Beading Daily Shop | Help / Customer Service

Polymer Clay (see Beadmaking)

Polymer clay is a beautiful medium that can be made into sensational-looking beads. Learn the tricks for handling and designing with this medium.

Related Posts

  • 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!
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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"
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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"
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Pantone Fall 2013 Fashion Color Report
    A few weeks ago we took a look at Pantone's Color of the Year . Now let's dive into their full Fall 2013 Fashion Color Report ! As usual, the new color report has me itching to try out some new color palettes! "With the changing season, the
    Read More >>
  • Why Bother With Bead Embroidery? Guest Blog By Cyndi Lavin
    Bead artist, blogger, and really good cook Cyndi Lavin There are many reasons why I love bead embroidery , but the Zen-like qualities of the process are probably why I return to it over and over again. On the surface, bead embroidery really is very simple
    Read More >>
  • My 4 favorite blogs from Inside Jewelry Stringing Magazine
    After you read our blog, do you skip on over to the Inside Jewelry Stringing blog ? If you're not already doing so, I highly recommend you check out what our sister magazine is up to. The Jewelry Stringing editors blog three days a week, so you're
    Read More >>
  • The Perfect Beaded Wedding Accessories
    Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something...beaded? Believe it or not, spring is right around the corner, and with it, wedding season! And, sure, you know that beaded wedding jewelry is a great way to add another personal touch to
    Read More >>
  • It's a Secret: Make This Faux Chain Maille Bracelet by Jane Dickerson
    Are you a little intimidated by the idea of making chain maille jewelry? Jewelry Making Daily 's Tammy Jones felt the same way, so you're not alone! But if you're comfortable with basic wire jewelry making, you'll want to check out this
    Read More >>
  • What to do with those Dapping Projects

    Read More >>
  • Beadwork, April/May 2013
    Inspiring beading projects abound in the April/May 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine. Discover 4 ways to create fabulous jewelry using 2-hole beads. Get tips for improving your spiral herringbone stitch. Nineteen original designs await your needle and thread!
    Read More >>
  • Our Favorite Oscars Jewelry
    For me (and most of the world) the Oscars are just as much about the haute couture that comes down that red carpet every year as they are about the awards. The 85th Academy Awards aired last weekend, and the stylists to the stars did not disappoint! I'm
    Read More >>
  • Start Designing Your Own Beaded Jewelry, Part 3: Putting It All Together
    Earlier this week, I showed you how to stitch up some easy herringbone bezels for beads , and then how to make a right-angle weave necklace base , all part of my Beaded Jewelry Design week here on Beading Daily . Today, we're going to look at techniques
    Read More >>
  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Seed Beads and Brass Findings
    After a long, cold winter, I always look forward to wearing my bright, colorful spring skirts, and this spring, I think I may have made the perfect beaded necklace to go with them, thanks to this month's Beadwork magazine challenge kit ! I really
    Read More >>
  • Stitch Pro: In Search of the Perfect Clasp
    I often feel like the Jason of beadweaving in search of the perfect (golden fleece) clasp. Does it exist? Oh, there are lots of pretty toggle, box, and slide clasps, but I just haven't found one that brings the ends of a beaded piece of jewelry together
    Read More >>
  • Enter Our Beading Contest Now!
    Just another reminder: the Bead Star contest is back and better than ever! But don't wait to prepare your entry-- THE DEADLINE IS MAY 24! Read more about the contest below, including how you could win an all-expense-paid trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia
    Read More >>
  • Start Designing Your Own Beaded Jewelry, Part 2: Right-angle Weave Base
    Continuing with your beaded jewelry design project, now that you've made herringbone stitch bezels for the beads, we're going to make the base to which they'll all be attached using right-angle weave. The base I like to use when making these
    Read More >>
  • Start Designing Your Own Beaded Jewelry, Part 1: Herringbone Bezel for a Bead
    Warning: Long Story Alert. Last winter, my husband and I took a parenting class with our son's preschool teacher. One evening during class, I started noticing the patterns on the beautiful purple shirt worn by the teacher, and of course, my beady
    Read More >>
  • Caring for Your Silver Jewelry
    I find myself grabbing for a favorite pair of silver earrings from time to time, only to put them down again, regretting that I haven't taken the time to clean them. So I figured it's high time for me to dig out these tips on caring for silver
    Read More >>
  • Only One More Week to Submit Your Designs!
    We have been getting some great submissions for the Fall 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine. This is shaping up to be a really exciting issue--and (for one more week) you can still be a part of it! Start by reading through our latest set of Contributor
    Read More >>
  • Are You Captivated By Cabochons?
    In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I'm addicted to cabochons. If you take a look through my bead stash, you'll find drawers and drawers full of them -- gemstone cabochons, handmade ceramic and porcelain cabochons, even vintage Lucite cabochons
    Read More >>
  • Raw Gemstones and Druzy Jewelry
    My two favorite fashion trends right now (it changes often) are the raw gemstone and druzy components showing up in jewelry! Last weekend I decided to bezel an agate druzy bead with gold to create a new pendant for myself--and I've received a shower
    Read More >>
  • Book Review: Suzanne Golden Presents - Interviews with 36 Artists Who Innovate with Beads
    A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of receiving an advance copy of Lark Books ' next release, Suzanne Golden Presents: Interviews with 36 Artists Who Innovate with Beads . It was definitely one of those drop-everything-and-grab-a-cup-of-cocoa moments
    Read More >>
  • Top 10 Reasons to Attend Bead Fest Santa Fe
    Bead Fest Santa Fe is just around the corner (March 14-17)! I always look forward to this annual bead show in beautiful New Mexico. Anyone who has ever been there can tell you why, but here are my favorite things about this sassy southwest show: 1. The
    Read More >>
  • Are You a Bead Star?
    Have you ever thought about entering a jewelry-making competition? Whether your new to jewelry-making, or you've been creating your own beaded jewelry designs for several years, taking that leap and entering your work in a competition can be a fulfilling
    Read More >>
  • Love Those Vintage Pearls!
    As a kid, I spent a lot of time playing in my mother's and grandmother's jewelry boxes. When it was time to play dress-up at my grandmother's house, I always gravitated towards a triple-strand vintage pearl necklace that I eventually wore
    Read More >>
  • Curious About Dapping?
    When it comes to customizing metal components in my jewelry, I've dabbled in stamping, riveting, embossing, and coloring with alcohol inks, but I have always been intrigued by dapping. As you may know, dapping is defined as the method used to give
    Read More >>
  • Trend Watch: Statement Earrings
    My love of jewelry began as an obsession with earrings. Growing up, I would play with the boxes of costume earrings that my grandmother had passed down to me (oh, how I WISH I still had some of those!). Since she collected most of them during the 50's
    Read More >>
  • Try This Free Riveting Bracelet Making Project
    Design by Tracy Gonzales (for TierraCast) Everywhere you look, leather jewelry is a hot trend. At Bead Fest Philadelphia last summer, I saw lots of leather jewelry-making supplies, from the wonderful "licorice" leather for making fun beaded
    Read More >>
  • Do You Rizo?
    Sabine Lippert, one of Beadwork Magazine's Designers of the Year for 2013 has started distributing her newly-designed Rizo beads here in the United States. So far, the response has been fantastic! What is a Rizo? Sabine designed the Rizo bead to fill
    Read More >>
  • Beadlepoint, Beadlepoint, Beadlepoint
    Does this blog's title make you think, "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice"? Wondering what this has to do with beads? Well, for starters, Beadwork Senior Editor Jean Campbell and Editorial Director Danielle Fox brought me a few Beadlepoint
    Read More >>
  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for February 2013
    Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and keeping with the theme of love and hearts and all things sparkly, A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club had some beautiful vintage jewelry-making supplies in it this month! Take a look at my favorite pics
    Read More >>
  • Discover a Cool Tool for Making Color Palettes!
    Have you had a chance to check out the Spring 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine? It's our special COLOR issue--our issue devoted to Roy G. Biv (you know: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). For this issue, I wrote a feature
    Read More >>
  • Make This Easy Crystal Chakra Pendant
    As I go further into my daily practice of yoga and meditation, I'm learning more about the ancient beliefs surrounding the physical and spiritual aspects of the poses. I'm particularly interested in the chakras, or energy centers, that are believed
    Read More >>
  • Win a Free Mirrix Loom!
    Mirrix Looms is having a great contest, perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to try bead-weaving on a loom or tapestry weaving. My Mirrix Loom is one of my favorite beading tools. Mirrix Looms are sturdy, well-made, and extremely versatile. Whether
    Read More >>
  • Who's Afraid of a Teeny Tiny Microtorch?
    It's true: if you've never used any kind of a torch, the idea of holding something in your hand that's capable of spitting out more flame than a barbecue lighter can be a little intimidating. For years, I used a single fuel torch for making
    Read More >>
  • Make These Easy Romantic Earrings
    With Valentine's Day just around the corner, here's an idea for some little beauties you can whip up for yourself or for someone you love. 2 jet 4mm Swarovski crystal bicones (mine are from FusionBeads.com ) 2 ruby 6mm Swarovski crystal bicones
    Read More >>
  • Stitch Pro: Tucson!
    I've just unpacked my bags after spending several days at the Tucson Gem and Mineral shows, shopping, trend-trolling, visiting friends and associates, and soaking in a little sun. Whew! What a great trip. Since I hadn't been to the shows in a
    Read More >>
  • DIY: Upcycle Your Mardi Gras Beads
    Mardi Gras (aka "Fat Tuesday") is a few days away! While I love the idea of a festival that everyone celebrates with beads, I have often wished that traditional Mardi Gras beads didn't have to look so...cheap. As it turns out, a few DIY
    Read More >>
  • Spool Beaded Beads
    Aside from having really cool and gently used clothing, my local thrift shop is a great place to find craft supplies for my beading projects! I love to dig through the bins of sewing notions and craft supplies, looking for unusual items that I can use
    Read More >>
  • Jewelry Stringing, Spring 2013
    The Spring issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine is blooming with color! In a special feature, the editors of Jewelry Stringing have collected their favorite online resources for color inspiration; with a little help from these handy websites you'll be designing eye-catching jewelry in knockout palettes
    Read More >>
  • How to Make a Brick Stitch Ruffle
    Once upon a time, I found myself finishing up a bead embroidered necklace, and as usual, I didn't have a clue as to how I would add fringe to it. After I finished the brick stitch edging, I must have tried six or seven different patterns for fringe
    Read More >>
  • Four Fast and Fun Wire Earring Making Projects
    I can't imagine a better way to learn about making wire jewelry than with a few fast and fabulous earring making projects. The best part about making earrings with wire is that you don't need a lot of beads, and you don't need to be a wire
    Read More >>
  • What do Skiing and Jewelry Have in Common?
    While driving to work the other day, I heard the DJ on the radio point out what's hot in skiwear this winter. I found it interesting that the styles he mentioned align with a number of the trends we've been seeing in jewelry. Terms like color
    Read More >>
  • Valentine's Day Charms & Materials
    Another Valentine's Day is nearly upon us! Last year, we had a lot of fun teaching some of our co-workers how to make this Valentine's Day heart charm bracelet (we still see them worn proudly around the office from time to time!). I was sorry
    Read More >>
  • Our Favorite Free Gemstone Beading Projects
    A few years ago, I landed a teaching gig at a large gem and mineral show in western New York. As I walked the floor after my classes, I marveled at how many different gemstone beads were available. It seemed like there were gemstones for every color,
    Read More >>
  • Just Announced: Jewelry Stringing's Fall Submissions Guidelines!
    Get ready to design! We just posted the Fall 2013 Jewelry Stringing submissions guidelines and encourage you to take a look. This time, we're seeking designs to fill our four thematic jewelry sections: Raw Beauty, Not Your Grandmother's Pearls
    Read More >>
  • Glass Beads to Look Out For in Tucson
    My new stash of two-hole Twin beads has me pretty smitten with their shape and all their design possibilities! In just a few days, bead lovers from all over the world will be descending on the city of Tucson, Arizona for some of the world's best gem
    Read More >>
  • Less Than 24 Hours Left to Save On My Favorite Beading Resources
    Yes! You have less than 24 hours left to save big on some of my favorite beading resources during the Resolve to Save Sale in the Beading Daily Shop! Why take advantage of this great sale? For starters, you can round out your collection of beading books
    Read More >>
  • Fuzzy, Fun, Felted Beads!
    A couple of weeks ago, my family piled into the van and we made a road trip down to the Old Forge Hardware Store in Old Forge, N.Y. Now, if you're not familiar with this hardware store, it's more like a department store -- there are three floors
    Read More >>
  • Can’t Get Enough Organization Tips?
    On New Year's Day I spent hours purging - -closets, cabinets, shelves. I still need to do more, and my studio, especially, is in desperate need of sorting and organizing. The Winter 2012 issue of our sister publication, Studios magazine, caught my
    Read More >>
  • Need Something To Do This Weekend?
    There are great free beading projects to be found online, if you know where to look. In addition to the hundreds of great free beading projects you can find here on Beading Daily , we have a new sister site, Stitch Craft Create , where you can find hundreds
    Read More >>
  • Last Day: Make Your Voice Heard!
    Today is the last day that you will be able to share your opinions with us by taking the Jewelry Stringing survey! Simply click on the image or link below, select an answer to each of our 15 questions, and click "Done". http://bit.ly/StringingSurvey
    Read More >>
  • Sign Up for the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party This Weekend!
    This weekend, January 25-27, 2013, are the signups for Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party ! If you're a bead blogger and have never participated in one of Lori's Bead Soup Blog Parties, this is the time to sign up: there will only be
    Read More >>
  • Steampunk Style Beading with Cynthia Newcomer Daniels
    Some of you might remember Cynthia Newcomer Daniel from last summer when I showed off her amazing beaded necklace entry in the Battle of the Beadsmith. I admire the way Cynthia makes those little seed beads of hers do the most amazing things like mimicking
    Read More >>
  • Amazing "New" Beading Tool!
    Though not technically a "beading tool," my photocopier has quickly become my new best friend. Who would have ever thought that this dusty old thing would be able to save me hours of design time and up to weeks of beading? When working up the
    Read More >>
  • How to Prepare for the Tucson Bead Shows
    Every year, a few of us on the Jewelry Stringing and Beadwork staff get to go to the bead and gem shows in Tucson, Arizona. Our mission: 1.) To discover new beads and findings to share with our readers and 2.) To meet and talk face-to-face with some of
    Read More >>
  • Another Necklace Making Makeover: Tiny Shell Beads Transform a Cabochon
    This year, I'm working on some necklace making makeovers using a stash of vintage and antique jewelry that was given to me by a very dear friend from Los Angeles. Many of my original beaded jewelry designs are inspired by vintage and antique jewelry
    Read More >>
  • Free Wire Wrapping Project: Gypsy Wire Bangle
    Are you ready to put your wire wrapping skills to the test? This fantastic Gypsy Wire Bangle by Janice Berkebile is just the thing for you! It takes a little bit of practice to get your wire coils perfectly even, but it's worth it if the result is
    Read More >>
  • Inaugural Fashion
    This morning I've been watching coverage of the pageantry of the Presidential Inauguration. The commentators pointed out that Michelle Obama has been the most closely followed first lady since Jackie Kennedy. Speculation persists on what her gown
    Read More >>
  • Tell Us What You Think!
    We always have a lot of fun putting together each issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine--we want to make sure you are having just as much fun reading it! So we've written up a few questions that we hope you will take the time to answer. It's easy
    Read More >>
  • Boring Bead Crochet?
    My least favorite part of bead crochet has always been stringing all those seed beads on the thread before I start to crochet. There's just no getting around it -- no matter what I try, it always feels like a chore to me. Thankfully, bead crochet
    Read More >>
  • Stitch Pro: Breaking Bad...Beads
    My son has tried to get me hooked on the show Breaking Bad ever since it appeared on Netflix. I'm always happy to have a new show to bead by, and since I beaded through a couple seasons of Weeds , he probably thought I'd like it. But after I watched
    Read More >>
  • Improve Your Jewelry Photography With a Live Webinar
    Maybe one of your New Year's resolutions was to start selling your handmade beaded jewelry, or to increase sales of your handmade jewelry online. Are you thinking about entering juried shows and competitions with your jewelry in 2013? Then you're
    Read More >>
  • Win Big Prizes in Our Best Beading Contest Ever!
    The Bead Star contest is back and better than ever! Read more about the contest below, including how you could win an all-expense-paid trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia in August. Find more details at BeadStar.com , then enter to win . Complete rules can
    Read More >>
  • Vintage Jewelry Making Components From the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club
    Just as I'm thinking about what I want to do with my beading projects and jewelry-making in 2013, what arrives in my mailbox? The January shipment of A Grain of Sand 's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club ! I can never tell what's going to be in each
    Read More >>
  • Have You Tried Peyote Stitch with Twin Beads Yet?
    There's nothing like 650 grams of free Twin beads to get your creativity going, right? Well, last week, I was notified that I was one of four winners of the Preciosa Ornela Beads for Blog Post promotion, and they sent me a box containing 1,000 grams
    Read More >>
  • Make These Easy Mixed Metal Earrings
    In yesterday's Beading Daily , we learned about some basic tools for metal jewelry making from metal jewelry artist and instructor Gwen Fuller Youngblood. Today, we'll see how to use those tools to make a pair of lovely mixed metal earrings! Materials
    Read More >>
  • Easy Steps to Metal Jewelry Making with Guest Blogger Gwen Fuller Youngblood
    Metal jewelry artist and instructor Gwen Fuller Youngblood Just like bead-weaving led me to learn how to make my own lampwork glass beads twelve years ago, my jewelry making adventures lately have made me interested in learning how to create my own metal
    Read More >>
  • Make These Wintry Stamped Earrings
    Even if you've never stamped on metal before, you can make these shimmery earrings in just a few easy steps. Here's what you'll need: Circle pendants or blanks (I used 20.5mm antique silver-plated blanks from FusionBeads.com ) Star or snowflake
    Read More >>
  • 2013 Pantone Color of the Year: Emerald
    Pantone (the voice of authority when it comes to all things color) has announced its 2013 Color of the Year : This rich tone conveys a sense of renewal, regrowth, and regeneration, and is intriguing in its complexity: It is simultaneously lively and sophisticated
    Read More >>
  • Are You a Beader?
    We beaders have very distinct patterns of behavior, wouldn't you agree? Sometimes, I catch myself doing something, and I think, gee, only a real beader would do something as crazy as this. Do any of these sound familiar to you? Five Warning Signs
    Read More >>
  • Get the Look: Stunning Statement Jewelry
    Sometimes I like to wear small simple jewelry that barely kisses my wrists, neck, and ears. But when I want to get glammed up, I turn to bold statement baubles and jewels. Jewelry is the best way to turn that drab dress into a head-turner; and when I
    Read More >>
  • Learn Kumihimo As Easy As 1-2-3
    One of the best classes I took last summer at Bead Fest Philadelphia was Easy Kumihimo with Beads, taught by Jill Wiseman. Easy, fun, and wildly addicting, I returned home with a whole bag of kumihimo supplies and project ideas, and I haven't stopped
    Read More >>
  • Top Beading Teachers Share Their Favorite Beading Tools!
    When I take a beading class, I pay attention to more than just the technique that the teacher is showing me. I always sneak a look to see what kinds of beading tools that teacher has. Because, after all, if you want to bead like a pro, there's more
    Read More >>
  • Free Resources for Your Beady Resolutions
    Well, here we are a full week into the new year. Have you found yourself sticking to any of your new year's resolutions? We recently asked our fans on Facebook to share what their crafty resolutions are for 2013 and here's what they had to say
    Read More >>
  • Spring Trend: Raw Gemstone Jewelry
    One of the jewelry trends that has been popping up on my radar lately is the use of raw gemstones in jewelry. Instead of the polished, symmetrical bead shapes that we are used to, jewelry designers are embracing the beauty of the natural world by incorporating
    Read More >>
  • 3 Easy Ideas for Mixed Media and Bead Embroidery
    If you're looking to branch out into mixed media jewelry in 2013, bead embroidery is one of the easiest ways to get there! Because bead embroidery is such a versatile and fluid beading technique, it's perfect for anyone who wants to experiment
    Read More >>
  • Learn How to Add New Beading Thread with a Slipknot from Melanie Potter
    A few years back I treated myself to a "beadcation." If you haven't done this for yourself yet, I highly recommend it! For my beadcation, I choose a trip to breathtaking San Luis Obispo, California to attend classes at Beads on the Vine
    Read More >>
  • Use Your Seed Bead Patterns to Get Out Of Your Beading Rut
    It all happens to us from time to time. Even the best beaders find themselves stuck in a "beading rut". No matter what you do, no matter what you try, you just feel like there's nothing new and exciting to be done with your seed beads, right
    Read More >>
  • Beadwork, February/March 2013
    The February/March 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine is full of beaded jewelry ideas (24 of them!) and revelations. Inside, you'll discover the awe-inspiring winning entries from our Beaded Bead Contest, plus we announce our new line up of Designers of the Year.
    Read More >>
  • Name That Beaded Bracelet and Win a Kit of Beads from The Creative Fringe
    It's a brand-new year, and that means it's time for a brand-new challenge in the February/March issue of Beadwork magazine! This time around, editor Melinda Barta took this fun kit of beads from The Creative Fringe and got her punk on with this
    Read More >>
  • More Reasons to Love Herringbone Stitch with Guest Blogger Melissa Grakowsky
    Melissa Grakowsky Shippee is the author of I Can Herringbone Herringbone stitch is one of those bead-weaving stitches that can be made to look completely different in the hands of two different bead artists. It's probably one of the reasons I keep
    Read More >>
  • Free Wire Jewelry Projects That You'll Love to Make!
    Who would have thought that you can do so many things with just a spool of wire and a couple of pairs of jewelry-making pliers? Wire jewelry is one of those jewelry-making techniques that you can use to create just about anything, from necklaces and pendants
    Read More >>
  • The Business of Jewelry: Alternatives to Etsy
    When you think about selling your handmade jewelry online, the first online marketplace that probably comes to mind is Etsy. But there are lots of great alternatives to Etsy for expanding your jewelry business into the realm of online sales. Goodsmiths
    Read More >>
  • Free Beaded Bead Project by Carol Huber Cypher
    My first attempts at beaded beads weren't exactly pretty. I took some beautifully finished wood beads and proceeded to cover them with some of the ugliest peyote stitch I had ever done! But after making a few of those monstrosities, I started to think
    Read More >>
  • The Great Necklace Making Makeover: Updating Vintage Jewelry
    Yep. I love vintage jewelry. As a kid, my parents would take me and my sister antique hunting on weekends. We'd drive all over western New Jersey in search of antique radios, clocks, watches, and even antique needlework like crochet and knitting.
    Read More >>
  • Stitch Pro: Stitch a Beaded Snowflake
    Learn to stitch a beaded snowflake
    Read More >>
  • Get Published in Beadwork Magazine!
    Tila bracelet by Eva Willis inspired by the beading project by Susan Charrette-Hood, from the Dec. 2012/Jan. 2013 W.O.R.D. section of Beadwork magazine Would you like to see your beaded jewelry appear in the pages of Beadwork magazine? If you've been
    Read More >>
  • Why I Love My Vintaj Big Kick Machine
    Mixed media jewelry making just got a lot more fun for me. Enter my newest jewelry making toy, er, tool: the Vintaj Big Kick embossing machine. A few months ago, my friend Amy Blevins at Bead & Glass Boutique in Pittman, New Jersey announced that
    Read More >>
  • Happy Holidays from Jewelry Stringing!
    Well, it's our last post before the holidays. The Jewelry Stringing team will be taking next week off in order to celebrate the season with our families and loved ones. For me, this means driving to my parents' home in Wisconsin with my husband
    Read More >>
  • How to Date Your Vintage Crystal Beads with Guest Blogger Suzanne Branca
    Suzanne Branca is the owner of A Grain of Sand Of all the crystal beads out there in the wide, wide world, I think I love vintage crystal the best. Maybe it's the history behind it -- I'm such a history geek -- or maybe it's the sense that
    Read More >>
  • Favorite Tutorials of 2012
    With this year coming to a close, it's been fun to look back at some of the free projects we've offered on the Beading Daily and Jewelry Stringing blogs. Here's a list of my top 5 favorites: 1. Editorial Director Danielle Fox's stylish
    Read More >>
  • Only A Few More Days To Submit Your Jewelry Designs!
    You only have a few more days to submit your jewelry designs for consideration in 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings ! We already have some really inspiring designs coming in, but with 101 brand-new projects to select, we are eager to see any and
    Read More >>
  • Bead-weaving With Wire
    Sometimes, when I can't sleep at night, I try to relax by dreaming up new beaded jewelry design ideas. (I'm not the only one who does that, right?) A couple of weeks ago, as I was trying to fall asleep, I thought about what I was going to do with
    Read More >>
  • New Year's Resolutions: Beading in 2013
    Edgy Kumihimo Bracelet by Sue Charette-Hood ( Beadwork , October/November 2012) It's almost that time of year again: time to pull out the old tennis shoes and hit the gym, get rid of all the junk food from the past couple of weeks, and vow to cut
    Read More >>
  • Help Fund The Beaded Body Project on Kickstarter
    Working on the cutting edge of beaded art, bead artist Darcy Horn is now trying to raise funds for her latest large-scale project, The Beaded Body. During a visit to Albuquerque in 1998, she started learning off-loom bead-weaving, and she says she hasn't
    Read More >>
  • Big Savings on 12-12-12!
    Today is dozen-dozen-dozen day, and to celebrate Interweave is offering great savings on tons of products. I invite you to check out the Interweave Store to find beading books, ebooks, patterns, DVDs, and more at 30% to 70% off. Buy these bargains for
    Read More >>
  • The Top 12 Beading Daily Blogs of 2012 - And a Giveaway!
    Today is 12.12.12! We're almost halfway through December, and there are less than three weeks left in 2012. I always get a little nostalgic in December, and I usually take some time to meditate and reflect on all the wonderful things that have happened
    Read More >>
  • Peyote Stitch and Spike Beads: Made For Each Other
    I've really been getting into beading with my glass spike beads from York Beads lately. Now that they come in three sizes, there's a whole new range of options out there for anyone who wants to make their bead-weaving a little more fierce! A few
    Read More >>
  • Featured Bead Artist: Beki Haley
    Some of you might have noticed that we have a new place to find free beading patterns here on Beading Daily! Our new Member Free Beading Project gallery is open, and anyone who offers free beading patterns of their own design on their blog or website
    Read More >>
  • Learning How to Bead Isn't Just for Beginners!
    There's a saying in Zen teachings: "In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities. But in the expert's mind, there are few." One of the biggest challenges for me as a bead artist, I find, is that I sometimes feel like everything
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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,
    Read More >>
  • Free Embossed Leather Earring Project
    I need another beading tool like I need a hole in the head, right? But a couple of weeks ago, I caved in and bought one of the new Big Kick machines from Vintaj, with the idea that I would make some lovely embossed brass pieces for earring making projects
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for November 2012
    If you love beading for the holidays, you'll love this month's finds in the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club from A Grain of Sand ! So many beautiful beads to play with, I hardly know where to start! Everything seemed to glimmer or sparkle or shine
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Whip Up A Herringbone Stitch Rope With Some Texture!
    I don't know about anyone else, but I'm totally head over heels for these new striped seed beads from York Beads . Perry Bookstein, the owner of York, has done a pretty good job keeping me supplied with them, and I'm finding all kinds of uses
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Stitch Pro: Circular Square Stitch
    Learn circular square stitch
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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,
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Handcrafted Jewelry, 2012
    Handcrafted Jewelry is back...and this year it's bigger than ever!
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Getting Started with Flat Peyote Stitch
    Learning how to do peyote stitch was something of a challenge for me. After successfully teaching myself to do other bead-weaving stitches like right-angle weave, brick stitch, herringbone stitch, and netting, I made one peyote stitch amulet bag, and
    Read More >>
  • Beading Supplies I Love: Kumihimo Beading Supplies from Tapestry Beads
    Last month, I was lucky enough to be able to take a basic kumihimo with beads class at Bead Fest Philadelphia from the amazing Jill Wiseman. It was so much fun, and I picked it up so quickly, that the next day, I signed up for her advanced kumihimo class
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 5 Bead Making Projects for Everyone - Even You!
    With so many different kinds of beads out there, it comes as no surprise that beads can be made out of just about anything. Really! I've seen some beads made out of pretty strange stuff -- think moose droppings, bullet casings, and chewed-on pencil
    Read More >>
  • Enter a Beading Contest!
    Fall hasn't even officially begun, but here in the office we are busily plugging away on the winter issue of Jewelry Stringing . I'm excited that the winter issue will feature the winning projects from this year's Bead Star competition! If
    Read More >>
  • Back to the Basics
    Every now and then I like to take some time to revisit the basics of beading. After years of making wrapped loops and head-pin dangles, it can be easy to stop paying attention to how I am actually executing the basic techniques and just let autopilot
    Read More >>
  • The Joy of Glass Beads!
    Whether you love to stitch 'em, string 'em, or just hold 'em in your hand and bask in their glow, glass beads are probably the reason why most of us love beading and beadwork. And with all kinds of glass beads out there for you to use in your
    Read More >>
  • Geometric Beadweaving
    I am absolutely crazy for geometric forms in jewelry, and according to the Pinterest boards, so is everybody else. Geometric jewelry is one hot trend that will carry into fall, and it's easy to incorporate into your collection. A perfectly patterned
    Read More >>
  • Cutting You Off: Beading Tools for Cutting Your Beading Thread
    So before I go making all kinds of jokes about cutting you off, cutting it out, and cutting to the point, I just want to say this: the beading tools that you use for cutting your favorite beading thread can be serious business! Depending on what type
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • All About Agates!
    This beautiful Painted agate cabochon from Gary Wilson came home with me from Bead Fest Philadelphia. For me, no trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia is complete unless I stop and make a purchase at Gary Wilson's booth. This year, the piece that caught
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Where Will Kumihmo Take You? Everywhere!
    Have you ever learned a new beading technique that just sent you over the edge, creatively? Ever since I learned how to do kumihimo at Bead Fest Philadelphia this year, my brain has been on creative overload with all kinds of ideas for using this fast
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • Leather Supplies and New Metal Pendants from Antelope Beads
    One of the things I love about hitting the bead shows like Bead Fest Philadelphia is all the great ideas I get for new beading and jewelry making projects! I knew there was something cool in the Antelope Beads booth at Bead Fest when I walked past it
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Beading Shops I Love: Bead & Glass Boutique of Pitman, New Jersey
    On my recent trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia, I made a trip across the river to southern New Jersey, where I got to meet up with the fabulous Amy Blevins and see her gorgeous bead shop, Bead & Glass Boutique . When I travel, I like to seek out small
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Is That Just a Wire?
    Tammy Jones is the Online Editor of Jewelry Making Daily From Jennifer: When it comes to wire jewelry making, I'm definitely not an expert. But Tammy Jones over at Jewelry Making Daily can make wire do things I never thought possible! Check out one
    Read More >>
  • Scenes From Bead Fest Philadelphia, Day 2
    If you think it takes a long time to walk through the show floor of a huge bead show like Bead Fest Philadelphia, try doing it where you know just about everyone behind the tables in the booths! Bead Fest Philadelphia was a great time for me to catch
    Read More >>
  • Wild Beading Supplies for Bead Embroidery
    I'm always finding new and exciting things to do with bead embroidery, and during my trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia last week, I found two hot new items to make my bead embroidery go wild! Tilapia Leather from Nature Beads Yep, this is the stuff you
    Read More >>
  • Win Great Prizes in Soft Flex Company's Contest
    I just received a reminder that the deadline for Soft Flex Company's latest contest is coming up and thought I'd pass on the news. It sounds like a fun contest. All you have to do to enter is create a project using Soft Flex beading or craft wire
    Read More >>
  • A New Angle on Right-Angle Weave
    Are you someone who is struggling with learning how to do right-angle weave? If so, no worries -- you're not alone. The undulating thread path of right-angle weave can be a tough one to wrap your head around, but once you've mastered this popular
    Read More >>
  • Beading Supplies for Beaders On the Go!
    Are you the kind of beader that likes to hit the road with your beads? No matter where I go, whether it's to visit my family in Texas or Nevada, my friends in California, or my favorite bead shops in New York City, I have to travel with my beads and
    Read More >>
  • Bead Fest Philadelphia, Day 1
    Well, what can I say? Bead Fest Philadelphia was just completely amazing this year! My first day at the show wasn't actually a day. It was an evening class with none other than the rockin' Jill Wiseman, and the class was Quick and Easy Kumihimo
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Accessorize for Fall
    I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in Colorado, today we are having our first taste of fall. It's 20 to 30 degrees cooler than it's been in months. The sky is overcast. And I'm starting to think about trading my summer
    Read More >>
  • "Pin"spiration
    In my last post I talked about the newly published issue themes and guidelines for the Spring 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine (we are now accepting submissions!). We put a lot of work into crafting specific themes for this issue that reflect
    Read More >>
  • 6 Free Favorite Herringbone Stitch Beading Projects!
    I can't think of another bead-weaving stitch that is as versatile as herringbone stitch . Maybe I'm biased - herringbone stitch is, after all, my go-to beading stitch when I want to make a beaded rope for a pendant, a beaded bezel for a cabochon
    Read More >>
  • New Beading Supplies You'll Want Now!
    Want to see some of the newest, coolest beads, findings, and tools? Check out the Fall 2012 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine, available at newsstands next week. This issue includes an expanded shopping-guide section with over 100 of our favorite beading
    Read More >>
  • Three Great Beading Tools for Learning How to Bead
    There are certain tools that no beader should be without when you're learning how to bead . Things like a good set of jewelry making pliers, a good pair of wire cutters, a beading awl, a sturdy bead board or work surface, and a good tape measure or
    Read More >>
  • 4 T-Shirts, 2 Necklaces
    I had the special privilege of editing projects from Handcrafted Jewelry 2012 , which will hit newsstands September 25. Inspired by Chloe Chatenever's Forget Me Knot necklace and Bianca Howell's and Carla Rogers' Chunky Braided T-Shirt Bracelet
    Read More >>
  • Lovely, Lacy, Bead Crochet Jewelry
    One of the first crafts I learned from my mother was how to crochet, and even if I didn't quite get the hang of bead crochet right away, it is now one of my favorite beading techniques for making beaded ropes. But you can do so much more with bead
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Making Great Steampunk Jewelry: A Brief History of Chain
    A hallmark of the steampunk jewelry style is the use of metals, whether it's a romantic filigree, textured metal stamping, metal findings, or metal chain. The use of metals in steampunk jewelry is a nod to the industrial age, when art, romance, and
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Runway-Worthy Beaded Wedding Jewelry
    Beaded wedding jewelry, and finely crafted beadwork itself, has come a long way in the last ten years. When my husband and I got married in 2003, I decided to do something a little more adventurous with my beaded wedding jewelry than just your standard
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Common Lengths of Necklaces for Necklace Making Projects
    What length do you want to make your necklace? Whether you're making a beaded necklace for yourself, as a gift for a friend, or to sell, you'll want to be aware of some common necklace lengths. Necklaces sold in stores and online are sometimes
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Tutorial: Epoxy Clay Ring
    As we're coming down to the wire with getting Handcrafted Jewelry ready to send off to the printer, I see more and more techniques from this year's issue that I'd love to try! Epoxy clay has been toward the top of my list since we featured
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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!
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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°
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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,
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Beaded Beads for Beadwork Magazine's 15th Anniversary!
    What is it about beaded beads that captures our imagination? The Zen Buddhist in me loves the idea that beaded beads are beads that are made out of...well, more beads! The simplest beaded beads can be made from a strip of peyote stitch or brick stitch
    Read More >>
  • Jewelry Inspired by The Hunger Games
    Any Hunger Games fans out there? The throngs of tweens that are flocking to theaters right now aren't the only ones who are excited about this pop-culture phenomenon--jewelry makers all over are creating designs inspired by this story (and they are
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Shell Pearls from Lima Beads
    Part of my bead stash is one, large drawer that is filled to the brim with strands and small bags of freshwater pearls. Yes, I'm a Pearl Junkie. Stick pearls, baroque pearls, coin pearls, button pearls, potato pearls -- you name it, I have a strand
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Herringbone Stitch: It's Not Just for Beads!
    My first misguided attempts at making a herringbone stitch amulet bag were just plain ugly. But ever since then, I've been enthralled by the lovely pattern and texture of herringbone stitch when it's used in beadwork. Herringbone stitch as defined
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • New Bead-Alongs Are Ready!
    It's been a long time coming, and everyone has been very, very patient, and I'm so excited that we now have three new Bead-Alongs ready for the month of April here on Beading Daily ! Bead-Alongs can be fun whether you're beading by yourself
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Enter Your Jewelry Designs in Bead Star 2012!
    You know you're a star...now it's time to make sure the rest of the beading world knows it, too! Beginning on April 1st, 2012, you will be able to enter your jewelry designs in our Bead Star 2012 competition. Read through the official rules for
    Read More >>
  • Bead Soup: How to Make It, How to Use It
    I've always joked with my friends that if this whole beading thing doesn't work out, I'm going to pursue my other passion and open a gourmet vegetarian restaurant. At home, if I'm not playing with my beads, I'm in the kitchen cooking
    Read More >>
  • It's Official: I'm a Bead Hoarder!
    Okay, so I've actually known that I'm a bead hoarder for a really long time now, but my status as bead hoarder has been made official by Suzanne Branca, owner of A Grain of Sand , when she made me a member of her new Bead Hoard Curiosities Club
    Read More >>
  • Beads for March Madness
    Basketball fans, show your spirit! These fun new enameled beads from Detroit-based Collegiate Bead Company feature the school colors from colleges and universities across the country, including your favorite in the Final Four. I'll be honest: I personally
    Read More >>
  • Take Those Seed Bead Patterns and Make Them Your Own!
    Have you ever looked at a seed bead pattern in the pages of a magazine and wondered how you could make it your own? Of course, it's always fun shopping for new beads when you want to make a particular beading project, but that's not always possible
    Read More >>
  • Jewelry Stringing Submissions: Behind the Scenes
    Hard to believe, but while the rest of the world celebrated the first day of spring last week, here at Jewelry Stringing we were busy making selections for our fall issue. As you can see here, every surface was filled with beautiful jewelry. Tabletops
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • New Vintaj Patina Ink Kits
    I've always been more of a "natural" girl when it comes to my metal beads, particularly the gorgeous African brass beads that I've discovered in my favorite bead shops the last few years. But the other day as I was shopping online at
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Readers Share: A Bounty of Brick Stitch Projects!
    I've got a soft spot for brick stitch. It was the first beading stitch that I taught myself that I actually understood, and for a while, I made all of my amulet bags with brick stitch instead of peyote! Even after I learned how to love peyote stitch
    Read More >>
  • Things to Bead Around: Large Cabone Rings
    These cabone rings can be found in any craft supply store with the yarn notions and make fabulous focal beads when covered with your favorite beading stitch! I'm a craft store junky. If I have to run into my local bead crafts store to pick up just
    Read More >>
  • Snapshots from Bead Fest Santa Fe
    My second trip to Bead Fest Santa Fe over the weekend was just as I had expected it to be. It's always nice to catch up with some of the vendors and bead artists that I deal with in my day-to-day job here at Jewelry Stringing . And who can resist
    Read More >>
  • Go Behind the Scenes of Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry with Erin Siegel
    Want to open up a whole new world of possibilities in your jewelry making projects? Learning how to use materials like ribbon, cord and leather in your jewelry projects isn't as hard as you might think it is, and it looks oh, so cool! But if you've
    Read More >>
  • Free Travel Friendly Jewelry Project
    No crimping pliers, no wire cutters...no problem ! I ran into a dilemma last week as I was preparing for a weekend trip: I wanted to bring a jewelry project with me to help pass the time during my flight, but knew I wouldn't be able to get any pliers
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Beading With a Buddy for National Craft Month!
    What could be better than beading? Beading with a buddy, of course! I don't have too many opportunities to bead with my friends, but since it's National Craft Month and we're all about Passing On Our Passion this month, I set up a "date"
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Haute Hardware
    The latest handmade jewelry craze? Hardware jewelry! Nuts and washers abound in the latest posts on DIY craft blogs and online creative communities. Eager to get my hands on some hardware to play with, I headed to my local home improvement store last
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Five Secrets for Better Bead Embroidered Cabochons
    Hello, my name is Jennifer VanBenschoten, and I am a cabochon addict. I admitted that fact years ago, although I'm not sure how much it's helped me. My cabochon collection seems to be growing exponentially every year with no end in sight. As long
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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,
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Beads I Love: Handmade Lampwork Glass Beads
    As a recovering lampwork glass addict (I still have the torch, the kiln and all the glass in my garage workshop!) I have a soft spot for fabulous handmade lampwork glass beads. At a bead show, my first instinct is to check out which glass bead artists
    Read More >>
  • Wrapped Around Your Wrist: 6 Free Beaded Bracelet Patterns from Beading Daily!
    What's not to love about beaded bracelets? I've had a longtime love affair with beaded bracelets. Never met a beaded bracelet I didn't like. They're fun to make, fun to wear, and everyone likes a bracelet or two (try pairing up a couple
    Read More >>
  • Beading Book Review: Beading the Creative Spirit by Rev. Wendy Ellsworth
    Beading the Creative Spirit: Finding Your Sacred Center Through the Art of Beadwork by Wendy Ellsworth I've always loved the beautiful beadwork of Wendy Ellsworth , but I didn't know that she had written a book until I stumbled across it while
    Read More >>
  • Work Table Wednesday: Bead Embroidered Collar
    My latest bead embroidery project, a large bead embroidered collar with a handmade ceramic cabochon by Lisa Peters Art . What's on YOUR beading table this Wednesday? It's Wednesday! That means we're halfway through the work week, and it's
    Read More >>
  • Beadwork, February/March 2012
    The February/March issue of Beadwork is full of firsts! See the first projects from our new (and extraordinary) designers of the year: Diane Fitzgerald, Leslie Frazier, Jean Power, and sister duo Sue Jackson and Wendy Hubick. And check out the first beaded bead in our 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest
    Read More >>
  • The Well-Stocked Tool Box: Tools for Wire Wrapping (And More!)
    You'd never know it, but when I got serious about jewelry-making back in college, I started out by doing wire work! Yes, when I began my journey into jewelry-making, I went out and bought a book and tool set that was all about wire wrapping. I still
    Read More >>
  • Freeform Peyote Stitch: Feels So Wrong, But It's So Right!
    Beautiful, artistic freeform peyote stitch! It seems that when it comes to freeform peyote stitch , there are two main schools of thought. The first is that this beadweaving technique is a fabulous, artistic and creative use of peyote stitch on a whole
    Read More >>
  • Pearls Never Go Out of Style!
    I really didn't intend on using all these crystal pearls in my bead embroidered collar. But they found their way in, just the same! I really wasn't planning on using pearls in my latest big piece of bead embroidery. This piece was the first large
    Read More >>
  • Keeping a Sketchbook for Your Beaded Jewelry Designs
    I use many different types of journals as sketchbooks to keep track of my jewelry designs. Probably one of the most important supplies I keep around for my beaded jewelry-making projects is my sketchbook. Through the years, I've had several different
    Read More >>
  • Challenge Yourself for the New Year with Variations on Tubular Herringbone Stitch
    Why do I love tubular herringbone? Oh, let me count the ways! I first discovered this fantastic stitch when I was just a beginning beader and for some reason, I had a tough time figuring out how to work flat herringbone. One of my beading friends suggested
    Read More >>
  • Learning How to Bead: How to Set Up Your Beading Area
    When I first started beading, I found myself sitting in the same position for literally hours. I was so focused on my beadwork that unless I got up to change the video tape that I was watching, I wouldn't move for hours on end. From an ergonomic point
    Read More >>
  • So You Want to Start a Beading Blog? Tips for Getting Started
    Among some of the many New Year's Resolutions that are sure to be made this weekend, I'm sure that a fair number of beady folks out there are going to want to start their own beading blog. And why not? I love reading the adventures and misadventures
    Read More >>
  • Embellish a Pair of Jeans with Beads!
    A little bit of bead embroidery goes a long way on a pair of my favorite jeans! Beads make fabulous jewelry, as we all know, but there are so many other crafts that you can do with beads! Crafts with beads can be things for home décor or special
    Read More >>
  • Beading New Year's Resolutions
    I can hardly believe that we're in the last few days of 2011! While most folks are making New Year's Resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking or exercise more, I'm thinking about how I can cram more beading into the coming year. I'll sit
    Read More >>
  • Make Bracelets Your Thing in 2012
    Aqua Allure by Glenda Payseno Heavenly Hexagons by Mikki Ferrugiaro Hopeless Romantic by Lanai Kinsky Blue Rondo earrings by Laura McCabe Mandala Magic earrings by Maggie Roschyk A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my annual beading challenge to myself
    Read More >>
  • Explore the Elements of Jewelry Design
    From Jennifer: Even though this blog was originally written about metalsmithing and jewelry-making, I found it to be appropriate for those of us who work primarily with seed beads as well. We all want to create artistic and beautiful jewelry, and Lexi's
    Read More >>
  • Free Beading Project: Crystal Bead Chain
    This sparkling crystal bead chain works great by itself or with a special pendant. This project was inspired by an amazing ceramic and crystal pendant I bought from Lisa Peters Art on Etsy . I loved the colors as well as the way Lisa combined the ceramic
    Read More >>
  • Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon
    Beaded chains are very symbolic to me. Tonight is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year here in the northern hemisphere. Years ago when I was a writer of poetry and short fiction, I would always celebrate the winter solstice by lighting a
    Read More >>
  • Beading Business: How to Choose the Right Digital Camera for You
    Used with permission from About.com Before you even think about jumping into the business of selling your finished beadwork, you'll want to make sure that you have the proper tools, and this includes a good digital camera. But choosing a digital camera
    Read More >>
  • Fashion Colorworks Beading Contest from Zoya Gutina and My Lovely Beads
    First place winner, Beaded Jewelry Category, 2011 Fashion Colorworks Beading Contest First place winner, Finished Jewelry Category, 2011 Fashion Colorworks Beading Contest Are you ready to enter a beadwork competition? Bead artist Zoya Gutina has posted
    Read More >>
  • What's Your Favorite Bead for Jewelry-Making?
    We all love seed beads, that's why we're here on Beading Daily. But there are so many other beads that you can add to your bead-weaving and jewelry-making projects to make them more interesting! With new beads coming out from companies such as
    Read More >>
  • Five Free Projects for Beading with Lampwork Glass Beads
    Garden Goddess Necklace by SaraBeth Cullinan Lampwork glass beads are an art in themselves. Hot glass is carefully layered and shaped to result in a striking handmade glass bead for you to use in your jewelry-making projects. Lampwork beads can be created
    Read More >>
  • Favorite Bead Shops: M & J Trimming
    Some of the fabulous metal sequins, buttons and trims I bought in New York City! While M & J Trimming isn't technically a bead shop, for anyone who loves to create beaded jewelry and accessories of all kinds, this is the place to go! I'd heard
    Read More >>
  • Favorite Bead Shops: City Beads
    Some of the more unusual beads I found at City Beads in New York City . Looking more like a high-end fashion boutique than a well-stocked bead shop, City Beads was an unexpected but delightful stop on my recent New York City shopping trip. For those of
    Read More >>
  • Enhance Your Creativity with Gemstone Beads!
    The Citrine beads in Amber Leaves and Flowers by Susan Price Johnston will help encourage new creative thoughts. Gemstone beads have always appealed to me. It must be something about all those geology classes I took in college - at least they were good
    Read More >>
  • Favorite Bead Shops: York Beads
    Some of the amazing beads I recently purchased at York Beads in New York City. By far, York Beads is my all-time favorite bead shop in Manhattan. If you love Czech seed beads, Czech fire-polished beads, Czech pressed-glass beads, daggers, charlottes,
    Read More >>
  • Chinese Crystal Beads
    What do you think of the new Chinese crystal beads? With the news about products coming out of China the last couple of years, I had serious doubts about the quality of the Chinese crystal beads that have been flooding the bead shops and shows. Sure,
    Read More >>
  • It's Almost 2012 - Are You Ready for an Earring Making Challenge?
    These are some of my favorite beaded earrings from the earring making challenge I did in January of 2011. I can hardly believe that it's almost 2012! This year just flew by, which is, of course, what I say every year at this time. Over the years,
    Read More >>
  • Where to Find Free Beading Patterns on the Internet: About.com Beadwork
    We all love free beading patterns, there's no doubt about that. Last week, I talked a little about where to find free beading patterns here on Beading Daily . This week, we'll start looking around at other great places on the Internet where you
    Read More >>
  • Shopping for Beads in New York City!
    I got to go bead shopping with the fabulous Lisa Peters Russ of Lisa Peters Art! How much fun is THAT? On the second day of my recent trip to New York City, my friends and I went into Manhattan to do some bead shopping between Fifth and Seventh Avenues
    Read More >>
  • How to Bead Left Handed
    Learning how to bead can be a challenge if you are left-handed! Are you left-handed or right-handed? When I learned how to ice skate, it became apparent that I am a die-hard righty. To make a turn while skating, you have to make a move called a crossover
    Read More >>
  • Favorite Bead Shops: Beads on Fifth
    Me, my two friends, and all those beads at Beads on Fifth in Manhattan! Some of you may remember that a couple of weekends ago, I decided to take a little break and do some bead shopping in New York City with my friends. Each bead shop that I went to
    Read More >>
  • Bead Shopping in New York City, Day One: Inspiration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
    Me and one of my best friends in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This past weekend, I decided I needed to get out of town for a while. That's just something that happens when you work from home - eventually, you need to get out of the house
    Read More >>
  • Seed Beads We Love: New Twin Two-Holed Seed Beads
    In case you haven't seen the latest innovative bead to come out of the Czech Republic, let me introduce you. Dear Reader, please meet the new Twin seed bead from Preciosa Ornela. These lovely little seed beads are slightly longer and wider than a
    Read More >>
  • Get Your Sparkle On: Tips for Bead-weaving with Crystals
    The Ootheca cuff by Rachel Nelson-Smith is a perfect example of how crystals can provide sparkle without being front and center. I love bead-weaving with crystals, but I don't think I do it often enough. (Somehow, it just doesn't work for me to
    Read More >>
  • Gemstone Cabochons: How to Find Hundreds of Interesting (and Affordable) Gemstone Cabochons
    From Jennifer: Studying geology in college is definitely an advantage when it comes time for me to choose and buy my gemstone cabochons for beading. I learned how to identify and classify dozens of different types of rocks, gemstones and minerals, all
    Read More >>
  • Free Beading Patterns: Where to Find Free Beading Patterns on Beading Daily
    Free beading patterns - we all love 'em. Free beading patterns means that you can save your money for more beads, or you can just use up the beads you already have! And one of the great things about Beading Daily is that there are free beading patterns
    Read More >>
  • Beading Business: Expert Advice from Diane Fitzgerald
    Diane Fitzgerald is the author of several classic beading books, as well as the recipient of The Spun Gold Award for her lifetime commitment to fiber arts. From Jennifer: Anyone in the beading business knows that marketing your beadwork can be tough.
    Read More >>
  • National Seed Beading Month - How Did You Do?
    I was very happy with the progress I made on this bead embroidered collar for the Etsy Beadweavers' Challenge. So, here it is, December first! I can hardly believe that we are down to the last month of 2011, and that November went by so quickly! Some
    Read More >>
  • The Business of Beadwork: Pricing Your Beadwork for Sale
    How much would you charge for a beaded necklace like this? This morning, as some of you may know, I received a message on Etsy about a particular piece that I have listed for sale in my shop . It went something like this: "about your necklace are
    Read More >>
  • Deck the Halls With...Seed Beads!
    Oh, yes, I'm one of those people that decorate the house with beads every holiday season. My beads bring me so much joy throughout the year that it only seems natural to incorporate them into my holiday decorating and gift-giving, too! Seed bead patterns
    Read More >>
  • Creative Jewelry, 2011
    Creative Jewelry is back with its 10 th edition and 130 brand-new beading projects! Discover quick and easy jewelry designs you can make yourself in a snap. Enhance your jewelry-making skills with expert tips on creating stylish (yet stunning!) jewelry. Boost your jewelry collection now with step-by
    Read More >>
  • Think You Can't Make Wire Wrapped Beads? Think Again!
    These easy wire wrapped beads make great spacers with more antique trade beads or more organic gemstone beads. Being sort of a newcomer to wire work and wire jewelry-making, I have always admired those folks who can take a piece of wire and bend it (like
    Read More >>
  • Hot Photo Tip of the Day: Crop Your Photos to Get Maximum Detail
    As we all know, taking great photos of your beadwork can be difficult even on a good day. If you sell your finished beadwork or beaded jewelry on Etsy or ArtFire, you know just how important good, detailed photographs are for making sales. When customers
    Read More >>
  • Question of the Week: Why Are You Thankful for Your Beads?
    It's Thanksgiving weekend here in the U.S., and now that we've got the leftovers in the refrigerator and are settling in to decorating for the holidays, I thought I'd ask our panel of artists and experts why they are thankful for their beads
    Read More >>
  • Ahead of the Curve: Shaping Your Beadwork for Necklace Making
    A few weeks ago, a friend of mine who is new to beading told me that she had become bored and frustrated with her necklace making projects. She wanted a way to shape some of her favorite bead-weaving stitches for necklace making without having to learn
    Read More >>
  • Great Holiday Gift Ideas for Beaders
    Yes, it's that time of year again. When it comes to the holiday gift-giving season, there are two types of people. The first type, like my sister, has all the holiday shopping done before the end of August, and everything is neatly wrapped, tagged
    Read More >>
  • Giving Thanks for My Beads!
    Seed beads are beautiful to look at, but they also give us joy in so many other ways! Today, we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S., and while we are seated around our table with my family, I will be thinking about the things that I am most thankful for
    Read More >>
  • Beads, 2011
    Beads 2011 is the ultimate bead-buyer's guide! Discover 330+ must-have beads for 2011 all in one place. Plus, get over 15 fabulous step-by-step jewelry projects! Enhance your jewelry designs and your jewelry-making skills with tips on how to bead with stylish jewelry designs. Packed with 96 pages
    Read More >>
  • Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin
    This summer, I started playing around with resin after seeing some absolutely beautiful resin pendants and earrings at my local farmer's markets and craft shows. It seemed easy enough: measure, mix, and pour. My first few resin pendants and earrings
    Read More >>
  • Copyright Law, Ethics and Your Beadwork
    My Back to Byzantium necklace has been the target of several instances of copyright violation. Which of the following statements is true: A. If you pay someone for a class to learn a particular design, you then own the rights to that design and can use
    Read More >>
  • Bead and String Reference Chart Poster by The Beaded Phoenix
    Don't get me wrong - I love technology. I love being able to subscribe to my favorite beading magazine and have my issues delivered to my iPad, and I love being able to download movies, music and books without having to wait for the mailman to deliver
    Read More >>
  • How Do I Cover a Bead with Peyote Stitch?
    This spectacular peyote stitch Bloomin' Bead was designed by Carol Dean Sharpe of Sand Fibers . Beaded beads are fascinating for so many reasons. It's more of that Zen-like quality of beadweaving for me: imagine making a bead out of beads! Where
    Read More >>
  • Bead-weaving as Mindful Meditation - Can Bead-weaving Reduce Stress?
    I've been interested in things such as yoga and meditation ever since I took a stress management class in college. (I tend to be wound rather tightly at times!) For years, I used writing as my primary practice when I was looking to do something meditative
    Read More >>
  • Create Stunning Holiday Jewelry with Expert Advice from Margie Deeb!
    From Jennifer: I can hardly believe that it's already time for me to start thinking about holiday jewelry-making! Even if you don't have a lot of time to make new beaded jewelry for the holidays, you can still make a statement by using certain
    Read More >>
  • The Challenges of Bracelet Making: How to Make Great Beaded Bracelets That Fit!
    I love making beaded bracelets , but bracelet making presents its own unique set of jewelry-making challenges! "Kissing your hand may make you feel very good, but a diamond and sapphire bracelet lasts forever." - Anita Loos I think Ms. Loos
    Read More >>
  • Six Super Blog Posts from Beading Daily!
    November marks six months since I've been here at Beading Daily , and I have to say that I'm thrilled to be able to sit down every day and write about my favorite thing in the entire world - beads! Having the chance to connect and correspond with
    Read More >>
  • Do You Love Bead Embroidery? Here Are Five Free Patterns for Bead Embroidery!
    If you've ever seen the awesome and inspiring bead embroidery of artists like Sherry Serafini, you might have been inspired to try your hand at this particular beading technique. Unlike other types of off-loom beadweaving, bead embroidery is the stitching
    Read More >>
  • Beading Looms: Mirrix Beading Looms Product Review
    The Little Guy 12" beading and tapestry loom by Mirrix Looms is a great gift for yourself or for someone else! My first beading loom was one of those "Native American" beading looms that I got for five dollars from a big box craft store
    Read More >>
  • Necklace Making: Five Ideas for Designing Beaded Necklaces
    Necklace making is something that has always come easy for me. Even now, I find that my sketchbooks are full of more necklace designs than anything else, and I'm always finding inspiration for new designs everywhere. My process for designing and making
    Read More >>
  • Bead Embroidery Supplies: How to Use Brass Bead Embroidery Blanks
    Brass bead embroidery blanks can be used to create beaded necklaces, pendants, collars, bracelets and earrings. My first bead-embroidered cuff bracelet was stitched using a lightweight aluminum cuff bracelet form that I purchased as part of a kit from
    Read More >>
  • The Busy Beader: How to Organize Multiple Beading and Jewelry-Making Projects
    Yes, I have more than one project on my beading tray in this picture. It's cluttered. I don't even know why that spool of blue Nymo beading thread is there! I don't know if I qualify as a typical beader, but I always find that I have about
    Read More >>
  • The Business of Beadwork: To Sell or Not to Sell?
    This necklace, made with some of the first glass beads I ever made myself, will never, ever be for sale! A few months ago, I was invited to submit some of my beadwork to a publishing company for consideration in one of their beading books. As I went through
    Read More >>
  • The Business of Beadwork: Know Your Market
    Before you start selling your beadwork, it helps to understand who your customer is. We've all seen them: you go to a craft fair, a farmer's market, or a fine-art show. There are loads of people selling their jewelry, and there's usually at
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Project Accessory Bead Along, Week 2: Inspired by Swarovski
    James, a professional shoe designer, offers assistance and advice to David. For just a few minutes while watching the second episode of Project Accessory the other night, I really, really wanted to be one of those contestants and get ten minutes at the
    Read More >>
  • Four Fun Ideas for Earring Making!
    When I first started learning how to bead and was learning basic jewelry-making, I loved earring making. I didn't realize it at the time, but making earrings a great way to learn new beadweaving stitches and jewelry-making techniques. Handmade earring
    Read More >>
  • Mastering Right-Angle Weave with Marcia DeCoster
    Learn cubic right-angle weave wen you make Marcia DeCoster's Tesserae Necklace. Right-angle weave has always been a favorite beadweaving stitch of mine, ever since I made my first project with it back when I was taking beadweaving lessons at a local
    Read More >>
  • Beading Supplies I Love: Ceramic Bead Dishes
    I love using ceramic bead dishes for certain beading tasks. Here is an assortment of my ceramic beading dishes with beads for various projects in them! When I first started beading, I used to pour my seed beads into large, bulky plastic storage boxes
    Read More >>
  • National Seed Beading Month - Let's Do Some Seed Beading Every Day!
    Dulcey Heller , a Beadwork magazine contributor and beader extraordinaire, mentioned that today begins National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it's known to those who love to write. The concept is that you have the entire month of It would take
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • A Beaded Necklace For Halloween!
    I don't usually go for Halloween jewelry, but these handmade ceramic components from Lisa Peters Art were just too good to pass up! It's no secret that I'm totally addicted to the beautiful handmade ceramic beads and components from Lisa Peters
    Read More >>
  • Successful Etsy Sellers Share Their Beadwork Photography Tips
    It took me a very long time to figure out how to take great photos of my beadwork and beaded jewelry, and I still find that sometimes I have days when my photos just don't come out right. My mother and her brother were both gifted photographers, so
    Read More >>
  • Project Accessory: Bead Fearlessly!
    Dangles from an old crystal chandelier make the perfect accent for a braided necklace and belt! You might not believe this, but she's using match sticks to create a necklace! Some of us around here at Interweave were so excited by the new Project
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Discovering the Treasure in Failure with Guest Artist Margie Deeb
    Read more about Margie and her work on Margie Deeb.com From Jennifer: Sometimes, I just feel like tearing apart a piece of beadwork. Has that ever happened to you? There are just times when I finish a piece of beadwork and I don't like anything about
    Read More >>
  • Beading For a Cure
    My finished piece of bead embroidery for Beading For a Cure. A couple of years ago, I sat in my favorite coffee shop one morning looking for something to blog about. Betcey Ventrella of Beyond Beadery suggested that I check out the amazing projects that
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Do You Want to See Your Original Design in Beadwork Magazine?
    My Victorian Infinity Necklace was the first original beading project I ever had published in Beadwork magazine! Did you know that Beadwork magazine is celebrating fifteen years of fabulous beading and beaded jewelry designs? I can hardly believe it!
    Read More >>
  • Free Beading Project: Storyteller Beaded Necklace
    As a writer and a bead artist, I'm always fascinated with the stories behind beaded jewelry designs. This beaded necklace also has a great story behind it! The first one of these that I made was for a close friend of mine who lives in Burbank. She
    Read More >>
  • Do Your Beads Tell a Story?
    As a writer, I love a good story, and my latest beading project has a great one behind it. There are many stories behind the Storyteller Beaded necklace I created with a resin pendant I made myself and my favorite beading stitches. When my sister and
    Read More >>
  • What Do You Do With Your Leftover Beads?
    Leftover beads? What are those? Oh, that's right - those are the dozens of tiny plastic bags you have in your bead stash that contain just a few beads. For me, they are everywhere: at the bottom of every drawer, mixed in with my seed bead drawers
    Read More >>
  • 10,000 Fans on Facebook and a Big Giveaway!
    We reached a milestone here on Beading Daily yesterday with the addition of our 10,000 th fan on Facebook ! It's hard for me to believe that there are actually 10,000 of you bead lovers out there who are watching our posts and reading our blogs every
    Read More >>
  • How to Read a Peyote Stitch Pattern
    Start with an easy peyote stitch pattern, like Geometric Gemstones by Anna Neff. How to Read a Peyote Stitch Pattern: It's Easier Than You Think! Do you love those gorgeous peyote stitch patterns for flat peyote but find yourself confused when it
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Discover the Magic of Handmade Beads with a Free eBook!
    Handmade beads have a way of capturing your imagination like no other. There's just something about the way a handmade bead looks and the way it feels in your hand that connects with you on a very deep level. The very first beads were all handmade
    Read More >>
  • Beadwork, December 2011/ January 2012
    Celebrate the 15th Anniversary with the December/January issue of Beadwork magazine!
    Read More >>
  • Stringing Fall 2011
    Accessorize your favorite fall fashions with handmade jewelry! Discover unique techniques in 70 inspiring jewelry designs in the Fall 2011 issue of Stringing magazine. This collection of 27 necklaces, 26 earrings, and 17 bracelets is a feast for creative minds! Delve into beautiful burnt orange blossoms
    Read More >>
  • 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings 2011
    Create boat-loads of bracelets, an army of earrings, and mountains of marvelous necklaces with 101 stunning jewelry designs! 101 Bracelets, Necklaces, and Earrings is back with 101 more beading projects! Discover quick and easy jewelry designs you can make yourself with the 101 Bracelets, Necklaces,
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • No Clasp? No Problem!
    Make Great Handmade Beaded Jewelry with Character! When you're working on a piece of great beaded jewelry, you want to give it character. After all, that's why people make, buy and wear handmade beaded jewelry, isn't it? They want something
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Embellish Your Viking Knit Chain with Beadwork!
    So, you've taken the plunge and learned how to do Viking knit! Wow! You've worked out the kinks (literally) with your wire and have completed a beautiful, supple piece of Viking knit chain that is...well...just sitting in your hands. Viking knit
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • The Secret for Perfect-Fit Peyote Stitch Bezels? Brick Stitch!
    There are a few reasons why you might want to make an open-backed bezel with peyote stitch for a cabochon. An open-backed peyote stitch bezel is great for a transparent cabochon when you don't want to glue it to a backing. Or if you have a cabochon
    Read More >>
  • Don't Be Intimidated by Color: Easy Steps to Harnessing the Power of Color
    From Jennifer: Margie Deeb is an internationally known author and bead artist. She has written two books about color specifically geared for bead artists, and is a popular instructor at Bead Fest. If you've ever felt intimidated by using color theory
    Read More >>
  • 5 Tips for Getting Started with Wire
    When I was in high school, I got bit by the jewelry-making bug. I had been experimenting with making jewelry from beads, paper, fibers, buttons and anything else I could get my hands on. A friend of mine was doing a lot of wire-wrapping with polished
    Read More >>
  • Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party
    Did you make it to the party? The Bead Soup Blog Party , that is! Lori Anderson of Pretty Things has been running this little event called the Bead Soup Blog Party for a couple of years now. The concept was simple: people sign up by giving their names
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Beading Thread I Love - Colored Fireline from Sparkle Spot Bead Shop
    A sample of colored Fireline from Sparkle Spot Bead Shop . This stuff rocks! I love everything about Fireline. Well, almost everything. Ever since I discovered how great Fireline is for making open-backed peyote-stitch bezels and making supple and strong
    Read More >>
  • Practice Your Basic Beading Skills With These Great Beading Projects
    One of the things that I've been writing about for a couple of years now are basic beading skills. These are the skills that you'll find yourself using again and again on your beading journey. I've always told my students that learning how
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Alternative (and Affordable!) Gemstones for Your Jewelry-Making Projects!
    Karla Rosenbusch is the associate editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine From Jennifer: I love making beaded jewelry with gemstone beads, mainly because of the huge variety of gemstone beads available! Today, Karla Rosenbusch of Lapidary Journal
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Bead Pick from Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones: Glinter Silver Beads
    Tammy Jones is my bead buddy and the Online Editor for Jewelry Making Daily . I asked her to tell me about her favorite new beading or jewelry making product from the pages of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. Tammy found these gorgeous new Glinter
    Read More >>
  • 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!
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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!"
    Read More >>
  • Look What You Can Do With Beaded Leaves!
    Autumn is, without a doubt, my favorite season. I love the warm days and the cool nights, the smell of freshly made apple cider and the amazing colors that we see on the mountains here in upstate New York. And, of course, I can remember when I first started
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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,
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 4 Sketched Ideas for Beaded Necklace Shapes
    Jean Campbell shares 4 design ideas for beaded necklace shapes
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • The 6 Wirework Tools You Need
    Jean Campbell outlines the 6 wireworking tools you need to make beautiful wireworked jewelry.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 4 Easy Ways to Personalize Your Beaded Jewelry
    Jean Campbell gives 4 great examples on how to personalize your jewelry designs
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • How to Design Asymmetrical Earrings
    Try your hand at working with mismatched earrings to learn the secrets of asymmetry
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Learn How to Add Fiber to Bead Loom Projects
    Learn how to add fiber to bead loom projects
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Learn How to Two-Drop Peyote Stitch
    Learn how to work two-drop peyote stitch in 4 easy steps
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • How to Use a Screw Punch
    Learn how to make holes in metal the easy way with a screw punch
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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!
    Read More >>
  • The Secret Ingredient to Firm and Protect Beadwork
    Learn how to use acrylic floor finish to firm and protect beadwork designs
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Get a Jumpstart on Bead Studio Spring Cleaning
    Jean lists 3 easy ways to get started cleaning your bead studio
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 3 Easy Ways to Hang a Pendant
    3 Easy Ways to Hang a Pendant
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Get Creative with a Creative Getaway
    Attend a retreat or conference to give yourself a creative getaway
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Finding Inspiration From Your Favorite Jewelry Designers
    Finding Inspiration From Your Favorite Jewelry Designers
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Match Pantone's Spring Colors to Your Bead Stash
    Match Pantone's Spring Colors to Your Bead Stash
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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.
    Read More >>
  • For the Love of Making Jewelry
    For the love
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • How to Get the Perfect Crimp
    How to Get the Perfect Crimp Every Time
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Learn Bead Crochet in 7 Easy Steps
    Learn Bead Crochet in 7 Easy Steps
    Read More >>
  • 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!
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • How To Bead A Peyote-Stitch Ruffle in 5 Easy Steps
    Learn how to form a peyote-stitch ruffle in 5 easy steps
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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,
    Read More >>
  • Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad RAW?
    Learn right-angle weave with these visual tricks
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Wirework Trends with Wire Expert Denise Peck
    Explore Wire Trends with Wire Expert Denise Peck
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 4 Easy Knots to Pair with Bead Stringing Designs
    Learn 4 different knots to use for strung bead designs
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Top 4 Beading Trends for 2011
    An overview of recent jewelry-making trends and a preview for what will be hot in 2011
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Get Your Party On by Dressing Up With Beads
    Change Your Look with Beads
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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,
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Start Wireweaving, One Careful Step at a Time
    Learn the basics to get started wireweaving
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Try This Easy Chain Mail Technique
    Try This Easy Chain Mail Technique
    Read More >>
  • Handcrafted Jewelry Studio: Our Revolutionary New eMag Is Here!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I'm really excited about our new eMag, Handcrafted Jewelry Studio . I am over the top excited! It's our first multimedia magazine that uses live links and video to illustrate all kinds of fun projects
    Read More >>
  • Win Some GREAT Jewelry-Making Goodies!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I like to pass along freebees and contests you beady peeps may enjoy. This is a new Facebook give-away from my pals Jess at Vintaj and Susan Lenart Kazmer at Objects & Elements. I'm a huge fan their
    Read More >>
  • 6 Free Bead-weaving Patterns: Herringbone Stitch and Right-Angle Weave
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily If you love beads (and who doesn't?), then today is your lucky day! We're happy to present six beautiful bead-weaving projects for you FREE , my beady peeps! The three herringbone-stitch projects have
    Read More >>
  • Patina the "Wrong" Way Feels Oh, So Right
    Learn to patina metal beads with spray paint
    Read More >>
  • Hot Hot Hot: Discover a Cool Deal on Cold Connections with Susan Lenart Kazmer
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily If there's one thing I'm sure of in the jewelry-making world, it's that a great teacher can get you hopelessly hooked on a particular technique, style, or topic-and poof!-you're done. Your goose
    Read More >>
  • Kristal Wick's Top 10 Beady Black Friday Tips
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily It's hard to believe that time of year has rolled around again! The snowflakes are falling, fire crackling, and nog pouring. I invite you to channel your inner Santa Claus; make a list and check it twice
    Read More >>
  • Stay Tuned-My Top 10 Beady Black Friday Tips Coming Tomorrow!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . Check it out on Beading Daily tomorrow! http://www.BeadingDaily.com Happy Thanksgiving to All My Beady Peeps! Come bead with me! Creatively,
    Read More >>
  • 5 Designs to Inspire Creativity
    Jean Campbell is the senior editor of Beadwork and a contributing editor to Beading Daily I sat down the other day to write a note to a dear friend. It read, "Hi, Henry! I've been running the hamster wheel a little faster than usual this month
    Read More >>
  • 4 Simple Steps to Getting Started with Herringbone Stitch
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily For all of you keeping up with my recent beading chapter I endearingly call "GBBAWTTLSB" (Great Big Bead Adventures with Those Tiny Little Seed Beads), you know I'm hopelessly in love with the
    Read More >>
  • Gift Your Friends with Handcrafted Earrings in 4 Super-Easy Steps!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily OK gang: 36, yes, 36 days until the big Ho, Ho, Ho! (I heard you all gulp, now take a nice, deep breath). I've got some great last-minute projects to inspire/haunt you this holiday season (your choice depending
    Read More >>
  • Kate McKinnon Shares How to Make Jewelry Last a Lifetime
    An interview with Kate McKinnon
    Read More >>
  • Quick and Easy Last-Minute Seed-Bead Gifts
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily One of the best parts of working in a creative environment such as Interweave is playing with my co-workers. As well as beaders, there are knitters, sewers, stitchers, metal workers, and many other skilled colleagues
    Read More >>
  • 10 Steps for a Successful Jewelry-Making DIY Party
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily We're in the thick of holiday festivities, and I can't help sharing another fun party idea for all my jewelry-making Beading Daily peeps. I love throwing DIY (Do It Yourself) parties at work. During
    Read More >>
  • 4 Simple Tips for Personalizing Your Jewelry
    Jean Campbell is the senior editor of Beadwork and a contributing editor to Beading Daily I recently packed up my 1998 Honda Civic and drove to Colorado to make a video on personalizing your jewelry. Seemed like that little old vehicle of mine was filled
    Read More >>
  • 3 Steps to Peyote-Stitched Peace
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily As I spent the last weekend of October dressing my dogs for Halloween and making my holiday gift list, I had a major earth-shattering realization: there was no way I'd get all these handcrafted goodies done
    Read More >>
  • Snowmen Flannel and Holiday Jewelry Making!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily One of my fave winter traditions is donning my snowman flannel sheets on the bed. Call me crazy, but I love winter and snowmen! Of course Mother Nature isn't cooperating with 70 degree weather today in lovely
    Read More >>
  • Beading Daily’s Favorite Stitches and Beadweaving Techniques: 5 Free Beadwork Beading Patterns for Seed Beads
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily The holidays are rapidly approaching as they do every year, same place, same time. Why am I always blindsided by this joyous gift-giving season? Am I alone here, or are you with me my beady peeps? In case you
    Read More >>
  • 3 Easy Ways to Patina Metal
    Jean Campbell is the senior editor of Beadwork and a contributing editor to Beading Daily My dad always called me a creature of habit. I never knew what he was talking about until I got older and noticed myself eat breakfast (bananas, walnuts, figs),
    Read More >>
  • Handcrafted Jewelry, 2009
    Get out your tools and ready your creativity! Handcrafted Jewelry, a brand-new special issue from the editors of Beadwork magazine, is a beginner’s guide to mixed-media jewelry projects.
    Read More >>
  • Customizable Stringing Styles for Your Jewelry Making
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily I don't know about you, but I'm an "over-the-top-funky-chunky" kind of jewelry designer. I love textures, 3-dimensional surprises, mixed media, big baubles, and bling. Having had years of experience
    Read More >>
  • BOO-tiful Last Minute Jewelry Making with Kristal Wick
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Every childhood Halloween costume had to look good with snow boots. Growing up in Minnesota was a serious drama every year for many, but in particular, one young girl who ALWAYS wanted to be a ballerina (moi'
    Read More >>
  • An Easy Way to Measure Cabochons
    Jean Campbell is the senior editor of Beadwork and a contributing editor to Beading Daily I find I often struggle along with a way of doing things for years until someone or something points out how utterly laborious my way of doing things actually is
    Read More >>
  • Top Tools for Working with Wire
    It wasn't too long ago that I knew nothing about making jewelry with wire. I started as a beader, for a long time, then dove headfirst into metalsmithing. But wire . . . that was a step I'd missed along the way.
    Read More >>
  • Weave, Wrap, and Coil Your Way to Wire Jewelry Making with Jodi Bombardier
    You might be familiar with Jodi's many class offerings at BeadFest and as a contributing designer in Wire Style 50 Unique Jewelry Designs . I'm excited to share our "wire rap" with my Beading Daily peeps. I had some pretty important
    Read More >>
  • The Dos and Don'ts of Twisting Wire
    Jean Campbell is the senior editor of Beadwork and a contributing editor to Beading Daily I remember working with wire for the first time. I was all thumbs. My coils were sloppy, my bends weren't sharp, and my loops were kinked. I truly thought I'd
    Read More >>
  • No Time (or Clay) to Waste! Get Started on Your Holiday Gift Making
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Charms, charms, and more charms! I took my first metal clay class quite a few years ago because I wanted to make simple charms for my charm bracelets. Ha! The world of metal clay is endless and can suck you
    Read More >>
  • Mmm. Quick and Easy Cupcake Jewelry in 5 Simple Steps
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily One of my many nicknames is "cupcake." I absolutely adore them in all their cuteness, and am thrilled with their recent increase in popularity. Starting around the turn of the twentieth century, cupcakes
    Read More >>
  • 3 Ideas for Stringing Donut Beads
    Jean Campbell is the senior editor of Beadwork and a contributing editor to Beading Daily I don't know about you, but my weekly errands usually include a stop at my local bead shop. This week my daughter and her friend were in tow as I spun around
    Read More >>
  • 5 Easy Steps for Seed-Beaded Fancy Fringe
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Many of you Beading Daily peeps have been following my seed-bead escapades for the past couple of months. It's kind of like a reality show, watching someone discover a new addiction and follow their emotional
    Read More >>
  • Pick Your Fave: Embellished Metal for Jewelry-Making and Fiber Arts
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily As a teacher in the creative field, one of my greatest delights is taking classes from other teachers. I'm just like you, I pore over the show catalogs, bending the corners of the pages to mark which classes
    Read More >>
  • Hammer Your Own Copper Disc Beads
    Jean Campbell is the senior editor of Beadwork and a contributing editor to Beading Daily I filmed a couple of how-to DVDs a couple weeks ago. I'll admit, I'm not completely comfortable in front of the camera, so I watched a bunch of other videos
    Read More >>
  • Kristal Wick's Picks: 10 Jewelry-Making Projects for Holiday Gift Giving
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily Finally! The weather has snapped from a season of sweltering 90s to fall 60s-70s with the cool evenings in the 50s. I'm sorry you sun bunnies but I must confess, I love winter. I love snow; I love sipping
    Read More >>
  • SLK's Resin, Bezels, and Bling, Oh My!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily What can I say about Susan Lenart Kazmer (SLK for those "in the know")? I've had the pleasure of taking her classes, teaching, brainstorming, sharing trade show stories, and sipping the grape together
    Read More >>
  • Mixed Media Ring Jewelry: 3 Top Styles
    Jean Campbell is a contributing editor to Beading Daily My daughter is one of those young women who can pull off wearing just about anything. Her latest craze is cocktail rings; she wears a different set every day. Her rings du jour sprinkle over her
    Read More >>
  • 4 Simple Steps for Multi-Strand Jewelry-Making Mania
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . I like to play games with myself. I don't mean childhood games such as Monopoly, Candy Land, or heaven forbid, Twister. The kinds of games I play with myself as an adult are what I like to call "designer
    Read More >>
  • Bead-Making Instructions for Beaded Beads: How to Make Beads from Beading Daily
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . My recent o bsession with seed beads has completely changed how I view my DIY (Do It Yourself) world, as well as added hundreds of new projects to my "must do" jewelry-making list. I love sharing
    Read More >>
  • 2 Ways to Turnaround In Peyote Stitch
    Jean Campbell is a contributing editor to Beading Daily I’ve had a colorful past, but at middle age, my vices are few. I don’t smoke and have a drink only on occasion. I don’t eat gluten and avoid dairy. I’ll have some chocolate
    Read More >>
  • Wire Jewelry Button Earrings in 6 Easy Steps
    I don’t know about you, but deep down inside, I’m basically an immediate gratification type of gal. I want my chocolate, weight loss, and jewelry making FAST! Sure, we all love working on masterpieces, but sometimes you need to slip in some
    Read More >>
  • 4 Jewelry Making Tips for Chain Mail (Chain Maille) Projects
    Jean Campbell is a contributing editor to Beading Daily A couple of years ago, I attended a bead show and ran across something that’s stuck with me ever since: the beautiful Vanessa Walilko wearing the chain mail jacket she had designed. She used
    Read More >>
  • Bead Editors Share Their Fave Jewelry-Making Projects With You
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . Calling all fashion police! It should be mandatory for all jewelry-makers to change their jewelry with the season (of course white jewelry is perfectly acceptable after Labor Day). Add a few more designs to
    Read More >>
  • Fall Trends: Add Rich Color to Your Jewelry Making
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . A familiar crisp, cool, clean fall breeze blows through my studio as I write. Are you beady peeps ready for fall as much as I am? This scorching summer turned me into a slightly crabby, unmotivated, less than
    Read More >>
  • Add Variety to Your Beadwork with Fabulous Beaded Fringe!
    Jean Campbell is a contributing editor to Beading Daily Confession: I collect beading technique swatches like Imelda Marcos collected shoes. My collection is a bit more dorky, a whole lot less expensive, and easier to house, but item for item it may be
    Read More >>
  • 10 Essential Wire Tips: Save Yourself Some Labor in Jewelry Making
    My first wireworking and metal class was years ago. I was so enthralled with the reaction of wire and heat that I never got beyond making ballend head pins with a torch. I just couldn't stop! It was like magic, so simple that even a beginner could
    Read More >>
  • Kristal Wick's Picks: Top 10 Jewelry-Making Resources
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . There is only one thing better than cracking open a new beading book, slipping a brand-new beading DVD into your computer or downloading a beading project that screams your name: sharing the experience with
    Read More >>
  • Beautify Your I.D. Badge: Bead a Lanyard
    Jean Campbell is a contributing editor to Beading Daily I was just looking over the lineup for the next season of Beads, Baubles, and Jewels TV , which has a great set of DVDs that covers the gamut of beading and jewelry-making how-to: beadweaving, wireworking
    Read More >>
  • Be a Bead Party Diva—Bring on the Beads!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . I’m a jewelry designer and writer. In that order. Which means, even though I make a living writing professionally, I consider myself a designer, first and foremost. Like most of you, I adore pictures
    Read More >>
  • Plan Your Holiday Jewelry-Making: Earrings for Everyone!
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . These last days of summer may be in the 90s and 100s, but it’s time to chill out and start your holiday jewelry making. I actually play a few of my fave holiday tunes, make an ice cold drink, and spend
    Read More >>
  • How to Hang Flat Pendants? Wirework a Bail
    Jean Campbell is a contributing editor to Beading Daily I don’t know about you, but I have many beautiful things in my stash that I’d like to hang as pendants. Cabochons. Found objects. Tiles. One catch: They don’t have holes to string
    Read More >>
  • Create Crystal Combos on the Go
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . 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
    Read More >>
  • Why Finishing Techniques Matter: Stitch and Wear Your Beaded Jewelry
    Kristal Wick is the editor of Beading Daily . I have had a beadalicious wild ride learning how to seed bead recently. Thanks to my Beading Daily peeps for your suggestions, ideas, and support as I’ve dived into the world of those tiny beauties.
    Read More >>
  • Do You Bead with Crystals, Pearls, Stones or Glass?: Why You Don’t Have to Choose
    Jean Campbell is a contributing editor to Beading Daily One thing I love about what I do for a living is being in constant contact with creative, productive people. Marlene Blessing is just one of those people. I’ve known her for several years,
    Read More >>
  • Crystals Are a Dog's Best Friend: Bling's Top 10 Jewelry-Making Projects
    My mommy won’t stop beading, but she said she’d give me three bones if I bark about my favorite sparkly projects for this blog. I’m not so good at this computer thing since I’m only one year old (Sunday was my barkday) plus typing
    Read More >>
  • Get Lucky with Your Jewelry Making: 13 Bits of Wisdom
    I've never really believed in the "bad luck" superstitions. You break a mirror and get 7 years of bad luck (heck, I've had that happen without breaking a mirror!). It's bad luck when a black cat crosses your path. It's bad luck
    Read More >>
  • Beading on Summer Getaways: Make Your Portable Bead Kit
    Here's a typical question that might pop up on a long car trip this summer: If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you be glad you packed? Sandwiches, of course. Some colas. A Hollywood tell-all magazine, maybe? That would be for a short
    Read More >>
  • Bezel Your Beads: Frame Your Collected Treasures
    Bead shopping at home OK, has anybody gone shopping...in her own studio? I did. Inspired by Denise Peck's new DVD, Making Bezels with Stones and Other Found Objects, I went shopping in my studio for interesting goodies and found objects to bezel.
    Read More >>
  • Beading Instructions from Beading Daily: 5 Free Beading Projects to Learn How to Bead
    ­We all started at the same place . . . the beginning. Each one of us held beading wire in one hand and a pile of beads in the other, and we began to bead! It's amazing where the jewelry-making path takes us after this hope-filled start. Each
    Read More >>
  • What Every Beader Needs: Ideas to Inspire Your Beadwork
    Last week, as I took things off the walls of one place to move into the place where I live now, I realized how important it is to me to be surrounded by beautiful bits of inspiration. I like to live with things that not only give me visual joy, but also
    Read More >>
  • 3 Beading Ideas to Celebrate 3 Great Years of Beading Daily!
    Beading Daily is three years old this week. In this short time, we have grown to more than 220,236 members from nearly every country in the world. That's certainly something to shout about! Here at Interweave, we blew some party horns, ate cupcakes
    Read More >>
  • Seed-Beading Lessons in the Clouds: High on Bead Stitching
    As many of you Beading Daily readers know, I recently came clean on the fact that I'd never done seed beading. Shortly after my confession, I had a lovely seed-bead soiree with my peeps, so my secret is no longer a secret. In fact, it's turned
    Read More >>
  • Moving Your Bead Stash: A New Chance to Organize Your Beads
    As you read this, picture me packing up a U-Haul for my move across town. I've been in this house for nine years now, and sorting through all the stuff of my life has been daunting. For instance, why do I have two irons-did I think having two might
    Read More >>
  • 10 Best Tips for Using Social-Media to Your Advantage
    I've tried it all at least once: blogging, Facebook, Etsy, YouTube, Twitter, website, group blog. Hmmmm, I think that's all. Oops, left out Flickr, which I haven't tried yet. So I guess I haven't really tried them all. By now, most folks
    Read More >>
  • Enchanting Jewelry-Making Inspirations: An Easy 5-Step Bracelet Watch
    Inspiration has millions of sources. Where to find inspiration? Nature seems to be the #1 answer, although I've found it in other quite odd sorts of places: a car wash, ice cream shop, the airport, even a mall (the tables in the food court had the
    Read More >>
  • 3 Beading Mysteries Solved: Learn the Whys of Seed Bead Techniques
    There's this tale about a woman who would always cut the ends off her pot roast before putting it in the pan to let it bake. Her daughter asked her why she did that, and she realized she didn't know. So she called her sister, who also cut the
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Inching Along: Behind-the-Scenes Lessons from Our Seed-Bead Soiree
    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
    Read More >>
  • Embellish Your Hair with Beads: 3 Ideas to Try
    I've attended a few bead shows lately where I noticed a trend: Middle-aged women with strands of sparkly stuff in their hair. At first I thought it was very silly—something that should be left for the Little Mermaid set or a drunken Mardi Gras
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 5 Free Beaded Bracelet Patterns
    I've had a longtime love affair with beaded bracelets. You name the bead, I love it. Never met a beaded bracelet I didn't like. They're fun to make, fun to wear, and everyone likes a bracelet or two (try pairing up a couple of different bracelets
    Read More >>
  • If I Had a Hammer: 5 Tips for Stamping Metal Jewelry
    When people ask what I do for a living, I usually tell them I'm a beader. It always gets those silent little brain wheels turning..."Did she just say she was a beater?" My out-loud spelling, "b-e-a-D-e-r", plus a quick air-sewing
    Read More >>
  • Top Tips for Aspiring Metalworkers—A Jewelry Expert's Dos and Don'ts
    I find metals exciting, intimidating, fun, alluring... most of the time. Dabbling in metals is one thing: jumping off the cliff and diving in, quite another. I asked our metal expert and managing editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Helen Driggs
    Read More >>
  • 5 Basic Steps for Making Personalized Jewelry Charms
    Who doesn't like charms? They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, themes, and mediums. You can buy them or better yet, make your own. But, be warned, making charms can become highly addictive. I started out doing a few for my pals and now I do them
    Read More >>
  • 4 Tips for Creating a Memorable Mixed-Media Pendant
    As a beadweaver, stitching an interesting chain is enough to keep me occupied as I while away the evening hours. I find that doing the same stitch over and over, without really having to pay attention to a pattern, is not only meditative, but serves as
    Read More >>
  • Use the World Around You. No, Literally, Cut it Up and Use it
    Bead Fest Philly is right around the corner and, boy, do we have exciting events planned! There's awesome shopping at the show (of course), but near and dear to my heart are the classes. Bead Fest Philly has some of the best teachers around and nothing
    Read More >>
  • Behind the Scenes of Beads Baubles and Jewels, Plus a Free Project
    One of my fave pleasures of being a designer is sharing my creations with jewelry makers like YOU! I really enjoy having so many venues for show-and-tell: books, classes, Beading Daily , and particularly TV shows. It's always fun and exciting (and
    Read More >>
  • Dos and Don'ts for Combining Crystals and Wire
    I was lucky enough to spend some time with the folks at the Rocky Mountain Bead Society last week. During their Show and Tell (a wonderful tradition with most bead societies where members present their new creations), one of the ladies showed off a couple
    Read More >>
  • Wireworking Wonders with the Masters
    My, oh my, does this shindig look like a grand time! Playing with this winning bunch of wireworking masters couldn’t be more entertaining. Wonderful wire and metal techniques for all levels from beginner to intermediate will be explored October
    Read More >>
  • Kristal's Top 10 Must-Have Books for Every Beader
    I spent every possible moment of my childhood in a library. I loved the smells, colorful pictures, hushed silence, and the sounds of flipping through the pages of well-worn and beloved books. I continued spending every waking moment in the library as
    Read More >>
  • 7 Fun Facts about Crystals
    I am a lover of factoids. Some people don’t appreciate this. They shake their heads and call me a Know-It-All. But I just can’t help it. I love knowing the details about life and sharing them profusely in an extremely nerdy way. I’ll
    Read More >>
  • Find Your First Easy Steps to Seed Beading
    One of my ongoing burning questions has NEVER been “to bead or not to bead” but rather “WHAT to bead or not to bead.” That is a serious question, is it not? A bead explosion in my closet Seed beading, wireworking, gemstone beading
    Read More >>
  • Master Wireworking the Easy Way
    Wire isn’t mastered in one take Wirework is not wirework is not wirework. Those of you who have played with or mastered wireworking know what I mean. It’s enticing at first: those wire projects lure you in with their hip metal style. Then
    Read More >>
  • Tips for Mixing Media in Jewelry Making
    Mixed media is a buzz term these days, but really, we all do it throughout the day: If you’re a cook, you might put chocolate chips into your chili, letting the sweet, rich flavor meld with the salty spark of the chili-infused broth. If you garden
    Read More >>
  • How to Make Artistic Metal Jewelry: 5 Steps to Start Now
    Do you dream of rivets, eyelets and chisels (Oh MY!)? Never thought I would until I took Susan Lenart Kazmer’s class on metalwork cold connections, thus changing my dreamland forevermore. I slid into metal jewelry making in the usual way. First
    Read More >>
  • How (and Why) to Buy a Micro Torch for Making Jewelry
    Burn, Baby, Burn In one of my many exciting past artistic lives, I was a raku artist. I created pottery and fired it in a huge raku kiln in my backyard. My fascination with fire, the elements and the drastically varying glaze “surprises” always
    Read More >>
  • 4 Tricks to Keep Your Beads on Your Thread
    4 Ways to Say Stop From stopping wayward advances . . . When I was in college, I studied for a summer in England. Medieval Architecture. I learned a lot, of course, but the real reason I went across the drink was to see the world. I spent my summer session
    Read More >>
  • Summertime and the Beading Is Easy
    Summertime Memories Fireflies, freshly mowed grass, s’mores on the crackling campfire at dusk, hide-n-seek till dark, root beer floats, sand in my toes, collecting seashells on the shore, bright sundresses and groovy sandals—all fond memories
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Summer Trend: Create Bold Style with Beaded Jewelry
    You’ve probably noticed that big is back as far as necklaces go—just check out the latest issue of Stringing magazine to see some of the boldest designs ever. These big-bead necklaces give flash and interest to the more simple fashions on
    Read More >>
  • 10 Tips on How to Design with Big Beads
    How to make your bigger beading better– With our first Bead Fest in Texas coming this October, my thoughts turned to making bigger pieces. After all, Texas is known for its grand scale in everything, so why not jewelry? I mentioned this topic to
    Read More >>
  • 6 Tips for Weaving with Wire
    Award-Winning Woven Wire Jewelry The first time I remember really noticing jewelry woven with wire was when Marie Scarpa’s gold and stone brooch graced the cover of Lapidary Journal . That was September 2004 when her piece won first place in the
    Read More >>
  • Bead Star 2010 Voting Goes Live Later Today!
    Dear Beading Daily Readers, We are aware that there has been a lot of interest in the Bead Star Contest this morning as voting will go live later today. We are still judging the entries due to an email glitch that caused us to miss some entries on April
    Read More >>
  • How to Make a Double-Wrapped Loop
    I was a wrapped-loop purist until I met my buddy Jamie Hogsett. Pre-Jamie, I strove to make sure all of my wrapped loops were perfectly and neatly wrapped so that the wrap looked almost mechanical, like a coil slipped onto wire. But after hanging out
    Read More >>
  • Easy Beading–Create Style and Sass in a Flash
    Step by step and bead by bead– This may be the most challenging post I’ll ever write––to choose favorite projects from all my years as editor in chief of Step by Step Beads . After all, everything we (Managing Editor Jane Dickerson
    Read More >>
  • Make Your Own Fabric Beads
    Be inspired by art fabric– My friend Jeanne Williamson is an uncommon fiber artist. Along with having her work winning Best of Show at the Quilt National 2005, Jeanne is as prolific as she is creative. In addition to her large mixed-media pieces
    Read More >>
  • Meet the New Host of Beads, Baubles, and Jewels!
    A Little Chat with Katie Hacker One of the best things about being part of the beading community for so long is gaining friends such as Katie Hacker. A dynamo of a woman, Katie has touched the beading community with her classes, books, lots of advice
    Read More >>
  • Add Beads to Your Knitting!
    Please welcome Eunny Jang, the editor of Interweave Knits . Yes, this is Beading Daily , but if there's one thing beaders and knitters and all of us have in common, it's a desire to find new ways to be creative. In that light, Eunny is here to
    Read More >>
  • 5 Free Brick Stitch Seed Bead Projects!
    5 Reasons to Love Brick Stitch– I’ve said it many times before—I love playing with seed beads using brick stitch! I think brick stitch was the first seed bead pattern I mastered—before peyote, that’s right. It is just so
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • 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
    Read More >>
  • Earth Day Inspiration: the Jewelry of Kate McKinnon
    Art from nature– Mother Nature is a master architect. From microscopic cells to monumental canyons, from stones to feathers, Her work is astonishing. Her children are architects, too; think of birds’ nests and honeycombs. Mother Nature is
    Read More >>
  • Treat Yourself to a Bead Retreat
    Making a getaway– Your sister doesn’t know what a jump ring is. Your mom thinks you’ll ruin your eyes sewing such tiny beads. And your neighbors whisper about you, wondering why your kitchen light burns into the wee hours. "What
    Read More >>
  • Indulge in 5 Creative Gifts for Yourself
    To-do for you– Like many of you out there, my to-do list is very long and complicated. So much so, actually, that I’ll admit I have a second to-do list that prioritizes the first to-do list. And like Pavlov’s dog, when I cross something
    Read More >>
  • Try Something New: Combine Beads and Art Quilting
    Many of us on Beading Daily have a creative history that includes fabric and fiber arts. Here to tempt us to bring fabric and beadwork together is Pokey Bolton, Editorial Director for Quilting Arts, with some enticing examples of beaded art fabrics. Please
    Read More >>
  • 10 Tips for Fusing with a Micro-Torch
    Get started in a hot jewelry-making trend! So many of today’s stylish jewelry designs seem to include more metal, wire, and chain, so chances are you’ll be tempted to learn to use a torch. Do you have a bit of anxiety about using a flame?
    Read More >>
  • Learn to Master Thin Wire
    Don't sweat the small stuff- I know many people who can’t imagine working in the scale we do as jewelry makers. You know, the type of person who’s more comfortable with tongs than tweezers. They couldn’t imagine twisting a tiny wire
    Read More >>
  • Top 5 Favorite Stitches
    So many beads, so little time! Peyote. Right-angle weave. Netting. Herringbone. Square stitch. These five stitches rank highest in every survey, project commentary, and request we hear on Beading Daily and in our magazines. And these are just the basics—each
    Read More >>
  • FREE Wire Bead project
    New materials, diverse style Inspiration comes from many places, and sometimes the same sources inspire you in a surprising new way. Recently, I was once again admiring the work in Ancient Modern , Ronna Sarvas Weltman’s polymer clay and wire book
    Read More >>
  • A Bead Stringing Chart for You!
    Is your stash keeping up with your creativity? Like many of you, my beading stash behaves like a kudzu vine. It grows anywhere I set it. Take my office, for instance: The closet is full, and its contents have begun creeping across the floor. The books
    Read More >>
  • What’s Your Favorite Tool?
    What’s your favorite tool? I have to agree with the authors, editors, and Beading Daily readers who answered my “What’s your favorite tool?” poll—it’s hard to pick just one. Is it the pliers you use most, your most
    Read More >>
  • Learn More About Design at Bead Fest
    Are you ready for asymmetry? Is your life frenzied like mine? If so, are you making symmetrical jewelry? I do. It makes me feel balanced—or at least look balanced. But balance does not have to mean symmetry. Asymmetry is fun, even cathartic for
    Read More >>
  • What to Wear with Beige
    I have to admit, I’m no fashion maven. Oh, I like to gussy up every once in a while, but I’m usually relegated to the T-shirt and jeans regimen like many of the other women my age. I do like to follow the trends, though, especially when I
    Read More >>
  • Beading for a Cause
    Beaders make the world a better place As individual artists, we raise money and awareness for charity and causes, and there are many organizations who dedicate themselves to improving life for people through the art and craft of beads and jewelry. Get
    Read More >>
  • Why Math Matters in Jewelry Design
    Design tips you can count on I always knew I was going to art school. I did not need math to be an artist. Guess what? Mom and Dad were right. Artists need math. Not algebra, thank the gods, just a grasp of numbers and relationships. At the very least
    Read More >>
  • How to Combine Beadwork and Metal
    How to Combine Beadwork and Metal I gave a lecture on designing Steampunk jewelry at my local bead society a couple weeks ago. I showed lots of stunning pictures and pointed out the different types of materials to use when working in this style. The photos
    Read More >>
  • What’s Your Steampunk Style?
    Beads, baubles and steampunk By now most of you have at least heard the term “steampunk.” Coined in the 1980’s, steampunk refers to a genre of fantasy and science fiction featuring steam-powered machinery and Victorian-style decorative
    Read More >>
  • Learn Peyote Stitch with More FREE Patterns!
    Are you trying to learn or improve peyote? When I first tried to learn peyote it drove me nuts. Those first rows twisted around, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out the fix. And why did they call all the first beads strung the first TWO
    Read More >>
  • Make Wirework Jewelry with Kerry Bogert
    Make wirework jewelry with Kerry Bogert I had the pleasure last year to get to know Kerry Bogert, a wonderfully whimsical and lovely lady who not only makes colorful, happy lampworked beads, but skillfully and creatively incorporates them into wireworked
    Read More >>
  • Affordable "Green Amethyst" Gemstones
    Please welcome Merle White, the editor in chief of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist , who tells us about a gem of a different color. It may be just what you’re looking for in spring jewelry designs. ––LR, editor Beading Daily Isn't
    Read More >>
  • How to Fix a Hammer Head with Dents
    You know tools rule when . . . You feel the way our guest editor Helen Driggs does if her jewelry hammers are used for (gasp!) anything but jewelry. Has someone abused your tools for home repair? Listen up as our managing editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry
    Read More >>
  • Try This Fun Faux Rivet Idea
    I’m sure this happens to you, too: Every once in a while I run across a clever idea that gets me so excited that I run back to my studio and try it out. Just that thing happened when I was down in Tucson in February this year. I’d stopped
    Read More >>
  • Make Southwest Style Jewelry
    Turquoise dreams I love big saguaro cactus, the tall desert sentinels that look like they have arms at odd angles. They must be the most iconic cacti of all cacti. But I don’t want to use their image or shape, or coyotes or bucking broncos for that
    Read More >>
  • Make Jewelry That Says it All
    Make it personal Anyone remember a song called “What Are Words Worth?” by the Tom-Tom Club? They chanted about the power of words and their impact on others who hear or read them. Words and letterforms—even in foreign alphabets or as
    Read More >>
  • Inspired by Big Bold Beads
    Inspired by Big, Bold Beads I was just paging through the wonderful new Spring issue of Stringing magazine and was floored when I came across Wendy Baker’s sumptuous necklaces and bracelets. They are made with new and vintage metal flowers, beads
    Read More >>
  • Show Off Your Cabochons
    Working with cabochons I used to have something called a worry stone. It was a small polished stone with a smooth indentation, offering a tactile path to serenity, like a kid who rubs the satin on a comfort blankie. I have the same sense of “ahhhh”
    Read More >>
  • Find Your Jewelry-making Mojo with Kumihimo Braiding
    Mutual attraction: beads and wire My passion for all things beady has taken me to new levels of determination, levels of obsession . . . and I know you all know what I’m talking about. We practice and practice an element of our craft to get it right
    Read More >>
  • Trimming Threads
    Trimming Threads In what seems like a lifetime ago already, I was the editor of Beadwork magazine. At Interweave in 1997, Linda Ligon played Spanky, I was Darla, and we said “Let’s have a magazine!” Much like the sewn-together blankets
    Read More >>
  • First Lady Fashion
    White House Jewelry Trendsetters Our First Ladies' personal styles have reflected both their times and their personalities. Julia Grant loved emeralds, sapphires, and rubies––a sign of her Victorian times, perhaps. Nellie Taft, First Lady
    Read More >>
  • What Rocked Tucson in 2010
    What is the Tucson Bead Show? Tucson during the bead shows is impossible to describe. It is not “a bead show,” not even “bead shows.” It’s a universe of about 50 independently produced venues of beads, gems, jewelry, minerals
    Read More >>
  • 8 Easy Steps for Making Resin Jewelry
    Resin Bezeling Trick I do a lot of beadwork: tiny needles, thin thread, and infinitesimal beads. I do this at home, of course, but sometimes also in public. If you BIP (bead in public), too, you know the activity makes people very curious and usually
    Read More >>
  • What's the Hottest Jewelry-Making Technique for 2010?
    Cold connections top the list for 2010 hot jewelry-making techniques Please welcome Helen Driggs, managing editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and author of the Flashcard eNewsletter. Today she's bringing us her forecast that cold connections
    Read More >>
  • Easy Wire and Beads–and a New Free Earring Project
    Can a Bead Lover Love Wire? When you make a pair of earrings, do you start with wire and add beads? Or, do you have beads you want to use and choose wire as your framework? Though I love the linear des ign possibilities in wire itself, I usually use wire
    Read More >>