 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings is finally here, and this year we have freshened it up with a brand-new look--cover to cover! With 144 pages of brand-new projects, step-by-step instructions, and pro tips, we think this issue is the best yet!
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  • Letting Your Materials Speak for Themselves
    One of the greatest skills that a jewelry designer can develop is restraint. With the overwhelming array of amazing beads, findings, and components that are readily available, I have found that the most difficult part of designing a new piece is choosing
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  • Four Favorite Bead Crochet Projects!
    I'm not sure who it was that first thought it might be a good idea to string some beads on yarn before crocheting with it, but whoever it was probably knew that they had stumbled onto something good. Bead crochet ropes are perfect for showing off
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  • Make Neon-Dipped Beads!
    I'm a big fan of the dipped furniture/housewares trend. You know, when just the bottom of a chair or a bowl is dipped in paint. Here are some examples of what I mean: Table seen at homelife.com.au . Bowls from Wind & Willow Home. Chair from Folklore
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  • Three Ways To Incorporate Native American Beadwork Traditions Into Your Beadwork
    There's no doubt that for many of us, beading is a spiritual practice. For the Native Americans of North America, beads and jewelry were a particularly important part of their spiritual beliefs, and with the introduction of seed beads and smaller
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  • Got a Couple of Hours? Make a Bead Embroidery Ring with This Kit!
    Are you looking for a great bead embroidery project that doesn't take days to do? I've found one for you! During my last shopping spree in the Etsy shop of Lisa Peters Art , I snagged one of her new Mini Flower bead embroidery ring kits. I'd
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  • Beading Books I Love: Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry from Lark Books
    What do Jean Campbell, Marcia DeCoster, Jean Power, Rachel Nelson-Smith, Sherry Serafini, Nancy Cain, Diane Fitzgerald, Leslie Frazier, Margie Deeb, Kelly Angeley, Laura McCabe, Lisa Kan, Leslie Rogalski, and Melanie Potter, all have in common? In addition
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  • Seasonal Color Trends: Transition Jewelry Into Fall
    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
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  • Can't Get Enough Beaded Beads?
    If you're a regular subscriber to Beadwork magazine, you'll know that this year marks fifteen years of creative, beady goodness in the pages of my favorite beading magazine! And to celebrate, the editors at Beadwork magazine have come up with
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  • Bead Storage Shopping!
    When I get ready to start on a new project, I like to lay out all of my supplies so that I can see what I have to work with, and assess potentially interesting material combinations as I brainstorm. The only problem with this method is that by the end
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  • Gotta Bead Right Now? Try Right-angle Weave!
    The versatility of right-angle weave never ceases to amaze me. I can think of at least a dozen ways to embellish a single strip of this fabulous bead-weaving stitch . You can shape it without making complicated increases and decreases and just changing
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  • Bracelet Making: Three Special Bracelets in My Jewelry Collection
    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
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  • One Bead, Three Bead-weaving Stitches
    After my recent sojourn to Manhattan and my bead-buying binge at York Beads, I came home with an entire hank of Czech farfalle beads. The Czech farfalle beads were the original "peanut" shaped beads made in the Czech Republic with a technique
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  • Czech Glass Beads: My New Stash of Glass Beads - Spike Beads and Mushroom Beads
    I really picked out quite a nice haul during last week's trip to York Beads in Manhattan, and I'm so excited to share this first part of my new glass bead stash with you! I've loved Czech glass beads since way before I started bead-weaving
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  • Basic Metal Embossing How-To
    I've been dying to try my hand at metal embossing since coming across some You Tube videos by Sandy Griffiths. She makes it look so effortless, so I thought I'd give it a try on a small scale! Turns out it's super-fun and super-easy! You'll
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  • Summer Trend: Geometric Jewelry
    After all the fun I had searching for neon jewelry to feature in my last Summer Trend blog post , I couldn't wait to write another one! This time: geometric jewelry. It seems like bold shapes, bright colors, and clean lines are popping up everywhere
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  • My Top Five Picks for Great Earring Making Resources!
    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
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  • Stars and Stripes Roundup
    I love celebrating the land of the free and the home of the brave! Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays for the patriotic spirit, the food, and the fireworks. Bonus: wearing red, white and blue--a chic color combo if you ask me! So I rounded
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  • It's Easier Than Ever to Get Started with Steampunk Jewelry
    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
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  • SuperDuos vs. Twin Seed Beads: Which Do You Prefer?
    Twin seed beads: the original two-holed seed bead. New SuperDuo two-holed seed beads. After hoarding several colors of Twin seed beads over the last year, I nabbed my first sample of the new Czech SuperDuos during my visit to York Beads in Manhattan last
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  • New Beading Daily Bead-A-Long: Four Weeks of Beaded Bracelets!
    It's been a while since we've had a Bead-A-Long here on Beading Daily , so I thought it would be fun to cook up a whole month's worth of beaded bracelets for your summer beading pleasure! Beaded bracelets are the perfect summertime beading
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  • Five Common Jewelry Findings You Can Make Yourself
    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
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  • More Behind-the-Scenes Photos
    In a recent blog , Assistant Editor Chloe Chatenever shared a glimpse of how we shoot step-by-step photos for Handcrafted Jewelry at Interweave's in-house photo studio. Several days later, I attended a photo shoot with our associate art director and
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  • Polyvore Challenge and Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry Blog Celebration Weekend
    What would you wear with the jewelry pieces in the new book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry ? The book's authors, Erin Siegel and Lorelei Eurto, are giving away two of the necklaces in the book -- the Pompidou Necklace by Lorelei (featured on the cover
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  • Wish Necklaces Re-Imagined
    Try as I might, I cannot figure out why I thought it was necessary to buy 600 feet of pink embroidery thread to make one necklace when I was in Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. (I am claiming temporary craft-store induced insanity. We've all been there
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  • Give Any Wedding a Personal Touch with Handmade Beaded Wedding Jewelry
    More and more couples are choosing to add very personal touches to their weddings. Going beyond just picking that song for your first dance as husband and wife, it really is the little details that count when planning the perfect wedding. And that includes
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  • Bead Embroidery Supplies I Love: Lacy's Self-Adhesive Pattern Sheets
    If there were a twelve-step program for bead embroidery and bead embroidery supplies, I should probably look into it. Until then, I'll keep on stitching away on my bead embroidered collars, pendants and cuff bracelets. And to add to my addiction to
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Chain and Bezels
    This month's Beadwork magazine challenge was done by Melinda Barta, and features a kit of metal bezels and chain. This is what Melinda had to say about her design: "This kit was a real treat because it got me back into designing with resin, a
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  • What's Cookin'? Jewelry Making Ingredients from Your Kitchen!
    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
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  • Win a Bracelet Kit from TierraCast!
    Want to win a FREE macrame bracelet kit from TierraCast ? All you have to do is come up with a great name for the macrame and animal EuroBead bracelet at right! Actually, there are A FEW more rules: Go to TierraCast's Facebook page , like it (if you
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  • Want to Learn How to Weave Beads on a Loom? Mirrix Looms Can Show You How!
    I've been in love with my Mirrix beading loom ever since I took it out of the box back in 2009. It's a well-built, sturdy, and easy-to-use bead loom that can also be used for tapestry weaving. The other thing I love about Mirrix Looms is their
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  • The Beyond Beadery Road Show at York Beads, New York City
    One of the things I love about where I live is that while I'm nestled safely in the heart of the Adirondack mountains, I'm close enough to New York City that I can travel down for an occasional bead binge along 6th and 7th Avenues. And that's
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  • When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?
    When it's a pearl, amber, or coral! Beads, cabochons and jewelry-making components made of these materials are generally classified as gemstones, but there are some important differences between a true gemstone and a pearl, amber, or coral. Pearls
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  • Anklet Inspiration, Part Deux
    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
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  • Seed-Bead Braids
    I'm Kate Wilson, Junior Project Editor for Jewelry Stringing and Beadwork magazines. I've been stringing beads for about 15 years, and now I'm jumping into beadweaving. However, I still love and will always continue working on stringing projects
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  • Don't Go Around in Circles with Circular, Flat Peyote Stitch
    Ah, yes. I can remember the first time I learned how to do circular, flat peyote stitch . I was making little peyote stitch needle cases, and I needed to create a top and bottom for the case. I can remember blindly following the directions without really
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  • How to Do Circular Flat Peyote Stitch
    Circular, flat peyote stitch is a great beadweaving technique for someone who wants to not only expand their beadweaving skills, but also wants to learn more about shaped and geometric beadwork. When you learn circular, flat peyote stitch, you'll
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  • Beadwork, August/September 2012
    The Aug/Sept 2012 issue of Beadwork offers 18 exciting, all-new jewelry projects for novice and advanced beaders alike. Featured topics and techniques include: shaping tricks, St. Petersburg stitch, geometric beading, bezeling with Tila beads, and more.
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for June
    This month's little box from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club was full of fun -- and very useful! -- vintage beads. I've always loved metallic vintage beads, and this month's hoard was full of beautiful metal and metallic
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  • Which Jewelry Findings Are Essential for Learning How to Bead?
    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
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  • Love These Crystal Beads!
    I've had a pile of gorgeous Chinese crystal beads sitting on my desk for a long time. Ali Sly from Lima Beads sent them in last year to be featured in Beads 2011 , our annual buyer's guide issue. Ali sent in a ton of colors (thanks, Ali!), but
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  • Free Beading Project: Bead Netted Bottle
    A very long time ago, when I first started beading, beaded bottles were very popular beading projects. Even though I loved making peyote stitch needle cases, it took me ten long years to discover how much fun stitching beaded netting is around a tiny
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  • Pantone Spring Color Bead Swap
    I love participating in bead swaps! I've already participated in three of Lori Anderson's fun Bead Soup Blog Parties, and I follow her and a couple of her beading groups out on Facebook. So when she asked for sign-ups for a Pantone Spring Color
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  • Want to Get Started with Wire? My Top Five Picks for Easy Wire Books!
    Who would ever have thought that I would become so enamored of working with wire? Certainly not me! Wire always seemed to be such an intimidating medium for jewelry-making, and wire jewelry was always something that I admired on other people, but never
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  • Chain Roundup!
    After my mom saw the summer anklet I whipped up for my blog a couple of weeks ago, she requested one for her birthday. So I've been doing some digging around for unique chains, trying to get an idea of something that would be suitable for an anklet
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  • Let Them Eat Paint: Guest Blog from Artist Susan Tompkins
    One of my best friends is a wonderful mixed-media artist from Burbank, California. Even though our techniques and tools for making art are about as different as you can get, we both enjoy one thing: using color to make beautiful art. I'm always finding
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  • Behind the Scenes: Handcrafted Jewelry Photo Shoot
    We are hard at work on the upcoming issue of Handcrafted Jewelry and have been in and out of the photo studio all week. One of my favorite things about this special issue publication is that you get to see step-by-step photos for each project. As we were
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  • My Top Five Picks for Favorite Glass Bead Books
    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
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  • Copyright 101 for Beaders: Know Your Rights
    Imagine walking into your favorite bookstore and buying a new book. You bring it home, read it, and decide that it's a pretty good book. It just needs a few changes. You type the whole thing out on your computer and add a few things, and maybe you
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  • The Poetry of Jewelry Making: Your Best Wire Wrapping Haiku Poems!
    Once upon a time, before I became a beader, I fancied myself a bit of a poet. I found that writing haiku poems was a great way to get warmed up before a long writing session, and I still use them as writing prompts when I'm feeling stuck creatively
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  • Have You Tried Crystal Clay?
    Last summer, I started seeing mentions of this product called Crystal Clay floating around in my favorite beading magazine. After seeing some amazing examples of what people were doing with it at the Tucson gem and mineral shows, well, I broke down and
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  • Editors Do Get to Have Fun!
    Today's a big day for us. 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings goes to press, which means we hand it over to the printer. Phew! This has been a fun, but challenging issue to work on. Challenging because, well, we had to organize and edit over 100
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  • The Great Jewelry Making Makeover!
    I really do have the best friends in the world. A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a huge box, full of antique jewelry that had belonged to her late stepfather's first wife. Before I go into detail about the jewelry, I want to tell you
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  • Make Your Own Pendants Using the Sun
    What happens when you combine plain wood discs with the sun's rays? Well, probably not much until you paint on a little light-sensitive dye, and then watch the magic happen! These pendants are the result of a little experimentation I did over the
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  • Summer Vacation Means Bead Crafts For the Kids!
    Memories of my summer vacations as kid include big bowls of fresh raspberries from my grandmother's garden, going for a drive to get ice cream with my parents, lazy days spent playing outside with my friends, and of course, spending lots of time doing
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  • Summer Trend: Neon Jewelry
    Summer is finally here! As hemlines rise, necklines fall, and sleeves get shorter, I find myself itching to make up some new jewelry to complement my summer wardrobe. Neon colors in boldly geometric block patterns are all the rage right now, and I can't
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  • Polymer Clay Bead Making: Expert Advice from Lisa Pavelka
    I am quite happy to report that I had so much fun with my last polymer clay bead making project, it appears that I have overcome my fear of bead making using polymer clay! I've been playing with all kinds of tools and techniques for bead making using
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  • Bead Substitutions in Seed Bead Patterns: What Works, What Doesn't
    Yes, I'm one of those people who sees a seed bead pattern in a magazine and just has to make it right away. No, there's no waiting around to place a bead order or head up to my local bead shop to see if they have the exact beads that are called
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  • 10 Things You Didn't Know About: Danielle Fox
    10 Things You Didn't Know About Danielle Fox The third installment of our series reveals some fun and interesting factoids about our fearless leader, Editorial Director Danielle Fox. 1. She had a paper route in junior high school. 2. She is a pescetarian
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  • The Great Thread Debate: Beading Threads for Bead-weaving
    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
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  • 10 Things You Didn't Know About: Debbie Blair
    You all got to learn about me in Danielle Fox's post from earlier this week --now it's Debbie Blair's turn in the hot seat! When it comes to Jewelry Stringing 's amazing managing editor, there's more than meets the eye... 1. She has
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  • What's Your Official State Gemstone?
    Almost every state here in the U.S. has a state flower, state bird, or some other symbol that represents the natural beauty found in that particular part of the country. Did you know that most states also have official, designated state gemstones? I did
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  • It's the Battle of the Beadsmith!
    A couple of weeks ago, I woke up one morning and discovered that I had been invited to participate in the Battle of the Beadsmith on Facebook . Created and run by Steven Weiss of the Beadsmith Company , the Battle of the Beadsmith is basically an elimination
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  • Work Table Wednesday: Vintage Treasures from A Grain of Sand
    This Wednesday, I had a lot on my beading table, but the two pieces that I wanted to share with you were a couple of beaded necklaces that I created using this month's vintage treasures from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club through A Grain of Sand
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  • 10 Things You Didn't Know About: Chloe Chatenever
    10 Things You Didn't Know About Chloe Chatenever In an effort to introduce ourselves, I'm starting this "10 Things You Didn't Know About" series. The first victim, I mean interviewee, is Chloe Chatenever, Jewelry Stringing's
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  • Readers Share: Amazing Bead Embroidery!
    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
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  • Help Choose Our Next Bead Star!
    If you haven't yet taken a few minutes to check out all the gorgeous beaded jewelry entered in this year's Bead Star competition , now is the time to do it! (Voting ends on Monday, May 28th, 2012. For complete rules, click here .) Voting is easy
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  • Free Summer Anklet Project
    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°
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  • Beaded Jewelry Design: What's Holding You Back?
    I have a confession to make: even though I get paid to be creative, write about beads, and come up with new beaded jewelry designs, I'm pretty good at sabotaging my own creative work. There are days when I can find a whole list of excuses to send
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  • Have You Voted Yet? Times a Tickin'!
    Voting for our annual Bead Star 2012 competition is well under way, and time is ticking down to the end of the voting period! Make sure your voice is heard by casting your votes before the end of the day on Monday, May 28th. Browse through the categories
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Summer 2012
    In this special mixed-media issue of Jewelry Stringing , you will find step-by-step instructions for four easy, crafty techniques that you can use to customize your jewelry designs. Follow our in-depth Technique Focus tutorial to learn more about how to use bead cones, and browse through our collection
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  • What's Better Than One Free Peyote Stitch Pattern? Seven Free Peyote Stitch Patterns!
    Peyote stitch was not the easiest beading stitch for me to learn. After somehow making my first peyote stitch amulet bag using flat, even-count peyote stitch, I suddenly found myself completely bewildered as to how I actually worked the stitch. I spent
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  • Favorite Beading Supplies
    Do you have favorite beading materials? Those beads and findings you turn to again and again? In the Summer 2011 issue of Jewelry Stringing , I listed my must-have materials. Take a look! (Items are listed from top to bottom.) * Wood rounds. Wood beads
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  • Jewelry Business: Running a Business with Family with Guest Blogger Allison Korleski
    Allison Korleski is Acquisition Editor for Interweave Press As a knitter of many years, I often look forward to carving space in my busy schedule for some time alone with my needles, yarn, and whatever serial program I am currently watching. (I have afghans
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  • Going 'Round in Triangles With the Fabulous Jean Power
    I don't know about you, but I've been totally enthralled with the Beadwork magazine Designer of the Year projects from Jean Power. I've always been fascinated by shaped peyote stitch beadwork, and Jean has elevated the simple peyote stitch
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  • Cast Your Votes for Bead Star 2012!
    Voting has officially begun for Bead Star 2012! Between now and May 28th, we are inviting all BeadingDaily.com members to peruse the designs in our 7 Bead Star voting galleries and vote for their favorites. The winning designs will receive prizes from
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  • Anyone Can Make Polymer Clay Beads...Right?
    The necklace from Enlightened Polymer Clay that served as my inspiration. I've never felt that polymer clay has been a particularly strong set of jewelry making skills for me. After watching a peculiarly talented friend of mine create an entire Lord
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  • Trend: Chic Chevron Jewelry
    I just returned from a much-needed mini-vacation in coastal Oregon. It's so gorgeous and peaceful there--my mind and body always come back relaxed and refreshed. It just so happens I come back inspired, too. Inspired by jewelry. While driving through
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  • Chic Chevron Jewelry
    I just returned from a much-needed mini-vacation in coastal Oregon. It's so gorgeous and peaceful there--my mind and body always come back relaxed and refreshed. It just so happens I come back inspired, too. Inspired by jewelry. While driving through
    Read More >>
  • Mixed Media Jewelry: It's Easier Than It Sounds
    When I was a kid, I was interested in making jewelry out of anything and everything. Some of my first handmade jewelry projects were made from not beads, but pieces of thick watercolor paper that I had cut into shapes, painted and sealed, and then glued
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Beads and Findings from Artbeads!
    Tila beads, Magatamas, and dagger beads. Can you tell me what all three of these have in common? They are all glass beads that were included in this month's Beadwork magazine challenge kit from Artbeads! What would you name this ruffled herringbone
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for May
    Thankfully, this month's box o' beads from A Grain of Sand 's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club didn't send beads flying to every corner of the room when I opened it, but it did spark a whole new set of ideas for beaded jewelry projects! Just
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  • Resources for Newbies
    Are you new to jewelry making? Or perhaps a dabbler with the desire to take it to the next level? Well there are some fabulous resources available to help you learn some new skills. A great place to start would be signing up for a class at your local
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  • Wire Wrapping Tools for Survival
    Could you survive on a desert island with just three wire wrapping tools? No, it's not that old television show where a group of mismatched tourists gets stranded on a desert island with enough clothing and accessories to last them for years of misadventures
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  • The Perfect Gift for Mom
    Mother's Day is almost here, and it's not too late to start making something beautiful and handcrafted to let your mom know that you appreciate everything she does for you. Whether your mom loves to make or receive handmade beaded jewelry, or
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  • Free Jewelry Designs for Mother's Day
    Are you ready for mother's day? With just under two weeks left until the big day, you still have plenty of time to make up a special custom beaded necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings, just for mom! Heck, if she liked the glitter macaroni necklace
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  • Use a Little, Use a Lot: Just Use Some Crystal Beads In Your Next Beading Project!
    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
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  • Beads Get Spiritual: All About Buddhist Prayer Beads
    A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend morning and afternoon prayers with a group of traveling Buddhist monks from southern India, and learn more about Tibetan Buddhism, meditation practices, and traditional Tibetan medicine, art, and music. It was
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  • Happy Anniversary and a Giveaway!
    I can hardly believe it, but yesterday marked one year since I started at Beading Daily ! It's been such an amazing year, and I've thoroughly enjoyed all the writing and beading that has gone along with it. Time flies when you're having fun
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  • Great New Stringing Book!
    Yesterday I finally got my copy of Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry , the new Interweave book by Jewelry Stringing contributors Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegel. It's gorgeous! I'm sure you've noticed the trend toward jewelry created using leather,
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  • How Is a Seed Bead Pattern Like a Buddhist Sand Mandala?
    No, really, it's not a joke. I didn't want to start this blog with something like, "A Buddhist monk walks into a bar, and..." But really, did you know that seed bead patterns are actually a lot like Buddhist sand mandalas? Last week
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  • The Picture Perfect Beading Challenge is Ready!
    Sometimes, choosing the colors for your beading projects can be the hardest part of the whole project. A friend once suggested that I look to my photographs to create color palettes, so I pulled the colors for a beaded necklace design from a picture that
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  • Wireworking for the First Time
    It may be hard for some to believe, but I've never tried my hand at any type of wire work. Being a life-long crafter, coupled with the fact that I work on a jewelry magazine, has afforded me the opportunity to experiment with lots of materials and
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  • Jump Start Your Wire Jewelry Skills!
    Learning how to swim is like learning a new jewelry making skill. You dip your toes in the water, then your foot, then you wade in until you're knee-deep. By the time the water is up to your shoulders, you realize you might just be in over your head
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  • Final Hours to Enter Bead Star 2012!
    You still have a few hours to enter your jewelry designs in our Bead Star 2012 competition! Upload your designs to our category galleries by 5pm EST this evening in order to be in the running to be our next Bead Star! One thing we love about the annual
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  • Free eBook: Learn How to Create Your Own Beaded Jewelry Designs
    "Where did you come up with the idea for that piece of beaded jewelry?" I hear that all the time when I'm showing someone a piece of my handmade beaded jewelry. And really, if you know where to look, you'll find beaded jewelry design
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  • Watch Beads, Baubles & Jewels Online!
    Great news for those who don't get the program Beads, Baubles & Jewels on their local PBS station: the show is now available for viewing online! Join host Katie Hacker for a new episode every Friday at noon (EST). Here is a photo of Katie (right
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  • Ideas for Making a Keepsake Necklace
    Spring in my part of upstate New York means warmer days, open windows, laundry drying in the sunshine, working in the gardens, and lots and lots of outdoor activities. It also brings graduations, weddings, proms, and other special events. And of course
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  • Amazing Ammonites!
    When I was a five-year-old in kindergarten, the teacher went around the room and asked what each of us wanted to be when we grew up. When she came to me, I stood up and proudly said, "I want to be a paleontologist!" What my teacher didn't
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  • Is Anyone Up for a Color Challenge?
    I've probably told this story before, but I picked the colors for my Ode On a Grecian Urn beaded necklace project from a picture I snapped of the deer that came to visit us on Christmas Day back in 2008. It was so much fun selecting the colors based
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  • Earth Day Projects
    Just yesterday, Earth Day was celebrated in numerous ways across the globe. Events were held to increase awareness of environmental issues and appreciation of the earth's natural environment. In celebration of Earth Day, I’ve rounded up a collection
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  • How Safe Are Your Beading Tools...Really?
    Who would have thought that you need a first aid kit for beading? True story: the other day, I was browsing in my local big-box craft store for some supplies I needed to finish a project before a deadline. Thinking ahead to some future blogs for Beading
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  • Avant Garde Jewelry
    When do you think the Bravo television network is going to create a reality show about jewelry making? After all, they have shows about pretty much everything else! (Potential show names: Project Bead Stash ... Inside the Beader's Studio...America's
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  • Beadwork, June/July 2012
    The June/July 2012 issue of Beadwork offers 19 innovative jewelry ideas from quick-and-easy to challenging. Get design tips and beading patterns from stitch pros, such as Diane Fitzgerald, Leslie Frazier, and Jean Power, plus learn 4 ways to bead bezels.
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  • I Have a Beading Blog: What Do I Write About?
    Starting a blog about your beading is a great way to generate interest in your work and promote your online shop. But sometimes ideas for blog posts are hard to come by, even for those of us who blog professionally! (Or maybe I should say ESPECIALLY for
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  • Making Mistakes: How to Correct Five Common Mistakes in Your Beadwork
    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
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  • Social Market for a Mirrix is Back!
    Do you love to do beadweaving on a loom? Mirrix Looms are hands down my favorite beading loom to work on when I'm doing loomed beadwork, and now Mirrix Looms has started their Social Market for a Mirrix program again! In case you haven't heard
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  • Bead Table Wednesday: Beading Outside of My Box
    Betcey Ventrella from Beyond Beadery and I at The Best Bead Show in Tucson, Arizona This crazy beautiful orange Swarovski crystal stone just captured my imagination! While I was in Tucson, I stopped in to see Betcey Ventrella over at Beyond Beadery and
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  • Basic Materials for Seed Beading
    I've long been an admirer--not a maker--of beadwoven jewelry. Recently, however, I've been inspired to try my hand at a few stitches, specifically ladder stitch, brick stitch , and peyote stitch . I've found the rhythm of stitching beads to
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  • Favorite Tips for Using and Caring for Your Pearls
    If there's one kind of natural bead that I can't get enough of, it's got to be pearls. I can't help it -- I'm seduced by their luster, their colors, and the softness that pearls give to my beading and jewelry making projects. When
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  • Make a Cabochon Bezel with Right-Angle Weave
    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
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  • Inspired By Cabochons!
    When I was in Tucson back in February, some of my favorite purchases were the gorgeous cabochons that I saw popping up everywhere. Cabochons have always fascinated me as a beader, and I love figuring out new ways to incorporate them into my finished beaded
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  • Bead Hoard Treasure for April from A Grain of Sand
    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
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  • Handmade Earring Cards
    Recently I showed a number of creative ways to display your earring collection . For those of you who make earrings to sell, how do you present them? I adore this idea from Erin Prais-Hintz, featured on the Earrings Everyday blog. She starts with a business
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  • Why Should You Use Right-Angle Weave?
    Right-angle weave is one of those love-it-or-hate-it beading stitches, I think, based on what I've seen from fellow beaders, and even from my own experiences designing beadwork. But right-angle weave definitely has its advantages when it comes to
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  • Adventures in Enameling
    I have been wanting to learn how to do torch enameling for a long time, and luckily for me, working on a project for the upcoming issue of Handcrafted Jewelry was the perfect excuse to try it out! Note: Do not attempt enameling unless you have the proper
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  • Do You Kumihimo?
    Necklace by Giovanna Imperia. Image from Kumihimo Wire Jewelry . Photo by Jack Zilker. Kumihimo is one of those things that has been on my "got to learn it" list for a very long time now, and the more I learn about it, the more eager I am to
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  • Channel Beads from Nunn Design
    While I was in Tucson, I had the pleasure of meeting Becky Nunn of Nunn Design and after I got home, she sent me a little sample of some of their newest products, including these awesome channel beads. The channel beads were meant to be used with resin
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  • Bead Table Wednesday: Enchanted Evenings by Laura Zeiner
    A couple of weeks ago, I shared some amazing brick stitch beading projects submitted by our readers, and one that really caught my eye (and happens to also be a class at Bead Fest Spring this weekend!) was the Enchanted Evenings bracelet and necklace
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  • Free How-to Videos for Basic Techniques
    Do you know how to make wrapped-loop bails, tie lark's head knots, or use ribbon ends? If not, I invite you to view the free technique videos I filmed a bit ago. They're all housed on Beading Daily for easy access. We have 15 stringing-related
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  • Start With: A Simple Strip of Peyote Stitch
    I think pretty much everyone who learns peyote stitch makes one of "those" bracelets. You know the ones I'm talking about: a wide (or narrow) strip of peyote stitch, usually even-count, with a button clasp on one end. It's probably the
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  • Crochet Some Jewelry!
    I learned how to crochet when I was four or five years old. My mother and my grandmother had a seemingly endless supply of crochet hooks, yarn and ideas, and my sister and I grew up with a steady supply of warm, handmade crocheted sweaters, hats and vests
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  • Sneak Peek: Handcrafted Jewelry 2012
    Any mixed-media fans out there? I'm so thrilled to be working on my favorite Interweave publication of all, Handcrafted Jewelry magazine, which is entirely devoted to mixed-media jewelry. I couldn't contain my excitement last week when I received
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  • Beaded Beads for Beadwork Magazine's 15th Anniversary!
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  • Jewelry Inspired by The Hunger Games
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  • Readers Share: Beautiful Beaded Wedding Jewelry
    When my husband and I were planning our wedding, I remember not feeling nervous or jittery at all -- until some very helpful soul said to me, "You know, everyone is going to be watching YOU." I panicked for about thirty seconds before I realized
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  • Shell Pearls from Lima Beads
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  • Share Your Inspiration Boards
    Do you have an inspiration board? Not Pinterest, but somewhere where you physically display items that inspire you? Here's a sneak peek at the bulletin board in my home office/studio where I've posted magazine and catalog pages, postcards, and
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  • Herringbone Stitch: It's Not Just for Beads!
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Kabela Metal Findings!
    I don't often work with metal beads and components, so this month's challenge kit from Beadwork magazine was a REAL challenge for me! Give us your best name for this beaded rope necklace! Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win this month's
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  • Lampwork Glass I Love: Evolving Creations Lampwork by Beau and Shani Barrett
    While I was visiting the Best Bead Show in Tucson this year, I happened to see a small booth set up near the entrance to the show, full of some of the most mesmerizing lampwork glass beads that I have ever seen! The young woman behind the counter was
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  • New Bead-Alongs Are Ready!
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  • Unique Earring Displays
    It should come as no surprise that I am running out of room to display my ever-growing earring collection. Working on a jewelry magazine has inspired me to make so many pairs that, once again, I am in need of some new storage. I sat down the other day
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  • All Buttoned Up: Use Some Buttons in Your Necklace Making Projects
    My first foray into jewelry-making came when I was five years old. My sister and I would dig through my mother's stash of buttons, selecting the brightly colored plastic and sparkling cut glass buttons to use for necklace making . We strung our button
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  • Enter Your Jewelry Designs in Bead Star 2012!
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  • Bead Soup: How to Make It, How to Use It
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  • It's Official: I'm a Bead Hoarder!
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  • Beads for March Madness
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  • Take Those Seed Bead Patterns and Make Them Your Own!
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  • Jewelry Stringing Submissions: Behind the Scenes
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  • The Gemstones of Spring!
    It's almost spring, when a young beader's thoughts turn lightly to those of...new gemstone beads, of course! Spring is a time of renewal and fresh starts, so take a look through your bead stash and see if you have any of my top picks for the gemstones
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  • Starstruck at Bead Fest Santa Fe
    My first trip to Bead Fest Santa Fe was truly a whirlwind experience. Fellow editor Debbie Blair and I packed as much as we could into our brief time there (check out Debbie's visual re-cap of our trip in her recent blog post ). Between getting to
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  • What Does That Say? Understanding the Lingo of Seed Bead Patterns
    When my sister and I were kids, we assisted my mom when it came time to type up the directions to her knit and crochet projects. We quickly grew accustomed to the abbreviations and terms used in her patterns. How grateful was I when I started working
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  • New Vintaj Patina Ink Kits
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  • Mad Men Inspired Jewelry!
    The wait is over! Season 5 of Mad Men premieres this Sunday. Are you a fan, too? Over the summer, my husband and I caught up on the series, so we're greatly anticipating the return of Don, Betty, Joan, Roger, and the rest of the crew. I admit: I'm
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  • Readers Share: A Bounty of Brick Stitch Projects!
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  • Snapshots from Bead Fest Santa Fe
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  • Things to Bead Around: Large Cabone Rings
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  • Go Behind the Scenes of Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry with Erin Siegel
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  • Free Travel Friendly Jewelry Project
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  • Free eBook: How to Make Money Selling Your Handmade Beaded Jewelry
    Have you ever imagined what it would be like to earn money doing something you love, like making beaded jewelry? A home based jewelry business is a great way to bring in extra income, and you don't even need to own a gallery or a shop to sell your
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  • Beading With a Buddy for National Craft Month!
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  • More Prizes in the Pass On Your Passion Giveaway!
    Yes, that's right: we've decided to add two more prize packages to our Pass On Your Passion Giveaway for National Craft Month! We'll select, at random, two more winners who leave a comment on the original Pass On Your Passion blog and tell
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  • Free Santa Fe Themed Necklace Pattern!
    THIS WEEK STARTS BEAD FEST SANTA FE 2012 . HERE WE COME! Actually, I personally will not be headed to Santa Fe this year. My coworkers Debbie Blair and Chloe Chatenever have been elected to represent the magazine, though I have fond memories of what is
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  • Which Wire Cutters Are Best For Me?
    From Jennifer: A couple of summers ago, I realized that I needed to upgrade my wire jewelry making tools. I had just embarked on a series of projects using beadweaving and wire jewelry making, and as I worked, I realized that my wire cutters, in particular
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  • Celebrate National Craft Month with Mirrix Looms!
    Our friends Claudia and Elena over at Mirrix Looms have a wonderful challenge for anyone who loves to use their beading loom during National Craft Month! Between March 1 and March 31, make as many loom beaded bracelets as you can using your Mirrix beading
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  • Easy Jewelry Projects for Kids
    My daughter is only 3, but how she loves wearing mommy's jewelry! We have a lot of fun crafting together and although she's a little too young to do much more than string a bunch of large-hole beads onto yarn, the day will come when she's
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  • Free Bracelet Making Project: Make a Simple Bead Embroidered Cuff Bracelet
    I don't often wear bracelets, but I love a good bracelet making project. One of my favorite techniques for bracelet making is bead embroidery using lots of different types of beads and cabochons in all sizes! I used to be of the opinion that bigger
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  • Bead Embroidered Cabochons: Finishing Techniques for Bead Embroidered Cabochons
    Once you have bezeled your cabochon using peyote stitch, you can continue to work bead embroidery around it. Or, if you want a quick and easy focal piece for a beaded necklace or bracelet that combines bead embroidery and beadweaving techniques, you can
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  • Haute Hardware
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  • My First Adventures in Chain Maille!
    Every once in a while, I am assigned a topic to write about here on Beading Daily that pushes the limits of what I know about jewelry-making. This time, it happened to be chain maille. I've never done anything with chain maille, and I was a little
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  • Make a Cool Leather Clasp!
    I think I've mentioned what a big fan I am of the Sundance Catalog . It's a great source for design inspiration. For instance, lately I've noticed that the catalog has featured a lot of designs with leather cord or lace formed into a clasp
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  • National Craft Month Challenge: Making a Color Palette of Beads
    As part of the Fusion Beads National Craft Month Challenge, yesterday's task was to create a color palette. (Or two or three, from what I saw over in the Forums!) I haven't always loved the challenges of working with color when making a new seed
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  • National Craft Month: Pass On Your Passion and Win Some Goodies from Interweave!
    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
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  • Mix It Up a Little with Mixed Media Jewelry Making Techniques
    From Jennifer: When I was in high school, I loved to experiment with making jewelry out of anything I could get my hands on. Paper, clay, buttons, wire, you name it! Before I settled on beads, I thought that I'd be making art jewelry out of all kinds
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  • Free Beading Project: Knotted Freshwater Pearl and Lucite Bead Necklace
    Among the treasures I brought back with me from the Tucson gem and mineral shows were these gorgeous vintage Lucite beads from The Beadin' Path . I love the colors and textures of the vintage Lucite beads, and the deep, rich red and gold swirls of
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  • Pearls We Love: Large Holed Freshwater Pearls
    Yes, you read that right! While I was in Tucson, I started hearing about these wonderful large holed pearls, but never had the chance to find some for myself. Once I got home, I was browsing online at A Grain of Sand and discovered that among their "New
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  • How to Bezel a Cabochon with Peyote Stitch for Bead Embroidery
    I have trust issues with the cabochons I use in my bead embroidery. The first time I tried to use cabochons in my bead embroidery, I just glued them to the bead embroidery backing and started stitching around them. To my surprise and dismay, those cabochons
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  • Make Your Own Pandora-Style Beads!
    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
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  • Five Secrets for Better Bead Embroidered Cabochons
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  • Work Hard, Play Hard
    "Work hard, play hard" is a phrase that all of us here at Jewelry Stringing try to live by. There is always plenty of work to go around, but we still make time to have a little fun. Even during crunch times, when our to-do lists get lengthy
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  • Beadwork, April/May 2012
    Find 20 inspiring jewelry designs in the April/May 2012 issue of Beadwork. Project techniques range from easy bead crochet and netting to intermediate peyote and right-angle weave. Plus, see Bead #2 in our 15 th Anniversary Beaded Bead contest series and learn 4 ways to create picots.
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  • Captured Crystal Cubes Earrings
    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
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  • What Can You Learn From Our Best Wire Jewelry Making Blogs?
    It never fails to amaze me when I take a look at all the fabulous jewelry making resources available here on Beading Daily and over on Jewelry Making Daily . If you've done some jewelry making, you'll know that there are loads of great free projects
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  • National Craft Month: Fusion Beads 30 Day Challenge
    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
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  • Bead Table Wednesday: Downton Abbey-Inspired Beading
    So, I have to admit it: I can't get enough of Downton Abbey. I'd seen a couple of blurbs about it, so when it popped up on my Netflix recommendations, I thought, why not? I was hooked after watching the first episode. Set at the turn of the last
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  • Oscars Style Tip: Take a Bow
    Did you watch the Academy Awards this year? Who did you think was best dressed? I vote for Michelle Williams, the My Week with Marilyn actress. I loved her statement-making tomato-red Louis Vuitton dress and the pretty diamond bow pin she wore at her
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  • Why Do You Love Beading?
    Once upon a time, I worked in the field of non-profit community development, grant writing and geographic information systems. I enjoyed the work, but most days I would come home feeling very stressed out and, well, fried. To counteract the stress I felt
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  • Things to Bead Around: Sticks from Lake Champlain
    Do you feel the need to branch out a bit in your beading? Well, all puns aside, my newest beading project obsession is beading around sticks! The beach on Lake Champlain, looking towards Vermont. Photo by Sharon Schenckel. I'm lucky enough that I
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  • Joining the Wrap Bracelet Craze
    If you're like me, you've seen them everywhere --on the arms of celebrities, gracing the pages of Etsy and clothing catalogs--and it looks as though wrap bracelets continue to be one of the hottest trends in jewelry. Last summer, I had the privilege
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  • Chevron Chain Tutorial
    On today's Beading Daily blog, I talked about how I set out to stitch up some Chevron chain but actually wound up doing a version of right-angle weave known as triangle weave. I thought I'd offer a quick Chevron chain tutorial here for you today
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  • Right-Angle Weave: Triangular Right-Angular Weave
    Back in December, I decided to participate in former Beading Daily online editor Michelle Mach's winter snowflake challenge. Michelle offered kits for sale in her online shop that contained some beautiful handmade porcelain components as well as an
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  • Stuff Beaders Say
    "Only four thousand dollars for these crystals? What a deal!" Beads in the refrigerator - again! You might have seen some of these "Stuff People Say" short videos on YouTube and other places around the web, and now, Beadwork magazine
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  • Secrets to Savvy Supplies Shopping
    More and more beaders are choosing to buy their materials online. And since the worldwide web has become a veritable buffet of delectable beads and findings that are sold online, who could blame them? While online shopping will never replace a trip to
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  • Gemstones for 2012: The Year of the Dragon!
    Growing up, two of my best friends were Chinese girls who had spent several years living in India before coming to the United States. Through them, I learned so much about Chinese culture (and cooking - yum!) that I fell in love with everything about
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  • Tucson Beading Challenge: Lisa Kan Botanicals Handmade Lampwork Bead
    So there we were, me and Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones at The Best Bead Show in Tucson, Arizona. We happened to stop by and see talented bead artist and lampwork artist Lisa Kan . Tammy's eye went to a tray of beautiful little glass flower
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  • Bead Table Wednesday: Scatterbrained Beads
    I think this winter is finally starting to get to me. We've had lousy conditions for doing any of the fun things that I love to do in the winter up here: it hasn't been cold enough for any serious ice fishing, and there's definitely not enough
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  • Free Polymer Clay Beading Project: Mashed Up Hearts
    Although I've tried my hand at bead making using polymer clay, I've never considered myself to be particularly good at it. Especially after seeing a friend of mine who created an entire Lord of the Rings chess set out of polymer clay -- I just
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  • Mashed Up Hearts Polymer Clay Project: Raku Variation
    If you loved the Mashed Up Hearts project over on our Beading Daily blog, here's a cool variation made to resemble ceramic Raku! Read on to find out how you can win a free kit including a package of Premo! Sculpey clay and the glitters used to create
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  • Beading Business: Three More Tips for Running Your Online Jewelry Shop, Part 2
    Yesterday, I wrote about five tips for setting up your online jewelry business. Once you have your online shop set up and filled with inventory, it's time to manage that inventory effectively so that you get the most out of your online jewelry business
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  • Margie Deeb's Spring 2012 Color Report is Here!
    Winters in my part of the world are long. And cold. When we can get outside and do fun things like ice fishing, skiing or snow shoeing, it's not so bad. But this winter, there's not enough snow to do much of anything, and I'm starting to long
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  • How Color Determines the Mood
    When designing a necklace around a particular focal bead or pendant, how do you decide what color of beads to use? First, you may want to decide what kind of a statement you are trying to make. Choosing one color scheme over another can dramatically alter
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  • Beading Business: Tips for Setting Up and Running Your Online Jewelry Shop, Part 1
    Taking a look at the recent threads in the Beading Daily forums, I see the same question over and over: I just set up my online jewelry shop, but no one is ordering anything from me! What am I doing wrong? It's easy to look at successful sellers on
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  • Fall Colors Are Here Already!
    Yesterday marked the end of another New York Fashion Week. For most people who follow the semi-annual event, Fashion Week is about catwalks, models, and the latest styles from the industry's leading designers. For me, it's about color. Twice a
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  • Bead Crafts: More Than Just Beaded Jewelry!
    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
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  • Fast, Fun & FREE Necklace Project!
    Don't you love these beads?! In my last post , I shared some of my treasures from the Tucson bead shows. One of those treasures was this strand of floral polymer clay beads from Cherry Tree Beads. When I first saw them, I imagined a Wilma Flintstone
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  • Your First Seed Bead Stash: Buying Seed Beads When You're Learning How to Bead
    When I started learning how to bead with seed beads a long, long time ago, I ordered most of my seed beads from a paper catalog. Yes! A paper catalog! I could look through the pages of this catalog and see all the colors of seed beads that were offered
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  • Give Me a Ring
    With Valentine's Day upon us, some of you may be thinking "bling." Well, you don't need Valentine's Day as an excuse to treat yourself or a loved one to a piece of jewelry that you can craft in a matter of minutes! Over the weekend
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  • I Gotta Have That Beading Tool!
    I came home from the Tucson gem, mineral and bead shows with more than just a new stash of beads. I came home with loads of new ideas! One thing is for certain as I look at my new goodies - I need some new beading tools ! I can't wait to start working
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  • Tucson Bead Shows 2012, Day Two!
    My second (and last!) day in Tucson, I had originally planned to hit The Best Bead Show, To Bead True Blue and maybe sneak over to one of the gem and mineral shows, since my son was asking for geodes and green-and-purple rocks.Little did I know what I
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  • Simply Charming
    A part of my job that I really love is that I get to be creative almost every day. I am lucky enough to work with people who know the value of getting your hands dirty every now and then, and we all dedicate ourselves to making time to share our hobbies
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  • Earring-a-Day Challenge Recap: How Many Pairs of Earrings Did You Make?
    Making earrings has never been something I feel I'm particularly good at, so back in 2011, I decided to begin each year with a beading challenge to myself: make a pair of beaded earrings every day for an entire month. It seemed a bit daunting at first
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  • Tucson Treasures: The Year of the Dragon
    Anyone who knows me knows that I've always had a thing for dragons. When the movie How to Train Your Dragon came out, it instantly made it onto my list of favorite movies. Without giving too much away, I loved the way it was all about challenging
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  • Tucson Bead Shows 2012, Day One!
    I was so excited to head to Tucson, Arizona this year for my first-ever experience at the gem, mineral and bead shows! Because it takes me nearly seventeen hours (that's right - seventeen hours!) to get to Tucson from my home in upstate New York,
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  • The Heartbreak of Tucson: Ancient Roman Glass
    As many of you know, this was my first year attending the Tucson shows, and I was so excited! I had heard stories about the amazing bead, gem and mineral shows, and saved my pennies so that I could bring home a healthy supply of beads and treasures for
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  • Buffer That Bead! Protect Your Stringing Material When Using Lampwork Glass Beads
    Nothing gives your beaded necklaces and bracelets a bit of character like a handmade lampwork glass bead . These lovely little bits of glass art come straight from the human imagination, and I love the way they can infuse a beaded necklace design with
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  • Treasures from Tucson!
    The Tucson bead shows are always a blast. A nd this year was no exception. I attended the To Bead True Blue show, the Best Bead show, and the Whole Bead show--a mere sampling of the dozens of bead, gem, and fossil shows that occur every year at this time
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Spring 2012
    Celebrate the coming of spring with Jewelry Stringing Magazine's special color issue! Check out our collection of beaded necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in the seasons hottest hues, then read through our "Spring Into Color" feature for tips on how to incorporate the colors of Pantone's
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  • Not-So-Transparent
    One of the fun things about working on Jewelry Stringing is seeing the variety of materials jewelry designers are using these days. Inspired to create a polymer-clay piece for our mixed-media themed summer issue, I decided to try out Ranger Ink's
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  • Beadwork Origins: Native American Beadwork
    Some of the first beadwork I can remember seeing as a child was Native American beadwork in the collections of our local natural history museum. I was totally captivated by the bright colors of the beads and the intricate patterns that were formed on
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  • Sites for Sore Eyes
    Everyone has their own creative process. Whether you are making a necklace or writing a novel, you probably have your quirky habits that help to put you in the right mindset to create. Maybe taking a run around the block or fixing your favorite snack
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  • Making That Crazy Flat Odd-Count Peyote Stitch Turn
    Each beading stitch has its own intricacies and tricks, and flat odd-count peyote stitch is no different. When mastering this popular beading stitch, you have to learn how to make that tricky little turn at the end of every other row. For some beaders
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  • Baby Loves Those Beaded Necklaces
    Welcome to our new Jewelry Stringing blog. We're excited to start an ongoing conversation with our jewelry-making buddies: you! On our end, you'll be hearing from me, Danielle Fox, editorial director of the bead group at Interweave; Debbie Blair
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  • The Science Behind the Magic: Jewelry Making with Electroforming
    Denise Peck is the editor of Step By Step Wire Jewelry magazine. A few summers ago while browsing at Bead Fest Philadelphia, I came across an artist who made gorgeous lampwork glass acorn pendants with copper electroformed caps. I bought one of her pendants
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Vintage Beads!
    Welcome to the new Beading Challenge blog here on Beading Daily! This is where you'll be able to come up with a name for my Challenge pieces in Beadwork magazine - and win a free beading kit! Come up with a name for this beaded necklace, and you could
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  • Find Your Steampunk Style with Jean Campbell
    Jean Campbell is the founding editor of Beading Daily. From Jennifer: Steampunk is one jewelry-making trend that is not going away anytime soon! And for good reason, too - it's all too easy to get wrapped up in the romantic, funky findings and materials
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  • Finding the Zen in Polymer Clay Beads
    "Know the rules well so you can break them effectively." - HRH the Dalai Lama I have to believe that when the Dalai Lama said this, he was talking about bead making and jewelry making, too. Isn't that what creativity is about? You can't
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  • Work Table Wednesday: Purple Mandala Bead Embroidered Collar
    This week, I'm stitching away on a bead embroidered collar that I want to wear during my trip to the Tucson shows next week! This week, I'm frantically stitching away on a bead embroidered collar in hopes that I will have it finished in time for
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  • The Business of Jewelry: Choosing an Online Marketplace for Selling Your Handmade Beaded Jewelry
    It's important to find the right online marketplace for your jewelry business. If you're ready to expand your jewelry business and start selling your handmade beaded jewelry online, you're in luck: there are more options for selling your jewelry
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  • How to Bead Your Own Jewelry Designs
    The first set of beaded rings came out exactly as I had envisioned them! The second set of beaded rings were destined for my UFO drawer. Oh, well! I have a friend who, as part of her New Year's resolutions, wants to become a beader who "does
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  • New Year's Resolution: Buy More Crystals, Wear More Crystals!
    I've always had an affinity for natural rock crystals. A couple of weeks ago, I sat down and took stock of my beading goals for 2012 with a few New Year's beading resolutions . But then once I started looking over my sketchbooks and designs, I
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  • Work Table Wednesday: Incomplete Beaded Earrings
    This Wednesday, I am frantically trying to get caught up on my Earring-a-Day challenge. Yes, fellow beaders, I got behind over the weekend on my earring making challenge, but at least I have a good reason: we took some time to celebrate my son's fourth
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  • Your First Wire Jewelry Making Project!
    Wire spirals are easy to make and are one of the oldest symbols known to humans. I can still remember my first wire jewelry-making project. I had bought a kit that included a complete set of tools (which I still have and love dearly!), a book about making
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  • Beads I Love: Handmade Lampwork Glass Beads
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  • Beadwork, February/March 2012
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  • Freeform Peyote Stitch: Feels So Wrong, But It's So Right!
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  • Pearls Never Go Out of Style!
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  • Keeping a Sketchbook for Your Beaded Jewelry Designs
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  • Learning How to Bead: How to Set Up Your Beading Area
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  • Embellish a Pair of Jeans with Beads!
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  • Beading New Year's Resolutions
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  • Make Bracelets Your Thing in 2012
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  • Explore the Elements of Jewelry Design
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  • Free Beading Project: Crystal Bead Chain
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  • Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon
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  • Beading Business: How to Choose the Right Digital Camera for You
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  • Fashion Colorworks Beading Contest from Zoya Gutina and My Lovely Beads
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  • What's Your Favorite Bead for Jewelry-Making?
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  • Enhance Your Creativity with Gemstone Beads!
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  • Favorite Bead Shops: City Beads
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  • Chinese Crystal Beads
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  • It's Almost 2012 - Are You Ready for an Earring Making Challenge?
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  • Where to Find Free Beading Patterns on the Internet: About.com Beadwork
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  • Shopping for Beads in New York City!
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  • How to Bead Left Handed
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  • Favorite Bead Shops: Beads on Fifth
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  • Bead Shopping in New York City, Day One: Inspiration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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  • Seed Beads We Love: New Twin Two-Holed Seed Beads
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  • Get Your Sparkle On: Tips for Bead-weaving with Crystals
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  • Gemstone Cabochons: How to Find Hundreds of Interesting (and Affordable) Gemstone Cabochons
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  • Free Beading Patterns: Where to Find Free Beading Patterns on Beading Daily
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  • Beading Business: Expert Advice from Diane Fitzgerald
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  • National Seed Beading Month - How Did You Do?
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  • Deck the Halls With...Seed Beads!
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  • The Business of Beadwork: Pricing Your Beadwork for Sale
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  • Creative Jewelry, 2011
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  • Think You Can't Make Wire Wrapped Beads? Think Again!
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  • Hot Photo Tip of the Day: Crop Your Photos to Get Maximum Detail
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  • Question of the Week: Why Are You Thankful for Your Beads?
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  • Ahead of the Curve: Shaping Your Beadwork for Necklace Making
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  • Great Holiday Gift Ideas for Beaders
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  • Giving Thanks for My Beads!
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  • Beads, 2011
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  • Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin
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  • Copyright Law, Ethics and Your Beadwork
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  • Bead and String Reference Chart Poster by The Beaded Phoenix
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  • How Do I Cover a Bead with Peyote Stitch?
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  • Bead-weaving as Mindful Meditation - Can Bead-weaving Reduce Stress?
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  • Create Stunning Holiday Jewelry with Expert Advice from Margie Deeb!
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  • The Challenges of Bracelet Making: How to Make Great Beaded Bracelets That Fit!
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  • Do You Love Bead Embroidery? Here Are Five Free Patterns for Bead Embroidery!
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  • Beading Looms: Mirrix Beading Looms Product Review
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  • Bead Embroidery Supplies: How to Use Brass Bead Embroidery Blanks
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  • The Busy Beader: How to Organize Multiple Beading and Jewelry-Making Projects
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  • The Business of Beadwork: To Sell or Not to Sell?
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  • Necklace Making: Five Ideas for Designing Beaded Necklaces
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  • The Business of Beadwork: Know Your Market
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  • Free Beading Project: Colorful Wire Wrapped and Crystal Earrings!
    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
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  • Project Accessory Bead Along, Week 2: Inspired by Swarovski
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  • Four Fun Ideas for Earring Making!
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  • Mastering Right-Angle Weave with Marcia DeCoster
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  • Beading Supplies I Love: Ceramic Bead Dishes
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  • National Seed Beading Month - Let's Do Some Seed Beading Every Day!
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  • What's In a Name? Maybe a Free Beading Kit!
    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
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  • A Beaded Necklace For Halloween!
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  • Successful Etsy Sellers Share Their Beadwork Photography Tips
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  • Project Accessory: Bead Fearlessly!
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  • Beads Plus Fibers Equals Fun!
    My little Mirrix bead and tapestry loom is a far cry from the huge floor loom my mom had when I was a kid, but it makes weaving so much fun! My mom had a floor loom for weaving fibers when I was a kid, and the thing was a monster. I can remember on more
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  • What Can You Learn From Beadwork Magazine's Designers of the Year?
    Beadwork magazine chooses some pretty amazing beadweaving artists to feature as their Designers of the Year. These artists teach internationally and are known for both their gorgeous beaded jewelry designs and their innovative uses of traditional off
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  • Choosing the Perfect Name For Your Beadwork
    Naming my beadwork is probably the hardest part of the whole process for me. A good name can mean so much when you are trying to convey an idea or a concept through a piece of beadwork or beaded jewelry. To me, choosing a good name for a piece of beadwork
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  • Anyone Can Make Silver Jewelry - Really!
    Tammy Jones is the online editor of Jewelry Making Daily . From Jennifer: The closest I ever came to making silver jewelry was the time I decided to take a class in making sterling silver beads, but had to back out at the last minute because I couldn't
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  • How Do I Master Beadweaving Stitches?
    When my friend came over to bead the other day, she asked me a very good question : How do I get to be fluent in a lot of different beadweaving stitches? She asked me a great question. It's nice to be comfortable enough with all of the major beadweaving
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  • My Color Journey with Margie Deeb
    This was the very first time I had to create a color wheel by myself! Margie gave me easy exercises to do that helped me become more comfortable using light, pastel colors. Then the fun came when I got to put together my own color palettes based on my
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  • Beading Challenges: Are You Ready For a Challenge?
    Look at all the goodies in this beading challenge kit from The Hole Bead Shop ! I was lucky to snag one! I can still remember my first beading challenge. I was still a relatively new beader, and I had only recently mastered peyote stitch. The owners of
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  • Four Free Steampunk Jewelry Making Projects!
    What is steampunk? Steampunk is a style that can be characterized as romantic yet edgy; industrial but artistic. Steampunk is the combination of your favorite science fiction book and your favorite romance novel with equal parts metal and lace. Steampunk
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  • Discovering the Treasure in Failure with Guest Artist Margie Deeb
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  • Beading For a Cure
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  • How to Mark Your Place in a Peyote Stitch Pattern Plus a New eMag!
    Last time I was talking to you about peyote-stitch patterns, we were talking about the best way to learn how to read a peyote-stitch pattern. Reading a peyote-stitch pattern can be made so much easier if you have a firm understanding of the basic mechanics
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  • Seed Bead Storage: Bead Tubes or Bead Boxes?
    A couple of my favorite seed bead storage solutions for tubes of seed beads. Back when I was still a baby beader, I ordered my seed beads from a paper catalog. (Wow. Imagine that!) The seed beads arrived in a small box, neatly packaged in plastic tubes
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  • Free Project: Fabric Beads Make Fun Embellishments!
    From Jennifer: I love making my own beads out of just about anything. Earlier this summer, I started making fabric flowers that I turned into focal beads, and of course, embellished to within an inch of their lives with other beads. Cate Prato, our wonderfully
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  • Modern Beaded Necklaces from Ancient Designs
    I admit it - in addition to being a math geek, I'm also a history geek, particularly when it comes to the history of self-adornment and fashion. For me, knowing the history of a particular custom or fashion makes creating my own beaded necklaces that
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  • LOVELY LEAVES
    Beautiful blooming spring to fabulous fall foilage. Lovely Leaves are always on our minds. Loopy Leaf Slide Cascading Leaves Leaf Link Bracelet and Earrings by Dottie Hoeschen by Cheron Gelber by Jane Dickerson Tatted Leaves Bracelet Tree Of Life Turquoise
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  • Beads Fit for a Queen: The Mystique of Freshwater Pearl Beads
    My Tallulah's Pearls necklace reflects the classic look of fine freshwater pearls. For hundreds of years, the only people who wore pearls were royalty and nobles, and later, the fabulously wealthy who could afford them. Today, the good news is that
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  • Beading Kits: Love 'Em or Leave 'Em?
    The packaging for one of the very first beading kits I ever bought, circa 2000. I can still remember the first beading kit I ever bought. It was for a pair of fringed brick-stitch earrings that looked like shooting stars. The beaded earrings were big
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  • AHH-INSPIRING AUTUMN
    We know you are gonna fall (and fall hard) for these awesomely autumn projects! Topaz Riches Ruby Starburst Choker Red Tube Necklace and Bracelet by Linda Gettings by Barbara Grainger by Nancie M. Wiseman Perfect Red Swinging Starlets Autumn Drops by
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  • PUT A BIRD ON IT!
    Who's crazy about feathery friends? That would be us AND we bet you'll be jumping on the trendy bandwagon soon enough. Sakura Nesting Eye of the Peacock Lariat by Kelley Angeley by Michelle Mach by Kerrie Slade Three Little Birds Chirp-Chirp Who
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  • PEYOTE-LICIOUS
    Pump, pump, pump it up! Pump up your peyote stitch! Nola Bracelet Peyote Sunburst Bracelet Squared by Nancy Zellers by Jennifer VanBenschoten by Diane Hertzler Patchwork Paradise Pearly Mosaic Peekaboo Bangle by Marilyn T. Aronson by Lisa Kan by Nancy
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  • What Drives You to Create?
    From Jennifer: I'm always fascinated by the process behind making art. The need to make art is so mysterious and so human that I want to find out from other artists what's behind their call to create. Helen Driggs, the managing editor of Lapidary
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  • The First Beading Daily Bead Along: Wrap Up and a Giveaway!
    Well, wow! I can't believe that it's been nearly a month since we finished the first Beading Daily Bead Along! It took me way longer to finish my piece than I thought it would, but here it is, and I love it. Here it is! My Net Full of Gems! If
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  • THOSE are Beading Supplies?
    Yep, we beaders are definitely a creative and thrifty bunch. When it comes to our beading supplies, there are lots of items that we "borrow" from other crafts that work just as well when it comes to our beloved beads! Recently, I discovered
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  • Do You Want to See Your Original Design in Beadwork Magazine?
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  • Do Your Beads Tell a Story?
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  • What Do You Do With Your Leftover Beads?
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  • 10,000 Fans on Facebook and a Big Giveaway!
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  • How to Read a Peyote Stitch Pattern
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Winter 2011
    Looking for a special gift for someone special? Look no further . In Stringing Winter 2011, you'll find an expanded shopping guide with 16 of our favorite jewelry-making staples this season. Whether you are attending elegant holiday parties or wanting to turn heads on New Year's Eve, you'll
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  • Discover the Magic of Handmade Beads with a Free eBook!
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  • Beadwork, December 2011/ January 2012
    Celebrate the 15th Anniversary with the December/January issue of Beadwork magazine!
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  • Stringing Fall 2011
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  • 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings 2011
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  • GLAMOROUS
    Go on, glam it up! Hit this fall season with super stylish (and stunning) jewelry designs! Little Black Dress Earrings Gold Glamour Netted Jewel Earrings by Marcia DeCoster by Kristy Abner by Amy Haftkowcz Baroque Earrings Glamour Girl Necklace Nice Rock
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  • No Clasp? No Problem!
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  • Stringing, Summer 2011
    Get great ideas for hot jewelry designs in Stringing Summer 2011! Packed with 70 beaded bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, this issue is brimming with inspiration. NEW THIS ISSUE is our thematic organization of projects. You'll want to check out Toggled Treasures (projects that use a toggle clasp
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  • Use Mixed Media Techniques to Make Your Handmade Jewelry Stand Out
    Let's face it: selling beadwork and beaded jewelry can be a tough business. Go to any craft show and look at just how many vendors are selling jewelry. You'll find that there are more and more jewelry vendors selling all kinds of handmade jewelry
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  • Embellish Your Viking Knit Chain with Beadwork!
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  • Stringing, Spring 2011
    We're sure you'll be inspired by the 31 beaded necklaces featured in this project-rich magazine. All come with thorough step-by-step instructions so it's easy to recreate the best looks yourself. Short on time but high on creativity? Check out our feature about the best jewelry-making shortcuts
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  • Beading Instructions: Double St. Petersburg Chain Tutorial
    A couple of years ago, I started seeing this wonderful variation on St. Petersburg chain popping up in magazines and in finished beadwork on Etsy. I was never particularly fond of St. Petersburg chain, but double St. Petersburg chain makes a beautiful
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  • The Secret for Perfect-Fit Peyote Stitch Bezels? Brick Stitch!
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  • Don't Be Intimidated by Color: Easy Steps to Harnessing the Power of Color
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  • 5 Tips for Getting Started with Wire
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  • Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party
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  • Editor's Picks: Top 5 Resources to Teach Yourself How to Do Beadwork
    I've always been one of those "do it yourself" kind of people, particularly when it comes to crafting. I think it must run in my family because my grandmother, who never used any kind of books or patterns for her crochet, made beautiful
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  • A Special Connection with Crochet Traditions Magazine
    I come from a long line of crafters. When I was a kid, all of my sweaters, hats, scarves, and mittens were crocheted by my maternal grandmother, and all without a pattern! When my sister and I were kids, my mom, thinking she would keep us out of trouble
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  • Practice Your Basic Beading Skills With These Great Beading Projects
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  • Beading Thread I Love - Colored Fireline from Sparkle Spot Bead Shop
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  • Finding the Time to Bead: 5 Tips for Time Management
    With a preschooler, a full-time job, a husband, a dog and a gaggle of chickens, there's always something for me to do at my house. And sometimes, sadly, the beading is the LAST thing to get done at the end of the day. But beading is important to me
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  • Alternative (and Affordable!) Gemstones for Your Jewelry-Making Projects!
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  • Question of the Week: What is Your Must-Have Beading Tool?
    As my collection of beading tools grows and grows, I find that there are a couple of beading tools that I must have handy when I sit down to bead. My favorite scissors for cutting Fireline and Wildfire are a simple pair of Rapala fishing line scissors
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  • Get Caught Up in Beaded Netting
    Beaded netting is such an easy beadweaving technique, and one that I think is very often overlooked or ignored by beadweavers in favor of beading stitches like peyote stitch or herringbone stitch. It's been a favorite of mine for creating supple but
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  • Handcut Gemstone Cabochons from Sheila Hoag of Tradewinds Studios
    Gemstone cabochons are one of my favorite beading supplies, and I'm always on the lookout for beautiful hand-cut gemstone cabochons. My friend Carol Dean Sharpe of SandFibers introduced me to Sheila Hoag of Tradewinds Studios and her luscious gemstone
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  • 5 Tips for Learning a New Beading Stitch
    Being a (mostly) self-taught beader, I discovered the advantages and drawbacks of learning my beading skills from books and videos. (That was back in the Stone Age when all we had was a VCR!) It was easy enough for me to follow the diagrams and directions
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  • It's the Perfect Time to Learn About Wire!
    With my son starting preschool in just a couple of weeks, I've suddenly gotten nostalgic for all things back-to-school. Going back to school every September was always exciting for me - I was anxious to learn new things and see my friends after a
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  • Question of the Week: Advice for Beaders
    I discovered beading while my husband and I were living in a tiny apartment in Lake Placid, N.Y. I was still a college student, finishing up my degree in environmental science, and working as an intern in a small not-for-profit community development organization
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  • Free Beading Project: Renaissance Diamond Chain Collar
    I promised this free beading project a couple of weeks ago, and it's finally ready! The Renaissance Diamond Chain Collar is here! I had the idea for this collar floating around in my head for quite a while, and I wasn't quite sure how I was going
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  • Bead Pick from Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones: Glinter Silver Beads
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  • Handcrafted Jewelry, 2011
    Need a little spice in your life? Look no further. Mixed media (and Handcrafted Jewelry 2011) is all you’ve been waiting for and more. Discover 22 brand-new jewelry designs using simple techniques and fabulous materials!
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  • Bead Along with Beading Daily: Getting Started with Beaded Netting
    So by now, I hope that you have all figured out what colors and materials you are going to use for making Linda Richmond's Net Full of Gems necklace for our first Bead Along! I've decided to use some white Howlite chips and some gunmetal lined
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  • Creative Jewelry, 2010
    Whip up a whole new jewelry collection in minutes with 135 fast and easy designs in the new edition of the best-selling special issue Creative Jewelry 2010. Creative Jewelry 2010 is packed with 148 pages of amazing designs in wire-wrapping, stringing, and more from the trusted experts at Stringing and
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  • Making Color Palettes for Your Focal Beads
    One of the challenges of working with handmade focal beads and cabochons is picking out which beads will go with it to create a harmonious color palette. There needs to be a balance between the main colors in the focal bead or cabochon and the accent
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  • Get Creative with Chain in Your Beading Projects
    I'm probably not the first person to mix chain and bead embroidery, but I certainly love it! I think the first time I saw chain and bead embroidery mixed together, it was in some of Diane Hyde's amazing Bead Punk pieces . I was totally inspired
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  • Question of the Week: What's Your Favorite Type of Jewelry to Make?
    When I first started beading, all I made was amulet bags. This was back in 1999, and everywhere you looked beadweavers were creating beautiful, over-the-top beadwoven amulet bags. Sometimes I would make a pair of earrings to match a particular bag, but
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  • A Look at the Bead Fair in Hamburg, Germany with Guest Blogger Kerrie Slade
    A note from Jennifer: Kerrie Slade is a frequent contributor to Beadwork magazine, and is a member of our panel of artists and experts for our Question of the Week feature here on Beading Daily. Kerrie lives in Mansfield, England and recently had the
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  • There's a New Guide in Town!
    Those of you who remember me from my days as the Guide to Beadwork on About.com will be happy to know that there is a new Guide for the site, and she's already been busy blogging and designing free patterns! Chris Franchetti Michaels , the author
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  • Get the Best of Both Worlds With an eMag
    Watch and learn exciting new jewelry-making techniques with Handcrafted Jewelry Studio eMag Living in a rural part of New York, I love how I can download a video or a digital magazine and start learning a new jewelry making technique almost instantly
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  • A Bouquet of French Beaded Flowers for a Wedding
    When I got married, I had to make sure that beads were a part of our special day! When my husband and I were planning our wedding back in 2003, I wanted beads to play a big part in our special day. I had planned on making the jewelry for my bridesmaids
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  • Beading Projects That Will Take Your Breath Away
    I love the days when I get the newest issue of Beadwork magazine. Those are the days when I treat myself to a cup of tea or hot chocolate, something yummy to eat, and I let myself take a couple of hours to kick back and read that magazine from cover to
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  • Bead Along with Beading Daily!
    I had so much fun participating in the Mirrix Weave-A-Long a couple of weeks ago that I've decided to have a Bead Along here on Beading Daily! What is a Bead-A-Long? A group of beaders get together (online, of course) to make the same project and
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  • The Peyote Stitch Patterns of Carol Dean Sharpe: Inspiration is Everywhere
    A note from Jennifer: There are two kinds of beading pattern designers in this world: those who can create gorgeous flat peyote patterns and those who can't. Carol Dean Sharpe, owner of Sand Fibers , is definitely one of those who can. Carole's
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  • Throw a Jewelry Making Party with Danielle Fox and Debbie Blair!
    From Jennifer: Do you know Danielle Fox and Debbie Blair? They are two of the fabulous editors here at Beadwork and Stringing magazines. Recently, they decided to throw a jewelry making party, and we thought we'd share their expert advice and show
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  • Question of the Week: How Do You "Recharge" Your Creativity?
    As much as we all love beads and are constantly inspired by them, sometimes it helps to take a little creative break and step away from the beads (and the computer!) for a while. I practice yoga every morning before breakfast, and my morning stretches
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  • Learn Herringbone Stitch with Melinda Barta
    Learn expert tips for working flat herringbone stitch Find out how to work circular and other variations of this versatile beadweaving stitch Follow large, easy to see diagrams as Melinda takes you through basic herringbone stitch Maybe I'm giving
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  • Bead Crochet - How Do You Start Your Bead Crochet Ropes?
    These gorgeous handmade porcelain slides by Marsha Hedrick were enough to make me want to get back into making bead crochet ropes! Making bead crochet ropes was one of those things that I struggled with mightily until I had one of those "a-ha!"
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  • Look What You Can Do With Beaded Leaves!
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  • Question of the Week: What First Attracted You to Beads and Beadwork?
    I can't remember a time when I didn't enjoy using beads and making jewelry. I always say that it's my mother's fault - she was a fabulous knit, crochet and needlepoint designer, and whenever she ordered her supplies she would include a
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  • Free Beading Pattern - Diamond Chain Bracelet
    I can't remember where I first learned this diamond chain stitch, but I love it! It's so easy and so versatile that you can work it up with pretty much any beads you happen to have around. It's fast, too - it only took me about an hour to
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  • 5 Tips for Buying Beads at a Bead Show
    I scooped up these hanks of cut seed beads at a gem show in upstate New York I can still remember the very first time I went to Bead Fest Philadelphia . I had just opened a bead shop with two business partners. I was a month away from getting married
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  • Tips for Traveling With Your Beads
    My well-loved soft tacklebox is perfect for carrying lots of beads to shows and classes. It's summer, and that means that lots of people are hitting the road for a vacation. I'll be packing up my beads and heading to a couple of beading classes
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  • Tips for Etching on Copper from Lexi Erickson
    I'll be the first to admit that I know absolutely nothing about working with metal when it comes to jewelry making, but making metal jewelry has always intrigued me. I can remember when I was in college watching with envy as my friends who were art
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  • 5 Tips for Better Beading Classes
    There's nothing more uplifting for me than to spend an afternoon or a day in a beading class, surrounded by like-minded people who are there to have fun, learn something new, and take home a fabulous piece of beaded jewelry. And if you're heading
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  • Question of the Week: What Does Your Beading Space Look Like?
    Last week, I shared some pictures and a little story about how my husband and I have begun our transformation of our basement back into a beading studio and office for me after our problems with flooding this spring. And I have to admit, now that we've
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  • Pliers and Needles and Threads, Oh, My!
    I have just as many drawers full of stringing wire, beading pliers, findings, and beading thread as I do drawers full of beads! Some days, it seems like every beading project that I make requires its own set of beading tools and jewelry-making supplies
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  • Beadwork Projects Inspired by Vintage Jewelry Pieces
    My Victorian Infinity Necklace was inspired by an antique seed pearl necklace. I can remember how much I loved trying on my mother's and my grandmother's jewelry when I was a little girl. (I think most little girls love to do that, right?) But
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  • Unique Uses for Wire Dangles in Your Beadweaving Projects
    My "Hypnotize Me" bead embroidered pendant uses wire wrapped dangles as fringe. How easy is this? Take a couple of beads and string them on a head pin. Make a wrapped loop, and you've got one of the most versatile components for jewelry
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  • Best of Step by Step Beads, 2010
    Now you can create all of the most popular projects from Step by Step Beads magazine in the new ultimate collector's edition Best of Step by Step Beads -available for the first time! Packed with tons of easy-to-follow illustrations and colorful photos, Best of Step by Step Beads shows new beaders
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  • Taming My Bead Stash
    When our basement flooded, my beads sought refuge on top of the radiator! My beads are in need of a really good re-organization, and I'm sure that you'll agree after you read this! For years, I've been accumulating beads and findings and fibers
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  • Tips for Perfect Crimps
    I've seen some pretty bad crimping jobs since I started making beaded jewelry. My own first crimps were pretty darn bad, too. I used the wrong kind of crimp, and I never used a crimping pliers. (I didn't even know what a pair of crimping pliers
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  • Tammy Jones' Top Picks for Gorgeous Resin Earring Projects
    Tammy Jones is the Online Editor for Jewelry Making Daily A note from Jennifer: Resin is my latest jewelry making obsession. It started a few months earlier after I purchased a gorgeous pendant from Andrew Thornton and then saw what some of my fellow
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  • What Are Your Favorite Colors for Beading Projects?
    Once upon a time, I was totally baffled by color when it came to selecting beads for my beading projects. I would choose colors for a project based on what I liked from my bead stash - sometimes it would work, and sometimes it would be a total disaster
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  • Free Beading Project: Pearl Embellished Peyote Stitch Beaded Bead
    I love making peyote-stitch beaded beads. Not only are they simple and fast, but it's also so easy to think up ways to embellish them! These freshwater pearl-embellished beaded beads were inspired by the Lisa Peters Art focal bead that I had in my
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  • What's Better Than Six Beaded Earring Projects? Six FREE Beaded Earring Projects!
    Beaded earrings don't have to match a bracelet or a necklace. In fact, when I wear earrings I prefer them to be statements all by themselves. Beaded earrings are like little miniature works of beadwoven art. And once you get started, they really are
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  • Designer's Workpads Beading Mats Soon to Be Discontinued
    Of all my beading mats and beading surfaces, my favorites have to be my Designer's Workpads and my Deluxe Bead Traveler from Designer's Findings and bead artist Diane Hyde . I was introduced to these wonderful work pads through a friend who used
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  • The (Not So) Humble Peyote Stitch Beaded Bead
    How easy is this? Make a small piece of peyote stitch beadwork. Make sure the ends mesh with each other and then zip it up. You have just created what might be the most versatile piece of beadwork known to humankind: the peyote stitch beaded bead. You
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  • The String Me Along Beading Mat and Project Organizer
    Among some of my most important beading supplies are my many beading mats. Having a good work surface can make all the difference when you're working on a complex beading project, so I usually have three or four different types of beading mats in
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  • Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Wire Jewelry...
    My first serious foray into the world of handmade jewelry came with a kit and book about making wire jewelry. (I hadn't yet discovered the joys of off-loom beadweaving.) I learned how to make jump rings, spirals and links and even managed to make
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  • Question of the Week: What's Your Favorite Source of Inspiration?
    When you design your own beadwork, finding inspiration for your beading projects is an important part of the whole process. Finding new sources of inspiration can help you grow and evolve as an artist. I've found that staying open to new sources of
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  • All Tied Up in Knots: 3 Tips for Tying Ornamental Knots
    The finished Guinevere's knot necklace with focal bead by Lisa Peters Art. Does anyone else remember those hemp necklaces that were so popular with kids twenty years ago? Yes, I was one of those kids who wore knotted hemp necklaces and bracelets.
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  • Free Beading Project: Banded Flat Herringbone Bracelet
    Welcome to Free Project Friday! This week's free beading project is an easy banded flat herringbone bracelet, made with seed beads and tiny cube beads. These new cube beads are popping up everywhere, and I couldn't resist adding a selection of
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  • What's Not to Love About Lucite Beads?
    Guest blog by Kelli Burns of The Hole Bead Shoppe Lucite's color diversity, lightness, endless variety of shapes and inexpensive price makes it a must for today's thrifty designer - and it can be recycled! Every design that we've had in a
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  • Flat Herringbone Stitch with a Traditional Start
    Pretty much every single flat herringbone stitch project that I've seen has a ladder stitch start to it, so I was eager to learn this method for starting flat herringbone stitch. Instead of beginning with a ladder, your herringbone stitch will begin
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  • Handmade Ceramic Beads and Cabochons to Heat Up Your Summer Jewelry-Making Designs
    A few years ago, I saw some of my beady friends on Facebook creating the most marvelous beaded pendants and cuff bracelets with handmade ceramic cabochons. Up until then, I had only ever used gemstones for my bead embroidered pieces, and these handmade
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  • Bead Emergency!
    Wild optimism made me think that one strand of keishi pearls would be enough to complete an embellished spiral rope necklace. I fell in love with these silvery-green keishi pearls the moment I saw them on the Lima Beads website . I'm a sucker for
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  • Enjoying My Summer, One Bead at a Time!
    Summers here in the Adirondack Mountains can be hot. Maybe it's just because we're all so used to spending four or five months dealing with sub-zero temperatures, but as soon as the mercury rises, all I can think about is sitting in the pool and
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  • Question of the Week: What's Your Favorite New Beading Product?
    It seems like every time I turn around, there's a new bead, beading supply or beading tool available at shows and online. I thought I'd ask our panel of experts and artists what their favorite new beading product was. Carol Dean Sharpe: I am completely
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  • Free Project Friday: Jazzy Herringbone Bracelet
    Welcome to Free Project Fridays! I'll be posting a new free beading project every Friday here on Beading Daily , so stay tuned for some great new beading projects! The Jazzy Herringbone Bracelet made by adding little groups of embellishments to a
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  • 5 Tips for Clearing the Clutter from Your Beading Studio
    I don't necessarily like clutter, even though clutter is sometimes a necessary part of my creative process. Keeping clutter under control can be a challenge for someone like me who lives in a small house. (It's hard enough keeping my son's
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  • Make a Personal Jewelry Statement with Bracelets
    One of two bracelets I made the summer that my mom passed away. Bracelets are a great way to make a very personal statement with your own handmade jewelry! Summer of 2008 was hard for my family. I was adjusting to being a new mom. I was venturing out
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  • Ask the Expert: Seed Bead Finishes Part 2 with Guest Blogger Beki Haley
    Welcome back! In yesterday's post, we talked about metallic and galvanized seed beads. Today, we'll discuss the new hybrid seed beads from Toho, dyed seed beads, and ways to prolong the life of your metallic and coated seed beads. Permanent galvanized
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  • Amazing Beaded Earrings and a Creative Challenge
    A sampling of the earrings I made during my self-imposed creative challenge: create a pair of earrings every day for an entire month! I don't often wear earrings. Part of that comes from a habit I got into after my son was born - it's just not
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  • Ask the Expert: Seed Bead Finishes Part 1 with Guest Blogger Beki Haley
    14k yellow gold metallic seed beads 24k white gold metallic seed beads Metallic bronze seed beads We are incredibly lucky to be beaders at this time in the history of the seed bead. We are constantly being offered new shapes, sizes, colors, and finishes
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  • New Feature on Beading Daily: Question of the Week
    Welcome to a new feature on Beading Daily : the Question of the Week! I've assembled a panel of some very talented and well-known bead artists, and every week they'll be answering a question about beads, beadwork or anything related to jewelry
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  • Five Tips for Better Peyote Stitch Bezels
    I had an idea once for a piece of beaded jewelry. It was based on a piece that I had seen in an online auction catalog from one of the big auction houses, and it was a gorgeous diamond and enamel necklace from the early part of the twentieth century.
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  • Spice Up Your Summer with Free Gemstone Beading Projects!
    Human beings have prized gemstones for hundreds of years. In addition to their natural beauty, gemstones have also been coveted for their perceived mystic powers. Gemstones are believed to help heal, bring good luck and fortune, and enhance the abilities
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  • Jean Campbell Answers Your Questions About Being a Beadwork Magazine Designer of the Year
    If you're a regular subscriber to Beadwork magazine, then you're probably familiar with the Designers of the Year. Every year, Beadwork chooses four top beadwork designers and features brand new projects by each of them for an entire year. Some
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  • Easy Ways to Make Your Own Clasps with Wire
    The recent price increase for sterling silver really hit me the last time I put together an order for sterling silver clasps and findings. It made me nervous to think that I was going to eventually have to pass on that price increase to my customers,
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  • Interesting Bead Trivia and a Resource for the Rest of Us
    One of the reasons why I love beads and beadweaving and bead stitching and bead stringing (I'll quit while I'm ahead) is the long history behind beads and beadweaving. Beads are endlessly fascinating, and the stories behind the beads themselves
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  • Help for Getting Out of a Bead Weaving Rut
    With all of the different bead weaving stitches, techniques and beads out there you might think that one would never get bored with bead weaving. But yes, even those of us who love and make our living with bead weaving get bored once in a while. You find
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  • Beading Threads - Why (I Hope) Nymo Beading Thread Will Never Go Away
    In the beginning, there were seed beads. And the seed beads were good. As a matter of fact, the seed beads were great. And they were numerous - so many colors and finishes and sizes of seed beads to choose from! A new beader (me) quickly fell to the spell
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  • BeadBacking for Bead Embroidery
    Nicole's BeadBacking in an assortment of colors If you love to do bead embroidery, I've just discovered a bead backing that beats out everything else I've ever used: Nicole's BeadBacking. This bead embroidery medium was developed by bead
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  • Easy European 4-in-1 Chain Maille Technique
    Perhaps it's my inner ADD child, or maybe it's just part of being a creative person, but I get sidetracked very easily. For example, I was tech editing Lynn Davy's project for the October/November 2011 issue of Beadwork magazine last week
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  • Making Waves with Herringbone Stitch, Part 2: Elegant Undulations
    For me, herringbone stitch is one of those bead weaving stitches where I'm not afraid to experiment and discover all it has to offer. Maybe it's the history and culture behind herringbone stitch with its origins in South Africa that speaks to
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  • Making Waves With Herringbone Stitch, Part 1: Wavy Herringbone Stitch
    Ode On a Grecian Urn Necklace It's no secret that I love herringbone stitch in all of its variations. After learning how to do tubular herringbone stitch, I decided to try some experiments with flat herringbone stitch. I decided to start playing with
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  • Five Fabulous New Seed Bead Projects in the Beading Daily Shop
    Seed beads are beautiful. And not just because they're little and shiny - for me, the beauty of seed beads lies in the fact that you can do so much with them! Sure, you can string them all by themselves or stitch them together in a simple peyote stitch
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  • My Favorite Beading Tool for Jewelry Making - Looping Pliers
    Even though I'm not primarily a wire work person, like most beadweavers, I need a good set of jewelry making pliers in my beading tool kit for those times when I need to attach jump rings and findings or make a set of wrapped loops. I bought my first
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  • The Many Variations of Herringbone Stitch
    Simple herringbone ropes can be braided together to make easy and striking jewelry Dramatic curves can be achieved in flat herringbone stitch by using different sizes of beads Beadweaving is like magic to me. You sit down with a pile of seed beads, some
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  • Beaded Straps and Cords and Fringes...and a Giveaway!
    So, the first thing that you should know about me is that I'm a total cabochon freak. I love beading with cabochons. One of the things that I always find to be a fun challenge when I'm stitching up a beaded cabochon necklace is what kind of fringe
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  • 4 Sketched Ideas for Beaded Necklace Shapes
    Jean Campbell shares 4 design ideas for beaded necklace shapes
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  • The Healing Power of Beads
    Anyone who has ever enjoyed working with beads can’t deny the simple fact that beads have some sort of healing power. There’s just something undeniably life-affirming and uplifting about the joy that you get when you sit down with your beads
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  • Viking Knit: Or How I Learned to Love Wire Jewelry
    Viking knit is one of those things that I always admired but never figured that I'd be able to do. My first attempts to learn Viking knit were pretty much disastrous - being a primarily self-taught beadweaver, I figured I'd be able to learn Viking
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  • Using Double-Needle Right-Angle Weave to Create Vintage-Inspired Beaded Beads
    When I inherited my mom's jewelry after she passed away, a necklace in her collection caught my eye. It was obviously very old (Mom loved vintage jewelry, just like me!) and made from some sort of plastic, either Lucite or Bakelite. A short length
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  • Get Creative with Bella Beaded Jewelry and the Interweave Hurt Book Sale
    I loved the idea of using these sparkly fibers to make some easy Italian-style beaded jewelry! Every once in a while, I feel like I need to take a break from beadweaving . Don't g et me wrong, beadweaving will always be my first love when it comes
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  • Beading Needles I Love: New Tulip Brand Beading Needles from Japan
    Ever since Carole Cypher returned from her adventures in Japan last year, I've been hearing about these amazing new beading needles that she brought back with her. Tulip needles were reputed to be stronger, more flexible, and less likely to bend and
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  • The 6 Wirework Tools You Need
    Jean Campbell outlines the 6 wireworking tools you need to make beautiful wireworked jewelry.
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  • Inspired by Texture: Easy Ways to Personalize Your Own Metal Clay Pendants and Clasps
    I don't know about anyone else, but when I make a piece of beadwork I usually spend a lot of hours on it. There's the design process itself, which can take lots of time and require many sketches. I take the time to make sure that my thread tails
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  • Because We Just Can't Get Enough Beaded Necklace Designs
    I don't know what it is about necklaces, but I make more beaded necklaces than any other type of beaded jewelry. So that's why I'm excited to reintroduce this eBook: 7 Free Beaded Necklace Designs . There is a great variety of necklaces inside
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  • 4 Easy Ways to Personalize Your Beaded Jewelry
    Jean Campbell gives 4 great examples on how to personalize your jewelry designs
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  • Bead Star 2010
    80,404 votes are in for the world's favorite jewelry designs for 2011 Be there for the big unveiling of the winners in the 9 jewelry-making categories! Now you can own all of the prize-winning jewelry designs and fun step-by-step tutorials in the newest Bead Star special issue. Learn jewelry-making
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  • You Can Never Have Enough Beading Projects!
    I'm the first to admit that when it comes to my beading projects, I suffer from a severe case of B.A.D.D. (Beader's Attention Deficit Disorder). I start a new project and then something pretty catches my eye - a little pack of Czech fire-polished
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  • One Hour of Instruction from Jean Campbell for Ten Cents!
    If you're reading this blog, chances are you're already pretty computer-savvy. Maybe you use You Tube, Twitter, Facebook, and other electronic social media to keep up with beading and jewelry-making trends. You probably already know how easy it
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  • Handcrafted Jewelry, 2010
    Now you can get 25 amazing mixed-media jewelry designs in the new special issue of Handcrafted Jewelry. Make your mark with unique techniques and brand-new one-of-a-kind jewelry projects in resin, polymer clay, enamel, fabric, and much more.
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  • How to Design Asymmetrical Earrings
    Try your hand at working with mismatched earrings to learn the secrets of asymmetry
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  • An Entire Year of Beadwork Magazine on CD
    I'm one of those people that have resisted buying any kind of e-reader because I like my books and magazines in print. I like the pages and the smell of the ink on a fresh magazine. The only thing I don't like about my back issues and books is
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  • Use Peyote Stitch and Herringbone Stitch to Make a Triangle-Shaped Cabochon Bezel
    Learning peyote stitch opened up a whole new dimension in beadwork for me. I felt like one of those cartoon characters who suddenly gets superhuman powers, then sits back and cackles and says, "Now I will RULE THE WORLD!" Maybe peyote stitch
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  • Jean Campbell's Top 6 for Summer Beading
    Jean Campbell has her sights on summer beading with her Top 6 from the Beading Daily store.
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  • Do It Yourself Tarnish Removers for Your Favorite Sterling Silver Beads and Findings
    Lately, instead of buying brand-new sterling silver clasps, findings, and beads, I've been turning to a few new sources. First, I've been practicing my wire working skills to make my own earring findings and clasps using my favorite sterling silver
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  • Professional Finishing Techniques for Pearl Knotting
    Even though I don't do it too often, I love knotting strands of pearls and gemstone beads. There's nothing quite as iconic as a single strand of knotted pearls: I'm thinking of June Cleaver or Jackie O. Pearls add instance elegance and class
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  • Learn How to Add Fiber to Bead Loom Projects
    Learn how to add fiber to bead loom projects
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  • Try Some Easy Wire Jewelry Making Projects
    Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a huge fan of working with wire (except for the projects I made from Rachel Nelson Smith's fabulous book, Seed Bead Fusion .) But sometimes it pays to know your way around a set of wire-working tools, especially
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  • What's Your Favorite Bead-weaving Stitch?
    Hello Beading Daily Community! Some of you might already know me —I'm Jennifer VanBenschoten, and I've been a contributor to Beadwork magazine for a few years now. I'm incredibly excited to introduce myself to you now as the new online
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  • Q&A with the Authors of Handcrafted Wire Findings
    Q&A with Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson, authors of the brand new book, Handcrafted Wire Findings
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  • A Quick Guide to Wire Gauge
    If you've been making jewelry for a while, you're ready to expand your skills. For many beaders and stringers, that means moving into the realm of making wire jewelry . I know wire can feel a little daunting—I vividly recall my first class
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  • Beadwork, October/November 2011
    Whether you're looking for an elegant dangle necklace or glamorous stitched earrings, you'll be sure to find it in the October/November issue of Beadwork magazine.
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  • Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making: Top 5 Resin Tips
    Danielle Fox, editor of Stringing and Handcrafted Jewelry is here today to share five resin jewelry-making tips and to talk about a recent project. . .our fabulous eMag: Handcrafted Jewelry Studio . This multimedia magazine features products, techniques
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  • Learn How to Two-Drop Peyote Stitch
    Learn how to work two-drop peyote stitch in 4 easy steps
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  • Time to choose our 2011 Bead Stars!
    Every year, Interweave’s annual Bead Star competition gives beaders a chance to shine, and it’s time to choose our 2011 stars! The submissions for our fourth issue of Bead Star have been pouring in for months, and we’ve been blown away
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  • What Inspires Your Jewelry-Making?
    Q&A with Tammy Jones I don't know about you, but I love knowing what makes people tick. What inspires a designer/writer/artist, and where did they come from? Knowing this background information gives me a deeper connection and understanding of
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  • Free Resin Jewelry Making Video
    Making mixed-media jewelry is a great pastime and can also help to keep you fashionably current. On top of that handcrafted jewelry makes a wonderful gift. Not only is it a gift from the heart, it also can be designed to be a totally personal piece, incorporating
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  • How to Use a Screw Punch
    Learn how to make holes in metal the easy way with a screw punch
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  • The Beading Community Speaks Out
    Your Favorite Beading Daily Blogs Revisited It's always fun to look back on the past, and see what has been shaking here on Beading Daily ! As a fun start to the week, I've gathered the most commented on Beading Daily posts from 2010. It's
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  • Our Top 3 Beading Library Essentials
    There is only one thing better than cracking open a new beading book, watching a brand-new beading DVD, or downloading a beading resource that you can't wait to use: sharing the experience with friends. Explore our top picks from the Interweave store
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  • Beadwork, August/September 2011
    Packed full of stunning seed bead stitched projects the August/September 2011 issue of Beadwork covers so many topics including easy peyote-stitched tube jewelry, our first ever Albion stitch project, and the winners of the Beadwork VII Challenge: The Beaded Earth are revealed!
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  • The Secret Ingredient to Firm and Protect Beadwork
    Learn how to use acrylic floor finish to firm and protect beadwork designs
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  • Riveting: Helen Driggs Shares Her Favorite Cold Connections
    Salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, flowers and chocolate (especially dark), all these goodies go hand in hand just like metal magic and Helen Driggs! She amazes me with all the different types of creations she comes up with using metals. And since
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  • Shhh, Don’t tell . . . Jewelry-Making Secrets from Kristal and Marlene’s DVD
    TV . . . It's a glamorous life . . . so they say! Marlene Blessing (Editorial Director, Interweave Books) and I recently had a taste of that life, and we're here to tell you a little about behind the scenes of that so called glamorous life! While
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  • Indulge Yourself with Favorite Bead Stitches
    Many of you know that I'm a glutton when it comes to learning, especially anything that concerns beading. I love storing facts and figures about the history of beadwork, bead manufacturing, and the business of beading. But my very favorite way to
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  • Six Steps to Perfect Wrapped Loops
    One of the best ways to feed your need to bead is to try out new ways from established pros. Jean Campbell fits the bill on that! I love trying out her tips, and her six steps to perfect wrapped loops is no exception. I’ve always had those little
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  • Our Readers Don't Fool Around: Best Tips From Our Readers
    Beaders are a generous group. They share beads, tips, even their chocolate on occasion. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Beading Daily is the community. There are fun beaders, serious beaders (who don't fool around) and everything in between.
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  • Super Beadwork, June/July 2011
    Looking for a treasury of beautiful seed bead jewelry projects to delight and entertain you? It's all here in the June/July issue of Super Beadwork. You'll love this 26-project collection of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in your favorite beading stitches and techniques, including peyote
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  • Get a Jumpstart on Bead Studio Spring Cleaning
    Jean lists 3 easy ways to get started cleaning your bead studio
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  • Beaded Cake Boss
    I have to give a big shout out to Katie Dean and her FAB beaded cakes. She sent me the cutest cake customized for Bling (my puppy) trimmed in pink (her fave color)...To die for, seriously! I asked Katie to tell me a bit about herself and the lovely beady
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  • Kristal Wick's Bon Voyage Giveaway!
    It's time for this beady gal to set sail! I am leaving Interweave as the Beading Daily editor. It's been more than delightful sharing our morning coffee each day, dishing all things beady, and I thank all my beady peeps for joining in. We've
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  • More Waves With Sharilyn Miller’s Wire Art Jewelry Workshop
    I love hooking up with other author/designers and chat about creativity. I really enjoyed my visit with Sharilyn about her new book/DVD set, Wire Art Jewelry Workshop . Here's more fun tidbits about wire jewelry from Sharilyn. " Everyone asks
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  • Make Some Waves With Sharilyn Miller’s Wire Art Jewelry Workshop
    One of my new fave books is Sharilyn Miller's Wire Art Jewelry Workshop . I love all things dipped in the ocean and basking in the sun, especially when it comes to jewelry. Sharilyn teaches you how to make fun jewelry you can not only wear to the
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  • New Free eBook: 4 Free Native American Beadwork Patterns Plus Bonus guide!
    Having grown up in Minnetonka, Minnesota (yes, where Tonka trucks and Minnetonka Moccasins are born), now living in Colorado, I've been surrounded by Native American influences all my life. I remember stumbling upon old redware pottery shards and
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  • Lucky Beading Giveaway Winners Announced
    CONGRATS to the following stranded island beaders: Xoko, MIssRubyAnn, cbreul, AnnM@94, AddictedToBeads for winning our recent "Stranded on an Island" giveaway. Look what the lucky jewelry makers won: Entire package of Beadstoppers from www.Beadstopper
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  • 3 All New Designs to Bead on Vacation
    What are you taking on your spring vacation? Try out these 3 all new projects from the Beading Daily store.
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  • Metal Maven Helen Driggs Shares Some Jewelry Making Insights
    When you think of metal jewelry-making mavens, Helen Driggs, Senior Editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist comes to mind. I took a moment to chat a bit about the magazine and I'd love to share with all you beady peeps! Helen had a lot to say when
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  • Helen Driggs Shares More Jewelry Making Insights
    Here's more of my chat with Helen Driggs, Senior Editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist . Q: What's your fave project in the upcoming April issue? A: I have to pick the Sagenite Pendant by Roger Halas. I love purple, and those notched bezels
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  • 5 Simple Steps to Make Your Own Bling Ring Jewelry
    I feel there's a very fine line between "normal" interest and obsession. In the beading world this line isn't thin, fine, or slightly fuzzy, it's darn near invisible! So, I'm sure many of you can relate to crossing over this
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  • 3 Easy Ways to Hang a Pendant
    3 Easy Ways to Hang a Pendant
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  • Behind the Scenes with Martha, Kristal Wick, and Beaded Bracelets
    I don't know about you, but I LOVE behind-the-scenes pictures and stories. They're like a secret peek into something more...the inner sanctum, where the magic happens! I love bloopers and outtakes from movies. It's great to see that everybody
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  • BEADY BLESSINGS!!!
    Mother Nature's recent activities certainly change our perspective on winning contests, doesn't it? May I suggest giving blessings to everybody affected worldwide with each little bead while beading this weekend. Join me in healing the planet
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  • Go from Macaroni to Marvelous Jewelry with a Beadwork Back Issue Sale
    Can you remember making your first jewelry piece? As kids, every finding and component was a wonder! The possibilities endless and creativity flowed no matter where and when, rich or poor, large or small. Ahhhhhh to be so inspired and un-encumbered. I'm
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  • Beady Giveaway!
    You're stranded on a desert island (no Gilligan, no Skipper). A treasure chest washes up on shore. What beady delights are in there and "must haves" as you wait for your rescue? Randomly selected winners will receive beady goodies from Beading
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  • Get Creative with a Creative Getaway
    Attend a retreat or conference to give yourself a creative getaway
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  • Too Many Beads: Using Social Media to Sell Your Jewelry
    Twitter, FB, hash tags, retweets, LinkedIn . . . "What language are you speaking, Kristal?" Why social media, of course. If you have no idea what those words mean, it's time to crank up the knob to channel TODAY gang! From the movie , Social
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  • Inspiring Springtime Handcrafted Jewelry
    Springtime is right around the corner (I promise!). We've all been buried a few times this winter in the cold white stuff, and the lush green grass and delightful floral breezes seem eons away, but now is the time to BELIEVE! I love making jewelry
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  • Finding Inspiration From Your Favorite Jewelry Designers
    Finding Inspiration From Your Favorite Jewelry Designers
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  • Tucson's Top 5 Wire Trends
    I just unpacked the last box from Tucson last month (seriously). You know how it is when you go to a big show, buy so many treasures your credit card is still smoking weeks later and you can't wait to jump into everything and start sorting, and playing
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  • Denise Peck's Red Carpet Jewelry
    The 83rd Academy Awards are in two days. Sure, I love seeing who wins, who's with whom, even who smiles that fake smile like it doesn't matter when their name isn't called ...(come on, you KNOW you see them do it too). But to tell you the
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  • Match Pantone's Spring Colors to Your Bead Stash
    Match Pantone's Spring Colors to Your Bead Stash
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  • First Ladies' Jewelry Trends to Inspire Your Jewelry Making
    I'm pleased to introduce you to the new First Lady (and editor) of Beadwork magazine, Mindy Brooks. I asked her to give me the scoop on her background. Here's w hat she shared with me, "I've been a craft enthusiast from the time I learned
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  • 5 Free Crystal Bead Projects : Create Jewelry with Crystals
    I am one lucky ducky; I've never wanted to change my name. No, not even once. (Okay, maybe once, when I was seven and couldn't find a cute little wall plaque at the store with my name on it. They always spelled it wrong!) Thanks, Mom. That said
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  • 4 Tips for Designing Jewelry on Demand
    Jean Campbell gives tips about designing jewelry on demand based on her experience as a Beadwork Designer of the Year.
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  • For the Love of Making Jewelry
    For the love
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  • Hip to Herringbone
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily This weave is often found in Ndebele beadwork. The herringbone stitches or pattern creates a tough fabric. It's a tricky stitch, but once you get the knack, it can produce wonderful geometric shapes.Use
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  • Great Tucson Finds at the Whole Bead Show
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Start planning your 2012 trip to Tucson! Here's a peek at mine last week. What’s wrong with this picture? Certainly not the usual Tucson gem and mineral shin-dig. Record-breaking temps this February
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  • How to Get the Perfect Crimp
    How to Get the Perfect Crimp Every Time
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  • Easy Wire Earrings
    Do you ever see someone wearing beautiful jewelry, and you'd love to know where she got it but are too shy to ask? I'm not. One of the most delightful fringe benefits of working in the Interweave office with so many creative folks is #1 they usually
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  • Bead Bowl 2011: Top 5 Tips for Entering Jewelry Contests
    Puppy Bowl Some of you will watch football, some will watch Puppy Bowl (my fave on Animal Planet ), some will bead. Some mutitaskers will do all of the above . . . a common theme here is competition (slightly less obvious with the Puppy Bowl strategy
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  • Learn Bead Crochet in 7 Easy Steps
    Learn Bead Crochet in 7 Easy Steps
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  • Beadwork Presents: 41 Favorite Jewelry Designs
    The 2009 digital edition of 41 Favorite Jewelry Designs is packed with 41 jewelry designs that are some of your favorites from Beadwork . Purchase and download the magazine in its entirely directly to your computer's hard drive, exactly the same content, now in an electronic format!
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  • Transforming Jewelry with Unexpected Finds
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Every artist/designer I know finds beauty in nature. There's the most obvious beauty: a pristine Caribbean seashore, fall in New England, your local craft store. You expect to find beauty there. But what
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  • 5 Steps for Planning Your Next Jewelry-Making Staycation
    I do believe my parents invented the first "Staycation" many years ago when I was in Jr. high School. Minnesota winters are hard and were especially brutal on my poor mom. In an attempt to cheer her up when the temps hadn't risen above zero
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  • How To Bead A Peyote-Stitch Ruffle in 5 Easy Steps
    Learn how to form a peyote-stitch ruffle in 5 easy steps
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  • To Wrap or Not to Wrap; Wire that is...
    Lime soda earring inspiration Do you wire wrap all your loops or not? That is seriously the most popular loopy question! I must confess, up until now I didn't think I needed to wire wrap my loops. Please don't judge . . I have had many excuses
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  • Kristal Wick's Picks - Top 5 Beadalicious Goodies
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I have to admit, one of my favorite things about my job as Beading Daily editor is hearing your stories on Face Book and the Beading Daily Forums. I love reading how you started on this beady path. Your high
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  • Any Steampunk fans?
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I have never heard of a steampunk convention, but here it is...and they have vendor spaces: http://wildwildwestcon.com/ The best is yet to bead! Creatively,
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  • Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad RAW?
    Learn right-angle weave with these visual tricks
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  • Top 2010 Beading Daily Blogs
    It's always fun to look back on the past year, and see what was shaking! Beading Daily is no exception! I've gathered Beading Daily posts with the most comments and most popular (views) from 2010. It's been interesting learning about all you
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  • 5 Steps to Jewelry Making On The Go
    As a gal on the go, I love portable beading projects. By portable I mean you can create components on the couch, at the kitchen table, in front of the TV, in bed, at your BFFs, on a plane, train, or automobile (as long as you're not driving). A dedicated
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  • Bead Chat with me in Tucson!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I'm so excited to invite all you beady peeps to stop by and visit me in Tucson! Come say Hello and bead-chat, buy my book, (or bring your copy) of Fabulous Fabric Beads , and I'll sign it, take my class
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  • Wirework Trends with Wire Expert Denise Peck
    Explore Wire Trends with Wire Expert Denise Peck
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  • Peyote Stitch Your Way into 2011
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily You'll always find peyote stitch in bead weaving. I started out a mere 4 months ago with the simplest even-count flat peyote stitch and have been in love ever since! I've been threatening to learn a
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  • Beading Then and Now
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I've discovered one of the most important aspects of nearly anything and everything is "in the details." Jewelry making is certainly no exception! Sure, you want your pieces to be stunning in the
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  • 4 Easy Knots to Pair with Bead Stringing Designs
    Learn 4 different knots to use for strung bead designs
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  • Welcome 2011 with Mixed Media Jewelry
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily When it comes to the world of creativity, are you schizophrenic like me? I started down the artistic path eons ago in stained glass, then moved into pottery, fused-glass jewelry, silk painting, and fabric embellishment
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  • Celebrating 2011 with Enough-ness
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I have some very dear friends who have the best set of coffee mugs EVER! When drinking the last drop, the message on the bottom of the cup says "Relax, there's more." I have loved and lived by
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  • Bling in the New Year with New eBooks
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily It's been a fabulous year full of jewelry-making here on Beading Daily, and as I prepare for a fun New Years Eve with friends, I can't help but reflect on all that I've received from Beading Daily
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  • The Best of Stringing, 2009
    In celebration of Stringing magazine’s fifth anniversary, Interweave presents The Best of Stringing in a downloable format, a 148-page supersized issue packed with 183 stylish, easy-to-make designs for the beaded-jewelry enthusiast. Sure to become a collector’s issue, The Best of Stringing
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  • Top 4 Beading Trends for 2011
    An overview of recent jewelry-making trends and a preview for what will be hot in 2011
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  • 5 Days Left in 2010: 5 Minute Jewerly Making
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily OK gang, who received beads for gifts over the holidays? Even if you bought them for yourself, they are the greatest of gifts, right? Beads are always the perfect gift in so many ways. Your entire family and
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  • Terrifically Taken with Totally Twisted Designs
    With tomorrow being the big Ho, Ho, Ho, I know many of you are wiped out from the malls and wrapping gifts for tomorrow’s big hoopla and social activities. I have a big holiday party and need some new jewelry (need or want? It’s a relative
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  • Get Your Party On by Dressing Up With Beads
    Change Your Look with Beads
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  • Helen’s 10 Ideas for Textured Metal Treasures
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily One of my fave additions to my personal jewelry making has been metals and wire. I love adding textured metals to my fabric beads for loads of fun and unusual textures. So I'm always looking for a few new
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  • Dear Santa P.S.
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Dear Santa, I also want this! Pretty Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeze... ArtBeads is giving away a FREE iPad! http://www.artbeads.com/ipad-giveaway.html?cmp=smfb-ipad2-1217f Come bead with me! Creatively,
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  • What Beady Treasures Do You Want Santa To Bring?
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I’ve been VERY good this year (well, that depends on who you ask, “good” is such a relative term). Please bring me blue beads, green beads, pink beads, black beads, heck make it an assortment
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  • Susan J. Lewis NEW DVD launch party
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily If you are in the Plantation FL area on December 17, stop by Amy's Beads at 220 S University Drive at 7 pm for the launch party of Susan J. Lewis' two new DVDs, Exploring Metal Clay Basics and Exploring
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  • What Type of Seed Beader are You?
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Seed beads have changed many a life. Recently, mine! Ask my vacuum cleaner (you all know the dreaded sound of sucking up seed beads!). I'm still happy with my beloved peyote stitch and want to get up the
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  • Start Wireweaving, One Careful Step at a Time
    Learn the basics to get started wireweaving
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  • Soldering, Metal Jewelry Making, and Singed Bangs
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Lexi Erickson is no stranger to soldering, melting metals, and burned bangs, but then everybody has to start somewhere! Lexi has been teaching high school and college metals for over twenty-three years and currently
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  • Eye Candy and Rocks in My Head
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I've been lucky enough to make the annual trek to Tucson's winter gem and mineral mania for many years now-first as a vendor selling my fabric beads before I was "discovered" in my booth by
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  • Try This Easy Chain Mail Technique
    Try This Easy Chain Mail Technique
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  • Wire Jewelry Button Earrings in 6 Easy Steps
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  • Kristal Wick's Picks: Top 10 Jewelry-Making Resources
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  • What Every Beader Needs: Ideas to Inspire Your Beadwork
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  • Seed-Beading Lessons in the Clouds: High on Bead Stitching
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  • 3 Beading Mysteries Solved: Learn the Whys of Seed Bead Techniques
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  • Bake Your Beads! Add Polymer Jewelry Making to Your Skills
    Marlene Blessing is the editorial director Who knew that all those years of lovingly rolling yummy cookie dough into even little balls would prepare me for making polymer beads? That's exactly what I discovered this weekend when I finally stopped
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    It all started with YOU, my dear Beading Daily friends! In my June 14 Beading Daily post, I decided to confess, to come clean, to air my dirty laundry, I admitted I am not a seed beader. Not only that, but I've never even tried it. Much too afraid
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  • Embellish Your Hair with Beads: 3 Ideas to Try
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  • Kristal's Favorite 5 Jewelry-Making Projects
    Have you ever gotten a gift certificate that was worthy? I mean REALLY worthy, you know over $19.95? Remember the joy you felt skipping through the store picking out ANYTHING your little heart desired? No concern over how much your selections cost, whether
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  • 5 Free Beaded Bracelet Patterns
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  • If I Had a Hammer: 5 Tips for Stamping Metal Jewelry
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  • Top Tips for Aspiring Metalworkers—A Jewelry Expert's Dos and Don'ts
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  • 5 Basic Steps for Making Personalized Jewelry Charms
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  • 4 Tips for Creating a Memorable Mixed-Media Pendant
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  • Use the World Around You. No, Literally, Cut it Up and Use it
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  • Wireworking Wonders with the Masters
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  • Kristal's Top 10 Must-Have Books for Every Beader
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  • 7 Fun Facts about Crystals
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  • Find Your First Easy Steps to Seed Beading
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  • Master Wireworking the Easy Way
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  • Tips for Mixing Media in Jewelry Making
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  • How to Make Artistic Metal Jewelry: 5 Steps to Start Now
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  • How (and Why) to Buy a Micro Torch for Making Jewelry
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  • 4 Tricks to Keep Your Beads on Your Thread
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  • Summertime and the Beading Is Easy
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  • Lariats You Will Love and a Free Project
    Simple and sensational lariats– What’s not to love about lariat designs? They can be tied or looped to suit whatever length you need. Many designs are fast and easy to make: Dangle a pair of big baubles at the ends of a cool chain. Tie clusters
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  • 6 Tips for Weaving with Wire
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  • Bead Star 2010 Voting Goes Live Later Today!
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  • 5 Free Brick Stitch Seed Bead Projects!
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  • Freshen Your Beadwork with the Color Green
    I’ve been watching the tundra I live on come to life these past few weeks. The leaves are budding, the grass is verdant, and everything around me feels lush and wonderful. After so many months of brown . . . proceeded by so many months of white…all of this life-giving, abundant green is
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  • Fast Gift Idea: Easy End Cone Earrings
    Oh no! It’s (insert impending occasion: Mother’s Day, graduation, my BF’s birthday) and I still haven’t made a gift yet! That thought used to send panic through my veins, but not any more. I can whip up some earrings pretty instantly now, but I have a secret ingredient which makes
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  • Flower Jewelry from Beading Daily Members
    Florals are sprouting up on every runway this spring, according to all the fashionistas. From dainty, flowery prints to bold blossoms, flower power is back in style on dresses, tops, and accessories. So what do you make to be in vogue this Spring? Beading Daily members are clearly inspired by garden
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  • Give Pearls a Try: 8 Popular Shapes for Modern Style
    I was just doing a little spring cleaning and ran across my mom’s jewelry box. It’s filled with what you might expect in a box circa 1958: elegant enamel and crystal brooches, Bakelite bracelets, bold glass cabochon earrings, and a few single-strand pearl necklaces. The pearl necklaces made
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  • 9 Perfect Jewelry Designs for Mom
    Make it for Mother Mother is a verb as well as a noun, just like the word bead. Anyone can mother another person (or pet), even guys. Mothering is layered with many activities: caregiver, friend, doctor, financial adviser, banker, chauffeur, maid, event
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  • Free Wire-Hoop Earring Project: Easier than Ever!
    Hard-wired history– We’re lucky to be jewelry artists today. Anything we want is so readily available. I wonder what artisans had to endure B.C. (before computers!) to get their materials, let alone get materials ready-to-use. Take wire, for
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  • How to Find Just the Beads You Need
    Shopping for beads– There’s a big retail chain store headquartered near my home. A couple years ago I went into this store with a long list of things I needed for my office. I had no idea where to begin shopping, but apparently the store was