The Beads They Are a'Changin'

Turkey day isn’t far away and everybody knows hosting the Thanksgiving feast is quite the feat. If you’re looking for simple-to-make autumn decorations to embellish your home with, then our Autumn Colors Bead Assortment will surely rake in the compliments from family and friends!

There are plenty of decorations you can create that will enhance your Thanksgiving get-together. Adorn delicious smelling candles with handmade candle rings or serve desert with a pop of the cork using our Wine Party Kit. This kit is always a hit, but don’t stop there. Spruce up those wine goblets with one-of-a-kind charms around the base of each glass. Try personalizing each one with metal nametag charms. Thanksgiving napkin rings, bead-able spreaders and forks, bead-able party sets, the ideas are endless!

So before you get together to gobble up the good stuff, use our Autumn Colors Bead Assortment to cover your home in a festival of fall colors.  Picking out your beads is half the fun!

Until next week, be happy and bead on!

The Beading Bunch

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Bead

Halloween has passed and winter is quickly on its frosty way, but don’t put up those Christmas lights just yet! It’s still fall and we’ve got plenty of great autumn decorations to bead. Just look at this adorable Copper-Tone Metal Bead-able Pumpkin Kit.

Beading these pumpkins is a simple process and will create a great looking decoration or centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner. Put your desired colored beads onto the wire and then start wrapping the wire around the copper spokes of the pumpkin. That’s all there is to it!

For a touch of natural beauty, give our strands of Carnelian Stone Chips a try. Each strand contains one-of-a-kind colors that reflect autumn’s changing leaves.

The best part about these little guys is their value. Unlike the real thing, these pumpkins last all year long. Celebrate the 4th of July by just twisting on red, white and blue beads. Green beads are all you need for St. Patty’s Day. Easter? Valentine’s Day? New Year’s? As long as you have wire and seasonal beads, the possibilities are endless. Get all the supplies you need here!

Until next week, be happy and bead on!

The Beading Bunch

Fit to Be Tied

Buy beads by the bunch? Then you may have found that some beads need a little extra work before they can be used in your craft. To perfect your beads, try using a bead reamer.

A bead reamer set includes interchangeable diamond dust coated heads that you can use to remove your beads’ rough edges and enlarge or match the beads’ holes on both ends. Our bead reamer set includes four different reamers, each with plastic handles, two pointed reamers of different sizes and two squat conical reamers.

To prevent cracking or breaking your bead from constant grinding, always lubricate your reamer tip and bead with water and check your work frequently. A word of caution, you may become quickly frustrated if you try to hold the bead with your fingers while you work. Try using tweezers or needle nose pliers from a jeweler’s set or a beading tool set.

Remember, always stop and check your work and keep your beads and bead reamer tip lubricated with plenty of water. Put on your favorite music, take your time and you'll have plenty of perfect beads before you know it!

Until next week, be happy and bead on!

The Beading Bunch

Bling up Your Blinkers

Are you always looking for those reading glasses and can’t find them when you need them the most? Bead up your own eyeglass holders for a fashionable, yet convenient way to keep them close at hand.

 

These eyeglass holders make a great gift and they’re easy to make. Use the Glass Beaded Eyeglass Holder Kits or create your own with any chain, headpins or your favorite beads.

  

These Glass Beaded Eyeglass Holder Kits are fun for the holidays. We have our Fall Kit and our Holiday Kit, but again, use your imagination and add your own panache. Use our Plastic & Metal black & Clear Eye Glass Holders as the base of the project and follow your “vision” to an eye-catching creation. 

Until next week, don’t let this fun idea out of your sight and bead on!

 The Beading Bunch

Voguish Vines

Voguish Vines

 

Trick or Treat!  Every girl needs some extra flair this October so why not treat yourself to some earrings that scream Halloween chic?

 

Bring on fall fun by making our Brushed Wire Pumpkin Earring Project. When you see these perfect pumpkins you’ll instantly think of the pumpkin patch and brisk fall nights around a bonfire. You can make them following our easy instructions with our supply list, or use your own special charms, crystals or hook ear wires to create a custom look. 

 

What better way to spend an autumn day than to get a group of friends together for drinks and appetizers while beading up these festive accessories. You can make it a girl’s night in for less than a dinner out. These voguish vines would also make a great gift for your little pumpkin to give as a gift to their teacher.

 

Until next week, keep it Halloween chic and bead on!

 

The Beading Bunch

Bumpy in the Night

Halloween is almost here and it’s time for dark nights, scary frights and things that go bump in the night. Halloween can be creepy, but you can make it classy with an accessory that is frighteningly fashionable.

 

Using Black & White Mini Dot Glass Beads, you can effortlessly create this Bumpy In The Night Glass Bead Bracelet. What a great idea for a Halloween Party!  This piece can serve as your “costume” jewelry and will certainly be a conversation starter. You don’t have to only wear it on Halloween either, this piece can be used all season long.

There are many more possibilities for these beads. Take a large tapered candle and use the beads to decorate the base for some fun Halloween décor. Of course you can make earrings, a necklace or an anklet for some extra spooky sparkle.  Just mix in your own beads or findings to come up with your own unique display of Halloween spirit.

 

No matter what you decide to do with these dark droplets, we’re sure you’ll have everyone spellbound by your creativity!

Until next week, Happy Haunting and bead on!

 

The Beading Bunch

Think Pink!

Wow, October is here already. This month brings a change of season and Halloween, but October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each year it is estimated that 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Early detection can make all the difference, so it’s important to spread the word about this disease.

One way to raise awareness is to make a Pink Ribbon Bookmark.  It is a beautiful and practical gift you can share with women close to your heart. Use our Breast Cancer Awareness Lampwork Glass Bead Mix and Enamel & Metal Pink Ribbon Charms as just the right embellishments. Use any metal bookmark as the base for this inspiring piece and tailor it with words of inspiration fit for the occasion.

There are plenty of opportunities to spread awareness with these bookmarks. Every time your friends and family see their bookmarks they will serve as a reminder to do a self-exam or schedule an annual doctor’s visit. Pass your beaded gifts out at your book club, at a charity event, or make them for your girlfriends and family.

Until next week, think pink, be happy and bead on!

The Beading Bunch

Espresso Yourself

If you’re anything like me, you need that cup of caffeine to kick start your day. Put these Latte Earrings on to keep that energy going all day long. These invigorating earrings are sure to be that extra something that will get everyone asking how they can brew some up too.

If you’re willing to give them up, they would make a great gift for a morning coffee book club, morning card club or just anyone who loves coffee, latte or even tea.

Making them is so simple!  Using our Coffee & Latté Mug Lampwork Beads, you’ll have them finished before you can say decaf.

Whether you want a cup full of fun for you or for a friend, these super cute earrings are sure to gratify your love for the joe.

Until next week, drink up, be happy and bead on!

The Beading Bunch

Relax and Bead in ‘60’s Style

It’s hard to believe Woodstock is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Whether you’re old enough to remember it or you’re just discovering this cultural phenomenon for the first time, it’s an event with a special style worth commemorating. 


We put together this fun pair of ‘60’s inspired dangling earrings in the time it took to play just one side of a Jimi Hendrix LP. Remember playing those? 

 

Simple and symbolic, these Peace Leather Earrings are a great accent for a casual outfit, and they’re easy to make. You only need five basic elements and a pair of peace symbol charms to create these sure-fire conversation starters. So throw your hair in a braid, toss on a poncho and make a pair for yourself or someone who loves ‘60’s style.

Until next week, peace and love - bead on!

The Beading Bunch

Simple as Black and White

So what’s black, white, and dotted with colorful little tidbits? Our Acrylic Hunky Bead Bracelet project! 

Funky and fabulous, our featured project this week perfectly blends black and white acrylic hunky beads with a rainbow of colorful glass round beads. When strung on stretchy cord, the glass beads provide a bit of colorful space for the hunky beads and give you a chance to experiment with different styles. In one version of this bracelet, we used only red glass beads, and in yet another, we tried silvertone metal beads with a square shape. You can get creative and come up with lots of your own designs! 

 

Another plus: the acrylic hunky beads are cute, chunky and anything but clunky. They’re more lightweight than they look, so they work just as well in earrings, necklaces, zipper pulls and anything else you can dream up.

 

Until next week, be happy and bead on!

 

The Beading Bunch