The Beading Gem

Tagua beads are made from the nuts of ivory palm which grows in Central and South America. These lightweight beads have some of the properties of ivory - the same natural color and a good material for carving.  But unlike real ivory, using tagua beads in art and crafts does not mean the demise of the African elephant. So you could say these beads are humane and eco friendly.

There is something fascinating about owls so much so that they are favorite motif of crafters - the wire wrapped owl tutorial collection I shared recently was popular.  First up is for the beaded collection is this adorable bead embroidered owl brooch . It was uploaded by Alina Colnishko over on liveinterent.ru.  It is a pictorial so no translation is necessary.  I am note sure of the original designer but the earliest date for this design to appear on the internet is over on this Czech site.

It never fails.  Something that was popular a few decades ago, becomes popular once again.  It is like a new generation rediscovers an old favorite. So it is with Friendly Plastic.  This craft material is a low heat polymer which molds very easily with just fingers.

Earrings present well if you have them on some sort of earrings card.  It doesn't matter if you don't make to sell, but the earrings will stay together in whatever gift box or bag you have. If you do sell though, the same thing applies.  Plus you can also use the cards themselves to hang on some suitable holder.

I couldn't have agreed  more about the book reviewed in last week's giveaway.  One reader, Divya said, "Every designer worth his or salt should know how to whip up unique findings when what you need isn't exactly available in the market. In that regard this book is outstanding as it shows you how to get it done."

Polymer clay is an excellent material for jewelry especially if you love color and/or don't want heavy jewelry. This tutorial on how to make easy embossed polymer clay earrings comes from 2GoodClayMates. The designers behind this great DIY is reader Carolyn Good and her husband Dave.

This wonderful colorful hand wrapped thread on paracord necklace tutorial from Refinery 29 is similar in some ways to those I featured before. The finish is better with end caps than Ariane's tutorial. However, Ariane's method of starting with all the colored threads and hiding the non-working threads underneath the wrapping saves time and effort compared to attaching new thread all the time.

Sabrina Chin of Love at First Blush is a fellow Canadian with a studio in Kensington Market, Toronto. It's easy to see why her leather feather and cuff jewelry collection has been featured in several magazines, fashion editorials, tv and even a Paramount movie in 2013. The edgy handmade brand is popular with those who like their accessories to be different mainstream styles.