New This Week!

It's October - are you afraid ...

... of goblins and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night?

How about a morbid fear of boring jewelry that everyone else is wearing? We banish that fear with brilliant beads, fabulous findings, captivating components, scintillating supplies and inspirational inspirations!

Did you know that all our inspirations are designed in-house by our fabulously creative staff? In fact - we have all been so inspired lately - that we are now publishing two new projects every week! So check us out on Sunday and Monday for the new InspirationFX!

October is a fabulous month - full of colour, days that start foggy and grey, turn warm and lanquid, and end frosty and brilliant again. Every day feels like a gift - wrapped in a changing symphony of colour as the trees throw on cloaks of yellow, scarves of orange and paint their leaves red.

If orange is your colour - then this new stock of Carnelian will make your heart sing. And if you don't like orange - this is so yummy - you may well change your mind! Beautifully glossy, translucent, and richly coloured - what's not to love about this!


On a different note, and speaking of colour - how about some fruit cake? Simply labeled "Inlay cut" - this colourful mix of agate in matrix bears a strong resemblance to holiday fruit cake. Novel, if nothing else. ;-)



Calling all Kumihimo fans! We have some giant-ass beads with holes you can drive a semi through. These monster-truck-tire-sized stone beads are the perfect complement for your hand-made braided cords - but if you chose to use them some other way - we won't judge!
As always, you can click on a link above or start with our new products page! Get out there and bead up something!




On sale this week* - 30% off Czech Firepolish beads! Czech it out!

*(Sale runs Wed midnight to Wed midnight.)

Collect the Rainbow ...

Bead the rainbow ...

If you have "collect the whole set-itis" - you're in trouble now.

We've just added Toho 6s to the line-up. 

For those of you not steeped in seedbeads - allow me to translate.

Seedbeads by the Japanese seedbead maker - Toho - are famous for their consistency of shape and colour - much more so than the Czech seedbeads - which vary in width, and can vary in colour from batch to batch.

Size 6 - 6/0 - is a largish size - also known as size "E" and as "Pony Beads." They are large enough even for the seedbead challenged to use - and are a good "starter" bead. They also make very nice accent beads and filler beads. For instance, you can use them between larger beads that you don't have quite enough of to make the bracelet or necklace that you had in mind, or to just add a little splash of just the right colour where you need it.

So if you are already contemplating your neat rows of seedbeads - soothed by their colours and orderliness, or if you revel in untidy piles of colour - and are looking for your next fix - voila! Plunge into the 6/0s!

Of course, if the 6/0s seem a little big for you - we have more of the Toho 8/0s as well. This Silver Lined Turquoise Opal, for instance, is just yummy! And these gold-plated Toho 8/0s - well - wouldn't they add the perfect deluxe touch to your creation?


On the stoney and non-seedbeady side - we've just got a few interesting odds and bobs in. Tourmalinated Quartz - always interesting - these quartz crystals have needles of Tourmaline formed inside them. The crystals range from water clear to inky to milky. You just never know!



And this is - no - not Onyx. It's Amethyst - but such a rich dark colour that it looks black in some lights - with flashes of purple. Hold it up to the light, and the colour is rich and deep!


And some Picture Jasper Pendants - Mother Nature's paintings of the desert! Tres Magnifique!
So, click on a link above or start with our new products page! Don't worry - bead happy!

On sale this week* - 25% off Swarovski beads! That covers a lot of territory, so here's a Power Shopper Tip. Go to our Site Map Page, press control + f, and search for Swarovski - that's the fastest way to find them! Or this list will get you started!

• Swarovski Crystal
• Swarovski Crystal - Classics - - - - 1582 products
• Swarovski Crystal - Drops - - - - 282 products
• Swarovski Pearls - - - - 290 products
• Swarovski Crystal Buttons
• Swarovski Crystal - - - - 145 products
• Swarovski Crystal Pendants - - - - 455 products
• Swarovski Hot Fix - - - - 107 products
• Swarovski Rhinestones - - - - 452 products
• Swarovski Sew-on - - - - 33 products
• Swarovski Crystal Yarn - - - - 3 products
• Swarovski Hot Fix - - - - 6 products

*(Sale runs Wed midnight to Wed midnight.)

It has a dragon on it ...

If it has a dragon on it, or if it's blue, I'm in.

If it is Blue AND has a dragon - I'm pretty much done for. There isn't really a way I can NOT buy it. So you can blame me for these. Cabochons with Dragons on, some are Lapis.


Or Black. Black is good too. Hence the Onyx dragon cabochon.

Horses too - in the absence of dragons - I'll settle for a horse. Black Onyx carved horse. Not really a cabochon given that cabochon really seems to imply some sort of symmetry of shape. That aside - it's a horse. Ergo - it's very cool.




If you prefer your cabochons to be more abstract and less literal, we have a new selection of those too. From Artistic Jasper Round Cabochons to Picture Jasper Piano Keys.


Over all - a bunch of new cabochons for your beading/bezeling pleasure!

In other news - some new Swarovski - no - not the new fall colours yet - but those will be along soon. What we have is some older, limited edition stuff - special orders, hard to find colours, sizes, etc.


Such as 10 mm Top-drill Bicones - in a limited selection of colours. I love these in the 8 and 6 mm sizes - so I'm excited about having some 10s!




Or some of the bigger Swarovski Chatons (pointed back stones) - such as SS 30 - which is about 6.5 mm across.




Or this Crescent Moon in Antique Green!




Or this 48 mm Divine Rock in Erinite!

Oh, and here's a little secret. We just discounted all the other 48 mm Divine Rock Pendants by a whopping 35% - so even though this is new - it is discounted too. Now THAT doesn't happen every day!


And this Saturday - Pam and Nessa will be out at the Kitchener - Waterloo Knitters' Fair, so if you are in the area - drop in and say hi! We just got some new soft-handled crochet hooks for beaders, and they will have them out there. After that - they will be in the store - or you can just order online, as always.






On sale this week - Freshwater Pearls and Silk Thread. 25% off!

Freshwater Pearls
Silk Thread
Youtube has a tonne of videos on how to knot pearls, with or without the pearl knotting tool! This one is interesting - No tool, using Powerpro.

(Sale runs Wed midnight to Wed midnight.)

So, click on a link above or start with our new products page! Remember - always have fun and play with your beads!

New this week!

What was I thinking?

Ever have one of those moments when you look at your own work and wonder - what WAS I thinking?

Matted Outback Wood Jasper. Please - tell me why I chose to type that as Matted instead of Matte? OK, it's not gramatically terrible, but I just have this image of clumps of fur -- matted. Arg. I guess I'll have to change it for next week, but for this week, you're stuck with it.

That aside - it is a pleasant enough stone - non-shiny - obviously - in all the shades of chocolate, caramel and vanilla. It would make some very nice organic looking jewelry. I have a strand of it here on my desk as I write this - with the intention of making a bracelet.

Obvious brain-spasms aside - also new this week - a whack of new colours of the C-Lon Bead cord including - yes - wait for it ... NEON! Ha ha - of course we did! Can't have all those neon beads without some Neon cord to go with them!

If you're thinking you need more bling in your life than matte stone beads and C-Lon will provide - then grab some of the new cup chain and wire up a bangle bracelet or two for your bling-fix.

With the kids back in school, perhaps you are contemplating some beadweaving projects with some of the more exotic shapes? In which case, these new colours of Tila beads may inspire you.




And - for something a little different - size 6/0 Miyuki seedbeads with a Baroque finish. I see these as more of a space/accent bead, but they are definitely different. The finish is a little less polished around the holes than we are used to seeing on Japanese beads - and you notice it more in our photos - because it is an extreme close up, but when strung - that is not the part of the bead you see anyway.

Oh, and we are experiencing some weirdness with our phone lines - our main line is ringing through to the fax and an empty office and other such oddness - so please call on our 2nd line for more direct service! 416-751-1013.

On sale this week - Interesting focal beads: 25% off! Woohoo! Plus Daggers and Druks as accents! Also 25% off! Also woohoo!

• Bakelite
• Bone
• Cinnabar
• Cloisonne
• Decoupage
• Wood
  Also

Dagger Beads

• Small
• Medium
• Large

and

• Druks
  • 3 mm
  • 4 mm
  • 6 mm
  • 8 mm
  • 10 mm
  • 12 mm

(Sale runs Wed midnight to Wed midnight.)

So, click on a link above or start with our new products page! Remember - always have fun and play with your beads!

Neon Seeds!

Grow your own neon! Yes - the seedbeads have joined the happy, happy colours of Neon, and if you've been itching to get beady with some perky, bright colours, we are happy to accommodate you!
Czech 10/0s

• Czech Seedbeads - 10/0 Seedbead - Transparent Matte Neon Green (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 10/0 Seedbead - Transparent Matte Neon Pink (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 10/0 Seedbead - Transparent Matte Neon Yellow (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 10/0 Seedbead - Transparent Matte Neon Orange (20 grams)

Czech 6/0s

• Czech Seedbeads - 6/0 Seedbead - Opaque Matte Neon Green (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 6/0 Seedbead - Opaque Matte Neon Pink (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 6/0 Seedbead - Opaque Matte Neon Yellow (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 6/0 Seedbead - Opaque Matte Neon Orange (20 grams)

and transparent too!

• Czech Seedbeads - 6/0 Seedbead - Transparent Matte Neon Green (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 6/0 Seedbead - Transparent Matte Neon Pink (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 6/0 Seedbead - Transparent Matte Neon Yellow (20 grams)
• Czech Seedbeads - 6/0 Seedbead - Transparent Matte Neon Orange (20 grams)

also, Japanese 8/0s
Not just neon - but a bunch of other colours too. A little more tasteful and subtle than the pure exuberance of the bright neon colors.

• Japanese Seedbeads - 8/0 Toho Seedbeads - Reflection Neon Green (10 gram)
• Japanese Seedbeads - 8/0 Toho Seedbeads - Reflection Cantaloupe (10 gram)
• Japanese Seedbeads - 8/0 Toho Seedbeads - Reflection Cream (10 gram)
• 
• Japanese Seedbeads - 8/0 Toho Seedbeads - Reflection Orchid (10 gram)

and then, there is also some more of the dark neon.

Moving away from the seedbeads - we have a new shape in the Czech Firepolish glass! These are delightful little faceted briolette drops - which I'm just itching to take some out for a test drive. The shape speaks for itself, don't you think?

On sale this week - headpins, eyepins, and jumprings. Always useful! 20% off!

• Headpins/Eyepins
  • Copper
  • Gold & Brass
  • Gunmetal & Black
  • Silver
  • Sterling Silver
  • Vermeil
• Jumprings
  • Copper
  • Gold & Brass
  • Gunmetal & Black
  • Silver
  • Sterling Silver
• Jumprings for Chain maille

(Sale runs Wed midnight to Wed midnight.)

So, click on a link above or start with our new products page! Remember - always have fun and play with your beads!

New this week: Hardcore Survival Jewelry or Warm and Fuzzy Needles?

Oh hey - what do Bear Grylls, Tom Hardy, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Seth Green, Alex Trebek have in common? They've all been spotted wearing Paracord "Survival" Bracelets.

Now - I know that's not exactly a line-up of A-listers - but the paracord bracelet thing is hot, and the bracelets themselves are pretty cool and easy to make - and you can actually make them for your dude. Or even get your dude interested in making them.

The deal behind these essentially macrame'd bracelets is that they contain about 20 continuous feet of strong, lightweight "Parachute" cord which, in an emergency, can be unraveled and used to lash down your tent, hang food from a tree, and generally just be useful.

You can even make dog collars and leashes!

We have the cord, we have the buckles, and we have the instruction booklet. 


If the idea of easy, masculine bracelets doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy - then maybe felting will make you feel all warm and fuzzy?

We just added felting tools (to go with our roving) - a felting mat, needles, and some funny-looking felting molds to our line up. The molds look kind of like cookie cutters - you moosh in the roving and then needle away to get your shapes!








By popular request - the Looper plier - the plier that makes loops in headpins in one easy step. There's a video here that makes it clearer.




And, Puppy Paws! Swarovski Crystal Fabric Applique! My dog walks all over me - and when she does - she leave crystal footprints! Get yours too!




Other than that, some Swarovskis in some hard to find colors, like Green Turmaline, Cobalt (Why is it so hard to find this one? It's sooo beautiful!) and Olivine Dorado. And some fancy, cushion cut stones - perfect for epoxy clay and blinging!










And we have some humongous, coloured clasps - for making purse charms.


And, speaking of purses, and bling and epoxy clay - these purse hangers will solve the problem of putting your purse on the floor when out dining, and then coming home and putting it down on the counter, and transferring a boat-load of icky floor stuff to your nice clean countertop! Never mind how nice the restaurant was - you prepare food on that counter!







On sale this week - fabulous fun feathers, our custom ColourFX seedbead mixes, (ColourFX 10/0s, ColourFX 11/0s, ColourFX 6/0s, ColourFX Exotics) and production, handmade lampwork, made in the US or Czech! (Czech Handmade, Focals & Pendants, USA Handmade). (Sale runs Wed midnight to Wed midnight.)

So, click on a link above or start with our new products page! Remember - always have fun and play with your beads!

Absolutely Riveting ...

It was a dark and stormy night. I sat alone, reading my copy of Lapidary Journal, and wondering if I should head on down to the Hammered Bar. I heard the 15/0 Metal Seedbeads were playing. Matte Gilding was always my favourite.

Suddenly - a shot rang out. It sounded like a 4 mm Compression Rivet with Tube. A jolt went through me like an Electric Blue Eel. I Tri-Buckled on my belt and grabbed my snap cap. I peered out the Hollow Eyelet in my door, but could see nothing.





It was as dark as a Raven Python. Brandishing my Dual Head Mini Plastic Mallet - I slipped out into the night. And there it was - an EZ Rivet Piercing and Setting Tool - a deadly weapon that only one person could have used. I reached out for it, but there was a sound.



With a voice like a Spring Green Serpent, she said, "Don't move a muscle, I have a replacement blade for the leather cutter here, and I'm not afraid to use it."

"Charlotte?" I called. "Nickle Plated AB 15/0 Charlotte? Is that you? You wouldn't do that to an old friend, would you?" I asked, stalling for time.

Charlotte slithered out of the darkness like a Sapphire Boa. "Well, if it isn't my old friend Rick, from Rick's Beading Loom."



"Hey, shweetheart," I said in my best Bogart imitation. "I was just going out for a little R and R Strap Tip. Wanna join me?"


"I wouldn't join you with a Large Classic Hook Clasp!" she sneered.


"Aw, baby, don't be like that. We were great at the Midnight Mamba. I could see her soften a little." "I'll buy you some rhinestones, and we could get Xirus."

You never were too Bright Gold, were you, you Antiqued Copper, she said, shaking her head.


I smiled and offered her my arm. She hesitated, and then took it. And we strolled into the night together. It was the same old story: full of holes, but riveting to the end - you can fill in the copper bracelet blanks yourself.



 
So, click on a link above or explore the site and write your own story! Remember - always have fun and play with your beads!