Beading Tip - Hiding and Securing Your Knots!

We get many emails in a day asking for advice or just with general "how do you" questions! One of the questions that comes up a lot is about the securing of the knot when you have to attach another length of beading stringing material. As we suggest the best knot to use is the square knot, its very effective and should be all that you need to secure the 2 pieces together and then you hide the knot inside the bead. Some beader's like to add one extra step to be sure that the knot doesn't come undone therefore having your project fall apart. Glue can be applied to the knots for an extra secure hold. Use a pin or toothpick to apply a small amount to seal a knot, being careful not to get glue on any beads when you are tucking the knot inside. There are many glue products on the market, so before you choose one make sure it can be used for this purpose. There is also glue that is available just for beads which is available at your local craft store, so you might want to check that out as well! If you have any questions that we can help you with, or any beading hints or tips that you would like to share with everyone just send us an email we would love to hear from you at any time! You can send all your questions and hints and tips to: Jan When emailing us please change the AT to @ this helps us to cut down on spam! Thanks! ================================= :*¨♥ Bead A Memory With Us ♥¨*:·. .·:*¨♥ Jenny and Jan ♥¨*:·. ================================= Note: Nothing on this blog is for download unless prior permission has been given. All Bead Shak images are copyrights to us please respect this! Football Blinkies Courtesty of : Julies Country Creations =============================== IceRocket tags: Super Bowl Sunday, football, beading hint, beading tips, beaded banner patterns, bead patterns, weblog, advertising, needlecrafts, on line shopping, free pattern drawing, bead art, creativity, creative artists, hobbies, crafts, peyote bead patterns, holidays Technorati tags: Super Bowl Sunday, football, beading hint, beading tips, beaded banner patterns, bead patterns, weblog, advertising, needlecrafts, on line shopping, free pattern drawing, bead art, creativity, creative artists, hobbies, crafts, peyote bead patterns, holidays

Bead A Memory With Us At Bead Shak!

Jenny and I have been doing crafts of one kind or another all of our lives. We both have given to family and friends gifts for special occasions such as Birthdays, Anniversaries, or just to say have a great day. Plus we have received from family and friends some pretty amazing hand crafted gifts. We both have kept everything we have received from family and friends and have stored them so that we can bring them out to hang or place somewhere for special holidays or events. Its always fun to look into those boxes and see what is there and to remember when you received it and for what holiday or special occasion, what you did that day, what it meant to you when you received the gift, the look on the person's face that made that gift specially for us, all of those things that happen when we look back evoke in us all special memories. I got to thinking about crafting and what it means to the person that makes a craft project and what it means to the person that receives one. From the crafter's stand point, its seeing that project in a craft store or on line, whether its cross stitch or beading or crochet and saying oh wow I know that Aunt Jan or my best friend Jenny would love to have that or it reminds you of them and you know you have to make it just for them. That excitement of finding a special project then leads to the picking of the materials, the colors for it and all the supplies that is needed to complete it, then comes the fun part the making of it. Then as we go along in the project we think of things to add or embellish that special project with. When its done, then comes the thought, "I can't wait until they get this", and then you wonder "I hope they like it" or will they be as excited as you are having found that special gift and you also hope that you don't say anything to them about it, as its hard not to being so excited about what your about to give them. I know for me its hard not to say anything!!! Then comes the moment you see the look on their face or you hear from them via email or phone that they are just thrilled to bits, they love it and sound so excited to have gotten it from you and that you thought enough of them to do something so special for them and them saying how did you know? The reason you knew is you cared enough about them to listen to what they have said about what they like or don't like and could make a great choice in craft projects. And for me that is the best moment of it all! That is called Crafting From The Heart! ======================================= From the receiver of the craft project side, its the surprise of getting a gift from that friend or family member, knowing that they have made something that is special and unique just for you, that some times it takes hours and hours of work, that they thought enough of you to go and pick out those supplies and put it all together, wrap it up and either send it to you by mailing it at the post office or in person delivering it to you, all of which takes time which was just spent just on you. But the most special thing is opening up that box or package and seeing it and thinking wow I love this, its the perfect color or the perfect wall hanging and how did you know that I just love things like this. Then you think I will hang this in a special place for all to see or you box it up carefully only to bring it out on the occasion you received it on. Then you remember who made this for you and for what occasion and all the things that happened that day when you received it and then you think about that person who made it for you! That is called Making A Memory! ========================================= How fun is it to go back and look at things that were made for you that you received from your kids as a school craft project or from a friend who was just starting out doing a new craft and then seeing how far she has come. My grandmother had a box of things that I had made in school, craft projects made out of paper plates and other things and then as I got older she could see the progress I had made and use to laugh with me at some of the things that I had come up with, and was amazed and happy for that I was doing better and becoming more creative at the same time. That box of what I thought at the time was not good enough made her very happy when she opened it and talked and laughed about what was inside. And sometimes we do think that what we have made for somebody is not good enough or that the materials that we prefer to work in might be looked upon as child like but that is not the case at all. What ever project you decide on or craft medium you like to work in you will be giving the recipient of the gift something that is more valuable than anything,you will be making memories for them to look back on forever and ever and in the end that is all we have! "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." ~Robert Brault ========================================= .·:*¨♥ Bead A Memory With Us ♥¨*:·. .·:*¨♥ Jenny and Jan ♥¨*:·. License Agreement ©2003-2007 The Bead Shak Blog All Rights Reserved ============================== IceRocket tags: beaded banner patterns, beaded banner pattern, hobbies, creativity, crafts, home decor, gifts, gift ideas, advertising, memories, needle craft, beading, Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, online shopping, arts and crafts, creative artists, arts, patterns, designers Technorati tags: beaded banner patterns, beaded banner pattern, hobbies, creativity, crafts, home decor, gifts, gift ideas, advertising, memories, needle craft, beading, Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, online shopping, arts and crafts, creative artists, arts, patterns, designers del.icio.us tags: beaded banner patterns, beaded banner pattern, hobbies, creativity, crafts, home decor, gifts, gift ideas, advertising, memories, needle craft, beading, Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, online shopping, arts and crafts, creative artists, arts, patterns, designers

Bead Storage Tip!

A tip for storing your beads was sent to us by Ruthann who kindly allowed us to share her tip with you here: Ruthann wrote this to us: "I would like to share how I store my beads to take with me. I am a great grandmother to six grand children. I have found I like to store my beads in the Gerber baby food containers. And, then I put them in a covered container with a handle along with my other things I need for beading and etc.. I run the containers through the dishwasher [top shelf] when I get them from my grandchildren. They have covers that snap on and are wonderful. Being they are clear you can see what color beads you have in the containers. Just wanted to share." Thanks Ruthann for sharing such a great tip, we appreciate you taking the time to write to us! If you have any beading or craft tips we would love to hear from you and with your permission we will post them here to share with everyone! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- .·:*¨♥ Happy Shopping Everyone ♥¨*:·. .·:*¨♥ Jenny and Jan ♥¨*:·. License Agreement ©2003-2007 The Bead Shak Blog All Rights Reserved -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IceRocket tags: beaded banner patterns, beaded banners, beading hints and tips, craft projects, crafts, creativity, craft patterns, online shopping, craft supplies, advertising, weblog, presents, hobbies, needle craft, gift ideas, beading Technorati tags: beaded banner patterns, beaded banners, beading hints and tips, craft projects, crafts, creativity, craft patterns, online shopping, craft supplies, advertising, weblog, presents, hobbies, needle craft, gift ideas, beading del.icio.us tags: beaded banner patterns, beaded banners, beading hints and tips, craft projects, crafts, creativity, craft patterns, online shopping, craft supplies, advertising, weblog, presents, hobbies, needle craft, gift ideas, beading

Fathers Day Gift Ideas - Just For Dad Beaded Banner Pattern!

Fathers Day is 9 days away and there is still lots of time to give Dad the perfect gift that will keep on giving! These are just a few ideas that we have for you to do for Dad! Click on the beaded banner of your choice to visit Bead Shak to see what other great give ideas we have for Dad! Its one stop shopping with us at Bead Shak! Stop by and pick out your Beaded Banner Pattern, go on to pick out your Beads, then to complete your project pick out the BeadedBanner Hanging Rod! Our projects are fun, they make great gifts and be warned beading is addictive! Bead Shak for all your Beaded Banner needs! .·:*¨♥ Happy Beading Everyone ♥¨*:·. .·:*¨♥ Jenny and Jan ♥¨*:·. IceRocket tags: Fathers Day, pony beads, online shopping, advertising, beading projects, beaded banner pattern, beaded banners, hanging rods, needlecraft, football, soccer, crafts, craft supplies, bead work, beads, weblog, creativity, home decor, special occasions occasions, business, bead patterns Technorati tags: Fathers Day, pony beads, online shopping, advertising, beading projects, beaded banner pattern, beaded banners, hanging rods, needlecraft, football, soccer, crafts, craft supplies, bead work, beads, weblog, creativity, home decor, special occasions occasions, business, bead patterns

How To Make Friendship Pins!

Friendship Pins or Safety Pin Beading is a craft that anyone can do of any age or experience level! If you have never beaded before friendship pins are a great way to start out. They are easy to do, fun and unique. With the summer school break upon us its the perfect craft for kids to do or a great craft to teach your kids if they have never done them before! Friendship Pins make cute gifts for you family and friends, you can trade them with your friends, collect them from people all over the world and so much more, the possibilities are limitless. --------------------------------------------------------- How To Once you find the friendship pin pattern you want to do you will see the list of materials you need to buy. Seed beads you can buy a mixed bag of seed beads or for an individual project you can purchase bags of each color. We found that the mixed bag of seed beads is your best value as it allows you to do many projects not just the one. For the safety pin size it depends on the project your going to make. Some designs are smaller meaning there is not as many rows across and down so the number and size of the safety pins you need for any project will vary. Also it can get confusing some designers quote the actual size of safety pin in inches that you need some designers quote the number size. The chart below is a quide to size and the number for each safety pin size. 3/4" #00 safety pin 7/8" #0 safety pin 1 1/8" #1 safety pin 1 1/2" #2 safety pin 2" #3 safety pin 2 1/4" #4 safety pin 3" #5 safety pin New Larger Size The best thing to do is write down the materials you need for the particular project you want to work on and then get your supplies for that project. ------------------------------------------------- Once you have all your materials the fun part begins! We have Free Instructions on how to do Friendship Pins on the Bead Shak site ready for you to download and print out! Below is a quick guide on how to get started! First open the safety pin, string on the beads according to the pattern Starting at the top and Row 1 and work your way down the safety pin. Once the beads are all on from Row 1, pinch the end of the safety pin with plier so the safety pin won't come open ---------------------------------------------------------------- Once you have all your rows done, we need to hang them on the bigger safety pin so we do it like the diagram below. Open the safety that you are going to hang your project on. Then take a flat tool for example a screw driver and carefully pry open the coiled end of the safety pin. Following the pattern from left to right, slip the loop of the first beaded safety pin onto the large one. Pull it around the coil of the of the large pin and to the back side of the pin as shown in the diagram Continue on until all your pins have been put on. Once all the pins are on, then take your pliers and carefully close up the coil end of the safety pin. Your finished project will look like the diagrams below! Congratulations you have just made your first friendship pin project! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hints and Tips When you purchase your seed beads you will see in the package that they are not all the same size some are a larger than others or slightly different in shape. When you do your project try to pick out of the package the seed beads that are closest in diameter and height so that your project will come out the best it possibly can. --------------------------------------------------- We have made up an e-book of some of our most popular and best selling Friendship Pin patterns! This e-book has 12 very cleverly designed patterns and it covers every Holiday and Season! These make great gifts for you family and friends! This collection of Friendship Pins is a great value! You can check them out here: Friendship Pin E-Book ----------------------------------------------------------------- ·:*¨♥ Happy Beading Everyone ♥¨*:·. .·:*¨♥ Jenny and Jan ♥¨*:·. IceRocket tags: friendship pins, safety pin crafts, crafts, hobbies, beading projects, seed beads, online shopping, presents, gifs, gift ideas, advertising, bead work, beaded banner patterns, creativity, kids crafts, bead projects, free beading instructions, how to, holiday Technorati tags: friendship pins, safety pin crafts, crafts, hobbies, beading projects, seed beads, online shopping, presents, gifs, gift ideas, advertising, bead work, beaded banner patterns, creativity, kids crafts, bead projects, free beading instructions, how to, holiday "All images are the Property of The Bead Shak"

Friendship Pins, Beaded Plant Pokes, Magnets, Ornaments and More!

We have put together a selection of our most popular beading patterns in an E-Book for you! The projects we have selected are fun projects, suitable for any age and experience level! Friendship Pin E- Book Why not make memories with our Seasons of Friendship Pin Collection! This ebook of 12 cleverly designed friendship pins cover every holiday and season! A great collection to make for yourself or family and friends! With summer holidays coming this is the perfect bead pattern collection for everyone of all ages to do, whether your just getting started into beading or have experience this is the perfect collection! ---------------------------------------------- A Year of Plant Pokes and Magnets This is one of our very popular series and now you can have it to! Christmas all the way through to Thanksgiving is represented in this ebook! A fantastic collection of patterns, with suggested materials list, clear and easy to read graphs, colored pictures of the projects and instructions all included! Its a fun, cute way to pass the summer months, or to make gifts for family and friends! --------------------------------------------------- Holiday Ornaments This fantastic collection of Christmas Ornaments includes a very cute whimsical reindeer, a very handsome snowman, a heavenly angel and the traditional Christmas tree! Its never to late to start making your projects for Christmas gift giving this year or to get a head start on decorations for your tree! Either way this collection is a must have! ------------------------------------------------------------- We have added to the Bead Shak site other new ebooks and bead patterns! We have something for everyone! With summer holidays coming up these are the perfect way to pass the holidays and to get a head start on making gifts for family and friends! All our patterns come with clear and easy to read graphs, a suggested materials list, a colored picture of the finished project and instructions! If you need any additional help with any of our projects we are just an email away! We hope that you enjoy this new series that we have added to Bead Shak! ------------------------------------------------- ·:*¨♥ Happy Beading Everyone ♥¨*:·. .·:*¨♥ Jenny and Jan ♥¨*:·. IceRocket tags: beading projects, beading, online shopping, advertising, craft supplies, crafts, weblog, Christmas, holidays, Mothers Day, hobbies, gifts, presents, creativity, home decor, beaded ornaments, beaded banner patterns, bead work, friendship pins, business Technorati tags: beading projects, beading, online shopping, advertising, craft supplies, crafts, weblog, Christmas, holidays, Mothers Day, hobbies, gifts, presents, creativity, home decor, beaded ornaments, beaded banner patterns, bead work, friendship pins, business