What a wonderful week it was! We celebrated Kit Day on Wednesday - our favorite company holiday! We learned how to make wire wrapped rings. Sara uploaded some fun Instagram Reels showing how to make earrings with Soft Flex wire. We watched Joyce from Just Bead It, she had a fantastic bracelet tutorial. This week was jam packed with free online jewelry courses. If you would like to be inspired, you need to check out this video recap. Let's learn how to make jewelry!
Learn a new craft in under a minute! Sara uploaded 30 second Instagram Reels showing how to make earrings. Learn how to make a wire wrapped ring with a mandrel. Kristen shows you how. Even if you have never learned how to work with Craft Wire, this is an easy video to follow. Watch Sara unbox our Pretty as a Peacock Design Kit and learn how to string a beaded necklace. Nealay shows you how to wire wrap SilverSilk and Craft Wire to make a ring that is fun and full of texture. Finally, choose your own adventure, learn how to make a bracelet that allows you to use multiple patterns and colorways.
Pretty as a Peacock Trios Special Beading Wire Collection
Strut your stuff! Pretty as a Peacock Trios Special Beading Wire Collection (Peridot, Turquoise, Dark Blue Lapis) is a celebration of the prettiest pheasants. This beautiful bird drags a train of vivid color and then fans it's feathers to show off and strut about. This elegant display of iridescence is their way to court and find an appreciative mate. If you are as entranced by this gorgeous bird as we are, you are going to love this glowing mix of colorful beading wire.
Trios Color Wire Sets let you apply color theory to your next design.
Jewelry Making Videos
Learn How To Make Jewelry In 30 Seconds
Learn a new jewelry making technique in lightspeed time!
Check out these 30 second earring design tutorials on Soft Flex Company's Instagram Reels! Sara has been creating quick weekly demonstrations on Instagram Reels and we would love for you to join the fun. Follow our page to see them all!
How to Make a Rose Bead Ring with Soft Flex Craft Wire
This week on Free Spirit Beading, Kristen showed us how to make wire worked jewelry. If you have never used Craft Wire, you should add some to your collection. Craft Wire is easy to work with and once you start getting the hang of it, there are so many ways to use it in your handmade jewelry designs. Craft Wire can frame and cage beads. Craft Wire can be looped and chained. Craft Wire can even be turned into ornaments for your favorite holidays.
Would you like to learn how to wire wrap a ring? Handcrafted rings made with Soft Flex Craft Wire are easy to make. Each ring has a million possibilities - change up the color of the wire or beads and you have a new masterpiece. To truly master this art, you will want to get a ring mandrel. You can use a homemade mandrel, but a ring mandrel will provide consistent sizes for your finished jewelry.
Join Kristen LIVE! She films a new episode of her jewelry making tutorial show on Soft Flex Company's Facebook page or YouTube channel on Monday's.
From Kristen:
My experience is that if you are using a mandrel like I did, the final design seemed to be one step smaller when finished than where I started. So, I suggest try making it one step larger and it should end up smaller once wrapped.
Soft Flex Craft Wire - 20 Gauge
Soft Flex Craft Wire - 20 Gauge Silver Plated
Rose Bead from Jesse James Beads
Ring Mandrel from The Bead Place
Nylon Jaw Pliers
Chain Nose Pliers
Tool Magic
Cutters
Sara Unboxes Our Pretty As A Peacock Design Kit
It's Kit Day! Did you buy our Pretty as a Peacock Design Kit (Sold Out)? The name of this kit was playful. But the contents inside were rich and elegant. You are are going to love the stunning colors and findings. Sara unboxed this design kit on Wednesday and made a gorgeous necklace, live on Facebook. If you missed out on this beautiful kit, make sure you purchase our latest - the Egg Hunt Design Kit. All of our kits are limited in inventory and full of rare and unique items. Don't miss out! You can open your kit when you receive it or you can wait for Sara to unbox the kit at the end of the month and make the design she makes.
If you enjoyed the necklace Sara designed, make sure you check out our latest Instagram Reels. Sara shows you how to make earrings that are a perfect complement to this lovely beaded necklace.
Don't miss out on Kit Day. It is a day when we announce our newest kit (this month is our Egg Hunt Design Kit). We reveal last month's kit - Pretty as a Peacock. And we publish a blog that features finished designs from our Facebook VIB group. Our VIB community is full of amazing artists and creators. Each designer shows off the jewelry they made from our kit. Everybody started with the same supplies and you get to see how wonderfully different each artist's jewelry designs turn out to be.
Our design kits are fantastic. Inside is everything you need to create a big assortment of jewelry. Each kit is themed. They make great gifts and they make it easy to restock beading supplies. To finish jewelry with your kit, all you need are the most basic jewelry tools - Crimping Pliers and Cutters. Share a design kit with a loved one! Facetime or Zoom and make jewelry together.
Pretty as a Peacock Design Kit (Sold Out)
Soft Flex Beading Wire, .019 Diameter in Dark Blue Lapis
2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Magical Crimping Pliers
Cutters
How to make SilverSilk Rings
Fate moved Kristen and Nealay to create similar jewelry designs this week. Great minds think alike! Kristen showed us how to use Craft Wire and beads to make handcrafted rings. Nealay adds his twist - SilverSilk micro mesh. His hollow mesh chain is perfect for creating a fun little rose on a ring, beads give the rose character. Such a cute design!
From Nealay:
Create one-of-a-kind rings using 26- & 20-gauge wire and SilverSilk micro mesh, all embellished with a fun colorful seed bead mix. There are a number of ways you can alter the look of the ring with a few simple ideas. Join me in this make-a-long and see how!
SilverSilk Micro Mesh
Soft Flex Craft Wire - 26 Gauge
Soft Flex Craft Wire Silver Plated - 26 Gauge
Soft Flex Craft Wire - 20 Gauge
Soft Flex Craft Wire Silver Plated - 20 Gauge
Beads
Wubbers Shaped Mandrel Pliers or a Ring Mandrel
Cutters
Round Nose Pliers
Chain Nose Pliers
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
Adventure 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.
If you like bracelets, you will love Joyce's latest jewelry making video. Follow the video 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 Fine .014 Soft Touch Beading Wire. Support her business and buy your Soft Flex products from her Etsy shop!
Etsy link to purchase this bead kit: Choose Your Own Adventure Bracelet Bead Kit for DIY Bracelet
From Joyce:
Over the weekend we offered a “Choose Your Own Adventure” project with a choice of multiple pattern ideas using the brand new Sueded Gold colors of fire polished and two hole beads and Soft Touch beading wire. This fun and versatile design easily beads up for a single, double or triple wrap around bracelet.
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