It seems that crafters in the US are turning to bead jewelry making in ever increasing numbers. Beading is a fun hobby, and you can make jewelry from the simplest designs right through to incredibly complex pieces that are works of art in their own right. There are so many patterns and designs to choose from that it can almost become overwhelming, but don’t worry, you’ll soon find your feet.

One of the best things about bead jewelry making is that there is so much freedom to do what you want. Even better, something that may appear to be a disadvantage can actually be turned into a new design element. An example I read about recently involved jasper and copper. Jasper drills rings aren’t very popular, mainly because they tend to look unattractive and are not particularly functional. Most beading enthusiasts don’t bother using them.

This particular beader chose jasper drill rings with attractive colors, finding interesting combinations of browns, reds and touches of green. Once the beads were all strung together, however, they looked terrible. So instead of giving up and doing something else, she looked around for a new idea and came up with copper. The copper blended well to compliment the jasper colors.

Adding the copper element to the piece made a huge difference. She used copper wire to add extra features to the bracelet, and as a result ended up with a stunning design using two main elements that previously she’d never managed to use successfully. As long as the colors blend well, it’s possible to use almost any elements in bead jewelry designs.

One of my favorite things about beading is that you can take almost anything and turn it into something interesting. Even if first time around you’re not happy with the result, you can pull it apart and try doing it differently. Making beaded jewelry isn’t as hard as you might think; mostly you need a lot of patience and a healthy dollop of imagination. With those ingredients, you can create amazingly beautiful jewelry pieces such as bracelets, earrings and necklaces, which will be the envy of your friends.

Beading is a craft that is constantly evolving, and one of the most recent trends is cell phone charms. These are quite simple to make, and help to give your cell phone some character all of its own. If you know a teenage girl and want to give her something unique and special, try making her a cell phone charm. Or perhaps give her the bits and pieces so that she can make one of her own design.

If your bead making supplies are getting a bit cluttered, then instead of throwing beads out, reorganize them and perhaps swap the beads you don’t like with a fellow beader. Sometimes the beads that leave us most uninspired will be the ones that someone else turns into a masterpiece!

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