Category Archives: Free Beads!

Kalmbach Bead Soup Party

Kalmbach Bead Soup Party

Again? Why yes, yes I did! Kalmbach Publishing Co. was so impressed with the incredible work done by Lori Anderson of PrettyThingsBlog in her role as hostess to the world’s biggest Bead Soup Blog Party ever, that they decided to host one themselves. Bead shops and suppliers all across the US sent in Bead Soups that were then distributed to participants who signed up! I was so excited when I received a Soup from Patti Mullard, Ph.D., of Wired Up Beads!!

Since a silver clasp was included, I felt the dire need to use silver wire on the necklace I was to create. I struggled a bit, as I really wanted desperately to incorporate a lot of wire work, since that is one of my favorite techniques. These sat on my desk for weeks and weeks, and every once in awhile, I’d pick up the focal, wrap it, hate it and cut all the wires off. Finally, I came up with something I truly liked, and was then able to move forward on how to turn it into a necklace! I tried stringing the beads, but they were sad….they complained loudly about not getting individual attention as the focal did, so I took it all apart, and decided to use one of my absolute favorite chain-making techniques:

Once I had them all wrapped and pampered, I began playing with the order in which they would be connected, and decided this was to be a two-strand necklace. After much tweaking and playing, I declared this necklace Done. As you can see, I ended up NOT using every since bead sent, and did not use every single wire-wrapped section!

There is voting involved on the Kalmbach Jewelry Books Facebook page starting November 12th and prizes to be had, but really, I am appreciative of the opportunity to participate, regardless of the outcome!
Thanks for visiting, and stay tuned for more fun from Mama’s Craft Room! =^..^=

Free Beads for Blogging Have Arrived!

Free Beads for Blogging Have Arrived!

Remember that post I made awhile back, about free beads for blogging? Well, they’ve arrived!! Thank you, thank you, Fusion Muse!! All the way from Thailand, I have a wonderful, interesting Soup to play with! Check it out:

I love it all but especially the brass filigree!! And yes! I misspelled it! Yay me! Check out PloiThai on Etsy to see all the great findings and gemmy goodness listed there! I will get started on some creative thinking on this Soup when we get back from our trip, so stay tuned! =^..^=

 

 

Magpie Gemstones Free Beads for Fans!

Magpie Gemstones Free Beads for Fans!

I was lucky enough to win Free Beads from Magpie Gemstones just for being their best fan! Magpie Gemstones has always had great promotions including a yearly draw for a $200 shopping spree. You can check out their promotions, and sign up for their newsletter here, and visit them on Facebook to take part in their latest promotion: Best Facebook Fan! Every other month, Magpie Gemstones will be giving away free beads to their best Facebook fan and all you have to do is interact with them on Facebook! It’s that simple.

Magpie Gemstones is a family owned and operated local business that offers incredibly affordable, high quality beads, gemstones, findings and more at wholesale prices. Small businesses, start-up jewelry makers, and established artisans alike can now easily find materials they need to create beautiful jewelry without having to buy in bulk to get a better price, and they can rest assured that they quality they receive is top-notch, thanks to the rigorous testing and quality assurance measures Magpie Gemstones takes. Just look at how they test their turquoise!  And did you know that you can usually tell if a bead is dyed by looking for little “dye spots” on the bead-little streaks of darker color where the dye pooled and collected on the stone? I do now, thanks to Magpie Gemstones, because they take the time to look for it on the beads they sell, and share their findings with their customers! Full disclosure descriptions are just one of the many, many things I love about shopping with Magpie Gemstones, as I always know exactly what I’m buying, and in turn, I can tell *my* customers exactly what they’re buying when they purchase my jewelry.

I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Here are the fantastic beads Magpie Gemstones very generously sent me!

I absolutely LOVE them and love that the more masculine vibe I get from this set of beads is really going to take me outside of my “comfort zone” in what I create with them! As soon as I opened the package, ideas started rolling through my mind. The turquoise is just amazing! If you think you’ve seen turquoise in Hobby Lobby or in any other big box craft store before, you have never seen turquoise, period. The weight, feel, and overall gorgeous appearance of this turquoise is so earthy and I cannot wait until I can sit down experiment with it! And the jasper! Jasper is one of my favorite stones. All types! I cannot wait to combine it with the blackstone into this great idea I already have. Stayed tuned, as I will definitely be sharing the the creations I come up with! =^..^=

Thank you, Thank you, Magpie Gemstones!!