July 2009
33 posts
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Reminder- Beading Contest
Tell your friends to enter our beading contest! Prizes for winners, discount coupons for everyone who votes and participates! Just send us your favorite necklace or earring designs. Entries accepted through August 6!
Do you tweet? Please RT @abeadstore and tell your friends!
Please Just Do It! You might win!!!
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New Beads On Sale!
Yesterday, we posted about some of the new beads we added recently. Today, we decided to put them all on sale! Through August 7, you can save 12% on all New and Restocked Beads, Findings, & Beading Supplies at abeadstore.com.
These are all the items we’ve added in the last 6 weeks or so. Lots of pearls, gemstone, and glass beads. Several new findings and other beading supplies....
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New Beads!
Many of our customers are always looking for the “new” beads. We try hard to keep adding new items and presenting them as quickly as possible. Labradorite has been selling very well lately, so we decided to add some new Labradorite focal beads. The 16 x 12mm Faceted Ovals pictured below are exceptionally nice with good colorful flash and clean lines!
We sell these individually for...
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Copper Beads for Fall
We are getting ready for the fall season around here. Cynthia just got back from a trip to a couple of our suppliers loaded up with new fall gemstone pendants and freshwater pearls. You’ll start to see some of them next week.
Our copper beads always sell extremely well in fall. Copper compliments the rich browns, gold, and oranges in fall fashion. This week we are offering all our Solid...
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New Rainforest Jasper Teardrops!
Rainforest Jasper usually contains a wide range of rich green, yellow, white and sometimes orange. We just added some 25 x 18mm teardrop pendants that make a perfect focal bead. These beads are drilled end to end and sold individually for only $1.05.
They are included in our Save 15% on All Jasper Promotion through this July 31, so you can pick them up for only $0.90 each by using the coupon code...
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Constant Churn
The supply chain for beads is not the most reliable one around. Vendors tend to sell whatever they have and they don’t necessarily replace items consistently. Glass and gemstone beads are simply not always available in the same color, style, cut and so forth. Pearls are especially difficult to replace with identical lots.
Lately, our glass bead suppliers have been eliminating some of our...
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Using Copper Beads & Findings
With the rise in popularity of jewelry made from copper components, we get a lot of questions on how to care for it, will it oxidize, using solid versus plated copper components, and so forth. We put together a page on our website several years ago that provids insight into many of those topics, but it is rather well hidden in abeadstore.com.
So, here is a link to our Copper Information Page. We...
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Beaded Impressions Beading Contest
We are having a beading contest! Enter your favorite necklace or earring design and be eligible to win prizes! $100 Gift Certificates for the winners, $50 Gift Certificates for the runner ups (or is it runners up?), and a $50 Gift Certificate for a lucky someone just for entering the contest.
Please participate! Its a great way to get your name out there. We’ll include an image of your...
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Making a Pearl Ribbon Necklace
This design for a simple, elegant Pearl Ribbon Necklace came to us from Becky Emerson. All you need are 10-12 7mm (or larger) potato pearls, some ribbon, matches, a variable speed drill, a vise, and some foam padding. It’s a chance to use some “heavy machinery” instead of simple hand tools for a change! Why a drill you ask? The holes in pearls are far too small for ribbon,...
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Unusual Focal Beads
We can tell by the wide variety of designs featured in the shops of our Fans, Friends, & Followers that many of you like to use unusual focal beads in your designs.
Online shopping has enabled designers to find a huge variety of focal beads that buyers used to have to goto bead shows to find. In abeadstore.com, we try to stock unusual focal beads that are moderately priced.
We’d love...
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Base Metal Findings Promotion!
We just put all our Base Metal Jewelry Findings at ChoiceJewelrySupplies.com on sale. Through July 29, you can save 15% on all Silver, Gold, Copper, and Gun Metal plated findings.
In the current economy, its important to offer economical pieces in your portfolio. A great place to save a few dollars is with plated jewelry findings. Granted, plated findings will show the wear and tear more quickly,...
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Add a Magnetic Clasp to Any Necklace!
Ever have a necklace with a clasp that just won’t open or close easily? Here is a tutorial about how to add a magnetic clasp to any necklace. The only new materials you will need are a magnetic clasp and a couple of jump rings!
See the tutorial
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Nice Combination for Earrings!
Our customer service manager, Liz, is on vacation this week, so we all had to cover her responsibilities today. We still managed to get some website development done (many new, larger pictures on abeadstore.com as well as new social media links).
I decided to post these nice earrings made by Morgan, who is handles a lot of our product marketing activities. Moonstone and garnet work well together...
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Save on Dare to Bead Different Collection
We’ve assembled our Summer Dare to Bead Different Collection at abeadstore.com. You will find more than 120 of our more unique and different glass, gemstone, metal & pearl beads assembled into its own category. Through July 24th, you can save 15% on all those items by using the coupon code ABSSUMMERDARE.
Ever wonder what Leopardskin Jasper looks like? Here is a 25mm gemstone heart made...
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Evolving eBiz
I was recently asked to Blog about my experiences running an online business for Practical Ecommerce. The focus of that blog will be about the evolving nature of an ecommerce based business. Constant change is the norm for us, whether its keeping up with technology, our own product trends or consumer behaviors.
If you are running an online business yourself, you may want to follow the blog at...
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Tough Cord for Tough Projects
Have a necklace that always breaks because a bead frays your cord? Ever have a desire to do some beaded curtains? Do you string big, heavy necklaces?
We’ve had several requests recently for really strong beading cord. We finally found some! The story is we found this in a wholesale fishing outlet store, but don’t tell anyone….
This braided cord is very strong for the size and...
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Popularity of Black Diamonds
Just read a new article about the recent popularity of black diamonds in FirstWaterNews.com. About 2 years ago, one of our suppliers of higher end gemstones tried to convince us that colored diamond beads were going to be very popular. We had to admit that they were pretty cool looking, There was a LOT more sparkle, even from diamond chips than we ever expected.
We said thanks, but no thanks,...
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Save 10% on All Beading & Jewelry Chain
With the cost of Silver and Gold as volatile as it is, we are always careful about discounting our chain and wire products. But, its time for a sale on chain! All our chain products are 10% off through July 22 at ChoiceJewelrySupplies.com. Use the coupon code CJSCHAIN.
The earrings pictured below use Hand Wrapped Black Onyx and Sterling Silver Chain that is included in this promotion. It’s...
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Keishi's are Hot
We’ve posted several different types of center drilled Keishi pearls this summer and each one sells out faster than we can find the next batch.
Keishi pearls (Kashi, Keishe, Keshi) are also called “cornflake pearls” because of the unusual shapes. Keishi pearls are formed when the mollusk ejects the pearl bead nucleus but continues to make a pearl. If you are looking for an...
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"Sunny Day" Necklace
I looked out the window about 10 minutes ago and saw clear skies and sun. Now, the afternoon storms are coming in. Very typical this time of year.
But, in keeping with the “sunny” theme, here is a necklace that one of our staff members put together call the “Sunny Day Necklace”. A nice example of “mixed media” that includes varied gemstone & metal elements....
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Happy Hour Anyone?
Feels like happy hour here in Boulder. So, we’re offering some happy hour beading specials!
Save 15% on all 8-9mm Beads at abeadstore.com through July 17. Coupon Code is ABS8NINE.
Or…..if you need more stuff…..
Save 15% on any product order of more than $100 from ANY of our stores! This is a Weekend Sale that ends on July 12. Coupon Code is BISAVE15.
Here are some...
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New Beaded Eyeglass Leash Tutorial
Why lose your glasses when you could have a fun eyeglass leash? This simple eyeglass leash project is great for beginners and for anyone who never again wants to lose their glasses. You’ll find a list of parts as well as detailed instructions.
We currently have about 20 beading projects with detailed tutorials posted on abeadstore.com. If you’d like to donate a project, please let us...
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Earring Findings On Sale!
After looking at all the wonderful earring designs we posted yesterday in our Design Gallery and in our Friends, Fans & Followers links, we decided to run a promotion on Earring Findings. Shop at ChoiceJewelrySupplies.com and you will save 10% on all our Earring Findings & Components! Use the coupon code CJSEARFIND when you check out.
You will find many hard to find earring components...
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Vacation Beading Projects
We just got back from our vacation at Lake Okoboji in Iowa. Relaxing on the lake, hiking, golf, and of course, making jewelry. Here are some of the projects from last week. Cynthia wanted to work on her pearl knotting and show her sister how to do it, so this simple necklace made from a variety of inexpensive nugget pearls was the result! The previous post includes matching pearl earrings made...
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Vacation Time - Happy 4th of July!
Cynthia & Dale are enjoying a family vacation this week. Relaxing on a beautiful lake in northwestern Iowa. Playing some golf. I suspect there will be some jewelry making going on somewhere along the line.
Back in Boulder, we just set up a storewide sale at PearlBeadsale.com. Save 10% through Friday, July 3 with the coupon code PBS10.
We’ll check in next week after we get back out of...