Beadalon Blog

  It's always good to have a review on the magical jewelry making formula Bead Stringing Wire + Crimp Tube + Crimp Tool, and always more fun when you're making a dangly earring project at the same time! We've all made the mistake of using the wrong sizes of each, and learned the consequences by having our jewelry fall apart. In this Facebook Live Video, I go over step by step the right way (and the wrong way) to choose your wire, and match your crimp tubes and tools.  There are great resources in the Beadalon Learning Center to take it to the next level after you've tackled this project!  Materials: Quick Links Rings 3 colors of Size 11 Seed Beads .012  19 Strand Beadalon Bead Stringing Wire Size 1 Crimp Tubes Earwires Tools: Micro Crimping Pliers Nipper Instructions: STEP 1 Chose your QuickLink shape, and decide on your color palette and pattern. STEP 2 Cut a piece of Bead Stringing Wire about a foot long. Pick up a Size 1 crimp tube. Loop the wire around the QuickLink

  Thanksgiving will likely look a little different this year than in years past, but we can still make our celebrations of thankfulness festive and merry! Try adding some adorable handmade acorns to a beaded napkin ring when you set your table - I bet it will put an added extra smile on everyone's faces! I made two versions of the acorns - you can find one version with pre-made bead caps  here in the Beadalon Learning Center . I loved the look so much, I also made my own bead caps with the Captastic Mandrels for the Conetastic Tool by Sandra Lupo! Materials: Bracelet Sized Memory Wire 24 gauge Artistic Wire Leaf charms Large oval or round beads Small round beads 6mm rounds and size 8 seed beads (or beads of your choice) for the memory wire ring Memory Wire Shears Memory Wire Finishing Pliers Conetastic Tool Captastic Mandrels for the Conetastic Tool Instructions: STEP 1 Measure out 3.5 coils of memory wire and turn a loop in one end. STEP 2 String on an alternating pattern of one

  It brings me such joy to host my beady friends on Facebook Live, and even more so when they bring such a fun and simple project for us to make! Tory from GoodyBeads  used materials from some of my favorite companies - Swarovski, TierraCast, Leathercord USA, and of course, Beadalon - to make this holiday themed bracelet and earrings set. The bracelet is super simple, and while the earrings take a bit of finagling to get the loops to line up, the result is well worth it! Materials: Bracelet: 8-9 inches - 5mm Braided Metallic White Round Leather 2x  Silver Plated Bali Style Deep Bead Caps Swarovski 10mm Rouge Pearl 8mm Rouge Pearls 6mm Rouge Pearls    5mm Rouge Pearls   TierraCast Antique Silver Christmas Tree Charm Silver Round Memory Wire  - bracelet size   Earrings: Swarovski 6mm Margarita Crystal Beads in Fern Green 8mm Margaritas   10mm Margaritas   12mm Margaritas   TierraCast 2 inch 21 Gauge head pins   Small silver seed bead for the top of the crystals Swarovski 4mm Rouge Pearls

  Once again, I got to welcome my beady friend, Emily Scott, to the Beadalon Facebook Live. She is an accomplished beader and wire worker, and it was a treat for me to learn a new technique (to me) - the "Pinch and Twist". I love this technique because it's deceptively simple, but also because it is a perfect way to use a "bead soup" mix. The Jesse James Beads bead mixes are absolutely PERFECT for this technique, and I used the Red Queen Mix that my friend Sarah James put together for me. It's also a perfect technique to showcase the MultiColor Artistic Wire! Materials: 22 Gauge MultiColor Artistic Wire Bead Soup or JJB Bead Mix 2 large hole beads Sari Ribbon Instructions: STEP 1 Working from the spool, string up a whole bunch of bead soup - about 36 inches of beads. STEP 2 Leave yourself about an 8 inch tail, then move a  bead into place. Fold the wire around the bead, then pinch the wire together and twist the bead until it is captured in the wire twist.

  I love taking an old technique from making friendship bracelets as a kid and updating it for my jewelry making as a grown up! This finger woven braided bracelet looks similar to the Artistic Wire Square Braid, but you can make it in any color or gauge you'd like! I recommend starting with a thinner gauge as the wire work hardens rather quickly as you are braiding it. The 22 Gauge MultiColor Wires change colors as the braid goes on for a truly unique look.  Tools: Nylon Jaw Pliers Bracelet Bending Pliers Acrylic Tying Station Tacky Mat Bead Fix Gel Materials: 22 Gauge MultiColor Wire Upper Clasp 2 Jump Rings 4mm TierraCast Cord Ends Instructions: STEP 1 Place the Tacky Mat on your work surface and secure the top of the Acrylic Tying Station to the Tacky Mat. STEP 2 Cut 5x 24 inches of MultiColor Wire. Use the Nylon Jaw Pliers to straighten all of the wires. Fold them in half all together so the loops are all at the same place, and twist the top all together. STEP 3 Remove the top

 DIY Mask Holder Necklace Materials: 19 Strand .018 Beadalon Bead Stringing Wire Size 2 Crimp Tubes Lobster Clasp  (make sure the opening will fit over the elastic ear loops in your mask!) Assorted Beads (Beads shown are from Jesse James Beads ) Tools: Standard Crimper Tool Nipper Tool   Instructions: STEP 1 Pull about 28 inches out from the spool, and use the spool clip to hold it in place. Do not cut the wire from the spool.   STEP 2 Snip the very end of the beading wire if it’s a new spool. String up a design of beads about 24 inches. Make sure you start and end with a small bead with a small hole.   STEP 3 Thread on one crimp tube and one lobster claw clasp. Thread the beading wire down through the crimp tube use the crimping pliers to crimp the crimp tube in place. Trim the end of the wire about an inch and thread it back through the beads to hide it.   STEP 4 Slide the beads down to the crimped part of the necklace. Leave an extra 3 inches of wire and snip it from the spool.   ST