Good Friday, makers! Did you design something wonderful this week? We hope so. If not, we have some fantastic jewelry making projects for you. You are sure to find some inspiration in our recap. You might even learn a new technique! Have you used Magical Crimping Pliers? We make it easy to master this tool. Join us for a video binge. Catch up on trending Pantone colors. See how beautiful the spring and summer palette is this year. Be fashion forward and wear colors that are expressive and mood elevating. Let's learn how to make jewelry!
The radiant pastels and pleasant tones of Pantone's 2021 spring/summer collection have blossomed at Soft Flex Company. We have color matched wire and beads to celebrate a new season in a new year. Make jewelry that is optimistic and bright with these stunning tones. Kristen showed off the Pantone color matched products on our shelves. She made a lively multi-strand bracelet. The next day she showed off some of the earrings she made with our Pantone beads. Sara took a well earned vacation this week, but we had some videos from last week that did not make it into the previous recap. We will watch Sara and Sam, from Sam's Bead Shop, demonstrate how to use Magical Crimping Pliers. Soft Flex is proud to have our wire featured in this month's Dollar Bead Box. Sara unboxed one of these amazing collections and let you see inside. Monica, from the YouTube channel Sparkle by Monica, unboxed our Egg Hunt Design Kit (Sold Out). Finally, we will take a look at a gorgeous pair of earrings the Kristen made on our Instagram Reels. Learn how to make earrings in 30 seconds! And Nealay has a decadent hammered links and Hollow Mesh design. What a jam-packed recap! You are sure to learn something exciting in this free jewelry making course.
2021 Spring/Summer Pantone Bead Mix
This stunning mix of beads is an intoxicating blend of colors so luscious and fragrant, you will be happy spring has arrived. The new year is in full bloom and your jewelry can reflect the optimism and hope you have for a plentiful and buoyant day. You will love our color matched choices: Raspberry Sorbet, Amethyst Orchid, Cerulean, and Illuminating Yellow.
Design playful jewelry that is full of vibrant color and floral beauty. This beautiful bead mix makes it easy to string your next design with a color theme in mind. Work with colors that are on trend and sure to be seen in the highest tiers of the fashion world. Pantone is the authority on color!
Supplies are very limited. Don’t miss out!
Jewelry Making Videos
Learn How To Make Jewelry In 30 Seconds
Check out this 30 second jewelry tutorial on Soft Flex Company's Instagram Reels! Kristen shows you how to make earrings using beads and components from our 2021 Spring/Summer Pantone Bead Mix. Earrings can be mastered in minutes! You only need a couple of beads, findings, and wire and you are on your way to learning how to make DIY jewelry that you will adore. Follow our Reels to see all of our fun designs!
From Kristen:
I made these quick earring dangles with Soft Flex beading wire. The pink and yellow color is so hot! I just love how bright and playful they are and that goes for the whole bead mix color combination in general. These are happy colors that will carry your accessories through Spring and Summer fashion!
Soft Flex Is Featured In The Dollar Bead Box This Month
Sara opened a Dollar Bead Box last week. We love
DollarBeadBox.com and how affordable everything is on their site. The Dollar Bead Box subscription is an amazing value, you pay under twenty dollars a month to subscribe to a box of goodies that is guaranteed to be worth sixty dollars in value. If you are a part of their Members-only club, everything in their shop is one dollar. How cool is that? You can't afford NOT to be part of the fun! If you have not visited the site, make sure you check it out.
From Sara:
We are honored to have our wire featured in the Dollar Bead Box this month! Let’s take a look and make some jewelry!
Dollar Bead Box
Soft Flex Beading Wire .019 Diameter in Peridot
2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Magical Crimping Pliers
Round Nose Pliers
Cutters
Learn How To Crimp With Magical Crimping Pliers And Sara's Favorite Soft Flex Projects
Sara sat down with our friend Sam Siegel. Sam is a young entrepreneur and business owner. He jokingly claimed that he was the youngest person we have interviewed during our Zoom beading parties and meet ups. He is probably right on target. It is fantastic to see young people taking a leap in this industry. We have certainly see ups and downs in the last couple of decades. We hope Sam's business thrives! You should pay his site a visit. He has a gorgeous selection of curated gemstones and beads. Support small businesses like Sam's. Artisans and independent owners offer so much more than a faceless department store. You can be sure that everything you purchase was selected with love and knowledge. Sam can answer questions that employees at a department store could not hope to field.
If you would like to learn more about Sam and his awesome bead shop, check out our blog:
Live Beading Party! Meet Jewelry Designer Sam Siegel
Make sure you check out this fun video. Sara demonstrates how to use Magical Crimping Pliers to finish a crimp. With Magical Crimpers, you do not need a crimp cover. Crimp covers conceal a normal finished crimp. In this case, the finished crimp is a rounded bead. No need to hide it. You can even use crimps finished with Magical Crimpers as design elements.
Sara also demonstrates unique ways to use Soft Flex Beading Wire.Instead of concealing our wire beneath beads, we offer a rainbow of colors. We want you to expose the wire. We don't want you to worry about hiding every inch of beading cord on a design. Show your colors! Our wire is great for illusion style jewelry. It is great for making easy earrings that are gallery quality. It is a wonderful way to think out of the box. Use our wire for braiding and macrame. A beaded kumihimo design using our wire looks fantastic.
Sara showed how to turn beading wire into tassels. She showed how to turn wire into hoop earrings. Great creative, use our wire in ways you never thought you could use a beading wire!
Make A Multi Strand Bracelet With Cones & Our Spring Pantone Bead Mix
Holy Moley! Kristen had a bear of a week trying to go about being a Free Spirit Beader. Her long running YouTube series was interrupted on Monday by technical difficulties. After her internet dropped out on her, she opted to film the episode the following day. The next day, the Soft Flex employee that normally moderates her videos was side-lined by his coronavirus vaccine. Thankfully, we regrouped and got another moderator. The seas were smooth and the sailing was gentle. We knocked out another fun video.
In this video, Kristen showed all of the fun Pantone colors on our shelves. The color matched collection of Pantone 2021 spring/summer is unimaginably yummy (Raspberry Sorbet, Amethyst Orchid, and Cerulean). We also have the 2021 Pantone Colors of the Year - Illuminating Yellow and Ultimate Gray. This is a juicy collection of dessert flavors. This palette is so happy and bouncy it brightens our warehouse. If you like to make jewelry that illuminates everybody's day, you are going to need these sumptuous mixes in your beading supplies!
From Kristen:
I was so excited to see 4 cones included in this Spring/Summer Pantone Bead Mix and knew I wanted to share a design using them. Some of my favorite ways to use cones are to finish off knitted beading wire jewelry designs and beading wire tassel earrings.
2021 Spring/Summer Pantone Quad of Beading Wire
2021 Spring/Summer Pantone Bead Mix
Lobster Claw Clasp
Ear Wires
2x2mm Crimp Tubes
Crimping Pliers
Cutters
Bead Stopper
Join Kristen live for a jewelry making tutorial on Soft Flex Company's YouTube channel on Mondays.
Sparkle by Monica (Monica Dockery) Unboxing The Egg Hunt Design Kit
Monica, from the YouTube channel Sparkle by Monica, recently unboxed our Egg Hunt Design Kit (Sold Out). We love to watch other people unbox our goodies. It is a treat seeing how they react to everything we put into our design kits. We put a lot of time and love into our products and it makes us feel great when we see other's enjoy the fruits of our labor. We cannot wait to see what Monica makes with her kit. Stay tuned to our blog. At the end of the month, we will feature finished designs from our VIB community.
From Monica:
Hi, y’all! My name is Monica Dockery of Sparkle by Monica. I’m originally from Tennessee, lived in the deserts of Arizona and Texas, and have now recently moved to a farm in Kentucky. I’ve been on a beading hiatus for 2 years during a nightmare farmhouse remodel. I am getting my sparkly groove back, however, thanks to options like Soft Flex Company’s exciting Mystery Design Kits and beautiful beading wire colors. Although I originally got into jewelry making as a hobbyist in need of uniquely themed party favors, I eventually transitioned over to a business and later expanded into teaching craft classes, providing consultation services to other handmade entrepreneurs, creating digital graphics, and posting YouTube tutorials. My hubby and cats are still my biggest fans (even though they think I’ve developed a SLIGHT bead hoarding addiction). I am grateful to all who become members of my Sparkle Squad along my beaded path. Sparkle on, y’all!
Website: https://sparklebymonica.com/
YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/
LinkTree:
https://linktr.ee/
Kristen's Pantone Color Matched Earring Collection
We launched an exciting BOGO style sale on our Pantone collection this week. If you purchased 3 items from our Pantone category, you could then choose another item of equal or lesser value for free! Buy 3 and then choose 1 for free. Kristen decided to make another video so she could show off some of the earrings she made made with her Pantone goodies.
You can't go wrong with these stunning bead mixes and beading wire collections. These colors are perfect for all ages. Share your favorite hobby/craft with your loved ones and friends. Beading mixes and beading supplies make great gifts. If you give a friend a necklace, you make them beautiful for a day. If you teach them how to string beads and make their own jewelry - you make them gorgeous for life.
Shop the 2021 Pantone Colors of the Year Collection & Matching CZ Beads here.
Hammered Links With SilverSilk Hollow Mesh
From Nealay:
Learn how to make infinity wire links and assemble them into a stunning, one-of-a-kind pendant. Best of all, this project requires no soldering knowledge! I’m using large seed beads to conceal the wire seam and stuffing it all into SilverSilk Hollow Mesh to secure the link. Lastly, you’ll learn how to harden the wire and add LOTS of texture with Brenda Schweder’s Now That’s A Hammer. This is going to be a really wild project for those of you who love mixed media challenges.
SilverSilk Hollow Mesh
Soft Flex Craft Wire - 26 Gauge
Soft Flex Craft Wire Silver Plated - 26 Gauge
Craft Wire - 14 Gauge
Pearls
Round Leather Cord
SilverSilk End Caps
Jump Rings
Now That’s A Hammer
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
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