Author

The Bead Shop

28/02/2012

Kumihimo Jewellery by Wendy

What have you made and why do you like it?Bracelets and Necklaces What inspired you?I was introduced to ‘Kumihimo’ while visiting my cousin in Canada, shehas lived in Hong Kong and studied Weaving & braiding while there. Ireally am hooked on it now and enjoy trying new ‘patterns’. I am onlyjust starting to find supplies of items needed on the internet, thisstarted out only a few but I seem to find more each day. Which type of beads you have used and why?I used Toho beads size 6 or 8... Read More

22/02/2012

How To Make…Fimo Rose Mesh Ring With Swarovski Crystals

  We have used two Fimo flower beads, that look very pretty against the Swarovski Crystals, which are in the colours fuchsia, hyacinth and fern green. The Japanese seed beads in champagne rainbow finish off the ring beautifully.    Take approx 1m of nylon, thread through the centre hole of the sieve so that approx 7cm protrudes from the back. Thread the other end through a hole next to it and knot the two ends twice at the back, then thread back up through the centre hole. Do not trim... Read More

22/02/2012

How To Use Fimo Flower Beads

                          Fimo Flower beads are a popular material for jewellery makers and bead lovers alike. They are made from the wonderfully tactile fimo clay that adds a delightful matte finish and extra textural feel to any beading design. What makes them ideal for jewellery making is their complete versatility. They can be strung, glued, combined, weaved and wrapped into almost any design as a striking focal point or easily slipping into a larger pattern. A perfect beading staple to add to your stash, the... Read More

17/02/2012

Versatile Fimo Flower Beads

  Here are a few examples of what you can make with these gorgeous Fimo flower beads. The ring is an example of how you don’t always have to use the holes that come with certain beads. The flower is simply glued onto one of our Adjustable Ring Bases 1 using Five Minute Epoxy Glue. The cute charm bracelet is a quick example of how the colours of these flowers work well together in any combination, this example uses colours ideal for spring but why not try using the pink... Read More

07/01/2012

The wonderful world of beads & crafts

Did you know our shop has been in Manchester since 1993 and over the years we have met some very inspiring people. We have shared all of our jewellery making ideas with our customers and learnt new designs and tricks from them. We have gained a lot of experience over the years and our shop has grown to become known for its vast range of jewellery making supplies. We have all the supplies you need to make jewellery including tools, beading boards, glues and adhesives, storage boxes and jewellery gift... Read More

Strictly Come Dancing ballgowns are the nation’s favourite dresses

The Mail Online has revealed that the dresses from the programme Strictly Come Dancing have topped a poll because of their sparkle. The dresses are made with Swarovski Crystal beads and have become very popular because of the show. The soft, pastel colours like pink and peach are admired more than the brighter colours according to the poll and the floor-length gowns are more popular than the shorter dresses often worn by dancer Ola Jordan. The peach, sparkly backless dress worn by Alesha Dixon in the 2007 final was voted... Read More

12/12/2011

Jewellery Designs By Joanne Haig

Hi my name is Joanne. I have been making jewellery as a hobby for over 15 years now. It all started with a book i bought from my school book-club which came with a some colourful beads and some elastic. Since then I have been fascinated by the wide variety of beads and techniques that can be used to make beautiful jewellery and so I bought more beads, read more books and taught myself how to master the art of jewellery making. I have recently decided to set up a... Read More

06/12/2011

Jewellery Designs By Elizabeth Pateman

I’m Elizabeth Pateman from Scarlett Fever Jewellery…. the crazy one who always posts pictures on your Facebook wall. I have had deliveries from you which are always spot on … I have worked in the jewellery trade for over 7 years and thought it was about time I started making my own.. I now have my own facebook page and have now got a designer dress agency stocking my one off pieces with hopefully another high end shop in the loop before Christmas. I think I have found my calling... Read More

29/11/2011

Jewellery Designs By Ellie Treagust

Hello! My name is Ellie Treagust, I’m based in Leeds and love anything I can make creations out of. I’ve just opened a shop on Etsy with what I’ve made so far and am always on the look out for new ways to thread, string, waeve – anything! I’m a massive fan of glass beads as I think they can look so delicate and beautiful, but I also dabble in buttons and felt. I adore felt – it’s so playful and twee – and I like recycling buttons I find... Read More

Swarovski Heart Hoop Earring Kits

  One of the many kits in our jewellery making supplies range, our exclusive Swarovski Heart Hoop Earring Kits contain all the component pieces needed for making these spectacular earrings. Using Swarovski Crystal and Pearl beads and featuring Swarovski Xilion Hearts, the kits are available in four different colour themes: pretty light-rose pink, cool platinum blue, sophisticated silver crystal, and exotic gold violet, to suit your mood and match your outfit. The kits come complete with easy to follow instructions; two kits include gold-plated fittings, the others are silver-plated, but... Read More

Mustard Tree Charity Day

Recently in Manchester there was a ‘I Love Manchester day’ due to the rioting which happened, so to show our support we decided to have a little competition in the shop, ‘guess how many beads there are in a Jar’. Customers put money in and had a guess; we wanted to donate the money to a local charity, so we had a look around and found Mustard Tree. We raised £80 and Mustard Tree were over the moon! ‘The Mustard Tree is a Manchester based charity committed to providing life... Read More

05/10/2011

How To Make…Pearl Drop Leaf Earring With Vintaj Brass & Swarovski Crystals

Cut the chain into two lengths for each earring aprox 3 or 4 cms.   Place 7 of the 6mm pearls onto headpin, make a loop, and attach these straight onto the chain.   Thread onto an eye pin a beadcap 10mm pearl another bead cap and 4mm Swarovski make a wrapped loop. Attach the chain to the end of the eyepin, by opening the loop a little way, twist the loop open rather than pull, and twist it shut. Attach the earwire to the top of the earring, tie the... Read More

05/10/2011

How To Make…Powder Purple Swarovski Pearl Watch

 Cut two lengths of tiger tail approx 20 cms long, thread one length through one side of the watch,  so you have two lengths on either side the same. On one side thread on a stardust bead Swarovski pearl  another stardust, pearl and stardust, repeat on the other side.. Thread onto both wires a 6mm Swarovski, now open the wires and repeat the first pattern, thread on a 6mm, and then 2 stardust onto both wires. Thread on a crimp and clasp onto both wires, thread both wires over the... Read More

21/09/2011

Beadalon Beading Wire: The right wire for the job in hand

Beadalon beading wire, from the USA, is the ideal flexible stringing medium for your beading creations. Produced in a choice of three thicknesses: 49 strand, 19 strand, and 7 strand, Beadalon beading wire will help you to create fabulous beaded jewellery which looks and displays exactly how you intend it to.  Beadalon wire is specially formulated using a series of fine stainless steel strands twisted together to make one flexible strand, which is then nylon coated for protection and to make it easier to use. Each of the three available... Read More

How to make…Vintaj Leaf Charm & Swarovski Pearl Bracelet

On 5 headpins place 1x bead cap 1x Swarovski pearl and another beadcap; make a wrapped loop on all of the headpins.   On 10 headpins place 1 x 4mm Swarovski, and make a wrapped loop on all 10 headpins. Place on 3 headpins 1 x beadcap 1 x rhondell another beadcap and 1 x Czech faceted, make a wrapped loop on the 3 headpins, then on 2 other headpins repeat with the bead caps and rhondells without the Czech bead now make wrapped loops. Place the leaves on the... Read More

14/09/2011

Designer Interview – Valerie Anderson

How and why did you start making jewellery? I have always been creative, making clothes for my dolls when I was small J As an adult I have enjoyed knitting and dressmaking, moving on to paper crafts around 4 years ago. I started making altered art dominoes a couple of years ago and decided to make them into pieces of jewellery, hence plummeting down the slippery slope of jewellery making! What would you say keeps you inspired and motivated? I enjoy taking part in workshops and keeping up to date... Read More

07/09/2011

How to make…Baby Blue Bling Ring

Using 10 headpins, on each headpin you will place a seed bead and then one of the Swarovski bicones or a pearl, so you will have 5 headpins with 6mm bicones and 5 headpins with pearls. Do the same with the five 4mm bicones. Turn a loop on all these headpins. On one side of the ring attach to the first loop a bicone, on the next loop attach a pearl alternate until you get to the last loop and repeat on the other side , this time starting with... Read More

Colour is the fruit of life

So wrote the early 20th century French poet, Guillaume Apollinaire. Perhaps he was referring to the range of shades used by his artist friends, but colour does abound in the natural world. Looking into our gardens we see flowers of every hue imaginable: fiery reds and hot oranges, cheery yellows, bright clear blues, shades of purple and mauve, pink and lavender. Grass is green, but not all grass is the same green. It varies from emerald swards to sage-like grey-green or blue-green spikes.  Nature has long been a source of... Read More

24/08/2011

Colour me happy, colour me sad

Because we see colours everywhere we use them to describe everyday things. We can visualise what is meant by post-box red, sky blue, or sunshine yellow, and we associate colours with feelings and moods. Colours do affect our moods: seeing someone wearing black beaded jewellery might make us feel sad, as it has long been associated with bereavement and mourning or make it sparkle and you can you have the classy sophisticated look. Cool greens are felt to be calming and relaxing, blues can be cold, scarlet makes a bold... Read More

10/08/2011

How to make…Steampunk Charmed Necklace

Cut the belcher chain to approx 14cm Place on 4 silver headpins 1 x cezch faceted oval and 1 x swarovski 4mm crystal, and make a wrapped loop. Using 4 antique brass headpins place on the 8mm pearl and then the 6mm pearl, make a wrapped loop. Attach each a leaf on to a (how to open) silver jump rings and place along the belcher chain as evenly spaced out as you can. Now attach the cezch ovals you made in step 2 on the chain in between the leaves... Read More