On Sale this Week - Bead Different

On Sale
this
Week

Now for
Something
Different

25%
off
Some of
our
more
UNUSUAL
beads

Rare & Vintage

 

Decoupage

Bone

 

 

Bakelite

 

Square Washers

 

Un-Buried Treasure

 

Sale starts on Wed Midnight.
and ends on Wed midnight.
Items held in shopping cart
will change price automatically at
midnight.

Be afraid ... be very afraid ...

 

All is not rosy in the world - All Hallow's Eve approach-eth and the veil of normalcy shall slip from this world and monsters and evil beings shall slip-eth through the cracks from the other side - and get completely overwhelmed by all the chaos on this side. ;-)

Actually - things are pretty Rosy here - we have a bunch of new 14 Kt Rose Gold beads and Findings here to make you feel all rosy and warm. These gold-filled findings and beads will add a warm touch of elegance to anything you make. Gold-filled is a process that puts a much thicker and more durable layer of gold over a base layer, so is much longer wearing and more valuable than gold-plating. Rose Gold is an alloy of gold that has small amounts of copper added to make the colour sunny and warm and pinker than the regular yellow of gold.

What else? Well - we have a large selection of big magnetic clasps - some with wide slots for gluing in leather, fabric or whathaveyou, and other with multiple loops for many strand bracelets and necklaces. The magnets on these are fierce. When not wearing your creations, you can store them by attaching them to the fridge door. ;-)
(You laugh - I actually do have magnetic clasps stuck to the metal lampshade at my desk.)

OK - a quick run down of some of the other 120 new items this week:

Sticky Bead Mat - bigger, and clearer - better for designing and composing your pattern.




Vintage Beads, in Coral Red Opal, Blue Givre and White Givre - these are from an old warehouse stash, and will appeal if you are repairing old pieces or going for an authentic vintage look. Or just like them for what they are.

Happy Cat beads - in Antiqued Pewter and Brass Ox - in case you are so over Grumpy Cat and his attitude. (I know I am.)

New items in our Unburied Treasure (which, coincidentally - is also on sale this week!) including Raiders of the Lost Snark and the extremely obscurely pop-culturally-referenced Beraza Forest.

Giant Hex-Nuts - hey - you never know! In Silky Copper and Silky Silver.

And a bunch of new Rivoli stone mounts - link and dangles - for making more beautiful items with our gorgeous rivolis. These fit our 12 mm and 14 mm sizes.

All sorts of other new goodies too, so as always - you can click on a link or image above, or get started with the new items here. Happy Shopping!

InspirationFX: Purple and Pleased

---

InspirationFX

Get your creative juices flowing

---

Purple and Pleased
by: Rae Huggins

Easy like one, two, three,

Pleased and purple that’s what it will be.

No need for worry or any kind of stress,

Cause this necklace can be worn with a shirt, sweater or even a dress.

A little stringing on leather and simple wire wrapping,

Come on make it and off we’ll go, my feet are already tapping.

Easy like one, two, three,

Yes, purple and pleased you too will be.

Please add the pendant to the bail before wrapping the loop. I used a spot of the Super New Glue to keep the Big Hole spacers in place and glue can also be used to secure the end caps in place. Add the adjustable toggle and enjoy.

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

Welcome to November -- we have great classes leading into the holiday season!

November?? When did that happen? Yes, time marches on and our classes continue to keep pace!

November has a number of new classes - perfect for learning a new skill (and perhaps using it for holiday gifts?)! Jane Doidge, a new instructor, is teaching wire weaving! Marilyn Gardiner has a new chainmaille design. Pamela Kearns has a new herringbone bracelet - just accepted at the 2015 Bead and Button! Mixed media artist Anne Marie Desaulniers brings us a new embellished bracelet using sari silk and Angela Peace has a new Cavandoli knotting project! Sureka Sriharan is teaching an intriguing right-angle weave bracelet using two-hole SuperDuos!

Our Trunk Sale is back! Twenty lampworkers, metal workers and other artists will be showing and selling their work throughout BeadFX. Our vendors will be focused on providing  handmade components (rather than finished jewellery) that you can include in your own pieces.

Here is what's scheduled November 1 - 15:

Saturday, November 1
Byzantine Bracelet
Instructor: Marilyn Gardiner
9:30am - 12:30pm

Intro to Lampworking Weekend

Instructor: Amy Waldman-Smith

10:00am - 2:30pm

(continues Sunday, November 2; 11:30am - 4:00pm)

Hot Connections 1: Intro to Soldering
Instructor: Iris Rogers Melamed
10:30 - 3:00pm

 NEW Sweetpea Bracelet

Instructor: Marilyn Gardiner

1:30 - 4:30pm

Sunday, November 2
NEW Wire Weaving Bracelet or Collar
Instructor: Jane Doidge
11:30am - 2:30pm

Tree of Life

Instructor: Bonni Poch

11:30am - 2:30pm

Monday, November 3
How to Start and Run a Successful Microbusiness
Instructor: Catherine Winter
5:00 - 9:00pm



Tuesday, November 4
Fabulous Fan Bracelet
Instructor: Maria Rypan
2:00 - 5:00pm

Boho Bracelet: Single Row

Instructor: Rosemary Beasley

6:00 - 9:00pm

Thursday, November 6
NEW Thistle Herringbone Bracelet
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
5:00 - 9:00pm




 
Saturday, November 8
Fall Bead & Jewellery Fair
10:00am - 5:00pm
(continues Sunday, November 9; 11:00am - 5:00pm)

Thursday, November 13
NEW Gypsy Dreams: Sari Silk Ribbon Bangle
Instructor: Anne Marie Desaulniers
5:00 - 9:00pm

Friday, November 14
NEW Running Through the Rope
Instructor: Sureka Sriharan
1:00 - 4:00pm

NEW Cavandoli Knotted Earrings

Instructor: Angela Peace

6:00 - 9:00pm

Saturday, November 15
BeadFX Trunk Sale
11:00am - 4:00pm

Complete information about all classes, including course description and fees, is found on our website. Click on 'Classes' and follow the links to the November class calendar.

Bring your projects to work on at our FREE open beading sessions:

Wednesday, November 5
Open Bead Night
6:00 - 8:00pm

Thursday, November 6

Thursday, November 13

Afternoon Bead Tea

Facilitator: Pamela Kearns

1:00 - 3:00pm

BeadFX is proud to provide these FREE sessions. In return, we ask that you please use our merchandise in our facility.

The Business Chat - 9 ideas for boosting sales

It’s feast time for crafters! Now is the time of year when people are seriously shopping, so here are 9 ways to help them shop with you. 

1 – Free shipping

Offering free shipping is a great incentive for online shoppers. At this time of year customers are buying a lot and the shipping costs can really add up. If your price points are low try offering free shipping when they buy a certain number of items, or over a dollar amount. 

2 – Early Bird Specials

Offer a discount coupon or special sale to reward purchases made early in the season. This works well in getting the ball rolling and also encourages people not to leave it until the last minute. 

3 – Repackaging for Savings

This could be half off a pair of matching earring when you buy a necklace, or combine earrings and a bracelet as a discounted gift set.

4 – Post a daily deal

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me....

Try running your own 12 days of Christmas deals. Make sure you do this with enough time for people to order and have it arrive in time. 

5 – Insider deals

Give your fans a special deal. Try running a sale just for your Facebook followers, or a different deal for your twitter fans, or one for your email list. Not only will you increase sales, it’s a great way to see where your best fans are. 

6 - Special gift wrap

Sometimes it’s the little things that make a customer buy. Create special packaging for your work for the holidays and let people know about it. This works especially well for men shopping online, it’s one less thing for a customer to worry about. 

7 – Offer to drop ship

Drop shipping is when you send the purchase to a third party. Rather than sending the item to the customer who is paying, you can offer to gift wrap it, put in a handwritten card (ask the customer what they want to say) and send it to the recipient. This is a real help for a lot of people during the holidays. 

8 – Gift Guides

Create a gift guide and post it on your blog, maybe offer a special deal for your items that are included in the guide. This can be done multiple times, as there are so many different people we shop for this time of year. 

9 – Pre-order Discounts

Working on a new line for the holidays? Show off some of your finished pieces (or in-progress pieces) via your Facebook or blog. Offer a discount to whoever is willing to pre-order the item before its official release.

InspirationFX: 1-2-3 Daisy

---

InspirationFX

Get your creative juices flowing

---

1-2-3 Daisy
by: Rae Huggins
Daisy, Daisy - give me an answer do. I'm half crazy - over the love of you!

Gotta love these big, big, BIG daisy spacers!

String three Big Hole Big Ball  Daisy  Spacers on approximately 50cm of the 3mm Metallic Dark Grey leather. These spacers are followed by three Big Hole spacers on either side. Add a spot of Super New Glue to keep the spacers in place on both sides. Add an end cap on each end and attach the clasp. Bingo! A necklace that is crazy easy! 

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

See You at the Fair!

 

We look
forward to seeing
you at the
Creativ Festival
this weekend,
Oct 24, 25, 26

We'll have lots of
new kits
at the
show and
we'll be doing
make and takes
in the booth

So drop on by!

 

Rosebud. @ BeadFX

A Rosebud bead, by any other name, would bead as sweet. Although, in my humble opinion, these are too round and snowglobe-shaped to be rosebuds and really look more like ... cabbages. Cabbage Roses, perhaps? Anyhoo - perhaps they will remind you of happier days?

If the rosebuds are not to your taste, then how about these Art Deco flowers instead?

Or perhaps your beady garden needs butterflies instead? We have the new etched Farfalle. Farfalle means butterfly - just in case you missed that connection. Variously called farfalle, peanut or dumbell beads, these etched variations have significant texture to them.

More of the two-hole shaped beads - in this case - the 2-hole Czechmate Chexx squares - these new two-hole shapes really lend themselves to being used in some very clever designs.

We'll be at the Creativ Festival this Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but our regular location will be open as well. If you are going to the show, be sure and drop by and say hi! We have picked up a lot of new kits for the show, and we'll be having a draw, and make and takes at the booth, so be sure to visit us. And if you are not going, come on by the store, where the parking is free and easy. ;-)

 

All sorts of other new goodies too, so as always - you can click on a link or image above, or get started with the new items here. Happy Shopping!

Trunk Show - Nov 15

We're also organizing a Lampworkers/Metal Smith/Hand made Trunk Show (on Nov 15). We do this to support artists that would like to try selling but are intimidated by making enough inventory for a full show. If you would like to participate and be a vendor, contact us for details. Vendors - the postcards are ready - you can pick them up for distributing.