Featured Brand of the Month: SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Week Three

For week three, let's talk about beads - SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal beads to be specific. When a crystal bead is designed by SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, they carefully plan each facet to give every shape it's own unique sparkle. Of course, I don't have to tell you just how beautiful these beads are. See for yourself.

SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Bicones

When you are looking at our website you will notice that there is a sketch of each bead to really show of the unique shape of each.  Also you will notice that many of the beads have 3D visuals so you can see the facets in action.  For example, look at the 3D visual for the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Helix Bead.





Designer Picks:


Julie

I probably use bicones the most in all my projects because they are so very versatile but it is fun to switch things up and use some of the other SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS bead shapes as well. I particularly like the Stairway (Square) bead and its faceted puff design. I used these when I created the Enchanted Waltz Earrings and I think they add a really unique look to the design.



Megan

While it's true that bicone beads are a major go-to for so many of us, I have to say that one of my favorites of the less commonly used bead shapes are the Round Mini Beads.  The mini beads have such a pretty style, with a beautifully faceted flat surface.  I love to use them in multiples, like I did in my Layla Earrings, and let them sparkle.





Kat

I am instantly drawn to the classic shape of the rondelle bead. I just cannot get enough of the beautiful facets and how they catch the light. I used the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS 8mm crystal rondelles in Crystal Astral Pink in my Cabo Adventures Bracelet to bring out the gold and pink strands of this bracelet. I think the rondelles really make this bracelet stand out.

Karlin

I like the simplicity and versatility of bicone beads, especially in Crystal Bronze Shade. I used this bead in my Boho Chic Earrings and think they add a subtle sparkle that can be easily translated into different styles of jewelry. Some of my other favorite colors of bicone beads include Jet Hematite and Crystal Satin.





Don't forget to check out the beautiful SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal pearls as well. They are wonderful to incorporate into your design.

A Sneak Peek at CzechMates Triangles!

Our CzechMates Triangle Beads are now available!  See all of the gorgeous colors HERE.

I'm really excited that we're adding all of the CzechMates 2-Hole System to our website.  I'm such a fan of bead weaving, and the different shapes of these beads offer so many new possibilities.  Be sure to check out our new selection as it goes live over the next couple of days.

One of the shapes I'm having fun experimenting with is the brand new CzechMates Triangle Bead.  It hasn't even been released yet, so I thought I'd give you all a little bit of a teaser and show you what's on my table today.  I've been working on a sort of modified triangle stitch using these unique new beads that I'm simply thrilled with.  The peaks of the triangles give such a dynamic look to the stitch!

These little beauties will be released in February, and wait until you see the colors and finishes - they're drool-worthy!  Keep an eye out for them, and for some new inspirational projects to help you get started with these new beads.

-Megan

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Now that we've reached November, I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and all of the yummy food!  Every year, many of us have to get creative with ways to use all those Thanksgiving leftovers.

Christmas Wishes Necklace

In much the same way, a lot of beaders do a huge amount of creating during the holiday season, and end up with their own version of leftovers - leftover beads!  How do you get creative with ways to use those leftover beads and bits?  If you think outside the box, you'll realize that you don't need to let any of those goodies go to waste.


Beads

Using leftover beads as an accent can be a great way to use them up, and also to add that extra little touch to a project.  The red crystal bead in the Christmas Wishes Necklace adds a great finishing touch.

Calypso Earrings

If you have a couple of lingering beads that look pretty together, try making a pair of simple linked earrings like the Trini Earrings.  They're quick and easy, and very wearable.


A pair of interesting gemstone beads can become a great pair of wire wrapped earrings in a snap.  Just wrap them up with a spiraling end like the Calypso Earrings.

Seed Bead Bangle Bracelet Set

Rings are another great way to use up leftover beads.  They're small, so you can make a big impact with a small number of beads.  Try gluing Tila beads into a bezel like the Checkerboard Tila Ring or make a bauble ring with any combination of small beads like the Cabana Ring.

If you have a few seed bead tubes that are getting too low to use in bead weaving, mix them together and press them into Crystal Clay.  Becky Nunn used this technique in her Seed Bead Bangle Bracelet Set, and the results are so unusual and pretty.

Margot Earrings in Montana Blue

Chain

Chain remnants can be the perfect way to add something special to a project.  Try using your smaller remnants of chain to add swags to a pair of earrings.  The Margot Earrings are a beautiful example of how a bit of chain can really finish a pair of earrings.

Even if you only have a few inches of chain left, it can make a great foundation for a pair of earrings.  The Emerald Spiral Earrings use only 2.5" of open link chain for the pair, which forms the base for the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Crystal Channel Charms to hang from.

Elizabeth's Necklace

If you've used gemstone chain, you'll know that you don't want to throw away a single scrap.  Even if you've cut your chain into small pieces, you can still make something lovely with them, just like Julie did in the Gilded Amethyst Earrings.

Rhinestone cup chain might just be the most versatile product I've worked with lately.  I've been using it in everything - and often in pretty small quantities!  One of my favorite applications is as an accent around the outside of the bezel in Elizabeth's Necklace.  It gives such a subtle sparkle to the piece.

Regal Bumblebee Ring

The Regal Bumblebee Ring shows just how much impact a few inches of chain can have.  The rhinestone cup chain makes a gorgeous and eye-catching border for this stunner of a cocktail ring.


Mixed Media

Another great option for using up a potpourri of leftover components is to create a mixed media piece.  This is an especially great option if your pieces tend to fit within a certain color scheme or style.  Julie, who is our Beadaholique Mixed Media Queen, used an extremely wide variety of bits and pieces to create Dreams in Flight.  This amazing statement piece was made using 35 different components, and in many cases, only one or two pieces of each were used.  It's the ultimate leftover project!

Dreams in Flight

Most beaders that I know have quite the stash of leftovers - what's your favorite way to use them up?

-Megan

Around Our Community: The Beading Group at the Villages

Our friends over at the beading group at the Villages have written us, and we'd love to share their story!

The Villages is an active retirement community located in the heart of central Florida, full of sunshine, golf courses and shopping. Among their many recreational activities, they have a group of lovely, creative women who love to bead. 

Beading began at The Villages about 10 years ago in the home of Nancy Weiler.  Nancy, along with 15 other women, gathered together on a regular basis to make jewelry and beaded purses. Before they knew it, the group grew too large for Nancy's home and an official beading group at The Villages was born.  Now the group meets twice a month in a large hall in the central part of the community.  Nancy scours the web and magazines for projects that might be of interest to the group and she then makes patterns and supply lists for the beaders to use.

Together they have done wire wrapping, chain mail (which is Nancy's favorite), lots of bead weaving, kumihimo, bead crochet and braiding.  These days, Nancy is away for the summer months, but she encouraged her beading friends, headed by Barbara Haegele, to take reign of the group.  The beaders are still very active and the group is continuously growing.  Along with a great summary of their beading group, Nancy has also attached some wonderful photos of the beaders in action!
 
Many of the photos show the women with tension chords attached to chairs, working the four strand braid to make Beadaholique's Unisex Anchor Bracelet. They attach string to chairs and then work the cord from there to get good tension.  What a great idea!


Some members have been with the beading group at The Villages for 10 years and counting!  Their knowledge and experience is a helpful source for those new members joining the beading group. As with everything new, flexibility, patience and enthusiasm make for a good learning and teaching atmosphere.


The team at Beadaholique would like to thank the lovely ladies at The Villages for their support.  We are so glad that our instructional videos offer inspiration to your beading group and hope to continue to inspire your creativity.  Thank you for reaching out Nancy, and to the group: Keep Beading!

- Karlin

Why do we call them Rhinestones?

I love rhinestones - sparkly, colorful, shiny rhinestones! While I was sitting here at my desk today, a random thought popped into my head: “Why are rhinestones called “rhine-stones” and where did they originate? To me, the word doesn't sound particularly pretty or like it suits the actual stone. And what exactly does “rhine” in rhinestone mean, anyway?

I just had to do a little investigation. So, with a bit of research on the internet, I discovered that rhinestones were originally rock crystals gathered from the river Rhine. Isn't that cool!? The Rhine is a European river that runs from the Swiss Alps through Germany and eventually flows into the Netherlands. What a beautiful, lush origin for these sparkly stones.

I love learning little tidbits like this, and I hope you all enjoyed that fun fact! 

-Karlin

Beads 2011

On newsstands now!

I am thrilled to announce that a project of mine, designed for Beadaholique, has been published in the Beadwork Magazine's Beads 2011 special annual edition!

We submitted a special piece which highlighted some of our new and exciting beading must-haves, and I had the time of my life designing it.  The finished product came out better than I could have hoped for, a fun and summery salute to the outdoors called "Nature's Talisman".

Nature's Talisman

Using oodles of matte gold lent a soft, shimmery element to the interesting color palette of muted carnelian, turquoise, and lime green.  I had so much fun playing with the various Czech glass beads and wood components, topping it all off with the unexpected addition of some colorful aluminum chain.

 
Want instructions for this project?  If so, go to your local book store or news stand and look for this great magazine--which includes instructions on how to create Nature's Talisman as well as many other beautiful projects, and pages and pages of new beads to fall in love with.

-Andrea

Blog Love - Cynthia Thornton, Green Girl Studios

 

Every now and then, we like to highlight other blogs we love to read.  Cynthia Thornton's blog is one of them!

She gets our blog love for her artistic ability but also for the personal accessibility her blog offers--a window into her creative mind. Cynthia's blog showcases family portraits, stories of real life, how-to projects, and her own sources of inspiration. Scattered in the blog are also some of her designs, but the focus is on life and living it to the fullest. 

If you are not familiar with Cynthia Thornton and her Green Girl Studios cast metal pieces, then look forward to being delighted. Her detailed hand-cast designs primarily focus on nature, animals, and mystical themes. Some beads are inscribed with inspirational sentiments while others encourage one to dream and love. Although she started casting in resin, her original designs are now cast in fine pewter, silver, and shibuichi.   

Here are some of our favorite Green Girl Studio designs:

 

In addition to being a jewelry maker, Cynthia is also a painter, sculptor, doll maker, wife, mother, and published author. Her talents are vast and beautifully showcased in her new book "Enchanted Adornments". Every page, every technique and project will get you excited about jewelry-making all over again.  


-Julie

The Learn To Bead Video Series

Are you just starting out on your beading journey? If so, the world of bicones, strand reducers, Soft Flex, and crimp tubes probably seems a bit confusing and overwhelming. Even to seasoned beaders, the constantly evolving world of beading can be complicated at times. To help sort out the confusion, Beadaholique is very pleased to announce the Learn To Bead video series!

In this multi-part series we take you step-by-step through the beading process. The first several videos are dedicated to beads, findings, stringing materials, and tools. Explaining in detail what is available, what each item is called, and how to use it. This will build a strong foundation from which you will be better equipped to read beading project instructions and choose the appropriate supplies for your own projects.

In the following videos, we will visually demonstrate beading techniques, working our way from the very simple to the more complex. Your skill level and knowledge base will grow as you progress through the video series, making beading even more exciting and fun. 

"Learn To Bead Video #1: All About Beads" is available below, and on our website now. This video is both a gallery and tutorial of bead styles and shapes. Up next will be a video all about findings. If you have a suggestion for a video, let us know, we'd love to hear from you. 

Happy Beading! 

The New Swarovski Spring/Summer 2011 Release, Part 2

It's time to show the world the new Swarovski Innovations article styles for Spring/Summer 2011!   No, these styles are not yet available, but they will be sooooooooon.....

The thing that struck us immediately is that Swarovski has gone heart-crazy!   They seem to have realized they were onto a really good thing with their Wild Heart pendant, released 6 months ago.   Everyone went nuts for this graceful yet ultra-modern style of heart, and the factory still can't seem to make the larger sizes fast enough!

So what do we see in the new line-up? One new heart pendant style?   Nope.  Two or three new heart styles? Wrong again! Five, count 'em, five brand new Swarovski heart pendants will soon be on offer.


 The #6261 Devoted 2 U Heart Pendant seems the logical opposite of the Wild Heart - instead of being long and tapering, it is wide, plump and kinda cute.




 The #6260 Crazy 4 U Heart Pendant takes back the long organic lines of the Wild Heart, and adds asymmetry to the mix - this is the 'funkiest' of the new hearts, and the off-center drill hole guarantees it will hang at a funky funky angle.



The #6262 Miss U Heart Pendant has a cut-out in the middle - all the better for it to hang at a fetching angle from your favorite chain or cord.  One almost wonders why Swarovski didn't call this the 'Cosmic' heart, in accordance with the names of most of their other pendants with cut outs.  But I guess they couldn't resist the pun.  "Miss" U, get it?  Because the center of the heart is missing....


 The #6264 Truly in Love Heart Pendant seems to be a new classic, a slightly widened, plump heart, with an unmistakable silhoutte.    But that's not the end of the story, because.....

 
The #6263 Forever 1 Heart Pendant takes the Truly in Love heart, breaks it, and puts it back together.  At least that's what that matte finish 'crack' down the center of the heart seems to symbolize.  Or maybe it's a representation of two hearts becoming one.  Whatever. You pick!

The #5624 Stairway Bead is an attractive flattened squared bead whose precise square facets help pass it off as classic, deco, or ultra-modern.  It is a classic shape that fills a hole in the bead line.  This one is another in the Swarovski tradition of having to make at least one new fancy bead that looks better the larger it is.


Aha!  Here is the latest 'cosmic' shape.  The #4736 Organic Cosmic Triangle represents Swarovski's latest effort at making a man-made geometric construct look organic.   The assymetry presents interesting possibilities for creating visual rhythms with the use of multiple cosmic triangles in differing orientations.


Finally!  Swarovski  jumps on the Pandora-fueled craze for large-hole beads with metal linings with their new BeCharmed beads.   Until now we had to be content with using Swarovski's #5041 large-hole rondelle beads on our chunky beaded bracelets, but it looks like these two new styles of beads are worth the wait.

Not only will the #5940 BeCharmed Briolette Bead and the #5920 BeCharmed Helix Bead be available in tons of Swarovski colors, but they are lined with truly spectacular and streamlined custom stainless steel cores.  Very modern looking, and quite stunning.  It's a pity you can't see the side view in these official Swarovski photos.


Not all of Swarovski's sew-ons are that conducive to use by jewelry makers.  But we loved the #3251 Space Cut Sew-on the moment we saw it.  It comes in a variety of sizes, some quite large, and with the generous holes at either end, it looks like an ideal jewelry component.

Not content with adding more facets to their classic bicone beads and heart pendants,  Swarovski has now decided to enhance their classic round flatback rhinestone.  The #2028 article will slowly be replaced by the new 2058 Xilion Rose Enhanced Flat Back.   We'll be doing another blog soon to tell you all about the differences.

 

The new #2037 Eclipse Flat Back is a versatile little design.  We're thinking circles, wave patterns, organic curves, art deco .... this one should be good.

 I'm always a sucker for snowflakes!  The new #2826 Rivoli Snowflake Flat Back will add little bits of wintry sparkles to so many designs.  I just wish they had made it in some larger sizes - these snowflakes are not big enough to be centerpieces.



So what do you think of the new Swarovski shapes?  Are you already inspired?  Keep an eye out for these new articles, coming your way as soon as we can get our hands on them.

Monday's New Arrivals at Beadaholique!

We are constantly getting neat new 'stuff' in at Beadaholique. We used to just pop each item up on the website one by one, as the photos got done, as the descriptions got written, in between doing other things...the result was that our New Arrivals category, while large, was usually a jumble, and its size actually made it difficult for anyone to really get through it.

Lately, we've been sorting our New Arrivals into concise, exciting (well we think so) groupings. On our home page it is now easy to see the groups of arrivals from the last two weeks, and you can click through to see every new category of stuff for up to the last six months.

So feel free to check out the beads, findings or supplies that most interest you: New Pandora-Style Crystal and Birthstone Beads, Pandora Style Metal Beads, New Mixed Media Materials, including Lisa Pavelka Waterslides, New Craft Wire in Half Round and Square shapes, New Steampunk Buttons, new Batik Beauties and Sassy Silkies Fabric Beads by Kristal Wick, or some really cute antiqued Alphabet charms (which remind me of old typewriter keys).

Have fun!

-Sarah