Bead Blog

Get the Shamballa Style - Free project!

Claire Humpherson joins us on the Bead blog today and shares some of her great style tips - a Shamaballa style bracelet with a bit of a twist. Have a go at this great free project, perfect for adorning your wrist in this glorous weather (long may it last) and a great weekend project!

Seed Bead Shamballa Style Bracelet

By Claire Humpherson, Beads Direct Ltd

Looking for a new way to use gorgeous Shamballa style beads? Everyone is making the traditional square knotted macramé bracelets, so why not try something different? I combined the square knotting technique with a stitched flat spiral to create this beautiful bracelet.

 

 

 

 

BEADstore 

Shamballa Style Beads in gold and bronze

Semi-precious shamballa style beads in gold

Size 8 seed beads

TOOLbox

Shamballa Style Cord

Toning Nymo Thread

Needle

SUPPLYshop

All supplies available at Beads Direct

 

1. Thread your semi-precious and sparkly shamballa style beads onto approx. 50cm of 1mm cord in the order of your choice. I used 13 beads in total. If they’re hard to thread on, try using a thread zapper to heat the end of the cord. It will then go hard making threading easier.

2. Thread a size 8 seed bead either side of the main beads. Make sure you position the beads to leave at least 10cm of shamballa style cord on either end.

3. Using one of the size 8 seeds as a stop bead, take a nymo thread through the first two shamballa style beads. Add 11 seed beads and take your needle up to the first shamballa style bead and back down through two. See diagram below.

4. Add another 11 seed beads and bring the needle to the top, but this time only go down through the top shamballa style bead.

5. As you exit this bead add another 11 seed beads. Count down 2 shamballa style beads and come back up through them. Add another 11 seed beads and come back up through only the first of the two shamballa style beads you came through last time. See diagram below.

6. Repeat step 5 until you reach the end of your shamballa style beads. Secure your thread on to the shamballa style cord and weave the ends back into the design.

7. Take the ends of the shamballa style cord and cross them over each other. Take a second piece of shaballa style cord and tie a series of square knots around both the ends. This creates your fastening. Secure the ends using a thread zapper or by knotting and cut off any excess. Now add an end bead to each end of the shamballa style cord the goes through the centre of the whole design to finish the sliding fastening.  

 

Summer Fun - Issue 39!

We know it doesn’t feel like summer at the moment with this November-esque weather, but if this issue of Bead doesn’t have you beaming with summer cheer by the time you’ve finished with it, then we’ll eat our knitted handwarmers!

Issue 39 is the June/July Issue of Bead! You're in for a real treat as we have packed this issue to the brim with fun treats for summer - including Katie Dean's scrumptious beaded strawberry charms (page 38) and almost edible polymer clay humbug beads from Fiona Able-Smith (page 44). This issue we also meet Fiona and find out more about her passion for polymer clay and beads on page 80. We've plenty of projects to tempt your taste buds, including dramatic beadwork necklaces, full of fun bead techniques. We've got some stunning stringing projects bursting with summer fun and we introduce a technique new to Bead with Cintia Gough's air dry clay Rose Earrings (page 20).

As well as some beautiful and inspiring projects we've got an enticing array of features - we catch up with all the happenings from The Big Bead Show in March. Check out our product review for the ultimate guide to polymer clay.

I was excited to be able to take part in this issue's Bead Soup, where I got to play with Epoxy Clay. I was amazed by the variety and quality of designs from the other participants and you can see all their makes as well as my humble creations on page 66.

We head down to Devon to nose around Rockin' Beads and find out more about the team behind this fab shop. On top of this we've got all the usual with a workshop review, reader's profile, letters and the Readers' Challenge.

Don't forget the deadline for this year's British Bead Awards is fast approaching - you have until August 17 to submit your entries. For application forms and full details visit www.thebigbeadshow.co.uk or see page 55. Don't be shy, go on, give it a go, you never know, you could be one of the lucky finalists!

Issue 39 is winging its way to subscribers as we speak and available online right now for digital iMag subscribers! Bead will be in the shops from May 23. If you’re not already a subscriber and can’t wait until then, why not check out the i-Mag page – subscribe now and you could be flicking through it’s digital pages in just a few moments time!

Happy Beading!

Chloe

 

There's still time to enter this year's British Bead Awards!

 


The British Bead Awards are one of the highlights in Bead’s calendar. Last year the standard of entries was fantastic and now we’re calling for designers to enter this year’s awards.

There are nine categories and The British Bead Awards are open to everyone from around the world, whatever your experience. So why not give it a go! Not only do winners get the kudos of winning, you will also see your piece printed in our Winners' Gallery in Bead magazine, you get a snazzy engraved award, a subscription to the iMag and Bead.TV and a goody bag of beady treats from our lovely sponsors worth £150. 2nd and 3rd places will win £50 and £25 beading goody bags respectively. On top of this all the finalists will have their work displayed at the October Big Bead Show for our thousands of visitors to see! 

All entries are judged anonymously, by a panel of experts across all the fields. This year the judges are Jennifer Airs, Diana East and Linda Jones. We've changed the categories a little for this year and added some new ones.

The categories are:
Seed Bead Work – Jewellery: The main material used must be seed or cylinder beads.
Seed Bead Work – Non-Jewellery: The main material used must be seed or cylinder beads.
Wirework and Chainmaille Jewellery: Main material used must be metal wire or jump rings.
Metal Clay Jewellery: Main material used must be any brand of metal clay.
Crystals: Can be jewellery or non-jewellery but the main material must be glass crystal beads.
Handmade Glass Beads and Components: Not finished jewellery but individual beads, sets or components made of glass.
Polymer Clay: Jewellery or non-jewellery, main material used must be any brand of polymer clay.
Beyond Beads Jewellery: Finished jewellery made using other materials e.g. glass beads, semi-precious, wood, felt, fabric, shrink plastic, metalwork. 
Best in Show - Selected by the visitors to the Big Bead Show.

How to enter

Download an entry form and send it along with images of your chosen piece of work to Elizabeth Cornish elizabeth@ashdown.co.uk or post to it to:
Bead Awards, Unit 5E, Park Farm, Chichester Road, Arundel, BN18 0AG.The deadline is Friday August 17 2012. The entry fee is just £10 per submission and must be paid upon entry.

For full rules and entry information and to download the entry form visit www.thebigbeadshow.co.uk and click on Bead Awards.

Go on, Give it a Go! To see the gallery of last year's winners check our Facebook page or follow our pinboard.

x Chloe x