Hot Summer Trends in Beading

Did y'all know that one of the hottest trends for any summer is coral? The bright red color will go with blue jeans or that floral sundress you bought a Kohl's. Perfect for Fourth of July, or any old day at the beach with your swimsuit. Here's a chuncky coral necklace I made with larger beads in the front and 6mm round beads in the back.

Another trend for this season is BLING! Bling is defined as flashy, extravagant, flamboyant, showy, or eyecatching jewelry. So, dig in your bead stash for really cool focal beads, or raid your grandmother's old jewelry for some lucite. I love to work with lucite because it is big, bold, bright colors without adding weight. So, you can make a really chuncky necklace without having to go to a chiropractor. If you don't have your grandmother's jewelry to raid, we have a wide selection of lucite in the store. Here is a necklace I made for my great-grandmother using lucite, resin and other various gemstones and glass beads.

Every lady should have some sea glass for the beach. We are about to get a big order of man-made sea glass beads in the store. Check with me via email or in the store in about a week. This frosty matte look bead is great with your wire designs or mixed with polished gemstones. A lighter, cheaper alternative to sea glass is Resin; A., because it comes in more colors (like hot pink and orange), and B., because it is lighter weight. Here is a necklace I made using Flourite and resin beads with Non-tarnish Artistic wire (what we carry in the store).

HOT OFF THE PRESS: I did some Google-ing about fashion trends and came across a site with this year's spring/summer Runway trends. Check out those necklaces!http://www.jewelrydiary.com/jewelry_trends/jewelry_trends_2009_spring_summer.php

NEW BLOG FEATURE: I have been making jewelry for about 5 years now, and in the process I have run across some problems in finishing jewelry pieces (like a bead wire that pokes the back of your neck). About every other post, I would like to share with you some tricks I've either come up with or learned by trial and error on making your jewelry more professional looking and more comfortable.
I'll start today by mentioning that when you finish your beaded strung necklace, either pull a couple beads off the end or add more beads (just 2 or 3) between the crimp/tube bead and the clasp. This will hide the crimp/tube bead in your design. No more trying to make the crimp bead round or having the tube bead poke you in the back of the neck.

Always at your beady service - Shelby

New Product Line: Brass Findings

Hey - it's me again!

So, I got lots of positive feedback on the cat pendants! Thank you Amiee, Sandy and Nan for the wonderful comments! Any kind of feedback is useful, but good feedback is even better! I am always excited to see what my students and fellow bloggers are making, so please come in and "Show and Tell"! And, I will be working on the next step-by-step project ASAP!

Also, thanks for voting on my poll! Your votes will help us to update and expand different product lines in the store to better serve you, our customers.

Today, I wanted to talk about the exciting new product line we got in the store: Solid brass filagree, pendants, connectors and findings in Brass Vintage Patina, Antique Gold and Antique Silver from Trinity Brass Co. and Vintaj. These products were created to compliment your favorite beads and can be turned into a variety of creations only limited by your imagination!

These components are awesome to really dress up your designs. One of the most simple ideas is you can just hang a "tree of life" charm, butterfly or dragonfly, etc. in front of a gemstone pendant bead (like you see in the yellow citrine necklace example). Even with a simply designed, strung necklace, this little touch really spices things up!

Here are some example pixs of what we have to offer and how to use them:

Thanks again - Shelby

PS - The Birthstone for the month of June is the Pearl. We will be having a Pearl-icious Special in the store throughout the entire month. All pearls are 20% off (this includes freshwater pearls, Czech glass pearls and Mother of Pearl beads). Inquire in the store for more details.

Cute and Creative Cat

Hey y'all -

Ok, all you Cat Fanatics out there unite (myself included) because we have a CUTE, CUTE, CUTE kitty to make today. But, first you need supplies.

I usually use about a 4-6mm round tube or rice bead for the body, but you can use rounds and ovals as well. The important thing is that your bead fits your 2 bead caps for attaching the legs. You don't want the bead caps to stick out very far on either side of the bead, but at the same time, you don't want the bead to be so fat, that it swallows the bead caps and the cats head. NOTE: Your 2 bead caps MUST have holes in them, or you will not be able to attach the legs.

The cat's head used here is a pewter one that measures 7x9mm. Also, you will need 4 silver tube beads and 4 headpins for the legs, and a strand 3-4mm Czech glass (or 20 Swarovki crystals if you would like more bling!). Here's a picture checklist for you:

NOTE: You can also come into the store and ask for a premade kit, or I will be happy to help you pick out your supplies.

Alright, now that we have our parts, lets put him together!

Step 1: LEGS - Cut your strand of glass and pull out 8 beads, and your 4 silver tube beads. The assembly for each leg is one Czech glass (or Swarovki) bead, one silver tube bead, then one more Czech glass bead all on one headpin. Then you want to make a wrapped loop to attach it to bead caps. Refer to my last post for a video to help with your wrapped loop making. Repeat with all four legs. See pix.

Step 2: TAIL - For this part, you will need approx. 10 inches of 20 gauge wire. With this, you want to make a small loop at the end using your chain nose pliers. This creates a very long headpin to assemble all of your kitty's body parts, starting with the tail and working up. Put on 10-12 Czech glass beads, then the bottom legs with the bead cap opening upward or towards the body bead. After your body bead you will then want to put on the top legs with the bead cap opening downward, and finally, the cat head.

Step 3: FINISHING - After putting him together you will want to make another wrapped loop at the very top, above his head, and you can either make the loop big enough to put on a chain or cord, or what I like to do is attach a lobster clasp, so that you can hook him on a purse or keychain. The very last thing you want to make sure you do is bend his tail up and curl it around so that he looks like any other cat...UP TO NO GOOD! LOL! Here's the final pic.

Well, that's all for today, but I want to leave you with a quote from a neighbor's bumper sticker,

"Dogs have Owners, Cats have Staff."

Thanks again, and pet your cats for me - Shelby

Magnificent Metals

Hello again y'all -

Today I wanted to share with you some ideas for using metals in your designs.

First, this is a necklace I created using copper, silver and lucite beads mixed with stainless steel, brass and copper washers, and various metal charms and connectors with engraved words. Everything you see in this necklace is available in our store.

One thing I wanted to point out specifically is the large rings. These are great even in a strung beaded necklace to add length, texture and just the right amount of metal. You can actually use a large chain link in several shapes, or these pictured here are just closed rings that come in a pack of 3 or 5 ideally for one project.

Also, the word charms and connectors are great because, I mean, just look at the little heart and hands that say "made with love" and "hand made"! How cute is that! You could just put a little hand right at the back of your necklace near the clasp, and it would spruce it us just like that. Plus, some people love details, and how much more detailed can you get?

Finally, here is a video I found on YouTube that's a great demonstration of how to make a wrapped loop, which is what I used to connect all the parts you see. Also, you can use this wrapped loop to connect beads for a great link necklace or to make a bail for your gemstone pendant bead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXUVUVLF6fk

Well, that's all for today, but I will be posting again on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Please feel free to contact me via email regarding any questions or comments you might have. sjiswired9487@yahoo.com or you can call the store and ask for Shelby during normal business hours. 1-877-865-3009 or for local customers 732-3220.

Thanks, and Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms out there - Shelby

NEXT TIME on StonesNSilver Studio's blog: Crazy for Cats! Learn how to make the cutest cat pendant using beadcaps and a cat head bead with step-by-step pix and instructions.