Creative Beads and Jewellery 8 by Practical Publishing

CBJ08 pp01 Cover UK_pp 08/10/2010 14:50 Page 1

! W E N

HOW TO:

CHOOSE THE PERFECT BEADS

MAKE YOUR OWN ELEMENTS

Issue 8

Ideas and inspiration for ALL

FULL STEAM AHEAD Rock the steampunk look

CREATE STYLISH JEWELLERY

£1,439 worth o f prizes to be w on!

levels of jewellery making and beadcrafts

7 0 2 nd a s p ti ideas

FESTIVE FLAVOUR A new twist on tradition

Get ready for the party season

Detailed step-by-step instructions inside! The beauty of UTEE

EARTH GODDESS

Quick tricks with glass

ads Stencilling on wooden be

GORGEOUS GIFTS

WITH THE PERSONAL TOUCH

SILVER CHARMS MAKE YOUR OWN TODAY

w w w. p r a c t i c a l p u b l i s h i n g . c o . u k ISSUE 8 UK £3.99

GIRLS’NIGHT OUT

ON THE MARKET

Inspire Imagine Create

HOW TO SELL YOUR CREATIONS

CBJ07 pp02_Beading 11/10/2010 16:20 Page 2

CBJ08 pp03 Welcome_Beading 13/10/2010 17:03 Page 3

WELCOME

out check o t t e g and for Don’t ential tools n s o our es ues guides q i n h 5 c te 92-9 pages

page

editor’s

FAVOURITE

page

14 “These gorgeous Christmas star decorations are pretty, sparkly and contemporary”

hello...

... and welcome to Issue 8 of Creative Beads & Jewellery. So the clocks have gone back and the supermarkets are stacked high with mince pies... Christmas is coming – and CB&J is full of ideas to put the sparkle into your festive season. With the party calendar filling up, our Design Team has put together a dazzling array of pieces for every event and style. Jo Lochhead’s elegant cascade of crystals on page 80 will set off any little black dress to perfection, while Claire Humpherson mixes Swarovski flowers with shimmering glass beads and purple ribbon on page 20 for all-out girly glitz and glamour. Karen Jordan creates a fabulous set in traditional red on page 82 and Lisa Jagger is hitting the dancefloor with a vibrant cha cha bracelet on page 70. If you’re playing host this Christmas, we have plenty of ideas to transform your home too. There are simple but stunning tree decorations in contemporary silver and purple on page 14, and glorious beaded pieces from napkin rings to wine glass charms on page 76, to give your table the personal touch. For truly special gifts this year, why not make your own? Dawn Cotton Fuge combines semi-precious gemstones and gold wirework for some gorgeous Ancient Egypt-inspired jewellery with the luxuryfactor on page 42, and Mel Brooke has some innovative ideas for men on page 66.

We love to see the jewellery pieces made by our talented readers, so for a chance to be featured in our Designer Galleries, please send your creations (or photographs) to CB&J, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesﬁeld, Cheshire SK10 4NL or email lindsey.hopkins@practicalpublishing.co.uk

EDITORIAL Editor – Diane Grimshaw Editorial Assistants – Lindsey Hopkins, Judith Hannington Art Editor – Roy Birch Sub-Editors – Anna Wright, Jamie Stuttard, Justine Moran Photographer – Rachel Burgess CONTRIBUTORS Rachel Bland, Mel Brooke, Dawn Cotton Fuge, Steph Gibbs, Emma Gordon, Judith Hannington, Lindsey Hopkins, Ruth Hughes, Claire Humpherson, Lisa Jagger, Sandy Kidulis, Jo Lochhead, Aurora Lombardo, Sarah McCarthy, Becky Page, Su Pennick, Amanda Pickstock, Jane Purdy, Ana Rosa Rico Morfin, Laura Sclanders Whilst every care is taken in the writing, research and preparation of this magazine, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any errors in articles or advertisements, or for the contents of websites reviewed. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged.

And if you have any time left, this issue is overﬂowing with different techniques to try. The second part of Aurora Lombardo’s brilliant silversmithing guide covers hot metalworking on page 28, while Su Pennick showcases the versatility of UTEE for making beautiful pendants and beads on page 86. Emma Gordon moulds Precious Metal Clay into delicious-looking silver charms on page 58, Judith Hannington paints wonderful stencilled wooden beads on page 24, and Jane Purdy and Amanda Pickstock invite you to discover your own steampunk style on page 12. Sadly, this is my last issue as editor of CB&J. Having been involved with the magazine since its inception the time has come to pass on the reins to our new editor, Anna Wright, who is just as passionate about beading and jewellery as we are! As Managing Editor here at Practical Publishing, I will still be around but I will be focusing more on papercrafts and other new releases. Happy beading!

Editor diane.grimshaw@practicalpublishing.co.uk

PS... Issue 21 of our sister title Creative Cardmaking is now on sale. Packed full of papercrafting tips and ideas, and with a new look, the magazine comes with free Craftwork Cards papers and die-cuts. Get your copy now – available from your local craft shop.

PUBLISHING & ADVERTISING Publishing Assistant – Janice Whitton janice.whitton@practicalpublishing.co.uk Specialist Retail Account Manager – Chris Cooke chris.cooke@practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 01625 855023 Advertising Sales Executive – Cathy Campbell cathy.campbell@practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 01625 855005 Group Sales Manager – Kevin Edwards kevin.edwards@practicalpublishing.co.uk Advertising Co-ordinator – Rachael Edmunds Financial Director – Karen Battrick Managing Editors – Diane Grimshaw, Gavin Burrell Associate Publisher – Iain Anderson Publishing Director – Dave Cusick Managing Director – Danny Bowler Chairman – Robin Wilkinson The publisher welcomes contributions from readers. All such contributions and submissions to the magazine are sent to and accepted by the publisher on the basis of a non-exclusive transferable worldwide licence unless otherwise agreed in writing prior to first publication. Such submissions are also subject to being used, reproduced, modified, published, edited, translated, distributed and displayed in any media or medium, or any form, format or forum now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose, in perpetuity.

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Tel: 0844 561 1203 DISTRIBUTION Newstrade – COMAG Magazine Distribution Craft Trade Distribution – Practical Publishing International Ltd Tel: 0844 561 1202 CONTACT Practical Publishing International Ltd, Unit 1, Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire UK SK10 4NL info@practicalpublishing.co.uk www.practicalpublishing.co.uk Tel: 0844 561 1202; Fax: 01625 855011

Creative Beads & Jewellery is published by Practical Publishing International Ltd. All material © Practical Publishing International Ltd. The style and mark of Creative Beads & Jewellery is used under licence from Craft Media Ltd. No material in whole or in part may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written consent of Practical Publishing International Ltd. Creative Beads & Jewellery ISSN 2042-5309

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp04-05 Contents_CBJ 13/10/2010 17:10 Page 4

CONTENTS

What’s inside this issue of 12 ALL STEAMED UP

GIVEAWAYS GALORE!

Get creative with metal clasps, chain and charms, and discover your own steampunk style

Snap up some great prizes in our fabulous giveaways and competitions

76 COME DINE WITH ME

INSPIRATION

Fabulous Christmas table decorations mixing traditional colours with a modern feel

We bring you the very latest beading and jewellery-making products, trends and ideas

20 PREPARE TO PARTY!

14 O, CHRISTMAS TREE

Make a sparkling statement with eye-catching Swarovski flowers, glass and ribbon

Stunning contemporary stars, wreaths, icicles and angels for a tree to take your breath away!

24 STENCIL ART

86 MELTING MOMENTS

Create gorgeous wooden pendants and beads with simple stencilling techniques

Don’t overlook versatile UTEE for creating unique, shimmering charms

regulars

40 Bead Doctor

06 News

Win unmissable craft show tickets!

We take a look at what’s new in the world of jewellery and beads

10 Readers’ Letters

Your ideas, views and top tips

18&22 Giveaways

46 Competition

52 The Bead Challenge

Our three designers work their individual magic with another gorgeous bead mix

64 Subscription Offer

£££s worth of products up for grabs

Subscribe to Creative Beads & Jewellery and receive a fantastic jewellery kit

34&50 Designer Gallery

74 Shopping

We showcase readers’ top creations – plus how to get your work on our pages

All your questions answered

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

Indulge in a little retail therapy with our hand-picked selection of products

90 What’s On

Don’t miss out on the hottest jewellery shows and class dates this autumn

92 Techniques Glossary

Master the basic techniques with our step-by-step guides

94 Findings Glossary

Our round-up of the vital components of jewellery making

95 Tools Glossary

The lowdown on all the tools of the trade

98 Coming Next Issue

A peek at what’s coming up in Issue 9

CBJ08 pp04-05 Contents_CBJ 13/10/2010 17:11 Page 5

CONTENTS

features 12 Full Steam Ahead

Steampunk is all about individual style, so be inspired by this fabulous modern take on the look and give it a go!

38 Ice Storm

Cool gunmetal and steel blue chain give some bite to these pretty, sparkling pieces, ideal for playing the ice queen!

66 Men In Black

Give your jewellery making a masculine twist this Christmas with Mel Brooke's stylish, contemporary ideas

14 Winter Wonderland

Give your home the wow-factor this Christmas with these simply stunning decoration ideas in a glittering contemporary colour scheme

20 Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Night Out

Get set to sparkle this party season with Claire Humpherson's eye-catching pieces, mixing glass beads, Swarovski ďŹ&#x201A;owers and ribbon for girly glamour

42 On The Twelfth Day Of Christmas...

For truly personal gifts this Christmas, look no further than these beautiful pieces combining gold and gemstones

48 Business And Pleasure

Ever thought of selling your creations? Ruth Hughes covers all the essentials, from pricing and marketing to choosing a platform and setting up a website

24 Natural World

70 Dancing Queen

Prepare to party with this dazzling cha cha bracelet. Try a dramatic explosion of colour or choose subtler shades

76 Mistletoe And Wine

Entertain in style with Sandy Kidulis's glittering table and tree decorations

80 Crystal Cascades

The movement in this striking fringed necklace makes for an ever-changing show of light and colour

Use simple stencilling and masking techniques to create beautiful painted wooden beads and pendants

58 Party Piece

Give the personal touch to a beautiful yet simple chain maille weave by adding unique silver charms, made from stamped and moulded PMC

28 Some Like It Hot

In the second part of our guide to silversmithing, Aurora Lombardo arms herself with a blowtorch to look at techniques involving heat application

61 Candy Glass

By using the ridges on textured glass to hold stringers in place, you can create your own quick-to-make striped pendants

82 Paint The Town Red

Opt for a bead selection box this Christmas! Karen Jordan shows you why with this lovely festive set

86 Out Of The Melting Pot

Discover the potential of UTEE for making beautiful, shimmering pendants and charms with Su Pennick's guide

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp06-08 News_CBJ 13/10/2010 12:27 Page 6

NEWS

what’s

NEW?

Sit back and relax as we bring you the latest from the world of jewellery making

GO MAD THIS CHRISTMAS! There are some stunning new products available from Madcowbeads! The lovely just-released Primitive Heart frames, measuring 53mm and priced at 60p each, are perfect for personalised seasonal crafting and jewellery making. Why not ﬁll them up with sparkly beads, make great present tags for special gifts or personalise with a photo for a chunky locket? Simply surround or ﬁll with resin to secure your creation. You can be even more festive with the

new range of metal charms to brighten up your Christmas makes. The great selection at Madcowbeads includes holly, snowmen, snowﬂakes, stockings and lots more! Available in gold and silver nickelfree metal, these versatile charms could be used as jewellery dangles or even card embellishments. From just 5p each when you buy a pack of 20. Stuck for a present for a friend? Check out the book section at Madcowbeads and save at least £5 off the cover price of many beading titles. Ready Set Bead is a fun, full-colour stand-up book, perfect for inspiring beginners. The RRP is £13.99 but it’s currently available at www.madcowbeads.com for just £8.99. Plus, check out the amazing new winter range of always-popular glass pearls (right). Along with traditional white, cream and powder pink shades, this collection of top-quality Czech glass pearls includes exciting colours such as Aubergine, Bronze, Cocoa, Olivine and Burgundy to give a unique look to your creations. Available in 14 colours, and ﬁve sizes from 4mm to 12mm, there’s sure to be a pearl here to spark your next idea!

Check out the full range of all these new products at www.madcowbeads.com, or call 0844 357 0943 for more information

STYLE BIBLE

shares her secrets and shows you how to recreate 40 of her signature styles. You’ll ﬁnd clear instructions and essential techniques within the pages and learn basics of jewellery making, including wire and bead wrapping, making frames and hammering wire. To purchase your copy visit www.the gmcgroup.com, or call 01273 477374 for more information

Stephanie A Wells, founder of Double Happiness Jewelry (www.double happinessjewelry.com) is an awardwinning designer who has just released the fabulous project book The Earring Style Book. This new publication includes an array of earring designs ranging from simple, drop styles to intricate and dramatic chandelier creations. With pages packed with fashionable designs for must-have looks, artisans will be inspired to get creating earring adornments for individual styles, as seen in major fashion magazines and on the ears of some A-list celebrities! For the ﬁrst time, Stephanie Wells

BIG ON CHARM These adorable Christmas charms, available from Big Bead Little Bead, are just the ticket for bracelet, earring and other fun, festive jewellery makes. Whether adding them as a main focal bead, or incorporating multiple charms onto a bracelet, you’ll make a real seasonal statement with these lovely additions. Choose from candy canes, poinsettias, sleighs, stockings, trees and wreaths. Go to www.bigbeadlittlebead.com to see the full range of charms available, or call 01462 438233

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

We’re going to have five very happy readers this issue as Madcowbeads has donated some fabulous prizes. Each winner will receive a copy of Ready Set Bead, five Primitive Heart frames and two packs of festive charms, so for your chance to win, send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J08 Madcowbeads, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 25th November 2010

We have five copies of The Earring Style Book to give away, so for your chance to win one send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J08 GMC, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 25th November 2010

CBJ08 pp06-08 News_CBJ 13/10/2010 12:28 Page 7

NEWS

NOTTINGHAM BEAD & CRAFT SHOW The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd is proud to announce its ﬁrst annual Nottingham Bead & Craft Show. This fantastic new event will take place on Saturday 20th November, 10am-4pm, and is the ideal chance to experience a variety of free workshops and demonstrations with beading and jewellery shopping under one roof. Bringing a new show to an area where they are thin on the ground, the Nottingham Bead & Craft Show will offer an array of stalls with essential supplies and gifts, and is a wonderful opportunity to start your Christmas shopping, learn some new techniques, or just treat yourself! The show will be held at the Gateway Hotel, which is easily accessible by public transport from both Nottingham city centre and Nottingham train station, and just two minutes from Junction 26 on the M1. With ample free parking available, refreshments on offer all day, and so many brilliant items to buy, you can’t afford to miss what will be the ﬁrst of many more exciting Nottingham Bead & Craft Shows! Full details can be found on the website at www.ukbeadfairs.co.uk

LIFE IN MINIATURE ThreadABead has added to its lovely miniature bead book kit series with a Nativity Book kit especially for the Christmas season. There is also a fantastic new Christmas Pudding ornament pattern. ThreadABead was launched at the start of 2008 by Lynsey James and is an online business selling downloadable beading patterns designed by Lynsey, as well as supplies including kits, ﬁndings and beads. All the bead patterns are designed for use with Delica size 11 beads, and at least one new pattern is released every day, with at least two special patterns released each month. This sparkly little beaded Nativity Book kit is 3cm tall and makes a lovely Christmas decoration, joining other popular book kits including Christmas Carol, Christmas Poem, Hymn and Nursery Rhyme books. The book retails for £10 and is available from 1st November.

We have 10 Christmas Pudding patterns up for grabs, so for your chance of winning one send your name and email address on a postcard to CB&J08 ThreadABead, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 25th November 2010

The Christmas Pudding ornament, which measures approximately 3.7x3.25cm, can be bought as a downloadable PDF ﬁle pattern for £4, and will be available from ThreadABead from 1st November. ThreadABead operates from a base in the UK but has a global presence, selling mostly to the US and the UK with a strong customer following. ThreadABead currently offers over 1, 800 downloadable bead patterns, and more than 800 retail items. For more details and to see all the different products available, go to www.threadabead.com

MIRACULOUS DISCOVERY Beads Unlimited has just added two new sizes of miracle beads to its product range, in eight sumptuous colours. These substantial 12mm and 14mm beads start at just 10p each. If you’re not yet ready for feeling festive, you can still brighten up gloomy autumn days with these lovely ﬂoral cotton beads. These bright and beautiful additions come in a 20mm size and six vintage shades, with a 14mm size available in four pretty colours. Prices start at 30p each. Both new additions are also available to buy with big discounts for small wholesale quantities. For these fabulous beads and more go to www.beadsunlimited.co.uk or call 01273 740777 for more information

Three lucky winners can get a selection of the new beads this issue, with prize sets (worth £19) including one bag each of 12mm and 14mm miracle beads and 14mm and 20mm floral beads. For your chance to win, send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J08 Beads Unlimited, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 25th November 2010

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp06-08 News_CBJ 13/10/2010 12:28 Page 8

NEWS EARTH MOTHER OR DISCO DIVA? The Craft Factory has released some great new beads for chunky and metallic makes this season. Among the new ranges you’ll ﬁnd round, beechwood beads, measuring 15mm (12 beads per pack) or 20mm (seven beads per pack), which charm with their natural simplicity but could also be painted and transformed into unique focal pieces. These beads lend themselves to an extensive array of uses as components and embellishments in jewellery and fashion or even soft furnishings and home décor. At the other end of the spectrum are these glitzy beads, which come in an assortment of sizes and festive colours, giving the appearance of mini baubles! You can incorporate these new releases into numerous Christmas projects, make wonderful jewellery, or home and fashion accessories or use them to embellish party decorations and cardmaking. Sold in 30g bags of mixed colours. The new bead ranges from The Craft Factory are available from all good craft and hobby shops. For stockists details, email crafts@stockistenquiries.co.uk or call 01453 883581

WIREWORKERS UNITE! The WireWorkers Guild is a forum for everyone who enjoys working with wire, be it creating jewellery or accessories, and wishes to learn more about the craft. The emphasis is on promoting individual creativity, facilitating the exchange and sharing of knowledge and, ultimately, helping to inspire and encourage personal development, thus elevating wirework as an art form.

We have five sets of glitzy beads and 15mm and 20mm wooden beads to give away, worth £3.30 each, so for your chance to win send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J08 Craft Factory, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 25th November 2010

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

HOW TO JOIN You will need access to a computer so that you can log onto the website – www.wireworkersguild.blogspot.com. You can also contribute information, experiences and wireworking tips on www.wirejewellery.co.uk by contacting founder Linda Jones through the contact form on the website, or by emailing her at linda.jones@wirejewellery.co.uk (please use the subject heading ‘WW Guild’).

WHY BECOME A MEMBER? Membership conﬁrms your passion for using wire as a creative medium and also gives you access to the blog newsletter regularly updated by Linda Jones, jewellery designer, tutor and author of six wire jewellery project books. You’ll be invited to workshops in your area, bead shows and related events, and can ask questions relating to the craft, as well as being eligible to submit work and become a featured artist. Suppliers are also welcome to promote relevant tools, beads, ﬁndings and gadgets. At a future date, The WireWorkers Guild aims to organise a wirework competition, based on a theme supplied, supported and endorsed by one of the leading UK jewellery suppliers. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Nothing. The WireWorkers Guild just wants your passion and enthusiasm! For more information or to become a member of this exciting forum, visit www.wireworkersguild.blogspot.com

CBJ08 pp09_Beading 11/10/2010 16:21 Page 9

Welcome to The Bead Hive York Here at the bead hive we pride ourselves on our unique and stylish beads from all around the world, as bead lovers we are always finding amazing new products from places such as the Philippines, India, China, Czech Republic and Germany.

1DIS5CO% UNT Why not visit our new website and take the advantage of 10% Off. Type in code BEADHIVENOV on check out. Over the next few months we will be constantly adding new products!

If you are visiting York, why not check out our section for classes and book yourself in. Bead Hive York Ltd (Shop) 11 College Street, York YO1 7JF Tel: 01904 642020

www.bead-hive.co.uk

CBJ08 pp10-11 Letters_Beading 13/10/2010 11:28 Page 10

LETTERS

For all your beading requirements, visit:

your LETTERS We’d love to hear from you, so please share your ideas, opinions and top tips with us. Email letters@ practicalpublishing.co.uk or write to Letters, CB&J, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL MARRAKECH MOMENT Wow, was I was a fan of Gill Teasdale’s ‘Well Connected’ article in Issue 6! I love mixing brass ﬁndings with bold coloured beads, so her designs instantly caught my eye on the cover and as I was ﬂicking through the magazine. I particularly liked her Marrakech Moon bracelet, but they were all fabulous. It was good to see the different linking techniques too, as

BACK TO THE FUTURE I had been thinking of making jewellery for some time but never got around to doing anything about it. In early June 2010 I was involved in a road trafﬁc accident and, as a result, have been off work ever since due to my injuries – being bored during the day ﬁnally gave me the incentive to start

quite often I ﬁnd I stick to the same triedand-tested ones! Thanks also for the antique ﬁndings shopping guide, as this has introduced me to a few more brass items I wasn’t aware of! Gloria Burgess, London CB&J: We’re glad you liked Gill’s article,

Gloria. These colours are ideal for autumnal makes and Gill showed us some great ideas for combining them, as well as tapping into the current jewellery trend for all things ethnic.

making jewellery! I visited a local bead shop and the owner recommended Creative Beads & Jewellery as a good magazine for my purposes, so I purchased a back issue from her (Issue 4). Having read the magazine from cover to cover, I ordered the beads to make the In the Pink necklace from the article ‘A Rose-Tinted Summer’. I also ordered

beads to make my own similar necklace in grey, and a bracelet similar to another in the issue. I have since purchased Issue 6, which I thoroughly enjoyed! The magazine is full of useful tips and ideas for making lovely jewellery and I’ll now be organising a subscription to your magazine. Creative Beads & Jewellery has helped to keep me

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

sane during my time at home! Can you advise me how I order back issues of the magazine as, having read Xia Mortimer’s letter in Issue 6, I would love to try to make the Romancing the Stone necklace from Issue 3? Maureen Shea, by email

magazine and have not looked back! Obviously, I have bad days but I have already made several pieces of lovely jewellery and your magazine keeps on giving me inspiration even during some of the darkest times. Debbie Morgan, by email

CB&J: We’re so pleased to hear Creative Beads & Jewellery has inspired you, Maureen. Thank you for sharing your jewellery pieces – the style looks stunning in the smoky colours you have chosen. You can order back issues direct from us by going to www.practical publishing.co.uk. The lovely Romancing the Stone necklace you refer to is also featured in the Creative Beads & Jewellery Annual 2011, which has recently gone on sale at newsagents and beading, jewellery and craft stores.

CB&J: Creative crafts such as beading and jewellery making, especially those involving rhythmic repetitive actions like threading, are known to have stress-relieving and therapeutic effects, and we’re glad to hear they have helped you, Debbie. Do send some of your creations in to us and they may appear in a future Designer Gallery!

RETAIL THERAPY I just wanted to say how much I love your magazine and how it has helped give me new focus in my life. Having had mental health problems for a number of years, I needed to ﬁnd a new hobby and this is when I came across Creative Beads & Jewellery. Since then I’ve subscribed to your

KEEPING TIME The funky, modern watch on the cover of Issue 6 is what convinced me to buy my ﬁrst issue of Creative Beads & Jewellery. I’ve been dabbling in the art of jewellery making for a little while now and had decided that I would save a bit of cash this year and make most of my Christmas presents, particularly for my nieces and nephews – I know they’ll love these cool watches! Best of all, I have so much stash that all I need to get are the

CBJ08 pp10-11 Letters_Beading 13/10/2010 11:28 Page 11

LETTERS

www.empirebeads.co.uk STAR LETTER A FRESH PERSPECTIVE After reading the ‘Frosted Finish’ letter in Issue 6 of Creative Beads & Jewellery, regarding frosted tubing for making the Sweet Delight bracelet, I hunted around and found some Scoubidou strands in my husband’s ﬂy-ﬁshing materials kit. I cut these into short lengths and used them for spacers on the necklace shown here, along with two

different sizes of small blue beads. The five larger blue beads came from scrapbooking embellishments I had purchased from a local pound shop! The necklace was finished off in the usual way with crimp beads, calottes and clasp fasteners. I find your magazine has some great ideas and lets me look at all my crafting materials with a different eye (I am a long-time papercrafter) to open up new ways of using them. Thank you to all your contributors for their inspiration. Sue Matthews, Grimsby

honour for Chrissie at Injabulo to be chosen. J Edmunds, by email

CB&J: ... and thank you for getting in touch, Sue! There’s a £50 Empire Beads voucher winging its way to you so you can expand your beading stash!

watch faces themselves! A big thanks to Judith Hannington for her inspiring creations and a big thanks to Creative Beads & Jewellery for printing them! Gladys Miller, by email CB&J: We couldn’t agree more, Gladys! Up-to-the-minute designs and colours, combined with great jewellery-making techniques, make these watches (and the hot pink bag charm that caught your eye) absolutely perfect as Christmas gifts, especially for the younger generations.

EASY ON THE EYE I’m not a big jewellery maker and tend to buy a few different magazines every month. These can be anything from fashion

to home décor to papercrafts, but whatever I go for I’m very much a browser! It’s very rare that I actually make anything inspired by a magazine article – I usually just look at the pictures and say to myself ‘Oh, that’s nice!’. It’s window shopping from the comfort of my sofa, I guess! On this occasion, though, I think I’m going to have to get off my backside and actually try it out, thanks to the extremely elegant Loops and

Swirls necklace in Issue 6. I think this is just lovely and I’m planning to make it with gold wire and Christmas colours. Stella Hausmann, by email CB&J: Fantastic! It’s great to hear we’ve inspired you to try your hand at making one of the projects, and that CB&J won’t be just a pretty picture!

WORK OF HEART What a truly heartwarming

ETTER STAR Lner of this The winStar Letter issue’s a fantastic er s receive Beads vouch k e ir .u p o £50 Emmpirebeads.c .e w ww

and lovely story the Mother for All/Injabulo charity necklace news piece in Issue 7 was. I’ve read the story a few times now and have made a donation. I have to say that the ﬁnished necklace made up from all those recipes is absolutely stunning! What an

CB&J: It is a wonderful idea and we hope others have been inspired to donate to the charity, too. For anyone who missed it, Mothers for All manufactures jewellery using beads made from recycled paper. The jewellery is sold to raise funds to help, house and feed orphaned children and families who have been devastated by HIV and AIDS. To find out more, visit www.injabulo.com and click on the ‘News’ link.

SEWING THE SEEDS Thanks so much for featuring Jill Thomas’s woven beaded bracelet and beaded ‘beads’ in the last issue. I’ve always found the prospect of sewing seed beads to create shapes like this overwhelmingly daunting, but thanks to the detailed steps in Jill’s article, I’ll deﬁnitely be trying this out! Cassie Mitchell, by email CB&J: Jill gave us some great ideas for sewing our own seed bead adornments. Good luck with your new technique, Cassie!

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp12-13 Steam Punk_Beading 13/10/2010 09:14 Page 12

SHINEY COMPANY

full AMANDA PICKSTOCK DESIGNER

Steampunk is all about individual style, so be inspired by Amanda Pickstock and Jane Purdy’s contemporary take on the look and give it a go!

STEAM

ahead

JANE PURDY DESIGNER

hain, jump rings and clasps are all you need to create your own versions of these steampunk-style necklace, bracelet and earrings. If you can open and close a jump ring or two then you can make this contemporary design! The steampunk

movement was born out of Victorian feats of science and engineering and, as a 21st Century aesthetic, combines a kind of romance and nostalgia with technology and gadgetry. For jewellery makers, that can mean a representation of the pistons-and-clogs-style machinery of the time

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in the form of chain, clasps and other connectors in various metal ﬁnishes. Here, we’ve used a mixture of silver, gold, copper and black oxide plated metals to give an urban feel. Simply add sections of chain and connect the clasp parts together using jump rings to create your own unique piece.

You can use the clasps as links and as charms, mixing many different styles and metals to create this look. We’ve used bar clasps, lobster clasps, trigger clasps, bolt rings, vintage-style clasps and toggle clasps, to name a few. This style of steampunk-inspired jewellery is great fun

to make – just make sure you get the technique right when you open and close the jump rings, so that your creation is secure and professionally ﬁnished. We would recommend using two pairs of pliers, either chain-nosed or ﬂatnosed, to open and close jump rings. Grip the jump ring with the

CBJ08 pp12-13 Steam Punk_Beading 13/10/2010 09:14 Page 13

SHINEY COMPANY

pliers on either side with the opening at the top. Keep your elbows on the table to steady your hands and open with a twist motion. Always avoid pulling the rings apart or squashing them together as you will cause the ring to become misshapen, which, once done, is basically impossible to rectify. Reverse the twist action to close the ring and if it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look quite closed, re-open and,

WHERE TO BUY

as you twist to close, apply a little pressure to push the ends together. You should

hear the two sides nudge up against each other and feel conďŹ dent that the ring is closed securely.

A variety of different clasps, jump rings and chain can be found at the Shiney Company stores at: 5 Saville Row, Bath BA1 2QP; 01225 332506 4.11-4.12 Paintworks, Bath Road, Bristol BS4 3EH; 0117 300 9800 27 High Street, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 1AJ; 01453 753609 or online at www.shineyrocks.co.uk www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp14-17 Winter Bead Shop Notts_Beading 13/10/2010 09:15 Page 14

BEADS & WIREWORK CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS

WINTER

wonderland

ABOUT THE DESIGNERSâ&#x20AC;Ś

designer at The Bead Shop, where she uses her Ana Rosa Rico Morfin eye for colour to create moved to England from bright and fun designs. Mexico three years ago Sarah McCarthy loves and now works at The classic retro styles and Bead Shop (Nottingham). creates lovely elegant Her passions include jewellery designs. jewellery making and Steph Gibbs is a painting, and she has a designer and workshop keen eye for wirework. tutor at The Bead Becky Page is a Shop. She has dabbled

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in a wide variety of jewellery-making and beading techniques for many years and has recently turned her hand to bead weaving. Rachel Bland is a designer and workshop tutor at The Bead Shop. She particularly enjoys creating one-off asymmetric pieces.

Give your Christmas tree the wow-factor this year with these simply stunning decoration ideas. The team at The Bead Shop (Nottingham) has combined traditional motifs with a gorgeous contemporary colour scheme of purple and silver for breathtaking results

CBJ08 pp14-17 Winter Bead Shop Notts_Beading 13/10/2010 09:15 Page 15

BEADS & WIREWORK CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS DESIGNED BY ANA ROSA RICO MORFIN

TO CREATE Design your snowflake on paper, making the overall shape approximately 15cm wide. Bear in

MATERIALS • Crystal 20mm Swarovski Elements snowflake pendant • assorted Purple Velvet, Crystal, Comet Argent Light, Crystal Silver Shade and Black Diamond 4mm, 5mm and 6mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • silver-plated 1mm wire • lilac 0.3mm wire • SuppleMax 0.3mm thread • purple & lilac wide ribbon

TOOLS • nylon-jaw pliers • wire cutters

Continue to wire beads across each point of the snowflake, anchoring the wire as you go, to create a jagged inner circle. Once you are happy with the bead arrangement,

FROSTY SNOWFLAKE mind that the more complex you make the design, the harder it will be to trace it neatly with the wire. Cut a 60cm length of 1mm wire. Using nylon-jaw pliers so you don’t mark the wire, form the shape of your snowflake by tracing your drawn pattern. Twist the ends of the wire around each other once so they are secure. Cut off any excess wire. Cut a 50cm length of 0.3mm lilac wire and attach it to the snowflake. Thread on a few randomly selected beads and anchor them between two points on the main wire snowflake.

fasten the end of the wire by wrapping it tightly around the snowflake. Cut a 10cm length of 0.3mm SuppleMax. Tie one end to the snowflake where the two ends of wire meet,

then tie the other end neatly to the Swarovski snowflake pendant. Finish off your snowflake by knotting a piece of wide two-tone ribbon around the top to cover the twisted wire.

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SPARKLY FESTIVE WREATHS DESIGNED BY BECKY PAGE TO CREATE Cut a 20-30cm length of 0.6mm wire. Thread on the beads, starting with a Xilion/pearl, alternating these with the stars and finishing with another Xilion/pearl. Curl the wire around into a circle. Wrap the two ends of the wire tightly around each other to secure, then trim off any excess. Tie a lark’s head knot in ribbon to cover the wire ends: Fold the ribbon in half, pass through the reef and thread the ends through the folded loop. Arrange the knot to cover the wrapped wire and tie a bow at the ends of the ribbon to create a loop for hanging your wreath.

2 3 4 WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd; www.mailorder-beads.co.uk; 0115 958 8899

MATERIALS FOR THE LARGE PURPLE WREATH • 11 x Tanzanite 12mm Swarovski Elements star beads (5714) • 12 x light grey 5mm pearls • silver-plated 0.6mm wire • 30cm light purple thin (5mm) ribbon

FOR THE LARGE SILVER WREATH • 11 x Silver Shade 12mm Swarovski Elements star beads (5714) • 12 x Purple Velvet 5mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • silver-plated 0.6mm wire • 30cm purple thin (5mm) ribbon

FOR THE SMALL PURPLE WREATH • 9 x Tanzanite 8mm Swarovski Elements star beads (5714) • 10 x Comet Argent Light 4mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • silver-plated 0.6mm wire • 30cm light purple thin (5mm) ribbon

TOOLS • wire cutters

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CBJ08 pp14-17 Winter Bead Shop Notts_Beading 13/10/2010 09:15 Page 16

BEADS & WIREWORK CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS TO CREATE First create the wings: Using a 30cm length of 0.3mm SuppleMax, thread on two 4mm Xilions, followed by a wing pendant, two more 4mm Xilions and the other wing pendant. Thread through all the items again to

GABRIEL DESIGNED BY SARAH McCARTHY

MATERIALS

• 2 x Crystal 30mm Swarovski Elements Pegasus Wing pendants • 4 x Silver Shade 4mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 2 x Silver Shade 5mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • Crystal 17mm Swarovski Elements Artemis bead • Light Cream Rose 6mm Swarovski Elements Pearl • silver-plated 4mm Swarovski Elements rondelle • SuppleMax 0.3mm thread • silver headpin

TOOLS • round-nosed pliers

TWO-LAYER SPARKLY STAR DESIGNED BY STEPH GIBBS TO CREATE Cut a 50cm length of 0.25mm SuppleMax and thread on 20 size 11 Delica beads. Hold both ends together so the beads fall to the centre, then thread both ends through one more size 11 Delica bead. Thread both ends through a Xilion bead (shiny side first). Thread a size 8 Delica

MATERIALS • 15 x Comet Argent Light 5mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • 5g silver-lined crystal size 8 Delica beads • 5g silver-lined crystal size 11 Delica beads • SuppleMax 0.25mm thread

bead onto each strand, then cross the strands over inside another Xilion by passing both threads through, in opposite directions. Working with just one strand, thread on a size 8 Delica bead followed by a Xilion, another size 8 Delica bead, another Xilion (non-shiny side first) and a size 11 Delica bead. Thread the end back down the last Xilion, add a size 8 Delica bead and thread back through the next Xilion in the opposite direction. Repeat until you have five points on your star. After completing the fifth point, add a size 8 Delica bead and thread through the next Xilion to complete the inner circle. Onto the other strand, thread a Xilion and a size 8

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Delica bead, then thread up through the existing Xilion and size 11 Delica bead that make the point, and thread back down through the Xilion. Add another size 8 Delica bead and thread through the Xilion added in Step 6 in the same direction. This creates the second layer – continue adding

beads, anchoring in the points. Once the second layer is complete, pick up the first strand, thread up the size 8 Delica bead above and down the one next to it, and add three size 11 Delica beads. Anchor the thread through the next two size 8 Delica

beads. Continue adding the beads between each point, then repeat for the other side with the second strand. Pull the threads tight. If the star needs extra strength, thread around the central beads before tying the ends and trimming off the excess.

CBJ08 pp14-17 Winter Bead Shop Notts_Beading 13/10/2010 09:15 Page 17

BEADS & WIREWORK CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS create a secure loop. Tie a knot and pull it tight before threading though another few beads and trimming off the excess thread. Thread the Artemis bead (wide end first) onto the headpin, followed by a 5mm Xilion, the wings, another 5mm Xilion, a pearl and a rondelle. Create a small wrapped loop above the rondelle using round-nosed pliers – ensure all the items threaded on the headpin are neatly arranged before wrapping the end of the pin. Thread a piece of ribbon through the loop to hang the angel from your tree (or thread it onto silver chain to wear as a striking pendant).

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MATERIALS

TOOLS • needle • bead stopper

FREEFORM PEYOTE ICICLE DESIGNED BY RACHEL BLAND TO CREATE Cut a 1.5m length of Wildfire. Thread a needle onto one end and attach a bead stopper 20cm from the end – this will leave enough to weave in at the end. Thread on 20 size 15 Delica beads, 20 size 11 Delica beads, 20 size 9 seed beads, 10 size 8 crystal AB Delica beads and 10 size 8 silver-lined crystal Delica beads. This will form the first and second row. Add a size 8 silverlined Delica bead and thread through the third bead from the

top in the direction of the bead stopper. Pull tight. Add another of these beads, miss one bead and thread through the one after. Continue in this way (noting the change in beads as you go) and at the bottom, remove the bead stopper, add three size 11 Delica beads, the crystal drop and another four Delica beads. Work back up to the top in peyote stitch – it will be a lot easier to see which beads to thread through as they will be the ones sticking out!

When you reach the top, add 10 size 11 Delica beads and continue with the next row of peyote until you reach the end of the size 9 beads. Thread on the crystal briolette and continue another row of peyote to the top. Thread on a size 8 silver-lined crystal Delica bead – now you can start to freeform. Using the same peyote method, add crystals and pearls.

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TOP TIP

• White Pearl size 15 Delica beads • silver-lined crystal size 11 Delica beads • silver-lined size 9 Gutermann seed beads • silver-lined crystal size 8 Delica beads • crystal AB size 8 Delica beads • Crystal Swarovski teardrop pendant (7x4mm) • Crystal Swarovski briolette pendant (13x6.5mm) • Comet Argent Light 3mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • Comet Argent Light 4mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • Crystal 6mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • Crystal 8mm Swarovski Elements Xilion beads • Light Grey 4mm Swarovski Pearls • Light Grey 5mm Swarovski Pearls • Crystal 4mm Swarovski cubes • white 0.15mm Wildfire • purple ribbon or suede

Build onto the sides and the surface of the foundation piece. Once you are happy with your design, weave the thread back through your work, tie a half-hitch knot and continue to weave through until you have no more thread left. Repeat with the other end. Add a length of decorative suede or ribbon to hang your icicle.

Weave these elegant sparkly icicles and, as in nature, no two will be the same. Try hanging several across a mantelpiece and watch them twinkle in the firelight www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp18 Giveaways_Beading 13/10/2010 10:54 Page 18

GIVEAWAYS SWAROVSKI GOLDEN SETS

PURPLE ROUND JASPER BEAD STRANDS

5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £8.05 EACH

6 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £8.99 EACH

Beads Direct (www.beadsdirect.co.uk; 01509 218028) has donated these stunning Swarovski sets, which include 50 Bright Gold 6mm Swarovski glass pearls and a Golden Shadow leaf pendant measuring 20x32mm.

These beads – graduating in size from 10-20mm – are ready as they are to be strung up as a necklace or you could mix them with metal beads to make a real statement piece. Sold in a temporary strand of approximately 15”, giving you around 31 dyed and colourfast beads. www.beadsdirect.co.uk; 01509 218028

BIG BEAD JEWELLERY BOOKS 5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £12.99 EACH Big Bead Jewellery by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell guides you through making your own bold and beautiful statement pieces with big beads. The title is published by CICO Books and available from all good bookshops. Call 01256 302699 or visit www.cicobooks.co.uk

GIVEAWAYS Over £250 worth of prizes to be won! BEADED CHAIN MAIL JEWELRY BOOKS

TO ENTER For your chance to win one of these great prizes, send your name and address on a POSTCARD, along with the name of the product you want to win, to CB&J08 Giveaways, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesﬁeld, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 25th November 2010.

4 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £16.99 EACH Bestselling author and chain maille expert Dylon Whyte presents his time-tested, time-saving techniques with over 30 breathtaking projects, ranging from the simple to the challenging. www.thegmcgroup.com; 01273 477374

PROFESSIONAL SPARKLY MINI JEWELLERY TOOLKITS 3 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £15 EACH B for Beads (www.b-for-beads.co.uk; 01352 755532) has donated these fabulous sparkly toolkits, presented in a lovely shiny zip case. Each kit contains ﬂat-nosed, round-nosed, chain-nosed and nylon-jaw pliers, split ring and knotting tweezers and side cutters. Great as a gift or for refreshing your own tools!

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H3 CERAMIC HEART PENDANTS 5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £3.75 EACH These highly decorative pendants are available from Injabulo (www.injabulo.com), where you will ﬁnd a unique range of buttons, beads and knitting and stitching accessories, all handmade by women in South Africa under fairtrade policies. These wide heart pendants measure approximately 6x4cm and feature a ﬁlgree texture and milky blue glaze on a terracotta base.

CBJ08 pp19_Beading 11/10/2010 16:22 Page 19

CBJ08 pp20-21 Beads Direct_CBJ 13/10/2010 09:18 Page 20

BEADS DIRECT

girls’ CLAIRE HUMPHERSON DESIGNER

Get set to sparkle this party season with Claire Humpherson’s shimmering pieces, mixing glass beads with Swarovski flowers and ribbon for feminine glitz and glamour

NIGHTOUT

ABOUT CLAIRE… Claire has designed for Beads Direct for five years, and during this time has developed many jewellery-making skills. She has designed and made jewellery for a range of publications, taught classes and is currently demonstrating jewellery making on Beads Direct TV. She loves to experiment with different beads and findings to make fashionable and wearable jewellery.

MATERIALS • silver tiara band • purple 3mm satin ribbon • Jet Black 4mm fire polished glass round beads (BG411) • Jet Black 6mm fire polished glass round beads (BG176) • Silver 6mm fire polished glass beads (BG518) • Silver 8mm fire polished glass beads (BG526) • Amethyst 4mm fire polished glass beads (BG508) • Amethyst 6mm fire polished glass beads (BG516) • Amethyst 8mm fire polished glass beads (BG524) • Jet Red Iris 4mm fire polished glass beads (BG515)

• Jet Red Iris 6mm fire polished glass beads (BG522) • Jet Red Iris 8mm fire polished glass beads (BG530) • purple 18mm crystal twisted coin bead (BG1275) • 2 x clear crystal 22mm twisted coin beads (BG1261) • silver-plated 0.5mm and 0.8mm wire • 2 x silver-plated Purple Velvet Swarovski filigree flowers

TOOLS • wire cutters • superglue

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BEADED HEADBAND TO CREATE Use superglue to attach ribbon to the end of the tiara band, then wrap the whole length of the band until it is covered with the ribbon. Glue the other end to secure. Wrap the middle of a piece of 0.8mm wire around the band at one side of the headband. Thread an assortment of fire polished beads onto each end of the wire,

ensuring the beaded sections are equal lengths, and attach to the headband, making a beaded oval shape. Repeat Step 2 twice with shorter lengths of wire, adding two more beaded oval shapes inside your original oval. Finish the ends neatly and snip off any excess. Using 0.5mm wire, attach a filigree flower at the point the oval shapes meet at the top. This will cover up the wire wrapped around the band.

Next, use 0.5mm wire to add a fire polished bead either side of three glass crystal twisted coin beads, and wrap onto the length of the band in the centre of the beaded oval shapes. Wire a filigree flower to the other end of your oval beaded section, finish it securely and snip off any excess wire. Gently press your beaded ovals inwards towards the headband to create the subtle wavy shape.

CBJ08 pp20-21 Beads Direct_CBJ 13/10/2010 09:19 Page 21

BEADS DIRECT MATERIALS • 2 x silver-plated Purple Velvet Swarovski filigree flowers • purple 3mm satin ribbon • dark lilac 3mm satin ribbon

• silver ear wires • 2 x silver long eyepins

PURPLE VELVET EARRINGS

placing one on top of the other. Place the earring over the ribbon, with the filigree flower below it and the ear wire above. The ribbon should now be underneath the eyepin on the earring. Tie the two ribbons in a bow around the eyepin, and pull tight. Use a little glue to secure the bow, as desired. Repeat Steps 1-4 to create the matching earring.

TO CREATE Thread a long eyepin through one of the holes in the filigree flower, keeping the eye at the top. Bring the end back up and create a wrapped loop. Open up the eye, attach to the loop of an ear wire, then close the eye. Take ribbon of both colours and lay flat,

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TOOLS • wire cutters • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers

WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from www.beadsdirect.co.uk; 01509 218028

RIBBONED BANGLE TO CREATE Take a 50-60cm piece of aluminium wire and bend at a right angle near the centre. Bend the wire again just short of the length of an eyepin, creating an open-ended rectangle with the wire. Make eyes in the straight end of approximately 30 eyepins. Thread the pins vertically onto the two ends of wire from Step 1. Space out by adding a seamless bead to each wire between the eyepins and add all the eyepins in this way. Cut the aluminium wire approximately 2cm from the last eyepin and create a simple wire coil on

MATERIALS • 3 x silver-plated Purple Velvet Swarovski filigree flowers • purple 3mm satin ribbon • dark lilac 3mm satin ribbon • silver long eyepins • silver-plated 0.5mm wire

• silver-plated 5mm seamless round beads (F1043) • black 2mm aluminium wire

TOOLS • wire cutters • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers

each end to keep everything in place. Take a piece of purple ribbon and tie it to the first straight edge of your bangle base. Weave the ribbon under and over each eyepin, and tie at the other end. Repeat Step 4, using alternate purple and dark lilac ribbons until the bangle is fully woven. Thread a piece of 0.5mm wire through a filigree flower. Place centrally on the front of the bangle, thread the ends through the ribbon and secure by wrapping around the nearest eyepin. Repeat Step 6, adding a filigree flower to each side of the bangle. Shape your bangle by bending it around your wrist or a small bottle.

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CBJ08 pp22 Giveaways_Beading 13/10/2010 10:55 Page 22

GIVEAWAYS DAISY AND MINI ROSE BEAD MOULD SETS

COUSIN TRINKETTES BEAD SETS

10 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £5.90 EACH

6 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £3.99 EACH

The Bead Shop Scotland (www.beadshopscotland.co.uk; Haddington 01620 822886 and Edinburgh 0131 343 3222) has donated these lovely bead mould sets, allowing you to create beautiful rose and daisy beads and embellishments yourself. Perfect for use with polymer clay or Precious Metal Clay and for sugarcraft.

do crafts (www.docrafts.com) has donated these wonderful, easy-to-use Cousin bead sets, strung on organza ribbon. Winners will receive two decorative and red crystal beads, plus an additional focal bead.

FIRE POLISHED BEAD SETS 10 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £4 EACH JillyBeads (www.jillybeads.com; 01524 412728) is offering these stunning sets of ﬁre polished beads. Each winner will receive a string of the Earthtones and Vineyard colourways, perfect for autumnal and winter makes.

GIVEAWAYS Over £300 worth of prizes to be won! AURORA MINI STAR KITS

6 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £7.95 EACH

AUSTRIAN CRYSTAL WATCH FACES 6 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £9.99 EACH Create your own eye-catching watch design with one of these beautiful square faces as the centrepiece. Kindly donated by The Bead Store (www.thebeadstore.co.uk; 01726 844999), the stunning 32mm faces are adorned with Austrian crystal accents and feature a Japanese movement.

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This kit comes with all the beads and thread required to make three glittering stars, sized approximately 2½”/6cm. The star is one of the featured projects in Spellbound Festive Beading, a new book launched this month featuring 16 of the most popular bauble and Christmasthemed designs from The Spellbound Bead Co (www.spellboundbead.co.uk; 01543 417650). In addition to the kit contents, you will need basic tools.

SILKY SMOOTH TOHO COLOUR WHEELS 5 TO GIVE AWAY, WORTH £16.78 EACH These beautiful Toho seed bead colour wheels have been donated by E-Beads (www.e-beads.co.uk; 020 7367 6217) and include around 1,000 beads in 10g sets of eight co-ordinating colours, conveniently presented in a storage ring.

CBJ08 pp23_Beading 11/10/2010 16:23 Page 23

CBJ08 pp24-27 Stencilling Judith_Beading 11/10/2010 16:19 Page 24

WOODEN BEADS STENCILLING

NATURAL JUDITH HANNINGTON DESIGNER

ake the humble Post-it note, a few punches and a selection of ﬂat wooden beads and you have the basic ingredients to create bespoke feature pendants for necklaces, earrings, bookmarks and key fobs – just add your choice of paint and you are ready to go. The process involves punching Post-it notes to use as self-adhesive stencils and masks. No messy repositionable glues involved and no need for ﬁddly pieces of

world low-tack tape – simply punch your design, stick the positive mask or negative stencil to your bead and apply your paint.

IN PERFECT SHAPE I favour arrow-shaped Post-it notes for this technique as they have a nice wide band of adhesive, which means you can use both small and large punch designs successfully. The main trick is to ensure that as much of your punched image as possible is within this adhesive

band as this will allow your created stencil or mask to sit as ﬂat as possible on the bead’s surface, giving you nice crisp painted edges. This may mean snipping some of the Post-it note away before punching so that you can reach the adhesive area with the cutting portion of the punch. Although most standard paper punches are designed for paper and light cardstock they generally don’t like very thin paper as it will buckle and jam

Attach Post-it notes to a piece of light cardstock and punch your shapes from them. Use very fine sandpaper – either 800 or 1000 grit – to

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sand the surface of the bead, then peel the punched Post-it note stencil/masks from the cardstock and position on your bead. Use a sponge dauber to add a background coat of white or light-coloured paint to the design. When the background is dry, add your design colours using clean daubers, blending the colours together where

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the mechanism. To overcome this, attach your Post-it note to a piece of light cardstock before punching. All punches are different – try to ﬁnd a weight of card that your punch manages with ease and never apply too much force to the lever or button as you risk damaging the punch.

WHICH BEADS? All manner of punch designs can be utilised in this way, with either the complete design or small elements of it

ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUE – STENCILLING AND MASKING Here, to illustrate the techniques, punched shapes are used as a mask on the right-hand side of the pendant and a punched negative image is used as a stencil on the left.

Use simple stencilling and masking techniques to create beautiful painted wooden beads and pendants for fashionable rustic-look pieces with natural flair

they meet to avoid hard lines. Remove the stencil/masks from the bead whilst the paint is still wet by lifting them off with the tip of a craft knife. Once the paint is completely dry add gems if desired, then secure the pendant on a piece of wire and apply three coats of varnish following the manufacturer’s guidelines.

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being used. There are a variety of beads that are suitable for the technique, with ﬂat or almost ﬂat beads being the easiest to manage as your punched Post-it note will adhere well, discouraging the paint from seeping under the edges.

A DAB HAND Sponge ﬁnger daubers are the best applicator tool for paint and should be used with a light stamping action to encourage the image edges to stay sharp. Build up colour slowly by picking up just a tiny amount of paint on the sponge and dabbing it off onto scrap paper ﬁrst to even out the coverage on the sponge before applying it to your bead surface. If your design doesn’t go quite according to plan you can simply wash the bead in warm water whilst the paint is still wet and successfully get rid of most, if not all, traces of it. Leave the bead to dry before starting over. A great way to practice is on a non-sanded bead as you can wash, dry and then reuse it instantly because the existing varnish will protect the wood from any staining or from absorbing the washing water.

CBJ08 pp24-27 Stencilling Judith_Beading 11/10/2010 16:19 Page 25

WOODEN BEADS STENCILLING EARRINGS TO CREATE Follow the Essential Technique opposite to create the stencilled dragonfly image on the

two square wood beads, ensuring that the punched shape is positioned so it is mirrored from one bead to the other. Use a white base coat

followed by green for the body, orange for the wings and red for the wing tips. Thread each painted and varnished bead onto a headpin and

create a simple loop snug to the top of the bead. Thread two eyepins with Trinity Vintage spacer and wooden saucer beads and finish

the end with a simple loop snug to the final spacer bead. Connect these eyepins to the ear wires, then hang your painted beads from the bottom of each earring.

MATERIALS

TOP TIP

• 2 x square, through-drilled wooden beads • white, green, orange and red acrylic paint • satin varnish • dragonfly punch • Post-it note pad • silver raindrop jewels • 2 x small wooden saucer beads • 4 x Trinity Vintage spacer beads • 2 x Trinity Vintage headpins • 2 x Trinity Vintage eyepins • 2 x Trinity Vintage fish-hook filigree ball ear wires

MATERIALS • small top-drilled wooden disc bead • white, orange and red acrylic paint • satin varnish • sunflower punch • Post-it note pad • silver raindrop jewel • large coco shell ring • 6 x small wooden saucer beads • 2 x Trinity Vintage spacer beads • 2 x Trinity Vintage headpins • Trinity Vintage etched chain • Trinity Vintage leaf, dragonfly and leaf sprig charms • lobster clasp • large and medium etched jump rings • small oval and round jump rings

TOOLS • • • •

very fine sandpaper sponge daubers soft paintbrush round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • side cutters

You can successfully use a Post-it note stencil several times over. Just check the reverse of the image before reapplying to ensure that no paint has seeped underneath

TOOLS • • • •

very fine sandpaper sponge daubers soft paintbrush round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • side cutters

TO CREATE Follow the Essential Technique opposite to create the stencilled sunflower image on the disc bead (to ensure the image is central, position the punched flower centre centrally on the bead then line up the negative stencil over it). Use a white base coat followed by orange. Add red to the tips of the petals and the flower centre. Fix a medium jump ring onto the painted bead and a large jump ring around the coco bead, and connect the two together with a small jump ring. Hang from the end of a 10cm length of chain. Fix the chain to the lobster clasp using an oval jump ring, adding three shorter chains of

ZIP PULL BAG CHARM

varying lengths to the jump ring before closing it. Hang a charm from the bottom of each

of these chains using oval jump rings. Thread two headpins with spacer and wood

saucer beads, finishing with a simple loop snug to the final bead. Secure these to two of the chains using oval jump rings.

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CBJ08 pp24-27 Stencilling Judith_Beading 11/10/2010 16:19 Page 26

WOODEN BEADS STENCILLING BUTTERFLY PENDANT

TO CREATE Follow the Essential Technique on page 24 to create the masked butterfly image on the wood bead, using a white base coat followed by orange and red for the background. Define the

TOP TIP

MATERIALS

Varnishing your painted bead will not only restore the sanded surface of any unpainted areas of the design but will enhance the colours and also protect the painted image from general wear and tear

DRAGONFLY PENDANT TO CREATE Follow the Essential Technique on page 24 to create the stencilled dragonflies on the wooden bead, using a white base coat followed by a touch of green and then orange for the background.

• large wooden teardrop bead • white, orange, red and green acrylic paint • satin varnish • butterfly and dot punches • Post-it note pad • silver raindrop jewels • 2 x Trinity Vintage eyepins • brown 1mm cotton cord • lobster clasp

Cut a piece of cord twice the desired length of the necklace. Attach to your painted pendant by folding in half, pushing the loop through the pendant hole and threading the ends through the loop before pulling snug. Thread both cord ends together through alternate

TOOLS • • • • •

wooden saucer and Vintaj crimp cover beads. Then separate the cord ends and lay on your work surface as shown in Fig 1, below. Use Fig 2 as a guide to creating a sliding knot in the side of the cord nearest to you. Holding the two cords together in your left hand at point A,

MATERIALS

FIG 1

FIG 2

• large top-drilled wooden disc bead • white, green and orange acrylic paint • satin varnish • dragonfly punch • Post-it note pad • silver raindrop jewels • 3 x small wooden saucer beads • 3 x Vintaj crimp cover beads • brown 1mm cotton cord

TOOLS • • • •

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very fine sandpaper sponge daubers soft paintbrush scissors

bring the end of the cord around behind your fingers and wrap in two loose coils around both cords. Thread the cord end through the two loops you have created and pull snug. Repeat for the free cord end on the other side, then snip both short ends close to the knot to finish.

very fine sandpaper sponge daubers soft paintbrush flat-nosed pliers side cutters

CBJ08 pp24-27 Stencilling Judith_Beading 11/10/2010 16:19 Page 27

WOODEN BEADS STENCILLING edges of the pendant with green paint. Cut two pieces of cord just longer than your desired necklace length. Fold both pieces in half together and push the loop through the bead hole. Pass the free ends through the loop and pull them snug. Create two coil ends as follows: Wrap an eyepin around a small cylindrical object such as a fine knitting needle, remove from the needle and snip the eye from the pin. Bend one complete loop out from the coil at one end to create the connector. Split the four cord ends into pairs and attach a coil to each pair. Squash the last rotation of the coil tight against the cords to secure and connect the coils to a lobster clasp.

LEAFY BRANCH PENDANT

TO CREATE Follow the Essential Technique on page 24 to create the masked branch on the wooden bead, using a white base coat followed by orange. Add red highlights around the edge of the pendant, blending into the orange, then add

green highlights around the branch. Fix the etched jump ring to the painted pendant and hang from the loop of the eyepin. Add wooden saucer and crimp cover beads alternately to the eyepin. Create a simple loop at the top snug to the final bead. Cut a length of chain and fix a medium round jump ring to one end. Thread

WHERE TO BUY All the wooden beads used here are available from www.beadsdirect.co.uk A selection of Trinity Vintage beads and findings is also available from Beads Direct and from www.dichro-findings.co.uk Paper punches, jewel dots and acrylic paints are available from all good craft retailers

the chain through the top eyepin loop, then secure the lobster clasp to the other end using a small jump ring.

MATERIALS • medium top-drilled wooden disc bead • white, green, orange and red acrylic paint • satin varnish • ash branch punch • Post-it note pad • 3 x small wooden saucer beads • 3 x Trinity Vintage spacer beads • Trinity Vintage eyepin • Trinity Vintage small peanut link chain • medium etched jump ring • small and medium round jump rings • lobster clasp

TOOLS • • • •

very fine sandpaper sponge daubers soft paintbrush round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • side cutters

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CBJ08 pp28-31 Silversmithing pt2_Beading 13/10/2010 08:44 Page 28

SILVERSMITHING A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

some like it AURORA LOMBARDO DESIGNER

ABOUT AURORA… Aurora is the owner of The Jazzy Jewelz Studio in Ickleton, Cambridgeshire, a friendly jewellery-making studio offering a range of beading workshops, glass fusing classes, and jewellery-making parties for children and adults. For those who feel creative but live too far away to visit, The Jazzy Jewelz Studio online shop sells jewellerymaking kits and party packs for all skill levels. Aurora herself is an experienced designerjeweller, specialising in glass and silver jewellery. Her work is supplied to selected shops and galleries in the UK and Italy – you can see more at www. aurora lombardo.com. To find out more about about The Jazzy Jewelz Studio, visit www.thejazzy jewelzstudio.co.uk or call 07905 888268.

HOT

In the second part of our guide to metalwork in jewellery making, Aurora Lombardo arms herself with a blowtorch to look at techniques involving heat application, and creates a beautiful domed copper necklace and hairclip set

DOMED DISCS NECKLACE

MATERIALS • copper sheet (0.7mm thickness) • 1m antique copper chain • 12 x antique copper jump rings • antique copper decorative toggle clasp

TOOLS • • • • • • • • • • • • •

flux pickle solution Renaissance Wax chequered texturing hammer disc cutter doming block doming punches butane/propane torch firing brick half-round emery sticks (medium and fine grade) chain-nosed pliers tweezers safety goggles

TO CREATE Cut one 45mm, two 35mm, and two 25mm discs from the copper sheet using a disc cutter. Place the metal discs on a flat

1 2 1

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metal block and strike sharply with a chequered texturing hammer until you are happy with the pattern. Following the step-by-step guides

opposite, anneal and pickle the textured discs to soften and clean the metal. Place the larger disc back in the disc cutter and punch

3 3

two 5mm holes directly opposite one another, positioning them approximately 4mm from the edges. These will constitute the threading holes of

CBJ08 pp28-31 Silversmithing pt2_Beading 13/10/2010 08:44 Page 29

SILVERSMITHING A BEGINNER’S GUIDE WHERE TO BUY ANNEALING

Metal supplies, tools and equipment are available from www.palmermetals.co.uk, www.suttontools.co.uk and www.cooksongold.co.uk Antique copper findings can be purchased from www.cjbeaders.co.uk

frequently to check the colour. When you are happy with the colour, turn the heat off. Once the beads have cooled down completely, use a clean, soft cloth to apply a couple of coats of Renaissance Wax, following the manufacturer’s instructions. This will help to protect the antique finish. To make the necklace, thread a 35mm domed disc onto the copper chain, followed by the 45mm disc, the two 25mm discs and finally the other 35mm domed disc. Space them evenly along the front of the necklace. When you are happy with the position of the discs, turn each one over and attach a jump ring to each of the two links just emerging from the threading holes. This will secure the discs in position and prevent them sliding along the chain when it is worn. To finish the necklace, attach the decorative toggle clasp to the ends of the chain using the two remaining jump rings.

pieces of metal, a small butane/propane plumber’s torch (found at any DIY store) will work well.

STEP BY STEP Place the metal on a soldering block and apply a layer of flux evenly over the surface. This will protect the metal from oxidation while you anneal the piece. Heat evenly with a gentle bushy flame,

2 2

continuing to move the flame slowly over the metal. Keep heating gently until you notice the metal glow a soft red colour, hold the heat for about five seconds, then turn off the torch. Allow the metal to cool slightly and then, using a pair of stainless steel tweezers, quench it in water. Your metal piece should now be very soft and easy to bend.

PICKLING STEP BY STEP The metal piece should be cool. Use brass tweezers to gently immerse it in the pickling solution. Leave it there for about 20-30 minutes or until all the firescale has disappeared.

TOP TIP

your copper beads. Repeat for the other four discs. One by one, place your discs into the appropriately sized depression of a doming block to shape into domes, following the step-bystep guide on page 30. To accentuate the visual depth of the hammer marks, place the discs back on a soldering block and heat them gently with the bushy flame of a small handheld blowtorch (see the box on page 31). Once the copper has acquired a dark blue/black colour, turn off the torch and allow the metal discs to cool down completely. Use the half-round medium-grade emery stick to file away the oxidation from the raised area in the disc. Repeat the process using fine emery sticks to polish the surface of each disc to a soft shine. Return the discs to the soldering block and heat them briefly once more to give your beads a warm antique finish. Be sure to heat gradually and slowly, removing the flame

When metals are worked (hammered, bent, folded and so on) they harden, becoming more rigid, and continued work will cause them to become brittle and fracture. To avoid this, from time to time you will need to anneal, or soften, the metal. Non-ferrous metals such as brass, bronze, copper and silver can be annealed by applying heat to them. For small

A glass jam jar makes a useful pickle container. To keep the pickle solution warm, just place the jar on a tea-light plate warmer or sit it in a water bath in an electric slow cooker

Take the piece out of the pickle and drop it in bicarbonate of soda to neutralise

the acid. Rinse the piece in running water and dry it.

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CBJ08 pp28-31 Silversmithing pt2_Beading 13/10/2010 08:45 Page 30

SILVERSMITHING A BEGINNER’S GUIDE GLOSSARY OF USEFUL TERMS

FIND OUT MORE

• Firescale – Sometimes known as ﬁrestain, this is the reddish-purple ‘bloom’ that appears on mixtures of silver and copper at high temperatures. It commonly occurs during the soldering process in jewellery making, such as when soldering a bale onto a pendant, and can usually be removed by pickling or polishing • Flux – A chemical cleaning agent, applied before soldering metals to remove and prevent oxidation and help the solder to ﬂow. It

oxidation does not cause weaknesses in the form of corrosion and rust, but a ‘bloom’ on the surface of the metal. With copper, this is often a greenish coating but it can also be a black patina. It can generally be cleaned off with pickling agents without damaging the metal piece

Part 1 of our guide to silversmithing in Issue 7 included an introduction to the art of metalwork in jewellery making, illustrated technique guides to cutting metal discs and adding texture, and detailed step-by-step instructions for creating these lovely hammered copper earrings. If you missed it, you can order back issues of Creative Beads & Jewellery from www.practicalpublishing.co.uk/cbj

For further information about metalwork, we recommend The Encyclopedia of Jewellery Making Techniques by Jinks McGrath and Jewellery Making Techniques Book by Elizabeth Oliver, both available from www.amazon.co.uk

DOMING Doming is the simple process of forming a ﬂat metal disc into a dome. To create a domed bead you will need a doming block and a set of doming punches. A doming block is a square or rectangular block made of steel, brass or wood, which contains hemispherical indentations in various sizes. Domed forms can be made by inserting

is available in liquid and paste forms • Non-ferrous – Used to describe metals that do not contain a signiﬁcant amount of iron. They are not magnetic and are usually more resistant to corrosion than iron and alloys such as steel, which are known as ferrous metals • Oxidation – In the case of non-ferrous metals such as copper,

a metal disc into an indentation and gently hammering a doming punch into it – this presses the metal into the indent and forms a dome. The circle of sheet metal you’re using should be annealed before you begin the doming process.

STEP BY STEP Place the disc in the hollow of a doming block that is slightly larger than your disc.

1 2

Choose a punch that is smaller than the indent and use a mallet to hammer it onto the metal until the dome is formed. If the dome is too shallow, move the domed disc into the next smaller hollow and repeat Step 2. This process will harden the metal so, if further doming is required, the disc will need to be annealed again to soften it.

2 3

COPPER BARRETTE TO CREATE Cut two 45mm discs from the copper sheet using a disc cutter. Place the metal discs on a flat metal block and strike sharply using a crosshatch texturing hammer until you are happy with the finished pattern. Place one disc on a wooden block and secure it in position using a small clamp. Drill two 2mm holes directly opposite one another, approximately 3mm from the edges. Repeat for the other disc. Anneal, shape and colour the two copper beads as in Steps 4-6 of the

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necklace project on page 28. To join the two discs together, cut a piece of copper wire 12cm long. Grip the wire with a pair of pliers about 3cm from one end and bend it into a loop. Bend the loop so that a right angle is formed between the loop and the shortest section of the wire. Holding the loop with pliers, grab the other end of the wire with your free hand and coil it around the loop a few times to make a spiral. Next, bring the two domed discs together, patterned side up, overlapping them just enough to

CBJ08 pp28-31 Silversmithing pt2_Beading 13/10/2010 08:45 Page 31

SILVERSMITHING A BEGINNER’S GUIDE HEAT COLOURING COPPER Adding variations to the colour of metal after texturing can accentuate the visual depth of the hammer marks, adding extra interest to a piece. When working with copper, one of the ways to achieve a colour change is by applying heat. Under the heat of a ﬂame, the copper will go through a beautiful array of colours – from gold to orange, red, then purple and dark blue shades,

before eventually turning black. Heat colouring copper is an unpredictable process and a great deal of experimentation and patience is required to get the colour right.

STEP BY STEP To maximise your chances of achieving the colours you want, great care should be given to the preparation of the metal surface before colouring. Make sure the copper piece is

thoroughly cleaned by first sanding it with an emery stick, then wire brushing it, as any areas not cleaned properly will turn a dull brown colour. Use pliers or tweezers to handle the metal because the oils from your hands will leave a residue that will affect the patina. Place your copper piece onto a heatproof surface such as a firing brick and heat the metal gently using a blowtorch. To create a striking array

2 3

of rainbow colours, use a kitchen miniblowtorch. Turn the flame adjustment down to minimum and use the tip of the flame to gently ‘paint’ colour over the surface of the metal. If you want to give the copper a more uniform warm antique colour, a larger soft bushy flame such as that of a small butane/propane plumber’s torch will work better. Whatever finish you are after, be sure to heat slowly and

gradually, removing the flame from time to time to check the colour. When you are happy with the look of your piece, turn off the torch and allow the metal to cool down completely. The colours obtained by heat are not stable and to preserve the patina a protective coating must be applied. You can use a commercial preparation such as Renaissance Wax to protect the colour from fading or oxidising. Apply one or two coats to your piece according to the manufacturer’s instructions, allowing the wax to dry fully between coats. Finally, buff off the excess wax using a clean lintfree soft cloth.

MATERIALS align two of the holes. Thread in the wire so that the spiral sits neatly on the domed surface. Turn the discs over and trim away the excess wire using a pair of cutters, leaving about 1cm of wire emerging from the

6 1

hole. Using a pair of chain-nosed pliers, bend the wire sideways against the inside of the dome. Holding the spiral tight against the discs, grip the end of the wire using pliers and tighten the rivet by coiling it up, until

7 2

the two discs are firmly joined. Finally, to attach the decorative metal piece to the barrette blank, cut out 15cm of copper wire and secure one end to the underside of the barrette, at one end. Thread the

wire a few times through the holes in the copper and the barrette blank and pull tight. Trim the excess wire with cutters and secure it on the underside. Repeat to secure the other end of the barrette.

• copper sheet (0.7mm thickness) • copper 0.8mm wire • 65mm barrette (hairclip)

TOOLS • • • • • • •

4 • • • • • • • • •

flux pickle solution Renaissance Wax crosshatch texturing hammer butane/propane torch firing brick half-round emery sticks (medium and fine grade) disc cutter doming block doming punches wire cutters chain-nosed pliers hobby drill and 2mm drill bit small clamp wooden block safety goggles

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CBJ08 pp32-33 Promo_Beading 11/10/2010 16:49 Page 32

Jingle Beads Desktop Kiln Set £16.99 Efcolor Enamelling Powders £1.75 Stockists of Beadsmith and Flambeau / Artbin products B For Beads Tel: 01352 755532 www.b-for-beads.co.uk

Chunky Bracelet Kit £4.50

The Birmingham Bead Shop Tel: 0121 2511413 www.thebirminghambeadshop.co.uk

Friendly Plastic Kit only £6.50 Makes 2 double-sided pendants with full instructions included

Jenny’s Bead Box www.jennysbeadbox.co.uk

chain maille kit £20

Pink and Dizzy Tel: 01793 855265 www.pinkanddizzy.co.uk

Tea Light Holder Kit Everything you need to jazz up your Christmas table only

£15.99

Rare Bird Ltd Tel: 0115 9336182 www.rarebird.ltd.uk

www.boxesandbusts.co.uk Tel: 01446 701230 Barry, South Wales

The Eastbourne Bead Company Tel: 01323 647409 www.theeastbournebeadcompany.co.uk

Claire’s Crystal Classics www.clairescrystalclassics.co.uk

Crystazzi Jewellery Making Kit – Rose £19.99 Available in Amber Glow, Silver Mist and Rose – makes an excellent gift!

The Crystal Phoenix Tel: 01743 791853 www.thecrystalphoenix.com

CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS

CBJ08 pp32-33 Promo_Beading 11/10/2010 16:27 Page 33

Jingle Beads Brentwood Bead Shop Tel: 01277 226722 www.brentwood-bead-shop.co.uk

For an exclusive range of beading and seed beading kits

Jencel Tel: 0114 2509565 www.jencel.co.uk

Ideal Christmas gift Starter Kits available from £20 Shima Beads Tel: 02920 569 693 www.shimabeads.co.uk

The Bead Cellar Tel: 01409 231 442 www.thebeadcellar.co.uk

Make this stunning necklace charm from our new range of Handmade Crystal Ball Beads. 20 colours to choose from in 10mm and 18mm round, from only £4 per bead TotallyBeads Ltd Tel: 08450 94 35 94 www.totallybeads.co.uk

Thread A Bead www.threadabead.com

Christmas Coaster or Tree Decoration available in different colourways

£7.95 per kit

Quote code CBJ to receive 10% DISCOUNT off all web orders over £15 (excl. P&P)

Rosarama Beadcraft Tel/Fax: 0191 4139111 www.rosarama.co.uk

Deb Moffett-Hall bauble patterns now in stock. From

£6.99

26th Private shopping evening 27th & 28th November

Beads available separately

The Bead Trail Tel: 01606 884127 www.thebeadtrail.co.uk

Art Shed Tel: 01920 466 446 www.artshedarts.co.uk

CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS

CBJ08 pp34 Designer Gallery_CBJ 11/10/2010 16:23 Page 34

DESIGNER GALLERY

designer GALLERY

Each reader featured wins a Miyuki bead jewellery kit worth £12.70 kindly donated by The Bead Shop Scotland

www.beadshopscotland.co.uk Haddington 01620 822886 Edinburgh 0131 343 3222

Be inspired by these fabulous designs and send your own creations in to us – we’d love to see them

STEAMPUNK PENDANT BY REBECCA ROGERS FROM BATH MATERIALS • • • • • •

recycled vintage watch workings flat-backed Swarovski crystals pewter butterfly Vintaj filigree cross copper wire bale antique silver-plated chain

TEARS IN THE RAIN EARRINGS BY WENDY MANZ FROM WINNIPEG, CANADA MATERIALS • • • •

blue drop beads earring findings jump rings craft wire

CHUNKY NECKLACE BY CHRIS WINFIELD FROM CORNWALL MATERIALS • • • •

frosted 8mm beads silver disco beads glass, plastic and wooden beads oblong beads

• • • •

thread stringing wire crimps clasp

Don’t be shy! Share your creations with us and you could see them on our gallery pages! To submit your work for publication either email an image to lindsey.hopkins@practicalpublishing.co.uk or send your project with a stamped addressed envelope for return to CB&J Gallery, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesﬁeld, Cheshire SK10 4NL.

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CBJ07 pp37_Beading 13/09/2010 15:26 Page 37

CBJ08 pp36 House Ad Bead Bookazine_CCX 13/10/2010 11:13 Page 36

On sale NOW! Inside this 164page, special collector’s edition of Creative Beads & Jewellery, you will find everything you need to learn the basics and get started in beading and jewellery making Packed full of techniques and materials including: ❖ Chain maille ❖ Polymer clay ❖ Precious Metal Clay ❖ Lampwork ❖ Seed beads ❖ Swarovski crystals ❖ Czech glass beads ❖ Kiln work ❖ Jewellery for men ❖ Wedding essentials ❖ Watches ❖ And much more!

The perfect annual to help you get the professional look every time!

Available for just £6.99 + p&p from www.practicalpublishing.co.uk/cbja1

CBJ08 pp37_Beading 11/10/2010 16:30 Page 37

A world of beads and inspiration Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9 - 5

• Huge range covering all your jewellerymaking needs. • Regular workshops run every week in our shop. • Exhibit at bead fairs and craft shows all year round. 188 Burgess Road, Southampton, Hants SO16 3HH Secure online shopping at www.thesouthamptonbeadshop.co.uk Tel: 02380 676163 www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp78-79 Crystals & Ice_Beading 11/10/2010 16:21 Page 38

CRYSTALS AND ICE

ICEstorm LAURA SCLANDERS DESIGNER

Cool gunmetal and steel blue chain give some bite to these pretty, sparkling pieces, ideal for playing the ice queen this party season

MATERIALS TO COMPLETE ALL PROJECTS • 15cm gunmetal 10.5mm oval curb chain • 50cm steel blue 4x5.2mm twisted aluminium chain • blue 2mm round leather • strand of light blue AB 8x5mm glass rondelles • 26 x Jet 6mm Swarovski bicones • 50 x silver-plated 3mm round beads • 4 x silver-plated 7mm folding crimps

NECKLACE TO CREATE Trim the nail end off four headpins using wire cutters and make a wrapped loop at one end of each length. Onto two lengths thread a 3mm round, a Swarovski bicone and another 3mm round, and make a matching wrapped loop at the other end. With the other two lengths, thread on a 3mm round, a rondelle and another 3mm round, and make a

ABOUT LAURA… Laura works at the Crystals and Ice Bead Shop in Cardiff. She started beading as a way of de-stressing at university, and has been obsessed ever since!

make a wrapped loop at the top. Lay the aluminium chain with leather ends flat on a bead mat. Find the centre link of the chain length, then carefully open it using pliers, slip on the focal drop, and close the link. Attach a wrapped loop unit approximately 2cm either side of the centre drop. Attach each additional unit 2cm from the previous one, so that there are an equal number on each side. Cut a 15cm length of gunmetal oval curb chain, and a 16-17cm length of aluminium chain. Use a jump ring to attach one end of the gunmetal chain to the aluminium chain, then thread the aluminium chain through each link in the gunmetal chain. Attach the threaded end to the last link of

matching wrapped loop at the other end. Set to one side. Cut a 26cm length of aluminium chain and two 11cm lengths of leather cord, and attach a folding crimp to each end of the leather strips. Use a jump ring to attach one of the Swarovski components from Step 1 to one length of leather. Repeat with a rondelle component for the other length of leather. Open a jump ring and attach one end of the aluminium chain to the Swarovski component, along with the remaining Swarovski component, then close the jump ring. Repeat for the other side using the

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rondelle component. Use jump rings to attach the two parts of the toggle and bar clasp to the folding crimps at the other end of the leather. For the bottom section of the necklace, make a wrapped loop component by threading a rondelle, a 3mm round, a Swarovski bicone and another 3mm round onto a headpin and making a wrapped loop at the top. Repeat until you have made eight units in total. For the focal drop, string a rondelle, a 3mm round, a Swarovski bicone, a 3mm round, a rondelle and a final 3mm round onto a headpin, and

• 8 x silver-plated 6mm jump rings • silver-plated bar and ring clasp • 22 x silver-plated 50mm medium headpins • silver-plated ear wires • silver-plated 14-hole hair comb • 2m silver-plated 0.4mm copper wire

TOOLS • • • •

2 x chain-nosed pliers round-nosed pliers wire cutters beading mat

the gunmetal chain using a jump ring. Make a wrapped loop unit by threading a 3mm round, a Swarovski bicone, another 3mm round and a rondelle onto a headpin and creating a wrapped loop at the top. Repeat until you have made seven units in total. Lay the entwined chain flat on a bead mat and carefully attach a wrapped loop unit to a link on the aluminium chain, between alternate links of the gunmetal chain. Repeat along the chain so all seven components are attached at equal intervals. Carefully open the jump ring that links the aluminium and gunmetal chain together and slip on the unattached end of one of the wrapped loop units attached to the leather. Close the jump ring and repeat for the other side to complete the necklace.

CBJ08 pp78-79 Crystals & Ice_Beading 11/10/2010 16:21 Page 39

CRYSTALS AND ICE

EARRINGS TO CREATE Thread a rondelle, a 3mm round, a Swarovski bicone and another 3mm round onto a headpin. Create a wrapped loop, ensuring that the end is neatly trimmed off. Cut a 3cm length of steel blue chain. Gently open the loop at the bottom of an ear wire and thread the headpin and chain onto it. Repeat in mirror image to create the matching earring.

2 3

FASCINATOR TO CREATE Thread one rondelle halfway down a 30cm length of 0.4mm wire. Twist the wires together, thread a silver bead onto both

wires and push it to the top. Twist the wires for 1cm, thread on a Swarovski bicone, twist for 1cm, thread on a silver bead, and twist for 1cm. Repeat. Thread one rondelle halfway

down a 20cm length of 0.4mm wire. Twist the wires together for 1cm, thread on a silver bead and twist for a further 2cm. Thread one rondelle halfway down a 30cm length of 0.4mm

wire and twist the wires together for 3cm. Repeat with a Swarovski bicone at the top and twist for 2cm. Join together by twisting all four ends for 3cm. Attach the twopronged sparkle to the right side of the comb by threading the four wires through the first three teeth of the comb and winding through again twice. Carefully trim the ends. Attach one singlepronged blue and black sparkle to the left side of the comb by winding through the first two teeth. Trim the ends. Repeat with the other blue and black wire, placing it directly beside the one just attached. Next, to the doublepronged sparkle, attach the remaining sparkle by winding

through the third and fourth teeth of the comb. Wind through twice more, ensuring it is neat, and trim the wire ends. Cut 50cm of 0.4mm wire and, starting about 10cm along the length of the wire, wind into the first teeth of the comb, starting at the left side. Wind the shorter end into the comb twice and trim the ends. Cover all the attachment points with beads by threading a bead and winding the wire through the teeth of the comb. Attach the beads in the following sequence, repeating until the top of the comb is covered with beads: rondelle, wind twice, bicone, wind twice. Wind the end of the wire back through the teeth and trim.

WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from Crystals and Ice Bead Shop, 7 High Street Arcade, Cardiff, South Wales CF10 1BB; www.crystals-and-ice.co.uk; 0845 108 6484 www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp40-41 Bead Doctor_Beading 13/10/2010 10:53 Page 40

BEAD DOCTOR

bead DOCTOR Got a beading query or jewellery dilemma? Ask our resident expert for the answers

PAT-A-CAKE, PAT-A-CAKE I love the different varieties of cake, sweet and other polymer clay embellishments I’ve seen in Creative Beads & Jewellery, as made by the talented team at The Bead Shop Scotland. The latest ones were in the Issue 6 news pages with a story about Jo Lochhead going to a French market town with her products. The little cake charms in the image alongside the piece looked simply darling. I’ve often made basic flat shapes with polymer clay for my projects, but wondered what tools Jo and her team use to mould and add texture to the shapes they create? Judith McLean, by email

THE BEAD DOCTOR SAYS... I’ve had a chat with Jo Lochhead from The Bead Shop Scotland and she tells me that

most commonly they use their fingers and a simple craft knife, but they do also make use of Fimo tools and accessories. You can find a selection of rollers, blades, cutting tools and moulds on the company’s website at www.beadshop scotland.co.uk (or call 01620 822886). Many of the sweets are made from custom moulds, which The Bead Shop Scotland produces. They’re now selling these moulds so all the sweet-toothed jewellery makers out there can create flower and sweet charms to their hearts’ content – so be sure to check those out too!

ALL STRUNG OUT I’m new to beading and wanted to know which is the best cord I can use to string my beads onto before I start buying anything. I don’t want to spend a small fortune and then find out I have all the wrong things! Gloria Campbell, by email

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THE BEAD DOCTOR SAYS... There are so many different options available that sometimes it really does depend on personal preference – as well as what it is you’re stringing. The chances are you’ll

MAKING CUTS I’ve just started jewellery making and have been told that I need special cutters for Tigertail. Can you tell me what cutters I should be using? Kara McKie, Bristol

THE BEAD DOCTOR SAYS... It’s more for memory wire or niobium that you need dedicated cutters. For standard craft or jewellery wire and Tigertail, as

need a few different stringing materials for a variety of projects, but if you have friends who make jewellery, it might be worth seeing if you can dip into their supplies to see what suits you before you run wild in a bead store!

As a general rule, for long stringing projects and bead weaving, nylon beading thread works very well. It’s available in a selection of thicknesses and colours so has broad appeal. The tendency to fray does vary, and some brands require

well as headpins and eyepins, you can use an ordinary pair of side cutters. Normal cutters will go through memory wire, but it will ruin them for use with

thinner wires. It’s therefore essential to either dedicate an old pair of cutters to use on these thicker materials or – ideally – invest in a pair of memory wire cutters.

CBJ08 pp40-41 Bead Doctor_Beading 13/10/2010 10:54 Page 41

BEAD DOCTOR MEMORIES IN THE MAKING I want to get started on making memory wire bracelets, but my local shop only sells one variety of the wire, which is a tad too thick for my needs. I’ve seen bracelets in your magazine where the beads are fed directly onto the memory wire, but there’s no way I’d be able to do this with the thickness I can buy locally. Can you point me in the direction of another stockist who sells different sizes of memory wire, particularly one I

preparation before use with the application of beeswax or Thread Heaven. Silamide is one pre-waxed stringing material – a favourite of dressmakers, it has devotees among jewellery makers too. Colours were limited when this product ﬁrst hit the market, but there are now some lovely shades including turquoise and mustard. It is a twisted stringing material, so bear this in mind if you want to use it with a needle as it can sometimes be difﬁcult to thread. Coated wire is another hugely popular choice. As with nylon, there are

If you question forhave a Doctor, emathe Bead il it to bea practicalpdudoctor@ or write to blishing.co.uk Bead Docto Creative Bea r, Unit 1 Adlids & Jewellery, n g to n Court, Adlington B Macclesfielusiness Park, d, Ch SK10 4NLeshire

could feed standard beads straight onto? Sophie Murray, by email

THE BEAD DOCTOR SAYS... Memory wire does come in a selection of gauges, as well as different coil sizes for bracelets, necklaces and rings. The thinner wire is widely available from jewellery and beading stores online if you don’t have a shop you can visit locally – take a look at the range available from www.beads unlimited.co.uk (or call 01273 740777).

various colours and thicknesses available (including ‘illusion’ options for floating necklaces). It’s strong and some of the more recently developed varieties are very flexible, and it works well with all kinds of different beads, pearls and crystals. Monofilament is effectively fishing line. It is almost transparent so can work well for illusion necklace or bracelet designs, but is also more prone than other materials to stretching and breaking. It can become disfigured over time if stored twisted. Options like waxed

cord, leather and suede (or faux alternatives) are great for chunky or multi-layered pieces with a rustic or more masculine feel. They can be simply knotted to secure beads in place, which gives a casual look and means you can create ultra-quick and easy pieces. Don’t imagine you’re limited to black and brown, as leather, suede and imitations now come in a huge variety of colours. There are many more, less commonly used, materials, such as silk, but the options I have outlined above are generally the most popular and versatile – and certainly a good starting point!

FINISHING TOUCH What’s the best way to attach beading wire to a lobster clasp? Before now I’ve always used crimps, calottes and a jump ring, but I wondered if there was a tidier way of doing it so I can save on the smaller bits and bobs? Jennifer Regis, London

THE BEAD DOCTOR SAYS... There certainly is! Try looping your beading wire directly through the hoop on

the lobster clasp and securing it by feeding a crimp over both the short and stringing

UNDERSTANDING ACCENTS I just got my hands on some Ranger Glossy Accents and am raring to go with making my own resin charms and pendants. But now I have a bottle, I’m stuck as to what to do next! Help! Melanie Simmons, by email

THE BEAD DOCTOR SAYS... No problem, Melanie! It may be worth considering getting yourself some pendant frames for starters. These are metal bases that you can ﬁll with beads and then coat with resin for a distinctive focal piece. There are some lovely 53mm

pieces. Flatten the crimp and trim the excess short length for a tidy finish. Primitive Heart frames at www. madcowbeads.com (0844 357 0943), as well as round and rectangular options, so take a look at these. Just be sure not to overfill the frames and be careful when adding the resin around the edges of the frame so you don’t end up with drips and runaway resin! I find it helpful to add a little resin over the whole frame, allow it to settle and fall through the beads, then add more. When going around the edges, apply the resin slowly and with the tip of the bottle pointing towards the outer edge of the frame from across the piece, as opposed to approaching it from the outer edge. The fantastic thing about resin pendants is that resin dries to a clear finish, so even if you spot a missing coated area or get a pot hole in your project, you can simply add a little more as required.

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CBJ08 pp42-45 Xmas Jewellery DCF_CBJ 13/10/2010 11:01 Page 42

WIREWORK & GEMSTONES JEWELLERY AS GIFTS

on the twelfth day of

CHRISTMAS... DAWN COTTON FUGE DESIGNER

For truly personal gifts this Christmas, look no further than these beautiful pieces, inspired by the jewellery found in Ancient Egypt. The combination of gold and gemstones gives them a decadent feel perfect for the season, while the wirework touches add interest and individuality

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CBJ08 pp42-45 Xmas Jewellery DCF_CBJ 13/10/2010 11:01 Page 43

WIREWORK & GEMSTONES JEWELLERY AS GIFTS TO CREATE Begin by making the focal section of the necklace. Cut a 30cm piece of Gold Fill wire and complete a wrapped loop at one end. Take seven briolettes and string them on so that one is fairly close to the wrapped loop end and the other six are loosely spread out with around 3mm between each bead. Make a wrapped loop at the other end of the beads, leaving a long end of wire – this will be used to wrap between the beads. Begin wrapping from the end with the long piece of wire, and wrap at least two or three times between each pair of briolettes (you are wrapping the wire around the section between two adjacent briolettes). When you finish the first two, move on to the next section and so on. As you are wrapping, the briolettes will move around, but when you finish each section, they should be left so that four briolettes

WIRE-WRAPPED DEEP RED & TOURMALINE NECKLACE

MATERIALS • • • •

tourmaline plain ovals red quartz briolettes Gold Fill 0.5mm wire Gold Fill ear wires

on the bottom are facing downwards and three on the top are facing upwards. The wrapping is fairly loose and ‘messy’ looking. Ensure that you have enough wire to continue all the way to the end. At the other end, finish by wrapping the end of the wire hard up against the wrapped loop and trim any excess.

Cut 14 pieces of wire of around 3” each. Create a wrapped loop in one length, attaching it to one side of the focal section. String a tourmaline oval and create and close a loop at the other end. Repeat a further six times so you have a ‘chain’ of bead links on that side of the focal. Repeat on the other side of the

focal, varying the colour sequence of the tourmaline ovals. Cut two pieces of Gold Fill chain to make the necklace your desired length and attach a piece to the final wrapped link on each side with a jump ring. Finish the necklace by attaching a clasp to one side with a jump ring, and affixing a jump

ring to the other piece of chain.

MATERIALS • tourmaline plain ovals • red quartz briolettes • 4 x Gold Fill 5mm jump rings • Gold Fill lobster clasp • Gold Fill 0.5mm wire • Gold Fill chain

TOOLS • 2 x chain-nosed pliers • round-nosed pliers • wire cutters

DEEP RED & TOURMALINE EARRINGS

TOOLS

TO CREATE

• 2 x chain-nosed pliers • round-nosed pliers • wire cutters

Cut two pieces of Gold Fill wire long enough to make generously wrapped briolettes. At the top of the briolette make a double loop by wrapping the wire around the roundnosed pliers a second time after the first loop. Then wrap the wire around and around the top of the briolette to achieve

the ‘messy’ look. After wrapping each briolette, choose four tourmaline ovals in complementary colours and make wrapped loops with each bead, as on the necklace above, attaching two together and one end to a wrapped briolette. Finish by attaching an ear wire to each.

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CBJ08 pp42-45 Xmas Jewellery DCF_CBJ 13/10/2010 11:01 Page 44

WIREWORK & GEMSTONES JEWELLERY AS GIFTS

SPIRAL BLUE NECKLACE

MATERIALS • 3 x sodalite briolettes • 18 x Labradorite 5-6mm faceted rondelles • 7 x Gold Fill 5mm jump rings • Gold Fill lobster clasp • Gold Fill chain • Gold Fill 0.5mm wire

TOOLS • 2 x chain-nosed pliers • round-nosed pliers • wire cutters

TO CREATE Cut three pieces of wire measuring approximately 3” and make a wrapped loop at the end of each. String six Labradorite beads onto each section of wire and complete a wrapped loop on the opposite ends so the beads are held tightly in place. Cut three generous pieces of wire (around 4” each) to wrap each of the sodalite briolettes.

Begin by making a wrapped loop at the top of each briolette, then wind the wire around and down from the wrapped loop at the top to the briolette at the bottom. Once you have wrapped all the way around the wires that go through the briolette and hidden them, use chain-nosed pliers to make a 90° bend in the wire. The wire is now facing straight down the briolette. Begin by winding from the end of the wire up towards the briolette, starting with a small loop made using round-nosed pliers. Keep winding until you have wound the wire up to the bend. Then use your fingers to mould the twirl into place and press it against the briolette in the middle.

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Assemble the necklace as follows: Attach a jump ring to the bottom briolette, enclosing the end link of two 1-1½” lengths of chain. Attach a jump ring to each of the loose ends of chain, keeping them open. On the right side, attach a briolette to the right of the jump ring, and one Labradorite section to the left and one to the top. Close the jump ring. On the left side, repeat but as a mirror image. Cut two lengths of chain measuring around 7” (longer if desired) and attach with a jump ring to the loose ends of the Labradorite sections. Finish by attaching a lobster clasp with a jump ring to one end of the necklace, and a jump ring to the other end.

WHERE TO BUY All the gemstone beads and tools used here are available from Precious Sparkle Beads, 8 Bridge Lane, Perth PH1 5JJ; www.precioussparklebeads.co.uk; 01738 563264 Gold Fill findings and wire are available from www.palmermetals.co.uk

CBJ08 pp42-45 Xmas Jewellery DCF_CBJ 13/10/2010 11:01 Page 45

WIREWORK & GEMSTONES JEWELLERY AS GIFTS MATERIALS • pyrite faceted ovals • Gold Fill 0.5mm wire • 2 x different Gold Fill fine chain • 2 x Gold Fill 5mm jump rings • Gold Fill lobster clasp

THREESTRAND PYRITE NECKLACE

TOOLS • 2 x chain-nosed pliers • round-nosed pliers • wire cutters

TO CREATE Decide on the desired length of your necklace – here, the inner strand (the only one with beads) measures around 16”, the middle strand (cut from a different type of chain to add interest) is 18” and the outer strand 20”. Cut a piece of wire and begin to make a wrapped loop, enclosing the lobster clasp within it. Add a

TO CREATE Use round-nosed pliers to make a loop in the end of a piece of wire, turning it into a headpin. Straighten the wire with your fingers and string on a green amethyst bead. Begin to make a wrapped loop and, before completing the loop, string on two sevenlink lengths of chain (only counting the large links). Close the loop and complete the wrapping down to the bead. Trim any excess wire.

Now take the two longer pieces of chain and attach to the necklace by opening the jump rings and sliding them onto each end. Ensure that they are on in the right order so that the necklace sits properly. Close the jump rings.

pyrite bead and make a wrapped loop at the other end, attaching the last link of a 1” length of chain before closing. Pass a new piece of wire through the loose end of chain and create another wrapped loop. Add a bead and begin

a wrapped loop at the other end, again enclosing a 1” length of chain. Continue in this way until you have five beads linked by four sections of chain. Attach another three beads in wrapped links and,

before completing the loop on the last one (which will be the fourth in a row), attach a piece of chain long enough to make this inner strand 16” in total. Attach a jump ring to the loose end of the chain.

Thread individual beads onto two headpins. Begin a wrapped loop and slide on a two-link length of chain before completing the loop and trimming any excess wire.

Create a wrapped loop on another piece of wire, enclosing the loose end of one of the seven-link chain lengths at the bottom and one of the two-link chain lengths on the outside, plus the end of

a four-link chain length at the top. Add a bead to the wire. Begin a loop on the other side of the bead, adding chain lengths in a mirror image of Step 3 before completing the wrap.

Trim any excess wire. Take the two loose ends of four-link chain and link together with a jump ring. Attach an ear wire to the jump ring. Repeat the steps to make the matching earring.

GREEN AMETHYST EARRINGS

MATERIALS • 8 x green amethyst twist faceted rondelles • 4 x Gold Fill 1” headpins • Gold Fill 0.5mm wire • Gold Fill chain • 2 x Gold Fill 5mm jump rings • Gold Fill ear wires

TOOLS • 2 x chain-nosed pliers • round-nosed pliers • wire cutters

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CBJ08 pp46 Comp Stitch_CBJ 11/10/2010 16:23 Page 46

COMPETITION

The Stitch and Creative Crafts Show

WIN

30 pairs of tickets to spring shows!

Your chance to win two tickets to an upcoming show! ickstart your creations for the new year with a day out at one of the inspiration-packed 2011 spring Stitch and Creative Crafts Shows, taking place at The Malvern Showground in Worcestershire, 10th12th March, The Bath & West Showground in Somerset, 7th-10th April, and King’s Hall, Belfast, 14th-16th April. The Stitch and Creative Crafts Shows provide the perfect opportunity to stock up on quality products for all aspects of

crafting, including cross stitch, crochet, scrapbooking, sewing, cardmaking, knitting, embroidery, beading, patchwork, quilting, ribboncraft, papercraft, stamping, painting, dressmaking, tapestry, découpage, and many more. What’s more, you can combine your shopping with a great choice of workshops and demonstrations run by leading ﬁgures in their ﬁelds. The very popular Bead Workshops return in 2011, but spaces are limited so

early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment. You’ll also ﬁnd a selection of expertrun Make & Takes, all designed to whet your appetite and encourage you to try new crafts as well as develop your existing skills! You are guaranteed to leave with a wealth of new inspiration. To see the full programme of workshops and to book your place in advance, simply visit www.sccshows.co.uk.

2011 SHOWS • • • • •

Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey 20th-22nd January 2011 Manchester Central, Manchester 3rd-5th February 2011 Towerlands Park, Braintree, Essex 17th-19th February 2011 The Malvern Showground, Malvern, Worcs 10th-12th March 2011 The Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset 7th-10th April 2011 • King’s Hall, Belfast 14th-16th April 2011 • The Trafford Centre, Manchester 1st-3rd September 2011 • Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey 16th-18th September 2011

We have 10 pairs of tickets to give away to each of the three spring shows, so for your chance to win a pair send your name and address on a postcard to CB&J08 SCCS Malvern, CB&J08 SCCS Shepton Mallet or CB&J08 SCCS Belfast, Practical Publishing, Unit 1 Adlington Court, Adlington Business Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4NL to arrive by 25th November 2010. For more details on The Stitch and Creative Crafts Shows or to book tickets, visit www.sccshows.co.uk or call 01822 614671

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NB: By entering this competition, you accept that your details may be passed on to a third party.

TIMES S AND PRICEtim es

Show opening daily. are 10am-5pm e door th Admission onts and £6.50 ul ad r fo 0 .5 is £7 s with for concession ren under ild ch ed ni accompa ge. But book 16 free of char d you can an in advance save £2 using promotional code PR2.

CBJ08 pp47_Beading 11/10/2010 16:30 Page 47

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CBJ08 pp48-49 How To Sell_Beading 13/10/2010 17:12 Page 48

HOW TO... SELL YOUR JEWELLERY

business and

RUTH HUGHES DESIGNER

ABOUT RUTH… Ruth Hughes is the founder of The Beadster in Shaftesbury, Dorset, and has been passionate about beads and beading for many years. She turned her hobby into a business in 2007, and loves helping people to get the most out of their beading budget! ave you ever wondered if you could turn your jewellery-making hobby into a business? The good news is that you don’t have to be an entrepreneur with a bulging bank balance to market and sell your own creations. Whether you have ambitions for a beading empire or just hope selling the odd necklace will help fund your next purchase, the basics are the same. This article will look at taking the ﬁrst steps to market, and what you can to

PLEASURE If you’ve ever dreamt of selling your creations, Ruth Hughes’ brilliant whistlestop guide covers all the essentials, from pricing and marketing to choosing a platform and setting up a website

reduce your risks and maximise your chances of success.

BEFORE YOU START First things ﬁrst, it’s boring but absolutely essential to keep all your paperwork in order from the start. Fundamentally, success is about proﬁt, and you can’t measure that if you don’t know exactly what your costs are. Keep receipts of all your purchases so that you have an accurate breakdown of what your creations have cost you. You will also need to complete tax returns, so if you’re not sure how to go about this contact your local Business Link. The website at www. businesslink.gov.uk is packed with useful information, and staff can help with one-toone advice and short courses that are great for getting to grips with

“I SELL AT CRAFT FAIRS AND JEWELLERY PARTIES” JO FELTON BEGAN SELLING HER OWN PIECES UNDER THE NAME MOONFLOWER JEWELLERY IN 2008 “My ﬁrst ‘customers’ were work colleagues, who knew I had been on a course and discovered a passion for beading –

they were very eager to see what I hade made and genuinely amazed at the skills I had learnt! As I started to get commissions from my friends and colleagues, I decided to take it further and sign up to a few craft fairs. I

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all the ﬁnance and administration required for your small business. These courses are also a great way of networking with other people who are just starting out.

WHERE TO SELL It is worth considering – and even trying – several different routes to market to see what get a real thrill from selling an item of jewellery I have designed to members of the public. I have also held jewellery parties in friends’ homes, which is such a relaxed environment, giving customers time to try on pieces and ask the opinion of their friends.”

works for you. • Car boot sales. Acessible and you can usually just turn up on the day, but a difficult place to sell jewellery as customers are generally there for a bargain and not specifically looking for craft work or gifts. • eBay. The online equivalent of a car boot sale! • Etsy and Folksy. I get mixed reports about these specialist handmade/craft selling sites, though beaders do seem to be having increasing success. They certainly seem to be useful as a marketing platform, and are definitely worth a try. • Local craft fairs. The regular, ‘all-comers’ type of fair is a good introduction to face-to-

face selling – they tend to be accessible and fairly inexpensive to attend, though there may well be other stallholders selling beaded jewellery similar to your own. • Major craft fairs. The more upmarket, often annual, events are probably better suited to more experienced or established sellers. Some are by invitation only and often have long waiting lists. Having said that, don’t be put off by the ‘mystique’ of these fairs. You will be paying a premium for space at an event of this nature, so don’t be shy about asking the organiser what you’re getting for your money! You will almost

CBJ08 pp48-49 How To Sell_Beading 13/10/2010 17:12 Page 49

HOW TO... SELL YOUR JEWELLERY certainly need to complete a risk assessment for your stall, and have public liability insurance in place. • Shops. Approach shops directly about selling your designs, especially if they are independent craft or clothes boutiques, where the existing stock will be complemented by your jewellery pieces. Do choose your time carefully – a busy shop is not the ideal environment to make your pitch! Expect to sell your items Sale or Return (SOR), also known as On Consignment; this means you won’t receive payment until your item has been sold. Supply packaging with your contact details, so that people can make further purchases from you either via the shop or directly. It’s essential that you draw up an agreement with the shop, and that they take full responsibility for your products, including in the event any go missing. Give them a full list of your inventory together with your prices, and keep a copy for yourself. Expect to pay commission in the range of 20-50%. • Home parties. Whether held at home or hosted elsewhere, this offers a fun and relaxed atmosphere in which to sell – as well as a ready supply of people willing to host and/or make referrals for further parties. Expect to give the host a piece of jewellery of an agreed value for having the party, or to pay a percentage as commission – excellent for ensuring they invite plenty of people!

HOW MUCH? As a general rule, multiply your material costs by two and add on the cost for your time, including a contribution towards your overheads – then decide if this ﬁgure is appropriate for your market. Some items (such as sterling silver and semi-precious stones) will have a greater perceived value, but even if you’ve used economic materials, great design can command a premium. As a starting strategy, offer a range of products from modest to pride-of-place pieces, with price tags to match. Bear in mind you can always reduce your prices, but may do serious damage to your business and reputation if you try to raise them without apparent justiﬁcation.

SPREADING THE WORD You are your greatest advertisement! Wear your creations, and always carry business cards with you for that ‘Where did you get your necklace?’ moment – make sure they are of a good weight of cardstock, with a distinctive design to make them stand out. A website is a must. This is your chance to have a shopfront to the whole world every minute of every day. Do make sure your site is easy to navigate and use, but don’t agonise over the ﬁner details; get it ‘live’ and make changes as you go. If you’re conﬁdent in your knowledge, post free ‘How to...’ articles like advice on upcoming fashion trends. Internet search engines love it when you add something new

“PRICING IS A HUGE DILEMMA” GILLIAN SMEULDERS HAS BEEN SELLING HER RANDOM DESIGNS BEADED JEWELLERY FOR THE PAST 18 MONTHS “I am learning all the time – not just about style and technique and the pieces I use, but also about where I choose to sell my goods. I have attended both good and totally unsuccessful art and craft shows, but there has always been something positive that I’ve taken from those experiences, and I’ve met other traders and been able to pick their brains. “Pricing is a huge to your website, and it will automatically help to bring you higher up the listings. There are other methods of web optimisation, as well as the possibility of payper-click advertising, worth looking into, particularly if you have decided to make your website your primary or sole marketplace. Build a mailing list by asking customers for their contact details – keeping it just to email addresses is less intrusive. You could also offer a birthday and anniversary reminder service, and provide the option of beautiful gift-wrapping on all of your products. Remember that if you hold your customers personal information you will need to comply with the Data Protection Act, which broadly speaking requires you to tell your customers how you will store and use their information. Business Link can help with further advice.

dilemma. You have to pay a large commission when selling through shops and everything has to be costed in, even packaging. I pay anything from 20% to 50% but in the main shops charge 40% commission. I reckon it all balances out and you have to get your

stuff out there. Trying to calculate payment for your time is really difﬁcult, especially to keep the price reasonable. After 18 months I am just starting to get a feel for the type of retail environment where my stuff will ﬁt and sell.”

Have a links page on your site with details of websites selling related products – but always make sure links are reciprocal. Don’t spend money on print advertising without ﬁnding out how effective it is. Monitor your response rate by using a unique code within the advert that customers will quote when making a purchase. Gain free coverage by submitting press releases about

your business – but remember that these must have a genuine news angle. Perhaps you are doing something for charity with your craft, or using unusual or ‘green’ materials. Marketing is an ongoing task – aim to devote a minimum of two hours a week, preferably more, to building a name for yourself, and then maintaining that momentum.

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CBJ08 pp50 Designer Gallery Bead Direct_CBJ 11/10/2010 16:22 Page 50

DESIGNER GALLERY

designer Each reader featured wins a handy toolkit, kindly donated by Beads Direct

GALLERY

Take inspiration from these beautiful pieces and share your own creations with us – we’d love to see them

STAR PEYOTE PENDANT BY BEVERLEY ABBERLEY FROM STAFFORDSHIRE

www.beadsdirect.co.uk 01509 218028

MATERIALS • • • • • •

dusky pink size 11 Miyuki Delica beads brown size 11 Miyuki Delica beads peach 3mm glass pearl beads brown 5mm glass pearl beads Tigertail wire beading thread

PATRIOTIC PENDANT BY CLARE WILLMORE FROM KENT MATERIALS • • • •

plastic beads flower beads clasp calottes

• beading wire • jump rings • craft wire

AQUA TWIST NECKLACE BY CHRISTINE YOUNG FROM CO DOWN MATERIALS • • • •

size 8 seed beads (for core) size 11 seed beads (for spiral) leaf beads toggle clasp

• calottes • beading needle • Nymo thread

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CBJ08 pp51_Beading 11/10/2010 16:31 Page 51

CBJ08 pp52-57 Bead Challenge_Beading 13/10/2010 15:21 Page 52

3 WAYS CHALLENGE

the bead

We asked a trio of talented designers to get busy with the same selection of beads – with delightfully different results!

CHALLENGE LINDSEY HOPKINS DESIGNER LINDSEY SAYS... The purple and pink combinations in this set look really elegant,

perfect for creating a very simple one-strand bracelet that is still pretty and eye-catching. Simple drop earrings are my personal favourite to wear and the graduated sizes of beads in this set lent themselves so easily to this gently tiered pair. The beads have just enough sparkle to give the feminine touch to a subtle and sophisticated phone charm that wouldn’t be too girly or gaudy for a professional environment.

THIS ISSUE’S BEADS... ... are a beautiful feminine assortment of pinks and purples, from rose crystals to gorgeous ﬂoral lampwork drop beads. All the beads featured were supplied by Empire Beads (www.empirebeads.co.uk).

MATERIALS • Bead Challenge bead mix • nylon • clasp • crimps • calottes

TOOLS • flat-nosed pliers

BRACELET TO CREATE Thread one end of the nylon through a calotte and secure with a crimp. Close the calotte. String the beads in your selected pattern until a sufficient number are threaded to fit your wrist measurement. Secure the open end of the nylon with another calotte and crimp to secure. Affix a clasp.

1 2 3 4 52

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CBJ08 pp52-57 Bead Challenge_Beading 13/10/2010 15:21 Page 53

3 WAYS CHALLENGE

TOP TIP

EARRINGS When securing earrings in this way, be sure to crimp the eyepin centrally, then carefully use round-nosed pliers to flatten the crimp either side

TO CREATE Attach an eyepin to each of the earring findings, using the eye to secure it. Feed your beads onto the eyepin. Secure the beads in position with a crimp. Cut away any excess eyepin.

1 2 3 4

MATERIALS • • • •

Bead Challenge bead mix eyepins crimps earring findings

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

PHONE CHARM TO CREATE Attach three eyepins to a phone charm cord, using the eyes to attach them.

Feed beads in your chosen order onto the first eyepin and secure with a crimp. Repeat for the remaining two eyepins, changing the beads and sequence slightly.

2 3

MATERIALS • Bead Challenge bead mix • eyepins • crimps • phone charm cord

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

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CBJ08 pp52-57 Bead Challenge_Beading 13/10/2010 15:21 Page 54

3 WAYS CHALLENGE around the candle. Secure the butted ends together with tape on the inside of the wrap and slide onto the candle. Make up 19 beaded eyepins using oblong pink glass beads, Indian glass oval beads and oval lampwork floral beads, finishing each with a simple loop close to the bead. Turn a loop in the end of the coil of memory wire, then thread with a pattern of one liquid silver bead followed by two seed beads, adding a beaded eyepin between the first and every third pair of seed beads. Turn a temporary stop loop in the end of the wire to secure the beads, then slide the memory wire onto your candle to gauge the diameter of the wrap and note where your first beaded eyepin needs to connect to the coil above for a snug fit. Remove the memory wire and attach the eyepin between two seed beads at the noted point. Attach the other end of all remaining eyepins between every following third pair of seed beads. Slide all the beads towards the start of the memory wire, then snip the end and turn a loop in it so that all the beads are snug together. Slide the beaded wrap onto your candle. Snip an eyepin to about 15mm in length and open the eye sideways just a little. Push a small hole through the paper in the centre of the turned loop at the top of the beaded wrap and secure the wrap to the candle by inserting

JUDITH HANNINGTON DESIGNER JUDITH SAYS... My favourite colours and style in one bag! I love lampwork beads and the florals combined with faceted crystals and large Indian glass ovals are just perfect for pretty, feminine projects. But I have to admit to cheating a little for the candle wrap – I added seed beads to the mix to cover the memory wire so that the feature beads from my mix would be the focal connectors in the design.

MATERIALS • Bead Challenge bead mix • pink 7cm diameter pillar candle • pink patterned paper • bracelet-sized memory wire • liquid silver beads (fine tubes) • purple seed beads • silver headpins and eyepins

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • memory wire cutters • arch border punch

CANDLE WRAP TO CREATE Cut a strip of patterned paper just smaller than the height of your candle and punch a decorative border all the way along the upper edge. Trim the strip so that the ends butt together when it is wrapped

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the trimmed eyepin into the candle, hooking the open eye around the memory wire loop – you may need to heat the eyepin in a flame to push it securely into the candle. To create the dangling drops, thread headpins with liquid silver beads and a small or large

crystal. Make a simple loop in the end of each beaded pin and use this eye to connect

around a liquid silver bead on the bottom coil of the beaded wrap.

WHERE TO BUY The additional beading supplies used here are available from www.jillybeads.co.uk and www.smittenbeads.co.uk Border punches and patterned paper for the candle wrap are available from www.craftobsessions.co.uk

CBJ08 pp52-57 Bead Challenge_Beading 13/10/2010 15:22 Page 55

3 WAYS CHALLENGE MATERIALS • Bead Challenge bead mix • ring-sized memory wire • silver headpins • silver 5mm jump ring

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • memory wire cutters

RING TO CREATE First, create the following individual beaded headpins with a simple loop at the top of each snug to the bead: three with a large silver bead, three with a small pink crystal, five with a small purple crystal, three with a small silver bead and a round lampwork floral bead. Thread all the beaded headpins onto a jump ring,

alternating the bead types. Close the jump ring snugly. Cut one and a half rotations of memory wire and turn a loop in the end. Thread on five alternate purple and pink small lampwork beads, a large silver bead, a small pink lampwork bead and your beaded jump ring. Repeat the beading pattern in reverse for the rest of the memory wire, then turn a loop in the other end to secure the beads. Make sure the memory wire ends are snugly tucked in so they won’t catch and that the loops are facing outwards away from the ring so they sit flat against the wearer’s finger.

NECKLACE

top of the bead so that the wraps extend down onto the bead. Take an eyepin and snip off the shank about 1cm from the eye. Turn a fairly large simple loop in the end of the pin and attach this large eye to the silver teardrop pendant. Hang your wrapped drop bead from the original eye. Thread an eyepin with a silver bead, an Indian glass oval bead and another silver bead, and create a simple loop in the end snug to the final bead. Attach this beaded pin inside the circle pendant by fixing the eyes through the two drilled holes. Thread an eyepin with a silver bead, a round lampwork floral bead and another silver bead, and create a simple loop in the end snug

TO CREATE Thread a small silver bead and a floral lampwork drop bead onto a headpin and create a wrapped loop in the end of the pin, making the first 90° bend close to the

MATERIALS • Bead Challenge bead mix • silver oval-link chain • silver bolt ring • silver eyepins and headpin • silver teardrop and circle pendants

TOOLS • round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers • side cutters

to the final bead. Use this eyepin to connect your two pendants. Create two beaded eyepins with the following bead sequence: large silver, large crystal, large silver, medium crystal, small silver, small crystal, small silver. Connect both of these to the top hole in the circle pendant. Attach a piece of chain to the top eye of each pin to make your necklace the desired length and join the chain ends with a bolt ring clasp.

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CBJ08 pp52-57 Bead Challenge_Beading 13/10/2010 15:22 Page 56

3 WAYS CHALLENGE EARRINGS

SU PENNICK DESIGNER

MATERIALS

SU SAYS...

TO CREATE Thread a small silver bead and a large purple bead onto a headpin. Add an end

• Bead Challenge bead mix • silver earring wires • 2 x silver end cones • silver 0.8mm wire

TOOLS cone, followed by a small round purple bead and another small silver bead. Form a loop in the end of the headpin. Form a loop in the end of a piece of 0.8mm wire, incorporating the loop

of the dangle from Step 1 into it. Thread two small silver beads and a purple bead onto the wire. Trim and form a loop, at the same time attaching the dangle to an earring wire. Repeat to create the matching earring.

• round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers • wire cutters

TOP TIP

My first impression was “Ooh, pretty!” – I don’t normally choose pink, but these are such soft and subtle shades.The beads reminded me of an old necklace my aunt has, and I wanted to create jewellery of a similar style – delicate and feminine with a vintage feel.

If your end cones cover the bead too much, place some small, clear beads on the headpin, within the cone, to hold everything in position

BRACELET

of a connector. Continue with this pattern, ending with a connector. Attach one end of the bracelet to the toggle part of the clasp. Take three headpins and attach a small silver bead to each. Attach a different-sized bead to each headpin, trim and form a loop. Cut three short pieces of silver chain, of different lengths, and attach a beaded headpin to each length using a 5mm jump ring. Attach all three chains together with a 5mm jump ring. Attach this ring, along with the loop of the end connector, to the remaining part of the clasp using a 5mm jump ring.

2 3

MATERIALS • Bead Challenge bead mix • 6 x floral connectors • silver 0.8mm wire • toggle clasp • silver chain • 5mm jump rings

TOOLS • round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers • wire cutters

TO CREATE Form a loop in the end of the wire, incorporating

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the loop of one of the connectors. Thread on a small bead, then a large oblong bead,

then another small bead. Trim the wire and form a loop, incorporating the loop

CBJ08 pp52-57 Bead Challenge_Beading 13/10/2010 15:22 Page 57

3 WAYS CHALLENGE MATERIALS

NECKLACE

• Bead Challenge bead mix • 2 x silver triangular connectors • silver 0.8mm wire • silver 0.4mm wire • silver chain • silver lobster clasp • silver 5mm jump rings

TOOLS • round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers • wire cutters

Thread a purple bead onto the wire approximately 1.5cm from the flat bead. Bend the wire in half and twist to hold the bead in place. Thread a pink bead onto the wire approximately 1cm from the twisted section. Fold the wire in half and twist to hold the bead in place. Attach two more beads, alternating the colours, in the same way. Form a length of twisted wire with a loop at the end. Attach four more beads, as before, and form another twisted loop. Secure the end of the wire behind the flat bead. Thread beads onto 0.8mm wire, some singly and some in groups, and form a loop at each end. Using 5mm jump rings, attach several of the wired beads together, incorporating the wired flower and connecting each end to one of the loops in a connector. Attach more wired beads to the connectors, along with the lobster clasp, to form a single strand necklace. Cut two pieces of chain of different lengths. Split the shorter of the two chains and attach a wired bead to it. Attach the ends of each chain to the third hole of the connectors to finish.

4 5

WHERE TO BUY Connectors, toggle clasps and end cones are available from www.abacusbeademporium.co.uk Wire, chain and jump rings are available from www.hobbycraft.co.uk

TO CREATE Cut a 40cm length of 0.4mm wire. Thread a small silver bead 3cm from one end. Bend the wire in

half and thread both ends through a flat purple bead. Twist the wires together a couple of times and secure the shorter end.

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CBJ08 pp58-60 PMC Chain Maille_Beading 13/10/2010 17:07 Page 58

JEWELLERY CHAIN MAILLE & PMC

party

PIECE

EMMA GORDON DESIGNER

Give the personal touch to a beautiful yet simple chain maille weave by adding unique silver charms, made from stamped and moulded Precious Metal Clay. Emma Gordon shares the recipe for this delicious sugar-and-spice bracelet

ABOUT EMMA... Emma runs Bluebell Design Studio, based in Fife, which offers the widest variety of Precious Metal Clay workshops in Scotland. She loves both working with, and teaching the art of, PMC, and really enjoys the reaction from her first-time students when they take a brass brush to newly fired silver! She regularly attends Masterclasses to keep advancing her skills and is the Communications Director for the Metal Clay Academy, an independent website that is an enormous resource for established PMC artists as well as beginner.s In addition to this, Emma is a member of the PMC Guild and is in the process of setting up a regional Scottish PMC Guild group.

WHERE TO BUY A good variety of shaped moulds is available from www.cooksongold.com and www.craftmill.co.uk PMC3, fine silver embeddables and sterling silver jump rings are available from www.bluebelldesignstudio.co.uk Alphadiscs or alphabet stamps can be bought online at www.silverclay.co.uk The polymer clay cupcake charms used here are custom made to order by The Bead Shop Scotland; www.beadshopscotland.co.uk; 01620 822886 58

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his project brings together the ancient art of chain maille with the modern material of Precious Metal Clay. The two jewellery making styles are perfect partners as PMC allows you to enhance your chain maille pieces with personal and meaningful charms and ﬁndings. The Barrel Weave

used to create the bracelet here is pretty and effective, but also suitable for beginners. You can then adorn your beautiful bracelet with PMC charms made using two different methods. The ﬁrst uses a mould, which can either be bought from a supplier or – if you are feeling adventurous – created from scratch using two-part moulding putty from a craft

store. The second involves rolling and stamping letters into your clay. Both are simple yet yield fantastic results. And, if you feel like exploring your newfound PMC creativity even further, you can personalise your bracelet by adding a handmade toggle clasp. I have used quite a large ring for the main bracelet (4.5mm id) to

CBJ08 pp58-60 PMC Chain Maille_Beading 13/10/2010 17:08 Page 59

JEWELLERY CHAIN MAILLE & PMC create an open design, suitable for attaching charms to. You could use a smaller ring if you would prefer a ‘tighter’ look. Finish off the bracelet with smaller rings (3mm id) to attach the toggle clasp, – ensuring you leave a ‘lead’ for the toggle bar at one end. When working with PMC, keep your tools and equipment close at hand so you can act quickly. Make sure all the equipment, work mats, texture sheets and so on, have a light coating of Badger Balm or olive oil to prevent the clay from sticking – there are few things more frustrating than digging out clay from a texture sheet! When you use your mould, make sure you have just enough clay to fill the impression; too little and your charm will be too thin, too much and you will waste clay during the tidy-up part of the process. You can produce double-sided charms by applying a texture on the back of a moulded charm. This will cut down on your finishing time but will also make your charm more interesting, especially if it is attached to a charm bracelet. Drill your pieces carefully, always starting with a small, pilot hole first and working up to the desired size. This reduces the pressure on the clay when you drill. In this project, I have attached all my charms to carabinerstyle clasps so they can be taken off easily and moved onto another piece of jewellery. When your pieces are finished you can leave them shiny or opt for a patina, such

MATERIALS • 25-50g PMC3 (depending on number of charms required) • PMC3 paste or syringe • 4 x cupcake charms • silver fine embeddable loops (or fine silver wire worked into loops) • 115 x sterling silver 4.5mm id, 1mm jump rings • 8 x sterling silver 3mm id, 1mm jump rings • toggle clasp • carabiner clasps (optional)

TOOLS • Badger Balm or olive oil • Liver of Sulphur (optional) • roller • graduated slats or playing cards • non-stick work mat • small moulds • paintbrush • texture sheets • AlphaDisc or alphabet stamps • shape cutters • sandpaper • drill • butane torch with firing block or kiln • brass brush • burnisher or tumble polisher

TO CREATE THE BARREL WEAVE CHAIN Open 10 4.5mm jump rings and take another 10 closed rings. Add a bag tie to one of the closed rings to identify it as the starting point of your bracelet (see Fig 1, below) – it is important with the Barrel Weave to always work in the same direction, otherwise the weave may not

sit correctly. Add two open rings to the ring on the bag tie (Fig 2). Spread the two rings out between your fingers and make an ‘eye’ in the centre (Fig 3). Take another open ring and loop it around the eye (Fig 4). Close the ring and repeat with a second open ring. You should now have something that looks like Fig 5.

Pick up another open ring, loop through the top of the eye, then close the ring. You should now have a link that looks like Fig 6. This is the completed link for the barrel weave. Repeat Steps 2-4 until you have reached the desired length for your bracelet. Attach a toggle clasp using 3mm jump rings to complete.

as that achieved using Liver of Sulphur, which will deﬁne any patterns or words very nicely.

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CBJ08 pp58-60 PMC Chain Maille_Beading 13/10/2010 17:08 Page 60

JEWELLERY CHAIN MAILLE & PMC TO CREATE THE MOULDED CUPCAKE CHARM Take a small piece of clay and roll it between the palms of your hands. Press the clay into the mould, working out from the middle to the edges (I tend to use my ring finger for this job). Remove any fingerprints from the back of the clay using a damp paintbrush. If you wish to create a double-sided charm, press a texture sheet into the mould (see Fig 1, below). Don’t forget to apply a little bit of Badger Balm or olive oil to your sheet first! Once dry, use a craft knife to trim the edges of the moulded charm, then use sand paper to refine the edges. With this type of charm, you can either drill a hole in your piece for a jump ring to attach to your bracelet or you can insert a pre-made fine silver embeddable loop. If you choose to insert the loop, drill a hole in the top of your charm that is deep enough to accommodate the loop, then push the loop into the hole. Secure with paste if necessary. Remember

3 4

that the PMC will shrink around the loop so if this is fixed properly, it will be very secure after firing. Once dry, hand fire or kiln fire your piece. Brush the charm using a brass or stainless steel wire brush, then burnish using a burnisher or tumble polisher. Attach a jump ring and/or carabiner clip to the charm and attach to your bracelet.

LETTERED CHARM

FIG 2 TO CREATE THE LETTERED CHARM The word charm is two pieces of silver – one textured and one plain to add lettering. To make the textured part, take a piece of clay and roll it out onto your work mat to the thickness of four playing cards. Lay it on your texture sheet of choice, making sure this has been oiled with Badger Balm or olive oil.

FIG 1 60

CUPCAKE CHARM

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Badger Balm or olive oil to your clay to prevent the letters from sticking in it. Take your choice of lettering and apply firmly, but gently, to the surface of your clay (see Fig 2, left). I have used an AlphaDisc here, but there are others on the market. Once dry, sand the edges to make them neat, then join together using a little paste or syringe and leave to dry again. Once dry, use a drill to make a hole big enough for your jump ring. Hand fire or kiln fire your piece. Brush the charm using a brass or stainless steel wire brush, then burnish using a burnisher or tumble polisher. Attach a jump ring and/or carabiner clip to the charm and attach to your bracelet.

Using three card spacers, re-roll carefully onto the texture sheet, being careful not to ‘rock’ your clay as this may give you a double image. Take the clay off the sheet and lay it on your work mat. Cut with your choice of shape cutter. To make the word part of the charm, roll a piece of clay to the thickness of four cards. Apply a little

4 5

CBJ08 pp61 Glass Beads Judith_Beading 13/10/2010 08:45 Page 61

GLASS BEADS MICROWAVE KILN

candy

JUDITH HANNINGTON DESIGNER

GLASS

By using the ridges on textured glass to hold stringers in place, you can create your own quick-to-make pretty striped pendants with no glue required!

TOP TIP

1 Short lengths of stringer contract significantly during fusing so cutting the lengths wider than the base glass will ensure they cover the width of the final pendant

‘Cook’ the glass in the microwave until it is fully fused (the corners rounded and the upper surface smooth), then remove the kiln from the oven and leave until cold – the kiln lid can be safely removed after 30 minutes to aid cooling. Wash any kiln paper residue from the hanging hole and the back of the pendant and dry thoroughly. Insert the silver bail into the drilled hole and pinch the two halves snug before threading onto a chain.

TOP TIP

MATERIALS • clear Bullseye 90coe 2mm reed texture glass • clear Bullseye 90coe 2mm glass • pink, purple and blue Bullseye 90coe 1mm stringers • silver pinch bail • silver chain

TOOLS • kiln paper • Fuseworks microwave kiln • microwave oven • glass cutter • glass breaking/ running pliers • 2mm diamond drill bit

TO CREATE Cut a 15mm wide strip of textured glass with the ridges oriented across the width. Cut the strip so that you have 19 ridges along the length. Cut a very slightly smaller piece of clear glass. Drill a bail hole in the textured glass between the second and third ridges, and drill an identical hole in the clear glass.

When drilling holes in glass, sit the piece to be drilled on a folded sheet of kitchen towel in a shallow dish filled with water – this will keep the drill bit cool and extend its life dramatically

Sit your clear glass on a piece of kiln paper on the kiln base and position the textured glass on top. Roll a small piece of kiln paper into a tight coil and insert it into the bail hole through both layers to keep it open during the fusing process. Snap off 20mm lengths of pink, blue and purple stringer using pliers and arrange between

the ridges of the textured glass (see Fig 1, above right).

WHERE TO BUY Visit www.madcowbeads.com for the Fuseworks Microwave Kiln Starter Kit used here, which has all the basic tools and equipment you will need (apart from glass breaking pliers), together with an instruction book demonstrating the basic techniques of glass cutting and microwave fusing The Bullseye glass and stringers can be purchased online from www.warm-glass.co.uk, which also stocks the silver findings www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp62 Survey House Ad_SBM 13/10/2010 12:10 Page 62

Win a year’s subscription to your favourite magazine, simply by telling us what you thought of this issue!

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CBJ08 pp63_Beading 11/10/2010 16:32 Page 63

Here at Bluebell Design Studio, we offer the widest variety of Precious Metal Clay courses in Scotland delivered in a relaxed and friendly environment by Scotland’s most experienced and qualified PMC instructor. Come and have a look at our website to see the products and services we offer! They include; ● The cheapest retail price for PMC anywhere in the UK ● A wide variety of Chainmaille kits and jumprings ● PMC classes for all levels, from beginner right through to advanced We promise that you’ll have a fantastic day creating beautiful jewellery from fine silver and perhaps even make some new friends in the process. But don’t just take our word for it; visit our website to read what our previous “Bluebells” have had to say.

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CBJ08 pp66-69 Gifts for Men_Beading 13/10/2010 10:58 Page 66

GIFTS FOR MEN

MEL BROOKE DESIGNER

ABOUT MEL… When Mel launched www.beadsbylili.com she had a hunch that beading and jewellery making would become popular in the UK. Like many others, she started out designing and selling jewellery pieces at local craft fairs but, she says, “it was difficult to source interesting, fashionable beads, so I began to spend a lot of time working on that to the point where the bead side of the business took over”. So Beads by Lili was born, with the strapline ‘We dream of beads’ because, Mel says, “beading and fashion is my passion and I literally would dream of beads!”. She continues: “I have always tried to source interesting things that are a little different and feel that in an everexpanding marketplace there needs to be someone offering a range of exciting products at a competitive price. I want to help and encourage people to take their ideas and make them into something that’s fun, funky and unique!”

ROSARY NECKLACE TO CREATE Begin by threading a black 4mm round bead onto an eyepin. Bend the wire end at 90° and trim to about 7mm with cutters. Use

men in BLACK

Don’t resort to socks and CDs for the men in your life this Christmas. Give your jewellery making a masculine twist with Mel Brooke’s stylish, contemporary ideas – focusing on wire, suede, knots and beads in manly black and metal with a few dramatic accents

MATERIALS round-nosed pliers to turn a simple loop on the end. Repeat with all the 4mm and 6mm beads, glass pearls and pumpkin beads. Begin linking the wired beads in a random alternating pattern, sometimes directly to each other

2 3

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and sometimes using a 4mm or 6mm jump ring between them. Continue until you have a length of approximately 75cm. Now make a second length of beaded chain, measuring approximately 11cm, and use a small jump ring to connect the

cross charm to the end of it. Add a 6mm jump ring to the other end of the short length of chain, then assemble the necklace by linking both ends of the 37cm beaded chain to the 6mm jump ring on the top of the shorter beaded strand.

• 34 x black 4mm round beads • 20 x gunmetal 4mm glass pearls • 16 x black 6mm round beads • 7 x silver small acrylic pumpkin beads • silver 4mm jump rings • silver 6mm jump rings • cross charm

TOOLS • round-nosed pliers • side cutters

CBJ08 pp66-69 Gifts for Men_Beading 13/10/2010 10:58 Page 67

GIFTS FOR MEN MONOCHROME CUFFLINKS TO CREATE Thread a 4mm black bead, a wax cord bead and a 4mm red bead onto a headpin. Hold the wire with your round-nosed pliers and bend it over by 90°. Reposition the pliers so that you can bring the wire back over the top and wrap it around the nose of the pliers until the end touches the ‘stem’. Wrap the wire around the stem, trim any excess and squash the end in neatly using chain-nosed pliers. Repeat. Thread a metal rondelle and an 8mm black bead onto a headpin. Make a wrapped loop at the top, as

1 2

in Step 2. Repeat. Remove a single link from the large curb chain, then carefully open by twisting to the side with two pairs of chain-nosed pliers. Use it to link two different bead charms. Repeat to complete the matching cufflink.

MATERIALS • 2 x black 4mm round beads • 2 x red 4mm round beads • 2 x black 8mm round beads • 2 x striped 14mm wax cord beads • 2 x small metal rondelles • large curb chain • headpins

TOOLS • round-nosed and chainnosed or flat-nosed pliers • side cutters

MATERIALS • • • • •

1mm wire keyring finding acrylic skull bead selection of mixed beads black 3mm faux suede cord • 10mm jump ring

TOOLS • round-nosed and chainnosed or flat-nosed pliers • side cutters

keyring finding to the top loop of the beaded strand and a 10mm jump ring to the bottom loop. Cut three 10cm lengths of black 3mm faux suede. Attach them to the bottom jump ring with a lark’s head knot: Double them over, push the loop end through the jump ring and thread the ‘tails’ back through the loop before pulling tight. Trim the ends to a point and vary the lengths to give a staggered effect.

5 TOTEM-STYLE KEYRING TO CREATE Cut a 13cm length of 1mm wire. Bend the top of the wire over round-nosed pliers and wrap the end around the stem

a few times to make a wrapped loop. Trim the end and squash in neatly using chain-nosed pliers. Thread on an acrylic skull bead

followed by beads of various colours, patterns and sizes. As you work towards the end of the wire, make sure there is enough

room to turn a second wrapped loop. Trim the end and squash in neatly using chainnosed pliers. Use chain-nosed pliers to attach a

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CBJ08 pp66-69 Gifts for Men_Beading 13/10/2010 10:58 Page 68

GIFTS FOR MEN

KNOTTED CORD BRACELET

MATERIALS • • • •

black 1mm waxed cord 5 x large spacer beads large curb chain 6 x black 6mm round beads • 6 x antique-look acrylic cross charms • black AB coated acrylic bead

TOOLS • scissors

TO CREATE Cut three 1m lengths of waxed cord. Hold them all together and double over, making a loop in the middle. Tie a knot under the loop. Separate out the strands into three groups of two. Take one pair and tie a knot 2cm from the end, add a large spacer bead and tie

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another knot. Leave a gap of 2cm, then tie a knot, add a spacer bead and tie another knot. Repeat with a further three spacer beads. Take another pair of cords and weave back and forth through a length of large curb chain until this strand is the same length as the beaded cord.

Take one of the remaining single strands and thread on six 6mm black round beads, spaced out between knots. Take the last remaining strand and knot six acrylic cross charms directly onto the thread, leaving 2cm gaps between them. Check the bracelet length for fit before

4 5 6

tying all the ends into a large overhand knot. Separate out the two longest strands and thread on a single AB coated acrylic bead, tying another knot to secure it. Trim all the ends to the same length. To fasten the bracelet, thread the end bead through the loop.

CBJ08 pp66-69 Gifts for Men_Beading 13/10/2010 10:58 Page 69

GIFTS FOR MEN ‘MEN ONLY’ BOOK THONG TO CREATE Cut a 1m length of size 4 thread. Double it over and thread a 9mm split ring onto it. Move the split ring to the middle, take the threads underneath and tie a simple knot to hold it in place. Take the central ‘loop’ strand and thread it onto a Big Eye needle. Thread on the ‘head’ and ‘body’ beads you have chosen. Remove the needle and cut through the loop. Take one end of thread from under the body and thread on your chosen ‘leg’ beads. Bring the thread back over the top of the last bead

and sew back through the body bead, pulling snug and leaving the end loose. Repeat for the second leg, then tie the loose ends together several times alternately at the back and front of the ‘neck’. Take one of the remaining threads and thread it down through the ‘head’ bead, then add the

‘arm’ beads you have chosen. Bring the thread back over the top of the last bead and sew back through all the arm beads, pulling snug and leaving the end loose. Repeat for the second arm then tie the loose ends together several

Attach a 9mm split ring to the loop. Cut a length of faux suede according to your book size preference, fix cord tips to the ends and attach them to the 9mm split rings on the bead charm and bead man.

times alternately at the back and front of the ‘neck’. Make a bead charm for the other end of the bookmark by threading several beads onto a headpin and turning a coiled loop on the end.

MATERIALS • • • •

faux suede thong cord tips 9mm split rings assorted black beads to make figure • alphabet beads (optional) • headpins • size 4 beading thread

TOOLS • round-nosed and chainnosed or flat-nosed pliers • side cutters • Big Eye needle

WHERE TO BUY

BEAD & WIRE PHOTO FRAME

All the materials used here are available from www.beadsbylili.com; 01249 651769 TO CREATE Thread your beads in random order, mixing up shapes and sizes, onto the end of a reel of craft wire (do not cut a length off at this stage). Make a small loop in the end of the wire using round-nosed pliers, then curl and ‘scrunch’ some wire to make a small abstract ‘spacer’ between the end and the first bead. Slide the bead up to the scrunched wire spacer, then make another as before. Slide the next bead up and so on, until your beaded wire is roughly long enough to fit around your chosen photo frame. Starting at the beginning of your beaded wire strand, use flat-nosed pliers to

1 2

flatten each of the scrunched wire spacers slightly to help ensure they sit better around the frame. Use a glue gun to put tiny dots of glue under the beads as you position them around the frame and work around each side. When you have been all the way around the frame and are back to the start, cut the wire and make a small loop in the end before tucking it out the way underneath a bead or wire.

MATERIALS • craft wire • 35-40 mixed beads • plain wooden photo frame

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • glue gun or strong glue

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp70 Beadazzle Beads_Beading 13/10/2010 09:11 Page 70

BEDAZZLE BEADS

dancing

QUEEN

Prepare to party with this dazzling cha cha bracelet. Go for an exciting explosion of colour or choose subtler shades to complement your own wardrobe

LISA JAGGER DESIGNER

ABOUT LISA… Lisa is the owner of Bedazzle Beads in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire. Bedazzle Beads opened its doors in January 2008 after Lisa decided to turn her hobby and love of beads into a business for all to enjoy. Lisa also runs workshops from the store, to help others create their own beautiful pieces of unique jewellery.

MATERIALS • cha cha bracelet blank • approx 50 x assorted 8mm beads • approx 50 x assorted 10mm beads • 88 x headpins

TO CREATE Place two 8mm beads of your choice onto a headpin and

WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available individually or as a Make-Me kit from Bedazzle Beads, Unit 11G, Ponderosa Business Park, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire WF16 0PR; www.bedazzlebeads.co.uk; 01924 408273 70

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

trim approximately 1cm above the top of the second bead. Bend the headpin at right angles at the top of the bead and turn half a loop (so it is shaped like a question mark). Loop the headpin through one of the loops on the cha cha bracelet blank.

2 3

Use your roundnosed pliers to pull the headpin through and complete the loop. Finish with flat-nosed pliers to close the loop tight, if required. Place a 10mm bead onto a headpin and follow the same process in trimming the pin and creating half a loop. Attach the dangle to

4 5

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • side cutters

another loop on the bracelet blank. Continue attaching 8mm and 10mm bead dangles randomly or in a sequence of your choice to build up and complete the bracelet.

CBJ08 pp71_Beading 11/10/2010 16:32 Page 71

Bedazzle Beads Stunning Beads For Unique Creations

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find a huge selection of stunning beads, to bring your unique creations to life, All at our spacious Bead Shop, in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire FREE secure on-site parking (Please see web for directions) Register online for your FREE regular subscriber discount codes, PLUS full access to our members area, including jewellery projects, jewellery making tips and jewellery related articles A warm welcome awaits at: http://www.bedazzlebeads.co.uk/creative.html

01924 408273

Shop securely online at www.spellboundbead.co.uk Visit our shop in the beautiful City of Lichfield. 47 Tamworth Street, Lichfield WS13 6JW. Tel: 01543 417650. Shop open Mon-Sat 10 to 4.30 (closed Weds from 1pm)

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

SBM47 pp09 COTN ad_pp 02/06/2010 12:34 Page 9

FREE DOWNLOADS AVAILABLE! From entire copies of your favourite craft magazines to Digital Scrapbook Artist Compact and much more besides, you will ﬁnd so much in our jam-packed downloads section!

Features on www.craftsonthenet.c om include: • Project gallery • Beginners’ craft glossa • Giveaways • Competiti ry • Craft challenges • Foruons m • Blogs • News & reviews • Hints & tips • Downloa ds • Regional craft club listing

BECOME PART OF OUR CRAFT COMMUNITY come along and join in on the fun of our friendly craft community! You can ﬁnd inspiration in the project gallery, be in with a chance of winning fantastic prizes with regular competitions and giveaways, get creative with the craft challenges, read up on crafty news and delve into the world of well-known crafters through their blogs, make likeminded friends in the forum and learn different craft terms in the beginners’ craft glossary. as a registered member, you will also receive regular newsletters to keep you up to date with the different magazines and offers.

Can you afford to miss out?

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CBJ08 pp73_Beading 11/10/2010 16:33 Page 73

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp74-75 Shopping_CBJ 13/10/2010 11:10 Page 74

SHOPPING GUIDE

shopping

GUIDE Spread some festive cheer with these themed beads and charms in traditional colours

FRESHWATER PEARL NUGGETS

FACETED GLASS BEADS

Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: £1

Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: 35p

Strings of these beads are 14” and contain around 54 pearls, each measuring approximately 9x7mm. Pearl nuggets vary in size and shape, and this variety features lovely hues of green and gold

These faceted glass beads are sold in strings of 11½” and measure around 24x14x11mm each

RUBY RED CZECH GLASS BEADS

HEMIMORPHITE COIN BEADS

38mm green Christmas connectors featuring silver line detail

Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £2.55

CHRISTMAS BELL PENDANT

These beads from the Czech Republic are machine faceted and polished to give beautiful, glistening colours with a ‘softer’ look and smoother feel. Beads measure 6mm, giving you approximately 100 beads

Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: £1.35

ACRYLIC CONNECTORS Stockist: JillyBeads www.jillybeads.co.uk Tel: 01524 412728 RRP: 12p

Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: 20p These charming 23x15mm pendants are ideal for adding a festive touch without going the whole hog! Made from lovely Tibetan silver

FALLING SNOWFLAKE PENDANT Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: 25p Pretty Tibetan silver 24x18mm pendants/charms for a wintry feel

CHRISTMAS TREE CHARMS Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: from 20p There’s a lovely selection of Tibetan silver tree charms available in a range of styles to suit any project from B for Beads

HOLLY SPRIG CHARM Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: 15p A stunning little charm depicting a holly sprig, comprised of three leaves and berries

CUBE BEADS Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: 2p Sold individually, these Cherry Red wooden cube beads measure 6mm

Christmas

Go big and bold this season with larger-than-life creations. Here’s a stand-out selection of chunky beads to get you started

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

ROUND ACRYLIC BEADS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £1.63 This acrylic bead has a rubber coating for long-lasting wear. Perfect for recreating a shiny bauble effect, these beads measure 18mm and are sold in packs of six

GREEN JADE ROUND COIN BEADS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £3.95

Stunning coin beads measuring 30mm in diameter. Sold in 8”strings of around seven beads, ideal for focals or pendants

ROUND WOODEN BEADS Stockist: B for Beads www.b-for-beads.co.uk Tel: 01352 755532 RRP: 30p These lovely warm chestnut brown 25mm beads feature a 4mm hole and so are ideal for use with cords and ribbon

ACRYLIC ROUNDS Stockist: Beads by Lili www.beadsbylili.com Tel: 01249 651769 RRP: 90p

These beautiful round Chinese green jade coin beads have fantastic earthy tones of mossy greens and browns, as well as some black. The natural patterning on each bead makes them completely unique. Sold in 16” strands of approximately 11 35mm beads

These big round acrylic beads are available in a wide range of colours, measuring 19-20mm with a 1.5mm hole size, and are sold in packs of five

TOHO SEED BEADS

LARGE OVALS

Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £1.87

Stockist: Beads by Lili www.beadsbylili.com Tel: 01249 651769 RRP: £1.25

Japanese seed beads (or rocailles) from Toho are great for any project requiring size 11 seed beads. Tubes contain 14g (or around 1,800) beads, or they are also available wholesale in 100g bags

These lovely large flat ovals measure 30x18mm and are 6mm thick. Sold in sets of five

FABRIC-BRAIDED BEADS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £1.47 These new round and oval braided beads are fantastic for chunky jewellery makes, handbag charms and festive creations. Beads vary in size from 10-20mm and are sold in packs of eight mixed styles

ACRYLIC DISCO BEAD Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 020 7367 6217 RRP: 40p These 26mm acrylic beads are sold individually and feature a fun disco ball-style finish

CBJ08 pp74-75 Shopping_CBJ 13/10/2010 11:10 Page 75

SHOPPING GUIDE

Chunky beads

Mix it up with some great bead sets, crammed with assorted complementary colours, shapes and sizes

BEECHWOOD ROUND BEAD

CORAL REEF FARAWAY MIX

Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 020 7367 6217 RRP: 59p

Stockist: JillyBeads www.jillybeads.co.uk Tel: 01524 412728 RRP: £2.35

These 25mm wooden beads are available in a multitude of colours with a 6mm hole size

A mix of beautiful pressed glass beads from the Czech Republic. This set contains an average of 250 beads in varying shapes, sizes, shades and finishes in a 33g pack

Bead sets ALPHAKIT Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 020 7367 6217 RRP: £9.58 These Alphakits include approximately 40 wooden alphabet beads, 35 round and oval green wooden beads, three 1m lengths of waxed cord and one pendant. Also available in pink or purple

ACRYLIC PEARLS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £1.20 These frosted white imitation pearls look stunning mixed with other pearls in this range. Measuring 25mm with a 2.5mm hole size, they are sold in packs of three

STRAWBERRY FIELDS FARAWAY MIX Stockist: JillyBeads www.jillybeads.co.uk Tel: 01524 412728 RRP: £2.35 A lovely mix of approximately 250 pressed Czech glass beads in assorted shapes, sizes, shades and finishes

FLAT OVAL BEADS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £1.99 These blue-veined jasper beads measure approximately 18x25mm and are sold on 16” strands, giving you around 17 beads. They are dyed and colourfast

PORCELAIN DIAMOND BEADS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £3.49 These beautiful diamond-shaped porcelain beads are light green in colour, look gorgeous and will help you make really unique jewellery designs. They measure 22x30mm and are sold on an 8’’ strand, giving you seven beads

ACRYLIC PEARLS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £1.75 These shiny black imitation pearls look stunning mixed with other pearls and even with acrylic metallicised beads to really show off the colours. Measuring 18mm with a 2.5mm hole, they are sold in packs of 12

LAVA STONE BEADS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £5.99 These brown lava stone saucer beads are lightweight and can vary from dark to light tones. With the wonderful textured effect characteristic of lava stone, they will bring new dimension to your designs. They measure approximately 18x25mm and are sold in 16” strands, giving you around 16 beads

SUSTAINABLE SAPPHIRE BIO BEAD MIX

GOGO PEARLY MIX Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 020 7367 6217 RRP: £4.27 This set of pearl effect and pearlescent beads includes approximately 300 acrylic, metallic, clear and white beads

TOHO COLOUR WHEEL

Stockist: JillyBeads www.jillybeads.co.uk Tel: 01524 412728 RRP: £2.35

Stockist: E-Beads www.e-beads.co.uk Tel: 020 7367 6217 RRP: £11.97

50g of sustainable sapphire bio beads in a selection of sizes and shapes

Around 1,000 beads (10g of each colour) presented in this Toho seed bead storage wheel

MONOCHROME MYSTERY SWAROVSKI PEARL MIX

PUMPKIN SHINE

Stockist: JillyBeads www.jillybeads.co.uk Tel: 01524 412728 RRP: £9.99 Each pack contains 60 Swarovski Crystal Pearl round beads – 15 each of the 6mm, 8mm, 10mm and 12mm sizes – and there are five colours in each mix

SWAROVSKI 4MM PASTELS XILION MIX Stockist: JillyBeads www.jillybeads.co.uk Tel: 01524 412728 RRP: £6.13 This pack contains 100 4mm Xilion beads made up from the gorgeous pastel colours Crystal, Light Azore, Silk, Light Peach AB, Jonquil, Peridot, Light Rose, Rose Alabaster, Violet and Violet Opal

GARNET SILVERFOILED MIX Stockist: JillyBeads www.jillybeads.co.uk Tel: 01524 412728 RRP: £2.24 A 50g pack containing more than 20 glass beads, each with silver foil decoration, made in India

Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £2.03 These unique mixed glass and wire beads in burnt orange and pumpkin provide an excellent base for your designs

SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL BEADS Stockist: Beads Direct www.beadsdirect.co.uk Tel: 01509 218028 RRP: £25.51 This Swarovski selection pack is great for building up a stash of lots of different shapes and sizes without having to buy all the larger pack sizes. Each set contains a random assortment of Swarovski crystals and pendants in a variety of colours. Sold in a Beadalon storage ring with eight compartments

WHITE BEAD MIX Stockist: Beads by Lili www.beadsbylili.com Tel: 01249 651769 RRP: £2.25 Great value, assorted 100g mix containing beads measuring between 4mm and 25mm. These beads make great fillers for jewellery and craft projects and you receive a random scoop from the selection shown here

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp76-79 Sandstones Xmas Decs_Beading 11/10/2010 16:20 Page 76

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

MISTLETOE SANDY KIDULIS DESIGNER

ABOUT SANDY… Sandy at Sandstones International has many years’ experience in jewellery design, and buying beads and equipment from all over the world. She is particularly drawn to pearls, turquoise, coral and jade, and is always on the lookout for high-quality and interesting-shaped beads that inspire her to create beautiful jewellery.

and wine Entertain in style this festive season – Sandy Kidulis’s glittering table and tree decorations combine traditional Christmas colours with a little added sparkle

WHERE TO BUY All the beads, wire and findings used here are available from www.sandstones.co.uk; 0845 224 0843 The Christmas charms I used on the wine glass rings and bookmark are available from www.liz-craft.co.uk; 01782 751700 You will also find a selection of charms and plain metal bookmarks for decoration at www.charm supplies.co.uk

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp76-79 Sandstones Xmas Decs_Beading 11/10/2010 16:20 Page 77

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ANGEL TREE DECORATION TO CREATE Thread a Czech teardrop bead, an angel wing spacer, a Czech pearl and a bead cap (upside down to look like a crown) onto a headpin. Using flat-nosed pliers, bend the headpin over by 90°, as close to the top of

1 2

the bead cap as you can. Then grip the tip of the pin with round-nosed pliers and roll a loop, ensuring it is fully closed. Cut a 10cm length of gold-plated wire with cutters. Grip the tip of one end of the wire with round-nosed pliers and roll a loop until it is closed. Then continue to roll, but loosely, for

3 4

about half a turn. Thread on the angel headpin arrangement. Working at the other end of the

gold wire, roll a loop with round-nosed pliers, in the opposite direction to the one you made in Step 4. Form a hook by using

a large round object (I used a ring mandrel at ‘Q’ position) to roll the long part of the wire into an inverted ‘S’ shape.

(make sure the teardrop is pointing thin end outwards). About 8mm from the end of the spike, turn a 90° bend using flat-nosed pliers. Grip the tip of the wire with round-nosed pliers and roll a loop. Hold the loop and push the wire towards the centre so

the beads you have just threaded are as tightly strung as possible, then repeat the threading pattern in Step 3 on the other side of the spike. Grip the wire as close to the top of the last bead as possible and, using flat-nosed pliers, form a 90° bend. Trim the wire to about 8mm and use your round-nosed pliers to roll a loop. Repeat Steps 3-7 for the remaining two spikes. Thread a Czech teardrop, a bead cap, a puffy rondelle and another bead cap onto a headpin. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 to secure the beads on the headpin. Use an 8.5mm jump ring to attach this charm to one of the loops on the snowflake. Cut a 15cm length of 18gauge wire and, using

round-nosed pliers and a larger cylindrical object such as a ring mandrel, form a large S-shaped hook. Attach the hook to the loop at the opposite end of the charm spike, using an 8.5mm jump ring.

5 6

MATERIALS TO MAKE ONE ANGEL • crystal teardrop Czech pressed glass bead (18x11mm) • Tibetan gold-plated 30mm angel wing spacer bead • 8mm round Czech glass pearl in a colour of your choice – I used antique pink and cream

• Tibetan gold-plated 8mm bead cap • gold-plated 40mm headpin (0.8mm) • gold-plated 1mm wire

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

SNOWFLAKE DECORATION Cut three 16cm lengths of 18-gauge gold-plated wire. Lay them out so that they all cross at their centre points and use a 20cm length of 28-gauge wire to bind them together in a six-point snowflake shape. The 18-gauge wire will slip in and

1 2

out of the 28-gauge wire at this point, but don’t worry – it will become stable later on. Now thread the following sequence of beads onto one of the spikes: gold tube, glass pearl, teal tube, puffy rondelle, gold tube, glass pearl, teal tube, Czech teardrop

4 5 6

8 9

10 11

MATERIALS TO MAKE ONE SNOWFLAKE • 7 x crystal teardrop Czech pressed glass beads (18x11mm) • 12 x Russet Red 8mm round glass pearls • 12 x gold metallic 8mm tube-shaped spacer beads • 12 x teal AB 6mm tubeshaped glass beads • 7 x Celebrity Crystal Puffy Rondelles (7x10mm) in colours of your choice – I used beads from a Lollipop strand • 2 x Tibetan gold-plated 8mm bead caps • gold-plated 18-gauge wire • gold-plated 28-gauge wire • gold-plated 40mm headpin (0.8mm) • 2 x gold-plated 8.5mm heavyweight jump rings

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp76-79 Sandstones Xmas Decs_Beading 11/10/2010 16:20 Page 78

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS CRYSTAL TREE ORNAMENTS TO CREATE Cut an 11cm length of 18-gauge wire. Using a cylindrical object (I used a pen), form a large loop at the bottom end of the wire. Use flat-nosed pliers close to the top of the loop to bend the long length of wire upwards. Thread on a gold bead, a bead cap, a puffy rondelle, another bead cap and another gold bead. Grip the wire as close to the top of the last bead as possible and, using flat-nosed pliers, form a 90° bend. Form the large hook at the top of the wire by moulding

1 2 3 4

WINE GLASS CHARMS TO CREATE Cut a 16cm length of 18-gauge wire. Wrap the wire round a large cylinder to shape it into a rough circle (I used the ‘Q’ position on a ring mandrel). Thread on beads in the following sequence: glass pearl, goldtone disc, glass pearl, goldtone disc, glass pearl, goldtone disc, glass pearl. Add

1 2 3

MATERIALS TO MAKE FOUR CHARMS • 32 x Russet Red 8mm round glass pearls • gold-plated 18-gauge wire • 24 x goldtone metallic spacer discs • 4 x charms of your choice

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

your charm, then repeat the bead pattern to mirror the other side. About 8-9mm from one end of the wire, turn a 90° bend using flat-nosed pliers. Grip the tip of the wire with roundnosed pliers and roll a fairly large loop. Push the beads up against the loop. At the other end of the wire, turn a 90° bend using flat-nosed pliers. Trim the wire to about 8mm from your 90° bend and use your round-nosed pliers to roll a loop. Take the piece of wire you trimmed off in Step 7 and use your round-nosed pliers to form it into an S-shaped hook. The hook needs to be large enough to bridge the gap in the wine glass charm – you may need to use cutters to trim the wire slightly if it is too long.

MATERIALS TO MAKE FOUR ORNAMENTS • gold-plated 18-gauge wire • 8 x Tibetan gold-plated 8mm bead caps • 8 x gold metallic 8mm smooth round beads • 4 x Celebrity Crystal Puffy Rondelles (7x10mm) in colours of your choice – I used beads from a Lollipop strand

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

it around a large cylindrical object (I used a ring mandrel at ‘Q’ position). Use round-nosed pliers at the tip of the wire to complete the scroll. Repeat a further three times to make the other ornaments.

the hook to secure it in place. Leave the other side of the hook open. Link this into

the hole on the opposite side of the charm, to secure in place when in use.

4 5 6 7 8

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

Link one side of the hook to the loop you made in Step 7 and close the loop on

CBJ08 pp76-79 Sandstones Xmas Decs_Beading 11/10/2010 16:20 Page 79

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS CHRISTMAS NAPKIN RINGS TO CREATE First make the 42 spikes on headpins. There are seven spikes in each group and six groups in total. They are very random. In each group, I suggest you make four using just seed beads (5-7 beads on a headpin in a random colour sequence), two with a gold round bead and

3-5 seed beads, and one with a glass pearl and 3-5 seed beads. Once you have threaded your beads onto a headpin, use flat-nosed pliers to bend the pin over by 90° close to the top of the last bead. Trim the pin to about 7mm, then grip the tip with roundnosed pliers and roll a loop, ensuring it is fully closed. Set the spikes to one side in your six groups of seven.

MATERIALS TO MAKE ONE NAPKIN RING • 20 x Russet Red 8mm round glass pearls • 22cm gold-plated 18-gauge wire • 7 x goldtone metallic spacer discs • 42 x gold-plated 1” headpins • 12 x gold metallic 8mm

smooth round beads • 5g each of red, gold and green silver-lined seed beads (there will be plenty left over for more napkin rings)

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

Roll your 18-gauge wire round a large cylinder – I used an empty kitchen roll holder but anything with a diameter of about 5.5cm will do. Thread on beads in the following pattern: glass pearl, goldtone disc, glass pearl, seven seed bead charms in a random order. Repeat this sequence another five times, then thread on a glass pearl, a goldtone disc and a final glass pearl. Grip one end of the wire with roundnosed pliers and roll a loop. Grip this loop with flat-nosed pliers and keep rolling round until you have created a decorative spiral. Repeat at the other end until you have secured the beads in place.

3 4

MATERIALS

CHRISTMAS RECIPE BOOKMARK TO CREATE Open a jump ring and attach it to the hole at the end of your bookmark. Close the jump ring. Now make the spikes on headpins. There are six spikes in total and they are very random – I suggest you make four with just seed beads (4-7 beads on a headpin in a random colour sequence) and the remaining two with several seed beads and a gold round bead. After threading on your beads, bend the headpin over by 90° using flat-nosed pliers, close to the top of the last bead. Trim the pin to about 7mm, then grip the tip with round-nosed pliers and roll a loop, ensuring it is fully closed. Open a jump ring and thread on all

1 2

six spikes. Loop this jump ring through the jump ring on the bookmark and close to secure the spikes in place. Thread a glass pearl onto an eyepin. Use flat-nosed pliers to bend the eyepin over by 90° close to the top of the bead. Trim the pin to about 7mm, then grip the tip with round-nosed pliers and roll a loop. Make another so you have two identical. Thread a gold bead onto an eyepin and follow the instructions in Step 5 to make a loop above it.

Link all three eyepins together in a line – glass pearlmetallic bead-glass pearl – by carefully opening the loops and reclosing them. Make sure all the loops are fully closed. Open a jump ring and join one end of the eyepin chain to the jump ring with the spikes. Close the jump ring. Open the final jump ring and join the charm onto the bottom end of the chain. Close the jump ring.

• gold-plated 5” bookmark • 2 x Russet Red 8mm round glass pearls • 3 x gold metallic 8mm smooth round beads • 6 x gold-plated 1’’ headpins • 3 x gold-plated 1’’ eyepins

• red, gold and green seed beads • 4 x gold-plated 5mm jump rings • Christmas charm

TOOLS • round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

8 9

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp80 Bead Shop Scot Silvar_Beading 13/10/2010 09:12 Page 80

THE BEAD SHOP SCOTLAND

CRYSTAL The continual movement in this fringed necklace makes for an ever-changing show of light and colour in the faceted beads, perfect for a really striking evening piece

cascades

JO LOCHHEAD DESIGNER

ABOUT JO… Jo Lochhead has been designing and making jewellery for more than 10 years. In 2004 she opened her first bead shop and now runs two ‘real’ shops and an online business. Many of the beads she sells are handmade individually by Jo, her sister or her partner Andy.

TO CREATE Cut three 90cm lengths of beading wire. Holding the strands together as one, string on a crimp bead and half of the clasp. Pass the wire ends back through the crimp bead and crimp using crimping pliers. Trim the ends. Cover with a crimp cover. String a 4mm crystal bead onto

one wire, then hold the other two wires together and string on another crystal bead. Place the wire ends through opposite sides of a 6mm jet bead. Working with only two wire strands, string a 6mm jet bead onto each, then pass the wire ends through opposite sides of another jet bead. This creates the first stitch. To make another stitch, pass each wire end through a 6mm jet bead, then pass the wire ends through opposite sides

WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from The Bead Shop Scotland stores in Edinburgh and Haddington, East Lothian; www.beadshopscotland.co.uk; 01620 822886 80

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

of another jet bead. Repeat to make another 46 stitches. Pick up the third wire end and string on a 4mm crystal bead. Lay the wire diagonally across the first stitch you created, then pass the wire end downward through the first vertical jet bead. Repeat this procedure to place a crystal bead in the centre of each stitch. After the last stitch on the necklace is complete, string a crystal bead onto one wire end. Hold the other two wires together and string on another crystal bead. Hold all the wires together and pass them through a crimp bead and half of the

clasp. Place the wire end back through the crimp bead and crimp it. Trim the ends. Cover with a crimp cover. Cut 38 lengths of beading wire, each measuring 6-8cm. To make one piece of fringe, fold the wire in half through the necklace foundation. Hold the wire ends together and slide a crimp bead close to the fold. Squeeze the crimp securely using chain-nosed pliers. String combinations of 4mm and 6mm or 4mm and 8mm beads onto the wire ends. Finish each end securely with a crimp. Graduate the length of the fringes so that the longer ones hang in the centre of the necklace.

This necklace was inspired by an original design by Katie Hacker at Beadalon; www.beadalon.com

MATERIALS • 175 x jet 6mm round fire polished faceted Czech glass beads • 25 x jet 8mm round fire polished faceted Czech glass beads • 150 x crystal 4mm round fire polished faceted Czech glass beads • 25 x crystal 8mm round fire polished faceted Czech glass beads • 25 x jet AB 6mm round fire polished faceted Czech glass beads • 2 x silver tube crimps • 2 x silver-plated 4mm crimp covers • silver 1mm crimp beads • 0.014” beading wire • silver clasp

TOOLS • chain-nosed pliers • wire cutters • crimping pliers

CBJ08 pp81_Beading 11/10/2010 16:33 Page 81

For enquiries and mail order please ring tel/fax +44 (0) 1923 282 998 Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 4.30pm web: www.ilonabiggins.co.uk email: info@ilonabiggins.co.uk Ilona Biggins, PO Box 600, Rickmansworth, WD3 5WR

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp82-83 Kards Krafts_CBJ 13/10/2010 09:18 Page 82

KARDS & KRAFTS

paint the town

ABOUT KARDS & KRAFTS… Kards & Krafts has an extensive online store, as well as a shop in Ware, Hertfordshire, stocking cardmaking, scrapbooking, beading, jewellery-making, cross-stitching, knitting and children’s crafts materials. The shop celebrated its fifth birthday earlier this year, and the team is always willing to help you source items for your crafting projects, whatever they are. Karen also teaches jewellery, cardmaking and scrapbooking courses in the shop – further details can be found on the website.

TO CREATE Choose beads for your earrings and arrange the pattern on the table. Each earring has three strands – the middle strand has three beads and the outer

MATERIALS • red Bead Selection Box • silver ring-sized memory wire • silver fish-hook ear wires • 6 x silver headpins • 8 x silver eyepins

TOOLS • round-nosed and chain-nosed or flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters • memory wire cutters

RED LOOP EARRINGS strands have two beads. String each bottom bead individually onto a headpin and turn a loop. (With the bead in place on the headpin, bend the wire directly above the bead to create a right angle. Trim the wire to approximately 1.5cm. Using your round-nosed pliers, grasp the end of the wire and turn to make your loop.) String the other beads for each strand individually onto eyepins. Turn a loop as on the headpins so there is one each side of the bead.

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Join the beads for each strand together by opening one loop and linking together. Cut two pieces of ring-sized memory wire, each slightly larger than one full loop. Take one loop and string your three strands with smaller beads between them so they hang apart. Using round-nosed pliers, turn a loop back on each end of the memory wire. Open the loop on a fish-hook ear wire and hook on both memory wire loops, then close. Repeat to complete the matching earring.

4 5

TOP TIP

KAREN JORDAN DESIGNER

Forget the chocolate and make this your chosen selection box this Christmas! Filled with a gorgeous assortment of co-ordinated beads in different colour options, it’s the perfect gift to yourself, as Karen Jordan demonstrates with this festive jewellery set

Don’t throw the box away when you’ve used up the bead selection! With 18 compartments, it’s an ideal storage solution for your loose beads and findings

WHERE TO BUY All the materials used here are available from Kards & Krafts, 10 Baldock Street, Ware, Herts SG12 9DZ; www.kardsandkrafts.co.uk; 01920 469478

CBJ08 pp82-83 Kards Krafts_CBJ 13/10/2010 09:18 Page 83

KARDS & KRAFTS TO CREATE Each of the strands in this three-strand floating necklace is a different length. The pattern here will make a 40cm (16”) necklace so adjust accordingly to suit your own requirements. Start with the shortest strand and cut a piece of Tigertail at least 70cm long. Fix a jump ring onto one end using a crimp bead. (String a crimp bead and jump ring, then pass the wire back down through the crimp bead, pull the wire tight and ‘crimp’ the crimp bead into place using chain-nosed or flat-nosed pliers.) String three medium-sized beads onto the wire and over the tail, hiding the sharp end within the beads. String a crimp bead and crimp close to the three beads to stop them moving.

String another crimp bead, and crimp approximately 2cm away from the last crimp bead. String a pattern of beads – medium bead, large bead and medium bead, followed by another crimp bead. Crimp up close to the beads. Repeat Step 3 until you have covered approximately 40cm of wire (around 10 sets of beads). Finish the end of the wire with a crimp bead, three medium beads, a crimp bead and a jump ring, as at the other end. As before, push the tail into the three beads to prevent sharp ends. Repeat for the second strand, making this strand 44cm long and using smaller beads for the pattern. Repeat again for the third strand, making this one 48cm

TRIPLE CHAIN FLOATING NECKLACE

4 5

long and using larger decorative beads again. Attach all three chains to a split ring at each end, and attach the clasp to one split ring.

TRIPLE CHAIN BRACELET BAND

MATERIALS • red Bead Selection Box • clear Tigertail 7-strand beading wire • 100 x silver crimp beads • 6 x silver 5mm jump rings • 2 x silver 6mm split rings

beads, a crimp bead and a split ring. Pass the tail back down through the crimp bead and pull the excess wire through before crimping the crimp bead. Pass the tail of wire back down through a few beads before cutting off. The edge rows are each doublestranded, so begin with a piece of wire at least 80cm long. String a crimp bead and a medium-sized bead onto the wire and allow these to fall to halfway. Pass back through the crimp bead and ‘crimp’. Pass through one side of the first space bar with both strands. String 12 small bugle beads onto each strand, then one larger bead over both strands. String another 12 small bugle beads onto each strand, then

4 MATERIALS • red Bead Selection Box • clear Tigertail 7-strand beading wire • 6 x silver crimp beads • silver 6mm split ring • silver 10mm lobster clasp • 3 x silver 3-hole space bars

TOOLS • round-nosed and chain-nosed or flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

TO CREATE Begin with the middle strand. Cut a piece of Tigertail at least 40cm long. Attach a clasp at one end using a crimp bead, then string two mediumsized beads and pass through the middle hole of a space bar. String a pattern of alternating medium

and large beads. Halfway along the length, pass through the middle hole of another space bar. Continue the bead pattern until you reach your desired length. At the other end, pass the wire through the middle hole of the last space bar. String two medium

5 6

• silver 10mm lobster clasp

TOOLS • round-nosed and chain-nosed or flat-nosed pliers • wire cutters

one larger bead over both strands. String another 12 small bugle beads onto each strand before passing through one side of the middle space bar with both strands. (Check this pattern is the same length as the middle strand so the space bars sit level – if not, adjust the number of small beads accordingly.) Complete this strand with the same pattern of small bugle beads on each strand and larger beads on both strands. Finish by passing through the last space bar, stringing one crimp bead and one medium bead onto both pieces of wire, then taking both ends of wire back down through the crimp bead and crimping. Repeat Steps 4-7 for the third strand.

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CBJ08 pp84 Reader Offer_Beading 11/10/2010 16:12 Page 84

EXCLUSIVE READER OFFER

Get this fantastic beading starter kit for just

£10.99 inc. p&p (RRP: £14.99) Boost your bead collection with this 24-piece stackable set. Containing a wide range of bead styles, sizes and colours, this collection can be used to embellish, decorate and design a whole host of projects and ideas!

WHAT’S INCLUDED: · 6 packs of glass bugle beads · 4 packs of glass seed beads · 4 packs of glass rocailles · 4 packs of plastic pearls · 2 packs of oval drop pearls · 4 packs (2 sets) of clasps · 2 packs of round elastic wire Offer open to UK residents only Offer expires 26/11/10

order online today at: www.practicalpublishing.co.uk/beads 84

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CBJ08 pp85_Beading 11/10/2010 16:34 Page 85

Bead Crazy Bead and Jewellery Supplies

GOR-JUSS! rich, deep, dark beads.. colours to inspire.. PERTH • ABERDEEN • WORKSHOPS • PARTIES

Jewellery & Gift Packaging Tel: 0845 519 0994 email: sales@alphapackuk.co.uk

www.alphapackuk.co.uk

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CBJ08 pp86-89 UTEE Jewellery_CBJ 13/10/2010 09:09 Page 86

JEWELLERY USING UTEE

SU PENNICK DESIGNER ltra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) is a powdered, or granulated, plastic medium that melts with the application of heat. It has been used by crafters for heat-embossing purposes for a number of years, and more recently has been making inroads into the world of jewellery making. Versatile UTEE has a number of different applications

out of the MELTING POT It may not be a traditional medium, but discover the potential of UTEE for creating beautiful, shimmering pendants and charms with Su Pennick’s introduction to this versatile and ultra-lightweight option in the creation of jewellery pieces – coating paper beads, creating charms and pendants, as a glaze for decorated metal frames, and more. Melt Art UTEE comes in many different types, each with their own useful properties. Clear UTEE is great as a glazing medium and can be coloured with

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ink to tint it. There is also a wealth of UTEE varieties of a more solid colour, from bright, vibrant shades to metallic and pearlescent effects. When using UTEE to create charms and beads, a melting pot is essential. This is a purpose-built receptacle containing a non-stick metallic pan, which is shaped

for easy pouring once the UTEE has been melted. This makes it possible to control and direct the precision of the ﬂow of the melted plastic into moulds and frames. A heat-resistant non-stick sheet is also important, particularly if you are making pendants and charms using cookie cutters. The melted UTEE is

poured directly onto the sheet to be cut. It is also a useful surface on which to place dipped charms and beads until they have cooled and completely set. The pot is also vital for dipping beads and wires. Interesting, individual charms can be created by dipping old, plain, unwanted beads, threaded onto headpins, into melted UTEE. Other items can be added to the layers of UTEE, such as glitter, microbeads or mica powders, to produce unique items. Melt Art Kool Toolz are available on the market, with the set comprising a spatula tool and a pair of tweezers that double up as a scooptype implement. There is also Melt Art Mold ‘n’ Pour, which is used to create your own moulds from any item you wish. Plus a variety of cutters and texture plates. To help you get started, there are a number of video tutorials freely available on the internet and on suppliers’ websites. But be prepared – once you’ve seen how easy Melt Art is, you’ll be hooked!

CBJ08 pp86-89 UTEE Jewellery_CBJ 13/10/2010 09:09 Page 87

FIND OUT MORE

JEWELLERY USING UTEE A video demonstration showing the creation of Melt Art pendants can be found in the Melt Art section of the Altered Element website at www.altered element.co.uk, along with a full range of equipment and supplies

NECKLACE TO CREATE Add clear UTEE and the three lots of coloured crystals to the melting pot, in separate piles, and leave to melt thoroughly. When melted pour onto a heat-resistant mat and firmly apply the cutter immediately. Leave to harden just enough to

remove the cutter. While the UTEE is still soft, pierce with a large needle to create a hole for attachment, being careful not to pierce the hole too close to the edges of the shape. Leave to harden. Create four small UTEE dipped wire

ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUE – SMALL DIPPED WIRE CHARMS Cut a 15cm length of 0.8mm wire and use round-nosed pliers to create a coil at one end.

Dip the coil into melted UTEE. Gently rotate the wire between your fingers, slowly, so that the UTEE keeps its shape while it sets.

2 2

charms, following the Essential Technique below, and leave to set. Cut a 20cm length of silver wire. Thread approximately 2cm through the hole in the pendant and bend back to lie alongside the rest. Form a loop in the longer length of wire just above the end of the shorter length and wrap the end around the two wires down to the pendant. Trim any excess wire.

Thread two leaf beads onto jump rings and close them. Thread two blue beads onto headpins, trim and form loops. Place one wired bead onto a jump ring and close. Attach this to a second jump ring and close. Thread this, along with a wired bead and a ringed leaf, onto another jump ring. Thread this onto another jump ring along with a ringed leaf and the

WHERE TO BUY Clear UTEE and Cosmic Shimmer Ultra Thick Embossing Crystals are available from www.alteredelement.co.uk Blue droplet beads and leaf beads can be bought online from www.abacusbeademporium.co.uk Chain, wire, clasps, jump rings and headpins are all available from www.hobbycraft.co.uk or most jewellery and beading stores

UTEE pendant, at the same time attaching it to the middle of a length of curb chain. Form wrapped loops on each of the dipped charms and attach them to the chain with jump rings, adding a clasp to finish.

MATERIALS • clear UTEE • Midnight Blue, Arctic Lake and Tropic Pearls Cosmic Shimmer Ultra Thick Embossing Crystals • silver 0.8mm wire • silver 7mm jump rings • silver-plated curb chain and clasp • 2 x clear blue droplet beads • 2 x leaf beads

TOOLS • 2 x pliers • melting pot • teardrop-shaped metal cutter • heat-resistant non-stick mat • large needle

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp86-89 UTEE Jewellery_CBJ 13/10/2010 09:09 Page 88

JEWELLERY USING UTEE BRACELET

MATERIALS • 13 x wrapped loop, UTEE dipped charms (as on page 87) • 27 x blue droplet beads • 27 x leaf beads • 7mm jump rings • silver headpins • silver curb chain • silver toggle clasp

TOOLS • 2 x pliers

TO CREATE Thread all 27 leaf beads onto jump rings and close. Thread all 27 blue droplet beads onto headpins, trim the pins and form loops above the beads.

RING TO CREATE Melt the clear and coloured UTEE products in separate piles in the melting pot, then pour together into the upturned Memory Capsule. As the UTEE is starting to harden, place the ring blank into it. Once set, push the oval shape out of the plastic mould.

MATERIALS • clear UTEE • Midnight Blue, Arctic Lake and Tropic Pearls Cosmic Shimmer Ultra Thick Embossing Crystals • oval Ranger Memory Capsule • ring blank

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

Attach one part of the toggle clasp to one end of the chain. Leave one link empty. Use a jump ring to attach one wired bead and one ringed leaf to the second link. Miss

one link and attach one wired bead, one ringed leaf and one dipped charm to the next link using a jump ring. Continue following this sequence along the chain until

all the beads have been used. Leave one link empty and attach the other component of the toggle clasp to the end link of the chain.

CBJ08 pp86-89 UTEE Jewellery_CBJ 13/10/2010 09:09 Page 89

JEWELLERY USING UTEE

MATERIALS • • • • • •

ear wires silver 7mm jump rings silver headpins 8 x blue droplet beads 10 x leaf beads 6 x wrapped loop, UTEE dipped charms

TOOLS • 2 x pliers

EARRINGS TO CREATE Thread a dipped charm onto a jump ring and close. Attach this, along with a wired bead and a

ringed leaf, to a second jump ring. Attach this second jump ring with another ringed leaf and dipped charm to a third jump ring. Onto a fourth jump

ring, attach a wired bead, the third jump ring and a ringed leaf. Onto a fifth jump ring, attach a wired bead, a dipped charm, the fourth jump ring and a ringed leaf.

Finally, add a wired bead, the fifth jump ring and a ringed leaf, along with an ear wire, onto a sixth jump ring. Repeat to create the matching earring.

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CBJ08 pp90 What's On_Beading 13/10/2010 17:09 Page 90

DIARY

what’sON

Image supplied by Beads Unlimited, www.beadsunlimited.co.uk; 01273 740777

3RD NOVEMBER

10TH NOVEMBER

17TH NOVEMBER

27TH NOVEMBER

RIGHT-ANGLE WEAVE NECKLACE CLASS

BEAD JEWELLERY CLASS

The Brighton Bead Shop, Brighton www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777

BEGINNERS’ SILVER JEWELLERY TECHNIQUES

The Brighton Bead Shop, Brighton www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777

11TH NOVEMBER

20TH NOVEMBER

ALL-DAY BASIC JEWELLERY MAKING

AM: SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS OCEAN DROP NECKLACE PM:WIRE KNITTING

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS FIMO CHARMS

The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd, Nottingham www.mailorder-beads.co.uk 0115 958 8899

4TH-7TH NOVEMBER

11TH-13TH NOVEMBER

HOBBYCRAFTS SHOW

THE STITCH AND CREATIVE CRAFTS SHOW

4TH NOVEMBER

The Bead Shop Scotland, Edinburgh www.beadshopscotland.co.uk 0131 343 3222

28TH NOVEMBER CHESHIRE WINTER BEAD FAIR

Reaseheath College, Nantwich www.jlfairs.co.uk 0845 392 3415

20TH NOVEMBER NEC, Birmingham www.ichf.co.uk 01425 272711

King’s Hall, Belfast www.sccshows.co.uk 01822 617744

6TH NOVEMBER CHRISTMAS FIMO CHARMS CLASS

The Bead Shop Scotland, Haddington www.beadshopscotland.co.uk 01620 822886

THE BEAD SHOP (NOTTINGHAM) NOTTINGHAM BEAD & CRAFT SHOW

The Nottingham Gateway Hotel, Nottingham www.ukbeadfairs.co.uk 0115 958 8899

13TH NOVEMBER ALL-DAY TIARA MAKING

20TH-21ST NOVEMBER

The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd, Nottingham www.mailorder-beads.co.uk 0115 958 8899

GEM ‘N’ BEAD SHOW

Brighton Racecourse, Brighton www.gemnbead.co.uk 07817 511360

6TH-7TH NOVEMBER

14TH NOVEMBER

24TH NOVEMBER

GEM ‘N’ BEAD SHOW

FIMO SWEET BEADS

BEAD JEWELLERY CLASS

Newton Abbot Racecourse, Devon www.gemnbead.co.uk 07817 511360

The Bead Shop Scotland, Haddington www.beadshopscotland.co.uk 01620 822886

The Brighton Bead Shop, Brighton www.beadsunlimited.co.uk 01273 740777

FESTIVE BEADING

14TH NOVEMBER

The Bead Shop Scotland, Haddington www.beadshopscotland.co.uk 01620 822886

CAMBRIDGE BEAD FAIR

AM: SNOWFLAKES PM:FESTIVE ANGELS

7TH NOVEMBER

25TH NOVEMBER

Rowley Mile Racecourse, Newmarket www.beadwork.net

The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd, Nottingham www.mailorder-beads.co.uk 0115 958 8899

Bedazzle Beads, Heckmondwike, runs daily Stay & Make sessions through the week and on Saturday mornings. The team also runs Beginners’ Workshops on a Saturday afternoon, covering how to make a necklace, bracelet and a pair of earrings for just £20, which includes the cost of materials. New Monthly Projects are added every month and run on a Sunday from 11am. For full details, please visit www.bedazzlebeads.co.uk or call 01924 408273 90

www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

2ND DECEMBER BASIC JEWELLERY MAKING

The Bead Shop (Nottingham) Ltd, Nottingham www.mailorder-beads.co.uk 0115 958 8899

The Bead Shop Manchester offers beading classes Monday to Saturday. Classes cover a range of experience levels from total beginners, and include making tiaras, bead weaving, wire wrapping and hair combs. The team can also cater for birthday and hen parties. All the classes are held in the new workshop next door to the shop in Afflecks Palace, 52 Church Street, Manchester M4 1PW, and there is a 10% discount on all purchases made in the shop after the class. To book a class or for more details, ring the shop on 0161 833 9950, or to view all the classes go to www.the-beadshop.co.uk

CBJ08 pp91_Beading 11/10/2010 16:35 Page 91

Unit 32, Basepoint Enterprise Centre Stroudley Road Basingstoke RG24 8UP The Bead Base is Basingstoke’s only dedicated bead shop. We sell beads to suit all budgets. By the string, in packets and individually in our popular pick’n’mix section. We stock tools, findings, threads, guide books and more. Everything you need to make your own fashion jewellery. Late night shopping evening 6-9pm Wednesday 10th November. 10% of the evening’s takings to be donated to St Michaels Hospice.

T: 07749027634

www.thebeadbase.co.uk

28A High Street Poole, Dorset Telephone: 01202 242622

www.beads47.co.uk www.creativebeadsandjewellery.com

CBJ08 pp92-93 Techniques_Beading 13/10/2010 08:43 Page 92

GLOSSARY TECHNIQUES

glossary of

TECHNIQUES

Follow these basic techniques to get started on your projects

OPENING AND CLOSING JUMP RINGS

Grip the jump ring on each side of the 1 opening using pliers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; either two pairs of flat-nosed, or one flat-nosed and one

To open the jump ring, bring one pair 2 of pliers towards you, opening the jump ring like a door rather than pulling

round-nosed pair.

it apart.

Slide your component onto the ring, 3 then reverse the action of your pliers to bring the ends neatly back together.

FORMING A PLAIN LOOP This is the simplest way of creating a loop on a headpin, eyepin or a length of wire, ready for connecting to other components.

Trim the wire end to 1cm above the Grip the tip of the wire using roundRelease the wire, rotate the pliers back 1 2 3 last bead, and make a 90Âş bend close to nosed pliers, and rotate the pliers away towards you and grip the wire again. the bead using a pair of chain-nosed or from you to start curling the wire. Continue rotating the wire and repositioning flat-nosed pliers.

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your pliers until the loop is formed.

CBJ08 pp92-93 Techniques_Beading 13/10/2010 08:43 Page 93

GLOSSARY TECHNIQUES CREATING A WRAPPED LOOP A wrapped loop is stronger than a simple loop, as it is completely closed and is perfect for heavier pendants and for creating links.

Trim the wire end to 3cm above the 1 last bead, then use a pair of chainnosed pliers to make a 90º bend a short

Hold the wire just above the bend Position the bottom jaw of your pliers 2 3 using round-nosed pliers, and wrap the into the curved wire and complete the end of the wire over the top jaw. curve to form a loop. Your wire end

distance above the bead.

Holding the loop flat using chainnosed pliers, grip the wire end using flat-nosed pliers and wind it around the stem to cover the gap between the loop and the bead.

should be back at the 90º angle.

Trim the end of the wire using cutters, and flatten it against the stem using flat-nosed pliers to squash any sharp edges.

Stringing materials, such as cord or ribbon, can be knotted and the knot covered with a clam calotte. Stiffer stringing materials, such as nylon beading wire, should be ﬁnished with a crimp, which can then be covered with a clam calotte.

USING CRIMP PLIERS

Position the crimp bead in the ridged 1 section of your pliers and squeeze to curl the crimp.

FINISHING ENDS

Position the crimp bead back in the 2 oval section of your pliers, ensuring it is sitting vertically, then squeeze gently to compress the crimp to a smooth, rounded shape.

Simply thread a calotte onto your stringing material, tie a knot or ﬁx a crimp at the end, then slide the calotte back up to the end and close the two halves for perfect concealment.

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CBJ08 pp94 Findings_CBJ 13/10/2010 14:04 Page 94

GLOSSARY FINDINGS

fabulous

FINDINGS

From pins and clasps to rings and wire, if you’re new to jewellery making let us guide you through the essentials... ‘Findings’ is the word given to the group of core components needed to make jewellery. They are available in a variety of base and precious metals with a range of finishes; bronze and copper findings are now widely available, and make an interesting alternative to gold and silver. If you are specifically looking for hypo-allergenic findings, niobium and titanium components and wires are ideal and are available in a variety of colour finishes.

CLASPS Used to join the ends of a bracelet or necklace together, either manually or magnetically, clasps are available in a variety of designs. They can be simple wire components or highly decorative pieces that can be an integral part of jewellery design.

EYEPINS Instead of having a ﬂat or decorative head, eyepins have a looped ‘eye’ that enables other components to be attached directly to them.

JUMP RINGS These are simple wire loops that are used to connect different components. Standard jump rings can be opened and closed, and you can purchase jump rings that are soldered closed when added security is required.

THREAD Thread encompasses many different materials, both manmade and of natural origin, and should be chosen according to the beads in your design. Silk is perfect for threading pearls and semi-precious stones, while nylon is more suited to glass beads. You need to be able to tie a knot in the thread that is large enough to stop the beads coming off, so take this into consideration. Flat threading materials such as ribbon and suede lace are perfect for large-holed beads, and can be ﬁnished with coils or box calottes to secure the end to your clasp.

SPLIT RINGS Split rings are similar to jump rings, but with two rotations of wire. They are used when added security is required. Unlike closed jump rings, they can have components added to them in the same way that keys are attached to a key ring.

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EAR WIRES Fish hooks are the standard ear wires used to create dangly earrings, but beaded designs can also be hung from ball and pin earrings, or even clip-on bases for non-pierced ears.

HEADPINS Similar to a standard sewing pin, headpins are commonly used to make dangly elements in a piece of jewellery. Standard headpins have a ﬂattened top, but common variations include ball pins and pins with decoratively beaded ends.

STRINGING MATERIALS: CHAIN There are many different chain designs made from several different metals – or modern polyester for a lightweight but chunky alternative. Use small lengths of chain in a design to link different components, or single links from a large open chain as part of a feature pendant.

WIRE Wire is sold by both length and weight, and is categorised by its gauge (the thickness of the wire). The following table describes the uses for the most common wire gauges. Gauge

Thickness (mm)

Use

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

Binding, knitting and weaving Threading small, delicate beads. Binding and twisting Wirework with crystals and medium beads Wire-wrapping large beads and creating wire components Bold, chunky wireworked designs

Coloured wires are usually copper with an enamel coating. Tigertail is a speciality twistedsteel beading wire with a nylon coating, while Soft Flex wire is similar but more ﬂexible and less prone to kinking. You can buy solid or plated silver and gold wire, and plated wire is often a good economical option (silver-plated wire won’t tarnish as quickly as solid silver). Memory wire, available in ring, bracelet and necklace sizes, is a stainless steel wire that never loses its shape. It is sold in coils that can be cut into individual rounds, strung with beads and ﬁnished with an end cap.

CBJ08 pp95 Tools_Beading 13/10/2010 14:04 Page 95

GLOSSARY TOOLS

TOOLS of the trade

Get to grips with your jewellery-making tool kit – we guide you through the essential contents and their applications for professional-looking results

CHAIN-NOSED PLIERS

FLAT-NOSED PLIERS

ROUND-NOSED PLIERS

Also known as snipe-nosed pliers, these have ﬂat jaws on the inside and rounded jaws on the outside and are designed for precision jobs such as creating wrapped loops.

Pliers with round jaws that taper to a point are used for forming loops and curves and are ideal for creating your own jump rings.

These pliers have ﬂat faces on both sides of the jaws and are used for gripping wire and jewellery components while you are working on them, and for bending and ﬂattening wire.

SIDE CUTTERS

CRIMPING PLIERS

MEMORY WIRE CUTTERS

Although chain or flat-nosed pliers will suffice to fix crimp beads, crimping pliers give a neat, professional finish. They are two-stage pliers, specifically designed to crush and fold crimp tubes to fix the position of beads on stringing material and to secure the ends.

These pliers will handle cutting lengths of soft wire and trimming headpins and eyepins. The jaws are angled for a clean, ﬂush cut.

Memory wire cutters are essential if you want to use this sturdy wire for creating jewellery, as it will damage the jaws of regular wire cutters.

NYLON-JAW PLIERS Nylon-jaw pliers are identical to ﬂat-nosed pliers except that the jaws are moulded from plastic and are used to handle soft precious-metal wires and components that could be easily marked or dented.

WIRE-WORKING TOOLS If you are keen to create your own wire components, a chasing hammer and steel stake are essential for ﬂattening and workhardening (toughening) wire shapes. Chasing hammers are lightweight and easy to handle, and steel stakes on which to hammer your work have an ultra-smooth surface to eliminate the chance of marking your pieces.

BEADING TWEEZERS A pair of beading tweezers is handy for managing tiny seed beads and unpicking knots in stringing materials.

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CBJ08 pp96-97 Banners_Beading 11/10/2010 16:36 Page 96

to advertise here email cathy.campbell@practicalpublishing.co.uk or call 01625 855005

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CBJ08 pp96-97 Banners_Beading 11/10/2010 16:37 Page 97

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D I R E C T O R Y Funky chunky acrylic beads now in â&#x20AC;&#x201C; yummy!

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For your crafting needs Unit 19, Ty Verlon Ind Est, Cardiff Road, Barry, CF63 2BE Tel: 01446 701230

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Likecrafts supplies all the bits and pieces you need to create your own works of art!

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CBJ08 pp98 Next Issue_Beading 13/10/2010 15:23 Page 98

NEXT ISSUE

coming

NEXT TIME

Here’s a preview of what you’ve got to look forward to in Issue 9....

FESTIVE SPIRIT All you want for Christmas!

A STAR IS BORN Perfect girly gifts using Celebrity Crystals

OVER THE RAINBOW Giving chain maille the fun factor

IN GREAT SHAPE Weaving techniques for cool geometric designs

PLUS an abundance of inspirational beading and jewellery projects, all the latest product news and trend, and much more!

On sale 25th November 2010

Creative Beads & Jewellery is available from newsagents and through beading, jewellery and craft stores. If you want to guarantee that you don’t miss an issue, you can ask your local store to place a regular order for you. Once set up, your copy will be held for you to collect. Simply complete this form and hand it in at your nearest bead or craft store or newsagent. Dear Store Owner Please reserve me a copy of Creative Beads & Jewellery TITLE Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms ............................... First Name............................ Surname.......................................................................................... Address............................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................ Postcode ...........................................Tel .........................................

YES,YOU CAN! Aluminium shows its true colours

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CBJ07 pp100_Beading 11/10/2010 16:39 Page 100