The latest edition of Creative Beads & Jewellery is a beach style special and features:

• Designer Stephie Hall explains how to bring to life almost any look with wooden bangles!

• Our designers turn back the clock to uncover some inspiration for a set of 1970s style Retro Looks.

• Judith Hannington continues our series on birthstone jewellery with August’s birthstone, peridot!

• A guide to creating bangles, necklaces and earrings using memory thread.

• Designer Amanda Pickstock demonstrates how to update the trend for gypsy chic with some of the most gorgeous designs.

• Plus bead weaving with wire, a 3 Ways Challenge, giveaways and much, much more!

The latest edition of Creative Beads & Jewellery is on sale 7^th July and comes with a free recycled jewellery book!

Materials…

• Clear 0.7mm nylon elastic
• Assorted green beads in various sizes, shapes, patterns and finishes
• Dark teal 4mm crystal bicones
• Green Czech glass seed beads
• Assorted silver decorative spacer beads and bead caps in various sizes, shapes, patterns and finishes, including spacer beads with loops
• Antique silver 21x6mm dragonfly wings
• Glue

Tools…

• Round-nosed and flat-nosed pliers
• Scissors

To create…

1 Cut the required length of 0.7mm clear nylon elastic to fit your wrist size – I have used approximately 18cm as the wrist measurement and added 10cm to allow for finishing.

2 Keeping around 5cm of the elastic in one hand to avoid the beads falling off, thread on your selection of beads and bead caps.  Between each of the bead caps, add a looped spacer, from which to attach the charms.

3 Once you have threaded all the beads onto the elastic, grip the two loose ends and tie in a double knot.  Without loosening it, apply a small amount of glue to the knot and allow to dry.

4 Once set, you will have formed the bracelet base.  Put to one side and begin to construct the individual charms.  Select the beads, bead caps and stoppers for each charm, thread through a headpin and turn a double loop to the base of the bead.

5 Attach each of the charms to the looped spacers using the oval jump rings by simply opening the jump ring, threading through the loop of the charm and spacer and closing.

Project by Jemma French from Creative Beads & Jewellery issue 13

Materials…

§ Silver-plated 0.4mm non-tarnish wire

§ 2 x agate flower beads

§ Lilacs Bead Soup

§ Silver-plated ear wires

Tools…

§ Coiling Gizmo

§ Chain-nosed pliers

§ Side cutters

To create…

1 Make a wire spiral bead 3cm long using the Coiling Gizmo and 0.4mm silver-plated wire.

2 Create the wire bead rosette by making a spiral on the Coiling Gizmo, then stretching it out so it is loose use chain-nosed pliers to coil the spiral wire freehand around the nose of the pliers, back and forth until you have formed a rosette. Make a loop in the end of the wire and tuck it into the bead.

3 Cut a 20cm length of 0.4mm wire and thread the wire spiral bead onto this. Twist to create a loop.

4 Thread the agate flower onto the wire, then take one end and add a glass bead from the Bead Soup mix before bending the wire back on itself and twisting.

5 Take the wire over the front of the agate flower, threading on the wire bead rosette as you go.

6 Finally, add more glass beads from the Bead Soup onto the wire and twist into a cluster at the top of the flower. Tuck the ends of the wire inside this cluster and snip off any excess. Thread the finished earring onto an ear wire.

7 Repeat for the other earring.

Project by Mani Lindenthal from Creative Beads & Jewellery issue 12

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ARTISAN 2010 takes place at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, Leamington Spa this Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd October, and promises to have all the supplies and inspiration you need for your rubberstamping, card making, scrapbooking, altered art, jewellery making and beading projects.

Over 60 exhibitors will be selling the latest designer stamps, paints and inks, beautiful beads, jewellery making kits and components, plus a huge variety of other creative materials and tools.

There will be demonstrations of the latest techniques and products in the stamping world, plus jewellery making, polymer clay, cold enamel and much, much more….

The show also offers opportunities to learn new skills and techniques with Workshops and Make & Takes by: Snazzy Scrapbooking & Stamping – PaperArtsy – The Artist Trading Post – The Stamp Connection – Crafty Individuals – The Craft Fairy – Stamp Addicts – The Altered Element – UK Stampers Network – Creative Moments – The PMC Studio – Silvar Design

The Warwickshire Exhibition Centre is easy to get to and close to the M1 and M40.  It has free parking for 2,000 cars and offers good food at reasonable prices from its Gallery Restaurant.   For more information and tickets visit www.artisanshow.co.uk or call 01926 614101.

Dates:                         Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd October 2010

Venue:                         Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, Nr Leamington Spa

On the junction of the A425/B4455     SAT NAV CV31 1XN

FREE Car Parking for over 2,000 vehicles

Opening Times:          10am – 5pm Friday     10am – 4pm Saturday

Admission Prices:

Adult                                        £6.00

Senior Citizen                         £5.00

Students                                  £5.00

Materials…

• 20 gauge (0.8mm) copper wire
• 28 gauge (0.4mm) copper wire
• Focal bead
• 2mm copper crimps
• Round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers
• Side-cutters
• Steel stake and chasing hammer
• Crimping pliers
• Metal file

To create…

1 Cut a 150mm length of 0.8mm wire and use your round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers to create a heart shape at one end.

2 Position the heart shape flat onto the steel stake and gently hammer to flatten it.

3 Cut a 100mm length of 0.4mm wire, position the crimp halfway along it and insert the heart pin close to the heart shape. Set the crimp using crimping pliers.

4 Slide your chosen bead onto both wires all the way up to the crimp. Add a second crimp to both pliers and set as before.

5 Wrap the ends of the 0.4mm wire around the crimps up to the focal bead, then snip the ends and squash them between the crimps and the bead.

6 Trim the pin to the desired length (approximately 40mm below the bottom crimp) and use a metal file to shape the end to a gently rounded point.

Project by Judith Hannington. Originally published in Creative Beads & Jewellery issue 2.

Materials…

• 20 gauge (0.8mm) copper wire
• 22 gauge (0.6mm) copper wire
• Ring mandrel
• Round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers
• Side-cutters
• Metal file

To create…

Note: As the ring band features three strands of wire laid side by side we have used thinner wire than normally associated with this type of work. You can use a smaller gauge wire as desired but bear in mind the swirls will be trickier to form.

1 Cut three 180mm lengths of 0.8mm wire and gently file the ends smooth. Hold the wires together then stagger them by about 12mm lengthways so that the two outer wires are longer or shorter at each end.

2 Bind the wires together about 65mm from one end using a 150mm piece of 0.6mm wire. Leave the wrapping wire end sticking out away from the main wires and ensure that the start of the binding wire is trimmed short and squashed snug to the binding.

3 Shape the three wires around your ring mandrel at the appropriate place for your ring size (you can slide a suitable ring on to the mandrel and mark the position with a pen) ensuring the binding wire is on the outside of the ring.

4 Once you are happy with the size and roundness of the ring, bring the binding wire around the whole ring to pull the two groups of wires together then wrap the other end of the three wires to match the first binding. Snip the wire off and squash the end snug to the ring.

5 Using chain-nosed pliers, bend the two short outside wires on each end of the ring out at 90 degrees to the ring band and the two long outside wires through about 120 degrees.

6 Using round-nosed pliers, curl the end of each wire into a tight loop. Hold the loop flat in chain-nosed pliers and rotate in small degrees, repositioning your pliers regularly to create a spiral.

Project by Judith Hannington. Originally published in Creative Beads & Jewellery issue 2.

Materials…

• Oregano, Mushroom and Red Pepper Ranger Adirondack alcohol inks
• Adirondack gold mixative
• Blending Solution
• Glossy cardstock
• Jet Black Archival ink
• 2″ Memory Glass
• 2″ Memory Glass frame
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology ball chain, Muse token, Word keys, Philosophy token & jump rings
• Blending tool and felt

To create…

1 Apply the Oregano, Mushroom and Red Pepper Alcohol inks to the felt on a blending tool. Add one small drop of gold mixative. Stamp all over a piece of glossy cardstock. Add a drop of blending solution to the felt and re stamp over the card to blend and soften.

2 Ink up the woman stamp with Jet Black Archival ink and stamp twice onto the cardstock you prepared in step 1. Let dry and cut out two 2″ squares to use as the images for the pendant.

3 Place the images back to back and sandwich between two pieces of Memory Glass. Insert into Memory Glass frame.

4 Thread the ball chain through the Memory Glass frame and fasten the connectors. Tie the ball chain into a knot approx 3″ above the frame.

5 Ink up a new piece of felt with Oregano, Espresso and Mushroom Alcohol inks. Place tokens and keys onto craft sheet and ink up one side, when dry turn over and ink the backs.

6 Add a jump ring to each object. Hang the knowledge token from the Memory Frame clasp. Hang the philosophy token and the keys from the ball chain knot.

Project by Dyan Reaveley. Originally published in Simply Cards & Papercraft issue 53.

Materials…

• Tim Holtz Idea-ology Grungeboard Harlequin Elements and Alphas
• Acrylic paints
• Big Bite
• UTEE
• Craft glue
• Small spray bottle
• Green Kaisercraft rhinestones
• Sheer red ribbon and black leather cord
• Brown-black and creamy brown chalk inkpads
• Heat tool
• Tweezers
• Assorted beads, charms and other found objects

To create…

1 Paint all your chosen grungeboard pieces on both sides and allow to dry.

2 Ink the edges of each individual piece, first with creamy brown, then with brown-black ink.

3 Use the Big Bite to punch a hole centrally in the top and bottom of the heart and the bottom of the crown.

4 Stick the pieces together with craft glue and allow to dry.

5 Mix a little craft glue and water together in the spray bottle and spray the layered grungeboard all over. Pick up with tweezers and cover with UTEE, then heat with a heat tool. Cover again with UTEE whilst still hot and heat again. Repeat three or four times until you have a good thick covering of UTEE.

6 Once set but whilst still warm, flatten back into shape. Attach a rhinestone in the hole in the crown and tie lengths of ribbon and cord through the other holes with assorted beads and charms tied on the ends.

Project by Rachel Burgess. Originally published in Simply Cards & Papercraft issue 68.

Available exclusively from beading, jewellery and craft stores, Creative Beads & Jewellery is full of fabulous projects. It aims to bring you an abundance of designs and styles, using an eclectic array of techniques, tools and materials, to ensure that all tastes are catered for, and to keep you inspired.

If you are just starting out in jewellery making or simply wanting to try something new, the hardest decision is often knowing where to start. With so many materials and techniques to choose from, it can be mind-boggling so, with this in mind, Creative Beads & Jewellery is bursting at the seams with different styles and designs to give you a taste of the fabulous projects and pieces you can create yourself.

Creative Beads & Jewellery has also enlisted the help and expertise of some of your favourite jewellery and beading stores to ensure that you are kept up-to-date with all the latest styles and trends.