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DIY jewelry ideas using PandaHall beads
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Hi friends!

To start 2016 off with a bang, I’m looking at stocking up for many projects on the horizon. (It’s going to be a huge year in many ways!!) Here are a couple of my favorite projects for the New Year (with [affiliate] links to the beads you need):

1. J. Crew Beaded Rose Bracelet

Such an elegant little bracelet, you could make it (and the similar necklace) using this brass link bracelet as the base, these Rose Quartz Gemstone Cabochon drops as the petals, and these rhinestones as the centers.

2. ModCloth How’s the Feather Up There? Necklace

A pretty and delicate layered necklace with feather charms, you could make this using these Electroplate Glass Bead Strands and these Tibetan Antique Gold Feather Pendants.

3. Anthropologie Valence Drops

These refined gemstone earrings could be DIY’d in a similar method to these DIY Illusion Jeweled Rhinestone Chandelier Earrings that I made, and using these supplies: Mixed Acrylic Rhinestone Montee Beads, Brass Lever Back Hoop Earrings, Glass Rhinestone Montee Beads, and clear PVC vinyl.

4. Free People Luxe Triple Necklace

Another layered necklace, this could be made with the Black Agate Bullet Big Pendant, Howlite Round Gemstone Bead Chain, Tibetan Style Latin Cross, Natural Black Rutilated Quartz Beads.

5. Pearl and Chain Spike Choker Necklace

Last time I worked with PandaHall I created this tutorial using their Non-Magnetic Hematite Rectangle BeadsSilver Color Aluminum Twisted Curb Chain, 6mm White Glass Imitation Pearl Beads, and Aluminum Twisted Curb Chain. See the full DIY tutorial here.

Hope these ideas prove inspirational to you!

What’s on your to-do list for fabulous jewelry this year? Do tell!

xo
Carly

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DIY Gossip Girl-Inspired Crochet Beaded Necklace and How to Make Perfect Loops in Headpins for Jewelry-Making

done2*This is a project I shared in Snippets Magazine: The New York Issue on Cut Out + Keep in 2010, and am re-posting here on my blog.

inspiration1inspiration2Serena sported this beautiful vintage-style necklace in an early episode of the addictive Gossip Girl TV series. Its charm was its modern take on the beautiful art of crochet – and the delicate balance between darkness and fragility. Plus, with some appliques from the sewing store it’s a cinch to make. Here’s how:
(more…)

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DIY A-Morir Embellished Sunglasses with Sunglass Warehouse

0.diyamorirsunglasses_introphotoMy eye fell upon this pair of gorgeous, over-the-top, beaded rhinestone cat-eye sunglasses in a recent issue of Marie Claire. Of course they were by A-Morir: a sunglasses company that’s been making waves on the music and fashion fronts with their opulent designer specs. diyamorirsunglasses_done6With a pair of cat-eye sunnies that Sunglass Warehouse so graciously sent me, I was able to craft up an embellished dupe of the Mitchel Neon Yellow Sunglasses ($350) for a fraction of the original’s cost. Here’s how: (more…)

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DIY Pretty Pearl Ring (with Video Tutorial!)


So finally I’ve finished a DIY video for my latest creation: a Pretty Pearl Beaded Ring. It’s taken a super-long time from the planning to the execution to the editing, and I definitely couldn’t have done it without the help of my co-creator, Emily Dokken. (She’s just awesome – she has a discerning eye for framing artistry and a wonderful energy. Check out one of her other videos: Burning the Behemoth on Vimeo…it’s a fascinating story of an artist’s journey to burn his wooden mammoth creation in Washington.)

I had waited to release this video until after I had re-branded with my new logo and everything…plus finding the music took searching through 600+ tracks on the FreeMusicArchive.

Thank you so much, Emily, for your amazing collaboration!

DIY Pretty Pearl Ring

Camera/Storyboards/First Edit: Emily Dokken
Concept/Tutorial/Second Edit: Carly J. Cais

Music: The Easton Ellises ~Dance It Dance All Motel Costes Mix
http://theeastonellises.com/ under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
from FreeMusicArchive.org

Hope you guys enjoy! Leave us your feedback below 🙂

xo
Carly

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Review: Maruti Beads Straight from India, Gorgeous, Handmade Beads for the Jewelry-Lover in Your Life

marutibeads4 First of all: What are Maruti Beads? you may ask.marutibeads1Answer: They are amazingly-detailed, handmade beads in the rich tradition of Indian beadmaking. The clay beads are often adorned with metallic paillettes, braided wire, and tiny rings to bring a textured, glamorous finish to each bead. And each is made by hand!marutibeads3marutibeads2

A little more info about these three types of beads, straight from the MarutiBeads.com website:

Kashmiri beads are made from a mix of marble powder and manufactured resin (polymer clay) while the resin used in Lac beads is from a natural source.Also known as “Bollywood” beads, Kashmiri beads are hand decorated and use a variety of materials for embellishment such as mirror chips, seed beads, silver plating and rhinestones.

Maruti Beads artistically blends the beauty of Kashmiri beads with silver plated side caps to culminate in a one of a kind creation exclusive to Maruti International.

Lac beads are made from a mixture of Lac and marble powder, ornamented with silver plating, seed beads and rhinestones: detailed with metal elements, mirror chips and various embellishments…In short, Lac beads are highly valued individual works of art…Lac is a substance secreted by a tiny insect called Kerria lacca. The Lac insect is so small that a magnifying glass is needed to see it. This little bug dwells in the twigs of host trees and lives off the sap from which they secrete the hard Lac resin. When first harvested Lac resin is brittle and tough however, through a process of slow heating the resin softens into a workable material.

marutibeads1

Lac beads to the back, Kashmiri beads to the right, and Maruti beads to the left.

To be honest, I had never heard of Maruti beads before (nor Kashmiri, nor Lac beads), not until a rep from Maruti Beads International contacted me to see if I wanted to review their beads.

They sent me a multi-pack that included Maruti, Lac, and Kashmiri beads to review.

marutibeads5
As you can see, each bead is beautifully unique. The attention to detail is just marvelous – and the rhinestones are top quality that really sparkle. Due to their ornate nature, the beads are a bit heavy but each exquisite one stands out. Thrown together into a piece of jewelry they may compete with one another – so probably the best use of them is to carefully choose where to place each one in designs for maximum impact.

marutibeads_braceletI made this pretty beaded bracelet in a flash, using imitation leather cording and a fish-hook closure. The beads would also be perfect as a single focal of a bracelet in an arm party stack (or many bracelets!!), or linked up together Shamballah-style. (You can also see Shamballah bracelets designed with Maruti beads here, and regular bracelets using Maruti beads here.) They can also be linked together into necklaces, or used in drop-style earrings. I love how each tiny bead tells a little story – and in some (not all) the hole is large enough to accommodate Pandora or Dione bead systems.

MarutiBeads.com also sells beautiful copper, glass, and gemstone beads, besides finished jewelry, on their website.

For any bead-lover or jewelry enthusiast I’d definitely recommend trying out these beads in your designs – and with the holiday season coming up they may make a wonderful present for the proverbial woman who has everything.

Wholesale Beads at MarutiBeads.com

Which is your favorite style of bead? (I just love that big black barrel one in the center of my bracelet!!) Or what would you make with these? Let me know in the comments section!

xo
Carly

FTC Disclosure: I was sent a Bead Mix Pack from Maruti Beads containing Lac, Kashmiri, and Maruti Beads for review purposes (ARV=$60). I have not been compensated for this post. The opinions above are my own. My full Disclosure Policy is here.

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