Visualizing the size of a bead is challenging, but many jewelry projects require products of a specific size and not all of us can picture how a 2mm bead and a 10mm bead will look together. Most of us have a tape measure or ruler in our beading supplies, but what about those [...]]]>

Visualizing the size of a bead is challenging, but many jewelry projects require products of a specific size and not all of us can picture how a 2mm bead and a 10mm bead will look together. Most of us have a tape measure or ruler in our beading supplies, but what about those times when you just can’t find a measuring device? When your tape measure or ruler goes missing you can use common household objects as a reference!

 Currency is made to standard measurements, which makes coins a great tool for visualizing size. A quarter is 24.05mm in diameter. A nickel is 21.20mm in diameter. A penny is 18.9mm in diameter. A dime is 17.8mm in diameter. For our customers outside of the United States, you can measure the diameter of the coins of your country with a gauge tool. For smaller beads, a standard pencil eraser is 7mm in diameter, a green pea is approximately 6mm in diameter, and a standard paper clip has a 1mm diameter.

 Happy Tuesday! -Gretchen

Add a little extra sparkle to your formal wear with today’s tip! Whether it’s a wedding or high school prom, odds are you’re attending at least one formal event this spring. Choosing the perfect dress for a big occasion can be stressful and time consuming. Fortunately it’s easy to customize any gown to [...]]]>

Add a little extra sparkle to your formal wear with today’s tip! Whether it’s a wedding or high school prom, odds are you’re attending at least one formal event this spring. Choosing the perfect dress for a big occasion can be stressful and time consuming. Fortunately it’s easy to customize any gown to match your personality and style with Swarovski Elements Crystal Sew-On Stones . Use just a handful of crystals to create an accent on the neckline or go wild and add them all over the dress! With their perfectly flat backs and strategically placed holes, these sew-on stones are designed to work well with fabric. And because Swarovski’s colors are so consistent you can even make jewelry that coordinates perfectly with your dress!

Join our beading and crafting celebration all year round with new Weekly Bead Challenges at FusionBeads.com! During the 30 Day Bead Challenge in March, many of you posted images of your beautiful designs on our Facebook Timeline, shared your stories and supported each other. We were so excited and inspired by your enthusiasm [...]]]>

Join our beading and crafting celebration all year round with new Weekly Bead Challenges at FusionBeads.com! During the 30 Day Bead Challenge in March, many of you posted images of your beautiful designs on our Facebook Timeline, shared your stories and supported each other. We were so excited and inspired by your enthusiasm that we didn’t want it to end!

We’ll offer weekly challenges at the beginning of each month. It’s not a competition or a race – it’s just a fun way to share your creativity. A Bead Challenge can also spark inspiration when you’re out of ideas. So post images or provide links to your blog on our Facebook Timeline, and take up the bead challenge!

Happy Beading! - Your Friends at FusionBeads.com

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Virginia A., on winning this wonderful 5 foot coil of fine silver wire!

If you’ve been itching to experiment with fine silver wire, or you’re already a pro but don’t want to break the bank, get ready, because now’s your chance to get your hands on some [...]]]>

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Virginia A., on winning this wonderful 5 foot coil of fine silver wire!

If you’ve been itching to experiment with fine silver wire, or you’re already a pro but don’t want to break the bank, get ready, because now’s your chance to get your hands on some for free! One lucky winner is going to receive 5 feet of fine silver wire in our giveaway! That’s just over one ounce of wire! If you want to know what you can do with all this wire, we have two great new techniques we’ve added to FusionBeads.com, Fusing a Fine Silver Ring Band and Making a Textured Fine Silver Ring, plus numerous other techniques on our Beading Techniques page  to show you how you can fuse with fine silver wire! Fine silver is 99.9% silver. It has a higher silver content than sterling, which also makes it much softer. Because it does not contain the copper that sterling silver does, fine silver will not oxidize and turn black when heated! For a chance to win, leave a comment on this blog post telling us how you would use this wire in your jewelry designs! A winner will be randomly selected on Friday, May 11, 2012, at 4 PM PST and informed by e-mail.

Good Luck! – Allie

Whether they are freshwater, crystal or glass, one of our favorite things about pearls is their lustrous glow. But over time that glow can turn dim and dingy as your pearls are exposed to dirt, body oils and chemicals like perfume and lotion. Today’s tip is all about how to return your [...]]]>  

Whether they are freshwater, crystal or glass, one of our favorite things about pearls is their lustrous glow. But over time that glow can turn dim and dingy as your pearls are exposed to dirt, body oils and chemicals like perfume and lotion. Today’s tip is all about how to return your pearl beads to their original luster!

When you notice your pearls aren’t looking their best take a damp, soft cloth, apply a drop of mild soap to it and gently wipe the surface of the beads. I like using the same flannel cloth on my pearls as I use to clean my glasses. The coating on glass and crystal pearls is delicate and can be easily damaged with excessive friction, so use a light touch. When you’re finished, pat any excess water off of the pearls and lay them flat to dry on a clean towel.

Happy Tuesday! –Gretchen

There’s few things quite as satisfying as reaching the end of a project or hitting an important goal you’ve been striving towards. Sometimes, though, that satisfying finish doesn’t come without a big fight! The next time you find yourself at the beginning of a long, rocky journey, why not give yourself a little [...]]]>  

There’s few things quite as satisfying as reaching the end of a project or hitting an important goal you’ve been striving towards. Sometimes, though, that satisfying finish doesn’t come without a big fight! The next time you find yourself at the beginning of a long, rocky journey, why not give yourself a little something to look forward to at the end? Beads are a fun motivational tool to spur your creativity onward, and a sweet reward at the end of your project!

Here are a few different ways you can use beads for motivation:

Meeting a big goal:

You’ve been working like crazy towards an important goal: passing a huge test, acing an important presentation, completing a large project around the house. It can be really difficult to keep your focus and power through to the finish line, so how about a little creative incentive? Pick out a product on your wishlist, such as a lovely artist bead or a useful new tool, and set that as your reward for making your goal. You’ve earned it!

Completing a beading project:

This can refer to a project you are working on for a friend, client or relative. It’s not easy sometimes to be excited about projects bound for someone else, especially if the design is just not quite your style or you’re not crazy about a pattern or technique used. Don’t let yourself get bogged down – make plans to treat yourself to a little something you’ve had your eye on once you’re done, whether it’s a strand of sparkling gemstones, a whimsical pendant or anything in between. This way, both you and the project recipient are happy; they get a beautiful finished piece and you get the building blocks for your next personal project!

Curing a creative dead-end:

We’ve all been there before: the dreaded creative burnout. Your imagination is totally tapped out and you’re just not coming up with anything to make that’s exciting to you. Next time this happens, try looking beyond the usual suspects in your bead stash. Find something that intrigues you, like a seed bead shape or a Swarovski Elements Crystal color that you’ve never used before, and add it to your next order. It doesn’t have to be huge or expensive; sometimes all you need is a little something new to get your imagination rolling again and see all the possibilities in front of you!

How do you use beads to motivate yourself?

Happy Beading! –Gabby