BeadStyle : beads

More about Lady Bug Beads

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:43:00 GMT

We ran a short Q&A about Lady Bug Beads — our second "Favorite Bead Store" winner — in the September issue of BeadStyle. Here is the Lady Bug profile with the info we had to trim for space.

Congratulations, Lady Bug Beads!

In her store, Lady Bug Beads, Susan Rabbitt has created a haven for beaders. “I always feel like I’m around friends. Everyone is helpful and cheerful,” said customer Carol Cook, from St. Louis, Mo.

That sentiment was echoed by the 102 happy customers who put Lady Bug Beads in the top six finalists of ’s “Favorite Bead Store” competition. Below is part of our Q&A with Susan.

When did you open Lady Bug Beads?
S.R.: We opened in August of 2003. I had been scouring craft stores and the few small bead shops in the area and was not able to fill my need for seed beads. With a lot of research and a business background, I decided to open the store. My husband — who is my biggest supporter — said, if you’re going to do it, do it big. So that’s what I did.

What kinds of classes do you offer?
S.R.: We teach the basics of stringing and earring wire wraps every day in our shop. Most Saturday mornings we have a free class. It varies from week to week, but it is always a technique that is a step above the basics. Our customers are welcome to watch and get free directions, or they can buy some beads and play along. This has become very popular; 6 to 30 people show up. We also teach the basic stitches by appointment for $25, including peyote, herringbone, spiral rope, square stitch, right angle weave and corralling. Our scheduled classes are more advanced seed bead projects taught by some of our employees and other national instructors.

Are you a beader? What kinds of things do you do?
S.R.: Of course I’m a beader. I can’t imagine anyone owning a bead shop and not knowing how to bead. I love to use seed beads. I compare beading to a good book — if it’s not thick enough it can’t have much of a plot, therefore if a piece of jewelry doesn’t take me 10 hours to complete it can’t be much fun!

What about Lady Bug Beads are you most proud of?
S.R.: I’m proud of the creative staff that I have and of the many customers who keep us on our toes to create more designs.

What is your customer service philosophy?
S.R.: We want to make everyone who walks in the door become as addicted to beading as we are. If we don’t have fun beading, they won’t.

How are you handling challenging economic times?
S.R.: I don’t consider the last year and half any more challenging than the first five years. The only way you can keep a business viable is to get people in the door. My main focus is to think of new marketing ideas to do that. We changed from postcard mailings to email blast about 1½ years ago. This was a big savings and also allows us to have an immediate sale or promotion. We have several different events through out the year. We have Open Houses three times a year. We have Bead Art in our parking lot twice a year. (This is when we give our customers a free space to sell their beadwork) We do a yard sale in July which is always well attended and we recently started doing “Green Bag” promotions. We also do periodic sales on different categories in the shop.

What is the most frequently asked question from new beaders who come into your store?
S.R.: The most frequently asked question is “Where do I start?” Since the choices are sometimes overwhelming to new customers, we suggest that they bring in a specific piece of clothing to match of something they have seen in a magazine. This helps to give them a focus.

Anything that you’d like BeadStyle readers to know that we didn’t ask?
S.R.: A unique thing that we do in our shop is to photocopy any of the finished pieces that we have so customers can use them as patterns. We are constantly creating new designs so there is always something new to inspire them.

   7616 Big Bend Blvd.
   St. Louis, MO 63119
   314.644.6140
   ladybugbeads.net
   ladybugbeads@sbcglobal.net

New Xilion bead

Cathy Jakicic — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:48:00 GMT

Though there’s been buzz about this for awhile, the official press release arrived this week about the new Crystallized – Swarovski Elements Xilion bead.

Called an enhancement of the popular bicone shape (5301), the Xilion (5328) has more facets and a hole with rounded edges to “amplify sparkle” and protect threads.

According to the release, the Xilion’s “harmonious design and dimensions make possible beautiful combinations with its predecessor, the bi-cone bead 5301.”
Good news for bicone fans, especially those with a stash. More good news – you can call your bicones ”vintage” soon. That makes a sexier label for the jewelry designs you sell!

The Xilion,which will be phased in gradually, will be available in 66 colors, 20 effects, and in sizes from 3 mm to 10 mm. The 2.5 mm bicone will still be available.

Master class mastered!

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:49:00 GMT

These picture are from the master class I took at this year's Bead&Button Show and the resulting graduation ceremony. I took Valerie Hector's Chinese bead weaving class. It was wonderful!! I though after three day my brains and all urge to bead-weave would just leak out of my ears when I went to bed, but I was completely energized by the experience and can't wait to do more.

Most of the credit for this goes to Valerie. She's a remarkable teacher. Intelligent, funny, patient, prepared, and very encouraging.

And her knowledge and curiousty in the area of Chinese bead weaving and culture was really impressive. I also have to give a lot of credit to my classmates.

As anyone who takes (or teaches) a lot of classes can tell you, the students are always the big wild card. I'm happy to say that every single person in the master class was delightful - creative, generous, and fun.

For those of you at the show - what was your favorite class?

Great recessionista idea

Cathy Jakicic — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:23:00 GMT

Word of mouth is a fabulous thing for finding life's hidden treasures. My sister just told me about a jewelry line (that a friend told her about) that has hit on a great idea in financially challenging times for artists. The line is called "Circle of Friends." The necklaces feature a simple circle-centric pendant that is customized with a few gemstones. Each piece is only $10, and the many different styles offered make them really nice, personalized gifts for a range of different personalities and styles. It goes to show that with a really simple, adaptable idea, it's possible to keep material costs down enough to be able to offer a reasonably priced, but not cheap-looking creation.

Have you seen this bead?

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:31:00 GMT

I'm currently working on a cool project by designer Ute Bernsen of Silk Painting Is Fun that uses silk cord (naturally), a beautiful Clay River pendant, a number of Vintaj accents, and some random small beads, including the one that's currently giving me fits - a copper knot. I was sure we had one like it in our stash, but I can't find it. Any ideas where I can get one?

Using the search function to find beads

Naomi Fujimoto — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:49:00 GMT

Happy St. Patrick's Day! What better color to celebrate the day — or the spring-like weather — than with green beads. One of my favorite green projects is last May's birthstone bracelet (I used chrysoprase instead of emerald).

Just for fun — and to play around with the search function on different sites — I thought I'd post a list of Web sites where you can search by color. I just typed in "green beads" and came up with some helpful results. These are just a few, but feel free to post your favorites, too.

• Auntie's Beads: All the results come up on one page, which makes it easy to scroll through.

• Beadaholique: They have a great selection, and you can sort the results by price (which is helpful when you're looking for a single bead vs. a gemstone strand, for example).

• The Beadin' Path: This is the first place I look when I want Lucite in a particular color. Their glass beads are also organized by color.

• Fire Mountain Gems and Beads: They have a huge selection, so you may want to try more specific search terms. "Emerald green beads" brings up 80 results rather than 4000.

• Fusion Beads: "Green beads" brings up only seed beads, but "green glass" brings up pendants and beads. Their Color Ideas are gorgeous, too, if you're seeking inspiration.

• Lima Beads: You can search by color, gemstone, or shape. And if you find a palette you like, you can also save it in the Design Your Own section.

If you have efficient search tips, let us know! I'm always looking for a quicker way to get to exactly what I want. (Story of my life.)

Linda Arline Hartung's "Stroke of genius" designer alternative project

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:06:00 GMT

The "Stroke of genius" project in the March 2009 issue of BeadStyle includes a beautiful design alternative that combines braided WireLace with aquiline crystals. Designer Linda Arline Hartung sent the following instructions:

Four strands of WireLace get these big-holed beads to behave. Make an overhand knot between each group of crystals. The WireLace will fill the large bead holes and the knots keep the crystals tight to each other forcing them to the juxtaposed positions. Finish with a four-strand braid to the desired length, glue into a bell end cap and add a teardrop clasp set with a coordinating crystal.

1: Take two yards (1.8 m) of 2.5mm WireLace and two yards (1.8 m) of 6mm WireLace. Center a pearl needle on both strands.

2: String on all crystals as shown in the photo. Cut ends at pearl needle to remove.needle and create four 36 in.(.9 m) strands.

3: Center the large bead on the four WireLace strands.

4: Group the center cluster and make one overhand knot (Basics) next to cluster with all four strands of the WireLace. On opposite side tighten up all the crystals in that cluster and make another overhand knot. This knot must be very tight and snug next to the crystals to force them to keep their position.

5: Push the next cluster of crystals to the center and make another overhand knot with the WireLace - each time making sure the knots are tight to and snug to the crystals. Continue on each side until all the clusters are complete.

6: On each side, after the last overhand knot, separate out the four strands of WireLace to do a four-strand braid.

How to do a four-strand braid:
1) Divide into two sections with a 2.5 mm and 6 mm on each side.
2) Pick up a strand on the ‘outside’ and wrap it under two strands and over one strand. Repeat on the opposite side – always using the outside strand.

7: Continue braiding about 1 in. (2.5 cm) past the desire length on either side and clamp the ends to keep the braid from loosening or coming apart. Use whatever you have handy – tie a string around the end – or use a bead stopper or paper clip, etc.

8: Determine the final desired length and where the braid will end. To keep the braid from coming apart and to make it easier to glue into the end caps, mix 2-part epoxy and apply it directly onto the WireLace braid beginning about ¼ in. (.25 cm )from the desired end. When the epoxy dries, cut the WireLace braid on the glued area with a wirecutters so that you have a glued-end ‘nub’. Test to make sure the braid nub fits in the bell end cap. If not, gently roll end between finds to reshape the braid making it round to fit.

9: Mix 2-part epoxy and fill end caps half full and push over braid nub ends – you should see a small rim of glue seep out. If not quickly pull off the bell end cap and add more glue. Let dry.

10: Attach teardrop clasp by rotating split ring on the bell end caps with a chainnose pliers. Squeeze closed.

Supplies

necklace 19 in. (48 cm)
◆   36 mm aquiline crystal, top drilled, color A
◆    28 mm aquiline crystal, top drilled, color C,
◆    28 mm aquiline crystal, center drilled, color B
◆    6 18 mm aquiline crystals, top drilled, 2 color A, 1 color C, 3 color B
◆    8 18 mm aquiline crystals, center drilled, 4 color A,
4 color C
◆    6 18 mm polygon crystals, color B
◆    two yards (1.8 m) 2.5mm WireLace
◆    two yards (1.8 m) 6mm WireLace
◆   2 4 mm bell end-caps
◆   2 7 mm split rings
◆   box clasp
◆   chainnose pliers
◆   diagonal wire cutters
◆   two-part epoxy
◆     2 toothpicks (for mixing and applying glue), sticky note pads (for mixing glue on), isopropyl alcohol for cleaning up excess glue if needed.
◆    scissors (for cutting WireLace).
◆     fine/lightweight collapsible-type pearl needle

CRYSTALLIZED colors:
   Color A: crystal
   Color B: black diamond
   Color C: jet

September 26 Jewelry Gems of the Web

Linda Augsburg — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:19:00 GMT

Melissa from Strands of Beads wins my inspiration award this week (not that I don't love everyone's posts this week--they are all gems after all). First, her clever headline made me smile. Second, her story got me thinking and it suddenly occurred to me that it's been a decade (can it be?) since I really got interested in beading. So after I share the gems this week, I'll share my "how I got started making jewelry" story. But first, the gems:

About.com Jewelry Making
For those in the jewelry biz, Tammy has a collection of jewelry business topics up for discussion in the Jewelry Making Forum.

Art Bead Scene
Fall Foliage as Seen Through The Trendy Bead

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe talks about Personal Imagery-what says YOU in your work?

Crocheted Pillow Pendant
Carmi saves a pillowcase's trim by turning it into wearable art.

Jennifer Jangles Blog
Halloween Project

Jewelry & Beading
Repurposing autumn-colored beads gives you a stylish new necklace!

Katie's Beading Blog
Hear all about Katie's experience on The Big Idea. Check it out!

Linda from BeadStyleMag.com
An Oktoberfest-inspired bracelet complete with step-by-step photos and instructions

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean's got some earring designs in this elegant looking book, due out soon!

Strands of Beads
Melissa reminisces about her first time.

And since Melissa ends the list with her first beading project post, her story is a nice bridge for me to tell you about my first jewelry project. Let me see--it was 1998. (Imagine hearing the TV backflash music here.) I was living in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, managing a quilt shop three blocks from the ocean. (I know, sweet gig, but my personal life was in turmoil, so paradise isn't always what it seems.) The building that housed the quilt shop adjoinened another shop--an antique store. Somewhere down the beach, a bead shop owner decided to leave the business about the same time the antique store owner decided to close her shop. Enter Susan Hawkins, a plucky gal who likes making jewelry and was ready for a career change. Next thing I know, antique china cabinets exit and glass display shelves filled with glassware in all shapes and sizes filled with sparkly, shiny, matte, and exotic beads fill the space. And then the Bead Hawk officially opened its doors in the late summer or early fall 1998! We had kept the door between the two shops open to encourage traffic, and the next thing I knew, Susan overheard the quilters in class talking about needing coconuts for their palm trees and she popped in with the perfect beads. The quilters purchased the strand, split it up, and everyone was thrilled including Susan, who wasn't sure how she's ever sell those beads!

When things were slow at the shops, we'd chat about retailing, and about customer and their shopping habits. And while we chatted, I'd poke through her orphan bead cup. Since I often made Christmas ornaments that needed a little something, I was drawn to large drop beads to dangle from the bottom, so I'd purchase the strays as they turned up. And one day, I spotted a copy of Bead&Button magazine. It was the October 1998 issue with the leaf candlestick on the cover (see right) and I was intrigued. So I bought it. I never did make the candlestick, but I did buy beads at Bead Hawk to make my mother a necklace for her birthday, which was that fall. But I kept that issue, and after I moved to Illinois and considered looking in Wisconsin for a publishing job, I remembered that the magazine was published in the Midwest, so I sent them a resume. That resume led to a different opportunity at the company, but I improved my jewelry-making skills thanks to a small group of us that met after hours to learn more about beading. I went to another company for a while, but I ended up returning to Kalmbach Publishing Co. to work on the jewelry magazines we have here.

I think my mom still has that first necklace. I made a necklace for myself around that same time, so I'm not sure which was first, but I think of hers as the first attempt. If I turn hers up when I visit this weekend, I'll try to take a picture and post it in a future blog post. The necklace I made fell apart. Several times. But I've gotten better. They hardly ever fall apart now.

September 12 Jewelry Gems of the Web

Linda Augsburg — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:45:00 GMT

I spent yesterday exploring another side of my creativity—I attended the Wisconsin Quilt Expo. In addition to all the great fabric, I saw beads, felting, and heat-set crystals, all to be incorporated into fabric projects. My creative brain is in high gear after that and I'm looking forward to a little time this weekend with my fabric stash. And now that the fall weather is on the horizon, I might need a little time with my fall/winter wardrobe and my bead stash—a gal needs a few new creations this time of year to spice up last year's separates.

The gals of the Jewelry Gem crowd have been hard at work this week. Check 'em out.

About.com Jewelry Making
Are you making Halloween jewelry? Or, is this holiday not a big jewelry time for you?

Art Bead Scene
Win prizes! The ABS Monthly Challenge is filigree.

Bead&Button Magazine
Ann Dee's looking for photos of Quinceañera jewelry to celebrate Bead&Button's 15 years

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Shining a Steamy Spotlight on suppliers that sell and make beads and findings that can be used to create steampunk jewelry styles

Jennifer Jangles Blog
Check out the progress being made on Jennifer's new studio

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi describes the process of putting together a multistrand necklace that features lots of wrapped-loop dangles.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to done!
Jean talks about the Bead a Day Calendar for 2009 in which she appears, and adds that she also uses Melanie of Earthenwood beads in one of her projects for it! See photos!

Strands of Beads
Melissa interviews lampworker and bead artist Sarah Moran

Lint-ball necklace

Naomi Fujimoto — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:41:00 GMT

Jay, an illustrator in the art department, gave me a Ziploc of lint balls. He found them when cleaning out his dryer. They're astonishingly round and smooth; some even look like polished rocks. (Why is lint always gray?)

Viewing this as a design challenge, I decided to make a necklace. I found some leftover Lucite beads as well as a couple of wood and glass beads. After arranging and rearranging the beads on my design board, I finally committed. My biggest challenge: stringing the lint balls so they didn't implode. It took me longer than expected to poke the needle through each one. But I'm proud to say that I used all but three of the lint balls: one fell apart around the needle, and I wasn't convinced that two others — brown and crackly — were actually lint. And I didn't want to wreck the integrity of the design.

Here's Jay holding the necklace. I gave him some organic yarn samples, which he may try to tumble around some kind of core. Because we don't want to wait years for the next batch of felted beads.

Have you tried this at home?

Check out our video interview with beadmaker and jewelry designer Melissa Cable

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:39:00 GMT

Check out the video section for an interview with jewelry designer Melissa Cable. Click on "Video," and you'll find Melissa under "Interviews."

Melissa's riverstone-inspired beads and the resulting necklace are featured on page 124 of the September 2008 issue of BeadStyle magazine. Linda Augsburg caught up with Melissa at the Bead&Button Show for a chat about creating lampworked beads; her bead store, Beadclub; how she got started beading; and how she got published in BeadStyle. Come back for interviews with Kerri Fuhr and Stacy Frost, who are both referenced in the sidebar in Melissa's "Inspired by riverstones" article. They will be posted later this month.

Turquoise, turquoise, or turquoise?

BeadStyle Magazine — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:34:00 GMT

You are shopping for gemstones. Hmm, how about some turquoise?

Your search leads you to many types of turquoise: Sleeping Beauty, African, Chinese, Viennese, Howlite, and Purple. What to choose?

Time for some serious research. And what you will find can be a little confusing.

African turquoise is really a jasper, so don't be fooled into paying turquoise prices.
Natural Sleeping Beauty turquoise is very expensive. And the prices are justified. This is some of the highest grade natural turquoise, mined in Globe, Arizona. The robin's egg blue color is unmistakable.
Chinese turqoise is real, but sometimes dyed or otherwise enhanced. It comes in several colors: green, blue, spider web, yellow and bright blue.
Viennese turquoise is a fake. Stick to Vienna pastries, but not turquoise.
Howlite is a borate mineral dyed to look like turquoise.
Purple turquoise is Arizona turquoise that has been dyed and eradiated.

The bottom line is to know your vendor. Reputable gemstone dealers will provide information on their website and be willing to answer your questions regarding the origin on the stones they are selling. If the description is scant, such as “turquoise beads for sale,” I would move on. If you are buying in a bead store, ask plenty of questions.

If you are selling your jewelry, you need to be able to inform your customers about the items they are buying. A knowledgeable seller will be 10 times more successful than someone who knows nothing about the materials they are using. Study gemstone handbooks, use online lapidary journals and look at lots of pictures. If you have the opportunity to handle the stones, get familiar with the feel, weight, color, and texture of the stones. The old “knowledge is power” saying is very true.

Have fun in the summertime!

BeadStyle Magazine — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:58:00 GMT

I love bold colors, textures and unusual materials. A great combination for summery designs is wire lace and Greek ceramic beads and/or pendants.

The wire lace gives the impression of fishnet floating on water, and the Greek ceramic pieces come in a variety of styles that scream ‘summer at the beach.’ There are pendants of the Sun, shells, dolphins, flowers, fish, squid, turtles and more. The beads and spacers have wonderfully large holes that easily accommodate wire lace. They have an earthy texture and the colors of the beads and wire lace work beautifully together. It seems they were made for each other.

Here are a few examples of designs I developed using this combination:

I recommend visiting Embroidered Soul for a great selection of Greek beads and pendants. Visit Mimi's Gems for wire lace.

July 12 jewelry gems of the web

Linda Augsburg — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:40:00 GMT

What a week for the web! Check out this week's links from some of my favorite sites.

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy declares, Red Brass Rocks! Consider red brass wire as an alternative to gold-filled if you have been put off by the price.

Art Bead Scene
Give your Art Beads a Summer Vacation!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Swimming in the deep sea of imagination, Melanie discovers inspiration's treasures in many places

Jewelry & Beading
Make a bright and breezy knotted turquoise necklace for the summer!

Naughty Secretary Club
Read Jen’s wrap up report of her adventures at the BEA convention. Actual copies of Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry were spotted!

Strands of Beads
Melissa discusses the curious byways down which inspiration leads us and is, herself, inspired by Shakespeare

July 5 Jewelry Gems of the Web

Linda Augsburg — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Ahh... long weekends. All the things one can do with that extra time. Unfortunately, it also means all the things that one can FORGET to do with that extra time. Though I try to post these on Friday, Friday got away from me. But I know you'll have more time to visit these sites post-Independence-Day-Picnic anyway.

About.com Jewelry Making
Bronze metal clay is one the way! This new medium is the talk of the metal clay community right now.

Art Bead Scene
Whooo is the star of this week's The Trendy Bead?

Barbe Saint John
Steampunk? Learn a little more about gears and brass.

Jewelry & Beading
Here's what to do with an ugly old elastic bracelet that never gets worn anymore!

Katie's Beading Blog
The Triple Take girls are at it again! Get a sneak peek at Katie's twinkle toes ballet flats.

Naughty Secretary Club
Jen gets asked to go see Loretta Lynn the First Lady of Country in concert and whips herself up the perfect accessory! Learn how to make your own mini cowgirl hat headband!

Savvy Crafter
Stars and Stripes Charm Bracelet! Happy Fourth everyone!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
I was so delighted with how my interview with the fantastic Melissa J. Lee turned out! Come see!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off her favorite recycled tools.