You can always count on R&T’s blog for some excitement, can’t you? 🙂
In homage to the current movie-inspired Alice in Wonderland resurgence…
…we say ‘Off with their heads!’
Only we’re talking about some très snappy choker forms. (You can remove the ends to string your beads!)
Here’s a great little tip on tracking down large-holed beads…
On page 491 of R&T’s Super Supplement 2010, we share a cool search feature for finding large-hole ‘beadable’ beads on our online store.
When only a large-hole bead will do
Just enter “BFMB” in the search box; this will currently bring up 325 items, from crow beads to ring beads to genuine coins, that have been identified as fitting* on our line of beadable products.
(Beadables include pens, cheese knives, bookmarks and more — all of them customizable with your choice of beads.)
In case you are wondering, BFMB stands for “Beadable Finding Mandrel Beads”.
*Some beads, particularly the large-hole gemstone beads, may still require a bit of reaming.
Imagine always being able to get crimp ends that match your beading chain! Even in antiqued colors!
These “crimps with rings” accommodate beading chain or cord up to 2.2mm.
Crimp (flatten) only the center section of the tubes, leaving the ends intact.
Choose 0.8mm or 1.5mm inner ring diameter. Size and shape will vary slightly.
Coming soon: new center-crimp tubes with hook, and new center-crimp tubes with loop!
The following is loosely based on an actual press release.
It’s giant!
Someone pointed out that R&T’s new Super Supplement has a gross of pages (144 of them).
And the reports coming in say it’s engrossing reading. Coincidence?
See and buy for yourself. Thousands of beads, findings and more added since Rings & Things‘ main catalog came out last year!
Get your Super Supplement today!
It’s free with your order, hint hint 🙂
BIG L, little l, what begins with L?
you may be pounding metal — but you don’t have to shout…
lower case, italics even
case-insensitivity was never so beautiful
typewriters are gone, but metal letters live on
the fine print is all good news: our price is really competitive (and you won’t find these with many suppliers). the stamps come in rather attractive wood boxes. made in the u.s.a. = quality tempered steel.
what other metal-stamping trends have you spotted? leave a comment (no caps please) 🙂
There’s quite a community of jewelry designers showing off Rings & Things beads and components. Here’s the latest 3 sightings, in Stringing magazine‘s Winter 2009 issue:
Michelle Mach’s “Jazz Baby” necklace appears on page 64, riffing on the gunmetal theme with eye pins,
jump rings, lobster clasp, and figaro and ’round/oval’ ring chains. Accenting these are size 6 seed beads and lampwork rondelle beads… ?
“Jazz Baby”
“Time’s Toolbox”
? …Melanie Brooks’ “Time’s Toolbox” necklace, also based on gunmetal, is on page 66 of the same issue. A ceramic focal from her Earthenwood Studio really clicks with the accompanying hammered oval chain and mesh-style links. Jump rings, both brass and an extra-heavy 13mm style, compliment a clasp in antiqued brass. (An added design suggestion: R&T’s sterling silver puzzle clasp would build on this design’s mixed-metals theme very nicely.)
With her “Amusing Grace” necklace on page 69, Melanie follows her productive steampunk muse farther. A gear link and keyhole focal, also from Earthenwood Studio, make this winning design tick. (Possible substitutes would be metal keyhole pendants, ceramic gear beads and eyepins.
Throw in skeleton-key charms and some added value in the form of a vintage center-holed coin!) There’s also jump rings (extra-heavy gunmetal ones in 13mm, and brass ones); bead caps; rollo chain (3.9mm, in brass), lobster clasps, eye pins and head pins (all in brass, the latter in 2-inch 21-gauge), and colored craft wire (in 20-gauge). ?
“Amusing Grace”
Thanks to Abby Wood for this image! ▼
People don’t sell beads, beads sell themselves. Especially February’s birthstone, amethyst!
What Abby said!
So I’ll just toss a couple amethyst-themed ideas your way. Enjoy!
“Spring Bears”
▲ Hang in there, February babies…Soon you’ll see what delightful things Spring Bears for you! You know what, you’re never too young for a Red Hat, or for amethyst beads… ▼
“Red Hat”
Your February birthday means days are getting longer already…so savor the Deep Twilight while you can! ▼
“Deep Twilight”
Have more amethyst inspirations? Yes you have. Share them. Here. Now. Link to ’em 🙂
Rings & Things got a friendly challenge from the nice people at Soft Flex®. (Hi Sara!) Could we come up with designs based on their new beading-wire Trios?
You be the judge!
Click on any picture here to see a full-size version in our Design Gallery, complete with a parts list and instructions…
Our Polly went “West of Java” for the source of this tactile delight, a turquoise-and-lava set of earrings and necklace. If life gives you Mt. Krakatoa, make lava beads 🙂 ?
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? R&T’s Cindy makes you a star with her “Tiffany” bracelet, while our Valorie spruces you up with her “Renewal” earrings ?
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Obviously inspired by the Trios theme, Cindy created a group of additional designs: ? the “Serene” bracelet and the “Panthera” necklace ?
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Her design meditations on the Trios also resulted in these “Om” & “Ocean Twist” necklaces ? and this sign of a fair and verdant Spring, the “Drops of April” bracelet ?
I wanted to share a few “outtake” pictures from R&T’s just-finished Red Tag Sale (Monday through Wednesday, December 28th to 30th).
Top 5 reasons to plan on plane tickets to visit your Spokane relatives next holiday season 🙂 Besides saving hundreds of dollars on these beads, I mean…
#1: Resin jewelry making…
…hands on!
#2: New sparkly-glass beads…
…they’re like portable Christmas lights!
#3: Speaking of which, the Christmas Mix…
…covers all 12 days!
#4: Make a long list of glass beads…
…and “Czech” it twice!
#5: “Skinned” slabs of gemstone bead…
…they’re smooth and rough! (Naughty and nice?)
Come revel in the beads. See you next December!
We thought it’d be fun to share paparazzi photos of Rings & Things beads on stars.
Then we thought, why not feature some Bead Stars?!
Good Advice
Erin Prais-Hintz won second place in Bead Star’s “heart designs” division. Her whimsical “Good Advice” on pages 26 and 71 to 72 cleverly deploys quite a mix of Rings & Things items…
Beads:
Findings:
Wire:
Erin is a Rings & Things blog partner, by the way!
Falling Leaves
In the “pearls” division, second-place winner Susan White’s “Falling Leaves” (pages 38 and 77-78) mines a vein of copper tones…
Fragile Love
Another R&T blog partner, Heather Powers, won third place in the “gemstones” division with her Fragile Love (pages 57 and 86), backed up by these Rings & Things items:
Beads and such:
Findings and stringing materials:
Carnelian Garland
Finally, Mary Harding McCallion scored an honorable mention in the “stones” division with her Carnelian Garland (pages 58 and 86 to 87). Mary shows that you want trusty findings to back up your fine focal pieces…
For gemstone bead combinations like the ones in Mary’s garland, check out Rings & Things’ selection of:
(PS, see the magazine for the wonderful finished projects!)