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Bead Making

The process of making beads out of various materials such as glass, plastic, metal or wood.

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  • Essentials of Earring Making
    If I knew now what I didn't know then...that's how I feel about everything that I've learned about earring making since I started beading over thirteen years ago. While I spent my time doodling beaded necklace and bracelet designs in my notebooks
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  • Win A One Year Subscription to Craft Daily!
    There are lots of reasons to learn a new craft or a new skill by watching a video. It's convenient, for one thing -- you can watch at home, anytime you want to, and you can stop and start the video wherever and whenever you feel like you need to see
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  • Beading Challenged
    Are you feeling a little beading challenged lately? I was certainly starting to feel sort of sluggish, like my ideas were all stuck in the same rut. Then my next challenge kit from Beadwork magazine landed on my doorstep, and I decided to look around
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  • Infuse Your Beadwork with Native American Symbolism
    Native American beadwork has a rich heritage of symbolism through the use of colors, gemstones, and animal totems to tell stories and convey meaning. If you're looking to infuse your beadwork with a few special and meaningful symbols, check out some
    Read More >>
  • How-To: Easy Engraved Bracelet
    Looking for an easy way to add a word or phrase to your next jewelry project? Recently I tried out the Micro Engraver from Bead Smith and learned a few tricks by making this easy mixed-media cuff. To make a similar cuff, you'll need the following
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  • Tips for Traveling With Your Beading Tools
    It's that time of year again -- I can't believe that summer is back already! Pretty soon, I'll be packing my bags and hitting the road for places like Bead Fest Philadelphia, a couple of trips down to do some serious bead shopping in New York
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  • Why Should You Learn About Beadmaking?
    Why should you learn about beadmaking? Even if you only ever do bead-weaving (or think that you'll only ever do bead-weaving, and nothing else!) knowing a little bit about beadmaking can actually help when you're working on your own beaded jewelry
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  • Essential Beading Wires For Your Bead Stash
    I recently made a necklace for the Fall issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine using 24-gauge gunmetal wire. As I was sifting through my box of wires deciding which to use for this project, I realized it might be useful to discuss wires...especially the
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  • What Can You Learn On Craft Daily? Everything!
    I got bit by the crafting bug early on. As a child, I watched my mother creating with crochet, knitting, and needlepoint, and some of those designs included beads. Some of those projects were among my first exposure to beading and bead crafts in general
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  • New Portable Bead Organizer from Ezel Findings - Meet the Beading Pal!
    One of the many things that I love about my job is when I get to see new beading products before they're available to the general public. My friend Sunyoung Park of Ezel Findings made my day last week when she sent me their latest innovative beading
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  • Five Fantastic Pearl Shapes For Your Beaded Jewelry Designs
    It's true -- pearls never go out of style. Whether you like to do bead stringing or bead stitching, freshwater pearls are an elegant and classic addition to any beaded jewelry design. Pearls come in so many different shapes these days that it's
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  • Free Cabochon Beading Projects
    I love a good challenge, don't you? How about the challenge of using a cabochon, without a hole, in a piece of beaded jewelry? When I was learning how to bead, I was thrilled to find out that I didn't need to know metal smithing techniques to
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  • What’s Your Favorite Odd-Count Peyote Turnaround?
    If you're familiar with Beadwork magazine then surely you're already aware of the versatility of peyote stitch. One of my favorite things about this stitch is that there are often several ways to achieve the same look, especially when it comes
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  • But Is It Wearable? Necklace Making From a Different Perspective
    Wearing my Battle of the Beadsmith piece at last year's Bead Fest Philadelphia with friends. In the last few years, I've seen more and more emerging bead artists who are pushing the envelope with their beautifully over-the-top beaded necklaces
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  • Free Tutorial From Our Friends at Ornamentea
    Every so often, it's fun to follow along with someone else's tutorial and not have to invent my own. Such was the case when I received this fun tutorial from Ornamentea in my inbox last week--I knew I had to make these earrings! Not one who typically
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  • Gemstones and Fashion Inspiration for Spring!
    From Jennifer: Spring is in full swing here in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, and that means it's time to freshen up my jewelry-making projects with some new gemstones! Whether you love to use gemstones as beads for jewelry stringing
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  • What Was Your First Beadweaving Stitch?
    Whenever I teach a beadweaving class, my students always want to know: what was the first beadweaving stitch you learned? (Followed closely by: which beadweaving stitch is the easiest and best stitch to learn?) It only took me a few hours to make my very
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  • Stitch Pro: Set Yourself a Deadline
    I received a note from a beader on Facebook this week asking, "...what are you up to these days?" Boy...other than working a full-time job, fostering a loving relationship, preparing for yet another move (we bought a house!), dealing with an
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  • Get The Inside Scoop On How to Get Your Designs Published in Beadwork Magazine!
    Have you ever thought about submitting your original beaded jewelry designs for publication in Beadwork magazine? There are many well-known bead artists who got their start in the beading world by doing just that . Do you want to get the inside scoop
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Beads and Findings From Goody Beads!
    From Jennifer: Spring is in full swing right now, but summer is just around the corner, and for the June/July 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine, our editors and readers were asked to take this sand and sea-themed kit of glass beads and jewelry-making findings
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  • What Motivates You To Finish Your Beading Projects?
    "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then is an empty desk a sign?" ~Albert Einstein When I've run out of storage bags for my UFOs, it's time to start finishing my beading projects. I think Einstein was on to
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  • From Chain Maille to Beads: Conquering the Dodecahedron
    After my last couple of experiments with chain maille, I was feeling brave, so I decided to attempt my most difficult chain maille project yet: a Japanese chain maille ball, otherwise known as a dodecahedron. Pretty little dodecahedron balls, all in a
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  • Alternatives to Using Crystal Beads In Your Beading Projects
    What I'm about to tell you is something that I've never before declared publicly. You may be shocked. You may be appalled. You may even urge me to seek counseling. But it needs to be said, so here it goes: I designed this necklace using just vintage
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  • Vintage Beads I Love: Mercury Glass Beads from A Grain of Sand
    I've always had a soft spot for vintage beads, and if you look through my collection, you'll find all sorts of old glass and Lucite goodies tucked away in bags and boxes. Suzanne Branca over at A Grain of Sand contacted me recently to let me know
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  • Easy Ways to Add Color to Metals
    With more options than ever for adding metals in your jewelry-making projects, this is a great time to be a jewelry artist! A couple of years ago, I started experimenting with adding colors to metals when I did some experiments with brass metal beads
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  • What is Raku?
    As a jewelry artist, do you incorporate ceramic or porcelain beads or pendants into your jewelry designs? How about raku? Awhile back I purchased a beautiful raku pendant at a bead show and, seeing how much it differed from traditional ceramic pieces
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  • Beading Cures
    We all know that beading is great for relieving stress, but I got to thinking the other day about how beading can "cure" so many other unpleasant things. Now, I'm no medical expert, but I've noticed that my seed bead patterns can cure
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  • Bead Crochet: It's a Well Done Experience
    From Jennifer: Bead crochet was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult beading techniques that I ever learned. But once I mastered it, bead crochet quickly became a source of inspiration and a great way to give my beady brain a well-deserved break
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  • Our Biggest Giveaway Ever!
    Last week, Beading Daily hit a great milestone -- there are now 20,000 of you who follow us on Facebook ! Isn't that amazing? 20,000 of us who are all connected through our love of beading, beadwork, and jewelry-making! To celebrate, we're giving
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  • Beadwork, June/July 2013
    Find 20 exciting beaded jewelry designs in the June/July 2013 issue of Beadwork. You’ll learn how to make a beautiful soutache necklace and fun beaded tubes for a licorice-leather bracelet. Plus, get 2 ideas for making beaded bracelets with peanut beads.
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  • 5 Jewelry Making Mistakes to Avoid
    I've been beading for almost ten years now--ever since I joined the staff of Jewelry Stringing . And over those ten years, I've made lots of beading mistakes. Thing is, those mistakes turn into lessons. Hard-earned lessions sometimes, yes, but
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  • Stitching Durable Beadwork: How to Create and Care for Lasting Jewelry
    In today's blog I share one of my favorite sidebars from my book Mastering Peyote Stitch, plus a few extra tips and techniques that aren't included in the book. Follow these simple stitching tips and care guidelines to keep the jewelry you devoted
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  • How to Bead Comfortably
    It's not often that I get a long stretch of hours to sit and bead lately, but when I do, I take full advantage of it. Most of the time, I only get a few minutes here and there to sit down and bead, so when an opportunity for a marathon beading session
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  • Unlock the Potential of New Shaped Beads
    Gone are the days when the only shapes of beads we had to choose from were cylinder or round. In the last two years, designers of glass beads have created innovative and exciting shapes of glass beads that have unlimited potential in your own beaded jewelry
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  • Fresh, New Wire Wrapping Projects Just For You!
    Of all the jewelry-making supplies out there, my favorite (next to seed beads, of course) has to be wire. I wasn't always a fan of wire wrapping techniques, but once I saw just how versatile it is, I started reading up on my wire wrapping tutorials
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  • Good Bead Reads
    What reading materials--besides Jewelry Stringing magazine--do you have on your bedside table? Did you know that there are a number of novels out there about beading? It's true. I was browsing Amazon today, and discovered some great-sounding books
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  • Haiku Wire Jewelry with Guest Blogger Barb Switzer
    Sometimes, the simplest designs are the most powerful. Wire jewelry made with clean lines and bold colors can make just as big a statement as a piece of wire jewelry made with intricate bends and wraps. In fact, it can actually be more difficult to create
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  • Stunning Soutache
    Here in the Jewelry Stringing office, we like to keep our eyes and ears open to what's hot in the jewelry and fashion industries as a whole, not just what pertains to the type of jewelry we feature in our magazine. I first heard the term "soutache"
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  • Shape Up with Herringbone Stitch
    Have you tried working with herringbone stitch yet? Whether you're a baby beader just getting started, or you feel comfortable with your bead-weaving skills, herringbone stitch is a great beading stitch to know. When worked with all the great two
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  • Make Peyote Stitch Your Spiritual Practice
    Many of us love to do bead-weaving, and peyote stitch in particular, because of its meditative nature. The gentle rhythms of peyote stitch, along with the little mantras, or sayings, that we repeat to ourselves as we stitch are so soothing and calming
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  • Jazz Up Your Bracelet Making Projects with Beautiful Bugle Beads
    Kelli Burns' Tuscan Tiles bracelet is a beautiful, stylish way to use copper bugle beads. When I first started learning how to bead, I only thought of using bugle beads as fringe for the dozens of peyote stitch amulet bags that I made. Later, I started
    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
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  • Wildly Peyote by Guest Blogger Jayashree Paramesh
    From Jennifer: Even if you don't recognize her face, you'll surely recognize her gorgeous peyote stitch and crystal bracelets on the cover of this month's Beadwork magazine -- today's guest blogger is Jayashree Paramesh! Jayashree's
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  • Wildly Peyote Zebra Bail by Jayashree Paramesh
    A small, flat peyote strip doesn't have to be uninteresting -- there are so many different ways that a strip of peyote stitch can be used! Try this free beading project for an easy peyote stitch bail for use with a crystal pendant or a gemstone donut
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  • 6 MORE bead shapes! Meet the new Bricks, Rullas, Pyramids, BeadStuds, Rizos, and Long Drops
    I loved Jean Campbell's post last week on the difference between Superduo and Twin beads so much that I thought I'd follow up this week with a few more of the new shaped beads. If you missed Jean's in-depth look at two-hole seed beads, see
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for April 2013: A Sneak Peek and a Contest!
    Are you a member of the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club from A Grain of Sand ? If not, April might be your lucky month -- A Grain of Sand is having a Design Challenge using a special vintage jewelry-making component included in the April club boxes. The staff
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  • Great Advice From My Favorite Stitch Pro: Jean Campbell
    Jean Campbell has long been someone that I look to for information and advice about everything related to beaded jewelry design. Along with her sense of humor and her twenty-plus years of beading experience, she's an absolute treasure trove of tips
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  • 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 >>
  • Earring Making: Almost Instant Gratification
    Oh, yes, even though I always seem to have a hard time coming up with designs for beaded earrings, I love to stitch up earring making projects from other talented beading designers! I really can't get enough of them -- earring making projects are
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  • Stitch Pro: Twins vs. Super Duos
    I had a bead shop owner friend call me a few weeks ago, asking about the differences between Twins and Super Duos, two brand names for the two-hole oval seed beads that are all the craze among beaders right now. She said she'd called around to vendors
    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
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  • Selling Your Original Beading Patterns Online: Advice From Three Master Bead Artists
    Cynthia Newcomer Daniels Mikki Ferrugiaro Beadwork by Nancy Dale The internet is an amazing thing for beaders like us. If we're looking for a new beading project or pattern to stitch up, all we have to do is search through places like Etsy or Artfire
    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"
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  • St. Patrick's Day Jewelry Projects
    St. Patrick's Day is just a few days away! What better way to accessorize your St. Paddy's ensemble than with a piece of handmade green jewelry? If you don't have time to create a design if your own, browse through our collection of eProjects
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  • Love Crystals? Love Free Beading Projects?
    There's no doubt about it: crystal beads can turn an ordinary beading project into something truly extraordinary. Maybe it's the sparkle, maybe it's the color of the crystal beads, or maybe it's the feeling of pure luxury that you get
    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
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  • Can Bead-weaving Save the World?
    So, there I was, in December of 2001: fresh out of college, armed with a degree in environmental science, and ready to save the world. But things don't always work out the way we plan. After a few years working in non-profit community development
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  • Earring Making Makeover: A Pair of Beaded Pearl Earrings
    One of my favorite sources of inspiration for making beaded jewelry is antique and vintage jewelry. So when my good friend gifted me with a huge box of very special antique beaded jewelry, I decided to repurpose some of the jewelry for new jewelry-making
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  • Tips for Choosing the Right Glue
    Have you ever been stumped when trying to figure out which kind of glue to use in your jewelry projects? Here, I've shared a few tips from jewelry designer, Molly Schaller, which originally appeared in the 2011 edition of Handcrafted Jewelry magazine
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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 >>
  • 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 >>
  • 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
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  • 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 >>
  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Amazing "New" Beading Tool!
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  • How to Prepare for the Tucson Bead Shows
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  • Free Wire Wrapping Project: Gypsy Wire Bangle
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  • Boring Bead Crochet?
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  • Stitch Pro: Breaking Bad...Beads
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  • Improve Your Jewelry Photography With a Live Webinar
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  • Win Big Prizes in Our Best Beading Contest Ever!
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  • Vintage Jewelry Making Components From the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club
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  • Have You Tried Peyote Stitch with Twin Beads Yet?
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  • Easy Steps to Metal Jewelry Making with Guest Blogger Gwen Fuller Youngblood
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  • Are You a Beader?
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  • Get the Look: Stunning Statement Jewelry
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  • Learn Kumihimo As Easy As 1-2-3
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  • Top Beading Teachers Share Their Favorite Beading Tools!
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  • Spring Trend: Raw Gemstone Jewelry
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  • 3 Easy Ideas for Mixed Media and Bead Embroidery
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  • Learn How to Add New Beading Thread with a Slipknot from Melanie Potter
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  • Use Your Seed Bead Patterns to Get Out Of Your Beading Rut
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  • Beadwork, February/March 2013
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  • Free Wire Jewelry Projects That You'll Love to Make!
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  • The Business of Jewelry: Alternatives to Etsy
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  • Free Beaded Bead Project by Carol Huber Cypher
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  • The Great Necklace Making Makeover: Updating Vintage Jewelry
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  • Stitch Pro: Stitch a Beaded Snowflake
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  • Why I Love My Vintaj Big Kick Machine
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  • How to Date Your Vintage Crystal Beads with Guest Blogger Suzanne Branca
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  • Favorite Tutorials of 2012
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  • Bead-weaving With Wire
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  • New Year's Resolutions: Beading in 2013
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  • Peyote Stitch and Spike Beads: Made For Each Other
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  • Featured Bead Artist: Beki Haley
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  • Learning How to Bead Isn't Just for Beginners!
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  • Socially Conscious Gift Guide
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  • Free Embossed Leather Earring Project
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  • Decorate Yourself For the Holidays
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Winter 2013
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  • How Has Jewelry Making Changed Your Life?
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  • Reader Photo Gallery Giveaway, Week 3: Show Us Your Best Crystal Beading Projects!
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  • Make This Resin Clay Heart Necklace!
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  • Stitch Pro: Coloring Braided Beading Threads like FireLine
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  • How to Choose Gemstone Cabochons for Jewelry Making
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  • Look What You Can Do With Brick Stitch!
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  • The Beading Stitches of Native American Beadwork
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  • Art Deco Pearl Earrings: Inspired by Downton Abbey
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for November 2012
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  • My Top Picks for Beaded Jewelry Design Resources
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  • Sign Up Now for Lori Anderson's Memories and Thanks Blog Hop
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  • My Favorite Entries in the Beadwork Magazine 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest
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  • A Free eBook Fit For a Queen, All About Pearls!
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  • Chain Maille Supplies from Blue Buddha Boutique
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  • 5 Basic Beading Terms
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  • It's Time to Think About Your Holiday Bead Crafts!
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Wildly Bohemian Blackberry Bush Kit of Beads!
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  • Coral Multistrand Necklace How-To
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  • What Makes the Perfect Gift?
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  • Fun With Fringe (Free Project!)
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  • Bead-weaving Stitches in Action: Choosing the Right Stitch For Your Beading Project
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  • Five Reasons to Love Seed Bead Patterns
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  • Four Beading How-Tos You Need to Know
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  • What's Your Favorite Type of Clasp for Bracelet Making Projects?
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  • NaSeBeMo 2012 - Join Me For Some Seed Beading Every Day!
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  • From One New Beader to Another
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  • Master Peyote Stitch with Melinda Barta
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  • When Wire Won't Behave
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  • Fun with the Easy Ear Wire Maker!
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  • Free Blooming Heart Mixed Media Jewelry-Making Project from Nunn Designs
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  • Beadwork, December 2012/January 2013
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  • How to Build a Portable Bead Studio
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  • Beading In the Lap of Luxury
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  • How to Bead For Halloween!
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  • Whip Up A Herringbone Stitch Rope With Some Texture!
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  • Beading the Odds: Beads of Courage (Part II)
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  • Beading the Odds: Beads of Courage (Part I)
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  • Easy Ways to Get Started Using Metals in Your Jewelry Making Projects
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  • 5 Secrets for Great Bead Embroidery
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  • It's Right-angle Weave to the Rescue With Our New Free eBook!
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  • Add Some Sparkle and Texture To Your Polymer Clay Beads!
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  • Stitch Pro: Circular Square Stitch
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  • 3 Easy Ideas for Making Large Hole Polymer Clay Beads
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  • Bead Chic with Beaded Beads
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  • What's Your Necklace Making Style?
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  • Editors Share Their Ergonomic Beading Tips
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  • Express Yourself With Bead Crochet
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  • Tribal-Inspired Fashion
    From beaded bags to full-size headdresses, the tribal-inspired trend dominated fashion blogs and retail catalogs last summer and has continued into fall. Just one fashionable beaded bracelet can be the perfect accent to that earth-toned outfit for an
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  • Behind the Scenes: Jewelry Stringing Project Editor
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  • Make a Wire God's Eye Pendant In Under an Hour!
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  • Meet a Chain Maille Genius
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  • Support Breast Cancer Awareness with Free Facebook Cover Art
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  • Bejeweled Halloween Ideas
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  • Reader Photo Gallery Giveaway, Week 2: Show Us Your Best Beaded Beads!
    This year, we've been treated to a whole series of great beaded bead projects in each issue of Beadwork magazine as part of their 15th Anniversary Celebration , so I thought it would be fun for the second week of our Reader Photo Gallery Giveaway
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  • CraftOptics Telescopes for Beading
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  • There's An App For That!
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  • Master the Art of Bead-weaving With Our New Free eBook
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  • Psyched for Spikes!
    Lately, I’ve been seeing some very inspiring beadwork made with spike beads—so inspiring, in fact, that I finally ordered some for myself. Beware: Designs incorporating these hot new beads are anything but subtle! Today, I share with you a
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  • Learning How to Bead: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
    One of the best gifts I ever gave to myself was when I signed up for my first series of lessons to learn how to bead. It was supposed to be a little reward to myself for finishing up my Bachelor's degree after ten years of working my way through college
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  • Favorite Picks and Projects from Handcrafted Jewelry 2012
    Before I discovered beads, I would make jewelry out of anything I could get my hands on. When we were kids, my sister and I made earrings out of thick watercolor paper, strung bracelets with buttons and thread, and spent hours on tiny needlepoint pendants
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  • Musings on the Beader's Stash
    While perusing some of the forums on Beading Daily, I noticed that "the stash" seems to be a popular topic. A reader posed the questions, “Do you buy beads more often than you use them up?” and “When you create, do you use
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  • The Hardest Part of Necklace Making
    Last weekend, I started a new necklace making project using a huge crystal stone and an antique Chinese carving I bought from the FamilyonBikes Etsy shop. Designing the focal point of the necklace was structurally challenging, but I had a clear vision
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  • Healing Power of Beads: The Traveling Bracelets Project
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for September
    I can hardly believe that it's already September! But here we are, autumn is coming here in the mountains, and I'm starting to stockpile beads and supplies for my beading and jewelry making projects to get me through the long, cold Adirondack
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  • Inside an Editor's Toolbox: 5 Must-Have Tools
    When I first began my job as an editor for Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines, I had no prior jewelry-making experience. I had no beads, no findings, no wire--nothing. My new coworkers helped me remedy that situation very quickly. The first thing
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  • Meet the Cinderella of Bead-weaving Stitches: Chevron Stitch
    Chevron stitch is one of those bead-weaving stitches that doesn't get enough attention, I think. It's an incredibly useful bead-weaving stitch that can be used to create simple beaded necklaces and bracelets as well as larger, more intricate,
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  • Use Basic Wire Jewelry Skills to Make a Fabulous Floral Collar!
    A couple of months ago, Jewelry Making Daily 's Tammy Jones wrote about a very cool stick pearl bracelet she made using wire and a metal cuff bracelet. When I saw her tutorial for her wire jewelry making project, I was inspired to finally use one
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  • Reader Photo Gallery Giveaway, Week 1: Show Us Your Best Bead Embroidery!
    One of the things I love about the Beading Daily online community is the Reader Photo Gallery . It's so inspiring for me to look in there every day and see all of the beautiful beaded jewelry made by the members of the Beading Daily community! You
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  • The Business of Selling Beaded Jewelry: Is Your Online Shop Ready for the Holidays?
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  • Beading Supplies I Love: Thread Catchers, Bead Mats, and Crafting Totes from Judi Patuti
    I love my little "corner office" where I have my desk, my computer, and my beading area set up. What I don't love is that because we have a large dog who gets into things, I have to constantly remember to empty my garbage can of thread scraps
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  • Spring Fashion Preview
    Here in the Jewelry Stringing office, we've been planning our Spring 2013 issue for quite some time now. In fact, a few weeks ago we released our Contributor Guidelines with all the info you need to know in order to submit your own jewelry designs
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  • Getting Started with Flat Peyote Stitch
    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
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  • Beading Supplies I Love: Kumihimo Beading Supplies from Tapestry Beads
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  • New Beading Tools for Flat Peyote Stitch from Deb Moffett-Hall
    Flat peyote stitch is a great bead-weaving stitch to know, but starting a new piece in flat peyote can be tricky, especially for a beginner. Those first three rows always seem to want to twist in on themselves, and if you're trying to work from a
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Beads from Red Panda Beads!
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  • 5 Bead Making Projects for Everyone - Even You!
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  • Enter a Beading Contest!
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Like Wire Wrapping? Try Wire Embroidery!
    These very cool 36 gauge copper sheets from Lilly Pilly Designs open up a whole new world of design possibilities! Chain stitch using wire makes a great decorative element when working with rustic style jewelry designs. I don't know about anyone else
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  • Jewelry Making Components and Supplies from Lillypilly Designs
    Lillypilly now offers a large selection of fine gauge copper sheets, perfect for mixed media jewelry making projects! The fine gauge copper sheets are available with both patina and embossed patterns on them. It's easy to stitch through the copper
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  • Free Beading Project: Leather Bubble Bead Cuff Bracelet
    I was so in love with this neon green Regaliz Greek leather from Antelope Beads that I wanted to make a cheerful yet modern beaded cuff bracelet with it. I adapted a technique I learned from both Sig Wynne-Evans and Gail Crossman Moore to create the little
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  • Where Will Kumihmo Take You? Everywhere!
    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
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  • Beadwork, October/November 2012
    Beadwork’s Oct/Nov 2012 issue boasts 23 fabulous jewelry designs made in your favorite stitches—peyote, herringbone, right-angle weave, and others. Plus, learn more about today’s most popular techniques, such as kumihimo braiding and beading with Tilas.
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  • Leather Supplies and New Metal Pendants from Antelope Beads
    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
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  • Fashion Trend: Gold Fever
    With so many recent styles pointing back toward yesteryears, it's no surprise that gold has hit it big as a primary metal in contemporary jewelry designs. I used to think of it as the metal of my mother's generation, but I've recently caught
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  • Beading Shops I Love: Bead & Glass Boutique of Pitman, New Jersey
    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
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  • Beadwork Magazine: The Best in Beaded Jewelry Design
    I can still remember what inspired me to create my first original beaded jewelry design . I was flipping through a book about antique jewelry, and one of the photographs caught my attention. It was an antique seed pearl necklace made up of three components
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Bead Fest Philadelphia, Day 1
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  • Use Wire to Bezel a Cabochon
    Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm addicted to cabochons. I don't know why I'm fascinated by them, but I am. The idea that you can take a jewelry making component without any holes, like a cabochon, and turn it into a piece of jewelry using bead-weaving and wire wrapping is still amazing
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Spring 2013 Jewelry Stringing Guidelines Posted!
    We have finally published our updated Contributor Guidelines for the Spring 2013 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine. A lot of thought and planning went into the themes for this issue and we can't wait to see the submissions that you all create! Read
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  • Making Great Steampunk Jewelry: A Brief History of Chain
    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
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  • August Vintage Bead Treasures from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club
    I have to say, since I've been receiving my monthly shipments of vintage beads and jewelry making components from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club , I really look forward to seeing what's in each month's box. I love the challenge
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  • Statement Jewelry: Bring on the Bling
    Lately I've noticed a growing number of jewelry designers are incorporating brightly colored crystals and other gemstones into their pieces. And this bling isn't just for playing dress-up: saturated pastels, electric neons, and lollipop-like hues
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  • 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
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  • Free Beading Project: Easy Wire Wrapped Cuff Bracelet
    I've really been getting into working with easy wire wrapping projects lately, and these two blank metal cuff bracelets from this month's A Grain of Sand Bead Hoard Curiosities Club just spoke to me as soon as I saw them. They wanted me to wrap
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  • How to Use a Color Wheel for Your Beading Projects
    Coloring in this color wheel on my own was a great way to learn more about color theory for bead-weaving. Choosing colors can be the hardest part of any beading project. For a long time, I just chose colors on a whim. If they worked together, I always
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  • Matching Your Favorite Necklace Lengths to Your Favorite Necklines
    After my last blog about ways to adjust your beaded necklaces to get the perfect fit, a couple of my co-workers here at Beading Daily asked me how I match up my necklaces with the different necklines of shirts. What a great idea for a blog!, I thought
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  • Sneak Peak of Fall Jewelry Stringing!
    The Fall 2012 issue of Jewelry Stringing doesn't hit newsstands until August 21st, but you can get a sneak peak into this exciting issue right now on the Jewelry Stringing site! A few of my favorite things about this issue: - Our contributors have
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Fall 2012
    In addition to 28 beaded necklaces, 20 bracelets, and 26 pairs of earrings, the Fall 2012 issue of Jewelry Stringing features a special shopping guide, which includes 100+ of our favorite new beads, findings, and tools. The projects in this issue are broken up into five exciting, themed galleries: Earthly
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  • Treat Yourself to a Little Crystal Bead Luxury and Celebrate Beading Daily's 5th Anniversary!
    That's right! Beading Daily is five this month! Five years of beading blogs, beading projects, beading techniques, making new beading friends, and gorgeous beaded art. We've had the likes of Michelle Mach, Jean Campbell, Leslie Rogalski, and the
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  • Glass Beads I Love: New Czech Gumdrop Beads from York Beads
    Are you ready for a sweet glass bead treat? York Beads in New York City has a new shape of Czech pressed glass bead ready for us -- the gumdrop! I got a sneak peek of these little lovelies last week, and now York Beads is ready to show them to the world
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  • Beading Books I Love: Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes
    So, when it comes to beaded ropes, you think you've seen it all, right? Think again. I've just seen a preview of Lark's latest book in their Beadweaving Master Class series, Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes. With this book, Jill has
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  • My Favorite Materials for Mixed Media Beadwork
    One of my long-standing obsessions is using found objects in my beaded necklace and beaded bracelet designs. When I inherited a portion of my mother's old jewelry after she passed away in 2008, I started thinking about ways I could use them in new
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  • Favorite Bead Stitches, 2012
    Beadwork Presents: Favorite Bead Stitches 2012 is back by popular demand . . . now with 34 more favorite Beadwork projects and 6 all-new quick-and-easy designs! This special issue is packed with 144 pages of stunning projects and clear instructions, carefully selected and conveniently grouped into 5
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  • Incorporating Sentimentality into your Jewelry
    I've had an idea for a particular necklace since I came back from Bead Fest Santa Fe last March. I had picked up these ceramic buttons and pendant from Antelope Beads 's booth with the intention of creating a sentimental piece of jewelry for myself
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  • My Favorite Seed Bead Patterns of 2011
    If you love seed bead patterns, 2011 was a very good year. Beadwork magazine's Designers of the Year included beading legends Carol Wilcox Wells, Sherry Serafini, Cynthia Rutledge, and Kelly Wiese. Beading pattern designers everywhere were pushing
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  • Getting Started with Chain Maille: 5 Things You Need to Know
    Chain maille is such a fascinating technique for jewelry-making, but I have to admit, I approached it with more than a little trepidation. Once I got started, though, the rhythm of opening, linking, and closing all those jump rings created the same soothing
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  • The Battle of the Beadsmith: How Not to Enter a Jewelry Competition
    Well, the first round of voting in The Battle of the Beadsmith competition ended last week, and the winners have been announced. Much to the surprise of many, my piece, Mother of Dragons, didn't make it into the second round. But, get this: it lost
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  • Learning to Use a Bead Spinner
    I know bead spinners are nothing new, yet today was my first time trying one. I've spent hours on various projects stringing one seed bead at a time. This is the tool, I've heard, that would have spared me those hours. Project Editor Kate Wilson
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  • How Do You Like Your Herringbone?
    When it comes to versatility in bead-weaving stitches , you can't beat herringbone stitch. I can't think of another beading stitch that offers so much variation! The thread path of herringbone stitch (also called Ndebele stitch because of its
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  • 5 Tips for Making Beautiful Wire and Bead Chains
    I've been doing a lot of wire jewelry making projects lately, thanks in no small part to my ever-improving wire jewelry making skills. I've discovered that just knowing how to make simple loops, wrapped loops, and jump rings can translate into
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  • Making Necklaces That Flatter: Why Necklace Length Matters
    When I'm working on a necklace making project for myself, I have to pay attention to the length of the finished necklace. I recently realized that I have quite a long neck for someone who is so short, so when I wear very long necklaces (like lariats
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  • Free Beading Project: Wire and Bead Chain Using Vintage Metal Beads
    I loved these curved metal beads from the July 2012 shipment of A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club. They reminded me of stringing macaroni onto yarn with my mother and sister when I was kid! But their lovely gold finish and their unusual
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  • Beads I Love: Vintage Treasures from the July Bead Hoard Curiosities Club
    July's shipment from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club held some fabulous finds! I couldn't take pictures of everything in the shipment (or we'd be here for a very long time), but I wanted to share a few of my favorites. (And
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  • Who's Afraid of Shaped Beadwork? Not Me!
    Beaded broad collars started popping up everywhere about the time that I started learning how to do bead-weaving, but I waited a few years until I really felt comfortable with the stitches before I started experimenting with shaping my beadwork. I was
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  • Battle of the Beadsmith: What I'm Learning from the Battle
    If you haven't seen it yet, there is some serious beady eye candy over at the Battle of the Beadsmith group on Facebook. Eighty beaders from around the world were selected to compete, and the finished beaded necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and accessories
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  • 5 Essential Jewelry Making Techniques from Tammy Jones
    Not too long ago, Tammy Jones wrote a great blog over on Jewelry Making Daily about five essential jewelry making techniques for jewelry artists . And it got me thinking -- while my primary interest for jewelry making still remains with my beloved seed
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  • The Battle Has Begun: Battle of the Beadsmith!
    You might remember about a month ago, I had set out to work on my entry for the sure-to-be-fabulous Battle of the Beadsmith, hosted on Facebook by Steven Weiss. The idea was this: Steven would pair up eighty of the world's best (and willing) beaders
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  • Letting Your Materials Speak for Themselves
    One of the greatest skills that a jewelry designer can develop is restraint. With the overwhelming array of amazing beads, findings, and components that are readily available, I have found that the most difficult part of designing a new piece is choosing
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  • Four Favorite Bead Crochet Projects!
    I'm not sure who it was that first thought it might be a good idea to string some beads on yarn before crocheting with it, but whoever it was probably knew that they had stumbled onto something good. Bead crochet ropes are perfect for showing off
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  • Make Neon-Dipped Beads!
    I'm a big fan of the dipped furniture/housewares trend. You know, when just the bottom of a chair or a bowl is dipped in paint. Here are some examples of what I mean: Table seen at homelife.com.au . Bowls from Wind & Willow Home. Chair from Folklore
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  • Three Ways To Incorporate Native American Beadwork Traditions Into Your Beadwork
    There's no doubt that for many of us, beading is a spiritual practice. For the Native Americans of North America, beads and jewelry were a particularly important part of their spiritual beliefs, and with the introduction of seed beads and smaller
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  • Beading Books I Love: Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry from Lark Books
    What do Jean Campbell, Marcia DeCoster, Jean Power, Rachel Nelson-Smith, Sherry Serafini, Nancy Cain, Diane Fitzgerald, Leslie Frazier, Margie Deeb, Kelly Angeley, Laura McCabe, Lisa Kan, Leslie Rogalski, and Melanie Potter, all have in common? In addition
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  • Got a Couple of Hours? Make a Bead Embroidery Ring with This Kit!
    Are you looking for a great bead embroidery project that doesn't take days to do? I've found one for you! During my last shopping spree in the Etsy shop of Lisa Peters Art , I snagged one of her new Mini Flower bead embroidery ring kits. I'd
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  • Seasonal Color Trends: Transition Jewelry Into Fall
    One thing I like to do every season is start planning my craft and jewelry projects for the upcoming season. I know it's only July, but I wanted to create some pieces I could wear this summer and then transition into fall. After reviewing some of
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  • Can't Get Enough Beaded Beads?
    If you're a regular subscriber to Beadwork magazine, you'll know that this year marks fifteen years of creative, beady goodness in the pages of my favorite beading magazine! And to celebrate, the editors at Beadwork magazine have come up with
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  • Bead Storage Shopping!
    When I get ready to start on a new project, I like to lay out all of my supplies so that I can see what I have to work with, and assess potentially interesting material combinations as I brainstorm. The only problem with this method is that by the end
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  • Gotta Bead Right Now? Try Right-angle Weave!
    The versatility of right-angle weave never ceases to amaze me. I can think of at least a dozen ways to embellish a single strip of this fabulous bead-weaving stitch . You can shape it without making complicated increases and decreases and just changing
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  • Bracelet Making: Three Special Bracelets in My Jewelry Collection
    I don't wear bracelets too often, even though I have bags of them in my collection of handmade beaded jewelry. Most of the time when I'm designing a new piece of beaded jewelry, I usually come up with necklace making designs, not bracelet making
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  • One Bead, Three Bead-weaving Stitches
    After my recent sojourn to Manhattan and my bead-buying binge at York Beads, I came home with an entire hank of Czech farfalle beads. The Czech farfalle beads were the original "peanut" shaped beads made in the Czech Republic with a technique
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  • Czech Glass Beads: My New Stash of Glass Beads - Spike Beads and Mushroom Beads
    I really picked out quite a nice haul during last week's trip to York Beads in Manhattan, and I'm so excited to share this first part of my new glass bead stash with you! I've loved Czech glass beads since way before I started bead-weaving
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  • My Top Five Picks for Great Earring Making Resources!
    Beaded necklaces are usually my first choice when designing beaded jewelry, but in the winter, I find myself hunting for some great beaded earrings to wear with my favorite cozy sweaters and turtleneck shirts. I find myself designing beaded earrings more
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  • Stars and Stripes Roundup
    I love celebrating the land of the free and the home of the brave! Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays for the patriotic spirit, the food, and the fireworks. Bonus: wearing red, white and blue--a chic color combo if you ask me! So I rounded
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  • It's Easier Than Ever to Get Started with Steampunk Jewelry
    Steampunk jewelry is one trend that doesn't seem to be going away any time soon! This wonderfully creative jewelry making style combines the best of the romantic Victorian era and the development of mechanized industry with just a touch of science
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  • SuperDuos vs. Twin Seed Beads: Which Do You Prefer?
    Twin seed beads: the original two-holed seed bead. New SuperDuo two-holed seed beads. After hoarding several colors of Twin seed beads over the last year, I nabbed my first sample of the new Czech SuperDuos during my visit to York Beads in Manhattan last
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  • New Beading Daily Bead-A-Long: Four Weeks of Beaded Bracelets!
    It's been a while since we've had a Bead-A-Long here on Beading Daily , so I thought it would be fun to cook up a whole month's worth of beaded bracelets for your summer beading pleasure! Beaded bracelets are the perfect summertime beading
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  • Five Common Jewelry Findings You Can Make Yourself
    When I'm out there selling my finished beaded jewelry, one of the points I like to talk about with my customers is how every piece I make is one-of-a-kind, usually right down to the findings that I use to assemble it. You might think that making your
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  • More Behind-the-Scenes Photos
    In a recent blog , Assistant Editor Chloe Chatenever shared a glimpse of how we shoot step-by-step photos for Handcrafted Jewelry at Interweave's in-house photo studio. Several days later, I attended a photo shoot with our associate art director and
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  • Polyvore Challenge and Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry Blog Celebration Weekend
    What would you wear with the jewelry pieces in the new book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry ? The book's authors, Erin Siegel and Lorelei Eurto, are giving away two of the necklaces in the book -- the Pompidou Necklace by Lorelei (featured on the cover
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  • Wish Necklaces Re-Imagined
    Try as I might, I cannot figure out why I thought it was necessary to buy 600 feet of pink embroidery thread to make one necklace when I was in Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. (I am claiming temporary craft-store induced insanity. We've all been there
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  • Give Any Wedding a Personal Touch with Handmade Beaded Wedding Jewelry
    More and more couples are choosing to add very personal touches to their weddings. Going beyond just picking that song for your first dance as husband and wife, it really is the little details that count when planning the perfect wedding. And that includes
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  • Bead Embroidery Supplies I Love: Lacy's Self-Adhesive Pattern Sheets
    If there were a twelve-step program for bead embroidery and bead embroidery supplies, I should probably look into it. Until then, I'll keep on stitching away on my bead embroidered collars, pendants and cuff bracelets. And to add to my addiction to
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Chain and Bezels
    This month's Beadwork magazine challenge was done by Melinda Barta, and features a kit of metal bezels and chain. This is what Melinda had to say about her design: "This kit was a real treat because it got me back into designing with resin, a
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  • What's Cookin'? Jewelry Making Ingredients from Your Kitchen!
    The only thing I like better than beading, is cooking. I could spend hours in my kitchen with my recipe books, my favorite set of knives, and my trusty cast iron skillet. And in a lot of ways, cooking is a lot like jewelry making: you need to master certain
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  • Want to Learn How to Weave Beads on a Loom? Mirrix Looms Can Show You How!
    I've been in love with my Mirrix beading loom ever since I took it out of the box back in 2009. It's a well-built, sturdy, and easy-to-use bead loom that can also be used for tapestry weaving. The other thing I love about Mirrix Looms is their
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  • The Beyond Beadery Road Show at York Beads, New York City
    One of the things I love about where I live is that while I'm nestled safely in the heart of the Adirondack mountains, I'm close enough to New York City that I can travel down for an occasional bead binge along 6th and 7th Avenues. And that's
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  • When Is a Gemstone Not a Gemstone?
    When it's a pearl, amber, or coral! Beads, cabochons and jewelry-making components made of these materials are generally classified as gemstones, but there are some important differences between a true gemstone and a pearl, amber, or coral. Pearls
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  • Seed-Bead Braids
    I'm Kate Wilson, Junior Project Editor for Jewelry Stringing and Beadwork magazines. I've been stringing beads for about 15 years, and now I'm jumping into beadweaving. However, I still love and will always continue working on stringing projects
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  • Don't Go Around in Circles with Circular, Flat Peyote Stitch
    Ah, yes. I can remember the first time I learned how to do circular, flat peyote stitch . I was making little peyote stitch needle cases, and I needed to create a top and bottom for the case. I can remember blindly following the directions without really
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  • How to Do Circular Flat Peyote Stitch
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  • Beadwork, August/September 2012
    The Aug/Sept 2012 issue of Beadwork offers 18 exciting, all-new jewelry projects for novice and advanced beaders alike. Featured topics and techniques include: shaping tricks, St. Petersburg stitch, geometric beading, bezeling with Tila beads, and more.
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for June
    This month's little box from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club was full of fun -- and very useful! -- vintage beads. I've always loved metallic vintage beads, and this month's hoard was full of beautiful metal and metallic
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  • Which Jewelry Findings Are Essential for Learning How to Bead?
    An important part of learning how to bead is learning which jewelry making findings will be most useful to you when it comes to making beaded jewelry that will last. I am always amazed at how the selection of jewelry findings at my local craft store has
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  • Free Beading Project: Bead Netted Bottle
    A very long time ago, when I first started beading, beaded bottles were very popular beading projects. Even though I loved making peyote stitch needle cases, it took me ten long years to discover how much fun stitching beaded netting is around a tiny
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  • Pantone Spring Color Bead Swap
    I love participating in bead swaps! I've already participated in three of Lori Anderson's fun Bead Soup Blog Parties, and I follow her and a couple of her beading groups out on Facebook. So when she asked for sign-ups for a Pantone Spring Color
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  • Want to Get Started with Wire? My Top Five Picks for Easy Wire Books!
    Who would ever have thought that I would become so enamored of working with wire? Certainly not me! Wire always seemed to be such an intimidating medium for jewelry-making, and wire jewelry was always something that I admired on other people, but never
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  • Let Them Eat Paint: Guest Blog from Artist Susan Tompkins
    One of my best friends is a wonderful mixed-media artist from Burbank, California. Even though our techniques and tools for making art are about as different as you can get, we both enjoy one thing: using color to make beautiful art. I'm always finding
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  • My Top Five Picks for Favorite Glass Bead Books
    The other night, I had a dream that I was browsing through a table of Czech glass beads , and they were all on sale for half off their marked price. Imagine how disappointed I was when I woke up, only to discover that there were no new beads in my stash
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  • Copyright 101 for Beaders: Know Your Rights
    Imagine walking into your favorite bookstore and buying a new book. You bring it home, read it, and decide that it's a pretty good book. It just needs a few changes. You type the whole thing out on your computer and add a few things, and maybe you
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  • The Poetry of Jewelry Making: Your Best Wire Wrapping Haiku Poems!
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  • Have You Tried Crystal Clay?
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  • The Great Jewelry Making Makeover!
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  • Summer Vacation Means Bead Crafts For the Kids!
    Memories of my summer vacations as kid include big bowls of fresh raspberries from my grandmother's garden, going for a drive to get ice cream with my parents, lazy days spent playing outside with my friends, and of course, spending lots of time doing
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  • Polymer Clay Bead Making: Expert Advice from Lisa Pavelka
    I am quite happy to report that I had so much fun with my last polymer clay bead making project, it appears that I have overcome my fear of bead making using polymer clay! I've been playing with all kinds of tools and techniques for bead making using
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  • Bead Substitutions in Seed Bead Patterns: What Works, What Doesn't
    Yes, I'm one of those people who sees a seed bead pattern in a magazine and just has to make it right away. No, there's no waiting around to place a bead order or head up to my local bead shop to see if they have the exact beads that are called
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  • The Great Thread Debate: Beading Threads for Bead-weaving
    The debate rages on among beaders as to which beading thread is the "best". Are you a fan of nylon beading threads, or have you cross over to the gel-spun fishing line-type threads? I've heard passionate discourse from both camps as to which
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  • What's Your Official State Gemstone?
    Almost every state here in the U.S. has a state flower, state bird, or some other symbol that represents the natural beauty found in that particular part of the country. Did you know that most states also have official, designated state gemstones? I did
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  • It's the Battle of the Beadsmith!
    A couple of weeks ago, I woke up one morning and discovered that I had been invited to participate in the Battle of the Beadsmith on Facebook . Created and run by Steven Weiss of the Beadsmith Company , the Battle of the Beadsmith is basically an elimination
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  • Work Table Wednesday: Vintage Treasures from A Grain of Sand
    This Wednesday, I had a lot on my beading table, but the two pieces that I wanted to share with you were a couple of beaded necklaces that I created using this month's vintage treasures from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club through A Grain of Sand
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  • Readers Share: Amazing Bead Embroidery!
    I'm sure I've told the story before, about how the first time I attempted a piece of bead embroidery I wound up chucking it in a drawer for two years before I had the courage to pick it up and try it again. Well, it's been a very long time
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  • Help Choose Our Next Bead Star!
    If you haven't yet taken a few minutes to check out all the gorgeous beaded jewelry entered in this year's Bead Star competition , now is the time to do it! (Voting ends on Monday, May 28th, 2012. For complete rules, click here .) Voting is easy
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  • Free Summer Anklet Project
    Just in time for showing off your tan legs and super-cute sandals this summer, I've created a fun anklet that you can make in a matter of minutes. The finished size of the anklet shown is 9 1/4". What you'll need: 11 dusty rose size 6°
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  • Beaded Jewelry Design: What's Holding You Back?
    I have a confession to make: even though I get paid to be creative, write about beads, and come up with new beaded jewelry designs, I'm pretty good at sabotaging my own creative work. There are days when I can find a whole list of excuses to send
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  • Have You Voted Yet? Times a Tickin'!
    Voting for our annual Bead Star 2012 competition is well under way, and time is ticking down to the end of the voting period! Make sure your voice is heard by casting your votes before the end of the day on Monday, May 28th. Browse through the categories
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Summer 2012
    In this special mixed-media issue of Jewelry Stringing , you will find step-by-step instructions for four easy, crafty techniques that you can use to customize your jewelry designs. Follow our in-depth Technique Focus tutorial to learn more about how to use bead cones, and browse through our collection
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  • What's Better Than One Free Peyote Stitch Pattern? Seven Free Peyote Stitch Patterns!
    Peyote stitch was not the easiest beading stitch for me to learn. After somehow making my first peyote stitch amulet bag using flat, even-count peyote stitch, I suddenly found myself completely bewildered as to how I actually worked the stitch. I spent
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  • Favorite Beading Supplies
    Do you have favorite beading materials? Those beads and findings you turn to again and again? In the Summer 2011 issue of Jewelry Stringing , I listed my must-have materials. Take a look! (Items are listed from top to bottom.) * Wood rounds. Wood beads
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  • Jewelry Business: Running a Business with Family with Guest Blogger Allison Korleski
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  • Going 'Round in Triangles With the Fabulous Jean Power
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  • Cast Your Votes for Bead Star 2012!
    Voting has officially begun for Bead Star 2012! Between now and May 28th, we are inviting all BeadingDaily.com members to peruse the designs in our 7 Bead Star voting galleries and vote for their favorites. The winning designs will receive prizes from
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  • Anyone Can Make Polymer Clay Beads...Right?
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  • Mixed Media Jewelry: It's Easier Than It Sounds
    When I was a kid, I was interested in making jewelry out of anything and everything. Some of my first handmade jewelry projects were made from not beads, but pieces of thick watercolor paper that I had cut into shapes, painted and sealed, and then glued
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Beads and Findings from Artbeads!
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  • Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for May
    Thankfully, this month's box o' beads from A Grain of Sand 's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club didn't send beads flying to every corner of the room when I opened it, but it did spark a whole new set of ideas for beaded jewelry projects! Just
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  • Resources for Newbies
    Are you new to jewelry making? Or perhaps a dabbler with the desire to take it to the next level? Well there are some fabulous resources available to help you learn some new skills. A great place to start would be signing up for a class at your local
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  • Wire Wrapping Tools for Survival
    Could you survive on a desert island with just three wire wrapping tools? No, it's not that old television show where a group of mismatched tourists gets stranded on a desert island with enough clothing and accessories to last them for years of misadventures
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  • The Perfect Gift for Mom
    Mother's Day is almost here, and it's not too late to start making something beautiful and handcrafted to let your mom know that you appreciate everything she does for you. Whether your mom loves to make or receive handmade beaded jewelry, or
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  • Use a Little, Use a Lot: Just Use Some Crystal Beads In Your Next Beading Project!
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  • Beads Get Spiritual: All About Buddhist Prayer Beads
    A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend morning and afternoon prayers with a group of traveling Buddhist monks from southern India, and learn more about Tibetan Buddhism, meditation practices, and traditional Tibetan medicine, art, and music. It was
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  • Happy Anniversary and a Giveaway!
    I can hardly believe it, but yesterday marked one year since I started at Beading Daily ! It's been such an amazing year, and I've thoroughly enjoyed all the writing and beading that has gone along with it. Time flies when you're having fun
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  • How Is a Seed Bead Pattern Like a Buddhist Sand Mandala?
    No, really, it's not a joke. I didn't want to start this blog with something like, "A Buddhist monk walks into a bar, and..." But really, did you know that seed bead patterns are actually a lot like Buddhist sand mandalas? Last week
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  • The Picture Perfect Beading Challenge is Ready!
    Sometimes, choosing the colors for your beading projects can be the hardest part of the whole project. A friend once suggested that I look to my photographs to create color palettes, so I pulled the colors for a beaded necklace design from a picture that
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  • Jump Start Your Wire Jewelry Skills!
    Learning how to swim is like learning a new jewelry making skill. You dip your toes in the water, then your foot, then you wade in until you're knee-deep. By the time the water is up to your shoulders, you realize you might just be in over your head
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  • Final Hours to Enter Bead Star 2012!
    You still have a few hours to enter your jewelry designs in our Bead Star 2012 competition! Upload your designs to our category galleries by 5pm EST this evening in order to be in the running to be our next Bead Star! One thing we love about the annual
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  • Free eBook: Learn How to Create Your Own Beaded Jewelry Designs
    "Where did you come up with the idea for that piece of beaded jewelry?" I hear that all the time when I'm showing someone a piece of my handmade beaded jewelry. And really, if you know where to look, you'll find beaded jewelry design
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  • Ideas for Making a Keepsake Necklace
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  • Amazing Ammonites!
    When I was a five-year-old in kindergarten, the teacher went around the room and asked what each of us wanted to be when we grew up. When she came to me, I stood up and proudly said, "I want to be a paleontologist!" What my teacher didn't
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  • Is Anyone Up for a Color Challenge?
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  • How Safe Are Your Beading Tools...Really?
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  • Avant Garde Jewelry
    When do you think the Bravo television network is going to create a reality show about jewelry making? After all, they have shows about pretty much everything else! (Potential show names: Project Bead Stash ... Inside the Beader's Studio...America's
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  • Beadwork, June/July 2012
    The June/July 2012 issue of Beadwork offers 19 innovative jewelry ideas from quick-and-easy to challenging. Get design tips and beading patterns from stitch pros, such as Diane Fitzgerald, Leslie Frazier, and Jean Power, plus learn 4 ways to bead bezels.
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  • I Have a Beading Blog: What Do I Write About?
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  • Making Mistakes: How to Correct Five Common Mistakes in Your Beadwork
    When I was learning how to bead, I made loads of mistakes. Nobody's perfect, right? And that goes double for me, especially when it comes to my beading. Now that I've been beading for many, many years, I'd like to say that I make fewer mistakes
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  • Social Market for a Mirrix is Back!
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  • Bead Table Wednesday: Beading Outside of My Box
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  • Basic Materials for Seed Beading
    I've long been an admirer--not a maker--of beadwoven jewelry. Recently, however, I've been inspired to try my hand at a few stitches, specifically ladder stitch, brick stitch , and peyote stitch . I've found the rhythm of stitching beads to
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  • Favorite Tips for Using and Caring for Your Pearls
    If there's one kind of natural bead that I can't get enough of, it's got to be pearls. I can't help it -- I'm seduced by their luster, their colors, and the softness that pearls give to my beading and jewelry making projects. When
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  • Make a Cabochon Bezel with Right-Angle Weave
    Making an open-backed bezel for a cabochon has certain advantages over making one using bead embroidery techniques. If you're using a transparent or translucent cabochon, stitching an open-backed bezel for it will allow light to pass through it and
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  • Inspired By Cabochons!
    When I was in Tucson back in February, some of my favorite purchases were the gorgeous cabochons that I saw popping up everywhere. Cabochons have always fascinated me as a beader, and I love figuring out new ways to incorporate them into my finished beaded
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  • Bead Hoard Treasure for April from A Grain of Sand
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  • Why Should You Use Right-Angle Weave?
    Right-angle weave is one of those love-it-or-hate-it beading stitches, I think, based on what I've seen from fellow beaders, and even from my own experiences designing beadwork. But right-angle weave definitely has its advantages when it comes to
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  • Adventures in Enameling
    I have been wanting to learn how to do torch enameling for a long time, and luckily for me, working on a project for the upcoming issue of Handcrafted Jewelry was the perfect excuse to try it out! Note: Do not attempt enameling unless you have the proper
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  • Do You Kumihimo?
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  • Channel Beads from Nunn Design
    While I was in Tucson, I had the pleasure of meeting Becky Nunn of Nunn Design and after I got home, she sent me a little sample of some of their newest products, including these awesome channel beads. The channel beads were meant to be used with resin
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  • Bead Table Wednesday: Enchanted Evenings by Laura Zeiner
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  • Free How-to Videos for Basic Techniques
    Do you know how to make wrapped-loop bails, tie lark's head knots, or use ribbon ends? If not, I invite you to view the free technique videos I filmed a bit ago. They're all housed on Beading Daily for easy access. We have 15 stringing-related
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  • Start With: A Simple Strip of Peyote Stitch
    I think pretty much everyone who learns peyote stitch makes one of "those" bracelets. You know the ones I'm talking about: a wide (or narrow) strip of peyote stitch, usually even-count, with a button clasp on one end. It's probably the
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  • Crochet Some Jewelry!
    I learned how to crochet when I was four or five years old. My mother and my grandmother had a seemingly endless supply of crochet hooks, yarn and ideas, and my sister and I grew up with a steady supply of warm, handmade crocheted sweaters, hats and vests
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  • Beaded Beads for Beadwork Magazine's 15th Anniversary!
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  • 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
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  • Readers Share: Beautiful Beaded Wedding Jewelry
    When my husband and I were planning our wedding, I remember not feeling nervous or jittery at all -- until some very helpful soul said to me, "You know, everyone is going to be watching YOU." I panicked for about thirty seconds before I realized
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  • Shell Pearls from Lima Beads
    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
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  • 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
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Kabela Metal Findings!
    I don't often work with metal beads and components, so this month's challenge kit from Beadwork magazine was a REAL challenge for me! Give us your best name for this beaded rope necklace! Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win this month's
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  • Lampwork Glass I Love: Evolving Creations Lampwork by Beau and Shani Barrett
    While I was visiting the Best Bead Show in Tucson this year, I happened to see a small booth set up near the entrance to the show, full of some of the most mesmerizing lampwork glass beads that I have ever seen! The young woman behind the counter was
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  • New Bead-Alongs Are Ready!
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  • All Buttoned Up: Use Some Buttons in Your Necklace Making Projects
    My first foray into jewelry-making came when I was five years old. My sister and I would dig through my mother's stash of buttons, selecting the brightly colored plastic and sparkling cut glass buttons to use for necklace making . We strung our button
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  • Enter Your Jewelry Designs in Bead Star 2012!
    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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • The Gemstones of Spring!
    It's almost spring, when a young beader's thoughts turn lightly to those of...new gemstone beads, of course! Spring is a time of renewal and fresh starts, so take a look through your bead stash and see if you have any of my top picks for the gemstones
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  • Starstruck at Bead Fest Santa Fe
    My first trip to Bead Fest Santa Fe was truly a whirlwind experience. Fellow editor Debbie Blair and I packed as much as we could into our brief time there (check out Debbie's visual re-cap of our trip in her recent blog post ). Between getting to
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  • What Does That Say? Understanding the Lingo of Seed Bead Patterns
    When my sister and I were kids, we assisted my mom when it came time to type up the directions to her knit and crochet projects. We quickly grew accustomed to the abbreviations and terms used in her patterns. How grateful was I when I started working
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  • New Vintaj Patina Ink Kits
    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
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  • Mad Men Inspired Jewelry!
    The wait is over! Season 5 of Mad Men premieres this Sunday. Are you a fan, too? Over the summer, my husband and I caught up on the series, so we're greatly anticipating the return of Don, Betty, Joan, Roger, and the rest of the crew. I admit: I'm
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  • Readers Share: A Bounty of Brick Stitch Projects!
    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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Free eBook: How to Make Money Selling Your Handmade Beaded Jewelry
    Have you ever imagined what it would be like to earn money doing something you love, like making beaded jewelry? A home based jewelry business is a great way to bring in extra income, and you don't even need to own a gallery or a shop to sell your
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  • Beading With a Buddy for National Craft Month!
    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"
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  • More Prizes in the Pass On Your Passion Giveaway!
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  • Free Santa Fe Themed Necklace Pattern!
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  • Which Wire Cutters Are Best For Me?
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  • Celebrate National Craft Month with Mirrix Looms!
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  • Free Bracelet Making Project: Make a Simple Bead Embroidered Cuff Bracelet
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  • Bead Embroidered Cabochons: Finishing Techniques for Bead Embroidered Cabochons
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  • My First Adventures in Chain Maille!
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  • National Craft Month: Pass On Your Passion and Win Some Goodies from Interweave!
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  • National Craft Month Challenge: Making a Color Palette of Beads
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  • Mix It Up a Little with Mixed Media Jewelry Making Techniques
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  • Free Beading Project: Knotted Freshwater Pearl and Lucite Bead Necklace
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  • Pearls We Love: Large Holed Freshwater Pearls
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  • How to Bezel a Cabochon with Peyote Stitch for Bead Embroidery
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  • Work Hard, Play Hard
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  • Beadwork, April/May 2012
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  • Captured Crystal Cubes Earrings
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  • What Can You Learn From Our Best Wire Jewelry Making Blogs?
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  • National Craft Month: Fusion Beads 30 Day Challenge
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  • Bead Table Wednesday: Downton Abbey-Inspired Beading
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  • Why Do You Love Beading?
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  • Things to Bead Around: Sticks from Lake Champlain
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  • Joining the Wrap Bracelet Craze
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  • Right-Angle Weave: Triangular Right-Angular Weave
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  • Chevron Chain Tutorial
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  • Gemstones for 2012: The Year of the Dragon!
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  • Tucson Beading Challenge: Lisa Kan Botanicals Handmade Lampwork Bead
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  • Bead Table Wednesday: Scatterbrained Beads
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  • Free Polymer Clay Beading Project: Mashed Up Hearts
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  • Mashed Up Hearts Polymer Clay Project: Raku Variation
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  • Beading Business: Three More Tips for Running Your Online Jewelry Shop, Part 2
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  • Margie Deeb's Spring 2012 Color Report is Here!
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  • How Color Determines the Mood
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  • Beading Business: Tips for Setting Up and Running Your Online Jewelry Shop, Part 1
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  • Bead Crafts: More Than Just Beaded Jewelry!
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  • Fast, Fun & FREE Necklace Project!
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  • Your First Seed Bead Stash: Buying Seed Beads When You're Learning How to Bead
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  • Give Me a Ring
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  • I Gotta Have That Beading Tool!
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  • Tucson Bead Shows 2012, Day Two!
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  • Earring-a-Day Challenge Recap: How Many Pairs of Earrings Did You Make?
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  • Tucson Bead Shows 2012, Day One!
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  • Tucson Treasures: The Year of the Dragon
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  • The Heartbreak of Tucson: Ancient Roman Glass
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  • Buffer That Bead! Protect Your Stringing Material When Using Lampwork Glass Beads
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  • Treasures from Tucson!
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  • Jewelry Stringing, Spring 2012
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  • Beadwork Origins: Native American Beadwork
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  • Making That Crazy Flat Odd-Count Peyote Stitch Turn
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  • Name That Beadwork: Win a Kit of Vintage Beads!
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  • The Science Behind the Magic: Jewelry Making with Electroforming
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  • Find Your Steampunk Style with Jean Campbell
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  • Finding the Zen in Polymer Clay Beads
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  • Work Table Wednesday: Purple Mandala Bead Embroidered Collar
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  • The Business of Jewelry: Choosing an Online Marketplace for Selling Your Handmade Beaded Jewelry
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  • How to Bead Your Own Jewelry Designs
    The first set of beaded rings came out exactly as I had envisioned them! The second set of beaded rings were destined for my UFO drawer. Oh, well! I have a friend who, as part of her New Year's resolutions, wants to become a beader who "does
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  • New Year's Resolution: Buy More Crystals, Wear More Crystals!
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  • Work Table Wednesday: Incomplete Beaded Earrings
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  • Your First Wire Jewelry Making Project!
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  • Beads I Love: Handmade Lampwork Glass Beads
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  • Wrapped Around Your Wrist: 6 Free Beaded Bracelet Patterns from Beading Daily!
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  • Beading Book Review: Beading the Creative Spirit by Rev. Wendy Ellsworth
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  • Beadwork, February/March 2012
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  • Work Table Wednesday: Bead Embroidered Collar
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  • The Well-Stocked Tool Box: Tools for Wire Wrapping (And More!)
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  • Freeform Peyote Stitch: Feels So Wrong, But It's So Right!
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  • Pearls Never Go Out of Style!
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  • Keeping a Sketchbook for Your Beaded Jewelry Designs
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  • Challenge Yourself for the New Year with Variations on Tubular Herringbone Stitch
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  • Learning How to Bead: How to Set Up Your Beading Area
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  • Embellish a Pair of Jeans with Beads!
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  • Beading New Year's Resolutions
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  • Make Bracelets Your Thing in 2012
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  • Explore the Elements of Jewelry Design
    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
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  • Beaded Chain Jewelry by the Light of the Moon
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  • Beading Business: How to Choose the Right Digital Camera for You
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  • Free Beading Project: Crystal Bead Chain
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  • Fashion Colorworks Beading Contest from Zoya Gutina and My Lovely Beads
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  • What's Your Favorite Bead for Jewelry-Making?
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  • Five Free Projects for Beading with Lampwork Glass Beads
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  • Favorite Bead Shops: M & J Trimming
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  • Enhance Your Creativity with Gemstone Beads!
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  • Favorite Bead Shops: City Beads
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  • Favorite Bead Shops: York Beads
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  • Chinese Crystal Beads
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  • It's Almost 2012 - Are You Ready for an Earring Making Challenge?
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  • Where to Find Free Beading Patterns on the Internet: About.com Beadwork
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  • Shopping for Beads in New York City!
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  • How to Bead Left Handed
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  • Favorite Bead Shops: Beads on Fifth
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  • Bead Shopping in New York City, Day One: Inspiration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
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  • Seed Beads We Love: New Twin Two-Holed Seed Beads
    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
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  • 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
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  • Gemstone Cabochons: How to Find Hundreds of Interesting (and Affordable) Gemstone Cabochons
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  • Free Beading Patterns: Where to Find Free Beading Patterns on Beading Daily
    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
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  • 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.
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  • 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
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  • Deck the Halls With...Seed Beads!
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  • 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
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  • Think You Can't Make Wire Wrapped Beads? Think Again!
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  • Hot Photo Tip of the Day: Crop Your Photos to Get Maximum Detail
    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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Bead and String Reference Chart Poster by The Beaded Phoenix
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  • How Do I Cover a Bead with Peyote Stitch?
    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
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  • Bead-weaving as Mindful Meditation - Can Bead-weaving Reduce Stress?
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  • Create Stunning Holiday Jewelry with Expert Advice from Margie Deeb!
    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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Necklace Making: Five Ideas for Designing Beaded Necklaces
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  • Bead Embroidery Supplies: How to Use Brass Bead Embroidery Blanks
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  • The Busy Beader: How to Organize Multiple Beading and Jewelry-Making Projects
    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
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  • 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
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  • Free Beading Project: Colorful Wire Wrapped and Crystal Earrings!
    This bright and cheerful wire-wrapping, wire-coiling teardrop earring project was designed by Lindsay Burke for Fusion Beads. With the upcoming holiday season, these would look great for all those office parties and family get-togethers on your busy calendar
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  • Project Accessory Bead Along, Week 2: Inspired by Swarovski
    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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • What's In a Name? Maybe a Free Beading Kit!
    The piece: a twisted herringbone rope accented with two lush tassels of fringe and a crystal flower centerpiece. Come up with the best name for this piece of beadwork, and you win the beading kit pictured below courtesy of Red Panda Beads! Sometimes I
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  • A Beaded Necklace For Halloween!
    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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Beads Plus Fibers Equals Fun!
    My little Mirrix bead and tapestry loom is a far cry from the huge floor loom my mom had when I was a kid, but it makes weaving so much fun! My mom had a floor loom for weaving fibers when I was a kid, and the thing was a monster. I can remember on more
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  • What Can You Learn From Beadwork Magazine's Designers of the Year?
    Beadwork magazine chooses some pretty amazing beadweaving artists to feature as their Designers of the Year. These artists teach internationally and are known for both their gorgeous beaded jewelry designs and their innovative uses of traditional off
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  • Choosing the Perfect Name For Your Beadwork
    Naming my beadwork is probably the hardest part of the whole process for me. A good name can mean so much when you are trying to convey an idea or a concept through a piece of beadwork or beaded jewelry. To me, choosing a good name for a piece of beadwork
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  • How Do I Master Beadweaving Stitches?
    When my friend came over to bead the other day, she asked me a very good question : How do I get to be fluent in a lot of different beadweaving stitches? She asked me a great question. It's nice to be comfortable enough with all of the major beadweaving
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  • Anyone Can Make Silver Jewelry - Really!
    Tammy Jones is the online editor of Jewelry Making Daily . From Jennifer: The closest I ever came to making silver jewelry was the time I decided to take a class in making sterling silver beads, but had to back out at the last minute because I couldn't
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  • My Color Journey with Margie Deeb
    This was the very first time I had to create a color wheel by myself! Margie gave me easy exercises to do that helped me become more comfortable using light, pastel colors. Then the fun came when I got to put together my own color palettes based on my
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  • Beading Challenges: Are You Ready For a Challenge?
    Look at all the goodies in this beading challenge kit from The Hole Bead Shop ! I was lucky to snag one! I can still remember my first beading challenge. I was still a relatively new beader, and I had only recently mastered peyote stitch. The owners of
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  • Four Free Steampunk Jewelry Making Projects!
    What is steampunk? Steampunk is a style that can be characterized as romantic yet edgy; industrial but artistic. Steampunk is the combination of your favorite science fiction book and your favorite romance novel with equal parts metal and lace. Steampunk
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Seed Bead Storage: Bead Tubes or Bead Boxes?
    A couple of my favorite seed bead storage solutions for tubes of seed beads. Back when I was still a baby beader, I ordered my seed beads from a paper catalog. (Wow. Imagine that!) The seed beads arrived in a small box, neatly packaged in plastic tubes
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  • How to Mark Your Place in a Peyote Stitch Pattern Plus a New eMag!
    Last time I was talking to you about peyote-stitch patterns, we were talking about the best way to learn how to read a peyote-stitch pattern. Reading a peyote-stitch pattern can be made so much easier if you have a firm understanding of the basic mechanics
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  • Free Project: Fabric Beads Make Fun Embellishments!
    From Jennifer: I love making my own beads out of just about anything. Earlier this summer, I started making fabric flowers that I turned into focal beads, and of course, embellished to within an inch of their lives with other beads. Cate Prato, our wonderfully
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  • Modern Beaded Necklaces from Ancient Designs
    I admit it - in addition to being a math geek, I'm also a history geek, particularly when it comes to the history of self-adornment and fashion. For me, knowing the history of a particular custom or fashion makes creating my own beaded necklaces that
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  • Beads Fit for a Queen: The Mystique of Freshwater Pearl Beads
    My Tallulah's Pearls necklace reflects the classic look of fine freshwater pearls. For hundreds of years, the only people who wore pearls were royalty and nobles, and later, the fabulously wealthy who could afford them. Today, the good news is that
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  • Beading Kits: Love 'Em or Leave 'Em?
    The packaging for one of the very first beading kits I ever bought, circa 2000. I can still remember the first beading kit I ever bought. It was for a pair of fringed brick-stitch earrings that looked like shooting stars. The beaded earrings were big
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  • What Drives You to Create?
    From Jennifer: I'm always fascinated by the process behind making art. The need to make art is so mysterious and so human that I want to find out from other artists what's behind their call to create. Helen Driggs, the managing editor of Lapidary
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  • The First Beading Daily Bead Along: Wrap Up and a Giveaway!
    Well, wow! I can't believe that it's been nearly a month since we finished the first Beading Daily Bead Along! It took me way longer to finish my piece than I thought it would, but here it is, and I love it. Here it is! My Net Full of Gems! If
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  • THOSE are Beading Supplies?
    Yep, we beaders are definitely a creative and thrifty bunch. When it comes to our beading supplies, there are lots of items that we "borrow" from other crafts that work just as well when it comes to our beloved beads! Recently, I discovered
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  • Do You Want to See Your Original Design in Beadwork Magazine?
    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!
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Beadwork, December 2011/ January 2012
    Celebrate the 15th Anniversary with the December/January issue of Beadwork magazine!
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  • Stringing Fall 2011
    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
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  • 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
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  • Stringing, Summer 2011
    Get great ideas for hot jewelry designs in Stringing Summer 2011! Packed with 70 beaded bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, this issue is brimming with inspiration. NEW THIS ISSUE is our thematic organization of projects. You'll want to check out Toggled Treasures (projects that use a toggle clasp
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  • Use Mixed Media Techniques to Make Your Handmade Jewelry Stand Out
    Let's face it: selling beadwork and beaded jewelry can be a tough business. Go to any craft show and look at just how many vendors are selling jewelry. You'll find that there are more and more jewelry vendors selling all kinds of handmade jewelry
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  • Embellish Your Viking Knit Chain with Beadwork!
    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
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  • Stringing, Spring 2011
    We're sure you'll be inspired by the 31 beaded necklaces featured in this project-rich magazine. All come with thorough step-by-step instructions so it's easy to recreate the best looks yourself. Short on time but high on creativity? Check out our feature about the best jewelry-making shortcuts
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  • Beading Instructions: Double St. Petersburg Chain Tutorial
    A couple of years ago, I started seeing this wonderful variation on St. Petersburg chain popping up in magazines and in finished beadwork on Etsy. I was never particularly fond of St. Petersburg chain, but double St. Petersburg chain makes a beautiful
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  • The Secret for Perfect-Fit Peyote Stitch Bezels? Brick Stitch!
    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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • 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
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  • Editor's Picks: Top 5 Resources to Teach Yourself How to Do Beadwork
    I've always been one of those "do it yourself" kind of people, particularly when it comes to crafting. I think it must run in my family because my grandmother, who never used any kind of books or patterns for her crochet, made beautiful
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  • A Special Connection with Crochet Traditions Magazine
    I come from a long line of crafters. When I was a kid, all of my sweaters, hats, scarves, and mittens were crocheted by my maternal grandmother, and all without a pattern! When my sister and I were kids, my mom, thinking she would keep us out of trouble
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  • Practice Your Basic Beading Skills With These Great Beading Projects
    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
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  • 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
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  • Finding the Time to Bead: 5 Tips for Time Management
    With a preschooler, a full-time job, a husband, a dog and a gaggle of chickens, there's always something for me to do at my house. And sometimes, sadly, the beading is the LAST thing to get done at the end of the day. But beading is important to me
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  • Alternative (and Affordable!) Gemstones for Your Jewelry-Making Projects!
    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
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  • Question of the Week: What is Your Must-Have Beading Tool?
    As my collection of beading tools grows and grows, I find that there are a couple of beading tools that I must have handy when I sit down to bead. My favorite scissors for cutting Fireline and Wildfire are a simple pair of Rapala fishing line scissors
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  • Get Caught Up in Beaded Netting
    Beaded netting is such an easy beadweaving technique, and one that I think is very often overlooked or ignored by beadweavers in favor of beading stitches like peyote stitch or herringbone stitch. It's been a favorite of mine for creating supple but
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  • 5 Tips for Learning a New Beading Stitch
    Being a (mostly) self-taught beader, I discovered the advantages and drawbacks of learning my beading skills from books and videos. (That was back in the Stone Age when all we had was a VCR!) It was easy enough for me to follow the diagrams and directions
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  • It's the Perfect Time to Learn About Wire!
    With my son starting preschool in just a couple of weeks, I've suddenly gotten nostalgic for all things back-to-school. Going back to school every September was always exciting for me - I was anxious to learn new things and see my friends after a
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  • Question of the Week: Advice for Beaders
    I discovered beading while my husband and I were living in a tiny apartment in Lake Placid, N.Y. I was still a college student, finishing up my degree in environmental science, and working as an intern in a small not-for-profit community development organization
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  • 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
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  • Free Beading Project: Renaissance Diamond Chain Collar
    I promised this free beading project a couple of weeks ago, and it's finally ready! The Renaissance Diamond Chain Collar is here! I had the idea for this collar floating around in my head for quite a while, and I wasn't quite sure how I was going
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  • Bead Along with Beading Daily: Getting Started with Beaded Netting
    So by now, I hope that you have all figured out what colors and materials you are going to use for making Linda Richmond's Net Full of Gems necklace for our first Bead Along! I've decided to use some white Howlite chips and some gunmetal lined
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  • Making Color Palettes for Your Focal Beads
    One of the challenges of working with handmade focal beads and cabochons is picking out which beads will go with it to create a harmonious color palette. There needs to be a balance between the main colors in the focal bead or cabochon and the accent
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  • Get Creative with Chain in Your Beading Projects
    I'm probably not the first person to mix chain and bead embroidery, but I certainly love it! I think the first time I saw chain and bead embroidery mixed together, it was in some of Diane Hyde's amazing Bead Punk pieces . I was totally inspired
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  • A Look at the Bead Fair in Hamburg, Germany with Guest Blogger Kerrie Slade
    A note from Jennifer: Kerrie Slade is a frequent contributor to Beadwork magazine, and is a member of our panel of artists and experts for our Question of the Week feature here on Beading Daily. Kerrie lives in Mansfield, England and recently had the
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  • Question of the Week: What's Your Favorite Type of Jewelry to Make?
    When I first started beading, all I made was amulet bags. This was back in 1999, and everywhere you looked beadweavers were creating beautiful, over-the-top beadwoven amulet bags. Sometimes I would make a pair of earrings to match a particular bag, but
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  • Get the Best of Both Worlds With an eMag
    Watch and learn exciting new jewelry-making techniques with Handcrafted Jewelry Studio eMag Living in a rural part of New York, I love how I can download a video or a digital magazine and start learning a new jewelry making technique almost instantly
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  • A Bouquet of French Beaded Flowers for a Wedding
    When I got married, I had to make sure that beads were a part of our special day! When my husband and I were planning our wedding back in 2003, I wanted beads to play a big part in our special day. I had planned on making the jewelry for my bridesmaids
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  • Beading Projects That Will Take Your Breath Away
    I love the days when I get the newest issue of Beadwork magazine. Those are the days when I treat myself to a cup of tea or hot chocolate, something yummy to eat, and I let myself take a couple of hours to kick back and read that magazine from cover to
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  • Bead Along with Beading Daily!
    I had so much fun participating in the Mirrix Weave-A-Long a couple of weeks ago that I've decided to have a Bead Along here on Beading Daily! What is a Bead-A-Long? A group of beaders get together (online, of course) to make the same project and
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  • The Peyote Stitch Patterns of Carol Dean Sharpe: Inspiration is Everywhere
    A note from Jennifer: There are two kinds of beading pattern designers in this world: those who can create gorgeous flat peyote patterns and those who can't. Carol Dean Sharpe, owner of Sand Fibers , is definitely one of those who can. Carole's
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  • Question of the Week: How Do You "Recharge" Your Creativity?
    As much as we all love beads and are constantly inspired by them, sometimes it helps to take a little creative break and step away from the beads (and the computer!) for a while. I practice yoga every morning before breakfast, and my morning stretches
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  • Learn Herringbone Stitch with Melinda Barta
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  • Bead Crochet - How Do You Start Your Bead Crochet Ropes?
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  • Look What You Can Do With Beaded Leaves!
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  • Question of the Week: What First Attracted You to Beads and Beadwork?
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  • Free Beading Pattern - Diamond Chain Bracelet
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  • 5 Tips for Buying Beads at a Bead Show
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  • Tips for Etching on Copper from Lexi Erickson
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  • 5 Tips for Better Beading Classes
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  • Question of the Week: What Does Your Beading Space Look Like?
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  • Pliers and Needles and Threads, Oh, My!
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  • Beadwork Projects Inspired by Vintage Jewelry Pieces
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  • Unique Uses for Wire Dangles in Your Beadweaving Projects
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  • Best of Step by Step Beads, 2010
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  • Tips for Perfect Crimps
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  • Tammy Jones' Top Picks for Gorgeous Resin Earring Projects
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  • What Are Your Favorite Colors for Beading Projects?
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  • What's Better Than Six Beaded Earring Projects? Six FREE Beaded Earring Projects!
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  • Free Beading Project: Pearl Embellished Peyote Stitch Beaded Bead
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  • Designer's Workpads Beading Mats Soon to Be Discontinued
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  • The (Not So) Humble Peyote Stitch Beaded Bead
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  • The String Me Along Beading Mat and Project Organizer
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  • Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Wire Jewelry...
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  • Question of the Week: What's Your Favorite Source of Inspiration?
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  • All Tied Up in Knots: 3 Tips for Tying Ornamental Knots
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  • Free Beading Project: Banded Flat Herringbone Bracelet
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  • What's Not to Love About Lucite Beads?
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  • Flat Herringbone Stitch with a Traditional Start
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  • Handmade Ceramic Beads and Cabochons to Heat Up Your Summer Jewelry-Making Designs
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  • Bead Emergency!
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  • Question of the Week: What's Your Favorite New Beading Product?
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  • 5 Tips for Clearing the Clutter from Your Beading Studio
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  • Free Project Friday: Jazzy Herringbone Bracelet
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  • Make a Personal Jewelry Statement with Bracelets
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  • Ask the Expert: Seed Bead Finishes Part 2 with Guest Blogger Beki Haley
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  • Ask the Expert: Seed Bead Finishes Part 1 with Guest Blogger Beki Haley
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  • Amazing Beaded Earrings and a Creative Challenge
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  • New Feature on Beading Daily: Question of the Week
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  • Spice Up Your Summer with Free Gemstone Beading Projects!
    Human beings have prized gemstones for hundreds of years. In addition to their natural beauty, gemstones have also been coveted for their perceived mystic powers. Gemstones are believed to help heal, bring good luck and fortune, and enhance the abilities
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  • Five Tips for Better Peyote Stitch Bezels
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  • Jean Campbell Answers Your Questions About Being a Beadwork Magazine Designer of the Year
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  • Easy Ways to Make Your Own Clasps with Wire
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  • Interesting Bead Trivia and a Resource for the Rest of Us
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  • Help for Getting Out of a Bead Weaving Rut
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  • Beading Threads - Why (I Hope) Nymo Beading Thread Will Never Go Away
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  • BeadBacking for Bead Embroidery
    Nicole's BeadBacking in an assortment of colors If you love to do bead embroidery, I've just discovered a bead backing that beats out everything else I've ever used: Nicole's BeadBacking. This bead embroidery medium was developed by bead
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  • Easy European 4-in-1 Chain Maille Technique
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  • Making Waves with Herringbone Stitch, Part 2: Elegant Undulations
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  • Making Waves With Herringbone Stitch, Part 1: Wavy Herringbone Stitch
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  • Five Fabulous New Seed Bead Projects in the Beading Daily Shop
    Seed beads are beautiful. And not just because they're little and shiny - for me, the beauty of seed beads lies in the fact that you can do so much with them! Sure, you can string them all by themselves or stitch them together in a simple peyote stitch
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  • My Favorite Beading Tool for Jewelry Making - Looping Pliers
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  • The Many Variations of Herringbone Stitch
    Simple herringbone ropes can be braided together to make easy and striking jewelry Dramatic curves can be achieved in flat herringbone stitch by using different sizes of beads Beadweaving is like magic to me. You sit down with a pile of seed beads, some
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  • Beaded Straps and Cords and Fringes...and a Giveaway!
    So, the first thing that you should know about me is that I'm a total cabochon freak. I love beading with cabochons. One of the things that I always find to be a fun challenge when I'm stitching up a beaded cabochon necklace is what kind of fringe
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  • The Healing Power of Beads
    Anyone who has ever enjoyed working with beads can’t deny the simple fact that beads have some sort of healing power. There’s just something undeniably life-affirming and uplifting about the joy that you get when you sit down with your beads
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  • Viking Knit: Or How I Learned to Love Wire Jewelry
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  • Using Double-Needle Right-Angle Weave to Create Vintage-Inspired Beaded Beads
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  • Get Creative with Bella Beaded Jewelry and the Interweave Hurt Book Sale
    I loved the idea of using these sparkly fibers to make some easy Italian-style beaded jewelry! Every once in a while, I feel like I need to take a break from beadweaving . Don't g et me wrong, beadweaving will always be my first love when it comes
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  • Beading Needles I Love: New Tulip Brand Beading Needles from Japan
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  • Inspired by Texture: Easy Ways to Personalize Your Own Metal Clay Pendants and Clasps
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  • Because We Just Can't Get Enough Beaded Necklace Designs
    I don't know what it is about necklaces, but I make more beaded necklaces than any other type of beaded jewelry. So that's why I'm excited to reintroduce this eBook: 7 Free Beaded Necklace Designs . There is a great variety of necklaces inside
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  • 4 Easy Ways to Personalize Your Beaded Jewelry
    Jean Campbell gives 4 great examples on how to personalize your jewelry designs
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  • Bead Star 2010
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  • You Can Never Have Enough Beading Projects!
    I'm the first to admit that when it comes to my beading projects, I suffer from a severe case of B.A.D.D. (Beader's Attention Deficit Disorder). I start a new project and then something pretty catches my eye - a little pack of Czech fire-polished
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  • One Hour of Instruction from Jean Campbell for Ten Cents!
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  • How to Design Asymmetrical Earrings
    Try your hand at working with mismatched earrings to learn the secrets of asymmetry
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  • An Entire Year of Beadwork Magazine on CD
    I'm one of those people that have resisted buying any kind of e-reader because I like my books and magazines in print. I like the pages and the smell of the ink on a fresh magazine. The only thing I don't like about my back issues and books is
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  • Use Peyote Stitch and Herringbone Stitch to Make a Triangle-Shaped Cabochon Bezel
    Learning peyote stitch opened up a whole new dimension in beadwork for me. I felt like one of those cartoon characters who suddenly gets superhuman powers, then sits back and cackles and says, "Now I will RULE THE WORLD!" Maybe peyote stitch
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  • Jean Campbell's Top 6 for Summer Beading
    Jean Campbell has her sights on summer beading with her Top 6 from the Beading Daily store.
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  • Do It Yourself Tarnish Removers for Your Favorite Sterling Silver Beads and Findings
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  • Professional Finishing Techniques for Pearl Knotting
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  • Learn How to Add Fiber to Bead Loom Projects
    Learn how to add fiber to bead loom projects
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  • Try Some Easy Wire Jewelry Making Projects
    Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a huge fan of working with wire (except for the projects I made from Rachel Nelson Smith's fabulous book, Seed Bead Fusion .) But sometimes it pays to know your way around a set of wire-working tools, especially
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  • What's Your Favorite Bead-weaving Stitch?
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  • Q&A with the Authors of Handcrafted Wire Findings
    Q&A with Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson, authors of the brand new book, Handcrafted Wire Findings
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  • Beadwork, October/November 2011
    Whether you're looking for an elegant dangle necklace or glamorous stitched earrings, you'll be sure to find it in the October/November issue of Beadwork magazine.
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  • Time to choose our 2011 Bead Stars!
    Every year, Interweave’s annual Bead Star competition gives beaders a chance to shine, and it’s time to choose our 2011 stars! The submissions for our fourth issue of Bead Star have been pouring in for months, and we’ve been blown away
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  • What Inspires Your Jewelry-Making?
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  • The Beading Community Speaks Out
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  • Our Top 3 Beading Library Essentials
    There is only one thing better than cracking open a new beading book, watching a brand-new beading DVD, or downloading a beading resource that you can't wait to use: sharing the experience with friends. Explore our top picks from the Interweave store
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  • Beadwork, August/September 2011
    Packed full of stunning seed bead stitched projects the August/September 2011 issue of Beadwork covers so many topics including easy peyote-stitched tube jewelry, our first ever Albion stitch project, and the winners of the Beadwork VII Challenge: The Beaded Earth are revealed!
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  • The Secret Ingredient to Firm and Protect Beadwork
    Learn how to use acrylic floor finish to firm and protect beadwork designs
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  • Riveting: Helen Driggs Shares Her Favorite Cold Connections
    Salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, flowers and chocolate (especially dark), all these goodies go hand in hand just like metal magic and Helen Driggs! She amazes me with all the different types of creations she comes up with using metals. And since
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  • Shhh, Don’t tell . . . Jewelry-Making Secrets from Kristal and Marlene’s DVD
    TV . . . It's a glamorous life . . . so they say! Marlene Blessing (Editorial Director, Interweave Books) and I recently had a taste of that life, and we're here to tell you a little about behind the scenes of that so called glamorous life! While
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  • Indulge Yourself with Favorite Bead Stitches
    Many of you know that I'm a glutton when it comes to learning, especially anything that concerns beading. I love storing facts and figures about the history of beadwork, bead manufacturing, and the business of beading. But my very favorite way to
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  • Six Steps to Perfect Wrapped Loops
    One of the best ways to feed your need to bead is to try out new ways from established pros. Jean Campbell fits the bill on that! I love trying out her tips, and her six steps to perfect wrapped loops is no exception. I’ve always had those little
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  • Our Readers Don't Fool Around: Best Tips From Our Readers
    Beaders are a generous group. They share beads, tips, even their chocolate on occasion. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Beading Daily is the community. There are fun beaders, serious beaders (who don't fool around) and everything in between.
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  • Super Beadwork, June/July 2011
    Looking for a treasury of beautiful seed bead jewelry projects to delight and entertain you? It's all here in the June/July issue of Super Beadwork. You'll love this 26-project collection of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in your favorite beading stitches and techniques, including peyote
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  • Get a Jumpstart on Bead Studio Spring Cleaning
    Jean lists 3 easy ways to get started cleaning your bead studio
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  • Beaded Cake Boss
    I have to give a big shout out to Katie Dean and her FAB beaded cakes. She sent me the cutest cake customized for Bling (my puppy) trimmed in pink (her fave color)...To die for, seriously! I asked Katie to tell me a bit about herself and the lovely beady
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  • Kristal Wick's Bon Voyage Giveaway!
    It's time for this beady gal to set sail! I am leaving Interweave as the Beading Daily editor. It's been more than delightful sharing our morning coffee each day, dishing all things beady, and I thank all my beady peeps for joining in. We've
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  • More Waves With Sharilyn Miller’s Wire Art Jewelry Workshop
    I love hooking up with other author/designers and chat about creativity. I really enjoyed my visit with Sharilyn about her new book/DVD set, Wire Art Jewelry Workshop . Here's more fun tidbits about wire jewelry from Sharilyn. " Everyone asks
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  • Make Some Waves With Sharilyn Miller’s Wire Art Jewelry Workshop
    One of my new fave books is Sharilyn Miller's Wire Art Jewelry Workshop . I love all things dipped in the ocean and basking in the sun, especially when it comes to jewelry. Sharilyn teaches you how to make fun jewelry you can not only wear to the
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  • New Free eBook: 4 Free Native American Beadwork Patterns Plus Bonus guide!
    Having grown up in Minnetonka, Minnesota (yes, where Tonka trucks and Minnetonka Moccasins are born), now living in Colorado, I've been surrounded by Native American influences all my life. I remember stumbling upon old redware pottery shards and
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  • Lucky Beading Giveaway Winners Announced
    CONGRATS to the following stranded island beaders: Xoko, MIssRubyAnn, cbreul, AnnM@94, AddictedToBeads for winning our recent "Stranded on an Island" giveaway. Look what the lucky jewelry makers won: Entire package of Beadstoppers from www.Beadstopper
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  • 3 All New Designs to Bead on Vacation
    What are you taking on your spring vacation? Try out these 3 all new projects from the Beading Daily store.
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  • Metal Maven Helen Driggs Shares Some Jewelry Making Insights
    When you think of metal jewelry-making mavens, Helen Driggs, Senior Editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist comes to mind. I took a moment to chat a bit about the magazine and I'd love to share with all you beady peeps! Helen had a lot to say when
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  • Helen Driggs Shares More Jewelry Making Insights
    Here's more of my chat with Helen Driggs, Senior Editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist . Q: What's your fave project in the upcoming April issue? A: I have to pick the Sagenite Pendant by Roger Halas. I love purple, and those notched bezels
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  • 5 Simple Steps to Make Your Own Bling Ring Jewelry
    I feel there's a very fine line between "normal" interest and obsession. In the beading world this line isn't thin, fine, or slightly fuzzy, it's darn near invisible! So, I'm sure many of you can relate to crossing over this
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  • 3 Easy Ways to Hang a Pendant
    3 Easy Ways to Hang a Pendant
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  • Behind the Scenes with Martha, Kristal Wick, and Beaded Bracelets
    I don't know about you, but I LOVE behind-the-scenes pictures and stories. They're like a secret peek into something more...the inner sanctum, where the magic happens! I love bloopers and outtakes from movies. It's great to see that everybody
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  • BEADY BLESSINGS!!!
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  • Learn Metal Clay from the Pros Who Know!
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  • How to Use a Coiling Tool
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  • Is Your Jewelry Design Finished? 5 Tips to Help You Decide
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  • How to Attach Metal Clasps to Beadwork
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  • Beadwork's Pattern Play Challenge Winners
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  • How to Package Your Designs for Bead Shows or Magazines
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  • Rarity, Beauty, Durability: Gemstone Truths or Myths?
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  • Create a Seed Bead Necklace with an Interchangeable Pendant
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  • How to Add Thread Mid-Project: Tips and Video
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  • 7 Ideas for Displaying Earrings
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  • 6 Top Tips for Making Mixed Media Jewelry
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  • 10 Favorite Tips, Techniques, and Projects from Beading Daily
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  • Flower-Inspired Challenge
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  • 5 Free Beaded Necklaces: New Beading Daily eBook
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  • Learn St. Petersburg Chain
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  • Join Beading Daily's First Earring Swap
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  • The Secret to Perfect Thread Tension
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  • Try This Unusual Daisy Chain Variation
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  • 7 Ways to Turn a Jewelry Shopper into a Buyer
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  • From Seed Bead Circle to Spiral Peyote
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  • 5 Ideas for Kid-Friendly Beading Projects
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  • Create Chain with Wire, Beads, or Yarn: 10 Ideas
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  • Spiral Peyote
    Add an automatic twist to a peyote tube by using a pattern of varied bead sizes.
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  • Say What You Want: Add Words to Your Beads
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  • Learn Bead Speak with This Free Crossword Puzzle
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  • How to Sell Your Projects to Creative Jewelry
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  • Free Project: Modern Wire and Crystal Bracelet
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  • Brass, Copper & Pewter: Using Low-Cost Metals in Jewelry
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  • Do You Bead Green?
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  • New Free Earrings eBook
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  • How to Use a Drill for Jewelry Making: 3 Ideas
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  • Denise Peck's Easy Peasy Wire Wraps
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  • Do the Twist with This Free Seed Bead Bracelet
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  • Intermediate Wire Tips from Dale "Cougar" Armstrong
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  • Hurray for Herringbone: Free Project & Technique Tips
    Almost all the instructions I'd seen for flat herringbone stitch projects started with a base row of another stitch, usually ladder stitch. So when I saw today's free project, I was momentarily flummoxed. Begin herringbone without ladder stich? I felt like the Peanuts character Linus must have
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  • Create a Beadwork Portfolio
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  • Free Metalwork Earring Instructions
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  • Create with Patterns: Enter Beadwork's New Contest
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  • Why Simple Designs Aren't Always Simple to Make
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  • Plotting Your Next Bead Adventure
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  • Saving Money On Production with Cynthia Deis
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  • 6 Expert Tips for Creating Marbled Polymer Clay Beads
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  • Ancient Modern Polymer Clay Design Challenge
    To celebrate the publication of the new book Ancient Modern by Ronna Sarvas Weltman, we are hosting a design challenge. Be sure to check out our contests page for lots of other opportunities to win! To enter, design one original polymer clay bead (any
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  • Transform an Ordinary Wire Bracelet into a Pretty Pendant
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  • How to Make Your Own Jump Rings
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  • 3 Ideas for Jewelry Bails, Plus Free Project
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  • Beadwork Pattern Play Challenge
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  • Express Your Personality with Beads
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  • Do You Torture Your Beads?
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  • Learn Triangle Weave
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  • Inside Scoop on 3 Hot Bead Trends
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  • Meet the Semiprecious Beads Design Contest Winners
    Many thanks to everyone for sending in just under 100 exciting entries to our Semiprecious Beads Design contest. It was not easy to choose just three winners, but ultimately Leslie Rogalski of Step by Step Beads and I both agreed wholeheartedly on why we selected the ones we did. Every winning piece
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  • Ribbon Challenge - Beading Daily Readers
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  • 5 Tips for Using Dimensional Adhesive Glaze
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  • Wedding Jewelry Ideas from a Bride-to-Be
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  • New: Free Wire Jewelry Ebook
    A Lifetime Supply of Wire When I started working with wire, my local bead shop talked me into a 20-foot spool of silver craft wire for practicing wrapped loops. I left there convinced that I had bought a "lifetime" supply of wire. It took me
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  • Make Beautiful Polymer Clay Beads
    A couple months ago Beading Daily’s Michelle Mach sent me a book she wanted me to check out—she was very excited about it. But it never arrived--I think my crafty neighbor must have swiped it (Eileeeen!!). I’ll have to admit, I was secretly relieved because Michelle told me the book was about polymer
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  • Learn Odd-Count Peyote: Free Video and Tips
    Do you think odd-count peyote is a wicked ol’ stitch? Does the extra time and tangle to make that quirky figure-8 twist at the end of every row just burn you up?
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  • Create a Beaded Journal
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  • Organize Your Bead Studio
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  • Miracles, Sea Urchins, and Other Unusual Beads
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  • Create These Easy Crystal and Seed Bead Earrings
    I've been looking for an earring project for an April birthday gift and this week's free project from Step by Step Beads, Crystal Corona Earrings, is perfect. The materials (crystal bicones, seed beads, ear wires) are common ones you're likely to have in your stash already or could easily
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  • How to Stitch an Easy Spiral Rope
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  • 3 Ways to Mix and Match Bead Designs
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  • Are You a Bead Snob?
    I met a well-known bead designer last year who confessed that she sometimes enjoyed mixing high- and low-end components together--beads from her local craft store with some high-end silver or handcrafted art beads or findings. I admitted to her that I did this, too. Looking back, it's funny how we
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  • More Beyond Beadery!
    Did you enjoy Marlene Blessing’s profile of Betcey Ventrella’s beaded beginnings (Beadwork, April/May 2009, page 44) as much as we did?
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  • Six Steps to Perfect Wrapped Loops
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  • Getting Started with Metal Jewelry: Your First Tool
    If you’ve been a beader or wire jewelry artist for quite some time and have mastered a repertoire of techniques, chances are high that you might get the urge to go beyond beads to try your hand at some simple metalwork. I made bead and assembled jewelry for more than 20 years before I touched a torch
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  • Create an Artsy Pinwheel Necklace
    Have you ever created a necklace with more than one focal bead? When I saw Katie Hacker's free Perfect Pinwheels necklace from Beadwork, I admired how she managed to use more than one large bead in her asymmetrical necklace. While I've combined smaller beads together to make larger pendants,
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  • 3 Easy Mixed Media Jewelry Ideas
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  • 3 Quick Tips for Dealing with Wire Warts
    If you're going to rate pesky problems in wire work, this one rates pretty high. Yes, wire warts are just what you think: those nasty little marks on the wire made with your pliers. After putting your best creative and technical skills into your design, it is so frustrating to see those unwanted
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  • Free Loomworked Bracelet Project Instructions
    I love square stitch. I just finished two square stitch projects--a crazy lavender/lime green/orange/black bracelet for the June/July Beadwork challenge (pictured here) and a heart-themed square for the Bead-It-Forward annual fundraiser.
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  • Jean's Top 4 Bead Trends for 2009
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  • Free Video: Learn Peyote Stitch Today
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  • Bargain Basement Beauty: Create This Necklace Under $25
    Of course you can! The real challenge is to design something for that amount that looks like it came from a pricey boutique--or Stringing magazine. Danielle Fox, Elizabeth Murray, and I all took the challenge for the Spring 2009 issue. I had so much fun, I decided to make a second "under $25"
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  • Even-Count Peyote Stitch
    Free Even Count Peyote Stitch Video String an even number of beads; these make up the first 2 rows. Six beads are shown here. Tip: Run a long needle through every other bead and make the “in” and “out” beads easy to identify. String
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  • Odd-Count Peyote Stitch
    Odd Count Peyote Stitch Here’s a cool trick to make odd-count peyote as easy as even-count peyote. String the first two rows (beads 1-5). String the first bead in the next row (bead 6) and work peyote stitches back towards the tail (bead 7). Pass
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  • Peyote Stitch
    There are a number of variations of peyote stitch: Flat peyote stitch Even-count flat peyote stitch Odd-count flat peyote stitch One-drop peyote Two-drop peyote Circular peyote stitch Spiral Peyote Tubular peyote stitch Brick Stitch and Peyote Stitch
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  • Circular Peyote Stitch
    For circular peyote stitch, string 3 beads and form the first round by passing through the first bead. For the second round, string 2 beads and pass through the next bead of the previous round; repeat twice. To set up for the third round, pass through
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  • French Wire
    French wire (a.k.a. bullion or gimp) is a fine coil of wire that protects the connecting loop of beading cord or wire where it attaches to a finding. To use, string a bead or crimp tube, a small length of French wire, and the finding; pass back through
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  • Are You Ready to Teach Beading?
    If you've been beading for awhile, chances are someone has asked you to teach. You might hate the idea, or maybe you're like me--intrigued, but clueless. How do you make that leap from student to teacher? Luckily, the generous instructors at Bead Fest Santa Fe offered to share their tips and
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  • New: Enter the Semiprecious Beads Contest
    When you're starting out, it's easiest to string one or two types of beads together. Combining three or more can be tricky. You'll need to juggle multiple colors and possibly different shapes and sizes. Because of the design skill involved, I thought it would make a great Beading Daily reader
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  • Design Challenge: Designing Jewelry with Semiprecious Beads
    Designing Jewelry with Semiprecious Beads Design Challenge To celebrate the publication of the new book Designing Jewelry with Semiprecious Beads by Kim Gover, Beading Daily is hosting a design challenge! Rules • You must be a member of Beading Daily
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  • Right-Angle Weave
    There are two types of right-angle weave that produce the same finished beadwork, but that use different thread paths. Some people may use the term "cross-needle weaving" to describe double-needle right-angle weave. Single-needle right-angle
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  • Beading Techniques, Tools, and How-To Articles
    Check these pages for instructions, illustrations, related articles/magazines/books, and occasional videos on how to create jewelry, whether you favor bead stitching, stringing, or wireworking. You'll also find links to selected articles on selling
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  • Fun Ways to Combine Semiprecious Stones
    Admit it. You’re interested in the healing properties of semiprecious stones. You may think the notion is a known fact or a bunch of garbage, but when someone mentions it, you either *** your ears or raise your hackles.
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  • The Colorful Possibilities of Semiprecious Stones
    To show the vast possibilities of shape, color, and texture available in stones I made a scramble through my stone bead stash. I’ve arranged these stones in little groups with their color families—red, blue, yellow, green, orange, and purple. Isn’t it amazing to see the wide variety of colors within
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  • Quick Beaded Valentine Cards, Plus New Reader Gallery
    The first reader gallery of 2009 includes designs by 35 readers from all over the world, including Mexcio, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Germany. From simple strung necklaces to a Victorian-style beaded bag with size 15 beads to a bead embroidered pin, you'll find something to love in this gallery
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  • Create on Cue: 4 Tips to Reduce Beading Stress
    If you look at my current resume, there isn’t a section called Rewards. No presidential citations or even an “Employee of the Month” award. I’d put them on there if I had any… Well, I guess in the sexist 70s the high school band voted me “Best Legs”, but I’m not sure that would add to my credentials
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  • 5 Reasons to Love Glass Beads
    To my delight, an advanced copy of my new book, Create Jewelry: Glass, arrived a couple of days ago. It’s been nearly a year since I finished making the projects and writing the instructions. Seeing the projects in print brings back memories of just how much fun this book was to make. Of the four books
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  • Free Netted Gemstone and Seed Bead Necklace
    I like experimenting wtih non-seed beads for beadweaving, so I was intrigued--and a little frustrated--when I saw the photo for this week's free project, Net Full of Gems by Linda Richmond. As you can see, the white necklace with seed beads and white gemstone chips is on a white background, making
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  • Romantic Beaded Fringe: 3 Lacy Techniques
    It was Valentine’s Day, 1985…my husband and I had been dating for a couple years…and this was the day I knew romance, poetry, and flowers wouldn’t be a big part of our relationship: He gave me a bottle of red-colored Listerine.
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  • Beads, Baubles, and Jewels TV: Behind the Scenes
    A few weeks ago, we taped thirteen segments for the 2009 spring season of the PBS-TV show Beads, Baubles & Jewels, which airs in June. Our theme this time was “Taking your jewelry-making to the next level,” and all our final projects and step-outs were completed immediately following the holiday
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  • How to Finish (or Start!) Viking Knit
    Last weekend I took a break from my beads and tried my hand at Viking Knit, a type of wirework that creates beautiful wire cords that you can fashion into bracelets and necklaces. For months, I've been admiring some Viking knit bracelets the same way I admire a wonderful painting: Wow, I wish I could
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  • 5 Shopping Tips for the Tucson Bead Shows
    Usually the weather in Minnesota at this time of year makes people cuss and throw things. But I’m happily whistling away as I pack up beading kits and my Bermuda shorts. You see, I get to join 60,000 of my rock, gem, and beading enthusiast buddies and head down to Tucson, Arizona in a couple weeks!
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  • Michelle's First Trip to the Tucson Bead Shows
    Beading Daily editor Michelle Mach shares photos and news of her first trip to the Tucson Bead Shows, February 2-6, 2009.
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  • Meet the New Beadwork Editor Plus Five Free Peyote Patterns
    Meet the new editor of Beadwork, Melinda Barta. An interview by editorial director Marlene Blessing.
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  • Create Oxidized Wire Post Earrings
    Some days (OK, most days) you amaze me! In the Reader Showcase area of the forums, I was blown away by Australian member Huan Pham who created the beautiful wireworked seahorse pictured here. Isn't it amazing? View the larger photo in the forums if you want to be impressed by his precise wirewrapping
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  • How to Bezel Cabochons and Answers to Other Reader Questions
    Beading Daily readers are full of questions! I was reminded of this when editor Michelle Mach sent me dozens of your questions this month, ranging anywhere from “How do I hang an 18mm heart pendant? Jump rings don’t seem to work.” (use a pinch or prong bail instead) to “How do I remove a crimp cover
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  • The ABCs of Oxidizing Jewelry
    I don’t remember when I first became aware of sterling silver jewelry that was purposely NOT shiny. When I think of the hours I’ve spent over the years trying to shine up my sterling pieces! I bought every chemical, every cloth, every dip I saw that promised my jewelry would come out looking
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  • 5 Tips for Launching Your Personal Website
    You need to have a website, Jean. I wonder how many times I heard that before I actually did something about it. It wasn’t that I didn’t want a website. The reality was that I just didn’t know where to begin. The whole thing seemed so daunting and costly that I chose instead to become Cleopatra, Queen
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  • Are You the Next Bead Star?
    Singers have American Idol. Fashion designers have Project Runway. Cooks have Top Chef. And now beaders have . . Bead Star!
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  • Create an Easy Ladder Stitch Bracelet
    Ladder stitch is one of those stitches that rarely gets any attention in its own right. Instead, it's used mainly as a foundation for other stitches. Many brick stitch patterns begin with a row of ladder stitch, as do some herringbone stitch patterns. In Mastering Beadwork author Carol Huber Cypher
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  • 11 Ways to Wear a Rope Necklace
    I have a sick kid at home today. She’s barking like a seal, but she doesn’t have a fever so she’s got just enough energy to knock on my office door every half hour. Not too conducive to the technical editing I’m doing this week. So I put her to good use by asking her to organize my jewelry “vault”—the
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  • Top 10 Free Beading Tips & Projects from 2008
    Any way you count it, 2008 was a terrific year for Beading Daily! We welcomed Jean Campbell as contributing editor every Wednesday. We also welcomed our magazine editors (Marlene Blessing, Danielle Fox, Denise Peck, Leslie Rogalski, Sara Graham, Melinda Barta) and their thoughts on topics like ethnic
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  • Create an Easy Elastic Beaded Bracelet
    Here's a confession guaranteed to fill up my inbox with reader mail: My favorite beaded watch is made with pretty Kazuri ceramic beads in various shades of blue, silver beads, and a silver watch face. Very simple to make and easy to wear. So what's the big deal?
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  • Learn a New Jewelry Technique Next Year (or Just Get Organized!)
    Last year I wrote about beading resolutions. One of my main goals was to try to use a bead loom. And I'm a little embarrassed to admit I didn't quite get around to it. (I did manage to do some loom weaving with yarn, go figure!) I'm not too upset--I learned a lot of new stuff that I didn't
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  • How to Store Pearls, Plus Free Necklace Instructions
    When I read Jean Campbell's post on last-minute gift-giving, I had to laugh when she mentioned pearl jewelry as one of her go-to last-minute gift ideas. Pearls (rather than crystals or gemstones) are definitely my go-to bead type when I'm stumped for a design idea or need a quick project.
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  • Make Easy Patterned Metal Earrings
    My friend Jan recently dragged me to a knitting class. Of course, I knew that we'd need to buy yarn and needles (I do work for Interweave, after all!), but I was suprised to learn that we needed more than two needles, plus a stitch holder and darning needle. (And a crochet hook for those klutzy types
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  • Learn African Helix Stitch in 4 Steps!
    It’s a cliché and dorky tradition, but my husband and I light a candle and make resolutions on New Year’s Eve. We’re each allowed only one. And those amorphous “I’m going to eat healthier” or “I will strive to be a better person” type of resolutions won’t fly. What we come up with are more like personal
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  • Fun Ideas for Using Felt Beads
    A month ago I asked the staff at Interweave to choose a felt bead and make something with it. Anything! They could add any materials they liked, use any techniques, and make any kind of finished object.
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  • Felt Bead Challenge - Interweave Staff
    What would you do with one felt bead that measures one inch in size? Make a Christmas ornament or decoration? A piece of jewelry? Here are some ideas from the Interweave staff--many of whom had never done any beading before.
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  • Your Favorite Beading Gifts and a Simple Winter Bracelet
    Months ago I asked Beading Daily readers to share their favorite bead-related gifts. If you're still shopping, take a look at these ideas that will fit a range of budgets, including a few that won't cost you a dime!
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  • 4 Fringe Techniques Inspired by Zulu Beadwork
    I was at Diane Fitzgerald’s studio recently. I’ve been there before—she’s a home girl (lives in Minneapolis, too), and we get together for lunch now and then. But this time my visit was a little different. This time I was bowled over by the sheer amount of Diane’s beadwork. I swear there was double the
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  • Create a Perfect Wire Spiral: Free Video Class
    Along with simple loops, the spiral was the first wire technique I learned. In fact, my mom still wears a pair of earrings that I created back then with 8mm black rounds and a silver spiral dangle. (I try not to cringe when I see them--my technique has greatly improved since then!)
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  • Free Right Angle Weave Bracelet Instructions
    Some beading abbreviations crack me up. "RAW" (right-angle weave) is one of them. I told a non-beading friend that I was writing about RAW this week and she paused and then politely said, "I didn't know you were into wrestling."
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  • Last-Minute Beading Gift-Making Ideas
    We both know that a handmade piece of jewelry is one of the nicest gifts you can give someone. People love receiving jewelry that was designed specifically with them in mind, and when the wearer knows the designer personally, she’s afforded another layer of bragging rights.
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  • Good News: 5 Reader Galleries That Want Your Work!
    Have you ever submitted your work to a reader gallery? If you're trying to sell your work or build a name for yourself, submitting your work to a reader gallery is one way to get the word out. The benefits are obvious--it's free, quick (at least the submission part), great exposure, and you usually
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  • How to Wire Knit with a Knitting Spool
    If you’re like me, when someone asks you to make a piece of jewelry for them you automatically go to beads, findings, wire, and thread. But after reading through Elements of Style, I think I’ll open my mind a little wider next time.
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  • Pros and Cons of Using Craft Wire for Jewelry
    Penny-pinchers fear not, because there’s an affordable solution that’s often overlooked, or simply used as scrap metal by wire artists…craft wire. Craft wire usually has a copper core (varieties are available with tin, bronze, or nickel), so it’s totally affordable. But the best part about it is that
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  • Free Seed Bead and Crystal Peyote Bracelet Project
    If it's been your dream to see your project published, but have felt nervous about the submission process, you'll find inspiration in Lynn Davy's story. One of her first submissions was to the "Bead Boy" reader challenge in Beadwork magazine two years ago. She might never have worked
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  • Boost Your Creativity with Bead Classes
    Ever get in a creative rut? I do all the time. What works for me is to clean my beading table. Not only is it nice to have a clean surface to work on, but seeing all the beads I’ve forgotten about helps wake up my imagination.
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  • Pick Your Prize Winners, Plus Meet an 18-Year-Old Jewelry Designer
    What can a passionate seed bead artist who’s just eighteen accomplish? Anything she wants! I first saw Scarlett Lanson while she was viewing the stunning crystal creations in Swarovski’s annual design contest display during this year’s Tucson Bead Shows. Little did I know that this young woman in jeans
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  • 6 Brick Stitch Tips, Plus Free Seed Bead Pendant Project
    Brick stitch, aptly named for the way the beads sit like bricks in a wall, has to be one of my favorite all time stitches. After building my bead vocabulary with lots of techniques, I still rely on brick stitch in its many forms for most of my signature designs.
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  • How to Create Beaded Wire Flower Petals . . . or Books
    Michelle Mach reminded me this week that the deadline for Beadwork VI: The Beaded Book is coming up December 18. Always ripe for a challenge, but woefully short on time and, quite frankly, a bit lazy, I got to thinking about the quickest way I could make beaded “pages.”
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  • Free Wire Spiral Earrings, Plus New Reader Gallery
    What makes a piece of jewelry a "winter" design? Is it jewelry type? I hardly ever create bracelets for winter because I know they'll just be buried under miles of sweaters and jackets.
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  • Dyed or Natural Gemstones? How to Tell the Difference
    When I first started working with gemstone beads I went online and ordered some stones listed as “Sleeping Beauty turquoise” howlite. I know, I know. I was young and mercurial and didn’t really know what I was reading in that description—I just saw the Sleeping Beauty turquoise part. You might not be
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  • Using Black for Drama in Jewelry Designs
    Today I'm sharing a column by color expert Margie Deeb who writes the "Colorworks" column in every issue of Step by Step Beads. This column on using black (originally published in the January/February 2008 issue) will give you several ideas on how to combine black with other colors or with
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  • Fearlessly Creative: An Interview with Kristal Wick
    Kristal Wick is one of those folks who sparkle with creativity-- just take a look at her colorful new book, Fabulous Fabric Beads! I was lucky enough to catch a few minutes with Kristal before she took off to the International Quilt Show in Houston. I asked her about her signature beads, her love of
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  • Tips for Making Your Own Fabric Beads, Plus Kristal Wick Interview
    A few years ago I tried to make beads from ribbons. Sounds pretty easy, right? Cut a piece of ribbon, roll it up, and glue it. What could possibly go wrong? (How much time do you have?) My beads came apart at the seams and they were easily squashed. I couldn't figure out how much ribbon should overlap
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  • How to Write Your Artist Bio
    If you’ve ever submitted a piece of jewelry to a magazine, book, or bead show, you’ve had to sit down and write a few sentences about yourself. “Oh, that’s easy!” might have been your first thought. But then you actually tried to do it. Chances are you couldn’t limit yourself to just three sentences
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  • Get Organized: Bead Storage Checklist
    If beads are so small, how could I be running out of storage space? For the last year or so, I've been buying random containers for beads and creating a bead tower in my basement. Sounds cool, but it's actually a little scary! When I was working on submissions for Stringing a few weeks ago, I
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  • Learn to Create Wire Jewelry on a Budget
    One of the things I love most about jewelry is the diversity it affords (no pun intended!). Sure, I drool over the Tiffany’s catalogs, and gawk at the windows in the Diamond District when I’m in New York City. But my favorite pieces of jewelry contain no gold and no precious stones. Instead
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  • How to Create a Quick Cab
    I seem to spend a lot of time in waiting rooms. Pediatricians, orthodontists, veterinarians, tutors . . . music studios, hockey rinks, gymnasiums. Hanging out in those dull places makes me think I’d like to make a few changes. Replacing the in-ceiling fluorescent lights with adjustable true-color lights
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  • Pick Your Prize Giveaway, Plus Power of Beading Contest Winners
    We raised $1,143 for two cancer charities, the American Institute for Cancer Research and The Wellness Community, by selling the instructions for the Awareness Ribbon Pins created by designer Kerrie Slade. Thanks to everyone who helped make our first fundraiser a success! Two lucky readers also won the
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  • Ribbon-Inspired Jewelry by Beading Daily Readers
    Several Beading Daily readers make awareness ribbon jewelry to support their favorite causes.
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  • Behind the Scenes of Stringing Magazine
    I don’t know about you, but I’m kind a sucker for those "the-making-of" special features included on DVDs these days. You know, the laugh reels, the director’s commentary, the short history documentaries that provide a backdrop to the movie. I’m not the only one, right?
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  • How to Create a Wire Bail for a Marble
    I was cleaning the other day and ran across a bag of marbles. My kids used to run them through these elaborate Rube Goldberg-style obstacle courses they’d create with stuff around the house, the course ending with a little “ting!” against a miniature gong. It brought back a really nice memory. “Wouldn
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  • Holiday Gifts: Give Magazines!
    Do you have someone on your gift list who adores beading or making jewelry? No matter what their passion or skill level is, we have a special holiday subscription offer that’s perfect for them and your gift-giving budget. Step by Step Wire Jewelry
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  • Advice on Naming Your Jewelry Business
    Today I'm sharing some questions and answers from past Bead Biz columns in Beadwork magazine. The author of the column, Viki Lareau, has been in the jewelry-making business for more than 20 years. Viki is the author of Marketing and Selling Your Handmade Jewelry: The Complete Guide to Turning Your
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  • How to Add an Exotic Touch to Your Jewelry
    Global, multicultural, tribal, ethnic. These are words we use to describe things that are exotic to us, and not of our national heritage, place of origin, or even time period in which we live. Most of us are very inspired by jewelry that looks exotic, and some cultures’ designs may mysteriously appeal
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  • 5 Ways to Share Your Love of Beading
    When I moved into my neighborhood seven years ago I knew it was going to take extreme measures to break the ice with my neighbors. At first meeting, it seemed like we had nothing in common. From politics and religion to level of household cleanliness and meal planning it seemed like we lived in different
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  • What Makes a Great Jewelry Making Class?
    Last spring I took a metalworking class with Susan Lenart Kazmer, author of the new book Making Connections. Ever since her beautiful hardcover book came out, I've been thinking about that class. What makes one class good and another amazing?
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  • Seed Bead and Wire Halloween Earrings
    Do you bead for the holidays? Which ones? Halloween? Easter? Christmas? How about National Chocolate Day (October 28), Poppy Day (November 11), or Read a New Book Month (December)?
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  • 3 Asymmetrical Design Tips for Beginners
    There are a lot of beaders who just don’t go to asymmetry first when they’re designing, even though they might want to try. Their natural tendency is to always mirror the two sides in a piece, and they feel they can’t break out of the rut. For those of you who fall into that category, I’ve put together
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  • 6 Ways to Combine Beads with Paper
    Whenever I venture into one of the local craft stores, I try to take a detour of the scrapbooking section to look at all the papers. Why would a beader ever care about pretty paper? What can you do with it?
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  • Simple Wire and Crystal Ribbon Earrings
    I recently heard from my high school friend Kristy who was planning on running a race in California to raise money for cancer research. When I saw Sandra Lupo's wire earring project, I immediately bought some half-round silver wire and a 5mm rose Swarovski crystal pearl to make a pendant version
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