Have you recovered from the
Great Bead Extravaganza? That was such an amazing journey. Whether you marathoned all of the live jewelry making classes or just caught some here and there, it was such an awesome variety of beading techniques and incredible finished jewelry. This week, we moved forward with more beading fun. We made some modern Boho styled jewelry for fall. We held a&nb…
Top 10 Kumihimo Projects From The Soft Flex Company YouTube Channel
Kumihimo means 'gathered threads' in Japanese. It is a form of braiding. Kumihimo braids can be used to create decorative lace, cords, jewelry or clothing accessories.
Historically, Kumihimo braids have been used in Samurai armor and weaponry. The braids were used as a functional knit for their armor pieces. Decorativ…
We love bead shows. Have you ever visited one? Bead shows are an amazing collection of jewelry designers and vendors. These trade shows are a place where you can find rare goodies, instructive beading demos, and deep discounts. For over twenty years, we crisscrossed the country visiting these exciting events. We loved seeing new products and learning new techniques. This year, everything just c…
Two Fall Beaded Necklace Tutorials using Rattan Wicker Shapes
This week on Free Spirit Beading with Kristen Fagan, I paired two handmade rattan wicker woven shapes with beads from our Fall Masterpiece Design Kit (sold out) and Fall Masterpiece Bead Strand (limited available) and strung them on Soft Flex butterscotch imperial topaz for two unique and trendy Fall necklace…
Did you catch our
Great Bead Extravaganza last weekend? It was an amazing virtual bead show, full of inventive jewelry designers and exciting bead stores. The idea blossomed when we caught ourselves discussing how much we missed the fun and community that working a bead show brought us. We miss the days of seeing our friends, seeing our smiling customers, and watching jewelry making dem…
Make Paper Beads For Handmade Holidays
Have you ever made your own paper beads? What a neat and simple project! When my kiddo was about 10 years old he was really intrigued with this process, so, I would say it's a great project to do with kids. I created two free printables for the beads shown that you may download and use (links below), but you may also repurpose magazines, book pages…