TierraCast® Paw Print Bracelet by Tracy Proctor with Patten Tutorial
Get this free tutorial for the Paw Print Bracelet our friend Tracy from TierraCast provided. She accompanied Tory during one of our Facebook LIVE episodes and demonstrated this easy bead-stitching pattern. You can even check out the video or check out the instructions below to get you started!
Tracy was with us during our Facebook Live event and demoed how to stitch this pattern. Check out the episode HERE!
The Art of Czech Beads with Lenka Bindzar from Raven’s Journey
Our special guest today is our friend Lenka Bindzar, the owner and creator of Raven’s Journey, a superb supplier of Czech beads. Her intricate designs of pressed and cut glass beads are highly regarded due to the attention and artistry in the creation of each bead.
Lenka Bindzar
Lenka, give us a little back story about how you were able to create Raven’s Journey.
“The story of Raven’s Journey is really the story of our owner Lenka Bindzar. The fall of communism changed things for everyone in the Czech Republic. For Lenka it opened the door to travel and the wind blew her wayward seed all the way from Czech to a tiny island a short ferry ride from Seattle, WA., where she made beeswax candles for sale locally.
Out of supplies for her small beeswax candle business Lenka wandered into a craft store. After picking up what she needed for candle making she browsed the bead section looking for some interesting decoration for her new puppy’s collar. She was delighted to find a vast selection of beautiful glass beads that were all from Czech! She talked with the store owner for a while and learned that it was becoming increasingly difficult to find unique high-quality Czech glass beads and if she could find some he would happily take them off her hands. A customer was earned, and an idea was born.
On her next trip home to visit family Lenka traveled to the mountains north of Prague to the center of the Czech glass industry. It was in the Fall of 1998. She managed to pick up some leftover beads and sample cards but couldn’t locate anyone who was willing to supply a new business. Not to be discouraged she decided to drive through the region one last time.
When they say that Czech glass beads are a cottage industry they mean it literally. Czech bead pressers have a unique feature to their homes, two chimneys. One for heating the house and one for melting raw glass to be pressed into beads. Lenka spotted one such house on the very outskirts of Jablonec overlooking a peaceful mountain valley filled with grass and sheep. The gravel driveway sparkled with the color of countless tiny pieces of discarded glass. An endearing older couple answered the door and invited her in. They were the second generation to run a small family-owned bead pressing company out of that house. They supplied Raven’s Journey with our first custom inventory and we still work with them all these years later. We hope to work with the next generation to come!
The first few years Lenka bought what was offered to her as a direct importer. The glass was beautiful, and her customers were happy, but she was always a little dissatisfied with the beads that were readily available. She dreamt of a time when she could combine the raw glass colors and available finishes in a more modern and elegant way. She wanted a unique style of Czech glass beads.
After 20 years and many trips back to those same Czech mountains we have developed relationships with industry artisans that allow us to affect every detail of the production of our glass beads and buttons. Recently this has extended to the design of custom contemporary molds for pressing beads. In this way we hope to offer our own humble addition to the history of Czech glass bead making.
Working with artisans in Czech to make the highest quality glass beads and buttons possible is a passion for us here at Raven’s Journey. Our 20-year commitment to working with small suppliers gives us the flexibility to innovate and bring unique and beautiful products to market
Where are your products made?
All our beads are made in the Czech Republic. I am from Czech, I love Czech glass beads and its makers. I really have never had the intention to import from any other country.
All our Czech glass beads are made in the North region of Czech, in the hills and mountains around the town of Jablonec.
Our beads are made by small family-owned businesses that survived the changes to the industry after communism in Czech. They press, tumble, and facet the beads in home workshops. The beadmakers will then take beads, after pressing and polishing, to another artisan to apply the special finishes like “Picasso” (an oxide of silver) or “Aurora Borealis” (called AB), two very traditional and popular finishes. There are many different finishes and washes requiring different techniques and equipment to apply.
Each step in the bead making process requires special training and years of knowledge so we understand why the work is split up between these specialized artisans.
Artisan pressing glass.
Artisan sorting the pressed glass.
What makes Raven’s Journey Czech beads special?
I consider Raven’s Journey Czech glass beads special because of our attention to detail. We are intimately involved in every aspect of the production of the beads and I know personally all the people involved in their making from the very start to finish. Some of our vendors have been working for us since the 1990’s. Most of the ideas are born in my mind, but it’s the collaborative hard work, dedication, family tradition, and love for the trade from all involved that bring all of those ideas to life.
I love the full rainbow of colors and shades, including expensive fuchsia pinks or always popular turquoise or deep red opal glass. I really try to create beads using unique or unusual glass colors that are available in limited supply from the main glass factory that produces all the raw glass we buy and use to press our beads. Some colors are made only once or twice a year and we must wait for them if not available when I create my orders. Some are made only once ever. I work hard to never design new beads with price or time in mind, just quality.
Just like a seed in my garden grows and turns into plants bearing blooms or fruit at the end of the season I will let the seeds of ideas grow in my mind. Then, when it is almost unbearable, I hurry to my desk, gather all my notes, hope for no distractions, and get into the brave mindset of translating my jumbled ideas into directives for the beadmakers.
It can be a challenge to translate those ideas into glass color and finish codes in my computer spreadsheets. All glass colors and shades and variations have number codes. The same is true for finishes which also vary from company to company in color shades and identification numbers.
Once my spreadsheet is full of my ideas in written codes, and I feel like my color pallet for each shape is satisfying, I get together with the bead makers and we spend hours in refining the order. I always try to make sure they fully understand what my desires are. Sometimes I may try new combinations and those ideas will break down when we get to the actual making of the bead so constant communication is vital. When production starts, challenges arise and just like with my garden I apply the knowledge I have gathered over the years and together with the bead makers we find the best solutions.
In the bead garden if all the factors come together just right, and we get a little lucky, I will see the outcome of my bead dreams about six to twelve months later. We ship in big containers across the Atlantic Ocean and then the USA. All the way to us on the West Coast where more work awaits in the form of unpacking, organizing, sorting, pricing, photography, storage, marketing and finally sales and shipping.
Of course, this is only one stage of the bead’s life, the beginnings. They go on to customers’ hands where they get reorganized and resold again until they reach the final place in someone’s bead studio, dining table, or a craft nook. They turn into amazing art that gets to be admired and loved. How these beads do travel!
Glass Canes
Melting Pots
Pressed Glass
Your Czech beads come in many intricate designs, like your leaf beads, Hibiscus flowers, goddess, etc, where do you find your inspiration for each design?
In a broad sense I tend to find design inspiration in my daily life. I have always lived near wild nature; it is easy to do in the Pacific Northwest. I am never far from a forest, mountains. or a lake and beach. I have found nature to be the best teacher for me and find much inspiration there.
The history of Czech glass is long and there are thousands of molds available in the town that has been making these beads since the 1400’s. We are fortunate enough to have access to these “mold banks” and we choose beads that I think stand apart from the rest. For example flowers, leaves, and many faceted shapes were found that way.
A good story regards one of our specialized shapes you asked about. The Goddess bead, we call it “Venus Bead” in Czech. The mold for the bead was created by my oldest bead makers that are in their mid 70’s and retired now.
The bead is a celebration of a historical find in the Czech Republic in 1925 near the small village of Vestonice. A tiny 4-inch-tall fertility goddess statue. Vestonicka Venuse is her name, she is the oldest known ceramic statue to ever be found. Its dated all the way to 29 000- 25000 BCE, surprising lots of historians which did not think ceramics were made then just yet. But she was proof of that, and Czech was proud of the find. Our bead makers made the bead in the image of the statue as their own way to celebrate the find.
Another way we find bead shapes is in our imagination! For a few years now we have used computer software and master mold carvers in the Czech Republic to realize some of our contemporary ideas for bead shapes. The process is slow for now, but we are working hard to streamline the process. Raven’s Journey so far has created 6 original shape designs such as the Lotus Coins and Horned Owl. We are always working on what is next and trying to be as innovative as we can.
Besides deciding the bead shapes, I spend a lot of time with color combos and finish choices. I like good quality beads and always seek quality colors and try to only use time tested finishes while still seeking new and unusual of course.
Molds
Glass Czech Beads by Raven’s Journey
What are your favorite ways to design with Czech beads?
I do not have as much time to make things as I would like but I am lucky to spend so much time with our beads in the warehouse helping customers, and my office dreaming up what comes next.
When it comes to my own jewelry designing, I go for simple techniques that do not take days to complete. Perhaps one day I will have more time to play and learn new techniques. I’m always amazed at the creativity of our customers!
My most favorite time playing with beads is when my younger sister comes to visit from Czech and we spend our quality time together pouring over new beads. We are always in such a hurry to create new jewelry we can wear right away. We like to make jewelry that we can wear every day, on any occasion. My sister loves glass beads as much as I do. She pays attention to all the beads, not just the new ones, she has learned they all have their time to shine in her designs. Many beads we produce are forgotten forever in the never-ending desire for new products. Czech glass beads are so unique sometimes we can’t make the same thing twice even if we try! Some due to lost or broken molds, sometimes we just can’t get back to the same color of raw glass material. We try to stay focused on what is new and exciting.
Photos by Lenka Bindzar.
If you’d like to purchase some of these artistic Czech Beads by Raven’s Journey, make sure to get them at GoodyBeads.com today!
DIY Midnight Silver Memory Wire Bracelet with Swarovski Fine Rocks Tube
Feel glamorous in the DIY Midnight Silver Memory Wire Bracelet handmade and designed with Swarovski Fine Rocks Tube, Swarovski® crystals and metal beads on Memory Wire.
Make a simple loop at one end using a memory wire finishing pliers and add the following bead sequence: A. Square bead, fire polish, tube, fire polish, square beads, bicone, square bead, fire polish, tube, fire polish, square bead, end cap, 4 inches of leather, end cap, rondelle, disc, fine rocks, disc, rondelle, end cap, 4 inches of leather and end cap. B. 3 fire polish, square bead, bicone and square bead. Repeat 4 times and finish with 3 more fire polish beads.
Trim excess memory wire with Memory Wire Cutters leaving about a half an inch and make a simple loop. Tighten each side till beads no longer have extra space to move.
DIY Jagged Dagger Bracelet with Cymbal Alona Bead Ending
Today’s tutorial for the Jagged Dagger Bracelet happens to come with a FREE pattern tutorial. This bracelet consists of 6mm two-hole Czech bar beads, mini daggers and 11/0 round seed beads, stitched along with Cymbal Alona Bead Ending components!
Cut a piece of elastic at 2 feet. Stretch elastic to loosen the elasticity.
Slide on elastic two beads of each chevron color. Repeat this sequence until you’ve reached a good amount to fit your wrist. Our sample bracelet consists of 6 sequences or 36 chevron beads.
Loop through to the second holes of the chevron beads that you added in Step 2. Make sure to leave an elastic loop.
Take both elastic ends and slide through metal bead.
Now you’re going to make a Tricky Ricky knot with the elastic loop you made in step 3 and the two elastic ends. Follow illustration to make knot and cut excess elastic leaving a small stub. This will tuck inside the silver bead.
Today’s tutorial digs into the love of licorice leather bracelets and how casual it plays with any fashion style. Embellish it with a bead tube and you have a fun piece of jewelry for a dazzling summer!
Spring into Spring with a flowery wrap bracelet with Czech flower beads. We’re featuring a variated design with Raven’s Journey Czech beads strung on memory wire.
Make a simple loop to one end of your memory wire and slide on a few Czech beads. This sequence does not have to be planned and can be random. This is the natural beauty of this design. Then slide on one of your flower beads and repeat.
2 DIY Jewelry Using Cymbals Components & Ginko Duo Beads
Czech Ginko Duos and Cymbal components are fairly new in the beading market; they’re less than a year old. And we’ve got two amazing bead-stitching project using Ginko beads and NEW Cymbal components for Ginkos.
Some of our newest products are Cymbal Components, which pairs with Chevron Duo and Ginko beads. We have two awesome patterns using Czech Chevron Duos and the Cymbal Koutalas.
This bracelet used stretch cord, which makes it to easy make and wear. It also uses some blingy Swarovski Hexagon, two-hole spike crystal beads, which breaks up the chevrons and adds a focal section!
Still using the same Cymbal ending, we’ve made a this pair of earrings with Chevron beads and TierraCast dagger bead from the Hammertone Collection, all using gold findings.
One of our favorite diy projects are making wrap bracelets. Using 1mm or 2mm leather cord, make wrap bracelets using all types of beads!
Today’s project is a version from our previous blog post on GoodyBeads Master Mixes with Swarovski® bicone crystals. Check out the blog post for a step-by-step look at how we sew on bicone crystals and seed beads. We will use this same method on this DIY wrap bracelet with Czech fire polish beads. Also, before you get started you will want to read the How to Make Leather Wrap Bracelets to help determine the length of leather cord you will need for your wrap bracelet.
Now that you’ve gotten those tips and tricks down, here is what you’ll need for this wrap bracelet:
1.5mm Leather Cord– item used in bracelet Z019143 Note: You can also use 1mm, 1.3mm and 2mm leather cord. The best use for small leather cord like 1mm-1.5mm is if you are using small beads like seed beads or sizes under 4 or 5mm in diameter. If you plan to use larger beads like 6mm or 8mm, using 2mm leather cord works best.
11/0 Seed Beads – item used in bracelet SB00423 Note: For smaller beads, use size 11/0 seed beads in the pattern. If using larger beads, you can use 8/0 or even size 6/0 seed beads.
3mm Czech Fire Polish Beads – item used in bracelet A008815 (Qty 3 strands) Note: We used about 140 beads for our double wrap bracelet, which is a quantity of 3 Czech fire polish bead strands. You will need more for more wraps in your bracelet.
Cut leather to length according to how many wraps you want. For a double wrap, we start out with 42 inches for a 7 inch bracelet.
Slide leather through button hole, situating the button in the center, fold leather in half and make an overhand knot close enough to the button.
With 4 feet of beading thread, tie the end of your beading thread to one piece of leather to harness your thread.
Ladder stitch a seed bead in between the two leather cords.
Ladder stitch two seed beads in between the two leather cords.
Pick up a seed bead and Czech bead. Sew both in between both leather cords.
Pick up a Czech bead and then a seed bead. Sew both between both leather cords.
Repeat Steps 6 and 7 until you’ve reach a suitable length for wrist size.
Tie off your beading thread and cut off excess.
Take both ends of your leather cords and make an overhand knot, close enough to last beads you’ve stitched on.
Make another overhand knot about 15mm to 20mm apart, or wide enough for your button to slide through. Optional: Make another overhand knot for an extended length if needed.
Cut excess leather cord.
DIY Flower Patch Stretch Bracelet
Our Flower Patch Stretch Bracelet is fitting for Spring! It’s easy to make and easy to wear.
Cut elastic to 8 inches. Pull and stretch the elastic to loosen its elasticity.
Slide on a sequence of beads to your choosing, while adding a 2mm czech bead in between each larger bead to fit your wrist size. (We alternated each bead in the sequence). MAKE SURE that a brass bead in at one end of your elastic.
Make a surgeon’s knot and cut off excess of elastic. Pull knot inside brass bead to hide knot.
Golden Oasis Bracelet – Pattern Tutorial
We have a NEW pattern for you using some of TierraCast’s Oasis Stitch-In Two-Sided Link in their recent Finishing Touches launch, Czech Honeycomb, Czech DiamonDuo, seed beads and 4mm crystals from Swarovski®.
Love Czech Honeycomb beads? Our Designer So Vang always has a plethora of miscellaneous Honeycombs around her area! Here’s a simple way to use them in this Honeycomb Drop Earrings.
Slide on crimp tube to one end of beading chain and make a flat crimp.
Slide on beading chain 5 honeycomb beads.
Cap the other end with the end cap. Crimp the middle part of the end cap.
Open earwire loop and slide on dangle. Close loop.
Repeat Steps 2 – 5 for other earring.
Fan Flare Hoop Earrings with Czech SuperDuos
Brush up on your bead stitching skills with this Fan Flare Hoop Earrings with Czech SuperDuos. Even if you have minimal bead-stitching knowledge, our illustrated tutorial on making this flashy pair of earrings will be easy to follow.
