The best beading how-to manual...ev-ah!

Okay, it's not fancy at all but here at Ornamentea we really like the Elizabeth Ward book, Guide to Bead Stringing. The book is filled with simple black-and-white drawings covering techniques like french wire finishing, looping head pins, and opening and closing jump rings. The french wire finishing technique illustration and directions make this professional repair technique easy to understand. There are no project ideas at all in the book just excellent technical drawings and clear and simple instructions.

We recommend this book to almost any beginner in our shop and to anyone who wants a good resource for last-minute, late-night 'wait, how do I do this?' questions. I also recommend it to anyone who is selling their work and wants a resource to use when training production staff.

You can purchase this book for just $7.00 on line or in our store...here's the link.

HandCrafted Jewelry is doing a second issue...

I loved the first issue of Handcrafted Jewelry from Interweave. The magazine was filled with loads of lovely mixed-media projects that were right up our alley here at Ornamentea. I had two projects in the first issue and was so pleased with how they were edited and presented. Of course, I was delighted when I heard that there would be another special issue coming out this October. I'll have two projects in the next issue as well. This is a tiny, sneak-peek at one of them...watch this space for an update on how you can preorder the magazine. If you missed the first issue we may still have some here at the shop...it's a keeper!

Earring of the Week!

This pair of earrings matches a necklace that will be featured in an upcoming issue of Beadwork. The necklace has 153 bead caps* in it. The earrings only have 4.

The one little tip I would give you for making earrings like these is to put a 6/0 bead inside the beadcap to help the wire stay in the center. You don't have to do that, but it makes the looping go so much faster. For a pair of earrings, maybe not so important. Just wait until you see that necklace!

Oh, I promise that next week's Earring of the Week will NOT feature Elaine's little ceramic petal caps. Sorry, I just realized we've used them in projects for the last three weeks...

*as far as I remember, I don't actually have it the necklace here to count the bead caps...and really, does it matter if it's 154? 157? Trust me, it's a LOT of bead caps.

Free First Friday Project this week...

Make a stamped pendant this Friday at Ornamentea from 6:30-8:30. We have a free project every First Friday and this month's is especially good. You can make a simple pendant using brass or copper discs and those fab letter stamps we love so much. We'll even show you how to create an endless knotted necklace out of leather to hang it on. What will you write?

More information can be found here.