A garland of fall leaves for your wardrobe

With the last days of summer blazing overhead, now is a good time to think about special fall bead projects, good practice before delving into Halloween jewelry and gifts. We found this lovely leaf garland pattern on About which would work wonderfully with our size 11 Czech seed beads. Don't forget a spool of Size D brown Nymo thread, or a good beading needle and clasp.

Which bead is which?

If you are new to beading, you may soon realize you're going to need to know certain things about the projects you want to tackle. What is the size difference between a Swarvoski crystal and a Japanese seed bead? What size needle will you need for a specific bead? How many noodle beads for that bracelet?

Luckily for you, The Bead Cottage has on sale this beautiful Bead Chart poster, perfect for hanging on the wall of your craft room! Easy to read, informative and durable laminated 11" x 17" poster - vital bead and string information available at a glance - excellent resource for all skill levels - charts include bead sizing from mm to seed beads, string materials and sizes, needle types and sizes, formulas for determining number of beads needed and cost per bead and more.

The Bead Chart is on sale for a limited time. Be sure to get yours today!

Back to school

...beading school, that is!

Sure, you need pencils, paper, a calculator and a new lunchbox, but a new year of school can also mean a new opportunity to show off your fashion sense! When you take one of our upcoming bangles beading classes you'll learn how to make an eye-catching bangle bracelet with matching hoop earrings, just in time for the first bell. We encourage talking in class (passing notes is another matter, unless it's about beading), and hope you'll come visit us at the store. If you can't make it, keep checking out our site for the latest specials. Note that shipping is FREE with orders of over $75!

Come in out of the heat...

...and cool off at The Bead Cottage with one of our fun beading classes. Next week beaders can learn how to create a colorful, Southwestern style Peyote stitch bracelet.

This is a Native American stitch that is lots of fun to do and gives you a real sense of pride when it's done. This stitch is commonly found in geometric and animal/nature patterns. It can be used to make bracelets, necklaces, belts, headbands and more! Come learn the stitch and take the beading world by storm!

Our next peyote stitch class will be held August 9 by instructor Pam Hunt, Class Price $15, Time 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Click here to get directions with Google Maps.

Learn the N'Debele stitch at the Bead Cottage

Next month at The Bead Cottage proves to be busy, with many different beading classes available to the public. One exciting class coming the first week of August involves learning the N'Debele stitch, a unique African stitch used to make beautiful jewelry. One you have mastered the stitch, you can go on to make stunning, exotic choker necklaces. About.com has a terrific pattern for a herringbone choker.

Toggles shouldn't boggle

If you make jewelry, you certainly know that a closure is one of the most important elements in any necklace or bracelet, especially since you don't want your handiwork falling off! The Bead Cottage is happy to offer a variety of toggles for your beading projects. Whether you want a simple, gold-filled toggle, a fancy heart-shaped toggle, or a daring copper alloy toggle, we are certain to have the right closure for your beaded strand.

The Bead Cottage is also proud to announce that we will soon begin shipping via UPS! And shipping is still free with orders of $50 or more. So toggle on over to the The Bead Cottage today!

Colorful, like a harlequin's costume

Do the colors remind you of anything in particular? These erinite swarvoski crystals are certainly festive, and will definite lend any crafting project a whimsical burst of color. Priced six beads to a pack, these tear-drop shaped beads are useful for many different projects, from clothing to lampshades to rosaries or jewelry.

Now is the time to browse our site for specials on these and other swarvoski crystals. Don't forget that we now offer free shipping for orders over $50, take advantage of the savings.

Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel ride...

Okay, so our spinning wheel has nothing to do merry-go-rounds, but it is a great tool to have if you work with seed bead to make projects with fringe or multiple strands. Simply pour seed beads into the cup (and we have plenty of seed beads for purchase), insert the spinning wheel needle, spin and watch the beads climb onto your thread - an excellent time saver.

Don't forget, every online purchase over $50 includes FREE shipping!

Make a caterpiller bracelet

This is one caterpillar that doesn't need to change into a butterfly to be beautiful!

This class is a combination of two techniques First, basic stringing and second, weaving using needle and thread to complete the fringe. You'll make a fun and funky bracelet that will go great with any outfit! This class is still on the basic level, so even if you haven't taken the Basic Stringing class you can leave knowing it and more!

Our next Caterpillar Bracelet class is June 30th at The Bead Cottage. See you there!

It's magic

You don't have to be a magician to use the Magical Crimp Forming tool, but enough practice with it will have you crafting jewelry and bead projects like magic! This tool offers a quick and easy way to give your jewelry a professional finish - this unique, patented tool was created exclusively for use with 2mm sterling silver and gold-filled tubular crimp beads - just a few easy steps will form a 2mm crimp into a more appealing round bead - designed exclusively for use with .019 diameter Flex wire.

Proud to bead an American

We have red swarvoski crystals, white opaque delica beads, and blue myuki triangle beads, everything for your patriotic projects. How about making a patriotic beaded sunglasses holder for your sunglasses?

But you can just me "Your Majesty"

We are more than just an ordinary bead store, we are your headquarters for all these beading, beadwork, beadilicious, and any other words we feel like inventing. The Bead Queen mousepad is just one of our new items in the store and online inventory, the perfect gift for the bead queen in your life or to show off at work. Show the cyber world the pride you take in your crafting hobbies. Tiara not included.

Be sure to stop by the store to what else is new. We just got in these terrific spinning wheels to expedite stringing time for seed beads, and our new sets of Speader Beader tools make the time fly just as quickly. Just in time to purchase with our wide selection of red, white, and blue beads for your 4th of July projects!

Love that Lapis

What we like best about these 8mm lapis heishi beads are their exotic beauty. Not quite blue, not quite green or yellow, these beads display an earthy blend of color that lends itself to many jewelry possibilities. Imagine these beads in a choker strand necklace with a long, batik-patterned dress. Complement with a bracelet or anklet with the same beads and you have the perfect look for summer, beads that match any skin tone.

Be sure to stock up now on the lapis while you can. Summer projects keep us busy, and our beaders are collecting supplies for various projects. Don't forget to check our calendar to see what exciting classes we are offering this June.

If Midas could see us now

We would bet even the gold-loving king would take up beading to get his hands on our Gold-Filled Round Half-Hard Wire.

This wire wears like gold because the outer surface is 14K gold - it should be cleaned periodically with hot water and mild soap which will help insure its brightness and wearability. This is a great item to have if you enjoy creating fancy jewelry that looks store bought. Priced by the foot, you'll enjoy this item for miles and miles.

Hanging by a thread

Nylon threads resist breakdown by sunlight, or weak acids or alkalis and are color and sunlight resistant. They have poor resistance to strong chlorine bleaching, but pool chlorine is still safe. Nylon stretches a lot like silk does. This thread is the most commonly used beading fiber and is readily available.

Thought all beading threads were the same? You'd be surprised to know that certain threads work better than others when it comes to making beautiful beaded jewelry. About Threads has some terrific information on the types of threads used commonly in beading projects. As always, too, you can drop us a line (no pun intended) at our website and ask us which type of thread or cord would be appropriate for what you want to create.

Kyanite Oval Beads

If you want to get technical about Kyanite, you can take a (web) page from Wikipedia, which reads in part:

Kyanite, whose name derives from the Greek, kyanos, meaning blue, is a typically blue silicate mineral, commonly found in aluminium-rich metamorphic pegmatites and/or sedimentary rock. Kyanite is a diagnostic mineral of the Blueschist Facies of metamorphic rocks.

Kyanite is a member of the aluminosilicate series, which includes the polymorph andalusite and the polymorph sillimanite. Kyanite is strongly anisotropic, in that its hardness varies depending on its crystallographic direction. While this is a feature of almost all minerals, in kyanite this anisotropism can be considered an identifying characteristic.

Of course, we don't need long, scientific words to know that kyanite gemstone beads make very alluring jewelry. Buy a strand or two of these beads for a matching bracelet or necklace set...people will think you spent hundreds of dollars at a jewelry shop for this stunning look!

A rose for Mom

With Mother's Day on the way, now is the time to think of a gift. Only the best for Mom will do, and we certainly believe nothing says "I love you" better than something homemade, something from the heart.

In our regular Internet for the best of beading patterns, we came across this delightful page for creating a beaded rose. All you needs are a few hundred beads, some #16 floral wire, and the time to devote to creating something beautiful for Mom. It's a wonderful project that definitely suits our selection of red, pink, white or yellow Japanese seed beads, which are still 30% off if you order online. Only the best for Mom!

Ole!

Cinco de Mayo is fast approaching, but you still have time to create a quick and fun bead decoration. We found these patterns for beaded chili pepper, cactus, and maracas designs. Cute and quick, these would be great for keychains or decorative pendants.

Beading Classes in May

They say April showers bring May flowers...but we like to think May flowers can be worn with pride. Come see the calendar for our May beading classes and sign up for instruction on making a beautiful crystal daisy bracelet.

If you want to make a gorgeous bracelet to give as a gift or keep for yourself, this is the bracelet for you! It's made of crystals and seed beads and has the look of daisies. This would be a good time to experiment with colors and let your imagination fun wild! An excellent class for beginners!

Registration required with a $10.00 deposit refundable at time of class, Class space is limited, so check the calendar to see when you can come see us. SUPPLIES MUST BE PURCHASED AT THE BEAD COTTAGE.

These noodles aren't for eating

So, what do you do with a pair of gold-filled, noodle shaped beads? If you're on The Bead Cottage website, you definitely want to buy some, as they are significantly marked down. This pair normally sells for eleven dollars, but for a limited time you can save $3.50 a pair when you buy online with The Bead Cottage.

These noodle beads are great for creating fancy, curved earrings. Just some posts and the proper jewelry wire and you have instant jewelry for a night on the town! Or, if you are more advanced in your beading, you could try for an elegant bracelet to match those earrings. Come by The Bead Cottage in Virginia Beach for more ideas, but remember that the sale is good through the website only.