Defective Fireline

We've discovered a problem with some of the recent batches of Fireline.

Here's what we have learned:

I can tell you for certain that the FireLine factory has issues with two batches of Crystal FireLine. It was insufficient fusing, which causes the thread to fray and break easily. If you look at your FireLine label you will see the description. The last line has a code with dashes. EG. L-18-12-2.  We are looking for Batches that start with “C” or “D”.

If you have one of these, please contact customer support at info@beadfx.com

InspirationFX: Puppy Paws

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

---

Puppy Paws
by: Dwyn Tomlinson
We got these in because, well, I had to have them. Puppy paws. Generally - my clothing all has dog paw prints on it before I have worn it more than 10 minutes, so I might as well start out with paw prints, and have them all blingy to boot.

Apply the iron-on transfers with a dry iron, one at a time, at the highest temp you can (see chart here) and remember to just press - don't move the iron around. A sheet of paper or teflon baking sheet liner between the layer you are ironing onto and the layer of clothing below makes sure that you will not accidentally stick the front of the shirt to the back.

This makes a super thoughtful gift for a doggy friend. I arranged 5 of them in a "my dog walks on me" pattern, but even just a single paw print over the heart would be nice.

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 - 11 ways to Holiday Up your online shop

You know what’s really nice first thing in the morning? A nice cup of tea while checking email, and seeing money rolling in! Now that makes a day start off on the right foot. Craft shows are great but if you aren’t standing there working, then you aren’t making money. This is where your online store comes in. Your store, be it your own website, or a marketplace like Etsy.com, works for you 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Now is the time to spiffy up your online site before the crazy shopping begins. People are looking, and bookmarking, but many won’t purchase until the holidays get closer. It’s time to go over your site and make it as inviting and easy to use as possible.

Here are 11 steps to help you build up your online business for the holidays.

1. Make it easy for a customer to find you. Your website address, email address and phone number should be listed EVERYWHERE. Put these on your business card, all over your website, on your facebook profile and in your email signature. If they can’t find you they can’t give you money
2. Check the useability of your shop. A really good exercise is to ask someone who’s not very computer literate to try and buy something from your shop. Ask them to document problems they have. If someone can’t figure out how to use your Buy Now buttons then they can’t buy your work.
3. Let the customer know about shipping deadlines. This is critical for the holiday season! Have the cut off date for shipping on the front page, especially as that date gets closer. The post office gets slower as they get busier so err on the side of caution. Make sure you list deadlines for both local and international.
4. Post your shipping information somewhere accessible. Make sure you list your shipping options and give them a choice. Last minute shoppers are usually willing to pay extra for express shipping as long as they know how much it will cost.
5. Have a picture of your shipping packaging. Do you gift wrap? (an excellent option to offer at Christmas). Let them know. If you don’t have a picture of your packaging, describe it well.
6. Take a good look at your shop policies. If they aren’t clear now is the time to rewrite them. Can they be easily found?
7. What is your refund policy? At this time of year people are buying gifts and one thing on their mind is “what if my sister doesn’t like it? Or if it doesn’t fit?” So what are you going to do if the recipient doesn’t like it? How will you exchange it? In what time frame? Decide now and let your customers know. Post this information somewhere prominent
8. Make a list of the new work you have for the season and make a schedule for putting this online. Each piece needs photos and a description. Put this on a calendar and get the work online. Listing a piece on December 10 is too late, people are actively looking now even though they may not click that Buy Now button until late November.
9. Speaking of photos, how do yours look? Photos can always be improved, if you have some time, try shooting different angles or putting them on a different background. If you are making wearables it’s always a good idea to have one photo of the item on a model. Round up a good-looking friend and see if they’ll model for you.
10. While you’re looking at improving your photos, read through your product descriptions. Are they all that they could be? A good description provides all the necessary materials, dimension and size information. A good description includes an interesting story or quirky detail. It’s always good to suggest who this item would make a great gift for.
11. Communicate your payment methods. They like it, is it clear to them how they can give you money?

Your online shop is always a work in progress, one thing that keeps people coming back is having new work or information there every time they stop by and visit. Rather than updating everything all at once, my goal is to update my online shop in at least a small way every single week between now and Christmas. It’s easier on my workload and it keeps my shop nice and fresh. 

Get Gluing!

I don't profess to be as good as The Crystal Ninja, Kellie DeFries, when it comes to gluing, but with her awesome tools, you can do some amazing things!!

 

 

I bought a pair of Roxy sneakers in a silver black colour and knew I wanted to add more sparkle to them. Because that's how I roll. The sparklier, the better. And nothing sparkles quite like Swarovski flatbacks. Well, other Swarovski products do!!

 

Using supplies from Kellie's Professional Glue Kit, I filled a syringe with Gemtac and started laying down glue dots. Not a line of glue, individual dots. Then using her Crystal Katana, I picked up the SS 20 Jet Flatbacks and placed one in each dot. Flipping the Crystal Katana around, I used to chrome end to press each crystal into place. 

 

Some tips for you:

 

1. Wear your shoes long enough to have creases appear where they will. This allows you to see where you have to glue the stones a little looser, so that they won't rub up against each other. Heaven forbid that you glue everything tight and then can't bend your foot in the shoe!

 

2. Work on even distribution of glue dots and not dispensing too much glue. Easier said than done. But after 1,000 hours of doing this, you'll be a pro. 

3. Work on each shoe evenly. I did the outline on each shoe and then started to fill in each one bit by bit. Why? Because I wanted both shoes to have the same amount of crystals. This way, I have enough crystals for both instead of doing one full shoe and running out of crystals.

Progress as of Halloween. I worked on these while watching a horror movie, at home all along. In case of intruders, the Crystal Katana could work as a weapon. Lol. 

 

More sparkle appearing.

 

I worked on these some more at the Toronto Bead Society Fair. 

 

Now it's time to add in the SS20 in Rose and fill in the smaller spaces with SS12. 

 

Stay tuned for the finished shoes soon!

On Sale this Week Call me a cab!

25% off!

Stone
and
Ceramic
Cabochons!

25% off!

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

Patina this! How to Rust Steel.

Ok - you can say it's stainless steel - but trust me - stainless is just a suggestion. I learned that stainless steel could rust the day the drain broke free from the sink in the kitchen. I would never have called the Titantic unsinkable, and Ha! I laugh at your so-called "stainless" steel.

This week's update contained some new stampings - very attractive light-gunmetal coloured steel.

So - what could be done with them?

First, I thought - maybe a bit of colour? How about a quick swipe of nail polish? It went on beautifully, and the transparent colour added a beautiful, luminous colour.

Nice, eh?
 
(BTW - I used OPI Love Game, and I get my nail polish from NailPolishCanada.com - because I got tired of buying crappy polish from the local drugstores that won't apply easily and are still tacky an hour later. Seriously - it makes a huge difference.)

However, maybe they need something more? Maybe, a little steampunk style rust?

How about this?

Okay - so how did I get this fabulous old-looking patina?

I was going to use a recipe that called for pouring enough Hydrogen Peroxide into a plastic container to cover the pieces, adding splash of vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt. But - I discovered that I was out of Hydrogen Peroxide (probably used it the last time the dog got skunked - the magic formula for that is - for a large dog, two 500 ml bottles of Hydrogen Peroxide, about a cup of baking soda, a couple of squirts of dish detergent, combine in a large bucket - it will foam up. Wash the dog with it, working it well into the fur, and then wash it out with baby shampoo. No smell. Guaranteed. I've gone from reeking to "can't tell" in an hour with this. Anyway, I digress.)

So what I did was pour enough vinegar into a plastic container to cover the items, put them in, and added a teaspoon of salt, and then added about a tablespoon of Oxiclean. (Oxiclean contains
Sodium Percarbonate - which turns into hydrogen peroxide.)  This will foam up like crazy  so do it near the sink. You won't be able to see your items, because of the foam, but don't wait too long to pour it off and rinse with water. The reaction is very fast - under a minute. Rinse well and wash with detergent to stop the reaction. Wearing gloves is a good idea - this stuff dried my hands out like crazy.  Vinegar + Oxiclean is usually used for cleaning grease off of things.

You can see that one of the patina'd items is the one I applied the nail polish to. The contrast of colours and textures works rather well, I thought.

So there you have it. What will you do with it?

Put the Petal to the Metal

I'm beadin' at my table, just fast as I'm able,
I've got seven projects on my mind
Four are incompleted
Two won't be repeated, One is for a friend of mine
Make it beady, make it beeady, don't let the sound of your own beads make you crazy
We may lose, and we may win, though we will never be here again,
So open up that storage bin and make it beeeead-ay

These metal petals will make you want to rack 'em, stack 'em, and pack 'em. They are steel - non magnetic, they look like stainless, but, it is possible to patina them with the use of inks, coatings, or the application of a little science (check out the upcoming blog post).


These two photos say pretty much all you need to know about the new Urban pendant from Swarovski. Big. Bold. Splash-of-Colour. Inspired by military dog-tags, this is kind of a masculine shape. Maybe go for a nice clean design - use one to ornament some Viking Knit, perhaps?



Getting bored with the metal colours? Looking for something new? How about Rose Gold? New Rose Gold coloured wire from Artistic Wire. Add some contrast to your wire wrapping - add a new colour!




So click on a link or picture above, or go here for all the new stuff!

More Changes in the Swarovski Department!

Hey - those big pendants are still on sale. But there's more happening in the Swarovski department.

• Just in time for making Christmas earrings - the Swarovski Margaritas have been reduced. This is not a sale - this is permanent!
• And those lovely little 4 mm rounds - the 5000 series? Reduced prices and now in tubes of 18 - because - let's face it - you are going to use them!
• Big, really-big, and somewhat big, Swarovski Crystal Pendants - 40%. Snap them up!

On sale this week* - 25% off! Stone and Ceramic Cabochons! 25% off!
*(Sale runs Wed midnight to Wed midnight.)

Sale - running out of time

Sale ends Wednesday at midnight! 

25% off!

Metal Blanks for Stamping!

and
Metal Punches
for
Stamping

25% off!

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

November classes continue with great holiday ideas

Yikes, the holidays are creeping up fast!You don't need to go to the malls for holiday gifts - create them yourself! Hand-made gifts are special to most people because they come from the heart; the time it takes to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery is always appreciated by the recipient. Come on out to a class to learn a new technique - then come on out to Open Bead Night and/or an Afternoon Bead Tea and work on your gifts in the company of other beaders. Great conversation and time to bead - what more can you can for?

Here are the classes being held November 16 - 30:

Saturday, November 16
NEW Sprite Delight Bracelet (left)
Instructor: Marilyn Gardiner
9:30am - 12:30pm

Introductory Weekend to Lampworking (right)
Instructor: Amy Waldman-Smith
10:00am - 2:30pm

NEW The Basics of Enamelling (left)
Instructor: Cindy Goldrick
10:30am - 1:30pm

NEW Foxtail Bracelet (right)
Instructor: Marilyn Gardiner
1:30 - 4:30pm

Sunday, November 17
Metal Clay Play Day (left)
Facilitator: Jennifer Tough
11:00am - 4:00pm

NEW Wire Wrapped Stone Bracelet (right)
Instructor: Bonni Poch
11:30am - 2:30pm

Monday, November 18
NEW Wire Beads and Corn Bracelet
Instructor: Giovanna Paz
6:00 - 9:00pm

Tuesday, November 19
Holiday Glam - Twigs Willow Twist and Twigs Chip Cascades
Instructor: Maria Rypan
1:30 - 4:30pm

Wednesday, November 20
Open Beading Night
Facilitator: Stephanie Dixon
6:00 - 8:00pm

Thursday, November 21
Afternoon Bead Tea (left)
Facilitator: Pamela Kearns
1:00 - 3:00pm

Open Metal Studio: Soldering
Facilitator: Iris Rogers Melamed
6:00 - 9:00pm

Friday, November 22
Introduction to Silver Clay Express
Instructor: Jenn Jevons
11:00am - 4:00pm

Saturday, November 23
NEW Peyote Bootcamp: Introduction to Geometric Beading
 Instructor: Pamela Kearns
10:00am - 5:00pm






Silver Clay Ornaments and Embellishments
Instructor: Jenn Jevons
12:00 - 4:00pm

Sunday, November 24
Double Knotted Pearl Bracelet
Instructor: Rae Huggins
12:30 - 3:30pm




Getting Started with Hadar's Clay
Instructor: Liz Reynolds
1:00 - 5:00pm

Monday, November 25
Peruvian Wire Crochet Earrings
Instructor: Giovanna Paz
6:00 - 9:00pm

Wednesday, November 27
Open Beading Night
Facilitator: Stephanie Dixon
6:00 - 8:00pm

Thursday, November  28
Jewellery Making 101
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
6:00 - 9:00pm

Friday, November 29
Soutache Lesson #3: Leaves and Layers
Instructor: Angela Peace
12:30 - 3:30pm






"Call Me a Cab - I'm Resin-ated"
Making Resin Cabochons
Instructor: Malliga Nathan
6:00 - 9:00pm

Saturday, November 30
NEW Perlen Crochet
Instructor: Roxann Blazetich-Ozols
9:30am - 12:30pm

Hot Connections 1: Introduction to Soldering
Instructor: Iris Rogers Melamed
10:00am - 2:30pm




NEW Tubular Crochet Pendant
Instructor: Roxann Blazetich-Ozols
1:30 - 4:30pm

Complete information  about all classes and open sessions, including descriptions and class and any kit fees, can be found at www.beadfx.com.

InspirationFX: Tickle Me Pink

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

---

Tickle Me Pink
by: Kathryn Gemmell
During one of my many adventures down the rabbit how that is Pinterest, pinning, liking and commenting on so many interesting things I ran across a fabulous design and decided to give it a try, with my own twist, of course!

The chain is 3 inches long per earring, and is connected using the smallest ring available on the chain. No glue is required for the feathers or the ultrasuede leaves. I used crimps, however, please feel free to add a drop of glue to ensure security.

Each leaf is cut on it's own and ironed on the highest setting to create the crease. The leaves are about 11 cm long.

These earrings are made with sterling silver components, but feel free to substitute it with any other metal as you prefer.

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.