If you have never been to a bead show, the Great Bead Extravaganza is the next best thing. This virtual event is the closest you can get, without leaving the house, to walking the halls of a bustling convention center full of exciting jewelry designers and craft exhibitors. Recently, TGBE celebrated Spring Fling. The exciting crew of show presenters gave us some great ideas for seasonal jewelry and taught us some wonderful jewelry techniques. We wanted to share some of the jewelry demonstrations that used Soft Flex products.
We are looking at four TGBE presentations. If you missed any of the live shows, make sure you check out the official Great Bead Extravaganza Facebook Group. You can find all of the demos there. These designers all selected our wire or beading supplies as a component or tool for their jewelry designs. Soft Flex Company designers, Sara and Kristen, showed us how make jewelry with a design kit and shared some ideas with TierraCast metals. Nealay Patel showed us how wonderfully SilverSilk pairs with Soft Flex wire, learn how to use wire working tools to make your projects easy to finish! Abbi Berta showed us how to make shoulder duster earrings with Soft Flex Beading Wire. Finally, Andrew Thornton, of Allegory Gallery, showed us how to make wire wrapped pendants with Soft Flex Craft Wire and Acrylic Pendants from his shop.
Get inspired to make some gorgeous jewelry!
4 Great Bead Extravaganza Videos Featuring Soft Flex Products
Soft Flex Company: Making Jewelry Using A Design Kit And TierraCast Metals
Sara and Kristen loaded their TGBE presentation with a bunch of jewelry project ideas. If you love seasonal spring jewelry, you are definitely going to find inspiration here. They showed off some easy to follow projects and gave everybody a look at some of the new items on our shelves. We created a jewelry making kit specifically for the big bead show - the TGBE Spring Fling Design Kit (Sold Out). This kit is what Sara and Kristen used for the majority of their beading supplies. Our kits are full of beads, beading wire, and jewelry components - enough to make a bunch of handmade jewelry. You just need basic tools - crimping pliers and cutters. Make sure you check out the gorgeous TierraCast metals we carry. You will love the charms and jewelry findings!
Mystery Themed Jewelry Making Design Kits
Kristen used our TGBE Spring Fling Design Kit (Sold Out) to create a multi-strand necklace. She then showed us how she made a pendant with beading wire and beads. These lovely pendants would also make great earrings. This pendant and multi-strand necklace would look great as a Gilded Age inspired necklace design. If you loved the first season, make sure you check out our blog, featuring handmade jewelry inspired by the series - 7 Gilded Age Jewelry Projects Inspired By The Hit Series
If you'd like to join us in our design challenge each month, buy our kit and challenge yourself to try something new and unexpected. If you are new to beading, this kit comes with findings, beads, wire, and surprises.
Our kits are great for skill building. We want our kits to feel challenging. We want them to be accessible for beginners and advanced designers alike, but we love to throw in elements that may seem difficult to test our beaders skills and make them think out of the box. We think jewelry is great when it is easy. But when you really have to engage your mind and process your materials and tools, we think that your jewelry has the potential to be life changing.
Our kits may be inspired by a colorway or theme, but they are meant to be creative interpretations. Imagination and innovation do not follow the rules. Expect the unexpected.
Supplies are very limited. Don’t miss out!
TierraCast Charms, Clasps, Connectors, and More!
This gorgeous bracelet is a mix of our TGBE Spring Fling Design Kit (Sold Out) and TierraCast metals. The Distressed End Bar Connector, just behind each lotus flower bead, is a great way to gather your multi-strands on a bracelet or necklace.
You are going to love this stunning TierraCast connector. An ideal ending connector for use with multi-strand Soft Flex Beading Wire designs, 1/2" leather strap, ribbons and other materials. The texture is lightly hammered, and works nicely with other Hammertone products.
If you love the look of weathered metal, make sure you check out our similar items. You will adore our antiqued Anna's Clasps and Capitol Cord Ends. If you want a textured look, check out our Hammered Cones and Maker's Clasps.
Stabilize multi-strand creations with a Nugget 3 Hole separator bar. The organic shape and smooth surface plays well with many different type of beads and design aesthetics. Large 2.25mm holes for using with cords and larger stringing materials.
Give your next design some character with a cute Nugget spacer bead. You will love the look of this metal bead on your next necklace or bracelet. This sweet nugget bead has a tiny flower on two sides. The large hole is perfect for cords up to 1.5mm thick.
You are going to love this stunning TierraCast clasp set. Bold and beautiful, this large toggle set perfectly embraces a modern sensibility with a timeless handmade hammered surface. It's graceful shape is a perfect way to add elegance and style to your larger designs. The texture plays nicely with other distressed components.
Since 1978, TierraCast has been making high-quality, lead-free cast beads, findings and components in Santa Rosa, California, USA.
Note: Not for children under the age of 12.
SilverSilk: How To Make An Asymmetrical Bracelet With SilverSilk, Soft Flex Craft Wire, And Beading Wire
SilverSilk and Soft Flex are a match made in heaven. In this video, Nealay shows us how to pair his chain mesh with our Craft Wire and Beading Wire. If you would like to learn more, check out our weekly video recap blogs, he often creates jewelry with our products and we love his amazing designs. Among other exciting techniques, this video will also show you how to use wire working tools to help finish your Craft Wire and SilverSilk designs. Tools make bead stringing and wire wrapping easy. Make sure you check out our tool collection and add some quality of life to your favorite hobby!
Visit Nealay's links:
Wire Working Tools And Supplies
We have a full collection of wire working tools. Take the headache out of work hardening and shaping your Craft Wire. Our tools make it easy to make uniform production pieces - need to make a bunch or ear wires or jump rings and want to cut costs? A spool of Craft Wire and some wire working tools will make it easy!
Nylon Jaw Pliers - This is a must have tool for anyone who wire wraps and designs using wire. Due to the nylon jaws, the wire is less likely to be scratched or marred while being worked on. Also great to recycle and straighten wire! Replacement jaws are also available.
Chain Nose Pliers - are great for bending, creating perfect 90 degree angles, gripping and shaping Craft Wire, head pins and eye pins, as well as opening and closing jump rings and earring wires. They are a must for jewelry makers.
Burr Cup - A Burr Cup is used to file and round the end of Soft Flex Craft Wire. No more sharp or irregular edges on the end of your wire wrapped jewelry! It is manufactured with a stainless steel tip and wooden handle. The cup can accommodate up to 16 gauge wire.
Wire Whacker - The Wire Whacker is perfect for any wire wrapping designer. The Wire Whacker makes it easy to work harden a wire design with a couple of strikes, rather than slowly hammering the pieces. It is the perfect tool for Soft Flex Craft Wire, the Wire Whacker will not mar or damage the enamel coating on the wire.
Wire Looping Jewelry Tool - This amazing tool is a must have for anybody that works with Craft Wire. The multi-level loops on the head allow for a variety of projects. Whether you are making jump rings, connectors, s hooks, interlocking chain, ear wire, and more - this single tool has you covered. The variety of mandrel sizes on the head means you can have loops of varying sizes. Every loop you finish with this tool will be consistent and professional. If you are designing a piece of jewelry with repeating loops, this tool is going to be your new best friend.
The Bead Place: String Beaded Jewelry - How To Make Shoulder Duster Earrings And A Necklace
Abbi Berta, owner of The Bead Place, introduced her Here Comes The Sun Kit, with Soft Flex Beading Wire, that she created for TGBE Spring Fling. She wanted to demonstrate how to create a cool pair of massive shoulder duster earrings. If you are not a fan of large earrings, you could also use the kit to create a tassel for a necklace. If you are not a fan of tassels - you could create whatever you want with the contents of the kit. That is the fun of a themed jewelry kit, your ideas can be as explosively inventive as you want or you could follow along and make the jewelry the kit creator envisioned.
Visit Abbi's Links:
Soft Flex Wire is the designer's choice in bead stringing wire.
Soft Flex Wire is a lead-free beading wire for designers that demand strength and durability. Soft Flex Wire is a superior beading wire, created by beaders for beaders. Soft Flex Wire is constructed of either 21 or 49 micro woven stainless steel wires. It is supple enough that it can be knotted and comes in a wide variety of colors. It is available in 3 diameters: .014, .019, and .024. We recommend Soft Flex Wire for designers that want their pieces to last and eliminate the frustration of restringing.
Basic Usage:
.010 Very Fine - Ideal for embellishing, weaving, crocheting and stringing very small beads. We suggest finishing with 1x1mm crimps.
.014 Fine - Ideal for soft materials, seed beads and fresh water pearls. We suggest finishing with 2x2mm crimps.
.019 Medium - Ideal all purpose wire. Great with glass, mineral, and metal beads. We suggest finishing with 2x2mm crimps.
.024 Heavy - Ideal for abrasive materials, large stones, lamp work and bracelets. We suggest finishing with 2x3mm crimps.
Recycle us! Our empty spools can be repurposed as bead trays. Before stringing your next design, place your beads into an upside down spool. They are perfect for containing your beads for each project. Or, tear off the label and toss your unwanted spools in a recycle bin. All stainless steel used in the construction of Soft Flex products is 100% recyclable. Our nylon coating is derived from renewable resources and can be recycled. Think green!
Allegory Gallery: Learn How To Wire Wrap Pendants And Make Decorative Beaded Focals
Andrew Thornton, owner of Allegory Gallery, is part of the reason the Great Bead Extravaganza exists. He sat down with Sara Oehler, of Soft Flex Company, for a beading party. After the virtual party was over, the two discussed old times. Soft Flex had traveled in similar circles with Andrew over the decades and we shared time with him all across the USA. The pandemic changed everything. The beading party we had with Andrew was a response to being quarantined and stuck at home. The conversation afterward was about missing the excitement of a big bead show. The seeds were planted with that conversation and then collaboration soon grew into a massive online beading event.
We want to thank Andrew for being a part of this wonderful experience!
For his Spring Fling presentation, Andrew showed off his Acrylic Pendants and how to add decorative elements with beads and Soft Flex Craft Wire. He also has wood pendants, but suggests using those with finer Craft Wire or Soft Flex wire as they are not as durable and strong as his acrylic pieces.
Visit Andrew's Links:
Soft Flex Craft Wire is a high quality, permanently colored copper wire. It is resistant to scratching, peeling and marring. This is due to the special enameling process used to coat the wire to produce the wide spectrum of colors we offer. After the enamel is applied, the wire is then clear coated to prevent tarnishing. Bare Copper is the only wire in the line that is not treated. If antiques and old findings are your medium, Bare Copper will patina - perfect for making that new project look like an heirloom.
Quality Soft Flex Craft Wire is 100% lead and nickel free. There are no other metals used in the wire production other than copper and fine silver. The temper of the wire is soft. It can be tempered to half hard. If you need to harden up your wire for ear wires or other findings, you may use a nylon hammer or wire whacker to work harden your project. Using a nylon hammer or wire whacker will allow the wire to work harden without marring or flattening the wire. An exceptional design idea deserves a professional craft wire.
Join our Facebook group – VIB. Stay in the know. Stay up to date. From our bead shows to our video shows and sales, you can stay in touch with us. The community is full of artistic and helpful beaders and crafty people. Inspire and be inspired. Share your pictures and get the beading bug from others!
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Blog contributor Thomas Soles loves Jazz Age writers and crunchy french fries. His favorite gemstones are Lapis and Pietersite. His favorite hobby is day dreaming. And his favorite mustache is Freddie Mercury's. As you can see, he has a healthy (or possibly unhealthy) sense of humor. You can write to him at Thomas@SoftFlexCompany.com