Monday, November 21, 2011

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Link to The Beading Gem's Journal

Sparkle Spot's Giveaways $25 Gift Certificate : Colored Fireline Feature

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 04:00 AM PST

I prefer to use Fireline for bead work projects. I like the strength and firmness it gives to the pieces.  The bad news is, there are only two choices of colors - grey or "crystal", an off-white color.

Then I found out about colored Fireline.  Sally, a blog reader mentioned in her post about Sparkle Spot's range of Fireline in beautiful colors.

Left to themselves, Fireline would never color their fishing lines other than what is appropriate for fishermen, their target market. So it takes an innovative woman to not only see the need but fill the gap for beaders who only fish for beads.

Kelley is the sole owner (and sole employee!) of Sparkle Spot Beads which she opened in 2006  in St Petersburg, Florida. It was a good fit for her as she adores beading especially bead weaving. She too uses Fireline exclusively.

She explained, " I got tired of trying to figure out whether white or black would look "less bad" with any given color of seed bead.  At the same time, I was meeting resistance by customers to Fireline "because it only comes in white and black".  So I started experimenting with color for my own purposes."

She described her eureka moment, "One day a customer and fellow Fireline-fanatic happened to see a spool that I was working on and asked about it. I explained what I was doing and she demanded that I sell it to her. It was really the first time that I thought about actually making it to sell.  I was excited by her initial reaction, but even more excited when she came back for more!"

There are 8 colors so far with more coming in.  The color is added after manufacture but it is as stable as it can possibly be short of introducing pigments during manufacture.  Fireline fans love the colors and are constantly asking Kelly to introduce new ones.

She does offer sample packs. But you can certainly try your luck and win her $25 gift certicate!  Although I am spotlighting the colored Fireline, Sparkle Spot also offers a wide variety of materials like gemstones, beads, wire and findings.

So even if you're not a beader, it will be worth your while to take a look there. Who knows? You might even win the giveaway.

Giveaway
To win this gift certificate, all you have to do is make a comment below. Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower or also on Facebook Fan page or Twitter - even more entries if you do it for not just me but Lex's sites too. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway on your favorite forum, own blog, Facebook or Twitter even Google+ those will count as additional entries too!  Please say so in the comments.

This giveaway is limited to US and Canadian readers.

It ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, November 28, 2011. I will pick a winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to come back and check! Good luck!

If you do go on to make an order with Sparkle Spot, use code (PEARL) in the NOTES section and get a free gift!

Subscribers : To comment, click on the post title to return to the blog. At the bottom of the post, click on "Comments". If you do not have a Google account, website or online store, use Name/URL - and leave the URL blank.
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Christmas Earrings Anyone?

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 03:00 PM PST

There is nothing like getting jewelry for Christmas is there? Next to chocolate that is. But earrings are definitely calorie-free!

So if you have several people on your list, why not make them earrings?  There is no such thing as too many earrings. 

Shown here are earrings which Cathy made in a past workshop.  She naturally used the traditional colors of red and green for her design.  The beautifully faceted beads really made this pair different.

If you need more ideas and a creativity boost, check out the links below :
For more tutorials check out my Jewelry Making Tips
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Subscribe via RSS OR Via Email* It's FREE!
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