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This issue includes tips for making, shopping for and giving jewelry as gifts for friends and family. As we round the corner to the final leg of the holiday season run, I hope your to-do list is shrinking.
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Giving It Right
Do you plan to give jewelry as a gift this holiday season? Here are some tips that will make sure your presents are perfect.
Size
When in doubt, make the size of a jewelry gift adjustable. Use a short piece of chain at each end of a pendant strand so the wearer can customize the necklace's length to suit his or her style. Bracelets can often be constructed in the same way.
If you make jewelry for the same people on different occasions, it's a good idea to keep a card or computer file listing their optimal sizes for necklaces and bracelets. I keep a file of my mom's and sister's sizes, so I can always be sure their gifts will fit perfectly.
Clasp
Position the clasp so the mechanism (the part that moves or opens) is opened and closed by the wearer's dominant hand. Always put the finished piece on and take it off a few times to make sure everything functions well.
Check Your Work
If you plan to give a necklace as a gift, give it a test wear before wrapping it up. An hour or two of wear provides an opportunity to find unexpected design quirks like a pendant that flips over, a chronic twist, a loose crimp or a finding with a sharp edge.
Finishing Touches
If you create jewelry often or sell it at craft fairs, consider ordering custom tags. Add one near the clasp on your finished piece, like a signature on a painting. This is a professional touch and can assure future sales by reminding people who made their favorite crystal bracelet.
Simple velvet, silk or brocade bags are nice ways to present jewelry gifts. Packs that include multiple colors and patterns give you options that suit a variety of events or personal tastes. Matching the gift bag to the contents is also a nice touch. If you opt for a bag instead of a box, wrapping a simple ribbon around the finished jewelry will keep everything untangled and orderly until it's unwrapped to a chorus of "oohs and ahhs."
And, as always, the same good advice for a great holiday season: Don't try to do it all!
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Reader Responses
Many readers have asked about the crimping article I referred to in the last newsletter, so click here to access the archive. Also, an archive of all the Simply Beads newsletters can be found on our Web site. Catch up, look back or find a project you remember, but didn't print, from a few months ago.
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 Wood-Burned Beads
Design by Candie Cooper
Beading gets hot with some smokin' wood-burned beads. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area or outdoors when using a wood burner. These colorful, textured beads will be favorites year-round!
Materials
- Wooden beads:
- 1 (20mm) beige rondelle
- 2 (15mm) beige rondelle
- 2 (14mm) beige bicone
- 10 (4mm) aqua round
- Antique gold beads:
- 2 (2mm) round
- 10 (6mm) bicone spacers
- 9.4mm gold disk bead
- 8 (1 1/2-inch) antique gold eye pins
- 4 (1 1/2-inch) antique gold head pins
- 2 antique gold ear wires
- Antique gold chain with clasp
- Acrylic paint: red, orange, light green
- Semi-satin acrylic varnish
- Paintbrushes
- Toothpick
- Wood burner with following attachments: large round, straight-edge
- Dremel tool with #55 drill bit
- Round-nose pliers
- Flat-nose pliers
- Wire nippers
Finished Size
Necklace
19 inches (including clasp)
Earrings
1 3/8 inches long
Project notes: Do not leave wood burner unattended as it gets very hot. Work in a well-ventilated area when working with a wood burner as it creates smoke. Let wood burner pre-heat for three to four minutes before using. All drilling and painting must be done before wood burning. Before beginning, practice wood burning on a scrap piece of wood or extra wooden bead.
Instructions
Beads
| 1) |
Use Dremel tool to drill a hole through center top of each 15mm beige rondelle bead and two holes through opposite sides on upper half of 20mm beige rondelle bead. |
| 2) |
Paint rondelle beads red; while paint is wet, brush orange paint on top until paints blend slightly. Let dry. Repeat as desired. |
| 3) |
Paint beige bicone beads light green; let dry. Slide aqua round beads on a toothpick and brush light green paint around middle sections; let dry. |
| 4) |
Using large round attachment on wood burner, press tip of burner on 20mm red rondelle. The longer the tip is held in place, the darker the design will be; it does not take long. Continue to create dots on red rondelle. Repeat to create a border of dots on each 15mm red rondelle. |
| 5) |
Unplug burner and let cool completely; remove round attachment and replace with straight-edge attachment. Create lines and notches in light green bicone beads and aqua round beads. Note: To prevent fingers from being burned when working with small beads, slide beads onto a toothpick before burning. |
| 6) |
Brush a coat of varnish on each bead; let dry. |
Necklace
| 1) |
Leave clasp connected and cut chain to create two 7-inch lengths. |
| 2) |
Slide an aqua round bead, gold bicone spacer and an aqua round bead on an eye pin; use round-nose pliers to form a loop above top bead. Trim excess wire. Repeat twice, once on a head pin and once on an eye pin. |
| 3) |
Slide a gold bicone spacer, light green bicone bead and a gold bicone spacer on an eye pin; form a loop above top bead. Trim excess wire. Repeat once. |
| 4) |
In the same manner as in step 3, create two beaded eye pins, sliding one aqua round bead on each. |
| 5) |
Slide a gold bicone spacer, gold disk and 20mm red rondelle bead on a head pin; form a loop on back of rondelle and flatten it so it sits flush against back of bead. Beads should sit on front of red rondelle. |
| 6) |
Open loop on an eye pin from step 4 and attach to one of the top holes on 20mm red rondelle; close loop. Repeat to attach other eye pin from step 4 to other top hole. |
| 7) |
Open one loop on each light green bicone eye pin and attach to aqua round eye pins; close loops. Repeat to attach one aqua round/gold spacer eye pin to open loop of light green/gold spacer on each side. This will be center of the necklace. |
| 8) |
Open loops on ends of center section and attach to end links of chain lengths; close loops. Open loop on remaining aqua round/gold spacer head pin and attach to link next to clasp; close loop. |
Earrings
| 1) |
Slide a gold bicone spacer and 15mm red rondelle on a head pin; flatten loop on back of rondelle in the same manner as in step 5 of necklace. Repeat once. |
| 2) |
Open loop on an eye pin and attach to hole on one 15mm red rondelle; close loop. Slide an aqua round bead and a gold round bead on eye pin; form a loop above top bead. Trim excess wire. Repeat once. |
| 3) |
Open top loops and attach to ear wires; close loops. |
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Source: Wooden beads from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads.
Copyright © August 2007 Simply Beads magazine. All rights reserved.
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Product Reviews
Do you need a few items to add to your own beading wish list or are you shopping for another beader? Here are a few items to fill out that holiday wish list.
Fresh by Plaid Enterprises
$3.99
Plaid Enterprises has released a new line of jewelry-making components perfect for creating jewelry with a custom look. The Fresh line includes charms, donuts, pendants, metal enhancers, beads and matching findings with modern flair. Component designs include words, pictures and natural images perfect for necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
One great design can be customized to suit several recipients, which can save you the time needed to create a different design for each person. The Fresh line also includes ear wires, jump rings and chains to make finished jewelry even simpler. Download the catalog for this great line at Plaidonline.com. Use the store locator on the site to find your local retailer.
Square Buckets by Neatnix
$19.99-24.99
Neatnix® Square 9 1/2" Stuff Buckets can hold anything and everything you might need to take along for beading or for any craft.
Each heavy nylon bucket features 31 exterior and 8 interior pockets and a reinforced base.
The open square shape makes it easy to find items; plus, it can hold up to four of
Neatnix's Stuff Stax Storage trays. Buckets are available in 7 attractive color schemes.
When not being used, the 9 1/2" x 9 1/2" x 8 1/2" buckets can be folded up.
Buckets are a perfect choice to help any crafters in your life clean up their acts.
Deluxe Beading Sets by Three Springs
$41.00-47.00
Have you ever introduced a friend to beading? It takes a lot of work for a new crafter to put together a collection of beads, findings, tools and supplies. Three Springs takes away all of the guesswork with their Deluxe Beading Sets. Each collection has a beautiful selection of beads in jewel tone, metallic or iridescent pastel palettes, a 4-way beading tool, a necklace board and trays to hold and store everything in the compact carrying box.
Design books are included, showing 10 project options with specific, thorough instructions that correspond perfectly with the beads and findings. If you're planning a trip and want to take beads but don't have a specific project in mind, bring a box along and make several projects. Finally: Everything you need in one portable well-organized box!
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Technically Green
Several readers have written to say that printing an entire newsletter just to get a copy of the free project instructions uses too much paper. One solution to this problem is to use the print preview feature to figure out which pages the pattern is on and print only those pages. You can also click on the link at the bottom of the pattern or on the pattern images in order to be taken to a printer-friendly page. This saves any paper waste and provides all the information needed to complete the project.
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