THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

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Chan Luu's Kiss Kiss Bracelet and Worthy Causes Posted: 15 Jan 2013 04:00 AM PST Wrapped bracelets are all the rage.  Indeed this ethnic style is a global trend and the trendsetting designer is Chan Luu. The Los Angeles based jewelry designer, originally from Vietnam, counts celebrities among her many fans. Count me in as one, too! Kiss Kiss Bracelet I bought the above Kiss Kiss bracelet for a gift when Chan Luu was still selling these to raise money for Haitian earthquake victims. It's a wonderful micro macrame design featuring paper beads. Delicate looking yet strikingly vibrant in color. It came with a lovely ethnic style bag and a free holiday gift ( a fabric heart ornament, not shown) ! She  continues to raise money for breastcancer.org through her site with some awesome wrap bracelet designs in greens, pinks and browns. 50% of the proceeds go to the charity. Video Capture Image from "It's a Wrap" She started designing her own accessories for her boutique way back in 1996. One of her first trends was jewelry made with hand painted seashells.  That came about when Brad Pitt bought a piece for his then wife, Jennifer Aniston.  Her fame is such that she now finds  "A lot of stylists go through my L.A. showroom and pick out things for movies, like "The Hunger Games" and "Twilight."" The original inspiration for her now famous wrapped bracelet was an Indian man who wore a thread work bracelet that had been blessed at a temple to protect him.  Check out this fun stop-motion animated video about her wrap bracelets. Chan Luu travels extensively for inspiration as her collections are culturally influenced. Some of the posts on the Chan Luu blog reads like a travelog! This fascinating video shows her trip to India in preparation for her 2012 Spring/Summer collection. It features her visits to markets and shops with mind boggling choices!  At about the 4.42 minute mark is her visit to a leather cord making factory - well worth watching if you have ever wondered where and how leather cord is made. Check out this interview for more about this extraordinary trendsetting jewelry designer. Before You Go: Great Wrapped Leather and Beads Bracelet Tutorials Multi-Row Wrapped Bead Bracelet Tutorial How to Make Macrame Jewelry Tutorials ______________________________ Original Post by THE BEADING GEM Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips

Winner of Bezelform's Engraved Mandrel Set Posted: 14 Jan 2013 05:56 PM PST It's astonishing how many people out there really wanted Bezelform's mandrel set in last week's giveaway!  From beginners to experienced wire works - many felt they needed the help.  Like Dawn who said, "I have a problem getting my wraps in the right places even though I measure." Well, it will be certainly useful for the lucky person who won the engraved mandrel set!  And I mean lucky as there was stiff competition.  There were over 300 entries including the extra ones! I numbered all the eligible entries and consulted random.org's random number generator.  The number picked matched that of the incredibly lucky Tammy Rousch!  Congratulations! ______________________________ Original Post by THE BEADING GEM Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips

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