Spotlight Saturday: Charming Bookmarks

How is that Summer reading coming along?  What's your favorite type of beach book?  A juicy thriller or a devious mystery?   I don't know about you but I love relaxing on the beach with a great book, but there is no way I am bringing my digital reading device into the sand.  So I always have a old fashioned book when I head out to get some sun.  You know, one where you actually have to turn the pages?  And for that, you will need a stylish bookmark!

Featured Video: How to Use Ribbon Crimps

This video shows you how easy it is to create a finished look to your ribbon projects.  No more frayed ends of ribbon to ruin your projects.

Featured Project:  Don't Bother Me, I'm Reading!  Bookmark

This is such a great project that you can make one for everyone in your Book Club.  This also makes a great gift for your favorite student going back to school this fall, which you can personalize with their school colors using our ribbon and charms.

Featured Product:  Pandora Beads 

My personal favorite is this Neon Pink SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal BeCharmed Pearl Bead. There is no way I am losing that one in the sand. Get creative! We have so many to choose from. Be sure to check out all of our Pandora Style Beads.  Share your favorite with us below.

Happy Beading and Happy Reading!

Make Mom a Special Mother's Day Gift This Year

The first gifts that my younger brothers and I made for our mom were classroom-made construction paper flowers, papier-mâché picture frames, and cards with macaroni borders.  Each year, our mom would smile and delight at her handmade gifts and carefully pack them away in a box for safe keeping.  As we grew up, we eventually traded in handmade goodies for store bought gifts.  But this year for Mother's Day, we decided to make something for our mom again, and create a special keepsake she can cherish year round. 

My middle brother Collin's favorite project is Julie's Sterling Silver and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Pearl Bird's Nest Necklace.  It's a gorgeous statement piece.  Nothing shows thanks to mom's TLC like a delicate nest with little pearl eggs.  Our mom has a little urban farm here in Los Angeles and she raises chickens. He thought it would be a great touch to give a nod to her three little chickies.

My top choice is Megan's Mother's Treasures Necklace. It's the perfect everyday, go-to piece. This project would make the perfect heartfelt gift with its featured personalized stamped disks with the names and birthstones of a mother's children. Because I'm extra cheesy when it comes to my mom, I'd really like to make her a gift that she could wear close to her heart every day. 

We have simple and classic looks that are easy to make for our beginners, like my youngest brother Mitch.  Try the Simply Charming Earrings in Light Rose or the Treasured Moments Single Briolette Necklace. The wide array of colors offered by Swarovski Elements means that you can customize these projects with your mom's favorite color.

You could also create a custom piece to show off your mom's personality.  Pandora style bracelets are on trend and the I Love Mom Pandora Style Cuff Bracelet is a fun and eye-catching piece.  Or another idea: alphabet and family charms would make a great start, or addition, to a charm bracelet. 

Mother's Day is just a month away--May 12th!  So be sure to order soon to get your supplies, and don't forget to check out our Mother's Day project page for even more inspiration.

Now that we've got a few ideas, my brothers and I have to get to work on our handmade gifts for our mom this year... I just hope she doesn't read this!

- Savannah

Thrifty Gifty Spotlight: Lucite Chrysanthemum Earrings

If you're looking for a great gift for the girls, I've got an idea for you that is quick and easy - and a bargain to boot!

Lucite flowers are a classic look, and make such pretty post earrings.  In this Lucite Chrysanthemum Earrings set, you will get all the supplies you need to make 10 pretty pairs of earrings, all for just $19.99!  The kit will make 6 pairs of 10mm mum earrings and 4 pairs of 16mm mum earrings, in a variety of lovely colors.

These earrings require no tools to complete and will go together in a flash.  Plus, you can make them for just about $2 per pair.  You could give several pairs together, or make gifts for a whole group in no time without breaking the bank!

Thrifty Gifty Spotlight: Resin Charm Bookmarks

If you have any avid readers on your holiday gift list, here are the perfect personalized gifts for them.  What's more, they're very budget friendly, and quick and easy to make.  Hooray!

This is my "Reading is a Hoot Bookmark", with step by step instructions here.  You can see that the price for one kit is $14.91.  But if you choose two colors of crystal faux pearls that will match an assortment of resin charms, or if you want to make multiples of the same bookmark, you can lower your price per piece quite a bit!

You will have enough beads for quite a few bookmarks, and you will have enough eye pins for 10.  To make a set of 10 bookmarks, you'll need to buy four more packages of bookmark findings.  You will also need to choose a total of 10 resin charms that you like that all match your pearl beads.  Once you add in those additional costs and break it down, you're looking at just $4.64 per bookmark.  And actually, that's assuming that you choose all charms that cost $2.49 each.  But many of our resin charms are as low as $1.99, which would mean a total cost of just $4.14 per bookmark.  It's a great little gift for such a little price tag, and you can personalize the charms and colors to suit everyone on your list!

Thrifty Gifty Spotlight: Noodle Bead Bracelets!

If you follow fashion trends (and probably even if you don't) you know how popular the humble bracelet has lately become.  We are seeing them everywhere in all sorts of forms.   One of the biggest hits and one of my favorites is the noodle bead bracelet.  There are many different varieties, but here is my version:

I made mine from pretty colors of waxed cotton cord, with gold and silver plated noodle beads.  Then I glued the cords into sleek little cord ends and used magnetic clasps - my favorite bracelet clasp for ease of use and how clean they look.

But here's the best part: these little beauties pack a lot of value!  You can find the list of supplies here on the project instruction page.  Now, on there, you'll see that the complete supply kit (everything but the tools) will cost you $15.31.  But if you look at the quantities, you'll see that the kit actually gives you enough supplies for two bracelets, which equals $7.66 each.  

Even better than that, though, is that all you need to do is buy an extra package of cord ends and an extra package of noodle beads, and you'll have enough for four bracelets!  With the extra pieces factored in, you can make four bracelets for just $5.02 each.  They'd make a perfect gift for your girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, nieces, co-workers, or anyone else, and you can make a whole bunch of them in no time!

Another fun thing to mention is that you can add in a second color of waxed cotton cord for $2.75 and make your bracelets two-tone like the red and blue bracelet shown above. 

I'm thinking of having a little crafty party with a few of my friends to make a bunch of these for gifts.  Wouldn't that be fun?  We can just pitch in for a bunch of supplies and go to town!