Craft Blog

Beaded products are becoming extremely popular these days. You can find lots of beautiful beaded items for sale in shopping malls, department stores and designer stores. You can find wide assortments of items made with beads like bags, bracelets, earrings, wall hangings, pillowcases and many more. Most people find beads very attractive and irresistible. Beads come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, cuts, finishes, costs and availability. Jewelry designers make good use of the richness of bead colors and the variety of their shapes and sizes to create exquisite pieces. Products made with beads are absolutely captivating and attractive. People use completed beading items such as bracelets, necklaces and earring as accessories to improve their appearance and personality, while beading items like wall hangings, tree skirts or cushion covers to beautify their homes. Fabrics with beads can indeed add to the décor of homes.

Beads have been valued for centuries. Since early times, people have known about beads, especially in the form of berries, seeds, stones and shells. Later, beads came to be manufactured from clay, glass, metal and crystals. People have been acquainted with beads for a very long time. They enjoy selecting beads and mixing them to create a very unique and attractive piece of art. Some sell their masterpieces for a living while others simply do it for hobby.  It’s very popular among both old and young people. Most people like beading because they find it extremely fun and rewarding. It gives them an opportunity to show their creativity to the world and helps to improve their lives. There are also those who believe that working with beads can become an obsession and could be addictive. However, it is actually fulfilling to use beads to make beautiful and unique masterpieces for yourself, for your home or even as gifts to give to family and friends.

The beauty of beadwork is very appropriate for anyone with different skills and of any age. There is such a wide array of beads you can choose from at your local craft stores or from online stores. A considerable amount of beads and beading supplies are available. You can select the type, shapes, sizes and colors of the beads to create the design you want. Besides, there is a wide range of beading techniques that can be applied to beads, wiring, threading, weaving and embroidering. You can definitely select the method that best fits your taste, your skills and your time. Beading techniques could either be glued or threaded. There are many ways to involve the use of thread to create your masterpiece. Each completed item will be a result of your own selection, creativity, vision and skill. You will certainly originate great satisfaction from your work.

Beading is considered an economical craft work. You don’t need a special workshop. You only require a table, good lighting, some beading tools and attractive beads. With these, you can design and make really attractive pieces of beaded items. You can even make a piece of jewelry that will become a family legacy. The basics of beading are very easy to learn. There are many resources available online, at your local library or at your local book stores with step-by-step beading instructions to help you get started. Once you learned the basic techniques, you can create even more stunning pieces by simply using your ideas and creativity. This could be as simple as changing the colors on one of the beading designs you have learned or using beads of a different shape or size. You will be amazed at how much these small changes can alter the look of the original piece.

The possibilities of creating new designs are simply endless.  If you find that your idea doesn’t work, don’t be discouraged. Beading is fun and very appealing.

When it comes to making fashion jewelry from beads, one has to be creative, unique and have an understanding of color, shapes and the concept of design. Sure it’s easy to string a few beads on strings and call it a necklace. But to create a masterpiece that involves wire twisting around the sterling silver beads, glass beads or intertwining in ways where a flower can be created as a pendant or create any design you want, it takes time to master this type of technique, but it is totally worth the effort.

The primary goal of creating a dazzling and unique piece of jewelry is to capture that creativity within yourself. You can use your imagination and creativity to find the right self-vision in making that perfect design jewelry. Beading is an art. Your artistic way of designing with beads can make this kind of fashion jewelry that can be set apart from all others. You can create and introduce new bead patterns with your imagination and by knowing the right techniques. Making your own custom jewelry with the use of quality and stunning colors, shapes and sizes of beads can bring out your beauty and your personality. Handmade design jewelry with fashionable beads is truly unique and can never be duplicated.

Many people can find a childhood memory of having made bracelets and necklaces with colorful beads and strings and possibly of trading them or giving them to friends as gifts. Now with a variety of beads and accessories available in your craft store or online, you can simply make the most fashionable jewelry that can not be compared to the ones sold in stores. You can find all different types of beads made out of crystal, glass, metal, precious stones, wood, seashells and other materials available. Making fashion jewelry from beads is attracting flocks of people, especially women. Buying jewelry in stores can cost a lot and may not be the right color or style for you.

Because of the increased variety of beads and accessories, it is now possible to create fancy, fashionable and expensive looking jewelry that goes perfectly well with any type of occasion and with any adult fashion. Creating your own jewelry will help you to not compromise for the lack of choice by buying items at the store that are not quite to your taste. Designing and making your own piece of jewelry is probably cheaper than buying similar items in stores.

The first thing you need to do when designing your very own piece of fashion jewelry is to create a basic pattern using color, shape or size as your theme. Secondly, think of your budget. You want to be able to make your own original masterpiece using a unique design and pattern that is affordable and cute. Adding beads of materials like stone and pearl makes handmade jewelry seem very expensive. Adding two or three strands or using beads of different sizes makes for a gorgeous appearance. Beads give jewelry a delicate yet cheerful impression and seem to go best on bare skin.

For making beaded jewelry, be patient and enjoy your time taking the do-it yourself approach of making your own fashion jewelry. Learn basic techniques for bending wire easily and learn the variety of stringing material as well. You can consider buying an instructional DVD or reading articles in magazines or books before starting your project. Make sure that you have the appropriate tools like wire cutters, pliers and a crimper. This certainly will help simplify your design and the creation of the end product. You can buy different type of beads at your local craft stores or online. You can also consider taking apart jewelry that you not longer use to create a fresh new one. Use different designs combinations and beads color, shapes and sizes.

If you are a beginner, you can be very overwhelmed with many different choices of materials that can be used to string beads. Shopping at your regular local craft store may limit you on finding a large variety of wire but if you take the time to shop online, especially at a beading store, you will find a huge selection of wire for beading. The most important element to succeed in making your own custom piece is the type of wire to use for your beading project. You can use different types of materials to string beads but the most popular and sturdy wire to string your beads on is beading wire.

The most important key to know about the beading wire is its gauge. A beading wire gauge is an instrument for measuring the thickness of the wire. The higher the number of your beading wire gauge is, the thinner the wire is. For example, a 26 beading gauge wire is thinner than a 14 beading gauge wire. The most commonly used beading wire gauge in making custom jewelry and other craft items are 14-16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30. Gauge is basically the standard measurement here in America. Other parts of the world use millimeters instead for measurement.

Most beading wire used is made of base metal. You can also find wire made out of other type of materials such as copper, stainless steel and sterling silver. All this assortment of wires serves different purposes. Using a base metal wire is good for any project and can be found in a variety of colors from the plain silver color to black, white, pink, blue, purple, green and more. The plain silver color metal wire can be found in any of your local craft stores. The colored ones can be ordered online and can be really fun to wrap beads with them or to simply have them show through clear beads.

Another consideration that is most important to skilled artisans is the hardness of the wire. There are three different category of wire hardness. These can be dead soft, half-hard and full-hard.
Dead soft wire is very soft and easily pliable. There is no need for pliers to bend the wire. Using your hands can simply bend the wire. They are used for the free form wrapping of smaller beads such as crystal and pearl onto a base and wire knitting as well as crochet. Dead soft wire is much more breakable than a harder wire. Half-hard wire is a little stronger, less flexible and harder to work by hand. The half-hard wire needs to be this way to be able to stand being pulled through a draw plate. A draw plate is a helpful tool to reduce the diameter of gold or silver wire for a particular metal working project. Full hard wire is pulled more times through the draw plate making it stiffer and stronger. The harder the wire, the more tools you need to work with it.

Another important element to consider when choosing the wire for that custom piece is to know how much weight the wire can hold. The heavier the wire, the more weight it can support. This will simply give you a peace of mind knowing that you are wearing a delightful piece of jewelry without the worry of the wire breaking. The shape of the wire is also a very important key. Wires come in different shapes including round, square and half round. Round wire tends to be more adjustable. Square is wonderful for wire wrapping and half round wire is great to use around other pieces of wire in order to connect them. Try different kinds of wire for various projects to get a sense of what you like. Make your own style of jewelry and have lots of fun doing it.

Designing and making jewelry are two of the most popular things that people like to do and they find the activity extremely rewarding. A lot of women and kids these days just love the idea of making their own unique jewelry and believe that creating their own custom jewelry is a worthwhile hobby. There’s something exciting about making one’s very own jewelry.
To make stunning jewelry pieces, you will need to choose quality beads. The quality of these beads really depends on where you buy them. They usually come in many different styles, shapes, colors, finishes, cuts, costs and can look extremely fantastic used in any design or creation. You can visit custom jewelry stores or craft stores to find a large amount of beads that can fit your budget or taste. It’s important to find the right beads for that perfect custom necklace or bracelet that you have in mind.

You can find a wide range of colorful beads or gems available on the market ranging from the rare, the spectacular, to the weird, the unique and even to the ordinary. Most people don’t need to have special experience or skills to make jewelry and other decorations. There are many crafting projects using beads that interests lots of people of different levels of skill. One crafting project that’s been around for years and is still going strong today is beaded jewelry. The Native Americans have been doing beaded projects for centuries. They have created beautiful clothing and other items using stunning colors, shapes and sizes of beads. The ways in which they have incorporated beads in many of their projects have certainly inspired many people today.

With a little skill, you can design your own unique necklace, pendant, bracelet, earrings or you can have an artisan make a special custom design for you. There are many pieces that involve all types of beads. The beaded jewelry will continually attract the interest of many people because they like to feel unique especially when it comes to a personal choice such as jewelry. The type of jewelry a person wears is her way of expressing herself. With beaded jewelry, you can personally choose the color, shape and size of beads to match your personality. Choosing the best quality beads can enhance your beauty, your personality and your mood.

The price range in beaded jewelry varies according to the quality of the beads and the amount of time it takes to create the piece. Some jewelers use beads that are formed out of semi-precious stones. One of the most attractive and expensive beads is the handcrafted glass bead. Many of the glass beads are hand painted to give an incredible and unique design on each bead. These are truly stunning beads. When you string a few of these well crafted glass beads into one piece of jewelry, it is not difficult to understand why the pieces are worth more money. Other crafters also use carved wooden beads in various shapes and sizes to create stunning pieces of jewelry. The different shapes, sizes and color of beads is what indicates the uniqueness of the project.

If you have no experience of making custom jewelry but you want to give it a try, then get a bead jewelry kit. It comes with everything you need. Beaded jewelry is an extremely fun project for the entire family including the children. Girls especially will find making their own jewelry very enjoyable. You can buy an assortment of kits that include beads that are not too expensive but still look nice once the product is assembled. Children can use their imagination and creativity to make their own piece of jewelry for themselves or to give as gifts. As their interest grows in making special custom pieces and find it very enjoyable, you can begin purchasing higher quality beads. You can find lots of tools such as DVDs or books that contain step by step instructions on how to make different pieces of jewelry.

Beaded jewelry is a one of kind item. It gives plenty of options to create your own custom pieces or to choose your own beautiful beads and have someone else create it for you. Beads are classified according to their color, size, shape, cut, finish and availability. Beads that are easily available will cost less where as beads like pearls are rare, precious and will be very expensive.

Bead jewels are very pretty and are a unique introduction to the Christmas season. Whether you need to cover an unsightly tree stand or want a unique picture with your Christmas tree, a beading tree skirt can add that very special touch to make everything seem right. A beading Christmas tree skirt is going to add elegance, uniqueness and variety to your Christmas décor. The shape, size and design of the beads on your tree skirt will be the talk of your visitors, friends and family.

The Christmas tree is usually the centerpiece of the Christmas holiday celebration. Christmas tree skirts are a much needed accessory that who has a Christmas tree everyone should have. Whether your Christmas tree is large or small, the use of a tree skirt is simply a wonderful addition to your holiday décor and it’s a very bright idea. You can make your tree stand out with all the beautiful unique Christmas ornaments and surround it by the most unique one of a kind tree skirt loaded by the most distinctive designs with beads. This is truly a very unique way to wrap your Christmas tree and to attract plenty of attention and compliments. Sure, you can find a large variety of beautiful Christmas tree skirts at your local stores but beading tree skirts are simply unique and elegant. You can make the tree skirt yourself or find someone who can make one for you. 

In addition to providing beauty to your Christmas décor and style, tree skirts help keep things neat and uniform as well. If you are the type of person that prefers a live Christmas tree to artificial ones, then you absolutely must invest in a skirt. Not any kind of tree skirt can add beauty and uniqueness but beading your Christmas tree skirt can brighten the place where your tree is and can be an eye catching for anyone who visits your home. Tree skirts are most often used to protect the floor from the needles that real trees constantly shed. They also help guard against water spills and sap stain from tree stands. The tree skirt is extremely useful to keep things clean around your tree and for cleanup once the holiday season is over.
But of course, artificial Christmas tree are very popular in homes these days as well and having a tree skirt surround the bottom of the tree is equally a great idea and will only enhance the appearance and beauty of your tree.

The type of tree skirt that is perfect for you will depend on your personal taste as well as the size of your tree. Many local online stores offer large quantities of tree skirts of all shapes, colors and styles. However, designing and creating your own custom tree skirt using beads of different shapes, sizes and colors will seriously leave a lasting impression on most of your visitors. The sparkle beads on the tree skirts are certainly going to strengthen your reason to celebrate this very special holiday season and will keep you happy throughout the holiday season as well.

If you decide to go shopping for a tree skirt, you’ll find there are lots styles, colors and fabrics available. Try to find a beading tree skirt for your Christmas tree. Choose one crafted from smooth velvet material with beautiful designs detailed with glitter and luxurious beaded accents, many of which are imported for a more classic Christmas charm that will last for years to come. Beautiful tree skirts decorated with brightly colored beads and sequins and embellished with a colored velvet material would for sure complete any tree for the holiday season.

Now that you have decided to start making bead crafts or to use beads in your general crafting ideas you are going to need to look into the different places that sell beads. As you might already be aware of there are thousands of places that sell beads, so your problem isn’t going to be trying to find places that sell beads, but more like finding places that sell the beads that you want to buy. No matter what you are buying beads for there are some things that you should consider when buying beads for crafting purposes.

Here are some tips on where to buy beads for crafting.

Tip one:
The first thing that you need to do before you begin to look for a place that sells beads is to determine what kinds of beads you want to buy. Are you looking for a certain size bead, certain shapes, or are you pretty flexible with what they have? Another thing that you should consider is if you want to buy a certain brand of bead, do you want glass beads, shell beads, plastic beads, etc. Narrowing down exactly what you want when it comes to beads will help you find the right place to buy beads.

Tip two:
One of the first places that you should go to buy beads is your local craft or fabric store. Many times both of these kinds of stores will sell a variety of beads. Some places will offer them buy the pound, some will be prepackaged and you can buy in large or small quantities depending on how many beads you need.

Tip three:
Another great place to look for beads are craft shows or craft fairs. Many times if you are looking for a specialty bead and can’t find it in the local craft or fabric stores you can find the beads at craft shows or find people who can tell you where they found their specialty beads.

Tip four:
If you have a business license you should look into finding a wholesaler to buy your beads from. Wholesalers are great for business owners to buy from because they offer great prices and sell the items in bulk. It is from selling them in bulk that you as a business owner can get the lower prices. But even if you do use a wholesaler you want to have other resources available to you for buying beads. The reason for this is there might be a time or two when you don’t want to buy your beads in bulk because you only need a small handful or maybe even one or two of a certain bead so you would be wasting money buying those beads in bulk. Plus you want to have a backup supplier just in case the wholesaler runs out of your beads and it will take a few days to order more.

Tip five:
Another popular place to order beads is through the use of craft magazines or catalogs. Your more serious magazines on beading will offer numerous companies that take mail in orders so that you can have your beads shipped right to your door. In party and other types of catalogs you can also find a lot of specialty beads that you won’t find elsewhere. So when looking to buy specialty beads be sure to keep your eye out in any magazine or catalog you are reading.

Tip six:
And like everything else in this world you can also order your beads online. But one of the problems about ordering your beads online is that you don’t get to see what the beads look like before you order them, so you have no idea if they are going to be the right color. Another problem with ordering your beads online is that many of those companies that claim to be wholesalers or offer you discounted prices are only saying that to9 get your business. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t legitimate companies online to buy beads from, this just mean to be sure and do your research before you begin buying beads from a new company.

If you enjoy making things out of beads you have probably run across lead crystal beads by a manufacturer named Swarovski. One thing that you might not know about these crystals is that they are 100% man-made, and are made following a secret formula. This is part of the reason that this company leads the industry in lead crystal beads, as well as other things made out of crystal. One thing that you should be aware of is that genuine lead crystal beads of good quality are going to be more expensive than other lead crystal beads, but in order to create the best work you should pay the extra expense and know what kinds of beads you are working with.

Here are some tips about things you should know about Swarovski crystal and other lead crystal beads.

Tip one:
There are actually no American standards regarding lead based crystal beads, but most of the world, the United States included follows the official British Standards that states lead crystal must contain 10% to 24% lead oxide and full lead crystal must contain 24% or more lead oxide and that fine crystal must conatin 6% to 10% lead oxide.

Tip two:
Another thing that is important to know about lead crystal beads is that in order to get the different colors of crystal chemicals rather than dyes are used. Clear crystal is harder to obtain because it must be free of impurities so that it is perfectly clear.

Tip three:
There is a type of glass bead that is most commonly confused with lead crystal beads. It is a Czech faceted fire polish bead that is made from glass. The glass is pressed into a mold to make the bead, roughly faceting it by hand or machine, then the surface of the bead is slightly melted to "fire polish" it which gives it a better luster. The "fire polish" actually rounds off the facets which makes it harder to identify it as a lead crystal bead.

Tip four:
Here are some ways to tell if the lead crystal beads you are buying are real Swarovski’s. By the way this company actually leads the industry in making lead crystal beads.
 The facet edges, which are the corners where the points meet, should always line up perfectly.
 Swarovski beads are never sold as a strung strand of beads, if they are being sold that way you should take a closer look at what you are buying.
 Because these beads are machine cut you should take a close look to be sure that there are no variations in size or shape from bead to bead. Only hand cut beads will have different variations, machine cut beads are done in mass quantities on a machine that has pre-determined sizes programmed into the machine.
 Swarovski lead crystal beads sparkle more than other types of beads. You can easily tell the difference if you hold an original and a fake up into the light together.
 You shouldn’t see any type of flaw in the finish, by flaw we mean any type of swirls; the sheen should be uniform with no imperfections.
 The swan logo of Swarovski is only used for their created jewelry; it is not used for their beads and components.
 There shouldn’t be any visible bubbles in the beads
 The Swarovski crystal bead will have a thinner rim and will be more translucent in the fatter area; you can see this by taking the beads into a bright light and looking down at them so that you can see the hole in the center of the bead.

Whether you are making jewelry, making crafts, or simply stringing beads there are some basic tools that you are going to need for your projects. The more advanced you get with bead crafting the more tools that you are going to need. But if you are just starting out you can pick and choose which tools will be right for your bead crafts and simply buy more as you need them. One of the best things about buying bead crafting tools is that you can find them in craft stores or on the internet.

Here are some of the basic tools that you are going to need for bead crafting.
 Jewelry tweezers – these tweezers design allows precision selection of small beads and findings
 Tweezers set – by having a set of at least four tweezers that come in a variety of sizes and shapes you will be able to easily handle any kind of small bead, findings and get help for those really intricate projects
 Bent nose pliers – these are great for gripping, creating angles and getting a secure hold in really hard to reach places. They do this because the nose of the pliers is bent rather than straight.
 Long nose pliers – these sometimes come with a side cutter and are a great all purpose tool. With these pliers you can do any type of bending, twisting or cutting of wire.
 Chain nose pliers with smooth jaws – these pliers have a precision tip and a smooth jaw (which is the inside of the pliers that are used for gripping). The smooth jaw allows for bending and shaping wire without crimping it. You can close bead tips without damage and because of how long the tips are you can work in tight places.
 Tweezers with magnifier – these tweezers will be used the same way as other tweezers but provide the benefit of the magnifier which allows you a closer look at small beads and wire, which lets you do some precision crafting with beads.
 End nippers – these can be used to cut wire or sheet metal and provide a flush wire cut, meaning you have a nice even cut
 Bead crimp pliers – this is an essential tool for any type of bead work because it gives your crafts a professional look. The dual crimp creates a smooth and rounded finish to crimp beads or tubes.
 Mini pliers tool set – these are the same type of pliers that are used for larger beads but because of their miniature size they are perfect for working with your smaller beads
 Memory shear – this tool cuts hard wire with a clean straight edge
 Bead reamer – if you are using drilled beads this tool is important because it is designed to enlarge, de-burr and round out the bead holes that were previously drilled.
 Chain nose pliers – these were designed to help with your hands getting tired and to allow you to have precision handling. They are used to handle tiny beads, findings and craft pieces.
 Plastic jaw pliers – these pliers protect the surface finish of wire and other materials while it is being handled. This tool is also great for sculpting wire.
 Round nose pliers – used to create smooth loops and curves in wires. Are very important for creating wrapped loop jewelry
 Jump ring tool – you basically wear this tool like a ring for when you are beading. It is used to open jump rings (key chains holders), it is also designed to hold them open so that you can continuously work on the jump rings

As you can tell your main tools for bead crafting are pliers and wire cutters because you are going to need to be able to cut the wire and string the beads onto the wire. Pliers make stringing the beads easier and wire cutters give you that nice clean cut so your work looks professional.