I am pretty sure I am not the only one looking for ways to use up crochet thread! Here are three splendid earrings tutorials by Sri Lankan Hiruni on the HiruHandmade Crochet Youtube channel. They are all uniquely different. She lists the supplies used in the video descriptions.   Note that you will be using hook […]

I am very excited to share the details of an upcoming Beadaholique Live class on Thursday, March 13th, at 9am PT/12pm ET. This class will show how to make a leather cord and button bracelet using the Wrapit Loom by Rainbow Loom. Over the years, these have been some of our most popular bracelet designs. […]

Watercolour art is arguably the most ancient of all painting techniques – the cave paintings of paleolithic Europe are fabulous examples. It is one of my favourite painting styles, one which I am utterly hopeless in but I admire the talent of others who can capture landscape and botanical subjects with great delicacy.  One such […]

Exploring color psychology and the color green. Green is the color of many gemstones: emerald, jade and nephrite, serpentine, chrysoprase, variscite, malachite, Tsavorite garnets, tourmalines, green sapphires, green beryl, prehnite, peridot, and others I’m sure I’m forgetting. So let’s talk about green, and how it affects mood, health, behavior, and how it can help you […]

Ohio based wire artisan, Ruby of RubyMoonJewel has a striking and unusual wire jewelry collection. She makes face wire designs. The designs which meander across the face are actually modified extensions of ear cuffs. Most innovative indeed.   Also noteworthy are her faux nose and lip rings. Again, these are adapted from the ear cuff idea. […]

William Congreve, the English Playwright wrote these lines for his 1697 play, The Mourning Bride : Music has Charms to soothe the savage Breast, To soften Rocks and Bend a Knotted Oak Many of us remember the first line which is often misquoted as “Music soothes the savage beast”.  The poet and playwright meant soothing the heart. […]

St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, is just 3 weeks away but that is still plenty of time to make some lovely and hopefully lucky jewelry pieces. Having a bit of Irish in me has meant that I have always had a special affinity for this particular holiday. It has always seemed a happy and hopeful […]

Many of you love copper. Others like me prefer brass. Both are wonderful as jewelry supplies. Brass in particular is a good stand-in for gold. Both can take on patinas for beautifully unique results. Then head on over to UrbanroseSupplies for some of the most gorgeous solid copper and brass supplies I have come across. […]

Bead embroidery lends itself to the making of stunning jewelry. Ukrainian bead artist, Maryna of YatsuraBead, turns her talent into making exquisite insects, most notably as brooches out of beads and other materials. Her attention  to detail is noteworthy. She uses crystals such as for the green beetle shown above. Wood and epoxy resin was […]

British polymer clay artist, Fiona Abel-Smith of PolyOriginals, is a fantastic instructor full of ideas. She is also on Youtube. I featured her colorful tutorials before.  This video tutorial of hers shows how to use foil on polymer clay. What’s different is her clever technique of applying two layers of foil with one of them […]