One more day - 25% off Interesting Focals, Daggers and Druks

Why daggers and druks? We just like saying "Daggers and Druks!" Try it! Daggers and druks! Daggers and druks! Like "Kibbles and Bits." Remember that?

On Sale this Week - 25% off Interesting Focals

• 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

25% off!

All our Sales start on Wed Midnight.
and run to the following Wed midnight.

September continues with more classes

September is chock full of classes, especially in the second half of the month! With you kids (and grandkids!) back to school, get yourself back to class too!

Monday, September 16
How to Start and Run a Successful Microbusiness
Instructor:Catherine Winter
5:00 - 9:00pm
You've read her Sailor Girl posts in BeadFX's blog, now come out and learn from her in person!

Tuesday, September 17
Loomwork Series (3 weeks)
Instructor: Maria Rypan
6:00 - 9:00pm
If you missed her session earlier in the year, now is your chance to learn how to do loomwork and read a pattern!

Thursday, September 19
Zig Zag Diamond Bracelet
Instructor: Sureka Sriharan
6:00 - 9:00pm
Sureka continues to share right-angle weave projects with this lovely bracelet!

Friday, September 20
Introduction to Art Clay Silver Express (left)
Instructor: Jenn Jevons
11:00am - 4:00pm
Learn the ins and outs of working with Art Clay Silver during this daytime class!

Bead Embroidery, Part 2 (right)

Instructor: Stephanie Dixon

6:00 - 9:00pm

Join Stephanie and continue to explore the world of bead embroidery to create a cuff bracelet!

Saturday, September 21
Coda Bracelet (left)
Instructor: Marilyn Gardiner
10:00am - 12:30pm
This easy-to-bracelet is a great way to learn how to do chainmaille!

Byzantine Bias Bracelet (right)

Instructor: Marilyn Gardiner

1:30 - 4:30pm

This intermediate-level bracelet is a beautiful way to continue your chainmaille journey!

Mold Making for Silver Clay (left) 
Instructor: Jenn Jevons
12:00 - 4:00pm
Learn how to create reusable molds for Art Clay Silver to create beautiful jewellery!

Sunday, September 22
Polymer Clay Pendant (left)
Instructor: Barbara Colautti
10:00am - 3:00pm
Learn from Barbara how to use this versatile clay to create pendants that will wow everyone!

Metal Clay Play Day (right)

Facilitator: Jennifer Tough

11:00am - 4:00pm

Whether you've taken just an introductory course or are a seasoned expert, Jennifer will help you with tips and techniques while you work away on your project!

Thursday, September 26
Chainmaille on Regalize Leather Bracelet
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
6:00 - 9:00pm
Combine a simple chainmaille pattern and Regalize leather to make a stunning bracelet!

Friday, September 27
The Plafond Knot (left)
Instructor: Angela Peace
12:30 - 3:30pm
Learn a new Chinese knot that you can use for necklaces, bracelets and earrings!

Peruvian Malla  Wire Crochet Bracelet (right)

Instructor: Gio Paz

4:30 - 8:30pm

Using only wire, beads and a crochet hook, you'll create a beautiful wire cuff bracelet!

Saturday, September 28
Felted Vessels
Instructor: Dawn Liu-Smyth
10:00am - 5:00pm
Using Merino wool roving, you create an amazing wet-felted container that can be enhanced with beads!

Sunday, September 29
Jewellery Making 101 (left)
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
11:30am - 2:30pm
Are you a beginner and looking where to start? Come on out and learn some of the basics of jewellery making!

Stash Buster Cuff (right)

Instructor: Rae Huggins

12:30 - 3:30pm

Rae will how you a great way to use extra beads and wire to create a stylish and eclectic cuff!

Don't forget about Open Beading Night and Afternoon Bead Tea!
Details about all classes and sessions are on the website.

Monday Inspiration: River Pebbles

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

---

River Pebbles
by: Dwyn Tomlinson

Make your own treasure from the simplest of stones. These matte-finished tumbled stones look like the un-assuming pebbles that you might find on the beach on in a stream. Dress them up with a bit of gold - and voila - a  casual chic bracelet that will work fine for the office, and then happily go to dinner too.

And, because there were beads left over - you can make earrings too! Plus an extra pair to keep or give away.

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.

The Business Chat - Show's over!!!

Today was my last outdoor show day of this season. I was mighty happy as it has been a challenging year with turbulent weather. As at the end of every show it’s really tempting to just throw everything in a bin as fast as possible and get home to put your feet up. BUT, that is not the smartest move. 

I find that the last little bit of a show day is quiet. Most of my fellow vendors are attempting to get a head start on packing, tidying up what they can, getting bins out. Not me. I’m sitting with my notebook and thinking ahead. While you’re still at your post it’s a really good time to brainstorm. Look around and see if you sold anything important that you should replace. Check how much packaging you still have. Make notes if any of your display needs to be repaired, washed, improved, gone over. 

When the day is officially done, try to pack up carefully and put everything in it’s proper place. I know you really really want to go home, but the extra care now will save you a lot of time later. 

Once you are home, celebratory beverage in hand, there is still some work to be done, although most of it can wait until the morning. Here’s my list of post-show tasks.

• 1. Bookkeeping. The day after a show I go over all my show sales. On a spreadsheet I mark down all sales. I go over all expenses from the show that might get lost later, such as running to the hardware store for more tarps on the way to the show. I enter the total sales on my income spreadsheet. I break my sales down into net sales, tax and gross sales. I also keep track of payments by credit card and by cash. 

TIP: The tallying of sales and HST is really important!!! Every sale I make I collect HST. This is NOT income, at some point I will have to hand this over. If this money sits in my bank account it gives me a false sense of income. There’s nothing more tempting than looking in our bank account and thinking “hey, there’s an extra $500 there and look at those shiny beads on sale.” However that money is not mine so I must not spend it. The day after a show I know exactly how much tax I have collected and I move it over to a special bank account just for that purpose. There are a variety of free online bank accounts available. I use ING. I move the tax money over, and poof! It’s gone. I can’t spend it, I can’t readily access it. When I have to remit my tax bill the money is still there. 

• Custom orders. If I wrote any custom orders I enter it into my order spreadsheet. I make note of the day that I promised to deliver and I send the customer an email thanking them for the order and letting them know when I will be making it and sending it. Remember, a lot of people think of us as flaky artists. If you are business-like and professional you will pleasantly surprise them.

• Go over show notes. During the show I constantly make notes on stuff like, make more blue earrings for the next show, or order more postcards. Now is the time to go over these notes. If I need to buy any supplies I mark this down on the to-do list.

• Enter the names from my mailing list sign-up sheet into my contact database. Your mailing list is the lifeblood of your business. At every show I ask people to sign up for my list. Now is the time to put those names into your contact database. 

• Send a thank you email to the show organizer. Always a good idea to say thanks. 

• Send emails to any fellow vendors I’ve chatted to. Networking and building your community is key to your future success.

• Do a quick facebook post about the show, or maybe a blog entry. Or Instagram. 

Doing these small chores doesn’t take very long and it really makes a big difference in how smoothly your shows will run. Once you’ve run through this checklist, pat yourself on the back on a job well done. Back to the celebratory beverage. 

On sale this week!

On Sale this Week - 25% off Interesting Focals

• 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

25% off!

All our Sales start on Wed Midnight.
and run to the following Wed midnight.

alternate phone line

We are continuing to experience problems with our phones - please call our 2nd line - 416-751-1013 to get through.

Or email info@beadfx.com

We are working to resolve this.

Update 3:30 pm: Fixed now! 

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!

Last day to save ... 20% on headpins, eyepins, jumprings!

Sale ends Wednesday at midnight!

Headpins/Eyepins

• Copper
• Gold & Brass
• Gunmetal & Black
• Silver
• Sterling Silver
• Vermeil

Jumprings

• Copper
• Gold &Brass
• Gunmetal & Black
• Silver
• Sterling Silver
• Jumprings for Chain maille

All our Sales start on Wed Midnight.
and run to the following Wed midnight.

Getting to know...Heather Bell Denison

Heather Bell Denison

Heather Bell Denison is a long-time instructor at BeadFX, specializing in Art Clay. As a Senior Certified Art Clay Instructor, Heather loves to help her students find their creative spirit and make something beautiful.

Heather has always loved creating artful things and started off with painting, pottery, sewing, knitting and other crafty projects around the home. "I always liked trying to take a project or creation and 'make it my own'", says Heather.
 




Then Heather discovered Art Clay and the rest, as they say, is history. "I have always loved creating things and always wanted try traditional silverwork but had been intimidated by the tools and complexity of it all. I discovered Art Clay when I searching information on kilns related to my love of pottery.  I thought 'huh, this sounds awesome'.  I found a course at BeadFX and I was hooked", says Heather.

"I started with taking books out of the library, then an introductory course at BeadFX. The class was the best thing as I had all the supplies. I was a bit intimidated by the silver clay, afraid I would mess up horribly. I think the cost of the silver, even though it was much lower then than it is now, had me a bit concerned. After the class, I was off and running. I have continued to take many other courses and searched for information on the web and books."

When asked about inspiration, Heather replied, "Everything! Many things can catch my attention and inspire me. I love nature; this can be an inspiration.  I also love the idea of making moving parts so, when I am really ambitious, this can be a key to my inspiration. My kids, my pets, textures all can inspire me too."

Heather continues, "I don’t always have a set way to approach my projects. Sometimes I just sit down with clay and start playing. I learned early on that you can mess up a lot of clay by rolling and rerolling (I am an expert at reclaiming clay thanks to that); but I have gotten wise now and I will use other types of clay (often cheap old Playdoh to get my creative juices flowing). Other times I will have a definite idea in my head and I will sketch and make patterns, then cut out all my pieces and starting assembling.

"I often try to store it all in my brain…but that doesn’t really work.  I have a sketch book which I will add sketches of my ideas or write down thoughts. There are may things in that book that I have yet to do," she adds.

Heather's 'other' life? "For other work, I am a mother, occupational therapist and certified life care planner. I love parenting my two boys who are tons of fun. My other paid work,  I spend most of my work time assessing client and writing expert legal reports. It is interesting, challenging and after a long day writing on a computer I love my metal clay creative outlet. My boys love to join in and create with me," says Heather. "I have many other interests: camping, pottery, gardening, walking my dog…."

Her advice to others who love to create? "Don't be afraid to experiment," advises Heather.

Heather's upcoming classes:
Charmed I'm Sure 
Saturday, October 26; 10:00am - 5:00pm

Charmed I'm Sure
Sunday, December 8; 10:00am - 5:00pm

Inspiration Monday: Antique Summer

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

---

Antique Summer
by: Rochelle Kilmer

My favourite colour is turquoise and when I saw the Amazonite, I nearly died. This stone is GORGEOUS!!! I knew right away I had to make a piece with it. So I grabbed some tumbled nuggets and the faceted trapezoids and started walking around the store. From there I was attracted to the antique brass rolo chain. The brass brought out the warmer tones in the Amazonite for me. I continued my walk through the store and then came the citrine nuggets and Swarovski crystals. With all my pieces I sat down and this was the design I came up with. 

First I measured out 15.5 inches of the antique brass chain. I put a 20 mm jumpring on either end and attached the spring clip clasp to one of the jumprings. This is my closure. Four inches down either side of the chain from the clasp I cut the chain and attached another jumpring. This is where my multi-strands will attach. I strung the tumbled nuggets, 5 mm turquoise Swarovski bicones, and the 8 mm crystal brandy Swarovski bicones in a pattern I liked on the medium bronze beading wire. I used the #3 crimp tubes to crimp off my ends by flattening the crimps with my chainnose pliers. This strand is about 9 inches long.

Then I used the Vintaj headpins for my dangling citrine and Swarovski pieces. Constructing from the bottom up, I put the citrine nugget on, then a 5mm bicone, an 8mm bicone and then another 5mm bicone. I made my loop with the 1-Step looping tool (FANTASTIC in my opinion)!! I made three of these and then strung the trapezoids and the 4mm rounds that came on the strands with more Swarovski and the dangles. I had to add a couple of the tumbled nuggets to the ends to make the strand long enough to reach the jumpring. This strand came out to being about 10.5 inches long.

From the remaining rolo chain I cut a piece 9.5 inches long. Now I assembled my piece.

On the jumpring attached to the original piece of chain I put the trapezoid strand first, then the 9.5 inch piece of chain, then the tumbled nugget strand and the last piece of chain. I did the same on the other side so that everything hung appropriately. 

Now you can step back and enjoy your GORGEOUS statement piece with Amazonite!!

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.