We are looking forward to a year of good fortune and prosperity. We are nourishing our creativity and making jewelry with friends. Slow down for a moment and binge some videos with us. We have meditation malas, crafting with clay, stitched beads, and more! Join us for a free beading class!
Kristen started our week with a simple meditation necklace. Her mala is a talisman for prosperity. She infused it with colors, numbers and gemstones that are powerful symbols of good luck and fortune. With had a beading party with Cassandra Spicer from Beads to Live By. Learn about her bead store and check out her elegant necklace. We checked out some Lunar New Year jewelry kit unboxings from Marcie Creates and Misty Ewing. Rosanna Brafford made a gorgeous Lunar New Year jewelry set. We checked in with Sam Siegel and enjoyed his beading class featuring a celestial moon necklace design. Kay Goss is creating jewelry with clay beads. If you love colorful jewelry, you are going to love this fun video. Finally, we watched Danielle Wickes and Nealay Patel show us how to make stitched beads. These beaded beauties are perfect for concealing raw ends of SilverSilk or adding an interesting visual element to a jewelry design. Let's enjoy the day and learn how to make jewelry that enriches us and gives us good fortune!
Lunar New Year is a bead mix that was included in our Lunar New Year Design Kit. If you loved this kit, you are going to adore this mix of assorted beads. If you own the kit, this mix is a great way to expand your collection. If you did not purchase the kit, but love the colorway, this is a great way to grab some beads without buying the full kit.
Start the year off with a bang! The Lunar New Year celebrates the beginning of the new year on the lunar calendar. It is an important holiday in China that is steeped in tradition. It is said, once upon a time, there was a terrible beast named Nian. Nian tormented villagers and destroyed their towns. They repelled the demon with a shower of fireworks and spectacle. Nian shrank away as the villagers donned deep red garments and made a clamorous noise. Rather than live in fear, the villagers celebrated the event. Vibrant color and festive fireworks ensured that Nian would never return and joyous life abounded. Celebrate with style!
This year, the Lunar New Year began on February 1st. The animal sign for this year is the Tiger. Tigers are known for their strength and bravery. They are also symbols of good luck. Go into the new year with the confidence of the great Tiger!
You can find this bead mix on our website, exclusively.
Jewelry Making Videos
Follow Us On TikTok And Instagram - Learn How To Craft And Make Jewelry In Just Minutes
Follow us on the web! Our social media sites are loaded with instructional jewelry making videos YouTube and Facebook have a ton of long form videos that will teach you how to make jewelry. You will find in depth discussions on how to use your tools and finish your jewelry on those channels. Our Instagram page and SoftFlexWire@TikTok will teach you how to make jewelry in under a minute. Smash that learning curve and learn a new technique at lightning speed. Instagram Reels and TikTok are great tools for learning something new or finding quick inspiration. If your creativity needs a quick cup of coffee, make sure you visit us for a much needed jolt of crafting caffeine!
Check out our 30 second jewelry tutorials on Soft Flex Company's Instagram Reels! Master a new technique in minutes. These videos move quick but are easy to follow. You will get a sense of how to use your tools and finish your crimps securely. If you need more assistance, make sure you check out our YouTube catalog for deeper dives into jewelry making education. Stand on the shoulders of giants and enhance your jewelry making knowledge in a flash!
Got a minute? Follow us on the Soft Flex TikTok Page! Learn how to make jewelry with a fun soundtrack. Sara is here to show you how to make something amazing in just a minute. This is a great quickie if you need the basics. You can always follow up with more in depth videos on our YouTube channel if you need extra help. Sara has ideas for bead stringing, wire wrapping, and so much more. Learn from a jewelry designer pro at the pace you choose!
Learn How To Make A Mala Necklace for Prosperity
Kristen loves to explore themes and intentions. This necklace was no different. At a glance, it is a stunning piece of jewelry with a cute focal. But that is just the surface. On this episode of Free Spirit Beading, she taught us how to make a mala necklace that is a talisman for prosperity and abundance. This mala meditation necklace is loaded with numbers that some consider sacred and luck bringing. She uses the number six, which can mean good fortune, throughout the design. The focal is a Maneki-Neko, which can invite good luck or fortune, depending on which paw is raised. She uses gemstones that are said to bring positivity and abundance. Even the color of beading wire she used is significant.
Want to explore this lovely harbinger of good fortune and luck, check out Kristen's blog. She goes in depth into what each element of this design means:
How to Make a Prosperity Mala Necklace - DIY with Soft Flex Wire
Want to learn more about how to create an intention bracelet or intention necklace? We have a blog full of thoughts and reference Kristen's amazing creativity as the foundation for learning how to make your own intention jewelry. Check it out!
Intention Jewelry: Make Your Jewelry Tell Your Story
Soft Flex Beading Wire .019 Diameter in Red Coral color
Saturn Beads from Lunar New Year Design Kit
Maneko-Neko Ceramic Cat from Lunar New Year Design Kit
6mm Gemstone Rondelles (Pyrite)
8-10mm Gemstone Rondelle (Citrine)
Size 15 Seed Beads
Tassel
2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Crimping Pliers
Cutters
Live Beading Party With Cassandra Spicer Of Beads To Live By
We love throwing a party! Our first beading party started with the simple thought that meeting over Zoom was a great way to contact friends and share a moment, even as we were in quarantine. We were just settling in to the new normal with the pandemic and longed to see old faces and talk about life. We scheduled a beading party, live on Facebook, with Andrew Thornton of Allegory Gallery. After a fun meeting, the conversation kept going. We discussed how much we missed bead shows. This talk eventually blossomed into The Great Bead Extravaganza.
We have thrown lots of parties since and they have all been insightful and fun. Beading parties are a great way to learn about a new designer or bead store that you never knew was going to be one of your favorites. Learn a new technique, find a great new place to shop, and meet the people that make this industry amazing!
This beading party, we invited Cassandra Spicer to attend and show us how to make jewelry. Cassandra's bead store, Beads to Live By, is a brick and mortar store in Jackson, Michigan. Too far to drive? Well lucky for all of us, Cassandra also sells her inventory online! Check out her site. You can find classes, products, patterns and jewelry making videos. Lots of great stuff in person or the virtual world!
We will be featuring Cassandra in her own beading party spotlight blog in two weeks. We will go in depth and find out more about her business and her creative philosophies. You don't want to miss this fun chance to explore her world. In the meantime, check out her links below and visit her sites.
From Cassandra:
Hi! I'm Cassandra Spicer and I have been working with beads professionally for almost 20 years now. It started as a very part-time job in college, and grew into a full-time career, with my husband and I opening our own store about 8 and 1/2 years ago. We live in a rather small community in Southern Michigan, but are generously supported by so many local beaders, as well as a growing online community. The Soft Flex products are a newer addition to our shop, and while we have really been enjoying working with all of them, the most recently inspiring things include the Craft Wire, colorful options of beading wire, and Magical Crimper / crimp beads.
Cassandra's Links:
Facebook
Instagram
BeadTtoLiveBy.com
Etsy
Marcie Creates: Unboxing The Lunar New Year Jewelry Making Kit
From Marcie Creates:
Please join me as I unbox Soft Flex incredible beads in this gorgeous collection called Lunar New Year ! Between the beautiful Czech glass beads the amazing mix by Jesse James Beads and the really cute lucky cats ……:you can’t go wrong with this kit!
My name is Marcie Hall and I live in North Texas. I am a mixed media artist, jewelry maker, recipe creator and an avid Dachshund Lover (I have two rescues- Ginger and Cha Cha). I have been an artist my whole life. In my early art days, I would create prints, sculpture, ink drawings and oil paintings. About 25 years ago, I started making jewelry after a friend invited me to take an intro class at my local bead shop - I was hooked! I loved everything about jewelry making- the colors, textures and shapes really spoke to me. Soon I was making jewelry for family and friends and then everyone said, “you should sell your jewelry” and Marcie Hall Designs was born.
I recently started a YouTube channel called Marcie Creates to share my passion for beads, jewelry making, mixed media art and cooking. YouTube is a new venture - I am really enjoying it and would love for you to join me!
Visit Marcie's links:
Marcie Creates YouTube Channel
Instagram
Facebook
Facebook Marcie Hall Designs
Misty Ewing: Lunar New Year Jewelry Kit Reveal
From Misty:
I am Misty, 41 year old military wife from Kentucky. I'm a licensed cosmetologist, makeup artist, makeup brand owner, and now a jewelry creator. I started this channel to share makeup and beauty but now that I'm older, my likes have changed. I now want to share all my hobbies and discoveries here. Please join me on my journey learning to silversmith and goldsmith and make semi-precious and precious gemstone jewelry.
Check out Misty's Links:
In Rose's Garden: Lunar New Year Bracelet & Earrings Demonstration
Rosanna Brafford is a talented designer and exciting artist. She has been a part of the Soft Flex Facebook group – VIB for years. We have watched her create a staggering number of new and beautiful jewelry designs over the years. She is always innovating and always trying something unique. We were excited to hear that she is a new Jesse James Beads Design Ambassador and that she is making videos on YouTube. If you are not familiar with her work, you owe it to yourself to subscribe to her channel and follow along on our community. She is sure to inspire you to try a new technique or two!
From Rosanna:
This adorable earrings and bracelet set are made from the beads from my January Soft Flex Company Lunar New Year kit. This set is fun and stylish.
Check out Rosanna's Links:
Sam's Bead Shop: Learn How To Make A Celestial Moon Necklace
From Sam:
Hey y’all! I’m so excited to be leading class today! We are making this celestial inspired necklace, wire components and all!
Shop beads from this necklace
Bead box
If you have never visited Sam's Bead Shop, make sure you check it out! He has a gorgeous collection of beads. You will find a striking collection of gemstones and a delicious mix of Czech Glass. If you need to restock your beading supplies, you can do that too! It is a fun little one stop shop. If you would like to subscribe to his Monthly Bead Box, that is an easy way to save money on a bundle of beads and goodies.
Learn a more about this young business owner from our first beading party with him. We think he is going to be a creative force in this industry for decades to come! Catch this rising star early.
Sam's links:
Website
Bead Box
Join our text list for LIVE alerts!
Gem Chat
VIP group
YouTube
Star's Beads: Creating With Clay - Bead With Me!
From Kay:
Bead with Me: Happy Monday! Creating with clay today. Reviewing the basics on crimps, wire guards, and crimp covers. Sally and Shannon of Sunroom Studios sent MORE of their gorgeous work. PLUS get your dibs on the Valentine's Day box from Kay's new brand, Beadorea! For those that ordered the Love Yourself Valentine's Day Kit, be sure we have your email. Message the Star's Beads FB page or you may miss out! I am putting a post in our group with this list. Please confirm your name. www.facebook.com/groups/starsbeadsspecialdestash
Join Kay for Bead with Me!
Need something to do? Do something creative! Check out Kay’s new series Bead with Me to get you inspired. Get free video tutorials, design tips, and product highlights to keep you creating!
Bead with Me is a LIVE broadcast designed to offer inspiration with free video tutorials, guest artists, project tips, product highlights plus custom kits and care packages to make your designs uniquely you!
Airing Monday thru Thursday on FB Live
Visit Kay's links:
Beadorea
Star's Clasps
Facebook
Pinterest
Danielle Wickes & Nealay Patel: Learn How To Make Beaded Bead Caps For SilverSilk Capture Chain
Designer and instructor Danielle Wickes will show you, stitch-by-stitch, how to cleverly hide raw ends of Capture Chain with stitched beads.
Nealay Patel
Nealay Patel is the owner of SilverSilk & More. SilverSilk is a knitted wire jewelry chain. But, it is like no other jewelry chain out in the craft market. SilverSilk is made by many tiny latch-hook needles that spin around with wire, intricately machine-stitching the wire into an elegant yet strong and supple knitted wire chain. This knitted wire stitchwork offers the crafter new and unusual ways to use it. You can string large-hole beads on it, sew through it, wire-wrap it, glue it, put it in resin or just leave it as a draped jewelry chain. We love SilverSilk chain, it is the perfect complement to Soft Flex Craft Wire or beading wire. These beading elements can be interwoven and wire wrapped into exciting new jewelry. Design something elegant and rich today with these two stringing options. Your finished jewelry will look like you bought it from a high end gallery!
Be sure to mark your calendars for every Tuesday, 5:30pm CST and hop over to facebook.com/groups/silversilk to watch Nealay's videos live and ask questions.
Nealay's channel is dedicated to learning how to make high quality jewelry with SilverSilk with an emphasis on design. You can follow his journey here:
www.instagram.com/silversilkandmore
www.facebook.com/silversilkandmore
Or join his Silkies group and be a part of the conversation
www.facebook.com/groups/silversilk
Material Sources:
www.silversilkonline.com for SilverSilk Capture Chain
www.softflexcompany.com for beading wire and tools
www.samsbeadshop.com for Rondelle beads
www.Michaels.com Michaels Craft Stores for John Bead Czech Seed Beads and SuperDuo Beads
DanielleWickes.Etsy.com for mini-kits
Danielle Wickes
Danielle Wickes is an incredible artisan. Her jewelry is imaginative and wonderful. She is the kind of designer that shows us how to innovate and stretch our imagination. Danielle is a jewelry designer and a content creator for John Bead. She is also a teacher for Michael's, you can find her weekly classes on Michael's website.
Visit Danielle's links:
DanielleWickesJewelry.com
DanielleWickes.Etsy.com
Blog.JohnBead.com
Michaels.com/classes
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!
Visit the Soft Flex Company YouTube Channel!
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