Valentine’s Workshop Session #1: Toggle Pendant Necklace & Heart Bracelet

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Valentine’s Workshop Session #2: Floating Hearts Necklace & Beginning Earrings

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Valentine’s Workshop Session #3: Memory Wire Bracelet & Wire-Wrapped Heart Earrings

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Who can say no to such heat-warmingly cute projects? Details about cost, registration, and required supplies can be found on our website at our Workshops page. Feel free to come by or call with any questions, and be on the look-out for more workshops in the future! Happy Beading!

The imagery of fall; a ripe orange pumpkin, fuzzy sweaters, and freshly sharpened pencils as people go back to school. Why not join them and become a Student Beader at the Bellingham Bead Bazaar? We offer many fun projects for beaders at any level of expertise, and have recently printed a class book to have in store. Feel free to come by and flip through its pages as you decide which techniques you’d love to learn. The classes we currently offer include Feather Earrings, a Wrapped Cord Bracelet, Kid’s Projects and many others! Our new book outlines all of the nitty gritty class details: time, fee, and supply list. We then arrange the class to meet your schedule and voila! Remember, our class space can accommodate up to 6 students, so make sure to bring a beading buddy!

If you can’t make it to the store, our class book is also available here on our website. All details and sample images can be found in one spot, allowing you to plan ahead on your next trip to the Bead Bazaar!

Be on the lookout for more changes on our website, including a soon-to-come Events section, which will provide details on our Beading Brunch, sales, parties, and much more!

We’ve compiled all of our answers here for any inquisitive crafter that wants work with feathers:

Q. How can I make a pair of feather earrings?
A. One of our recommended methods of making feathered earrings is to use a cord crimp.

To make feather earrings with cord crimps, simply lay the stems of your feathers in the center of a cord crimp. Ensure that the loop of the crimp points away from the feathers and place a small amount of glue in the crimp. Then fold each side of the crimp over to grip the stem of the feather into place. Because cord crimps have a loop at the end, that can hook directly to the ear wire.

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If you’re an experienced wire-wrapper, creating a wire-wrapped loop and wire-wrapping around the stem of the feather is another method of attaching them to ear wires.

Q. Where can I find feathers?
A. Right here at the Bead Bazaar! With how popular accessorizing with feathers has become, we’ve had many requests for feathers or questions regarding where they can be found, so we’ve decided to carry them! We currently carry hackle feathers in grays, browns, and coppery tones as well as peacock eyes and spears. We’ve constructed a couple samples with our feathers and will be offering classes and free demonstrations showing how to construct feather earrings. Other sources: While fish and tackle shops generally carry feathers for lures, fly tiers don’t always appreciate having their stock depleted by beaders. Craft stores usually carry a selection of feathers, but the popularity of this trend means that suppliers are having a hard time keeping up with demand. The internet is of course always available. If you’re thinking of collecting feathers from the park or your back yard, remember that there are policies and laws in place regarding the ownership of found feathers, and make sure to read up on them.

Q. Do beading crimps work for attaching feathered hair extensions?
A. . . . Maybe . . . The thing is, a beading crimp is a metal piece designed to grip into a stainless steel cable and permanently affix a clasp. If used on something like thread, a beading crimp can cut through it (yes, I’ve done that before on accident). That said, we’ve had a few customers report success while using our crimp beads. This may be due to the shape of the crimp. Some of our crimp beads are tube crimps with smooth sides and no ridges at the edges, while other crimps curved inward and have a ridge around the edge for gripping. So who knows, maybe tube-shaped crimps work just fine. Whenever we sell our beading crimps for feathered hair extensions, we feel it’s only fair to warn people of the potential for crimps to cut right through hair. If you’re concerned about using beading crimps, special plastic crimps (which we do not carry) have been designed for use with feathered hair extensions.

Q. Do feathers need to be sterilized before working with them?
A. Probably not. All of our feathers come sterilized, and one of Bellingham’s local tackle shops has confirmed that all of their feathers are sterilized, but if you’re unsure, feel free to ask your local shops. As for the bleached/dyed feathers available from craft suppliers, it’s a safe bet that they won’t sell unsterilized materials. However, when in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

We hope this was a helpful guide to answer any feather inquiries! Feel free to comment with your own hints or questions. As always, the Bead Bazaar staff is more than willing to answer them.

~Bead Bazaar

This is the perfect opportunity to share hints and tips with fellow beaders and compare projects! Invite your friends or come to make new ones at our first meeting, Sunday October 1st, from 10:00am-12:00pm. You provide the creativity, and Bead Bazaar will be providing coffee and pastries. To allow us to prepare, please RSVP no later than the day before each brunch at 360-671-5655. Cost is $5 to cover the refreshments.

In celebration of Labor Day, the Bead Bazaar is having a give away over the coming weekend. Starting Friday September 5th, if you purchase 4 Pandora Style Beads, receive a 5th bead for free! This special is good through Labor Day (Monday, September 5th)! With over 60 colors and styles of interchangeable beads to choose from, this is the perfect opportunity to build some coordinating bracelet sets. Priced at $1.25 each, our silver plated interchangeable beads are a bargain compared to name brand prices! This special compounds, so if you purchase 8 beads you’ll receive a second bead free, purchase 12 beads to receive a third bead free, and so on.

Don’t forget to check out our interchangeable bracelet options as well! New in stock are some silver plated cuff style bracelets. With one removable end for adding beads and 2 stopper beads included, these cuffs work perfectly to build interchangeable bracelets. If you’d prefer sterling, we have snake chain style bracelets with one removable end and sterling stopper beads sold separately. No matter your preference, we have everything you need to customize your bracelets!

~Bead Bazaar

Interested in some of the history behind this popular trend? More info on interchangeable beads and bracelets can be found here!

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Some of the Bead Bazaar’s most popular items are electroformed leaves, genuine leaves that have been used to create beautiful pendants. With a fresh new selection now in stock for summer, we couldn’t help but share these great photos! To achieve such quality work, these pieces are made in a series of steps. A leaf is first painted with copper metal, then dipped in a specialized metal finish.

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Finishes include silver, gold, copper, brass, or a fresh green patina. These leaf pendants are painstakingly created to showcase the minute veining and details present in their natural leaf base. Such attention to detail not only showcases the natural beauty of leaf structure, but adds an unprecedented level of natural design to any jewelry project. Available leaf specimens include birch, ginkgo, holly, oak, aspen, and maple. Delicate, yet sturdy, our leaves have always been a favorite for gifts or personal jewelry pieces. We invite you to stop by and marvel at their intricate beauty!

~BeadBazaar

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Perfect for summer and rich in color, these Chinese pottery shards have the Bead Bazaar in a buzz! Each piece is silver-plated and has a jumpring attached, making them the perfect pendants. Best of all, from now until August 21, we are giving away a FREE pendant with any purchase $20 and up! One per customer, please.

Some of you may recognize these beautiful pieces from a give-away the Bead Bazaar did last year. For those who aren’t familiar with these unique pendants, here’s a re-cap on their history: While it’s suspected that our pieces date back to the Qing dynasty, which ruled from the mid-17th to the early 20th centuries, their ages are difficult to verify. However, it’s clear from the various motifs that the pottery told stories. Made from true broken pottery remnants, but no two pendants are truly alike. Many pieces are decorated in vibrant hues, from yellows to reds to teal. These colorful shards feature birds, dragons, lions, and various flowers. Pumpkins and other gardening images also abound, and a few rare pieces picture people.

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It is believed that the stylized blue and white motifs commonly found in Chinese pottery originated with the Tang dynasty, which ruled from the 7th-10th centuries, while the oldest surviving pieces of blue and white pottery date back to the 8th and 9th centuries. Blue and white porcelain proved to be a lasting motif, and is still produced now, centuries later. Blue and white porcelain even became so popular that it was exported to Japan.

With so many vibrant colors and lively patterns to choose from, let your inspiration abound! Come by to see these one-of-a-kind pieces of history. And remember, you can take one home for FREE if you spend $20 or more!

-Bead Bazar

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Intricately detailed filigree components are both feminine and romantic, they evoke images of antique or heirloom pieces. Since most of our filigree pieces are maleable, they easily wrap around larger beads, creating elegant frames. Filigree details can also be found on vintage-style lockets, a sentimental detail for any necklace. Our rhinestone encrusted floral links can be used for anything feminine and formal, or as components in a bridal design. A larger component could be the beginning of a dramatic cuff bracelet or necklace, while dainty pieces add more subtle hints to any design. East meets west in our Art Deco inspired geometric pendants, mixing an antiqued look with some more modern lines.

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Not sure which colors to pair with such rich tones? Vivid greens, lapis blue, and sea blue are just a few favorites, balancing the brown tones of antiqued metal. Citrine and coral are more playful, pearls and clear crystals classic. Truly anything can be done with antiqued brass and copper, so we invite you to share your design ideas with us! We’ll be seeing you soon.

~Bead Bazaar

Discount includes fiery reds, yellows, and oranges in the loose Swarovski crystal and Lucite pieces as well. Sun shaped charms, findings, and buttons will also be discounted in honor of this summer event. Look for this sale Thursday, June 16th through Sunday, June 19th. Sale excludes Case items. This weekend-long event is the perfect opportunity to add some fire to your designs and pay homage to the summer sun!

~Bead Bazaar