The good folks at Artbeads are one of the suppliers who  occasionally send me different beads, pendants, and other products to allow me to create projects to share with all of you.  Now they’re offering a wonderful special that you can take advantage of directly!  From now until December 31, 2009, Artbeads is offering 10% off any order if you will use the special coupon code that I’ve got posted below.
Since shipping is always free in the U.S. and is only $1 to Canada, this special offer is really worthwhile.  Artbeads has a wide selection of beads, findings, and other …read more

Aida Chemicals, the folks who brough us silver Art Clay, have thrown their collective hats into the ring, introducing a new copper clay with a simpler firing schedule, less shrinkage, and NO MESSY CARBON NEEDED for firing!!

I am thrilled to hear it.  I love the CopprClay that I’ve worked with, but it will be lovely to have one that’s a bit easier to fire.  Even as we speak, artists in the UK are testing it out and tweaking the instructions for its use.  They’re also experimenting with torch firing, something that is impossible with CopprClay.  One downside is that it …read more

Twice each year, Crystallized Swarovski Elements comes out with new colors and shapes innovations. The Fall/Winter 2010-2011 selection has just been released for your viewing pleasure. If you sign up with Fire Mountain Gems for their newsletter, you’ll know as soon as these are ready for ordering!  Visit this link to see more details about the new collection, and to find links to previous seasons.

Here’s what FMG has to say about the new colors and shapes:
* Cyclamen Opal – a color-play of amethyst purple and baby pink shades with an underlying opalescence
* Greige – a smoky, subtle color …read more

And it looks like a big one!  It’s a “buy one get one free” sale, aimed at clearing out some space on Melanie’s shelves.  If you’re in the market for wonderful Earthenwood Studio ceramic beads, check it out.  Some Halloween items like the one below are available.

Glasses and sunglasses are an accessory topic that I don’t often remark on.  I do think that the right glasses are important in putting together your total look, and I actually have friends who treat their glasses as a piece of jewelry, swapping out various styles for various look. The major reason I don’t is because I don’t wear glasses, except for a cheap pair of magnifiers.
But for those of you who do wear glasses and consider them as important as your necklace and earrings, check this out.  You can now custom design your own eyewear or sunglasses with Indivijual …read more

Visit JewelerMe for unique jewelry kits that make it incredibly easy to create your own jewelry. Instead of figuring out a design and then searching for the best beads and findings to put it together, you can just purchase one of their kits! They’ve put together a variety of different jewelry designs and then organized the materials, so all you need to do is follow the directions.
Selene Bracelet
Nikki and Barb, site owners write:
We’ve been making our own jewelry for years now, but when we first started it was daunting to search for the right findings, the correct beading wire size …read more

Understanding how color works technically is one thing, being able to choose lovely colorways for your designs can be another!  Beverly Ash Gilbert, who shared a wonderful artist profile with us back in March, is an absolute master at chosing palettes and working with color in her pieces.  Now Beverly has published a new tool called The Eye for Color system which will help you put into practice the principles behind great color selection.

Beverly’s packet has two color wheels and six color harmony templates with a unique snap-together construction.  There is a beautiful inspirational booklet that comes with the system, …read more

I had the opportunity to try out Consumer Crafts‘ relatively new website.  Their mission is to provide competitive pricing on a wide selection of craft supplies, and I found that for jewelry makers, there is a very nice selection of beads and findings available.

I received a shipment of Jill MacKay findings and am very pleased with the quality.   The website was very easy to navigate and use, and the shipment went out the very next day.   I had my order a mere two days after placing it!  The findings that I ordered are silver and gold plate, and as you’ll …read more

If you had it in mind to learn a new technique or two this summer, but you still haven’t gotten started on that goal, here’s something to consider.  There are lots of sites where you can buy a kit or a pattern, where you will learn in excruciating detail how to perform a certain task.  Sometimes we just need it in excruciating detail, huh?
Earring kit by Laura McCabe available from Beads East
For example, my friend Dulcey Heller creates kits and patterns for a site called simply Buy the Kit.  Despite the name, they also sell “bead-less kits”, a clever way …read more

Fire Mountain Gems has been sending out their brand new Jewelry Maker’s Comprehensive Catalog for 2009 to 2010 over the past couple of weeks.  Long  before I got my copy, I was getting emails and wall posts on Facebook from friends who had seen my piece from a year ago in the new catalog!
Andromeda’s Pearls (shown below) was the gold medal winner in the pearls category for 2008.  And there it is on page 454, less than half way through this bohemoth of a catalog!  You can also see it on the Fire Mountain Gems website or on my own …read more