Hello! Suzanne here making my official introduction. I was raised in Mexico and have lived there most of my life. I have an incredibly artistic family, just about everyone here beads! My cousin and I got really into it as teenagers when we would sell our designs in our towns centre. I moved to Toronto, got married, had kids, and went on a beading/art hiatus for a while until Emily and I took over fortheloveofbeads.com recently.
I was put in charge of buying new material. It was a lot of work to figure out what kind of beads I wanted to sell. I’ve always worked with mostly glass beads and semi-precious stones, but a few years ago I discovered seeds. While on a trip to the Pacific coast of Mexico a young man on a motorcycle stopped for an overnight at a beachside hotel I was staying. After dinner he unloaded his only suitcase which was filled with beads and jewelry he had made himself. He had a lot of turquoise mixed with shells, wood pieces and seeds he had picked up along his way. He gifted me some crescent moon shaped seeds that I used to make a necklace, and ever since then I have had an affinity for natural materials.
I still use seed beads and glass from time to time, and am planning to explore into polymer clay and lampwork. This blog is meant to be an insider’s resource, as Emily and I learn new techniques and materials we will share our creations, inspirations and frustrations. As we learn more about selling our jewelry, running a bead business, and buying beads in exotic locations we will also share our experiences. I hope you enjoy it! These necklaces are very popular in Mexico where my cousin and I sell them in the winter.
- A Tagua Necklace
Suzanne
I’m excited to announce that starting Monday we’re going to have a big contest!
The GRAND PRIZE will be the winner’s choice of $250 worth of beads from For The Love Of Beads. We’re also giving away four pieces of jewelry I’ve made as secondary prizes.
I don’t want to give too much away yet, but with Easter just around the corner there will be a small hunt around the website to qualify for the raffle. Also, everyone who participates will get a coupon for a discount on their next order from For The Love Of Beads (upto 50% off!).
Make sure you come back again next Monday (April 6th) to participate and get all the contest details!
If you’d like a reminder, sign up for the FTLOB Newsletter on the home page.
Hi again!
Playing around with chainmaille is so much fun and over the past few months I have made quite a few different pieces of jewelry for myself, friends and family. This is one of the first bracelets I made but its still one of my favourites.
The weave is called Elfweave (there are some great tutorials over at mailleartisans.org/weaves) and I got the charms at a local bead store. I still need to find a matching clasp but, thanks to the helpful people on the Ring Lord boards, I know where to get it now!
I love the colour of these rings, its called ‘gunmetal’ and just looks fantastic. This is a pretty simple weave once you get the hang of it and looks slightly different depending on the AR (aspect ratio) of the rings you choose. There are also a couple cool variations on this weave if you play around. Some ideas include adding some beads to the pattern in order to spice it up a little or using different coloured rings.
Here is an elfweave bracelet made with two different colours of annonized alluminum, you can see how it is a little tighter and stiffer than the other one.
Hope you like them! As always, there will be more to come!
Thanks for dropping by!
~Emily
Every once in awhile, when I find something really spectacular, there will be a post like this. I’ll try not to gush too much but some things just have to be shared. How perfect that just as I am starting this blog, one of my favourite chainmaillers has created something absolutely inspiring.
From the Blue Buddha Boutique’s Rebeca Mojico comes this beautiful necklace, reminiscent of intertwined seaweed and aptly named Poseidon’s Embrace.
Created for a show, this stunning necklace uses over 14 000 coloured titanium rings and took over 100 hours to complete! What a feat of patience! Understandably this piece has already inspired those lucky enough to have been privy to some of the process over on the Ring Lord forums and I am sure it will impress many more. I look forward to hearing the results of the contest (and am very curious about the other entries!)
Make sure to check out their their other awesome work on their site, Blue Buddha Boutique and if you’re feeling inspired too, take a gander at their chainmaille supplies as well!
Good luck Rebeca!
~Emily
Hi! Welcome to our jewelry blog! Emily here making the obligatory introductory post. . I’ve always been an artsy person and loved personalizing my clothing and jewelry to create a unique style for myself. Recently I learned how to work with chainmaille and have been designing some jewelry for myself and some friends. I’m also participating in some great forums such as Craftster, Jewelry Geeks, and the Ring Lord.
I’ve started this blog to have a place to post all the cool things we at For the Love of Beads find (and make!) in the world of jewelry making, chainmaille, and do-it-yourself. Suzanne and I will be using this blog to share some of our own creations as well as new additions to the store, new techniques we have learned, and some of our favourite pieces by fellow crafters.We may even have some guest posters eventually!
I hope you enjoy it! Check back often to see what cool new stuff we’ve made or found.
And since I hate to see a post with no picture, here’s one of a cool little purse charm I made for myself while playing around with some silver wire and extra beads:
Thanks for taking a look and see you again soon!
~ Emily
