The Beading Gem

Are you just getting started with polymer clay?  Then this tutorial which overs 20 awesome polymer clay tips and tricks will make learning easier.  It is by Rachel (Creative Rachy), an Australian crafter who confesses to an addiction to polymer clay work.  I can't blame her. This medium really appeals to artistic souls.

Don't worry if you do not have the funds to purchase nifty new looms like the new one, Endless Loom (see post here), which saves you from having to deal with warp ends.  Tamara Allison, a reader and beaded jewelry designer, recently shared a great tip on how to finish loom bracelets on her site, the Vanishing Pearl. The traditional way of weaving all the thread ends in and out of beads was too tedious.  Go to her tutorial and she explains the basic tip in Step 2.

As I have mentioned many times before, loom beading usually requires the beader to deal with warp ends.  This is a tedious affair especially with wider bracelets.  Beadwork designer Deb Moffett-Hall's new Endless Loom which lets you off the work is now out.  It will take a while before suppliers stock it. But here is a quick look at the innovative design from the folks at Beadsmith.

You can purchase it from Beadaholique.

A little while ago, I featured new age styled pinecone jewelry.  Croatian nature lovers, Vanja and Morana, make beautiful pinecone jewelry with a contemporary style.  Their design aesthetics is evident in their Hidden Garden Shop.  The pinecones they collect on their forest walks are transformed into revealing pieces.

Quite a few of you have yet to try resin judging from the comments on last week's giveaway from Little Windows.  It is a lot of fun as you can see from my designs.  Like any method, it does take practice. Then there is the photography!  I find it more challenging to photograph resin jewelry especially with the transparent ones as shown in my tutorial on how to make retro go-go resin jewelry using cut out designs.

Jewelry making with young children is both fun and exhausting.  I know because I did do a few bead weaving parties like this one a long time ago.  Children are almost always spontaneous - they have none of the creative hesitancy sometimes seen in adults. The bead weaving slows them down. The other way is to get them to make memory wire bangles. And that is exactly what Beading Buds based in the Greater Toronto Area does!

Yup. That is next Sunday October 2 at  2 pm EST.  We are now moving into prime selling season for jewelry makers. So if you are free and want to improve your jewelry photography, save time with your online work flow, then email me asap! (pearl@beadinggem.com). Spruce up your shop in time for the upcoming season.

Alevtina Gersenko is an amazing Russian wire artist. Her tutorial shows how she creates t wire frame for this amazing goldfish necklace. Like many wire artists, the design is first sketched on paper.  This is an effective template for curving the wire frame.  The fins and tail are just a lovely collection of long wire loops which were later covered and connected together with wire weaving.

I love Candie Cooper's rhinestone chain earrings tutorial for a couple of reasons.....besides being such a pretty design. It's a great idea for using up short lengths of rhinestone chains.  The other reason is the use of slide connectors to assemble and display sparkly fringes. These are typically used for beaded bracelets but why not in earrings?

Some time ago some Facebook followers wanted me to share the tutorial for a pink go-go resin pendant I posted. It has taken me many months but I finally got round to writing up the instructions for these easy and fun retro designs. I tried not to use those really bright colors favored during the 60's. So you could say, these are modernized to suit our different tastes today.  This is the third resin jewelry tutorial I've done using stickers (see links below for the other two).

I previously wrote about Alana Fire's amazing wire statement necklace tutorial where this Russian artist shared the key steps. She also has a pretty wire wrapped bird pendant tutorial which is far less complicated! Like many wire artists, she uses a sketched design to help guide her wire work process.

Most people incorporate crystals and gemstones in bead embroidered jewelry designs. But this lovely design features sea shells! The tutorial is by Natalia Solyanik over on Biserok.org.   The asymmetrical style is also a refreshing change from centrally placed focal pieces!

There are plenty of people who embed organic material into resin.  One artisan who stands out is Croatian based Zeljka who calls her shop, IsThisHandmade? Not only does she include unusual organic material in her work, she also makes distinctive frames for her designs using a soldering iron. Her collection shows off her design aesthetics and eye for natural beauty.

I see from last week's giveaway many of you share my opinion that Kate Richbourg is an amazing metalsmith instructor and jewelry designer.  She excels at teaching in print and also in video classes. And some of you are lucky enough to have taken her workshops.

My friend Helen wanted to know why I am so fascinated with resin.  She asked after we met for lunch following my translucent screen printed resin jewelry tutorial post which used her screen designs. Perhaps it is because I once worked in the lab - you know, all that stirring and pouring of chemicals! I am also naturally curious about the sort of conditions which affect the polymerization of epoxy resin.  For instance, if you have an attic studio like my Canadian friend, Aims, resin would have a hard time curing there for much of the year.

Not to long ago, I watched someone use a lathe.  Yes, you can indeed make wooden beads with lathes.  But if you aren't into wood working and don't own a lathe, there is another alternative.  Your handy dandy Dremel drill.  Uncle G's video tutorial shows some pretty clever tricks making and marking handmade wooden beads.

I really am not that keen on those fake elf ear add-ons made from some rubbery material.  Why not create a piece of jewelry instead?  A piece that any fantasy fan would love to wear with or without a costume!  This wire woven elf ear cuff tutorial is by momoluv over on Instructables.

Shrinky Dinks have been around for decades and have never really lost their popularity.  It is easy to use the ink jet version and print out what you want.  Check out this easy Shrink Plastic Butterfly Necklace Tutorial by Mark Montano.  He used vintage butterfly images and shared a printable download on his site.  You can always check out The Graphics Fairy or publicdomainvectors.org for other copyright free images.

Adding ribbon is one way to add color to jewelry designs. Cyndi Lavin of Beading Arts has a marvelous idea on how to combine ribbon and punch up the design with beads and irregular gemstone nugget.  Her wire wrapped ribbon and gemstone nugget necklace tutorial shows how she ties in all the elements!

This great sliding knot bracelet tutorial by the Weavers of Eternity Paracord is perfect if you want an adjustable, claspless bracelet. The demonstration uses paracord but there is no reason why you can't use other cords or leather.

Organic material like pinecones are used in jewelry making but Third Eye Pinecones makes unique designs. Firstly, they don't just use any pinecones but the densest variety from knobcone pines (Pinus attenuata).  This species is found along the West Coast of the US.

Pinecone pendant with Moonstone and Chakra accents

Last week's giveaway for Aga Kruk's Wire Wrapped Stones, Crystals and Clusters Craftsy Class drew beginner wire workers.  Debbie said it for all, " I have tried some wire wrapping with less than impressive results. This class will help immensely."   Aims is right too, "No matter how many times you do something you can always learn something new."

There are many excellent metalsmith instructors out there. But if I had to pick just one, I would pick Kate Richbourg. This veteran teacher knows just how to approach metalsmithing so students can learn without being overwhelmed or intimidated. One example is her FREE  Micro Torch Basics mini class from Craftsy. (my review here).  Adept in print as well as in person, she is clear and succinct.

When I first spied the Beadalon Bangle Weaving Tool, I bought it! This clever tool was invented by British designer, Kleshna Handel. It is a great tool for claspless bracelets and is versatile enough to be used with a variety of materials. I've selected a few tutorials here so you can see it in action.  This basic tutorial by Beadalon demonstrates how to use the tool using beading wire.

Using square wire instead of the usual round wire changes the look of designs.  Check out this fun square wire earrings tutorial (no longer available) over on Beading Times which turns a simple dangle earrings into a swirly design.  The tutorial was by Carol Ladine Lagoski(who passed away back in 2011).

Going to a fancy party or dress up dinner?  Then you will need a pair of glamorous beaded bezel earrings to coordinate with your special outfit.  Check out this lovely tutorial by Galina Dietrich over on livemaster.ru.

The webinar is on at 2 pm EST this Sunday, September 11. This is the first one after a summer hiatus. So if you are free and want to improve your jewelry photography, save time with your online work flow, then email me asap! (pearl@beadinggem.com). Spruce up your shop in time for the upcoming season.

Sandrartes, a Portuguese polymer clay artist has a couple of clever tutorials. She shows how toilet paper can be used to make hollow polymer clay jewelry.  The polymer clay is wrapped around a toilet paper form.  After baking, the toilet paper is easily removed by immersing the piece in water.

Cork is an uncommon material to use for jewelry making. But like leather, it has a certain warmth about it.  Most of the cork tutorials (see links below) are upcycled wine bottle cork ones. But now you can buy cork strips for jewelry making.  I made a cork bracelet with slider beads some time ago.

Ann Kuglak, a Colorado polymer clay artist, says, "I have no formal art training, but rely on native talent to bring my vision alive."  She has an abundance of innate talent as you can see from her Etsy store, Mystic Dreamer Art. Her vibrant work - both wall art as well as jewelry and accessories shows off her eye for pattern and color.

To say that last week's giveaway for Stinky Dog's $35 gift certificate  for hard to find jewelry making supplies was a runaway success was putting it mildly.  There was a whole lot of drooling going on! I am not the least surprised because as many have found, Kitty's store stocks uncommon supplies. Tanya confirmed, "I love all of the unique beads here that I cannot find anywhere else."

It is no surprise wire work and wire wrapping in particular is such a popular technique. The use of metal is always a plus as the material is durable and strong. But best of all, it is a cold connection method which allows you to connect components with just inexpensive tools. No soldering or torch work needed!  Team it with lovely gemstone crystals as shown in this Craftsy class and you will have luxurious designs.

Stephanie Petitplat is a polymer clay artist based in France who specializes in miniature food. She also creates animal sculptures. So watch Stephanie create a polymer clay cat!  Most of the colors she uses are actually small bits of different hued clay applied with a toothpick!  She does use paint for later details.

Are you really fond of bead crochet?  Then you have to check out this wonderful dreamcatcher variation. The hoop part is where the bead crochet comes in.  The tutorial is by Anastasia Zharov over on Biserok. Wouldn't this make a lovely window decoration?

There are plenty of creative ways to make your own earrings display or organizer.  Less common are solutions for stud earrings.  You could use the rolls of fabric ring organizer idea. But it is not easy for tiny stud earrings to stay put.  So that's why I liked this tutorial for an easy stud earrings organizer using any available plastic sheet.

Brooklyntonia over on Instructables came up with a neat way of cutting and folding leather so that it has a sculptured 3D look. As you can see from her tutorial, she starts with cardstock and then transfers the pattern to leather before cutting it out. The result reminds me a little of the paper lanterns I made as a child.