October kicks off with new classes

There are lots of great things about October: the beautiful autumn leaves; Fall Festivals, Thanksgiving and families getting together; Halloween and seeing kids in costumes - and classes at BeadFX! We're back in the full swing of classes and many of our instructors are offering new projects and techniques to keep creative juices flowing.

We're pleased that Iris Rogers Melamed has returned from her summer break. We also welcome Barb Scott as a new instructor to teach knitting with beads!


Take a look at all that is happening in the first half of October:

Friday, October 4
AS REQUESTED! Felt in the Round - Making Felted Ball Beads
Instructor: Dawn Liu-Smyth
4:30 -8:30pm

Saturday, October 5
Hot Connections Bangles (left)
Instructor: Iris Rogers Melamed
10:00am - 4:00pm

NEW Tubular Peyote Pen (right)

Instructor: Tracey Neidhardt

12:30 - 3:30pm

Tuesday, October 8
BACK AGAIN! Kumihimo Spiral Braids (left)
Instructor: Angela Peace
12:30 - 2:30pm

NEW Knitting with Beads: Pioneer Cuff Bracelet (right)

Instructor: Barb Scott

6:00 - 9:00pm

Thursday, October 10
NEW Beaded Survival Bracelet
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
6:00 - 9:00pm

Friday, October 11
NEW Peruvian Malla Wire Ring
Instructor: Gio Paz
4:30 - 8:00pm

Tuesday, October 15
BACK AGAIN! Resin with Rosemary
Instructor: Rosemary Beasley
6:00 - 9:00pm

Complete information about all classes, including descriptions, class fees and kit fees are on our website. Click on 'Classes' and follow the link to 'October'.

Also, BeadFX is participating in:

Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6
 Grand River Bead Society Show and Sale
2-day Show in Guelph, Ontario
10:00am - 5:00pm both days

Monday Inspiration: Cafe La Iron Zebra

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

---

Cafe La Iron Zebra
by: Rochelle Kilmer

I saw these double-drilled ovals in the Iron Zebra Jasper and wondered what I could do with them that was a little bit different. I was intrigued by the patterns within the stones and the colours that are so rich and intense. The colours reminded me of a steaming cup of café mocha. Starting with the Iron Zebra Jasper as my inspiration, everything else fell into place, keeping the colours in a warmer tone. And to make the whole set, I only needed one strand of the double drilled ovals. (*note : you need 2 tubes of mb6b-3955 Japanese Seedbeads - 6/0 Miyuki Seedbeads - Baroque – Bronze (2 grams))

Necklace Instructions

Step 1 – Put the Iron Zebra Jasper Rhombus on the eyepin and make a wrapped loop on top.

Step 2 – Put 1 Firepolish Crystal Celsian on the headpin and make a wrapped loop.

Step 3 – Attach your rhombus and firepolish together using a 4mm Jumpring. This is your pendant.

Step 4 – Take the 2 feet of heavy softflex and cut it in half.

Step 5 – Lay out your beads in the way you will string it on.

Left to right ~ 1 firepolish, 2 baroques, 1 double drilled oval, 2 baroque, 1 dd oval, 2 baroque, 1 dd oval, 6 firepolish, 1 dd oval, 2 baroque, 1 dd oval, 2 baroque, 1 dd oval, 2 baroque, 1 dd oval, 2 baroque, 1 firepolish.

Step 6 – String left to right. Take the 2 pieces of softflex and put them through the 1 firepolish, leaving about 1.5 inch tail. Put 1 baroque on each piece of softflex, and then thread in through each hole of the double drilled oval. Continue until the last double drilled oval on the left side. Put 1 firepolish on each piece of softflex, then put both pieces of softflex through another firepolish. Put a jumpring on the pendant you made in Steps 1-3 and put both pieces of softflex through the jumpring. Take another firepolish and put both pieces of softflex through it. Now you can do the same on the right side of the necklace, following the reversed pattern. 

Step 7 – Take your Oval and Oval Goldplated and on one side crimp the tail you left with the softflex right to the end oval. Do the same on the other side. 

Step 8 – Cut your chain where you would like to attach your lobster claw with a jumpring. Clip the lobster claw to the oval opposite. 

Now your necklace is done.

Bracelet Instructions

Step 1 – Cut the fine softflex into 2 1 foot lengths.

Step 2 – Lay out your beads in the pattern you want.

Left to right ~ 1 double drilled oval , 2 baroque, 1 dd oval, 1 firepolish, 1 dd oval, 2 baroque, 1 dd oval, 1 baroque, 1 firepolish, 1 baroque, 1 rhombus, 1 baroque, 1 firepolish, 1 baroque, 1 dd oval, 2 baroque, 1 dd oval, 1 firepolish, 1 dd oval, 2 baroque, 1 dd oval.

Step 3 – Leaving a tail of softflex put one piece of softflex through each hole on the double drilled ovals, place a baroque on each piece of softflex and then through the double drilled oval again.

Step 4 - Put both pieces of softflex through the firepolish.

Step 5 – Repeat Step 3.

Step 6 – Put both pieces of softflex through 1 baroque, 1 firepolish, 1 baroque, the rhombus and repeat on the other side.

Step 7 – Continue with the pattern you did on the left side of the bracelet.

Step 8 – Using the tail you left at the beginning crimp it to the loops on your 2 strand clasp. Make sure your clasp lines up together when you do the other side.

Earring Instructions

Step 1 – Cut your softflex into 2 1 foot pieces.

Step 2 – Lay out your earring pattern.

Top to bottom ~ 2 baroques, 1 double drilled oval, 1 firepolish, 1 dd oval, 1 baroque, 1 firepolish, 1 baroque, 1 rhombus, 1 baroque.

Step 3 – Put the baroque on the bottom in the middle of 1 piece of softflex and put both pieces of the softflex through the rhombus, a baroque, a firepolish, a baroque.

Step 4 – Split the softflex into 2 and put them through each hole on the double drilled oval.

Step 5 – Put both softflex through 1 firepolish.

Step 6 – Split into 2 and put through each hole on the double drilled oval and place 1 baroque on each strand.

Step 7 – Put both softflex through a crimp bead and the loop on the leverback. Thread both pieces back through the crimp and flatten with chainnose pliers.

Step 8 – Repeat Step 2 – 7 with your other piece of soft flex for the other earring.

Now you can enjoy a full set of your Iron Zebra Jasper stones. Quite nice statement piece, if I say so myself.

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 - how much will I make?

Ah, the nip in the air, the sighting of the first red leaves, the wearing of a scarf, the beautiful fall vegetables! All signs of a changing season and the coming of fall. Oh and the giant knot in my stomach as I look at my Christmas show calendar. In just 7 weeks I’ll be standing in my booth saying Merry Christmas. ARGH, what should I make? How much should I make? Will I make enough money to carry me through the lean winter months?

This is a question I get asked all the time, “how much work do I make for show?”  “How much money will I make?” 

Unfortunately, there is no magic formula. What I can tell you is that there is a guideline that we can use to help judge our stock and predict our sales. In the handmade jewelry industry we have the 10% rule. 

The 10% rule tells us that our booth cost should be 10% of sales. 

For a $25 show, you should sell $250. A $250 show, sales should be $2500. It doesn’t matter if your $100 show is 1 day or 3 days, if the show costs $100 you should sell $1,000. 

Note - this 10% is an average not a guarantee. Do not expect to make the 10% in your first 10 shows because as a newbie you will make mistakes. On your first three shows be happy to break even (including ALL your costs not just your booth fee).  In the next 7 shows you should see your sales improve as you work out your display and show techniques. Always chart your show sales. Sometimes you will do a $25 show (expected sales $250) and make $500. Bonus! Then your next show might be a $75 show and you sell $500. Booth costs = $100, sales = $1,000, average = 10%. 

If after 10 shows you aren’t close to making your 10% then you need to look at a couple of things. First, are you booking into the wrong shows? Maybe you make high end work and you’re trying to sell at local church basements because you don’t want to invest the money in good shows. Or you booked into a ribfest because it sounded like fun. (Every town has a ribfest and they all have “craft” shows on the side, don’t ever do one.) Second, look at your work. Is it as good as it can be? Are your lines consistent? Do you have a variety of work at different price points? Third, what about your presence at the show. Is your booth pretty and inviting or does it look like a flea market? 

The 10% guideline will help you run your business in 2 very important ways - show inventory and sales predictions.

As much as we do what we do for the love of it, we are not in business to lose money. You need to make money. 

Let’s say that your business goal is to make a profit of $2500 for the year. (Remember profit is sales minus expenses). You want to do 3 small shows during that year. Each show costs $50 so you predict that your sales per show will be $500. Total sales will be $1500. And that is before expenses. In this case you can see that your goals will not be met. You can change your goals, or increase your sales. 
Maybe you need to do bigger shows, or more shows, or find a store to carry your work, or sell online. 

The really tricky part is that you have no idea of what you will actually sell in shows or online. No one can ever predict sales, at least the 10% rule gives you somewhere to start. 

The 10% guideline also helps with how much work to make for a show.  

If you are doing a show that costs $50, you can expect to sell $500. If you expect to sell $500 there’s no point stressing about bringing $20,000 worth of work. Every piece of jewelry you make costs money to make. If you don’t have reasonable expectations of selling it, this inventory is going to end up sitting on your shelf. That’s money sitting on a shelf instead of in your bank account. 

A good starting point is to bring 2 or 3 times your expected sales. If you expect to sell $500, then bring $1,000 or $1,500 worth of work. Over time this will increase and you will be carrying around 4 or 5 times expected sales. It takes time and money to build an inventory. If your costs (both materials and labour) are 25% making $5,000 worth of inventory costs you $1,000. Spending $1,000 to go to a show where you sell $500 isn’t a great idea. 

Yes, you still have the leftover inventory so the money is not wasted. If you are doing a couple of shows in a row you might be okay. But what if you are only doing 3 shows a year? You will recoup your money in 4 more months. It is a better idea to make $1,000 - $2,000 to start, sell some, make a little bit more, sell some, and so on. 

On that note, I’ve added up the costs for my three major holiday shows, doubled it and now have my target inventory numbers. It’s scary. Time for caffeine and making. 

Sale - 25% off Stone Beads

All kinds of stone beads ... from Agate to Wildhorse Picture Jasper. 25% off!

Stone Beads
 














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

Happy Flowers make me Happy

I finally realized why these happy flowers make me happy. They remind me of icing flowers - the sort you see on birthday cakes and frosted cupcakes. And there is not much happier than a frosted cupcake. I usually eat the icing and share the cake part with the dog. Assuming it's not chocolate. Chocolate's no good for dogs.
Anyway - if you want self-indulgent prettiness in a more durable form than buttercream, these hand-made polymer clay flowers are just the ticket. Share the happiness!



Rings make people happy too. These are sized, sterling silver bands. You can stamp on them, glue onto them, solder onto them. Just sizes 6, 7 and 8 - unfortunately, no 9, which is not so happy, but if there had been 9s, we would have got them.
These sterling earrings are contenders for making happiness. They work by themselves, or you hang dangles of crystals off them. Large and graceful. Definite happiness there.


On sale this week* - 25% off stone beads! Everything from our Stone Beads selection. That should make you happy too! Happiness, happiness, happiness. The world needs more happiness, and if that means more beads - then we're happy to help!
So, click on a link above or start with our new products page! Don't worry - bead happy!

*(Sale runs Wed midnight to Wed midnight.)

One day left: 25% off Freshwater Pearls and Silk Thread

Ends Wednesday at midnight!

Freshwater Pearls

Silk Thread

25% off!

Nervous about being in a classroom with others? Think about a Private Class!

Not everyone likes to be a part of a class but are still eager to learn a new jewellery-making technique. Some students feel they need more attention than they may receive in a larger class. Others find the commotion of a class to be distracting, making it difficult to learn. If you find yourself in this situation, then perhaps a private class is a solution!

Most instructors are happy to offer private classes to students who, for their own reasons, are not comfortable in a classroom full of students. Also, perhaps the class you want to learn isn't on the calendar yet or convenient to your schedule.

There are many benefits to scheduling a private class for yourself or with a friend:

• You get undivided attention from the instructor
• A class can be designed around your own needs and interests
• More information may be able to be conveyed in the same length of time as a regular class, allowing the instructor to go beyond beginner levels.

Yes, private classes are a little more expensive than standard class fees but perhaps not as much as you think!

If you are interested in inquiring about private classes, call me (Pamela Kearns) and I'll help you find out more. I'll ask you some questions about what you're specifically seeking to learn and your availability for possible class dates. On your behalf, I'll contact the appropriate instructor about her availability and private class fees and material/kit fees and relay the information back to you as quickly as possible.

If you choose that the class isn't right for you, you can decline without any obligation. If you choose to go ahead - GREAT! Classes will need to be paid for to be considered confirmed. As a student, you will receive the same 15% discount as all other students!

For more information or to arrange a private class, contact:
Pamela Kearns, Class Coordinator
Phone: (416) 751-1911, ext. 223
E-mail: pam@beadfx.com

Inspiration Monday: Messy Chic

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

---

Messy Chic
by: Rochelle Kilmer
Rochelle does love her some turquoise! This uber chic, uber casual bracelet could be done in any colour, using any beads.

This is 8 strands on a 5 loop clasp - so two strands are attached to some loops. The strands do NOT match up, first loop to first loop, but criss cross to create a more random look. The strands are not exactly matched for length, and the Econoflex has been kinked for an even more random look. (Scrunch it and fold it to put kinks in it. Or use Softflex if you want a smoother look.)

Seven of the strands are straight seedbeads - two silver, two turquoise, three teal. The last strand is alternating 4 and 6 mm rounds, with the focal turtle approximately halfway down the middle. It's easy to adapt this design to whatever you have on hand!

Have fun!

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 - Is consignment worth it? A business case study.

Getting your work into a store on consignment is really really easy. It a great situation for a business owner, inventory with no costs! Of course they want your work! But is it the best situation for you, the maker? 

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a small local gallery that wanted to carry my work on consignment. I talked to you about the questions I had for the store before decided if it would work. After visiting the store and doing a quick business analysis I decided no. When I mentioned it to a colleague her question was “how did I come to that conclusion?” So I thought you might be interested too. 

My decision was based on more than just a feeling. I liked the store. I liked the owner. But for me, the numbers just didn’t add up. Here’s how I ran the numbers. 

The retail cost of the opening inventory is $2000. 

Does that sound like a lot to you? Well it’s not. Here’s how that breaks down:

15 necklaces $35  - $525

15 earrings $35 - $525

6 necklaces $45 - $270

6 bracelets $79 - $474

4 necklaces $69 - $276

for a total retail cost of $2070. Let’s round this down to $2000 to make it easier. 

Note: This is not a huge selection of jewelry but it is enough to fill a small space well. Display is really important for sales and having just a few pieces sitting on a shelf will kill your sales. 

Now to the business analysis part: 

My costs run at about 20%. (You must know how much it is costing you to make your work. If you don’t you will lose money, it’s that simple. Costs include materials and labour.)

So, my cost to make this work is $400. 

The consignment rate for this store is 50/50. If the store sells everything I give them I will receive a cheque for $1000, a net profit of $600. That’s decent. BUT....

It is a small store. They have a lot of work, and not just jewelry (which I make). The price points are quite low and the owner asked for no work over $100. 

You cannot predict what you will sell. The following predictions are an educated guess. Most likely the store will sell $300 a month of work. I will receive a cheque for $150 a month. BUT, remember that part about display being really important? I will continually add more work to the store as it sells. 

If the store sells $300 a month then I will receive a cheque for $150. I will add $300 of new work each month to maintain a full and good display. So I will break even in month 5 and then start to profit after that. 

				profit
		my cost	my sales	$0.00
investment		$400.00		-$400.00
sales	$300.00		$150.00	-$250.00
restock store	$300.00	$60.00		-$310.00
sales	$300.00		$150.00	-$160.00
restock store	$300.00	$60.00		-$220.00
sales	$300.00		$150.00	-$70.00
restock store	$300.00	$60.00		-$130.00
sales	$300.00		$150.00	$20.00
restock store	$300.00	$60.00		-$40.00
sales	$300.00		$150.00	$110.00

Using this same formula I calculated the numbers if the store sells $400 a month. At this point I break even in month 3. 

				profit
		my cost	my sales
				$0.00
investment		$400.00		-$400.00
sales	$400.00		$200.00	-$200.00
restock store	$400.00	$100.00		-$300.00
sales	$400.00		$200.00	-$100.00
restock store	$400.00	$100.00		-$200.00
sales	$400.00		$200.00	$0.00
restock store	$400.00	$100.00		-$100.00
sales	$400.00		$200.00	$100.00
restock store	$400.00	$100.00		$0.00
sales	$400.00		$200.00	$200.00

Of course no store will sell consistently every month. There’s Christmas, that will add a huge spike in sales. The holiday season is then followed by the dead months of winter when sales are very slow. For a quick analysis like this I just assume that it all evens out over a year. 

After I look at numbers like this, I then think about some other factors. How long will it take you to pack up, label and track your sales at the store? I assume 4 hours a month. Then there’s the time to go to the store and drop off work and check how everything is. There’s answering emails, possibly providing display items. 

When it came time for me to decide last week I looked at the numbers and decided no. For this to be worth my time, the store would have to be selling $1000 a month of work consistently (not just in December). 

And I looked at the store, even though it is lovely and thought, no. 

Not this time. 

ps. this is a really simple analysis done on a basic spreadsheet. Your profit starts at 0. Add in a formula of profit = sales - expenses. While it doesn't reflect all sorts of things like Christmas it does give you something to start with. Are you doing stuff like this? You should be. 

On Sale this week! 25% off Fresh water pearls - and the silk thread to string them on.

On Sale this Week -- 25% off

Freshwater Pearls

Silk Thread

25% off!

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