clair074

October is one of those special months where everything seems to reach a turning point. The weather of a new season makes itself known. The necessity for year-end plans starts to rear its head. Essential craft projects and deadlines loom. Although for me October means the start of an incredibly busy three months, I still love it for all of the great things it brings, like colorful leaves and the

Everyone loves surprises, and there’s nothing better than an exciting package of new beading materials to help jump start creativity. With stay-indoors weather fast approaching, what better time is there to experiment with new beads? Woodland Theme Bead Box To help you get a head start on your winter projects, Blueberry Cove Beads is offering next month’s bead surprise package to one

This week I’m working on a new fringe necklace, and I cannot wait to see how it will come out. I wanted to try the new shell pendants in my surprise pack from Blueberry Cove Beads; the shape and color is gorgeous, and the pendants are just the right size for really bold fringe. I pondered a few different palettes, but decided to go with a strong contrast in blue for the rope base. As I was

Swarovski Elements recently released a new coating for crystals and crystal pearls they call Scarabaeus. The finish is a beautiful iridescent blue-green-purple which is very much like the opalescent shell of a fantastic beetle. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about a new Swarovski innovation – I’m very much looking forward to seeing these new jewels in person. Although the finish

This week I’m wrapping up a couple of pendant projects, including a new multistrand piece featuring a ceramic focal from the Blueberry Cove Beads Autumn collection. I love the earthy finish on the beads, and I wanted to dress it up with some similar hues and a splash of color. I couldn’t resist pairing up Autumn Tucson gold with cobalt blue. I think a little brown iris for the third strand will

New inspirations are a constant quest for beaders, and one of the best ways to find them is to try out new materials. But whether we shop in a store or online, the choices can often be overwhelming. It can be difficult not only to choose a few new beads from the thousands available, but also to coordinate our choices in a way that will make a great piece of jewelry. At Blueberry Cove Beads, a

Greetings to my fellow beaders after a much too long absence! My work schedule has been scrambled around quite a bit these past few weeks, and it’s has totally derailed all of my other schedules like sleeping, beading, and writing. I’m going to have to work out a new way of planning out my free time, but for now I’ll just have to play a little catch-up. Although I didn’t have time to write