Get Creative - Issue 1

Get Creative

Once you have completed your kit it doesn’t have to end there!

Lean a New Technique The simple 8 Warp Braid Kumihimo technique

project inside 1940’s Hollywood style, chandelier earrings

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Product Review Braid Mix Rattail

Toggle Sets

Our selection of Rattail cords have beautifully coordinated mix of colours, perfect for all of your kumihimo braid work.

We have a selection of toggle sets in silver and gold, so you can finish of your kumihimo braids beautifully and professionally.

Kumihimo Bobbins

Kumihimo Discs

These bobbins are perfect for your kumihimo and macrame braiding. Made from soft plastic, they’re pliable, stackable and translucent.

Kumihimo braiding disc’s help you create gorgeous braiding projects quickly and easily.

Kumihimo Weights

BeadSmith Metallic Thread

Weighs down your braid to create the right tension whilst braiding.

This durable thread works fantastically with Kumihimo braids, macrame and knotting

Kumihimo Clasps

Kumihimo Toggles

We have a selection of different clasps which are perfect for using with your Kumihimo braids.

We have a selection of different toggles which are perfect for using with your Kumihimo braids.

Kumihimo Glues Zap No-Drip Jewelry Gel is the thickest, and strongest Cyanoacrylate glue available.

Recommended for use with Kumihimo

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

Pendant Slides These unique slides are an easy way to add a pendant onto your Kumihimo braids.

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Kumihimo braiding Kumihimo is a type of braiding that allows you to make your own cords for your jewellery designs. it comes from an ancient Japanese art.

Once you start kumihimo braiding you will find that you can quickly and easily build up stunning braided cords that are perfect to wear on their own, mix with other jewellery making techniques or add beads.

Try our kumihimo braiding starter kits to get you started and we’re confident you’ll be a kumihimo braiding addict in no time!

Kumihmo Swarovski 4mm Swarovski bicones and coordinating bead cord 1 Kit For £25.50 code:13957

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Kumihmo Seed Bead Silver-Lined Red seed beads and coordinating bead cord. code:13955

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1 Kit For £15.75

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

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Beat The high street

Each month we will be setting ourselves a ‘Beat the High Street’ challenge. The challenge will be to select jewellery from popular high street stores and make our own version for less.

It’s a little known fact that making your own jewellery can be much cheaper than buying from big high street stores. Little independent stores such as ourselves will never be as cheap as Primark, but we can guarantee your designs will be unique, higher quality and still affordable.

The necklace we made has plenty of metal spikes, all attach with jump rings to plated chain. The necklace we found in Urban Outfitters was very light and made of plastic; this necklace has weight to it so it hangs better and made out of metal it looks more expensive.

It is so simple to make, you could add as many or as little spikes as you wanted, that is the beauty of making your own jewellery you can have it exactly how you want!

the products we have used: 35mm Spike Charm Plated Chain Trigger/Lobster Clasps Extension Chains Jump/Split Rings

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

Jewellery Technique Now weight the centre knot down with something, I personally use my keys, but anything that has a bit of weight will do. This just creates the tension in the braid and makes the weave flow nicely.

Once your board is set up, start off by doing a few turns of the board, using the 8 warp technique (not adding any beads) until you have a braid about 1cm long, this will be used to attach your clasp when your braid is finished.

Simple 8 Warp Braid Kumihimo Braiding Technique All the techniques that follow are based around the Simple 8 Warp Braid technique; the instructions for this are included with all of the round Kumihimo Braiding boards that we stock.

These fabulous little numbers have had all the girls swooning here at Bead shop HQ and none of us can quite believe how simple this kind of effect is to achieve. Just set up you round Kumihimo Board with an 8 Warp Braid using Beadsmith Bead cord in whichever colour compliments the beads you have chosen best. Now thread 25 4mm Swarovski Bicones onto each cord and roll up each length into a Bob-eez No Tangle Bobbin to stop the cords from tangling and the beads from dropping off.

Next add one bead every time you pass a thread across the board, making sure that the bead you drop is caught under the thread that is running directly across it, like in the picture below Continue this until all the beads have run out, and then carry on with just the thread, until you have approximately 1cm of braid without beads on.

Now you can add a clasp using the same whipping and finishing technique that is explained in the instructions included with your Kumihimo Board.

We have found that the 6.2mm Kumihimo Clasps work great with these bracelets, also you can use side opening calottes. We’ve found that if you carefully heat the Beadsmith Bead Cord with a lighter, then the ends will all melt together and you can clamp and glue a side opening calotte over this and add your desired clasp.

You can also use the same technique, with other types of beads, including size 6 seed beads and our Czech Faceted Class Range.

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

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New Products

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£1.75

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£1.75

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40p

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40p

Resin Charms

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£1.75

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www.the-beadshop.co.uk

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Superlon Bead Cord Here at The Bead Shop, we have recently expanded our range of Superlon colours so if you are looking for a bright, a neutral or and pastel colour, we’re bound to have it.

Superlon bead cord is an incredibly versatile and durable cord that can be used for projects such as, Kumihimo, braiding, bead crochet, and micro macramé jewellery. The best thing about this cord is that it comes in so many colours!

One technique that Superlon bead cord can be used for is Kumihimo. This technique is all the rage right now and is really easy to learn. You can mix the colours together to create lovely, brightly coloured braids and can add beads and crystals to the cord for a different effect.

Check out our Kumihimo section on the website for inspiration. We’ve got loads of clasps, fastenings, cords and equipment to get you started.

Another technique to master is Micro Macramé. The micro refers to the thinner cord used but is the same technique used for decades to create jewellery, ornaments and garments. An example of a more recent, popular way to use Macramé is Shamballa Style Bracelets. ‘Shamballa’ referring to the type to braid rather than the sparkly beads often used, you can in fact use any beads to make these.

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

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Jewellery Project Evoke the glamour of 1940’s Hollywood with these gorgeous chandelier earrings Janine is Office Manager at The Beadshop Manchester, and has been designing jewellery both at work and in her spare time for about 3 years. She loves to use Swarovski, mixed metals and loves experimenting with different techniques.

Using Simple wire wrapping and bending techniques, without using specialist tools, Janine shows you how to achieve an elegant and professional glamorous look.

The antique brass colours mixed with deep Swarovski Crystals add a slightly gothic edge to these gorgeous creations.

follow step-by-step instructions STEP 1 Start by making the main filigree part of your earring.

Take one of your filigree’s and using a pencil or something of a similar width, bend your filigree so that it is equally bent in half. The filigree shouldn’t touch at the sides so don’t squeeze together; there should be a gap of about 5mm. You can perfect the shape with a pair of chain nose pliers.

STEP 2 Now take about half a meter of craft wire and start by wrapping the wire around one side of the top hole of the filigree. Do this by threading about 2 inches through the gap in the filigree and up through the front. Neatly wrap this 2 inch section around and through the same hole several times to secure.

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

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STEP 3 Add a 4mm siam bicone, thread through the next hole opposite, back up with the middle of the filigree, then add another bicone and thread through the opposite side again. Do this until you reach the bottom, and add an erinite bicone. Carry on up the other side and secure at the top in the same way. There should be 5 bicones on each side and one erinite.

STEP 4 Add your 10mm Bicone to an eye pin and make a simple loop. Add the 9mm Jump Ring through the folded over end of the Filigree, so it sits in the middle.

Add the 10mm bicone to the jump ring by opening the eye pin a little and close again neatly.

At the pointed end of the filigree, add about 4 links of chain to each pointed side of the filigree using 4mm jump rings. Add a 5mm Jump ring to the siam drop and add both the ends of chain.

STEP 6 Cut two lengths of chain (I’ve used 12 links but if your loops are bigger you may need more, measure against your earring) and using 4mm jump rings, add a length of chain to each side of the filigree. Open the top loop of your eyepin, add on each side of the chain and the ear wire in the middle. Close your eyepin, repeat the process for the other earring.

STEP 5

Handy Tips & Advice:

EXTRA PROJECTS; Ring

When adding your 4mm bicones, remember that there are no definite, evenly spaced holes on the filigree, so you will have to thread through the next available space. It won’t look perfectly even but that is the effect.

Bend the filigree around a ring mandrel and perfect the shape with some chain nose pliers. It may be good to flatten the filigree a little. Add a 9mm Jump ring to the same point as you did on the earrings and attach erinite bicones and siam drops to the jump ring. You can add as many as you like!

4mm Jump rings can be a little fiddly but will create a more subtle look to the piece.

Products Used

If you are struggling to open and close the small jump rings you could go up a size.

Vintaj Filigrees Vintaj Earwires Steel Curb Chains Swarovski Crystal Drops Swarovski Crystal Bicones Jump Rings Craft Wire Headpins/Eyepins

You could buff the metal with a metal reliefing block if you wanted to achieve a more ‘golden’ effect to the metal.

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Jewellery Making Kits

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Beaded Firework Burst Jewellery Kits These new kits have been inspired by firework displays, taking the shape of firework bursts in a dark winter sky and come in really eye-catching colours.

The bracelets come in a lovely Midnight Black colour-way bracelet, using Vitrail Medium and Jet for a night time sky effect, and we also have the Vintage Rose Bracelet for a really feminine look.

Although most of our kits are suitable for beginners, it may be best to have a small amount of bead weaving experience before trying this kit.

The technique is simple once mastered, however, and you can go on to design your own beautiful Firework inspired Jewellery once you have picked up the basics..

Necklaces 1 kit for £12.50

Bracelets 1 kit for £17.50

Watch 1 kit for £19.50

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

code:13925

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The colour Emerald has been big news on both the catwalks & in celebrity magazines Try out some simple bead weaving and create this stunning necklace

Emerald Green

This bead weaving technique is simple once mastered

This version of the Fireworks burst Necklace and Bracelet Kits features Emerald Green Swarovski Bicones, accented with lovely Blue Zircon, a gorgeous crystal blue/green colour.

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Guest Artist

My name is Bo Hulley and I am a beadmaker…

Hello to all you lovely jewellery designers and Bead Shop customers, may I introduce myself? At the risk of sounding like an AA meeting, my name is Bo Hulley and I am a beadmaker…

A little while ago I had a lovely message from The Bead Shop asking if I would be interested in writing regularly for the Bead Shop Blog. I was delighted for several reasons, but firstly because unbeknown to Josh, The Bead Shop was where I bought my very first beads and set of tools, maybe six years ago and I have bought many more since then.

I don’t buy so many these days, but only because my life took a different direction when I tried my hand at making and selling ceramic beads, so I no longer have much time to make jewellery – I have

are also known and a little of what it is like to be self-employed in this extraordinary online world.

One of my early customers was and fortunately still is, Rebecca Anderson who many of you may know from the wonderful classes she teaches at the Bead Shop. We have become firm ‘cyber friends’ (I hope she agrees!) and last year we met for real at the Big Bead Show in Surrey where I was fortunate enough to take one of her classes.

If any of you are thinking of taking a class with her at The Bead Shop Academy, please do, you will not regret it for a second. She is my absolute favourite designer and I own several of her bracelets.

I’m telling you this because I feel I have come full circle. When I made my first stretchy bracelet with blue glass beads I would never have dreamt I would end up making beads and jewellery my full time employment. So it was especially nice to be contacted by Josh who had seen my work online via Rebecca – in the nicest possible way I am right back where I began and very pleased about it too.

To see more artclies from this artists please go online - www.the-beadshop.co.uk/blog

to be satisfied with seeing what beautiful and original pieces some incredibly talented designers make with my beads instead.

I hope in the coming weeks to be able to chat a little about handmade beads, or art beads as they

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

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Do you Need Inspiration?

“Inspired by our Beaded Firework Burst Bracelet kit”

Get creative!

Why not try a new kit. Teach yourself a new technique and experiment with it. Once you have completed your kit it doesn’t have to end there!

The possibilities are endless!

I completed our very own ‘Beaded Firework Burst Bracelet kit’ and got a little bit addicted. At first glance I thought the kit would be too hard for me to follow as I prefer to be shown harder techniques such as bead weaving, but as soon as I started reading the easy to follow step by step instructions there was no stopping me!

With this kit you are making a number of individual sections so it doesn’t seem as daunting as weaving a bracelet from start to finish.

I loved these little firework bursts so much I decided to design my own necklace around them, playing around with composition and colour.

Why not check out a new kit today and put your own spin on it!

www.the-beadshop.co.uk

Featured Products

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Tibetan Bracelet

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Beautiful semi-precious amethyst and Tibetan style beads are used to create this bohemian bracelet.

£5.50 code:14385

pink rose ring

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This popular ring is made up of Swarovski bicones & Fimo flowers finished off with Miyuki seed beads.

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£3.75 code: 12431

Red Rose Ring

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This popular ring is made up of Swarovski bicones & Fimo flowers finished off with Miyuki seed beads.

£3.75 code: 12430

Letter Bracelet

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A beautiful bracelet and Earring Set to celebrate the beginning of the spring.

£14.95 code:14327

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Indian Bracelet Skull Bracelet £4.95 £5.00

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This beautiful Indian bracelet kit was inspired by our beautiful Indian Hand-Painted beads.

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YOUR PRODUCT

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This pretty brooch is made up of Swarovski bicones & Fimo flowers finished off with Miyuki seed beads.

£6.95 code: 14468

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A Shamballa Bracelet incorporates cute little skull beads and beautiful fimo flowers.

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Angel Bag Charm

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Bring an old handbag to life with this little bag charm made using the very cute hand painted glass hearts.

£3.95 code:14535

Love Craft is a exciting new craft website brought to you by The Bead Shop, and here we carry an amazing range of craft materials & accessories to help to you be as creative as possible.

www.love-craft.co.uk

@LoveCraftUK

LoveCraftUK

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Getting to know us...

When you come and visit our shop you will discover a colourful Aladdin’s cave of beads, which is based in the popular off-beat Affleck’s Palace shopping centre, in the heart of the Northern Quarter.

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As a company we have been proudly trading for 20 years and have built the business up over time.

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e pride ourselves on our wide range of stock and the W quality of the beads and findings.

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ou will find that our prices are very competitive and the Y shop and website have everything you need to get you started in jewellery making.

The classes are taught by two in-house tutors, as well as award winning external tutor Rebecca Anderson, who took third place in the Seed Bead: Jewellery category in the British Bead Awards last year.

• Jewellery Classes starting from only £20!

• We offer refreshments and lunch for our day workshops

academy.the-beadshop.co.uk

@the_beadshop

TheBeadShop.Manchester

W academy.the-beadshop.co.uk