Being able to make pretty wire wrapped loops is a basic jewelry making technique which any beader or jewelry maker should know. I always try to improve my beading techniques and find new ways of doing things.

Wire is fun too! There is so much you can do with it, wire wrapping beads or cabochons for example or you can also make your own jewelry components with wire. The earrings above I made with copper wire and the Thing-A-Ma-Jig tool.

I absolutely love video tutorials because you can see exactly how something is done.

So just watch the tutorial and learn how to wire wrap a perfect loop!

Related posts:

1. Making Beaded Earrings Earrings Earrings! Book Review
2. Thing-A-Ma-Jig Review
3. New earrings designs

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

You will get the chance to learn the skills from someone experienced working your technique, without killing yourself in the process! When taking a beading class you develop more and better beading skills at the same time as you find friends among the cool bead addicts in your area.

1. What is your goal? 
   Figure out if you want to focus on a specific project or a technique. Many classes offer both, but you might not be able to finish your project in one sitting. Look for a class description, it should let you know what you can expect to learn in each session.
2. Do research.
   Visit the instructors web site to find more information about his/her experience and approach. Sometimes there is an e-mail address provided so you can contact the instructor if you have questions about the class. Join the mailing list, then you always know what is going on and when your favorite classes will be.
3. Check your skills.
   Are you familiar with the techniques you’ll need, or can you learn before class? You can often take an intermediate class as a beginner; but make sure you understand what is necessary knowledge-wise, and make sure you’re not depending on instructors help at every step.
   
4. Consider supplies.
   Be sure to check whether the supplies are provided in the class or wether you are expected to bring your own. Supplies for a beginner project may cost less than $10, while supplies for an advanced project could be $100 or more.

Where to find my beading class?

Bead stores
Consider taking a class at your local bead store. If the class is small, you’ll receive lots or personal attention which is perfect if you’re new to the hobby. Smaller classes also mean that the instructor can accommodate the skill levels and questions of the students.

Bead shows
Attend a bead show to take classes. Bead shows have a competitive selection process for classes, so they typically attract a vareity of instructors. As a bonus, you’ll get to meet people from around the world. A good way to know more about the classes in advance is to order a show catalog. They are fun because they describe what you will learn in each class and show pictures of the projects.

With a friend
Why not ask a friend who masters what you want to learn? No matter if you get a yes or no, it can never hurt to ask. That’s also a good way to get to know you friend better, maybe you can exchange information in beading techniques in the future? That’s a win – win situation for everyone! It might also be a good alternative when you want to keep down the expenses.

Don’t hesitate to sign up for a class, you will se that it’s greatly rewarding to learn something new. Wherever you decide to take your beading class, ask your questions, make friends and enjoy the creative atmosphere!

Related posts:

1. 8 Steps To Better Beading
2. Finding Beading books
3. Jewelry pliers, tools for beading

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Anybody else who has them, what did you think? Or have you found another cool set, and wanna share? Do leave a comment

We beaders need happy tools when we’re beading, so get yourself one of the Zebras!

Related posts:

1. Jewelry pliers, tools for beading
2. 8 Steps To Better Beading
3. Find the right beading classes

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

If the clay gets burned, immediatly remove it and take it outdoors to cool. You don’t want to keep those fumes in your house. When I bake polymer clay in a regular oven, I always keep the fan running during the whole time it’s being baked.

You can also use a clay dedicated toaster owen for baking their polymer clay. These ones needs to be pre-heated. Toaster ovens tend to spike to high temperatures so monitor it to prevent burning and smelly fumes.

It’s been said that every polymer clay artist has burned their clay at least once by mistake. So if you do, don’t take it too hard

Related posts:

1. Polymer clay basics
2. How To Make Polymer Clay Beads, Book Review
3. Polymer clay creation

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This is one of my favorite ways to be creative. There is so much you can make with polymer clay and there are loads of colors and techniques to chose from. 

Every brand of polymer clay has it’s own particular feel about it. For example Fimo soft, is just that, softer than many other clays and easier to work with.

After baking softer clays doesn’t get the same strength as firmer clays do. This is why firmer clays are very popular among those who create complex designs since the result is a stronger piece.

  

Fimo and Sculpey Polymer clay

Firm Polymer clays

• Kato Polyclay
• Fimo Classic
• Premo Sculpey
• Super Sculpey Firm
• Cernit

Soft Polymer clays

• Fimo Soft
• Sculpey Original
• Sculpey III
• Liquid Polymer Clays: Kato Liquid Polyclay, Fimo Liquid, Translucent Liquid Sculpey

About Liquid Polymer clay

Liquid polymer clays are used for making image transfers,  as an adhesive, coloured as a filler for polymer mosaics or for 3-D effects. With liquid polymer clay you can cover a surface to protect transfers or fragile images underneath as well as being polishing the clay to a high shine after curing.

How to use Polymer clay? 

• Hand sculpting items from miniatures to larger pieces. Found an interesting book on that recently, check it out.

• Creating all kinds of beads and jewelry such as pendants, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and buttons.

• Covering items with the clay, materials like: glass, metal, cardboard, terra cotta, and some plastics. Wonderful items to cover: pens, eggshells, candle-holders, and tool handles. Even some furnitures such as tables can be veneered.

• Creating beautiful artwork like jars, boxes and bowls.

• Making faux surfaces of natural and fabricated materials such as jade, turquoise, marble, granite, metal, ivory, wood, leather, stained glass, mosaic, and cloisonne. A great book on the subject is: Faux Surfaces on Polymer clay

• Create collages by layering polymer clay with other materials.

• Making lovely home decor items such as: frames, games and game pieces, dioramas, toys, mini-books, notebook covers, greeting cards, and postcards.

Polymer clay is a huge art form which anyone can do, if you only know the basics! Why not create together?  Kids, teenagers, adults, everyone can make whatever they feel like! I did that here, it was so rewarding!

Related posts:

1. How To Make Polymer Clay Beads, Book Review
2. Translucent Liquid Sculpey review
3. Kids Polymer Clay Projects

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

How do you find the best books for beadwork? First of all you need to get to a good bookstore which has books on beads, usually the bigger the better, because there is much more to chose from.

If you can’t go out, why not check out the book sections online. I find almost all my beading books at Amazon. Here you can search on any beading or jewelry making subject. And what’s so wonderful about Amazon is that you instantly can see new book releases, and books coming soon to pre order if you want. You also have the “Look inside” feature on many of the books, which is perfect, you can look inside the book just like in a regular bookstore!

Searching for great Beading Books

What you should be looking for in a good beading book is a few things. First of all, does it have an interesting cover? Do you like the style of the jewelry featured on it? Is it creative? It might give an idea of what you can expect from the book.

When you look at the table of the contents you can easily see if this book includes what you’re looking for. And if it is, it’s time to take a closer look.

See if there are simple instructions to the projects, the best books are usually easy to read even though the projects might be advanced. What about the illustrations, are they really Step by Step? Some books tend so skip several important steps which makes it difficult for you to finish the project in a satisfying way. In some books basic techniques are explained earlier or later in a book though.

What about materials and tools in the book? Where can you get them? It’s sad to read a great book and the realize that you can´t do the projects because of the strange materials or tools required. If your are beginner in beads, or you’re starting out with a new technique, it might be a good idea to acount how much the book and materials will cost altogether. 

Last but certainly not the least: Read reviews! Especially when you shop online, you can get much information from that. When reading try to get an overall view of what others think, opinions differs but are often very helpful. The number of “stars” can tell whether its’ a good quality book or not.

Check list for finding great beading books!

1. Visit Amazon’s book department online, or big bookstore.
2. Look for creative covers.
3. Table of contents, does it contain what you want?
4. Check pictures/instructions, are they really Step by Step?
5. Do you have or can you get the materials needed?
6. Read reviews! It can spare you from some bad books.

Now get out there take the checklist with you to find many wonderful and helpful beading and beadwork books!

Related posts:

1. Find the right beading classes
2. Making Beaded Earrings Earrings Earrings! Book Review
3. Oprah’s Jewelry: Beaded African Bracelets

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Jewelry pliers with bad quality used to drive me insane! For instance, they made ugly marks on my loops or rings and I used to loose the grip all the time. Recognize that? Well happy news is that you can fix that only by getting good quality ones instead. That’s what I did. Here are the basic jewelry pliers you need:

            

Chain nose pliers

The chain nose pliers jaws are flat on the inside and rounded on the outside. The flat surface creates right angle bends in wire. The rounded outside makes rounded bends. Their tapered point allows you to work in tight places.

Bent chain nose pliers

The angled tip of these bent nose pliers is perfect for gripping wire or material in tight places in between.

            

Crimp pliers

These crimp pliers have two grooves machined into he jaws and are made to crush and close (fold over) crimp beads. Among these pliers I recommend the Magical crimp forming tool, and here is a quick tutorial of it. Makes wonderful round and shiny little beads.

Flush cutters

The flush cutting plier jaws are angled for an accurate cut. With this tool, you can easily tell if it’s good or not. Good cutters cuts wire instantly, without you putting much pressure onto it. With cheap cutters you have to struggle with lots of pressure to cut through wires, and sometimes they just cut them half through anyway.

Nylon jaw pliers

These pliers are used to smooth wire out before use. Lightly grip the nylon jaws and pull it through. The nylon jaw pliers are perfect when you’re playing around with a thing a ma jig or this cool wig jig. Without any scratches you can shape the wire both before, after, and during you make your creation around the pegs. Afterwards I use to make smaller alterations with the nylon jaw pliers when I have removed it from the thing a ma jig. With nylon jaw pliers after some time you might need new replacements jaws. If you’re starting to loose the grip, it’s time.

Round nose pliers

The name round nose pliers refers to the shape of the jaws, use these pliers to create loops and curves in wire. Most round nose pliers jaws taper to a point, allowing you to vary the size of the loops and bends. The pliers tips look like this in between: OO

Flat nose pliers

The jaws of flat nose pliers are smooth and can be used to grip, bend, and flatten wire without marking it.

So you see, you won’t regret getting good quality jewelry pliers… They will be your loyal friend through good and bad times in your beading life! We all need friends, do we not?

Related posts:

1. Zebra Jewelry pliers
2. The Secret of The Magic Crimper…
3. New beading findings!

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The best quality glass seed beads come from Japan and the Czech republic. Other countries also produce seed beads, but they tend to be more irregular in shape and come in a more limited color range.

Japanese glass seed beads 

These seed beads are even in size and shape. With large holes they are perfect for off-loom bead weaving, when the thread passes through the beads multiple times. You can buy japanese glass seed beads in tubes or packages from sizes 15.0 (1,5 mm) to 6.0 (4mm) The manufacturers are Matsuno, Miyuki an Toho.

Czech glass seed beads

In size and shape the glass Czech seed beads are slightly more irregular than japanese ones, but they are very useful all-purpose beads. They are shaped like ovals with the holes running though the narrow part. They come in the sizes from 16.0 (1,3 mm)  to 6.0 (4 mm).

Shapes

• Japanese cylinder beads are small cylindrical beads that have very thin walls and large holes. They give an even and regular fabric of beads when stitched together.  

• Hexcut beads have six sides and look like hexagons when viewed from the end. The blunt ends can be very sharp. Consider good quality wire or thread.

• Triangle beads are available in sizes 5.0-12.0. The ones from Toho have sharp corners, while the ones from Miuyki have rounded.

• Cube beads are small square beads that come in 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 3,4 mm and 4 mm. Both Toho and Miuyki has them.

• Drop beads are sometimes called “teardrops”. Available in in sizes ranging from 3,1 mm to 6 mm. Both available in Japanese and Czech manufacturers.

• Bugle beads are like long skinny tubes and range in size from 2 mm to 30 mm. These are also available at japanese and czech manufacturers. They come in straight and twisted varieties.

Tubes	Drops	Cubes	Bugles

Which glass seed beads for your project?

Round seed beads make nice, small strands or work well as spacers between larger beads. Cylindrical ones are best for woven projects because they fit together like a puzzle. Look for beads that are consistent in size and shape.

There are also many different finishes from which to choose. Pick the right one for your design based on the overall effect you want to achieve. Silver-lined beads are transparent on the outside with a silver lining inside, which adds a bright metallic shine to beaded designs. Matte seed beads are subtler and can add a touch of color without a lot of shine.

When you’re out on bead hunting it’s easy to be confused by all the “eye candy” in front of you. That’s when I try to imagine my project in front of me to see if  a particular bead really fits the design. It takes some practice to see which seed bead goes where. But don’t worry you’ll learn, it’s not like you can’t try them at home!

Related posts:

1. Murano Glass Necklace with Silver Foil Bead
2. Cinnabar Jewelry with the Beads
3. Oprah’s Jewelry: Beaded African Bracelets

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Many bead shops and online retailers sell lovely jewelry gemstones. You can buy them piece by piece, or on strands. If you buy gemstones by strands they’re usually separated by plastic or wire spacers. High quality gemstones are sometimes sold by weight. Examples of popular gemstones:

• Turquoise 
• Hematite
• Tigers-eye
• Lapis Lazuli
• Quartz
• Amethyst
• Malachite

What to look for

As a general rule gemstones with deep consistent color and few “flaws” are more valuable. Unless you are buying a graduated strand, look for strands that have beads of a uniform size and shape. When comparing prizes, remember that rare and highly faceted gems are supposed to be more expensive. That also applies to stones with complicated cutting and polishing.

Keeping gemstones

Since color is the most obvious and attractive feature of gemstones, most commercially sold gemstone beads have been enhanced one way or the other. Enhancements can include dying, heat treatment, irradiation or stabilizers like resin or wax. This way it’s possible to improve the appearance or durability of a gemstone. All treatments are not permanent… Remember to check that when you purchase.

If you’re not sure whether your gemstones have a permanent enhancement, only clean the jewelry with warm soapy water. Avoid harsch chemicals or high heat, which can cause the gems to fade or crack. Store softer gemstones in separate bags or boxes, where they won’t be scratched by other jewelry.

Turquoise disk

Cut and shape

Opaque stones such as opal, turquoise, variscite, etc. are commonly cut as cabochons, which are designed to show the stone’s color or surface properties.

Transparent gems are usually faceted, a method which maximizes the reflected light seen as a sparkle.

Get your creativity together and take those shiny gems and bead a stunning necklace or bracelet, or why not a pair or earrings? With only a few beads you can make a pair of  really tasty earrings! Right now I’m planning my next gemstone project, eyes going to those jade beads…

Related posts:

1. Chunky Turquoise Necklace from Megan Fox
2. African Jade Beads Jewelry
3. How To Make Polymer Clay Beads, Book Review

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

What features do I love about my bead board?

• The flocked surface keeps the beads from rolling around. Before I had my bead board, the rolling of the beads used to drive me crazy… So be safe by getting one!
• I can create multi-strand necklaces and bracelets due to different grooves on the bead board.
• Being able to make more than one bracelet at a time is a lifesaver! As I am looking for beads to make one bracelet, I usually come up with other ideas on the way. The five slots on the bracelet section makes it easy lay out the patterns for all of the ideas that inspire me! 
• The sections allow me to lay out all of the components for earrings, clasps for necklaces and bracelets, and any crimping beads I may need.
• Because the grooves are marked with measurements, I can determine how long my necklaces and bracelets will be. This is important if you are trying to make your jewelry a standard length, or if you are making a custom fitting piece.

Take advantage of the measurements on the outside of the bead board to determine how the long the design will be. For example, a pattern that reaches 8 both sides would make a 16″ necklace, which is standard length for a choker. But don’t forget to include the clasp, which will add another 1/2 – 1 1/2″.

There are a few different types of bead boards, but most will at the very least have one long groove around the board where you set your beads as you prepare to string. On either side of this groove are markings and numbers. These markings help you determine the final length of a piece of beaded jewelry. In the center of the board, are small extra compartments where you can store beads as you work.

How to use the the board?

Don’t worry, it’s easy! If you already have a pattern to follow, great, just go ahead and put them in the correct order on your board. If you don’t know your pattern yet, this is when the board becomes super handy! Just play with your beads, arrange them in different ways until you find a design that you like.

Bead stoppers

Now you’re ready to go ahead and string up your beads onto your chosen stringing medium.  On either side of the strung beads its a great idea to have bead stoppers. I love these, they’re also must haves! Small fabulous gadgets that help to make sure you don’t lose your beads before you’re ready to finish!

Once you’re finished arranging the beads in your item (necklace, bracelet, anklet, whatever it is) you can remove the piece from the bead board and finish it off using your choice of finishing technique, such as a crimp bead or a bead tip.

The bead board is a wonderful tool when making jewelry as a hobby or professionally. It makes everything so much easier!

Related posts:

1. Men’s Beaded Necklaces
2. How To Make Macrame Bracelets!
3. Clay bead Jewelry

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.