Quick Tip Tuesday: Use a US Quarter to Better Understand Millimeters

Ever confused about millimeter sizes when ordering beads? I know it can be hard to wrap your mind around how big a 10mm, 20mm or 30mm bead really is. A handy tip that I like to use is that a US quarter is almost 25mm in diameter (it is actually 24.26mm). By having a quarter sitting on my desk when looking at bead sizes, it really helps me to conceptualize how big a bead really is. For other tips about understanding millimeter sizes, please check out this video I recently made:

Happy Beading Everyone,
Julie

Quick Tip Tuesday: Use Crimp Bead Covers as Accent Beads

The beauty of crimp bead covers is that they are essentially open beads and you can add them wherever you want. Karlin recently made a kumihimo bracelet using an assortment of green seed beads. After she added the clasp and finished the project, she realized that the bracelet was lacking something. It needed a little "pop". She cleverly realized that she could create the look of interspersed gold beads by placing crimp bead covers over some of her warp threads (and closing them around the thread), between the other beads. You could easily apply this same idea to other jewelry making projects - from strung necklaces that might have little gaps to fill in, to crocheted creations and even bead woven designs.

- Julie

Quick Tip Tuesday: Use Tape as a Bead Stopper on Memory Wire

I love to work with memory wire. I find memory wire projects to be fun, fast and easy, which serves as a nice contrast to some of my more complicated bead woven or bead embroidered projects. There are various ways to finish memory wire ends but probably the most common is to just create a simple wire loop on each end.

Because memory wire needs to be such a strong wire to hold its shape, it means that once you create that simple loop on the end, you are committed to it and there really is no going back (unless you cut it off). But what if you want to change your design? Do you have to slide off all your beads? My solution is to not finish the memory wire end when I start the project but instead put a piece of tape over the last 1/4" of it. The tape works as a handy bead stopper. This way I can string all my beads and if I don't like something, I just remove the tape and slide off as many beads a I want. Once I am happy with my design I then go in and create my loops.

- Julie 

Quick Tip Tuesday: Enlist Friends as Testers

When I first started making jewelry to sell, one of my biggest concerns was the construction of the pieces I had made and whether they would really hold together. Early on I had several embarrassing instances of earrings suddenly coming undone and falling apart while people were wearing them - this shook my confidence yet was a good lesson that I needed to hone my skills.

As a result of these early experiences, I realized that I needed to conduct some real world tests of my designs. I started to give free samples of my jewelry to friends and I told them to please wear the pieces and not to be gentle with them. They came through and boy did I get the feedback! It was not always easy to hear that my jump rings had come undone or my stitching unraveled, but I would rather have had a friend tell me this then a customer. With each piece of feedback, I would alter my design and then have them test it again. Soon I learned what worked and what did not. Now I feel confident that my construction is good and that I am selling a high quality piece of jewelry. As a side note, with all my friends wearing my designs, they started to tell other people about my jewelry and I actually made some orders this way!

- Julie

Quick Tip Tuesday: Ways To Use Cup Chain Remnants

Belle Epoch Necklace

Incorporating cup chain remnants in new and unexpected ways is a great way to experiment with left over pieces you may have lying around from other projects.

There are many fun ways of using short segments of cup chain in your jewelry. One way is by adding a row of it around a cabochon. Just take your cup chain segment and, with a thin line of E6000 glue, press it into place. A beautiful example of this method can be seen in Julie's Belle Epoch necklace which uses SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS gun metal plated rhinestone cup chain in black diamond. Other examples of this technique can be seen in the Duchess Cocktail ring. By incorporating just a small amount of cup chain around your focal, you can add a little extra glamor to your piece.

Duchess Cocktail Ring

Adding cup chain onto your French barrette hair clips using glue, as seen in these rhinestone barrettes, is another super easy project. You can also cut your cup chain into separate links and place into resin or crystal clay, for a fun, sparkly look. This method can be helpful if you only have a few rhinestone links of cup chain left. Just press into place and that's it!

Using leftover cup chain remnants is an easy, affordable way to jazz up your jewelry. Take a look through all of our many cup chain projects and get some ideas!

-Karlin

Quick Tip Tuesday: Inspiration Board

Never underestimate the power of sticking things onto a board. I've collected so many images over the years and have truly learned the benefits of keeping inspiration in your line of sight. Not too sure on the science of it but I believe there must be something about an inspiration board that speaks to our creative subconscious. For me, I use it as a way to organize my ideas and materials, especially if I want to tell a story through my work. You can see in the picture here how easy it can be. This is my third week working at beadaholique and I just had to get a little board started. It's a bit minimal at the moment but still illustrates how you can marry random (or not so random) inspirational images with your beading materials and get a little story going. So no need to hesitate, get yourself a reliable board and start sticking things to it!

-Marie

Quick Tip Tuesday: Measuring Resin for Molds

Our Quick Tip Tuesday comes from our wonderful customer service representative (and resin expert) Jason:

"When trying to figure out how much resin you need to mix to fill a mold, first fill the mold with salt and then pour that salt into a measuring cup - this will then tell you how much resin you will need.  I like to mix just a little bit more resin then what the measuring cup says to be on the safe side."

Don't forget to clean your mold after doing this trick!

Quick Tip Tuesday: Make Straightening Wire Easier

I've been playing around with some wire pieces this morning, and I thought I would share a quick little tidbit that made straightening wire much easier for me.

If you've worked at all with wire, you probably know that the first thing you usually do after you cut your piece of wire is to straighten it out with nylon jaw pliers.  But I had a hard time getting a nice straight piece until I learned to give myself something to hold on to.

Take a pair of round nose pliers and bend a little loop in one end of your wire (give yourself a bit extra when you cut it for this purpose).  It may not seem like much, but having this little loop to hold on to when you straighten helps a LOT.  It keeps the wire in your hand, keeps it from twisting, and keeps it from bending up between your fingers.  Then when your wire is straightened up, simply clip off the loop, and you're good to go.

Quick Tip: Use Chain Links as Jump Rings

One of my favorite time and money saving tips is to use open chain links as jump rings in projects. An open chain link is one which has not been soldered shut, meaning that you can open it and use it just like a jump ring. Megan created the beautiful Emerald Spiral Earrings using this technique and I attached my focal pendant to a chain length (without jump rings) in the Enchanted Woods Necklace.

Quick Tip Tuesday: Straightening Waxed Cotton Cord

Here at Beadaholique, we just got in a bunch of yummy new colors of waxed cotton cord, and I couldn't wait to play with this stuff!  I got my projects all ready to go, but noticed that the cord was all kinky from the original card it came on.  I wanted to use it in a bracelet, so that wasn't going to work.  So I figured out how to straighten it out, and I thought I would share the solution with you, in case you ever need to do the same.

First, I measured out a length of cord that was a little longer than what I would use for my project.  Then, I wet the cord.  I tied one end to something that was high enough to keep the end off of the ground - in my case, a standing fan.  Then I placed a kumihimo gator weight on the end of the cord.  You could also tie a butter knife to it, you just need to give it a little weight.  Then, I let the cord dry.  It didn't take long.  And when the cord was dry, it was straight as can be.  Bingo!

-Megan

Quick Tip Tuesday: Fitting a Larger Cord End Cap

This week I have been working on a beaded kumihimo bracelet using long magatama beads in Christmas colors. One thing about using long magatamas is that you end up with a thicker overall braid but the main "spine" of your cords is quite thin (if you use something like S-Lon). The end caps that I want to use are much wider then my end braid. To solve this issue, I have taken a separate strand of S-Lon and wrapped it multiple times around the braid as close to the magatamas as I can get. I will then knot the S-Lon, trim it, and then cover it in E6000 glue before inserting it into my cord end cap.  

NOTE: Purple cord was used to show more clearly how to do this in the photo. You will want to use the same color cord that you braided with. 

- Julie 

Quick Tip Tuesday: Rounding Foundation Edges

I love to bead embroider; it is truly one of my favorite jewelry making techniques. Usually I start with a cabochon and then embroider around it. If you too have done this, you probably have experienced your thread catching on the sharp corners of the foundation (assuming you cut a square or rectangular piece). 

Lacy's Stiff Stuff and Lucite Cabochon

Here is a quick tip: After you cut your foundation, but before you bead, use a pair of scissors and cut the corners off. If you create soft rounded edges, you will most likely find that your thread no longer catches on those pesky corners. 

- Julie

Quick Tip Tuesday: Vibrating Bubbles out of Resin

Whenever I hear a good tip relating to resin, I definitely like to pass it along. Fig, who works as one of our awesome customer service reps, excels at many forms of jewelry design but is especially fond of resin. Recently he told me a great tip for getting the bubbles out of a 2-part resin pour: 

If you apply a gentle vibration to the side or bottom of a filled resin bezel or mold, it will cause the lower bubbles to rise to the surface where they will either pop on their own or can easily be popped with a pin. Who knew! For the vibrator, we have used cell phones, massage mats, and even electric tooth brushes. Just make sure that you protect (with plastic) whatever object you are using to cause the vibration and make sure that it is gentle enough that it does not cause the resin to spill over the edge of the setting. Vibrate for 5 minutes.  

Happy Resin Making!
Julie

Quick Tip Tuesday: Make Your Stampings Pop

I had always wanted to experiment with metal stamping, but never got the chance to until I started designing here at Beadaholique.  Since I've had some time to play around with this method of personalization, I've noticed one tiny thing you can do that makes a huge difference in how your finished piece looks, and it's quick and easy to do.  After you stamp your design onto your metal, simply take a permanent marker and fill in the letters or shapes one by one.  After you fill in each one, give it a good wipe with a jewelry polishing pad to clear away the excess ink.  Your stamping will be filled in and the words or shapes will be clear and easy to see.  You can even try using different colors of permanent marker to change the look!

-Megan

Quick Tip Tuesday: How to Easily String Beads on 1mm Satin Rattail Cord

Satin Rattail Cord - Lilac Purple Mix

Most of my quick tips come out of solutions I have found to problems that i am having with my jewelry designs. This tip is no exception.

I have been braiding a lot of Kumihimo lately and recently started making beaded Kumihimo braids. It is very easy to add beads to Super-Lon Cord if you want to make a beaded Kumihimo piece which uses Super-Lon, but what if you want your entire piece to be made of Satin Rattail Cord? It seems impossible to get appropriately sized beads strung onto this thick cord.

Challenges: The satin rattail is too flexible and thick to easily string a bead directly onto it. When you try to push the bead onto the cord, the ends fray and it becomes even more challenging. If you thread a big eye needle with the cord, you are then forced to double the cord and it becomes way too thick. Ugh! 

Solution: Take a small amount of white glue and place it on your finger tip. Pick up the tail end of your 1mm satin rattail cord and spread the glue over the end, covering at least 1/2". Smoosh the glue into the fibers and then draw out to form a sleek, even end. If you can, make it so the end comes to a point (much like what you do when you clean off your paint brush). Let dry. You just made a glue needle. It will now be stiff, compacted, and will not fray - allowing you to easily slip size 6/0 seed beads onto the 1mm satin rattail.  

If you have larger beads, you can use this same technique with the 2mm and 3mm satin rattail cords.  

Happy Beading!
Julie

Quick Tip Tuesday - Labeling Beads for Patterns

Many beading patterns will label the different beads you are using with letters (A, B, C, etc) and then refer to them only by letter in the instructions.  To keep your beads organized, and save yourself the hassle of constantly referring to the supply list, simply place a small post it note with the letter label next to each pile of beads on your mat.  Then, when your instructions tell you to add 16 "A", you won't have to think twice about which beads to add.

-Megan

Quick Tip Tuesday - Sealing Synthetic Cord

If you're familiar with our free Bead Weaving Projects and Instructional Videos, you've probably heard us recommend using the Thread Zap tool.  It's an incredibly handy tool that enables you to quickly and cleanly cut your thread right up next to your weaving.

But this little baby can also be hugely useful when you're working with synthetic cord, such as using nylon cord in friendship bracelets or micro-macrame projects.  Gently pressing the tip of the Thread Zap against the raw end of your synthetic cord will melt the tip of the cord and seal it.  This will prevent it from fraying and unraveling.  It's a technique that is often accomplished with an open flame, but the Thread Zap will do the trick quickly and with amazing precision!

-Megan

Quick Tip Tuesday: Flattening Wildfire Thread for Easier Threading

Recently I was faced with a challenge: I wanted to use size .008" Wildfire beading thread because of its strength for a project, but I also wanted to use a size 12 beading needle for the same project. The problem: the thread did not go through the eye of needle. This was a big deal since a larger needle would not be able to make the multiple passes through a single bead required for my bead weaving project.

The solution: hold the wildfire thread between the fingernail of your thumb and the pad of your index finger about 2 inches from the tail and pull the thread while applying pressure with your fingers. This technique will actually flatten the tail of the thread. Now the Wildfire thread is much thinner and can easily be threaded through the eye of a size 12 needle. Once it is through, you can pull the thicker (non-flattened) sections of  thread through the needle.

- Julie 

Quick Tip Tuesday: Removing Diamond Glaze from Glass

Being a huge fan of photo collage jewelry and any other artistic form where I can turn paper and images into art, I am also a big fan of glass cabochons and diamond glaze. Diamond Glaze is my medium of choice for adhering the images to glass cabochons. 

However, there can be a frustrating aspect to using these two together - if the Diamond Glaze accidently smears onto the top side of the glass and fully dries, it can be difficult to get it off. Unlike white glues which just peel off, Diamond Glaze acts almost like a nail polish and creates a lacquer-like (and very hard) streak. The solution? Perhaps unsurpisingly, you can use nail polish remover to get it off.

All you need to do is take a clean Q-Tip and dip the tip in a bottle of nail polish. Gently rub the saturated tip over the area of dried Diamond Glaze that you want to remove. Swipe it back and forth gently several times until you have removed the glaze. Wipe the top of the glass with a clean cloth when finished.


- Julie

Quick Tip Tuesday: Make Reordering Easy with Simple Organization Tip

Have you ever run out of beads when working on a project? It can be so frustrating! What is even more frustrating is when you can't remember exactly what bead you ordered in the first place - you know it is a lovely round blue bead but you don't know what its technical name is or the exact size. It can take a long search to figure out what you need and you still run the chance of accidently ordering the wrong size or bead. Here's a simple no-fuss way of keeping you beads organized:

When you transfer your beads to your organization bins, peel off the little sticker that comes on the baggy and place it on top of the cubby which contains the beads. This sticker has the item number on it and makes reordering a snap! You can also just cut address labels down to size and write the item number on them. 

If you prefer to organize in tubes, just peel off the sticker and place on the outside of the tube. You can also keep your beads in the bags they come in, this way you will always have the item number handy. 

- Julie