We were in Tucson this week. If you missed our fun jewelry making videos, we will be back to our normal schedule next week. We cannot wait to tell you about the gem and bead shows we visited and share our experiences. Make sure you check out our Facebook and YouTube pages for the full rundown! We still wanted to share the fun jewelry demonstrations our friends filmed with our themed design kits and beading supplies. If you have never checked out our kits, this recap will give you an idea of what to expect when you buy one. If you own a pair of crimping pliers and cutters, a single kit will give you the opportunity to make a bunch of jewelry. Our kits make great gifts and are perfect for restocking your supplies. Learn more in our recap!

Make sure you visit us next week. We will be sharing everything we saw in Tucson. If you are unfamiliar, the jewelry world converges on the desert city every year. Exhibitors across the globe come to sell their gemstones and beads and announce the latest in tools for jewelry making. The entire city essentially becomes a bead store as hotels, convention centers, and public spaces become selling grounds. It is quite the spectacle!

If you would live to learn more about the big shows, visit our blog. The Tucson tag will highlight blogs about the city.

This week, we watched our friends making jewelry with our kits. We saw designers using  Soft Flex Beading Wire in fun and creative ways. Kay Goss discussed her online bead store, Beadorea, and showed us a gorgeous bracelet tutorial. Marcie Creates started on a beading marathon and showed us how to make two necklaces with Soft Flex wire. Rosanna Brafford made a sweet necklace with our Chocolate Kiss Design Kit. Aleshia, from Beadifulnights, unboxed our Make-A-Wish Design Kit (Sold Out) and gave us a fun jewelry demonstration, you are going to love her necklace. Stephanie Garrett showed off the finished jewelry she made with our Make-A-Wish kit. Beki Ward showed us how to make hoop earrings with twisted wire and beads. Brittany Chavers, of Turquoise.Street, showed us to make a jewelry set with Make-A-Wish kit beading supplies. Finally, Monica Dockery at Sparkle by Monica, unboxed the Make-A-Wish kit and gave us her thoughts on the contents. She also pledged to make a donation to the wonderful institute that inspired the kit - thank you, Monica! It was a great week for jewelry inspiration!

Jewelry Making Videos

Tucson Sneak Preview: A Gathering Of Amazing Artists And Wonderful Friends!

Visiting and selling at Tucson gem and jewelry shows was a Soft Flex Company tradition. For almost twenty years, the crew would load up the van with cargo. Employees would say goodbye to their families. We would rent a bunch of hotel rooms. And we would fill our booths with the World's Best Beading Wire! We didn't settle for one show. We worked booths at two shows. Some of us spent almost one month out of the year at the shows. It was truly a spectacle to behold. Words do not do this amazing city justice when it becomes a massive bead store. Everything changed when the global pandemic arrived. But the world is bouncing back.

This year, Sara and Kristen headed to Tucson to become personal shoppers. If you were one of the lucky people to buy our Viva Magenta & Unique Finds Collection, you basically hired Sara to do your Tucson shopping for you. She is curating a collection of beads based on Pantone's Color of the Year. The collection will not be a single color, but a colorway that is enhanced by the beauty of Pantone's color.

Look at the amazing people Sara and Kristen bumped into at the shows!

Back row (from left to right): Nealay Patel (SilverSilk), Cynthia Thornton (Green Girl Studios), Sara Oehler (Soft Flex Company), Andrew Thornton (Allegory Gallery), Azalea Thornton, (Green Girl Studios).

Front row (from left to right): Kellie Sutton (Kellie’s Bead Boutique), Kristen Fagan (Soft Flex Company), Candie Cooper (Nostalgica), Kate Richbourg (Kate Richbourg Jewelry).

Sara Oehler (Soft Flex Company) and Kristen Fagan (Soft Flex Company).

Fred Flintstone (SilverSilk) and Wilma Flintstone (Soft Flex Company).

Sara Oehler (Soft Flex Company), Kristen Fagan (Soft Flex Company), and Danielle Wickes (John Bead).

Sara Oehler (Soft Flex Company), Kellie Sutton (Kellie’s Bead Boutique), and Kristen Fagan (Soft Flex Company).

Kristen Fagan (Soft Flex Company), Sara Oehler (Soft Flex Company), and Brittany Chavers (Brittany Chavers Studio).

Andrew Thornton (Allegory Gallery), Sara Oehler (Soft Flex Company), Cynthia Thornton (Green Girl Studios), and Kristen Fagan (Soft Flex Company).

Nealay Patel (SilverSilk), Jill Wiseman (Jill Wiseman Designs), and Sara Oehler (Soft Flex Company).

Star's Beads: Bracelet Tutorial And New Beadorea Products

Click the image above to view video or click  HERE.

Marcie Creates: Valentine Jewelry Making Marathon

Rosanna Brafford: How To Make A Necklace With The Chocolate Kiss Kit

Beadifulnights: Make-A-Wish Unboxing And Necklace Tutorial

Stephanie Garrett Creative: Finished Jewelry Designs From The Make-A-Wish Kit

Click the image above to view video or click  HERE.

Beki Ward: Twisted Wire Hoop Earrings With Make-A-Wish Kit

Turquoise.Street: Make-A-Wish Jewelry Set

Sparkle by Monica: Make-A-Wish Kit Unboxing

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