You know what we miss? Parties! And friends... And making jewelry with friends... But we are not letting COVID get us down. We have found ways to celebrate and enjoy hobby/crafts with friends, even as we stay socially distant. We are holding beading parties and inviting our friends and community members to join us. Galentine's Day is almost here. Join us for a beading party. Make a friendship bracelet for your gal pal bestie! Let's stay social - even if we have to do it from the comfort of our couch!
We had a blast this week! We have so many videos to share with you. We were very busy bees! Kristen showed us how to make a macrame bracelet. Soft Flex wire is perfect for micro macrame jewelry designs! We caught up with Sarah James from Jesse James Beads and had an early morning beading session. Grab some coffee and join the fun! Sara made a pretty Valentine's bracelet. We threw a beading party with Sam Siegel from Sam's Bead Shop - and we learned about his store. And we are featuring a bracelet we love from Joyce Trowbridge of Just Bead It. Joyce made this bracelet on one of our previous parties. We think you will adore it. Share it with your best friend on Valentine's Day! Let's make some jewelry!
Pink Rhodochrosite
Check out our new curated color selections. Our first curated color batch is a mix of beads, gemstones, and beading wire. Pink Rhodochrosite was hand selected and approved by Kristen Fagan. Our free spirited designer has a keen eye for color. To celebrate the love in the air this season, she gathered some of our sweet pink bead finds into one curated color category for you. Color match this cute color with our Pink Rhodochrosite beading wire.
Jewelry Making Videos
How to Make a Mixed Metal Square Knot Macramé Bracelet with Soft Flex
This week on Free Spirit Beading, Kristen showed us how to make a macrame bracelet using Soft Flex wire. Soft Flex is constructed out of marine quality stainless steel. Despite the fact that our wire is manufactured with such a sturdy metal, it is exceptionally flexible. It drapes like thread. It is an incredible beading wire that is meant to be shown on designs and can be used for projects that require knotting and braiding. If you want to learn how to make macrame jewelry with beading wire, you are in for a treat. This video is easy to follow and you will be learning how to knot your macrame designs in no time.
For this video, Kristen used our Mini Macrame Board. This board is wonderful for holding your work in place as you knot it. The board is made to withstand punishment. If your wire project digs into the notches and widens them, or if you poke the board with head pins and needles, it will 'heal' itself. Beading cord and thread are a no match for this fabulous tool.
Bead Mix (Metallic Sparkles)
Soft Flex Beading Wire, .019 Diameter in Antique Brass Color
Mini Macrame Board
Clasp
2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Magical Crimping Pliers
Cutters
Learn How to Make Galentine's Jewelry For Your Gal Pal
We are not the lovesick little puppies we were in our youth! Sure, we love romantic whispers, warm hugs, and quiet time with our sweethearts. But we are more practical now. Valentine's Day was fun for the little kid in us. But today, we have friends and loved ones that we would like to celebrate, too. Let's learn how to make Valentine's jewelry for our best friends. Give your bestie a gift that shows how much they mean to you. Handmade jewelry is the perfect way to tell your friend that they are an inseparable part of your life and they are amazing.
It is easy to make professional jewelry at home. You do not have to be a jewelry designer. Watching our videos is a great way to brush up on jewelry making techniques if you are a beginner. Sara shows us how to make an easy pair of earrings and a bracelet with very little muss and fuss. A couple of tools (Crimping Pliers and Cutters), beads, and wire is all you need to have in your beading supplies. As your skillset improves, you can add more specialized tools.
Metallic Sparkles Bead Mix (or your own selection)
Soft Flex Beading Wire, .019 Diameter in Pink Rhodochrosite
Clasp
2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Magical Crimping Pliers
Cutters
If you are going to expose your wire on your bracelet, make sure you choose a color that you love. We have fiery reds and delicate pinks, if you are making Valentine's jewelry. We have a spectrum of other stunning colors if you want to make jewelry for other occasions. If you love Pantone color, make sure you check out our Ultimate Gray and Illuminating color matched wire. Ultimate Gray and Illuminating are Pantone's Color(s) of the Year!
Earrings are super easy to string with our versatile wire. Check out our Trios Beading Wire Collections if you want to add a rainbow of color beading wire to your beading supplies. Trios are packages of three color spools. Each spool is ten feet long. The idea is that you can purchase a themed color batch for nearly the same price you would spend on a single thirty foot spool of color. Check out our free beading project ideas for more earring options!
Color Theory! Matching Beads With Soft Flex Beading Wire
This was our earliest bead show ever! We are definitely not morning people. But we could not pass up the chance to spend some quality time with Sarah James from Jesse James Beads. If you want to share the moment with us, make sure you watch this one early. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy beading over breakfast.
We looked at color matching in this video. At Soft Flex Company, we think it is important to make every element of jewelry design part of the aesthetic. If you are going to string something amazing, every part of your necklace should be a unifying whole. Don't settle for bland, lifeless wire when you can color match your wire to the beads or theme you are stringing. We have wire that comes in a vivid palette of color matched tones. We have Fluorite color, if you are working with a green theme. We have Purple Amethyst, if your jewelry is vibrant and mystical. We have Copper, if you are stringing antique findings or Southwestern jewelry. Show your color!
Renewal is in the air! Verdant green is the world reborn - after a cold, stark winter. It is never to early to start stringing a bracelet for spring. Pair it with an easy to make earring design.
Black Onyx is elegance defined. This cool color never goes out of style. Black is a lovely foundation for gold and glittering metals. Black is a solid color contrast against playful gemstone palettes. Black is a rich accompanying tone with earthy and amber tones. This color is a workhorse. Make sure you add some to your collection.
We hope you have fun watching this video. Waking up to beads is better than racing to silence a screaming alarm clock! We might have to consider beading before work a new tradition. Breakfast soothes our bellies and puts us in the mindset for a great day. Beading could ignite our creativity and make us more productive. It is never to early to get inspired.
Live Beading Party With Sam From Sam's Bead Shop
Beading party! We spent some time with Sam Siegel from Sam's Bead Shop, this week. Sam is a young business owner/ entrepreneur. He is the youngest business owner we have featured on our Beading Parties. Way to go, Sam! He is fresh out of college and running his business full time. Make sure you visit his links. Every small business needs our attention during this crisis. Let's give this young man a chance to excel!
Sam began his love of beads at an early age. Around 2012, he found some gold toned buttons at a store or depot. He was drawn to these beads. We can all relate. A handful of beads or buttons that draws us in as the world shrinks around us - our brains focusing and grasping the beauty. There is a gravity to the moment when you find a bunch of your favorite new beads. At thirteen years old, he started selling these buttons that had captivated him. And now, fate has him running his own bead store. Who would have guessed that a passing moment in a store would turn into a life long obsession?
We love beading parties. They are a great way to spend time with old friends or meet new ones. With quarantine and social distancing, conference software, like Zoom, have enabled us to stay connected - even as we stay away from each other. Just because we are being hermits, for the greater good of our fellow beaders, doesn't mean that we don't want to socialize and enjoy jewelry.
Start a beading party of your own. Facetime with a friend or loved one and start a project together. Don't let quarantine be your whole world. Share your life online until we are beyond the threat of a global pandemic. Involve your children or grandchildren. Making jewelry and having fun with crafts and hobby goodies is a great way to stimulate a young mind. A youngster that loves to be creative is going to grow into a thoughtful and wise adult!
Visit our blog Wednesday, January 20th. We will take a deeper look at Sam and Sam's Bead Shop. Our beading party blogs are a great way to learn about a favorite business or explore a designer that you may have not heard about. We spotlight bead stores and designers that we know you will love. Follow our social media if you want to stay up to date with upcoming beading parties or events.
Braided Bliss Bracelet - Just Bead It Free Facebook Live Virtual Beading Class
Joyce Trowbridge is the owner of Just Bead It. Just Bead It was a local bead store that operated in Concord, California. Joyce ran her bead store for seventeen wonderful years. Unfortunately, her business was one of millions that failed when hurricane COVID crashed into us. Joyce did not throw in the towel, though. Even if her brick and mortar store was gone, she knew she could maintain an active bead store, online. She is transitioning her catalog of jewelry supplies and beads to her website and Etsy store. She is also taking the classes that she offered in Northern California to a virtual space. You can attend her jewelry making courses on Facebook. You can purchase a kit and make jewelry with her. If you miss a class, you can download the PDF and make the design on your own time.
We thought this design was stunning. Follow the video above and the images below and make one of your own. If you would like to participate in a class, check the Just Bead It
event calendar. For this design, she used Medium .019 Soft Flex Beading Wire. Support her business and buy your kit and wire from her Etsy shop!
Visit Joyce's Links:
More than beads and supplies, Just Bead It is known for classes. They currently hold virtual beading classes most Saturdays at 2pm PST. Catch them on Facebook Live.
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