The Beadsmith Blog

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Upcycle Old Charms and Broken Jewelry into The Perfect Holiday Gifts

Our Line of Expandable Wire Charm Bracelets inspired me this year to break into my junk pile and make the perfect holiday gifts for some of my pals this holiday season.

You have seen them everywhere, the stack-able wire charm bracelets are a huge hit for jewelry enthusiasts.
With different versions of the wire bracelets in many different finishes the possibilities are endless.

Being a jewelry maker and junk collector myself i decided it was time to take my broken and spare parts pile and make it something beautiful and gift worthy... and...voila!
Now to decide whether to keep them for myself or gift them to a friend....

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

"It is not the beauty of a jewellery design you should look at its the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time."

Thursday, September 24, 2015

The Beadsmith Inspiration Squad by Katie Dean

Thanks to our Beadsmith Inspiration Squad designer KATIE DEAN for her insightful and eye-catching blog about being a member of the Inspiration Squad! If you ever wondered what goes on, the ideas, the camaraderie, and the beads of course--here's a peek from the inside.

http://beadflowers.co.uk/gallery/beadsmith-inspiration-squad/

You will love her joyful, colorful style. One of my favorites from her is this vibrant necklace, "Sparkles for Dee." So go, visit her blog and see why she is a valued designer on the Beadsmith Inspiration Squad. Thanks, Katie!

Thursday, July 2, 2015

String Quartet

Beading is not always about stitching. Yes, it’s me saying this, the seed bead-a-rama mama. Beads are so cool sometimes they only need to be strung together to shine, no eensy beady sewing required. So it doesn’t matter if you can’t tell peyote from St. Petersburg. Stringing is in general an easy skill level.

Take these fire-polished beads in new pastel colors. The colors are what inspired me. Super slinky shimmery matte metallic colors. But the beads have a specific trait perfect for stringing: The bead holes are a good size for beading wire, S-lon cord, thin leather, waxed linen, and sure, beading thread, too, if you want. You don't even need to crimp on a clasp.If you can tie a knot you can make a necklace, just size it to fit over your head. Or knot on a clasp for a bracelet. As long as you can get the string or wire or cord through the bead, it’s a good bead for stringing.

I chose beading wire for a 3-strand design because I was going to use a lot of beads, and the weight warranted wire. But I also used cord to macramé a few beads. See, knots. You can tie a knot, right? Used a big-eyed needle to pass the thicker-than-thread cord through the beads. Easy to thread those needles.

As you can see, many people here at Beadsmith dug the necklace. The beads spoke to them as wearers. Quite the string quartet, wouldn’t you say?

See more about the pastel fire-polished beads here and then ask for them and more simply stringable beads at your local bead shop!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Must Have My Zapper

Hi, it's Leslie, taking over the blog!

My First Beadsmith Blog. Where to start? How about telling you about an indispensable tool for any bead stitcher?

I don't know how I did without a thread zapper. Fear kept me wary. Burn thread close to my labor? That's cray cray! At the same time I still needed scissors that would cut Wildfire, in particular, and to get in to close spots. But now I am a convert. I have this thread zapper that retracts, the Ultra Thread Zap, and it is truly an indispensable tool. Fabulous. It works so fast and so safely I am almost embarrassed I was a’skeered. Did I say I don’t know how I did without this? Seriously! The filament is fine and tiny, can get close but is within your control. And the delicate filament tip won’t get damaged --this is so smart--because the tip is hidden until you push it out, and retracts as soon as you let go. So, you also won't burn something inadvertently when you put it down.

A little sizzle in a hot product. Ask at your local bead shop, it's from the Beadsmith.