Hello Crafters! I am fresh off the plane from the Craft and Hobby Associations Winter Tradeshow. This is probably the biggest show of the year for craft retailers and it is chock full of new products being released in 2011. I am excited for what the year has in store for us: Great New Products!

As the show is for retailers and those in the trade only, I am happy to put my craft ninja skills to work for you. This is your exclusive sneak peak at what is coming out this year to make your craft projects even more glorious.

Beading was huge at the show this year. My favorite collection was a hot new line called Sweet Beads by EWC. They will bring a combination of class and bling to all your projects. Look for them at CreateForLess in March.

John Bead released some new colors in their seed bead line. They are available now so go pick some up!

Blue Moon hit the nail on the head with 3 new Lines. Fairy Tale is both whimsical and trendy. Fashion Findings is big and bold. Art Glass is amazingly beautiful and truly looks like it was hand blown by a master glass worker. Look for these lines to be released starting within the next few weeks and into April.

Beadalon has released some new findings to beef up their line. As with all of their products they are high quality and look great. Their sister company, Artistic Wire has come out with a new line of Chain Mail products. This finger intensive craft is making a resurgence and for those looking for a good challenge that will leave you with a gorgeous result this is the way to go.

DecoArt has updated their line of painting products this year. Glamour Dust is their line of glitter paint. The paint is easily workable and you can decide how much glitter you want through using multiple layerings. Gloss Enamels is a great line of versatile quick drying glass paints available in both regular and dimensional varieties.

Delta has “gone green”. Their new soy products are sure to be a hit. These paints and stains are low V.O.C., low odor and are free of many of the chemicals in regular acrylic paints. They are able to do all of this without sacrificing quality. The paints themselves are available in a variety of great colors and the stains are perfect for all of your wood products and due to their green qualities are easy to work with in your craft room.

A great way to use all of these paints is to craft with premade paper mache’ products. We have some great new items from Craft Pedlars including ornaments, frames, picks, mail boxes and various containers and boxes. The best part is you won’t find a wider selection or better price on these items than at CreateForLess!

We saw a ton of new product in the scrapbooking world crafters! So much in fact that it will have to wait for a separate post.

So until then my friends get to beading, chain mailing and painting and make your world just a little more creative. And remember to always…..Keep it Trenty!

It’s fall. The kids are back in school. Inside the house is breathing in, outside the still-warm breezes are sighing over the last roses. The silence can practically ring in your ears, can’t it?

Ringing…ears? Oooh. Let’s turn it around and make earrings! And since the squiggly-squirmy folk are elsewhere, why don’t we remind ourselves of them with a style I call “Squiggly-Wiggly”?

Here’s what you’ll need:

Pick out your beads

22 or 24 gauge wire

Two teal beads 7mm-8mm

Two matte Capri blue beads 10mm-12mm

Seed beads in matching or coordinating colors

One pair earring wires

Your tools

First cut a length of wire about 3″ long. On one end, bend a very small spiral of about 1 ½ to 2 rounds. Use protected tips on your round nose pliers to prevent little gouges. I personally let the gouges happen, to add an interesting textured look.

Now is a good time to play with the color sequence a bit. You might like to put the blue seed beads next to the Capri blue bead, and the teal seed beads next to the teal bead, or the other way ’round might appeal to you more. Just string the beads onto your 3″ wire and take a look. When you’ve decided, take the beads off the wire, and you’re ready to start.

I opted to match the seed beads to the beads, so I’ll give the directions that way.

The next thing you’re going to do is string on a blue seed bead, the Capri blue bead, and another blue seed bead. Make a wire-wrapped loop at the top, ending with a sharp bend up and then a gentler bend down.

Now bend the wire straight out, away from your bead.

At about the ½” point, bend the wire back in, then back out again, and then back toward the bead another time, decreasing the length of your “squiggle” as you go.

Cut the wire off to the point at about ¼” beyond the last outer loop. You want to have enough left to make a round loop at the bottom. Play with this; yours do not have to look exactly like mine. Use your fingers to mash things this way and that to get the look you want.

Okay! Time for the next part!

With about 3 ½” of wire, begin a wire-wrapped loop, but before you complete it, thread it through the top loop on the Capri blue bead assembly.

Finish the wrap, then string on the teal seed bead, teal round bead, and teal seed bead. Make a wire-wrapped loop at the top, then “squiggle” the wire down the side of the bead. Your bends are going to be much gentler this time. I’ll let the photo speak for itself.

Now repeat what you just did, all those steps above, unless you want only one earring. (Just kidding-I know you know!)

Open the bottom loop of your earring wires, and hang your bead assemblies on them. Be sure to hang them “facing” opposite directions, to make a left and a right.

Finished set:

To show what a difference another choice of beads might make, here’s another set (I did make a whole pair, but couldn’t get the two of them to play nicely together for their portrait).

You’ll notice I finished off the top bead differently, too, by using a tad more wire and wrapping it completely around the bead, to end in a tiny loop against the glass. Use your imagination, and may the Force be with you!   

 Are the kids home yet?

Necessity Breeds a New Wire Wrap Technique

This may be new only to me, but I love it anyway.

One of the things I like about a car trip, if I’m not driving, is that bright expanse of free time. Really free. I can’t do dishes, or laundry, or weed the flower beds. I have to sit, and if I’m going to do something, the options are limited. Reading, going over my music, crocheting, or what I did yesterday, beading.

I worked on Button Stack Bracelets, finishing three I’d already started, and almost a fourth, brand-new one. On that one, I did all the button stacks first, and then turned my focus to creating the chain to put the stacks on.

Finished Bracelet

Now, where was that 20-gauge gold wire…? Oh, no! I was sure I’d put it in, but it was nowhere to be found! I stared at what I had, a spool of 24-gauge that was much finer than I’d want to use for a bracelet chain. What to do?

Ooooh. The idea was ripe for the plucking, and solved a problem that had nothing to do with the lost wire: I don’t like it when the end of a wire can be felt, and when I’m doing a wire wrap on a bead, that happens all too often. Up until yesterday, the only solution was to struggle with the wire until it would properly tuck in, or file the end down if it proved too stubborn.

But what if I worked with a fine wire, doubled?

Here’s what I came up with:

Gather your tools and materials–

Two sizes of wire shown for comparison

• 24-guage wire
• Wire snips
• Round nose pliers
• Flat nose pliers
• Bead

Cut a length of wire about six inches long, then fold it in half.

Loop it over one side and pull taut

Flatten the doubled end with your flat nose pliers as tightly as you can.

Squish!

Measure your folded wire against the bead you’ll be using, leaving enough length for wire wraps on both ends. 

That looks about right

Start a “regular” wire wrap, working with the cut ends of the wire.

So far, so normal

 When you’ve done a wrap and a half or so, lay the ends flat against the rest of the wire length. If your wire ends are longer than the bead you’re using, snip them off.

Those ends will be hidden inside the bead

Slip the bead over the doubled end of the wire, and complete the wrap. I’ve shown what would be the first bead in an assembly, and not left it open to accept another.

No sharp ends anywhere

If you cut your folded wire extra long, you can have extra fun.

Curls and Loops

I finished the bracelet this morning, and am quite pleased with it.

Click here to read more from Anitra Cameron.

100 Beaded Jewelry Designs by Stephanie Burnham

This book is perfect for the beginner and the more advanced jewelry crafter.  The instructions are excellent and you get a lot of photographs.  The book also includes color illustrations to help with the beading.  The designers used very modern and stylish looks for the jewelry included in the book.  You’ll enjoy making the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings sets. Techniques include peyote, ladder, brick, netting, square, herringbone, and right angle stitches with some great edging. I highly recommend this book because there isn’t a piece of jewelry in it that I don’t want to make! 

My favorite project was the Layered Spiral Necklace as seen below.

Would You Like To Win This Book? 

Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this book will be yours.  Make sure you put the name of the book you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address.  Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!

This contest is closed, the winner has been shipped the book.