Tucson Beading Challenge: Lisa Kan Botanicals Handmade Lampwork Bead

So there we were, me and Jewelry Making Daily's Tammy Jones at The Best Bead Show in Tucson, Arizona. We happened to stop by and see talented bead artist and lampwork artist Lisa Kan. Tammy's eye went to a tray of beautiful little glass flower beads that Lisa calls her Botanical Floral Series. Each one was slightly different, just like a real flower in nature. I was admiring them, too, when we got an idea: what if we each picked out one of these beautiful handmade lampwork glass flower beads and made something with it? No rules, other than it has to be a piece of jewelry. What would we do with it? It sounded like a fun challenge, even more so for me because we chose our beads in a color that I don't usually use.

When we got home, I thought maybe we should have some more fun and invite our readers on Beading Daily and Jewelry Making Daily to play along with us! Are you up for a little jewelry-making challenge to usher in spring? Here's how it will work:

Starting today, February 23, 2012, head on over to Lisa Kan's website and purchase one of her Botanical Floral Series beads. You can either choose the same color that Tammy and I chose (a beautiful deep red), or choose whichever color speaks to you. Then, make a piece of jewelry with it! Anything goes -- make a bracelet, a pendant, a necklace, a ring, a brooch or anything else that you can wear as a piece of jewelry. (Hair clips, tiaras, anything! Get creative!) Take a picture of your creation made with the Lisa Kan Botanical Floral bead, and then we'll reveal all of our creations on Saturday, March 17!

You can post a picture of your creation in the Reader Photo Gallery using the tag "LKBOFLO" or blog about it and post the link as a comment on this blog or in the Forums.

Tammy and I think it's going to be great fun to see what everyone does with these little beads! Lisa's Botanical Floral beads are sweet, simple and beautiful and that's why they lend themselves so well to so many different kinds of designs. What will YOU do with one?

Are you up for a little spring challenge? Get your beady thinking caps on and see what you can come up with for these charming little handmade lampwork glass beads!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Filed under: Glass Beads

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Buffer That Bead! Protect Your Stringing Material When Using Lampwork Glass Beads

Nothing gives your beaded necklaces and bracelets a bit of character like a handmade lampwork glass bead. These lovely little bits of glass art come straight from the human imagination, and I love the way they can infuse a beaded necklace design with a little splash of unexpected color or draw your eye to their unusual shapes. Working with handmade lampwork glass beads requires a few tricks for making beaded jewelry that lasts, particularly when it comes to protecting your stringing wire.

The easiest way to protect your beading wire is to string your glass bead on a headpin and make a wrapped loop.Lampwork glass beads can have bead holes with rough edges, and after a while, these edges can cause significant wear and tear on your beading wire. I can attest to the fact that there's nothing worse than watching a beaded necklace fall apart after having your beading wire worn thin! Taking care of your beading wire can make your finished piece last a lifetime - or longer.

Smooth out any rough edges using a bead reamer. A diamond-coated bead reamer is the perfect tool for smoothing out any rough edges on your glass bead. Hold the bead and the reamer underwater and apply gentle pressure to the edges of the hole in your glass bead. A bead reamer can also be used to widen the hole in a glass bead to accommodate a thicker beading wire. Always use the bead reamer under water, preferably in a large pan of water. The water will keep the glass cool and prevent any stray pieces of glass from flying towards your face. (That said, you should also wear safety glasses when using a bead reamer to prevent injury to your eyes!)

For glass beads with larger holes, a bit of french bullion can protect your beading wire.Use your seed beads. For glass beads with larger holes, you can string a section of seed beads on your beading wire the same length as your glass bead and then slip it over the seed beads. The seed beads will keep the edges of the glass bead from rubbing against your stringing material and prevent wear and tear. If you don't want the seed beads to show, use a bead cap over the ends of the glass bead. The bead cap will add a little extra protection to your beading wire, too.

Cover the beading wire with french bullion. If the bead hole is too small for seed beads, try using a small piece of french bullion (wire). Cut the wire slightly larger than the glass bead and slip it on your beading wire. Then slide the glass bead over the french bullion. Cover up the ends of the french bullion with some pretty bead caps or cones, if you'd like.

Wire it up! My old standby for protecting my beading wire from the wear and tear of glass beads is to put the bead on a head pin or eye pin and then string it as a dangle. Make a wrapped loop on either end of your glass bead to use it as a fancy link, too! In this case, though, you also want to make sure that you protect the hole of your glass bead by stringing some spacer beads or seed beads on either end of your head pin. The spacer beads will take some of the pressure off your glass bead and prevent the bead hole from cracking.

Now that you know how to protect your beading wire from the wear and tear that can be caused by your favorite glass beads, how about a little inspiration for some new beading projects? Every season, Stringing magazine brings you fabulous beading projects from your favorite designers using all types of wonderful jewelry making components and glass beads. In every issue of Stringing magazine, you'll learn new techniques and get the buzz on new beading products. Subscribe to Stringing magazine today and don't miss a single issue!

Do you have a tip for protecting your stringing material when you use lampwork glass beads in your beading projects? Leave a comment here on the blog and share it with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Filed under: Stringing, Glass Beads, How To Bead

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