My guilty pleasure (other than wine and chocolate) is crafting but I don’t always get the opportunity to do it as much as I would like to these days. When pregnant with Jelly Bean I worked in a local craft shop and I loved it, especially taking part in or teaching jewellery making classes. Once Jelly Bean had arrived though my crafting had to take a back seat, that is until recently when I was asked if I would like to review for the Bead and Button Company. How could I refuse, I could choose whatever products I like and then I HAD to craft with them – it was a no-brainer!!
So this is what I chose . . .
And let me tell you it wasn’t an easy decision to make as there were so many items that I wanted, narrowing it down was quite difficult. As we were approaching the end of the school term I decided that I would do a spot of jewellery making as ‘Thank You’ gifts for the Beans’ teachers.
I chose seed beads and crystals because I love to do Bead Weaving and these are my favourites for such a craft.
Beanie Boy had nine ladies he wanted to give gifts to at his pre-school so I decided to make them all a phone charm using a mixture of the beads above. They are quick and easy to make and looked very pretty when presented in matching organza gift bags. The rainbow heart necklace was a gift for one of Little Bean’s teachers and I have to say, she very nearly didn’t get it because I love it so much. It’s a good job I still have LOADS of the beads left as I will definitely be making one of these for myself.
As well as the phone charms I wanted to do something for Beanie Boy’s ladies that would stay at the preschool for them all to remember him by. His old preschool is called Sunflower Seed and their colours were blue and yellow so I made a blue and yellow chain for their keys and/or whistle using the seed beads and the acrylic flowers. I have yet to decide what else I would like to make with the other coloured flowers but I am thinking along the lines of bag charms or perhaps a longline multicoloured necklace.
I actually chose the above blue/green beads for myself as I had just bought a jumper in similar colours but I am still looking for ideas for the best style to suit my jumper. Once I have decided and made it, I will pop a post up to show you how it turns out. In the meantime, I knew just the person who would like these colours and that would be Beanie Boy’s keyworker (who also used to be Little Bean’s keyworker) and who is now a great friend too.
The final item I made during this crafting session was the Rope Spiral necklace using the blue and green seed beads. If you have never tried bead weaving you should give it a go. It’s really effective and uses very few beads at all (perfect for using up beads, especially if you have a number of colours). Check out my Pinterest Board for some Beadweaving inspiration I have found.
I was given a budget of £35 to choose products and the items that I have made above have barely made a dent in the beads that I have so I will be able to complete many more jewellery making projects and mix them with the supplies that I already have in my crafting cupboard.
Ordering from the Bead and Button Company was a very simple process and despite the vast choice, it had plenty of filters in place to help you narrow it down if you knew what you were looking for. On a recent inspection, I also have my eyes on their sewing patterns. I have never tried sewing clothes on a machine before (unless you count Little Bean’s Elsa dress) but I would really like to give it a go after watching the Great British Sewing Bee.
If you haven’t tried jewellery making before you should give it a go, it’s easier than you think and it’s seriously addictive and satisfying!!
What pretty beads. I wish I was good at something like this!