Steam Punk

Hello everyone,

I was watching a show last night about these homes that are decorated inside and out really funky.  They showcased one home and called it steam punk.  Okay, I really didn't know what "Steam punk" was.  Here is what I learned from the show.  Steam punk is taking something old and mixing it with something new.  For instance, they showed a really cool vintage wood burning stove (you know the really big ones that were probably made with cast iron) and they modified it.  What they did was removed the big burners on top and replaced it with a modern smooth glass gas stove top.  It looked really cool. Overall vintage look with the convenience of today.

After seeing that I got to thinking and was wondering what can I make that would be classified as steam punk?  Here are a few elements that I may try to work with.  I have some broken earrings, broken necklace, bracelet, a large locket that I picked up from an antique mall while on vacation (many years ago), pins, and pendants.  And this is precisely why I keep all my broken and miscellaneous pieces of jewelry. I even will look at garage sales to see if there is anything interesting I maybe able to use.

I think I may have a few contenders in this box of miscellaneous stuff. I thought this type of work always had to include wheels, gears and other pieces like from watch parts (or something along those lines), which I do not have at this time. I may try to come up with something anyway. Plus I have many beads, seed beads, clasps etc that I could use to complete my version of steam punk.  It may take awhile to find the perfect pieces to combine, so I will have to wait and see how it comes out. And I'll make sure to upload a photo when it is finished.

I will have to stop by Beadin' Mon! to see if there are any special one of kind beads that I may be able to combine for a unique piece.  If you are in the area be sure to check out the shop for a great selection of beads, findings and finished pieces too.  And as always if you are unable to stop by the store, check out the online store at www.beadinmon.com. 

Remember Holiday Season is just around the corner.  Have a great week and Happy Beadin'

Breast Cancer Awareness Inspiration

Hello all,

There are so many inspirations that are around us all the time.  I love to work with themes as my inspiration.  You could use holidays like Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day and even St. Patrick's Day to name a few.  Another inspiration could be seasons like summer, winter or fall like the "Leaf it Be" class scheduled at Beadin' Mon! later today.

For one of my last pieces I have made I chose the inspiration of "Breast Cancer Awareness" month. These are some simple earrings that I created using supplies that I got from Beadin' Mon! Remember to check out the variety at the shop, that's where I found these great little ribbon beads.

Remember to stop by the shop or visit our online store at www.beadinmon.com for a great selection of beads.  And until next time, Happy Beadin'

Oops - Have to redo!

Hello Again Everyone,

I learned the hard way this week a very important lesson. Luckily it's not gonna be that expensive to fix (this time) so I wanted to let you all know about a very important tip.

Here's the story.  A friend asked me to make a few pendants that she wanted to give away as Christmas gifts to her family.  I said no problem, so I made the pendants, gave them to her and everything was great.  She then bought some cording that she wanted to use as the necklace for the pendants I made.  She asked if I could do anything with it.  Again, I said no problem.

So I made her cords. She just wanted the cords to slip over their heads, so no clasp was needed.  I just attached the ends together with a jump ring.   At the time I didn't think to get the pendants back from her.  I took the cords to her and when I went to put the pendants on them I ran into a small problem.  :(   The bails on the pendants were too small to fit over the ends.  Oh no!  I told her I had to take the cords back (pendants too) and I would fix it.  Luckily she so okay and it wasn't a problem.

Like I said, this fix isn't that expensive this time.  So my lesson to you  ---- make sure to make your bails big enough to fit over the ends of your necklace.  That way you won't have to fix or redo your project.  Or have the pendants with you when creating the necklace.  Plus, after closer inspection, it's probably a good idea that I am replacing the end with a new one because if you look closer the hole in the end is just too close the the edge, which I fear is a weak spot and could break if the necklace was tugged on.

In a few weeks Halloween will be here and then before you know it Thanksgiving and then the  Christmas Holiday rush.  Start your holiday projects early by gathering your beading supplies from Beadin' Mon!  You can stop by the store or shop on our website store www.beadinmon.com.

Until the next time, everyone have a great week and Happy Beadin'.

Colors of Beading

Hello everyone,

Today I was looking at some of beads and was thinking "wow, I love how these sparkle". I know in one of early blogs I talked about shapes of crystals.  Today I would like to talk about one of the many color options that you can try.  You can use color in anything you choose to do; fashion, jewelry making, painting rooms in your home and the list could go on and on.

One of these color options is to use a monochromatic color scheme.  This is where all the colors you use are from one color family.  As you can see in the example below, all the beads in this photo are of the violet color family.  And in case you couldn't tell, purple is one of my most favorite colors.

Stop by Beadin' Mon! to pick out your favorite colors or monochromatic colors for your next project.  Beadin' Mon! has a variety of different colors of crystals or beads for you to choose from.  If stopping by the shop is out of the question, feel free to browse our online shop at www.beadinmon.com and until next time.... happy beadin'