weekly wrap up - Sunday, April 21st

Monday is Earth Day.  What do you have planned to celebrate?  We're going to make some of these really cute paper lanterns for the windows.  Hopefully it works out.  I'll keep you updated!

Check out this fun picture from the Reno Leather Wrapped Bracelet class on Monday night.   Fat Jacks brought over some hummus and veggies, which was a nice snack on such a snowy evening.  On Tuesday night we made adjustable rings in the Wrapped Around Your Finger wire ring class.  This is Ilian's ring!  I'll post pictures from both of these classes to the Facebook soon!

We had a great group in this week from Mitchell High School in Mitchell, Nebraska.  They're going to be making jewelry to sell as part of their fundraisers for their trips.  This year they sold cookies and came to Denver for a few days - they took a class with us, did a tour of Hammond's candy factory and will be seeing the Blue Man group tonight.  I hope they had a great time and have fun at prom tomorrow night.  Go Tigers!

CLASSES THIS WEEK WITH SPACE:
Monday, April 22nd at 6pm - Oh Deer! Bracelet
Tuesday, April 23rd at 6pm - Twisted Treasures pendant
Wednesday, April 24th at 6pm - Wire Wrapped bracelet
Thursday, April 25th at 9am - Foundations Intro to Beading (m+m)


Don't forget that we're going to be closed on Sunday, April 28th.

What's your crafting soundtrack?

We have a pretty random mix that we like to play for classes sometimes, it seems that there's a little something for everyone!  What's your crafting soundtrack?  What sparks your creativity or lets you focus?

Here's ours:
Get the party started - P!nk
We are family - Sister Sledge
Love Train - the O'jays
Fly me to the moon - Frank Sinatra
Celebration - Kool + The Gang
Good times - Chic
Here I am - Al Green
Family affair - Sly + the family stone
Love rollercoaster - Ohio Players
Play that funky music - wild cherry
Get up - james brown
Girls just want to have fun - cyndi lauper
hey ya - outkast
respect - aretha franklin
I got you - james brown
I can't help myself - the four tops
lady marmalade - patti + labelle
abc - jackson 5
love shack - b-52s
Funkytown - lipps, inc
conga - gloria estefan
bust a move - young mc
the way you look tonight - tony bennet
hot hot hot - buster poindexter and his banshees of of blue
let's stay together - al green
come fly with me - frank sinatra
love - nat king cole
shining star - earth wind and fire
that's the way i like it - kc and the sunshine band
car wash - rose royce
La Bamba - Los Lobos
Electric boogie - Marcia Griffiths
Boogie wonderland - Earth Wind and Fire
YMCA - village people
Dancing queen - ABBA
u can't touch this - MC hammer
give up the funk - parliament
off the wall - Michael Jackson
superstition - Stevie Wonder
 a little less conversation - Elvis Presley (jxl radio edit remix)
hey ladies - beastie boys
super bass - nicki minaj
kiss - prince
wild thing - tone loc
it takes two - dj ez rock + rob base
let it whip - dazz band
can't get enough of your love, babe - Barry White
wonderful tonight - Eric Clapton
at last - Etta James
shake your groove thing - peaches and herb
he's the greatest dancer - sister sledge
pretty young thing pyt - Michael Jackson
l.o.v.e. - Ashlee Simpson
super freak - Rick James
jump, jive an wail - Louis Prima
wonderful night - Fatboy slim
you spin me round - dead or alive
rebel yell - billy idol
opp - naughty by nature
kiss me - sixpence none the richer
what i like about you - the romantics
are you gonna be my girl - jet
hips dont lie - Shakira
temperature - Sean Paul
pon de replay - Rihanna
this magic moment - Jay and The Americans
let's get it on - Marvin Gaye
last dance - Donna Sommer

Weekly wrap up - Sunday, April 14th

I hope everyone had a great week this week!  Looking forward to more April snow showers?

If you're looking to join the Caged Stone Pendant class in May, it is already full.  :(  sorry!  We are looking to schedule an additional class in mid to late May.  However, there is still space in the June class on Monday, June 10th, if you're looking to get something on your schedule now.  Also, you can check out the Twisted Treasures class which is similar - if you have a Groupon that is about to expire, we will take them towards this class.  If you have questions, give us a call. 

Kristin came in and shared a really fun hair tie that she made with beads.  She used a thin beading wire to put it all together.  These little guys also double as cute bracelets.  Awesome!

We still have space in the Wrapped Around Your Finger wire wrapped adjustable rings class on Tuesday evening.  :)  Aimee is teaching this class and it's awe-some.

Also!  We added a new class!  Macramazing!  

We have an amazing update on a retro classic, creating crazy stylish bracelet, perfect for girls and guys. Learn how (or get a refresher) to work with satin cord to make these trendy bracelets that are great for layering and rich with texture. Experiment with different colors and findings to see what suits you best. Come macrame with us!  (We have some ABBA already loaded on the iPod!)  Level: Beginner.  This class is a little bit shorter than our regular classes and is only $15.

Have a great week!  If it does snow, stay warm and safe!

wire wrapped bracelets - February class pictures

The wire wrapped bracelet class is one of our most popular classes, and certainly our most popular wire wrapping class.  Typically everyone leaves with a wonderful piece of jewelry that they wear out and really awesome skills!

This project is so easy and fun to do. This festive bracelet is a great way to start and practice wire wrapping. Create beaded links with streamlined wire coils capping the top and swirling down to the other end. This is a great way to highlight individual beads with metallic detail, while getting a feel for working with wire. - see the dates for this class and register here http://bit.ly/12MZQQq
 

 to see more pictures from this class, click here

Druzy ring by Erin

This just in!  We just got this picture from Erin with Erin's Jewels in California.  She ordered the little druzy cab from our Etsy page and sent this picture back.  How pretty is this! We're so lucky to know so many talented people.  :)

Weekly wrap up - Sunday, April 7th

It has been a busy week here!  It's been a great week, but a bit busy!  I've been working on finalizing the May scheduling and getting a bit of the June schedule done too; it's so time consuming... and so much fun.

We have some classes next week that still have space, give us a call or register online:

Tuesday, April 9th at 6pm - Caged Stone Pendants (1 space left!)
Thursday, April 11th at 9am - Wire Wrapped Stone bracelet (m+m, 12+)
Saturday, April 13th at 1pm - Birds Nest Rings + Pendants (m+m, 8+)
Sunday, April 14th at 1pm - Craft It! Afternoon (m+m)

Here's a sneak peek at the new classes for May:

Earring Party for May and June

Join the party--whether you are a new beader or an experienced earring enthusiast, you will love the Earring Party! This party will make the three pairs of earrings pictured (Daydream Weaver earrings, mixed up clusters with feather charms, and the mobius chainmaille flowers). Learn different techniques incorporating head pins, wire, briolettes, and more.  Level: beginner.  Cost: $30 (all supplies included)
 
Saturday, May 11th at 1pm 
Thursday, June 6th at 6pm

Love Me Knots chainmaille bracelet

This is a wonderful chainmaille weave to fall in love with. We'll use colored jump rings to make our love knot clusters and create a beautiful bracelet with them. This is a great class to practice opening and closing jump rings, creating a sweet bracelet to wear. Level: Beginner. Cost: $35.  All supplies included.

Tuesday, May 14th at 6pm

Minneapolis bracelet

To know it is to love it!  Get to know bead weaving a little bit better by mixing sparkly crystals and classic pearls with seed beads. Practice weaving with two needles as you follow this crossweave pattern. You'll wear home your glamorous bracelet that will make you feel gorgeous each time you put it on.  This lovely little bracelet is a shout-out to our friends at The Bead Monkey in Minneapolis, if you're in the area, check them out!  Cost: $30.  All supplies included.

Thursday, May 30th at 6pm

Hopefully I'll have the schedule finished on Monday and send it out to everyone. 

***

In other fun news, Sarah made this really cute necklace with the new bird connectors we got in. She used a thin chain, wire wrapped some tiny stones and connected the bird.  

Guest blog - Amy teaches us how to make little duck earrings

For my birthday last year, my friend Amy, with Old West Leather and Beads in Greeley, made me the cutest chicken earrings.  I get so many fun compliments on them.  I asked her to create a How To for us!  

The originals!

 "Spring calls for a new project …. and this one is simple and oh so fun!  I love these little duck beads, but couldn't decide what to do with them.  Then I thought, what do ducks need?  Water, of course!  And we have this cool blue SoftFlex craft wire …. since I like working with wire in my projects, this was a perfect fit.  Here's the step by step to make these little duckie earrings. Happy Spring!" - Amy

Supplies:

•  2 glass duck beads
• 36 inches of 22ga SoftFlex craft wire in Pacific Blue
• 2 gold ear wires
• round nose pliers
• flush cutters
• chain nose pliers

Step by step:

1. Cut 36 inches of your 22ga wire with your flush cutters.
2. Smooth the wire as much you can, then fold in half.
3. In the center of your bent wire, take your chain nose pliers and squeeze gently to get the fold as tight as possible. *Remember that colored wire can scratch and the color come off, so be gentle with your pliers!
4. Take the ends of your wire, bend at 90º about 1/2” or just a bit more from the end, and make your loop for the earwires, using your round nose pliers.
5. Take the folded end of your wire and run it through one of your duck beads from top to bottom.  Your earwire loop will be sitting on the top of your bead.
6. From the bottom side of your bead, bend your wire again so it lays flat against your bead. From here you want to start forming a spiral.  You are not forming a tight spiral, this just helps give you a base for your duck to sit on. I don't recommend using pliers for this, just use your fingers and thumb to hold the wire in place.
7. You want to spiral the wire out around the duck, I prefer to keep the wire fairly close to the bead, but not tight.  After about 2 times around the bead, take a loose wrap on one of the wires and continue wrapping in the same fashion until you get to the end of your wire.  
8. At the very end of your wire, wrap tightly around one of your wires 2 wraps.  I recommend using your flat nose pliers to wrap the end.This will secure your end so it won't come undone.  Now you can “make waves” in your wire.  Bend gently with your fingers to form as you wish.
9. Add your earwire.  Done!

Here's a collage of some of the beautiful things that Amy has made!  

I also included a link to her Etsy page, find a bit of inspiration.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CowGirlGemz

Do you want to learn more about wire wrapping?  Take a wire wrapping class!  They're really neat and the skills are great to add into your jewelry making or to have a new fun hobby.  To take classes in Northern Colorado visit Amy at Old West Leather and Beads.  To take wire wrapping classes in our Denver location, visit us at The Colorado Bead Co.