Bead Patterns In A Jar - What A Great Gift Idea!

Hi everyone! We got to thinking about this the other day when somebody asked what do you give as a fun yet practical gift to someone that loves beading or is into other kinds of crafts and would like to start beading and needs that little extra help? The idea of a Bead Soup Mix has been around in one form or another for a long time and the contents and mix vary from one person to another. We thought about this idea, liked it but thought we would change it up a little and put our own spin on it. The Recipe for our "Bead Patterns in a Jar" are as follows: 1. Purchase a pattern that you know the person your giving the give to has either commented on or you know would really like to get. 2. Now make a list of all the supplies needed to make this project. Write down the bead colors and color numbers, the thread that is needed, anything and everything that is required to make this project. You may also have some beads around the house that would work perfectly for the project you pick as well. 3. Once you have purchased all the supplies needed for this project, you now have an idea of how big the jar has to be that you purchase to put all this inside of it. We suggest laying out all that you want to put into the jar before you purchase it. Make sure that you have everything needed to complete the project plus you may decide to throw into the jar a little extra something for your friend. So once you have decided for sure all that you want into the jar then its time to decide on the size and shape of it. 4. There are some fantastic jar shapes out there perfect for this kind of project. Some suggestions would be the fluted glass jars with the lids and metal latches, mason jars the type used for canning, a brandy snifter glass or anything that has a wide opening and will fit all the things you need for the project. 5. Now its time to fill the jar. You can put the beads you purchase in little zipped baggies so they can been seen in the jar, but make sure you keep the tags from the original bags for future reference for your friend or yourself in case you want to purchase more at a later date. Or if you intend to use beads for this that you have around the house then make note of the size, color number etc. of them as well in case your friend wants to get more. You can fill the jar anyway you like, if you want the colors all separated then fill the jar one layer at a time, if you want one layer one color and the next one mixed and so on, the ways to do this are endless and a great way to personalize this gift for your friend. 6. We suggest the top layer of the jar be the needles, findings, thread that sort of thing. They can be put into zipped baggies as well so that they can be taken out of the jar easily as well. We don't suggest that you fold the pattern up and put it into the jar, please refer to number 8. 7. Now your done! Before you close the lid on your jar make sure that you like how it looks and that everything that you have is in there. If you choose a jar that has no lid then we suggest getting some nice material, take a pair of pinking sheers and cut a circle much larger than the opening of your jar, the sheers will give the edge a nice zig zag finish. Then take the material after you have filled up your jar with everything, put it over the opening of the jar and secure with an elastic band and then over top of the elastic band a fancy ribbon tied into a bow or curl some curling ribbon making it really festive. Then to finish it off you can personalize it with your own gift tag, how about gluing some beads onto the tag, or writing a beady saying on it or anything that would make it your own and then tying it onto the ribbon on the jar. 8. Although some patterns that you purchase are small enough to be folded up and put into the jar, we don't suggest this. What we do suggest is getting a really nice envelope that will fit the pattern without folding it. You could personalize the pattern envelope with what ever you like and write a note to your friend that is receiving this gift and put that inside the envelope. We also suggest that if you have put into the jar beads that you have had around the house and aren't from the same manufacturer or suggested beads that is on the pattern, then you could include this information in the pattern envelope as well. So now your done and how fantastic is this gift, a very personalized, fun, and unique gift to give to anyone! Click on the links below for some patterns that would be perfect for this kind of project: Door Hangers - Coasters - Ornaments Have a great day and a fantastic weekend! ~Happy Beading~ Jenny and Jan Copyright© 2003-2007 The Bead Shak All Rights Reserved Posted by : The Bead Shak Technorati tags: on line shopping, advertising, gifts in a jar, gifts, bead patterns, blogging, crafts, hobbies, creativity IceRocket tags: on line shopping, advertising, gifts in a jar, gifts, bead patterns, blogging, crafts, hobbies, creativity