Did you attend the big online bead show last weekend? The Great Bead Extravaganza was a blast. There were so many creative jewelry making demonstrations and sales. Today we will show you what we made during the world's biggest virtual bead show. If you missed the live event or would just like to revisit some of the videos, make sure you swing by the GBE Facebook page. Check out our blog next week for a look back at the show. We will have all of the links and exhibitors in one easy to find spot. If you love DIY jewelry, you are going to enjoy this recap. We have some fun unboxings and design ideas for you. Let's make jewelry!
The Great Bead Extravaganza has returned! This time, the theme was a Midsummer Market. Historically, this would have been the time for Bead and Button in Milwaukee. We all miss Milwaukee and the excitement of that lovely show. There were so many great deals, classes, and excitement. We think the Great Bead Extravaganza is a wonderful way to honor the fun we had at that show. Sara and Kristen's GBE segment featured our Great Bead Extravaganza Midsummer Market Lakeside Design Kit (Sold Out), another nod to Milwaukee. You are going to love the jewelry they made for the event. Sara explored the Lakeside Kit further later in the week. She made a gorgeous bracelet and matching earrings. Sarah James, from Jesse James Beads, unboxed our Renewal Design Kit (Sold Out) and gave us her thoughts on the contents. Finally, we watched Nealay make some magic with SilverSilk Capture Chain and Soft Flex Craft Wire.
Check out our Summer Vacation category!
Our Summer Vacation category is loaded with tools, themes, and lakeside colorways. Celebrate summer with vivid nautical colors. Find the tools and component we used for our GBE jewelry demos. Grab a Make-Along jewelry kit and check out our jewelry presentations. You are going to be equipped to become a better jewelry designer!
Jewelry Making Videos
Learn How To Make Jewelry In 30 Seconds
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. Become a better beader today!
Soft Flex Company's Jewelry Making Demonstration For The Great Bead Extravaganza
The Great Bead Extravaganza Midsummer Market is here! Sara and Kristen joined forces for a fun jewelry demonstration. They also discussed some of the exciting deals and products on our shelves. When we film our GBE segments, we like to show people the products we love. Soft Flex Beading Wire and our design kits make jewelry making easy. We have exciting colorways and imaginative themes.
Kristen unboxed our Milwaukee themed Great Bead Extravaganza Midsummer Market Lakeside Design Kit (Sold Out). It is full of vivid nautical colors and beads. We miss the days of Bead and Button and the rush of getting ready for the big bead show. After an exciting day of selling beads, buying beads, and going to classes, there was nothing better than a dinner near the lake with friends. If you love the quiet reflection and stirring colors of a summer moment at the lake, you will love this kit.
Sara showed off some items from our Summer Vacation collection. Head over to our Summer Vacation category if you want to shop for beading supplies that celebrate summer. This colorful curated collection is full of affordably priced beads, findings, and tools.
The Great Bead Extravaganza Midsummer Market Lakeside Design Kit (Sold Out)
Lakeside Bead Mixes
Beads from our Summer Vacation collection
Soft Flex Beading Wire, .019 Diameter in Dark Blue Lapis
Soft Flex Beading Wire, .019 Diameter in Turquoise
2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Clasps
Head Pins
Magical Crimping Pliers
Cutters
Chain Nose Pliers
Lakeside Jewelry Making Kit Reveal
On Wednesday, Sara unboxed her Great Bead Extravaganza Midsummer Market Lakeside Design Kit (Sold Out). This was a fun show to catch live. She was at the warehouse recently and found a Lakeside kit that was set aside. There was a single part missing and we could not finish the kit to sell it. Sara felt generous, so she is removing that component from her kit and donating it to the one in the warehouse. Instead of selling the complete kit, Sara wanted to give it away to a random viewer of the live show. We ended up giving the kit away to a viewer that was very excited to win it. So fun!
You are going to love the bracelet Sara made. Now is your chance to learn how to make a bracelet with Sara. She is a great teacher. The multi-strand piece she put together is easy to string and finish if you follow her gentle instructions. Celebrate summer with our colorway or string your own theme.
The Great Bead Extravaganza Midsummer Market Lakeside Design Kit (Sold Out)
Soft Flex Beading Wire, .019 Diameter in Dark Blue Lapis
2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Ear Wires
Magical Crimping Pliers
Chain Nose Pliers
Cutters
DIY Necklace: How to Make a Decorative Knot with Jewelry Chain
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!
From Nealay:
I wanted to find a way to string decorative beads onto SilverSilk Capture Chain and not use a bunch of Double-strand end caps. I will teach you a clever technique for incorporating your favorite beads with two strands of Capture Chain that gives the illusion of a double strand necklace without much effort at all.
SilverSilk Capture Chain
Soft Flex Craft Wire - 20 Gauge
Soft Flex Craft Wire Silver Plated - 20 Gauge
Decorative Beads
Double-strand End Caps
Clasp
Jump Rings
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
Jesse James Beads Unboxes The Renewal Design Kit
We love Jesse James Beads. If you want to find playful beads for colorful jewelry, their site is a great place to visit. Sarah and her crew put together the most wonderful mixes and strands. You can find vibrant and colorful beads, topical fashion and culture themes, you can even get Disney collections. Jesse James Beads are as elegant as they are fun. Get a weekly deal. Subscribe to a Magical Mystery Bead Box. Take some classes during the JJB Summer Camp. You are sure to find a sale that fits your budget and beads that you cannot live without!
From the Jesse James Beads website:
Jesse James Beads is in constant search of the trendiest jewelry making components that enter the market. You will see DIY jewelry supplies here that you will not see elsewhere. We watch the fashion industry closely and strive to be the first to bring you the best and newest beads of the season
Inside our Renewal Design Kit (Sold Out), we included a JJB mix called Renewal. We wanted to see what Sarah James thought of our collection. We sent her a kit. Hear her thoughts about the beads and components that we include in our kits. Each of our design kits are mystery themed and full of beads, beading wire, and components. We love to get creative and we explore eclectic topics each month. We pay homage to artists and fashion designers. We select colorways that are reminiscent of exotic locations. We get playful and visit fantasy themes. You never know what you are going to find. This month, we are saying Bee Kind. Make sure you grab our kits before they sell out. Each kit is limited in inventory. At the end of each month, we reveal the contents of our kits. You can make the jewelry we make, during our reveal, or you can make your own!
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