Saturday, July 28, 2012

Christmas in July

Hello everyone,

With the heat wave that has been sweeping our area, many people are staying indoors to escape the heat.  Sometimes to pass the time we like to watch a bit of television.  And it seems that throughout the month of July many stores are having Christmas in July promotions.  This in turn makes me start to think about what I am going to make for my closest family and friends this year.

At the end of the Christmas season last year, I bought a box of plain ornaments.  At the time I wasn't sure what I wanted to use them for, but couldn't pass up the bargain.  So with all recent Christmas in July ads, I have decided to make ornaments.  Since I haven't done a lot of stitching work, I think I am going to do some sort of netting design.



So with my box of ornaments, and many colors of seed beads (and/or crystals) I am on the search for a pattern.  Whenever I am trying something new I like to use a pattern and lately I have been doing a lot of stringing work.  Once I get the feel for the stitch I may start to play with it and make it my own.

So to end my blog for today, I challenge you to think about what your going to make for Christmas.  If you choose not to make beaded gifts, I hope you take advantage of the sales that have been going on.
And as always stop by  www.beadinmon.com to shop for some great beads for your projects.

Until next time, happy beadin'

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Inexpensive Alternatives

Hello again everyone,

I hope Summer is treating you good.

As you must already know, the economy has been pretty tough. Usually I like to work with Swarovski crystals, but they can become expensive if you use a lot of them.  So if your on a tight budget try using some Fire Polish beads instead of the more expensive crystals.

Fire Polish beads are made of glass and to my understanding are finished by applying heat (hence the name "Fire" polish).  I had no idea that was why it was called that.   Some beads may have a coating on them to add that extra sparkle.  Fire Polish beads come in many colors, shapes and sizes.  Here I have some fire polish beads in 3 different sizes; 3mm, 4mm and 6mm.

Look at all the beads you get on one strand for a mere 2 or 3 bucks.  Cool hugh?



Well, I won't tie up your time anymore tonight.  Summer is calling and we must enjoy it while we can.  The above beads were all purchased at Beadin' Mon! Stop by and see the selection, it varies from time to time.  Or shop the online store front at www.shop.beadinmon.com/Preciosa-Czech-Fire-polished-glass-beads_c4.htm.

But be careful, you will want to purchase many of them.  That's how I got these.  I love the colors and the sizes - just haven't decided what I want to use them in.  So enjoy those summery nights and until next time "Happy Beadin'"

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Jewelry for Generations

Hello everyone,

What a nice Saturday.  My husband and I had a good time today.  To get out of the house, we decided to visit a newer antique mall that opened a while ago in my home town.  Turns out it was much more that I had thought was there.  It was nice walking down memory lane and seeing all the wonderful things from the past. Some of these items were very old, over 100 years, and some were not quit as old.

I think I have a jewelry radar or something, it doesn't seem to matter if there is a lot of stuff in the booth, I always tend to find the sparkle.  I'm just drawn to it.  As I looked over all these beautiful pieces I got to thinking, how did these pieces last so long.

As I thought, I decided it came down to taking care of your jewelry.  If you take care of it – it will last for many generations. Recently, I was at a family pool party and saw a friend wear her jewelry in the pool.  I don't recall if she ever got it wet (by submersion) but I was surprised to see jewelry worn in the pool.

I have always taken off my swarovski crystals when swimming, cleaning or doing anything that I think will harm them.  I want my jewelry to look its best for as long as I own it, whether thats a couple years or a couple decades.  :)

So I decided to find out how to clean crystal jewelry in case the piece in question becomes dull and dirty.  I figured there would be a lot of information on this topic, but I was wrong.  I did find a few websites, but many of them had conflicting information.  Some sites said "do not immerse crystals in water" and other sites said the opposite.  But the sites did agree that it is recommended to stay away from harsh jewelry and sonic cleaners.  And when it comes to cleaning the Swarovski Pearls, each site recommended that the pearls be buffed with a soft cloth and NOT to wash them.

And here is a tip that I have practiced as long as I remember, I think my Mom did this also. When getting ready for the day, your jewelry should be the last items that you put on.  This keeps the lotions, perfume and other items from coating or giving your jewelry a dull film.


Well, I hope your projects will last, and if you stop by the shop, Beadin' Mon!, or shop the website, www.beadinmon.com, feel free to ask questions.  I know the staff will be happy to help.  And I will be sure to pass any care tips along when I find out more.  So on this note, I wish you a happy summer day and until next time Happy Beadin'




Sunday, July 8, 2012

New Adventure in Beading


Hi everyone,  sorry about missing my post day yesterday.  With the holiday weekend festivities, work power outages and spring cleaning of my house, I realized as I dozed off to sleep last night that I forgot to write to you.

With that said, I hope you all had a fabulous holiday.  The 4th is my Dad's birthday which was steamy hot here and a perfect day to have a pool party.  While we were "partying" I talked with a family friend,  in which she asked me a while back to design a few jewelry pieces for her to sell on her website.

In the past few years I have purchased many books with instructions on how to make beautiful pieces.  But did you know that all those project books have copyrights on them.  Yup, you are not allowed to make these pieces to sell, unless you have permission of the artist.  That goes for classes that you take also. Which I understand, the artist wants to get paid for their designs.  I would want compensation for my creativeness too. All the time, creativeness, supplies and color selection - it all adds up.

So to be safe, I am starting out my new adventure of making jewelry to sell by doing some simple stringing designs.  Which right now I am happy to do, I think this type of beading is very relaxing once I get my design layout done.  Now I just have to get my beads together and figure out pricing.  And I think I may copyright my work too. 

Here is a bracelet that I made using beads
that I collected many years ago.  Turned out
kind of cute, don't you think?


I think most of my designs will be Swarovski crystal related work, I just love the sparkle.  To make sure I get the number of beads I need, I placed a special order with Beadin' Mon!  If you need a certain quantity or color of bead, contact Beadin' Mon! and place your order.  Or feel free to shop our online store front at www.beadinmon.com.  Well, hope you have a fantastic summer day and until next time, Happy Beadin'