Classes Roar in March

Has this winter been like a lion or lamb for you? I guess it depends if you like the cold and snow! For me, it looks nice but never minding driving in it; however it does give me lots of time and encouragement to be indoors to bead.

The latter-half of March brings us some very creative classes! To begin with, we've expanded our Tuesday Taster classes to include an evening session. If you're not aware of the Tuesday Taster classes, they are a quick one hour class for only $15 that includes the kit! It gives you chance a try out a technique and you leave the class with a finished project. The same project will be taught from 2:00 - 3:00pm for those who prefer the day and from 6:30 - 7:30pm for those available in the evening.

Angela Peace has a NEW knotting project for Cavadoli lovers and Pamela Kearns is teaching a chainmaille collar using Regaliz licorice leather. Anne Marie Desaulniers will also be sharing how to use up leftover bits and pieces to make a great necklace. Check out our encore classes too!

Here are the classes scheduled March 16 - 31:

Thursday, March 17
Micro-Macrame Primer: Knotted Rings
Instructor: Angela Peace
6:00 - 9:00pm

Open Studio: Mixed Media Evening

Facilitator: Anne Marie Desaulniers

6:00 - 9:00pm

Saturday, March 19
Jewellery Making 101
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
10:00am -2:00pm

Hot Connections: Connecting Components

Instructor: Iris Rogers Melamed

10:00am - 5:00pm

Sunday, March 20
NEW Harlequin Knots
Instructor: Angela Peace
11:30am - 4:30pm

Tuesday, March 22
Tuesday Taster: Spring Flowers Earrings
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
Daytime: 2:00 - 3:00pm
Evening: 6:30 - 7:30pm

Thursday, March 24
NEW Open Weave Chainmaille on Regaliz Leather Collar
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
5:00 - 9:00pm

Thursday, March 31
Wire Wrapped Pendant
Instructor: Bonni Poch
6:00 - 9:00pm

NEW Rockin' Circles: Stash-busting Wrapped Loop Necklace

Instructor: Anne Marie Desaulniers

6:00 - 9:00pm

 Complete information about all classes and open sessions is on our website. Click on 'Classes' and follow the links to the March calendar.

Bring your projects and join us at our FREE open bead opportunities: 

Wednesday, March 16
Wednesday, March 23
Wednesday, March 30
Open Bead Night
Facilitator: BeadFX staff members Bonnie Cottingham, Pamela Kearns or Malliga Nathan
6:00 - 8:00pm  

Thursday, March 17 
Thursday, March 24
 Thursday, March 31 
Afternoon Bead Tea 
Facilitator: Pamela Kearns
1:00 - 3:00pm

 BeadFX is proud to offer these FREE open sessions; however please use our merchandise in our facility. Thank you.

The Wearin' of the Green (jewellery, that is!)

Everyone is Irish on March 17. Which means you have time still to plan your outfit and your jewellery. Having Irish roots on both sides, I've always been an enthusiastic participant on St. Paddy's Day. So today I thought I'd put together some resources and jewellery ideas for you to use as you plan for a day of fun and celebration on March 17.

For projects that run the gamut from stringing to bead weaving, there are some great ideas on Artbeads.com This project, from the Artsbeads site, is woven on a loom and is called Tiernan.

There are some cute projects on the beadaholique.com site: simple earrings, necklaces and bracelets to make using easy to find components. You'll be decked out in something fun in no time flat and at a cost that won't break the bank. I really like this domed ring, since it reminds me of a piece I made that captured moss and stones from my recent trip to La Cascade in France. 

Beadfx has this pretty inspiration piece from a few years ago by Stephanie Dixon called Eire.

Enamelist extraordinaire and soon-to-be-published author Steven James is sharing this sweet enameled Shamrock pendant project on YouTube. It's just under 15 minutes long to watch and he packs a lot of info into that short time.

Over on the Beading Gem blog, there's a post from a few years ago that lists several projects for you to follow or use as inspiration. Felted projects, wirework and beads!! I just love this beaded shamrock ring...

Click here for some Craftsy inspiration from last year.

There are so many online resources to find and use royalty-free Celtic symbols and images that you can reproduce in any material, from polymer clay to loomed beadwork to wirework. My favourite resource is Dover Publications and you can now buy single pages from them as pdfs instead of full books.

And I'll finish up this blog by talking about a piece that I collaborated on with Sue Henry and Gail Speers using a shamrock-shaped TriPetal design by Brenda Schweder on the Now That's a Jig! I think it's perfect for St. Patrick's Day and I'll wear it with my green outfit! 

Share your ideas for St. Paddy's Day jewellery and/or post photos below. Let us see how you celebrate the Wearin' of the Green. Erin go bragh!

InspirationFX: Dog Tooth Single Ladder Bracelet

Dog Tooth Single Ladder Bracelet 

by: Bonnie Cottingham

When BeadFX got the stone buttons I knew I could use them for ladder stitch bracelets.
Now it was a search for the right beads!

This week, new stone beads came in and my search was complete. The only trouble I had was deciding which size and shape to use.

Making ladder stitch bracelets there are quite a few techniques for the ladder stitch bracelets
Many can be found on YouTube or through your Pinterest page.

Each bracelets shown uses a different technique to make it.

The double- wrap natural bracelet uses two strands of C-Lon cord going into each bead in the opposite directions.

The single- wrap black leather bracelet uses a doubled over strand of Fireline.

I used a tray to help  make the bracelets. I find it easier that using a clip board. The side walls of the tray lift the project off the surface and it makes it easier to reach under and guide the C-Lon or thread around the strands of leather.

I also used a scrap piece of rattail to put tension on the leather to keep it straight. The rattail is easy to use and very easy to untie.

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

Mama Mia - Check out these Manager Specials!

That manager - sheesa crazy - crazy savings! Buy 'em before she comes to her senses, eh?

Fire Polish

Cubes

Gold

Copper

Brass

Gunmetal

Silver

 

Bicones

Clasps

Topaz

 

Hot Fix

 

Sterling

Swarovski

Earrings

 

Bezels

 

 

Mini-mini-mini-Duos!

We are upping our mini-duo game and taking it to the next level with 76 new colours of mini-duos. Mini-duos are just a smaller version of our super-duos, but mini-er.







And while we are expanding line-ups of small beads - we just added a bunch more of the True 2 mm firepolish! These are another excellent accent bead or an integral part of your bead weaving and seed bead components!






But it's not all tiny beads - check out these very, very handsome Banded Agate with Dyed Quartz beads. The contrast of colour and black make these very striking!









And speaking of stone - these new matte-finish Dog Tooth Amethyst are also something that you won't see everyday.



And these super-large decorative headpins (3.25 inches!) are also something you won't find everywhere!

• Headpin - 3.25 in / 22 ga Ball Cluster - Bright Gold Plated (20)
• Headpin - 3 in / 22 ga Ball - Bright Gold Plated (20)
• Headpin - 2.75 in / 22 ga Ball Cluster - Silver Plated (20)
• Headpin - 3.25 in / 22 ga Ball - Bright Silver (20)
• Headpin - 3.25 in / 22 ga Ball Cluster - Gunmetal (20)
• Headpin - 3.25 in / 22 ga Ball - Gunmetal (20)

So check out all the new items here or click on a link above! Go forth and create and be happy!

The Corsage ProjectSixteen years of making a difference!

Senior Prom – a traditional rite of passage for many high school students! The dress – the shoes – the sparkling accessories – the fun of going shopping for all the bits and pieces to make the dream complete! Friends going to Prom together before graduation and separating on their own life paths. Unfortunately, not all young women can attend their prom – not because they don’t want to, but because of financial restraints. How would you feel if you were in her place? 

BeadFX has been a staunch supporter of The Corsage Project by promoting and organizing open sessions that individuals can come in and create jewellery. Created in 2000, The Corsage Project is a community-based program of the Children's Aid Foundation organized by a committee of volunteers from the Toronto area. The Corsage Project helps economically disadvantaged high school students attend their prom by providing free formal-wear. Each year, they assist 250 to 300 young women who are graduating from Toronto high schools at their Boutique Ball – an incredible event that brings together women of all ages to share in the excitement of the day and celebrate the achievements of our participants.

On this special day, event space is transformed into a giant shopping bazaar, featuring hundreds of dresses, organized by size and colour, and tables showcasing shoes, purses, jewellery and accessories such as pashminas.

Corsage Girls shop the various wares with their personal shopper until they complete their look and are then treated to a mini-makeover and goodie bags filled with gifts from our sponsors.

 

You can help!

Do you have a piece of jewellery that can revived and upcycled? Pull it out and give it new life! If you need ideas, bring it in to one of our Open Beading Nights or Afternoon Bead Teas that will be dedicated to creating jewellery for the Corsage Project. In addition to the staff who will be on hand, other participants will be happy to give ideas. The more sparkle – the better!

Please drop off your completed donations by 6:00pm on April 6. All jewellery will be picked-up by a Corsage Project volunteer on April 8. 


The following open sessions at BeadFX will be dedicated to creating jewellery for the Corsage Project: 

Open Bead Nights

6:00 - 8:00pm
Wednesday, March 23
Wednesday, March 30
Wednesday, April 6

Afternoon Bead Teas
1:00 - 3:00pm
Thursday, March 24
Thursday, March 31

Everyone is welcome to come out to any of these sessions and help! We recommend that you call ahead to let us know you're coming.

DIY Beads!

Sure BeadFX has tons and tons of pre-made beads, but haven't you ever thought about making your own? I bet that you've lusted over artist-made beads, but aren't you just a little curious about how they're made?

DIY beads come in many different flavours. I've personally experimented with paper, Tyvek (think Fedex envelopes), fabric, threads, epoxy clay (Apoxie Sculpt & Crystal Clay), polymer clay, wool felt, acrylic felt and various types of wire (some successful and some not). My beads have been varnished, glued, baked, wrapped, painted, gilded, mica powdered, heat distressed, coated with resin, soaped up, watered down, and thrown on the ground! The crowning glory of my bead obsession was when I donned full winter gear, pulled on my respirator, and then heat distressed (with a heat gun) some polyester organza beads, on my balcony in -17 C weather. I believe that it was also snowing lightly! Giggle! Am I crazy? Well yeah, my neighbours probably thought so, but I did like the results! I currently teach a paper beads class (shameless self promotion, and my latest is running this Saturday), and have often thought that a collection of other DIY beads would make an interesting day of play. Pssst! Guess who just received a few silicone bead molds (for resin) in the mail? Yeah, more beads for moi! Yummy Tyvek Beads courtesy of Carolyn Saxby of the UK, via Pinterest!

Have you ever drooled over those fabulous handmade glass beads? Did you know that you could also make DIY beads out of glass and various metal clays? Of course it takes some training, but wouldn't it be wonderful to know how to make them yourself? Are you aware that BeadFX has both a Lampwork (glass beads) and Metal Studio, they offer workshops, and you can also rent studio space? No need to kit yourself up with all the expensive equipment, if you just want to give it a wee try! One of these days, I will dip my toes into these new (to me) mediums! But I already do so much, and what if I really, really like them? My sewing machine is already suffering abandonment issues, so what will happen to my other arts & crafts supplies? Beads courtesy of Dragon Jools & Carol Ann Savage! Lampwork beads from a selection of artists (including the two mentioned) are available at the store.

Use Gilders Paste, mica powders and Iced Enamels (all available in the store), to embellish your DIY beads, then make them into a necklace or bracelet. Add more glass, metal, stones, pearls or sparkly crystals, for a knockout fashion statement! Bead or braid a rope, buy some chain, wrap a little wire, or even string your new beads on colourful spagetti leather. The options are endless!!

Beading doesn't always need to be a serious affair. Play around with alternate techniques to make luscious DIY beads, but don't be surprised if you end up with a brand new addiction! Err.....perhaps I should say passion!

My Metal Clay Experiments & New Tools

This article is authored by Liz Reynolds, one of our metal clay instructors.

When the price of silver clay rose dramatically a number of years ago, it spurred the development of base metal clays—bronze, copper and steel, then later sterling silver—which was only somewhat less expensive.

Although I love Hadar’s Clays and they are always my first preference, I simply can’t be monogamous when it comes to metal clay!  Because of its silvery colour, I’m a fan of white bronze but I found Hadar’s too brittle. When her White Satin arrived, that problem was solved as it includes some steel, so now strength is no longer an issue. But rust is, and although it finishes beautifully, it’s hard to keep it highly polished. I’m still searching for a sealant that doesn’t dull the surface or turn yellowish.  Plus, some people just don’t like mixing clay from powder.

I’ve played around a bit with Goldie Snow Bronze (another white bronze) and find it, too, has a distinctly yellowish cast.

Just recently I started experimenting with Prometheus White Bronze and I think I may just be in love again! It polishes to a wonderful silvery finish. If the piece is too thin it can break if dropped on a hard surface, but if I keep flat pieces at 5 cards or more, that thickness seems to provide the necessary strength. An added bonus is that it is faster to fire as the burnout (Phase 1) stage takes only about 20 minutes in total. I know that Prometheus is promoted as being torch fire-able, but I’ve not found that to be successful on anything but small flat pieces, and even then I’m not convinced that it’s properly sintered. My kiln firing experiments are proving to be quite consistent… and consistently good! Shrinkage is minimal—somewhere around 10% just by eye-balling it—and hollow forms are holding their shape without collapsing. 

The only adjustment that I’ve made to the printed firing instructions is slowing down the ramp to 1400F from Full on larger pieces. It is immediately obvious when a piece is over-fired as the surface will have a scattering of little silver balls,  marring the surface—much like the ball-up a piece of silver wire. It seems that this is the tin pulling out through the surface from too much heat, and also possibly, by not surrounded by enough carbon in Phase 2. I’ve sometimes been successful in breaking off these little balls, if only on the edge of a piece, with pliers and smoothing the surface with the Jool Tool magic eraser.

A relatively new entrant to the metal clay market (at least new to me) is FYI (For Your Inspiration). Their silver clay is distributed by the ever-so-helpful Val Lewis in Quebec. Unfortunately, the bulk of her customer base is in the US, so her clay is priced is US dollars. It is, by far, the most reasonably priced silver clay on the market, although the recent drop in our dollar has certainly made it less so. It’s lump clay, that is, ready to use straight out of the package and reminds me very much of the consistency of PMC3.  It’s nice to work with and is more like Hadar’s Clay in that is has a much longer open working time than any other silver clay I’ve ever used. The down side is that it has a high shrinkage rate, somewhere around 28%. However, that can be made to work to your advantage by allowing you to work larger and, after firing, you can let people wonder how you don’t go blind working in such fine detail!  

Just recently, I’ve discovered that FYI produces a bronze and a copper clay, too. I’ve not yet fired my copper experimental pieces, but I am very impressed with the bronze. It fires to a rich, warm, golden bronze that polishes very well, even on untextured surfaces. So far, the only distributor I’ve found is in Wisconsin (Val only carries the silver clay), so I’ll be doing more research to learn more about what other availability may exist.

Then, of course, you can always make your own metal clay… more about that in a future edition.

Tools

Jool Tool
You’ve undoubtedly heard of this relatively new polisher. it’s

everything promised and more. I can no longer imagine polishing with only a Dremel, or worse, by hand! Not only is it much faster, it also does a much better job and I am so much happier with my results. Beadfx has one set up in the metals studio so if you’re taking a class, give it a try. The JoolTool website has a video showing this little powerhouse in action… and the machine is quiet, except of course, when grinding!   http://jooltool.com/

The cost of this machine may seem high, but then I look at what I’ve been spending on polishing tools and supplies (4 Dremels, only 2 still functional, about a million radial brushes, sand paper – on its own, wound on a mandrel, in many grits, including sanding sponges) and on and on. The JT radial brushes (I use only 3) are much bigger and last a really long time. I could go on, but you get the idea. The JoolTool also has a lapidary kit in case you want to make your own cabs. I purchased mine from BeadFX and if you want one just let them know and they’ll order it in. They do have some of the kits in stock.

Silicone Clay / Slip Containers
Anyone who has ever worked with metal clay knows the frustration of trying to keep slip moist and useful as “glue” to attach clay to clay. I have tried nearly every kind of container on the market with varying degrees of dissatisfaction.  Recently, while reading the blog for Jewelry Artist Supply, I learned about something that sounded promising: it seems that anyone familiar with the “vaping” community and its many and varied substances, knows that some products come in a paste form and need to be kept moist in order to be useful. For that purpose, small silicone lidded jars have been developed… and they seriously work! So much so that Jewelry Artist Supply now carries them (and perhaps BeadFX will, too), avoiding the need for metal clay enthusiasts to travel to their nearest smoke-able medical substances outlet!  Also, they only come in swirly, trippy colours!

Silhouette Cutter
I’ve recently purchased the Silhouette Portrait Cutter as well as taken a couple of classes on cutting out intricate designs in metal clay to be used as overlay. To go along with it, Hadar Jacobson has recently launched a line of Flex Clays for use with this cutter (or anywhere else flexibility is desired, e.g. braiding). Carefully adding glycerin to clay will also provide greater flexibility. More to report on this as I get more experience under my belt! For more information, you can go to:  http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop

3-D Metal Creator

This is an exciting brand new tool created by Bill Struve. The name Bill Struve should be familiar to anyone who has worked with Bronz or Coppr clays as they were developed by Bill. Not long ago, he was working with another fellow on the development of a 3-D printer (Mini Metal Maker) that uses metal clay as well as plastic and other materials. It’s quite a pricy little machine (at $2,000+ to purchase) with a steep learning curve using CAD software. Bill’s role was to adjust the clay formula to allow easy extrusion through very small nozzles. As Bill was working on this, he wondered if there might be a low-tech, more affordable option. The result is his version—the 3D Metal Creator, composed of a CO² tank connected to 2 tubes—one running to a foot petal and the other to a clay filled syringe with a wide selection of nozzles. You can see it in action here:  
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1795659330/3dmetalcreator

I am in the process of developing metal clay classes using the Silhouette Cutter and the 3-D Metal Creator for the coming year. 

Upcoming classes with Liz Reynolds:

Metal Clay Medallion Slider Bracelet
 Friday, March 11 and Friday, March 18
11:00am - 5:00pm, both days



Liz Reynolds is an accredited metal clay instructor, teaching at BeadFX.