We are back from the Gem Show in Tucson, Arizona. We’ve brought back a bunch of new products and new ideas. AND made lots of NEW friends. Take a look at this quick video and images from our trip.
There were beautiful Czech beads, charms, links, leather, gemstones, beaded jewelry and so much more. Did you go to the Gem Show? What did you see? What was your favorite?
Making slip knots is an easy technique to use when making adjustable necklaces or bracelets with leather cord, hemp cord or any thicker stringing cords. Check out our quick and easy video to creating simple slip knots.
From our Pantone Color: Ultra Violet, we demonstrate how to create slip knots while making this Leather Agate Slice Necklace. The great thing about slip knots, is that you adjust the length of your necklace or bracelet by sliding the knots.
Products used for necklace: A021688 and A022079
Products used for bracelet: GAV8RDLH-8 and A022079
Believe it or not, 2017 is coming to a close. So get ready for 2018 with new beading adventures, projects, supplies and you! Get pumped with these Inspirational Bars, where you can make a snazzy fabric bracelet or lovely key charm.
This bracelet uses Italian Lycra Cord, which sells as a flat wide 30mm piece. Measure your wrist and add 5 inches. Cut your Lycra Cord at that length. Stretch your cord and see that the sides will curl in. Insert your cord through the two side holes of your inspirational bar. Make a knot with your cord ends but not into a tight knot. Wrap the bracelet around your wrist twice and adjust the knot to a comfortable band. Your bracelet should stretch and hug your wrist, not dangle loosely. Tighten up your knots and you are ready to rock out the new year.
Items used for bracelet: A017779 & Z013317.
For this project, we are adding 1mm leather cord and a large-hole gemstone to this keychain. Cut a 6 inch piece of 1mm leather cord. Slide leather cord through one hole of your inspirational bar. Take the two leather ends and slide your large-hole gemstone through. Make an overhand knot with your leather ends close to your gemstone. Make sure when knotting your leather that the leather loop is loose and dangles off your bar. Cut your leather ends at an angle as a leather fringe tassel. Add your keyring and you are set. This make a cute stocking stuffer idea for a friend or for yourself.
Items used for keychain: Z013306, A020543, GAV8RDLH-8, MCKR0002
We are loving gemstones and especially making them into bracelets. We have this super simple bracelet tutorial that uses 8mm round gemstones, cuff bracelet and 24-Gauge Artistic Wire.
We have chosen these glossy 8mm Apple Jasper (APL8RD-8) to lay inside our favorite open cuff bracelets (Z002579) and wrapped with 24-Gauge Artistic Wire (AW00049). We love this tutorial because you can use any 8mm gemstones and different hues of artistic wire to create your own.
Apple Jasper Bracelet Components:
APL8RD-8, Z002579, AW00049
Matte Howlite Bracelet Components:
WHT8RD-8, Z002579, AW00049
We have this Criss Cross Leather Bracelet tutorial from our friends at Dakota Stones, whom provides high-quality gemstones since 2001. We love this bracelet because it uses leather cord, fairy ribbon and large-hole gemstones.
Fiber tassels embodies a free-spirited, bohemian soul style. They are the perfect fringe to add to a bracelet, dangle it off a pair of earrings or pair it with a pendant necklace. Look at some of our previous projects that features fiber tassels.
Add alphabet charms, boho feathers, coastal animals and so much more to personalize your next beading project. Take a gander at some of our favorite uses of charms!
Chain link is not only great to add length to necklaces or as chain extenders for bracelets, but they are fun to create fringe with. With its popularity in fashion jewelry and accessories, we have some examples of how we’ve created fringed jewelry with chain.
Dangle chain for some crazy, fun fringe. Keep fringes simple or trail it with beaded dangles. Let these examples inspire the next time you create with chain links.
Fabric tassels are new at GoodyBeads and we can’t get our hands off of them! They are small in size but they sure are vibrant in color and easy to use. Tassels are a must-have fashion staple, especially to tempt the love of tribal-inspired fashion jewelry. Learn to make a tassel necklace with silver drop charms or blush-hue earrings with gold-plated findings.
This necklace combines fabric tassels and silver charms.
What you will need:
Instructions:
This pair of earrings will make you want to scream in excitement, that you may forget they’re handmade. Beautifully made with gemstones and gold earring findings, you can rock this street-chic look in style
What you will need:
Instructions:
Check out our September ’16 Tassel Fringe Trend or November ’16 Tassel Earring Trend for more tassel inspiration!
Introducing our new gift jewelry kits perfect for gift-giving. Created by our in-house designers, So Vang, Tory Vezina and Heidi Urlaub, these kits are easy to make and versatile to wear to all of your upcoming events and celebrations. Plus, the kits are conveniently packaged inside a plastic pillow-shaped container for easy gift giving to the DIYers in your life!
Thinking of what to give this holiday season or for birthdays or special occasions? Gift kits are the perfect gift to give to your girlfriends, sisters, bridesmaids, work buddies, etc.
(Kit Shown: KT00147, KT00152, KT00151)
So’s kits play with bold hues of porcelain, Czech and blown glass beads. Make a statement with Indonesian Dream Necklaces, style your nightlife with Maya Moon Earrings or stack up your love of arm candy with Peaceful Journey Stretch Bracelets.
(Kit shown: KT00166, KT00158)
Heidi’s kits have an earthy and edgy vibe with her love of leather and gemstones. You can easily wear her jewelry with the intent of going everywhere and still be on trend. Her Tears of Leather Earrings and On the Fringe Leather Earrings are so gorgeous, you’ll long to own one, two or all of her styles! Meditation Stretch Bracelets have a harmonic combination of round gemstones and emerald-cut Swarovski® crystals, while the Boho Belle Tube Necklace is decorated with small gemstones and curved tubes that gently hug your collarbone.
(Kit shown: KT00181, KT00171, KT00175)
Tory created artistically-inspired kit designs with popular memory wire bracelets, fringy tassels and beautifully handmade lampwork beads. Make a simple Free Spirit Leather Wrap Bracelet with memory wire, leather, tube beads and assorted silver-plated beads. Extend your love of tassels with a Bellisimo Bracelet or an Amalfi Leather Tassel Necklace. Or update your look with Modern Art Earrings or Celestial Jewel Earrings.
Here in GoodyBeads land, we can’t wait for Christmas. We love everything from the decorated trees, freshly fallen snowflakes, holiday music to the aroma of peppermint candy canes. Get your gift shopping done early by making some easy DIY necklaces. Fulfill all of your gifts and still have time to enjoy the holidays, even if it is six months away.
Choose your chain from larger links or dainty links, silver-plated or gold-plated, beaded chain or bar chain. One of the easiest necklace to wear is an extra-long style, like a 30” length is easy to slip over your bead or double for a different look. Though a shorter necklace length is doable, by adding your own clasp findings with jump rings. Check out our image below to determine your necklace preference.
An stunning focal piece you can use to make an easy necklace are slice pendants or gemstone pendants. We are loving this quartz pendant as it comes with a bail that you can slip a chain through for easy making and wearing.
Pendants in image: Z007501 & Z001498
Another easy addition to a necklace are charms and links. Choose a favorite charm or link and attach it to your necklace with a jump ring. Check out our bar connectors for a trendy boho look, alphabet charms for a personalized touch, or quirky TierraCast® or metal charm for a quirky personality.
Charms and links in image: Z017709, A019962, A018504, & Z00177
Tassels are everywhere. Slide on a leather/suede tassel or chain tassel for a street-smart, easy-to-create necklace everyone will love.
Tassels in image: Z008631/Z001388, A013214
Check for favorite trends to inspire your next necklace project:
Rose Quartz and Serenity are Pantone’s color of the year winners. And for the first time they debuted a duo-color that blurs the line of femininity and masculinity.
We will show how we used these colors to inspire our Color of the Year Jewelry.
Made with blue foil tint beads and a hint of pink, these earrings pairs the two colors harmoniously.
Rose Quartz
Draped with a shiny tassel and beaded chain, this Rose Quartz necklace is the perfect statement piece to wear this spring. Can you imagine wearing it with your sweet summer dress and suede floppy hat?
Serenity
This dream catcher necklace has the right Serenity hues for 2016. Made with handmade silk ribbon, Czech glass chip beads and feather charms, you can pair this with your trending flannel outfit and skinny jeans.
Wire Wrap
This wire wrap bracelet combines a darker shade of Serenity and square pink crystals. Accented with silver bali beads, string these colors onto memory wire for a three-loop bracelet with a simple loop on each end. This fun and easy Color of the Year-inspired memory wire bracelet is ready to flaunt.
Leather cord
When it comes to transcending gender barriers, leather is best to use to create an accessory that both men and women can casually wear. Using the same darker Serenity color as in the bracelet above, we used red aventurine beads on 1mm leather cords. We cut the 1mm cords into three equal strands. Taking the three strands, crimp one end with a revolving crimp tubes. Insert a bead on your top two strands and then the next bead will be on your bottom two strands. Repeat until desired length. Cut the three strand ends straight and crimp them with another revolving crimp tube. Add your choice of clasp and it is ready to wear.
How will you wear this year’s colors of the year?
Link Earrings
Rose Quartz Necklace
Serenity Necklace
Wire Wrap Bracelet
Leather Bracelet
Leather wrap bracelets is a trending favorite to spice up a boho outfit or rock out to a head-banging concert or add to a casual outing with your girlfriends. Wrap bracelets are a must-have for 2016. We will show you how to make wrap bracelets with illustrated tutorial that you can download.
They may look difficult to make, but after a few attempts, they are honestly easy to make. We will show you a tutorial on how to make these bracelets using one-hole beads and super duo beads, as well as a few tips and tricks to help you make these wrap bracelets.
Use this method to determine the leather cord length you may need for a multi-wrap bracelet.
Take your wrist length and double the length. Multiply that by the number of wraps you want and then add 12”. That will give you an approximate cord length you will need to start your bracelet. (The extra 12” factors in the button knot, end knot(s) and bead size.)
Example:
2 wraps for an 8.5” bracelet: (8.5” x2) x 2 wraps = 34 + 12 = 46” needed.
Or
4 wraps for a 7.5” bracelet: (7.5” x2) x 4 wraps = 60 + 12 = 72” needed.
Keep in mind, these total numbers are approximate. You will want to test the wrap length while you’re making your bracelet. Having extra length is better than being short on your wrapped length goal.
The basic weaving of the thread will be going under the leather cords and then coming over leather cords.
Click HERE to View and Download an illustrated PDF tutorial on how to make these Wrap Bracelets. You can also save/download this pdf file.
With Czech SuperDuo seed beads, you will be layering the bead holes to create a layer sequence. Below is a tutorial on how to make this SuperDuo wrap around bracelet.
Click HERE to View and Download the SuperDuo bead wrap bracelet PDF tutorial and to download illustrated pdf tutorial.
Here are some of our inspired wrap bracelets.
This is a simple one-wrap bracelet. Think about using a different thread color than your leather cord color for a mix of colors.
Use more than one bead on each layer for more embellishment options.
Make a bracelet with multiple combinations of beads to create a fun layered look.
These SuperDuo beads look like tiny stone pebbles, don’t you think? Try a SuperDuo mix set for a colorful bracelet or create a zigzag pattern. What will you try?
How to add on additional thread: Tie thread to closest leather cord and glue with Hypo Cement or fast-drying glue. Cut off excess. Tie new thread to leather cord, glue knot and continue.
How to hold leather strands: An alternative to holding the leather strands, for stability when adding beads, is to clamp the button to a clipboard.
How to straighten leather cords: While you are stringing on beads, adjust previous beads with fingers to straighten out leather cords. Or when you have reached your desired bracelet length, lay the bracelet down and run your hand across your bracelet. This will help to smoothen and straighten your leather cords.
How to tighten threads/bead layers: If you find that your thread does not keep your bead(s) sandwiched in place or the bead sits loosely, sew up and under the cords and through the bead again. Over and down through the bead. Sewing through the bead twice on the leather cords will give your beads a tighter hold.
Tighten leather knots: If your leather cord knots are loosening, add a small dab of fast-drying glue or Hypo-Cement to knot(s) for tighter holds.
How to make an adjustable bracelet: Make additional knotted ends for an adjustable bracelet.
Single Wrap Bracelet
Faceted and Gold Nugget wrap bracelet
Pink and Pearl Wrap Bracelet
Arianna Caribe SuperDuo Wrap Bracelet
By Kristal Wick
We love everything about a good tassel here at Goodybeads. You can create the simplest of jewelry designs, add a tassel and violà you’ve got instant glam! Traditionally, tassels were popular for embellishing home goods (Aunt Gertrude’s curtains, pillows, lampshades and even chandeliers), but they’ve “trended” their way into our jewelry and DIY projects — thank goodness! “Tassel” originated from “tassau”, a Latin term referring to a clasp at the neck of a garment that was originally worn by military officers and priests as talismans to ward off evil spirits. Also known as “passementerie” in France, “passamanaria” in Italy and “aziamentos” in Spain, the simple tassel can be traced back to the ancient tombs of the pharaohs in Egypt.
The Chinese incorporated tassels into their woven silks. But it was those trendsetting French folks that turned tassels into some serious ornamentation. In the 16th century, the first Guild of the Passementiers was founded and passementiers had to complete a seven year apprenticeship in order to become a Master in one of the many guilds. Each tassel was made from highly valued materials like silk or metallic gold-and-silver threads, so they became a symbol of wealth, power and prestige. With at least 300 threads per tassel, it is no wonder that the passementiers took such great pride in their work (and you thought seed beading took a lot of time to perfect)!
Tassel Earrings
You can actually make your own tassel (perhaps not quite as elaborate as the passementiers’ version) or you can use ready-to-wear tassels such as these in our earring and bracelet projects. They come in some very popular colors so you can customize to your liking. Earrings can also become dangle purse charms, or make a necklace using a single tassel. Here’s the #411 on how to make these terrific tassel beauties:
Tassel Earrings
(2) Z007553 – 8cm Small Black Suede Leather Tassel
(2) A016387 – 2 Inch Hematite Enameled Copper 20 Gauge Eyepins
(2) TC01903 – Silver Filled French Hoop Wire Earrings by Tierracast
(4) TC00030 – 4mm Antique Silver Quad Heishi Spacer by TierraCast
(4) TC00252 – 5mm Antique Silver Beaded Cap by TierraCast
(1) GS00530 – 8mm Apple Jasper Faceted Rondelle Gemstone Beads from Dakota Stones
Tool: A013734 – EUROnomic 2K German Side Cutter
Tool: A013728 – Classic Wubbers Round Nose Pliers
Tool: A013727 – Classic Wubbers Chain Nose Pliers
Steps
Tassel Bracelet
Tassel Bracelet
(2) Z007553 – 8cm Small Black Suede Leather Tassel
(2) A021663 – Small Bead Stoppers
(1) FTBW0002 – Soft Flex MEDIUM Gauge 0.019 Inch Diameter Beading Wire
(1) A012857 – 2mm Crimp Tube Assortment Pack
(2) TC01899 – 3mm Silver Crimp Cover by TierraCast
(1) TC00439 – 17mm Silver Oval Pewter Toggle Clasp by Tierracast
(3) Z011515 – 5mm Silver Plated Round Jump Rings
(1) GS00537 – 8mm Black Silver Leaf Jasper Gemstone Faceted Rondelle Beads from Dakota Stones (20)
(40) TC00030 – 4mm Antique Silver Quad Heishi Spacer by TierraCast
(22) TC01132 – 4mm Black Kenyan Heishi Spacer by TierraCast
Tool: A013734 – EUROnomic 2K German Side Cutter
Tool: A013728– Classic Wubbers Round Nose Pliers
Tool: A013727– Classic Wubbers Chain Nose Pliers
Tool: FTTL0003– Crimping Pliers
Steps
