Do you believe in magic? Today we are conjuring up some enchanting jewelry making ideas. Jesse James Beads collaborated with Soft Flex and SilverSilk for their latest bead collection. It is a magical selection for young wizards and old. Are you a Brave Lion, Cunning Snake, Loyal Badger, or a Wise Raven? Which house of magic do you identify with? Show the colors of your crest with pride! We will look at these mystical sets of beads and show you how to cast a spell!
We shared some time with Sarah James of Jesse James Beads last week. We gathered our crystal balls and cast ourselves into a rousing beading party. No incantations or illusions this time. We just made powerful jewelry. If you like books and movies about a certain boy wizard, you are going to adore the newest offerings from Jesse James Beads. We will show you how to make magnificent necklaces fit for warlocks and wizards of any house of magic!
School Of Magic Featuring Soft Flex!
Meet The Wizards At Soft Flex Company
Sara, Kristen, and James are the stars of our jewelry making videos. These talented designers can be found on our Facebook videos and YouTube channel. If you need to learn a new craft or just want to make some spellbinding bracelets - these talented artists can show you how to make jewelry in easy-to-follow-along videos.
Head Girl Sara is our enchantress of great jewelry. She has enraptured us with her amazing collection of jewelry talents. Her bewitching presence has lead us to knitting, weaving, stitching and experimenting with beading wire in ways that were once only known in the dark arts. If you want to be inspired, you can be sure the seeds of creativity will germinate and blossom as you visit her vast video collection. Become a head master of jewelry making with Sara!
Head Girl Kristen is a divine fairy of free spirits. She has held conference with the imps and mischievous poltergeists. She will not allow their prankster nature to ruin a good jewelry design idea. If the unquiet spirits kink and flaw her work, she accepts their playful troubles as part of her journey. Learn how to be a professional designer without being a hard perfectionist with Kristen!
Head Boy James is our sorcerer of wire working. He has honed his craft and commands Soft Flex Craft Wire to bend and form at his will. James has a wide range of instructive videos that will teach you how to wire wrap. You will learn how to create alluring jewelry with wire. You will learn how to make handcrafted findings and so much more. Master the arts of metal with James!
Jesse James Bead's School Of Magic Featuring Soft Flex Beading Wire
There is magic in all of us. Some of us were intuitive children. Some of us had our charms and incantations. We were all little wizards, once. As we grow and shed our childish dreams, we quit fostering the spirit of magic. We lost our fascination with things unseen and do the 'adult' things we are supposed to do. It is never too late to break the rules and embrace the mysticism and romance of wizardry. Remember what it was to be a young child. Remember what it was to walk in a world of unlimited possibilities. Let's return to the School of Magic!
School Of Magic Bead Bundle In Loyal Badger
You are kind, a lover of animals and plants, practice hard work and loyalty. The Sorting Hat knows best... you must be HUFFFFFLEPUFF!
This School of Magic BADGER bead bundle features both the bead mix and strand in Loyal Badger as well as a special gift box featuring your house crest and collectable card.
Pair this bundle with Soft Flex Magical Duo In Loyal Badger. Each duo includes two 10 foot spools of wire. Flexible and versatile, Soft Flex Beading Wire is a favorite of beaders everywhere! Use this neutral color for nearly any project.
School Of Magic Bead Bundle In Brave Lion
You have courage, bravery and nerve...the Sorting Hat has decided... must be... GRRRRRYFINDOR! Your School of Magic colors are red and gold - bold, just like you!
This School of Magic LION bead bundle features both the bead mix and strand in Brave Lion as well as a special gift box featuring your house crest and collectable card.
Pair this bundle with Soft Flex Magical Duo In Brave Lion. This bold duo is ready to roar! Each duo includes a 10 foot spool of citrine and a 10 foot spool of garnet. Flexible and versatile, Soft Flex Beading Wire is a favorite of beaders everywhere!
School Of Magic Bead Bundle In Wise Raven
You are intelligent...and demonstrate great creativity and wit. You love to learn. Hmm... the Sorting Hat knows best, you must be... RAAAAVENCLAW!
This School of Magic RAVEN bead bundle features both the bead mix and strand in Wise Raven as well as a special gift box featuring your house crest and collectable card.
Pair this bundle with Soft Flex Magical Duo In Wise Raven. Play it smart with this bold duo of Soft Flex wire. Each duo includes a 10 foot spool of Dark Blue Lapis and a 10foot spool of Satin Silver. Flexible and versatile, Soft Flex Beading Wire is a favorite of beaders everywhere!
School Of Magic Bead Bundle In Cunning Snake
Ambitious... cunning and great leadership skills. Hmmm, you must be an excellent candidate for SLLLYYYTHERIN!
This School of Magic SNAKE bead bundle features both the bead mix and strand in Cunning Snake as well as a special gift box featuring your house crest and collectable card.
Pair this bundle with Soft Flex Magical Duo In Cunning Snake. Each due includes a 10 foot spool of emerald and a 10 foot spool of peridot. Flexible and versatile, Soft Flex Beading Wire is a favorite of beaders everywhere! Use this neutral color for nearly any project.
SilverSilk School Of Magic Chain
A colorful School of Magic needs a brilliant sparkle! SilverSilk Capture Chain is made by knitting six 36-gauge, permanently enameled, non-tarnish wires over a 2mm ball chain to create a 3mm knitted wire cord. The ball chain provides structure, while the knitted wire adds beauty and intricacy. Our single-, double- or triple-strand custom-designed end caps, located in the Findings section, provide a polished finish to the ends of this knitted wire.
Jesse James Bead's School Of Magic Featuring Soft Flex!
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble.
~ William Shakespeare
Join our rousing beading party. We wanted to have an enchanted evening with friends. In this time of social distancing, our wizards are waving their wands and exploring other means to gather the conflagration. Spend some time with us and learn some magical new talents. Sarah James shows off the latest collection from Jesse James Beads. We catch up and discuss all things jewelry. And then Head Girl Kristen teaches us how to make a necklace worthy of the most Cunning Snake. If your house is that of the serpent, you need to see how amazing and easy her design is to craft.
The School of Magic is in session!
Head Girl Kristen showed off her selection of School of Magic beads. Kristen was sorted into the House of The Wise Raven. A perfect fit for her. The traits and wisdom of the raven house speaks to her. She joined the sage ranks of the raven with not a second thought and embraced intelligence, creativity, and wit - like a raven true! On this day, brave Kristen decided she wanted to create a necklace fit for the Cunning Snake. Although she is not part of that house, the earthy green is certainly something she loves to explore. What a great gift for the Cunning Snake in her life!
Sarah James loved the necklace. Head Girl Sarah always felt her heart was with the slinking serpent. She felt she must be in the House of the Cunning Snake. She was underwhelmed when the Sorting Hat showed her that she was, in fact, a Wise Raven. And that she could not retake the test. Sarah accepted her fate. But she will always be a Cunning Snake at heart.
The House of the Cunning Snake is full of greens and teals. Kristen used some SilverSilk Capture Chain to add some character to her jewelry. She made a snaking and looping design around her beads. It was truly a necklace fit for a wily asp!
SilverSilk is so fun! Use it to create a minimal design. Add a bead or two. Add a focal. Or, slink it around your beads playfully, like this necklace Kristen made. She got the idea from watching Nealay work his magic. The way the SilverSilk loops around is serpentine and wonderful. The knitted wire looks so intricate and amazing.
Look at these wonderful beads. Regardless of the house you are sorted into or identify with, there is a bead collection available at Jesse James Beads that will speak to you! Pair your beads with Soft Flex Beading Wire and SilverSilk and you have a wonderful piece of themed jewelry.
Unleash the captivating power of your School of Magic. Make a necklace with the magnetic colors of your House. Are you a Cunning Snake? Do you have the intelligence of the Wise Raven? Are you a fearless Brave Lion? Are you a hard working Loyal Badger? we would love to see your School of Magic jewelry. Post your finished work on our VIB Facebook group and show your house pride!
If you enjoyed this video and want to explore Jesse James Beads, make sure you check out the site. There are individual items and bead collections. You can also subscribe to a monthly themed design kit. Magical Mystery Bead Boxes start at $45.95 for one month. If you subscribe for a longer period, you save money. A 12 month subscription is $32.48 per box.
Head Girl Kristen is a secret Cunning Snake, methinks. Look how perfect this collection of green and teal highlights the glamorous color of her eyes. This Wise Raven is certainly a shape shifter!
Learn How To Make A Necklace Fit For A Brave Lion
Head Girl Sara is a Brave Lion. She wanted to make a necklace as strong and as courageous as her fellow Brave Lions. Sara gave us a tour of what a School of Magic collection looks like. She unboxed her kit and showed us what came inside. She is a kind wizard and even saved a collection of Wise Raven beads for Head Boy James. James is going to love his alluring mix of beads!
Look at the stunning reds and golds in this colorful collection. Citrine and Garnet colors of Soft Flex Beading Wire are great highlights. You can use the wire as a pair in a multi-strand necklace design or use a single strand. Wonderful Citrine is also a great Halloween color. The soft orange is excellent for a haunting addition to any All Hallow's Eve design.
Would you like to learn how to turn an ordinary beads into a mystical focal? Sara works her magic with Soft Flex Craft Wire for this spellbinding design. She uses a small length of 18 gauge Craft Wire to wrap a bead, that bead becomes the connector that bridges a lightning charm to her necklace. If you have chain nose pliers and round nose pliers in your beading supplies, this is an easy to accomplish task after watching this video.
Head Girl Sara also shows you how to use Magical Crimping Pliers in this video. Magical Crimpers are similar to regular crimpers. They both allow you to crimp a bead on to a jewelry design to secure and finish the piece. Either pair of crimpers are fine for a design. Regular Crimping Pliers fold and secure the crimp. Magical Crimping Pliers round a crimp tube into a small round bead. Magical Crimpers remove the need for a crimp cover. Your finished crimps look like beautiful beads. If you need to learn basic crimping instructions, make sure you visit the bottom of the blog for more in depth crimping links and videos. If crimping has you pulling out your hair, make sure you email us. We can answer any design questions you have - info@softflexcompany.com - will get you a quick response.
This necklace is a stunning talisman for any Brave Lion. Wear your new jewelry with pride. A confident lions roar will resonant even longer with this amazing design!
Learn How To Crimp With Head Girl Sara
Elevate yourself from the muggles that do not know how to finish a crimp. Not every wizard is privy to the knowledge of how to finish a necklace with crimp beads and a clasp. But Head Girl Sara is here to give you some alluring instructions. This easy to follow video will show you the basics you need to design and finish a piece of enchanting jewelry. If this video puts you down the path, but you still need further assistance, we have a gallery of magical videos on our YouTube channel. In this in depth video, Sara discusses wire diameters, crimping, and more. Make sure you check it out if you are new to our favorite hobby!
One easy way to practice crimping is to get a small piece of wire. Two or three inches is perfect. Grab a couple of crimps. Crimp the wire until you are comfortable. You will be wasting some crimps, but learning how to finish a piece securely will ensure that your finished designs will not need to be restrung. Better to practice and fail now when it does not matter.
Make sure you check out our crimping instructions, here:
Regular Crimping Pliers
Crimping pliers are a must if you want to finish your jewelry like a professional. Once you master your crimping pliers, every crimp is uniform and secure. Trying to smash your crimps with a pair of regular pair of pliers means your crimps will be irregular and prone to slipping. Crimping pliers allow for your design to be secure with a crimp bead that looks and feels smooth.
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