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Cellini bead along, March 2020

Come and join the Facebook group for Cranberry bead alongs. Are you interested in making a cellini? Have you made one, but want to do a larger one and decrease it? Keen to share with others and get support to keep on track with your beading? Selecting your beads depending on what profile...
Read MoreRegain your beading mojo

Are you in a slump, not touched your beads for months, not inspired? Here are a few tips to get you back on track. Get your bead stash out, look at what you have, sort them out, play with them, rearrange them, but whatever you do, touch them. Hopefully it will reignite some...
Read MoreSilver Metallic Seed Beads

https://youtu.be/smawKPlCXJ8 Silver is such a versatile colour to use in beading, and there are many finishes to choose from. These are the metallic silver beads available, and the varying shades that you can choose to suit what you are looking for. Which is your favourite silver ? Is it the Toho Perma Finish...
Read MoreHelp, I’m a loose beader

When you start using seed beads it's quite common to find that your beading is loose and you are not keeping a good tension. This means you may end up with a blob of beads and lots of frustration. The benefits of keeping your thread a bit tighter means that the beads will...
Read MoreDuracoat or Perma Finish ?

Duracoat beads by Miuki and Perma Finish by Toho are two of the most popular bead ranges. They come in vibrant metallic colours and some come in a matte version too. Duracoat are now available in silverlined and dyed opaques. Why do beads need this coating? In the past some colours on beads...
Read MoreElegant Element Clasps

We have been expanding the range of nicer quality clasps. At the moment we are focusing on wide clasps for bacelets. Elegant Element Clasps are made I need Germany and have a solid feel to them. They are either rhodium plated or 24kt gold plated. The best way to see them is...
Read MoreHow are seed beads made?

One of my big beading bucket list items has been to see seed beads being made. Recently I was fortunate to tick this off the list. I previously have seen beads being made in The Czech Republic, which was amazing. These were bigger beads that were pressed out of hot glass. Seed beads are made differently, they are extruded...
Read MoreThread

Like needles, thread is a personal preference. It's best to try several and see which ones you like. Most beaders develop a preference after a while. Also some types are better suited to different types of beads than others. My current favorites are One G for work with mostly seed beads and Fireline...
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