Bead blog recap w. 8-10

Haven't done a recap of my writings at Maneki's Pärlblogg in a long time now as I skipped last week's update due to the bead soup blog party. So this time it'll be a summary of three instead of two weeks.

This time you can find tips on contests, shamballa bracelet tutorials, new beads, seedbeading, macramé, braiding and more in the blog topics.



Swedish jewellery galleries
The headline is kind of a misnomer: since Hnoss in Göteborg (Gothenburg) closed, as far as I know there's only one gallery dedicated solely to jewellery art in Sweden: Platina in Stockholm.

Flower balls/beaded pomanders
How to make flower bead balls, either by linking the beads or stitching them.

Cubic right-angle weave
How to stitch CRAW, aka cubic RAW aka cubic right angle weave.

Jewelry Fail
At the crafty fail blog CraftFail, you can find jewellery projects that failed miserably. And perhaps take comfort in knowing you're not alone in making mistakes sometimes.

Shamballa bracelets
How to make Shamballa (also spelled Shambhala) bracelets.

Fusion Knotting
Let J. D. Lenzen's fusion of knots and knotting techniques inspire your jewellery making with his many free video tutorials and his book. (If you like Suzen Millodot's celtic knots book and chinese knots, this might be of interest to you.)

March challenges
Monthly challenges for the first spring month.

Colourful macrame bangles
Knot or wrap thin metal bangles with colourful cords for fun and fashionable bracelets. With links to my previous posts on macrame jewellery.

Beads Direct Mother's day contest
Contest announced by british bead shop Beads Direct.


Masterbead contest 2012
It is too late to sign up for Perles & Co's kit contest now, but you might want to stick around in order to vote for your favourite later.

Peanut oil patina
How to create a lovely brown heat patina on metal using vegetable oils.

New finish from Miyuki
Japanese seed bead manufacturer Miyuki has presented a new picasso finish, which will be available in shops soon.

Lucite and perfume
Lucite and plexi are popular materials to use in jewellery, but it can be worth remembering that not all plastics can fare well if exposed to alcohol, such as perfume.

FusionBeads' 30 day challenge
American bead shop FusionBeads are celebrating the US national craft month with daily challenges throughout March.

More design contests
Current swedish and international bead and/or jewellery contests.

Lucet braiding
If you like kumihimo and other braiding techniques, why not try the age old technique of lucet braiding? You can even add beads or create intricate, modern cords using a simple forked tool.

Bead people
How to create bead people or bead buddies using a few beads and some wire or cord.

Pantone Fashion Color Report Fall 2012
See the latest colour trend report from Pantone for autumn and winter 2012 -- and this time I've also remembered to include the men's colour report. Personally, I like these colours better than the spring colours. (See photo above for the included colours: women's palette on top, men's below.)

Czech spike beads
There's a new interesting bead shape in czech glass available: the spike beads.(With a link to a blog where you can read the background on this new bead.)

Liberty bias tape and cord
If you shop in French bead shops -- like I do -- you've probably seen the bias tapes/ribbons and cords from London based Liberty. With their often floral designs, they'd make some nice spring jewellery. Also include links to inspirational projects.

Learn how to use a jeweller's saw
A jeweller's saw is a very useful and basic jewellery-making tool. But one you have to learn how to master.

Margie Deeb's latest colour trend report
Bead colour expert Margie Deeb has released her latest publication, the Spring/Summer 2012 Color Report for Bead & Jewelry Designers.

Biscornu
Biscornu is a fun little thing from the world of needlework that could also be used as pendants in jewellery making. Or why not let the shape inspire your beaded beads? If you're a bead embroiderer, the biscornu is a perfect little canvas for you, regardless if you want to use it in jewellery or more traditional ways, e.g. as a pincushion.