Memory Wire Birthday Party Package

We are so excited to announce our newest package for girls ages 9 and up.  Our new memory wire consists of gold or silver plated memory wire, glass foil beads in every colour imaginable and silver and copper findings.

We love this package because the girls can get so creative with the colours that they use and the designs that they choose.

A popular bracelet that many girls have been making is a "frozen" bracelet, using different shades of blue, as with white and silver accents.

In this package children are taught the stringing technique.  The package includes beading materials for a memory wire bracelet, instructors for 75 minutes, beading princess tiara, invitations and elegant jewellery storage pouch. 

Purple, silver and blue bracelet

$18.00 per child. For 10 children or more, only $16.00 per child.

 

Pearl Spacer Bracelet in Spring 2014's Colours

How to Make a Bracelet using Pearls and Spacers using Spring 2014 colours

Materials:
Pearls
Spacers
Elastic string

Using scissors, cut a strand that is double the size of your wrist and then add two inches. Tie together with a knot at the end of your strings.  String a bead and then 5 spacers, continue this pattern until the bracelet is the desired length.  Tie in another knot to finish off your bracelet. 

To make your bracelet extra trendy, make it in one of springs "it" colours.  According to Pantone, the Official Color of 2014 is PANTONE® 18-3224 Radiant Orchid, described as "an enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm."  The other colors for this Spring are Placid Blue, Violet Tulip, Hemlock, Sand, Cayenne, Freesia, Celosia Orange and Dazzling Blue.

Beautiful Maruti Beads from India

Maruti Beads

Recently through the “beading grapevine” we heard about Maruti Beads, an online bead store owned by Maruti International (India) that sells high quality hand crafted Maruti, Kashmiri and Lac beads.

What are Maruti, Kashmiri and Lac beads?  We were wondering the same thing, all that we knew was that we had never seen anything like it, each bead that we saw was an exquisite piece of art decorated with embellishments such as mirror chips, seed beads, silver plating and rhinestone.

We asked Maruti Intl to provide us with some more information about these unique beads and they were kind enough to not only provide us with the info, they also sent us a few of their beautiful beads so we could see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.   They sent us samples of their Kasmiri beads, Maruti beads and Lac beads.

Maruti Intl told us that each individual bead is handmade on their premises in an artisan’s studio by a select team of master craftsmen, who learned the skill by generations before them.   When we asked them to tell us a bit more about each type of bead, this is what they told us.

Pandora style Kashmiri Beads

Kashmiri beads are made from a mix of marble powder and manufactured resin. Also known as “Bollywood” beads, Kashmiri beads are hand decorated and use a variety of materials for embellishment.  I almost want to say that these beads remind me of the Pandora style beads but the holes are smaller and they are much more detailed.

Maruti Beads artistically blends the beauty of Kashmiri beads with silver plated side caps to culminate in a one of a kind creation exclusive to Maruti International.  

Lac beads are a time-honored Indian bead, handmade in a traditional manner passed down through generations by expert artisans.  Lac is a substance secreted by a tiny insect called Kerria lacca.  Lac beads are made from a mixture of Lac and marble powder, ornamented with silver plating, seed beads and rhinestones: detailed with metal elements, mirror chips and various embellishments.

After spending a couple of days wondering what I should make with these beautiful beads, I decided to make a bracelet so I could highlight all of their detailing.

Our bracelet made using beads from Maruti International

Maruti Beads is giving away $60 of their Kashmiri, Maruti and Lac beads mix (www.marutibeads.com/bead-mixes/maruti-kashmiri-lac-bead-mixes) every month to a lucky winner of their social media share/follow contest (www.marutibeads.com/blog). 

I know I’m going to enter this month!

How to make a Bangle Bracelet

Materials:
20 gauge wire (appx 12 inches)
2 tube beads
1 focal beads
12-14 other beads depending on size of beads and width of your arm
1 clasp

Tools:
Round nosed pliers
Chain nosed pliers
Side cutters


With the weather so hot out, it's a great time to stay indoors and
make some beautiful jewellery to match all your summer dresses.

Lay out your design. Make a wire wrapped loop in your wire by making a
90 degree bend in your wire about 2 inches from one end of the wire,
then taking the 2 inch piece in your hand, wrap it around the base of
the bend to make a loop. Then using the chain nosed pliers wrap the
wire around several times (see video). Trip off the left over wire
using your side cutters. Now string your beads onto the wire
following the design that you laid out. Once you are finished
stringing the beads, make another 90 degree bend on the remaining end of the bracelet. Slip the clasp onto the wire and then wrap the wire around the base several times to make another loop.

Mother's Day Crystal Bead Bracelet

I was asked to attend at a Mother's Day event this year to teach mothers and daughters to make bracelets. This is a simple yet beautiful bracelet that every mother and daughter would love to wear.

Tools:
Round nose pliers

Materials:
12 - 14 headpins
12 - 14 6 mm beads (I like something sparkly, like a 6mm crystal bead)
1 jump ring
1 lobster clasp

Open up the jump ring and attach to the clasp. Next, put a bead onto a headpin and then using the pliers make a loop on the other side of the pin. Continue doing this for all 14 pins and beads. Then, take one of the beaded headpins that you just created and link onto the jump ring that is connected to the clasp, close the jump ring. Then take another beaded headpin and hook it just before the bead in the previous pin (see video). Use pliers to close the loop of the pin that you have just added on. Repeat the last two steps using up all of your beaded headpins until the bracelet is long enough to fit around your entire wrist. To close the bracelet, just attach the lobster clasp to the loop that you made on the last beaded headpin on your bracelet (see video). If you want to make a necklace, do the exact same thing, just use 30 headpins and 30 beads.