My beadwork

Basic Beaded Accessory for Beginners

A reader emailed me and thanked me for creating a blog on events and seminars. It was too bad the email was sent to my other email address which is the one I use for all my YahooGroup subscriptions. In other words, I did not get to read the email until yesterday. Anyway, Ms. Em Mariano hopes she can reach out to more craft lovers and tell them about their upcoming seminars through this blog.

One these upcoming seminars, Basic Beaded Accessory for Beginners, will be held tomorrow, 21 July 2007, from 10 am to 5pm at the Danzhub Studio, Libertad Street, Mandaluyong City, beside California Garden Square and just 5 minutes away from the MRT Shaw Station.

They promise to teach you the techniques of the craft, color combination, trends and design execution, creative design, marketing and pricing, and sourcing. They also promise to teach how to make 2-in-1 convertible accessories like bracelets which can also be used as necklaces, bracelets used as bag charms, etc.

The seminar will be conducted by Ms. Mariano whose designs are displayed at Urban & Co, Tint (Greenbelt), Souk (Shangri-la), Pandango F&S (Serandra, the Fort), and many more upscale stores in Metro Manila. If you want to know more, call Business FunDynamics at 7182182 or 09194011308, or visit www.emmarianodesigns.tk.

I myself would love to go but for now I have no idea about the registration fee. I wonder if they'd give a discount for this late free advertisement. :)

Beads on camera

In a very special wedding we attended last Saturday, my wife wore an earing I made for the occasion. The motif was flame, a tinge of orange and blue, and the earing easily matched the color of the day. It was simple hook earing but it gave my wife's costume an added glow. Or so I say. :)

As it turns out, the bride and groom's giveaways for their female guests were bracelets made of beads. My wife got one with an orange theme, again matching the color of her gown. In that part where the groom and the bride thank all those who helped them in the preparations, they thanked two friends who made the bracelets for them. Quite a lot of work I would say as they probably distributed more than a hundred of them.

Incidentally, Nina Lumberia of the blog The Fickle Minded has pictures of some of the things you might want to consider doing: baking, cake decorating and crafts, like parchment craft, cross-stitching and beadcraft. By her own description, she is a Pinay expat in Doha, Qatar. She went there in 2004 to join her husband and start their married life.

The reason I mentioned Nina is that, in her post, she showed some pictures of different kinds of beads. I remembered Aryst who commented on my first post on beadcraft suggesting I post photos on the different categories or types of beads. Or, at least that's what I thought he said. I don't have such photos yet. I think Nina's will do for now.

Nina notes that before she went to Qatar, she made a lot of bracelets and necklaces made out of beads including pearls. That's one of the markets for beadcraft mentioned to me by my instructor. I guess they are cheaper here than in other countries.

More on beadcraft

My research on this topic continues. I came across this very informative article at Manila Standard Today by Portia Elaine Bismonte. According to her, tools, materials, color coordination, nimble fingers, and a little bit of creativity are all you need to succeed in this business.

The required tools include two types of pliers, a long-nose pliers and a rounded one, a wire cutter (which can be your old nail cutter), a glue gun, a bead holder or tray, and a piece of cloth to keep your beads from rolling away.There are different types of beads too. There are glass or plastic beads, real or imitation crystals, semi-precious and precious gem stones, and those made of porcelain, ceramic, wood, metal, shells, corals, and many others.

These different types of beads are available usually at P20 to 50 per pack at bead shops like Wellmanson's Sewing Notions located at Villalobos Street (fronting the church), Quiapo, Manila. I visited the shop yesterday and was totally amazed, not only with the great number beads and other materials available, but also with how lively the "beading" community visiting the shop was.

I was told that other popular bead shops are located at Avenida and Divisoria.

For threading, the simplest available are beading wires and fishing or spring nylons or garters which all come in various sizes. I guess experience will familiarize you with what size to choose. For me, it's still a guessing game.

My foray into beadcraft

I attended yesterday a seminar on basic beadcraft at Unique Minds Arts and Craft in San Juan, Metro Manila. I learned that there are different kinds of beads which you can make into bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings, cellphone holders, and others. Plastic, acrylic, those from indigenous material like wood or shells, stones like pearls and some others.

Except for this little thing about looping pins, which I could not seem to do right, I think I am going to love this craft. I feel this is something I can be reasonably good at. At one point the instructor asked me who will be wearing my creations. I bet she really meant why am I, a male government employee, trying to learn beadcraft. The short answer of course is for business.

I was told that you can get your materials from shops in Quiapo, Carriedo or Divisoria. I learned also that the materials do not really cost much, and yet you can sell your finished product at quite a big markup. In a sense, what your buyers really pay for is your design. The more creative it is the better.

The pic above is the earring I made during the seminar. One of my first few steps into beadcraft. See also my first illusion-style necklace and cellphone holder.