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Bead Books Giveaway!

January 21, 2009 by Barbe Saint John

 

Not only was Katie Hacker was kind enough to grant us an interview  and she also gave me two books for giveaways to a lucky CraftGossip reader.

If you’d like to win a copy of “The Need to Bead” and “Born to Bead” books, leave a comment here with why you feel “the need to bead” or why you think you were “born to bead”.  I’ll pick one lucky person at random on Jan 31st!

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Comments

  1. Andreanna says

    January 21, 2009 at 9:16 am

    I would love to win one of the books.

  2. Alexandra says

    January 21, 2009 at 9:17 am

    I need to bead because I cannot resist buying beads – they are like candy so i have loads of them. And when I see beads lying around I feel a great urge to make something of them – a need to bead!

  3. Kathryn says

    January 21, 2009 at 9:37 am

    I have never worked with beads before but I am interested in learning new crafts and would love to learn more about beading after seeing all the beautiful creation on different craft sites.

  4. Stacey says

    January 21, 2009 at 11:29 am

    I feel the need to bead because that is my way to express my creativity and to show my interpretation of beauty. I love creating beaded jewelry for my self because it makes me happy and helps me relax and take my mind off of things. I also feel the need to bead and give people gifts of beaded jewelry to see them smile and see them wear some jewelry that makes them feel happy and beautiful.

  5. Lisa Oram says

    January 21, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    Im’ a bead junkie, beads everywhere (even in the bed – don’t talk to my husband.) See my fabulous homemade beadboard at this link: http://lisaoram.com/?p=157. Would love to add either of Katie’s books to my collection. Thanks!

  6. Barb says

    January 21, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    Those books look awesome…especially for a newbie beader like me!!

  7. Regina says

    January 21, 2009 at 5:31 pm

    I don’t like my hands to be idle – and do a lot of machine sewing and rubber stamping -neither of which are very portable.

    I find beading to be portable, and show-offable, so I can brag on my mad beading skills – quilts are harder to show off at the office, and you can only stamp so many cards to display on your desk.

  8. Princess Treea says

    January 21, 2009 at 6:44 pm

    Um….I don’t NEED to bead; I can quit anytime I want 😉

  9. Stacey says

    January 21, 2009 at 7:34 pm

    I’m not sure if my comment went through ok…I was having problems with my Internet connection, but anyway…I feel the need to bead because that is my way to express my creativity and to show my interpretation of beauty. I love creating beaded jewelry for my self because it makes me happy and helps me relax and take my mind off of things. I also feel the need to bead and give people gifts of beaded jewelry to see them smile and see them wear some jewelry that makes them feel happy and beautiful.

  10. KDSchnapper says

    January 21, 2009 at 10:01 pm

    Clearly not “born to bead”–I still chafe at picking up a needle. The “need to bead” has come out of a desire to express myself through the visual arts and a personal love of bling.

  11. Nicole says

    January 21, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    i’ve always loved to adorn myself with pretty babbules so i would love to learn how to make my own to flaunt

  12. mindy says

    January 22, 2009 at 11:35 am

    i need to bead because i did a lot of it in my younger days and really miss it thanks for the giveaway

  13. Vivian Deliz says

    January 22, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    I would like to win these books. Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks for the giveaway.

  14. Kathy D says

    January 22, 2009 at 8:42 pm

    I have a tutor form high school I would love to win these for. SHe send me a nice beaded gift for Christmas

  15. Lolita says

    January 23, 2009 at 8:08 am

    I love beading – it has been my new “relaxation hobby” and a great way to stimulate the creative juices!

  16. Jessica says

    January 23, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    I just love checking out new beads, testing out supplies… it’s so much fun!

  17. Kat says

    January 23, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    I was born to bead because I have always loved jewelry and rocks/stones. Now I can put my two loves together!

  18. jessica c says

    January 23, 2009 at 10:11 pm

    making things help me relax from being a mommy of three

  19. Carla Pullum says

    January 23, 2009 at 10:22 pm

    I like to bead it’s a relieve from stress!
    carla
    cpullum(at)yahoo(dot)com

  20. Roxanne says

    January 25, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    I have loved beading for years (well decades really) and love to learn new projects

  21. Kim V says

    January 26, 2009 at 7:27 am

    I would like to have a craft to do with my teenage SD.

    Thanks for the giveaway.
    kimspam66(at)yahoo(dot)com

  22. chris swan says

    January 29, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    I would love to learn how to bead. I think its gorgeous.

  23. Cheryl F. (Lucky Ladybug) says

    January 30, 2009 at 10:53 pm

    I feel the need to bead so I have an outlet to release my inner artist 🙂 I love the all the beautiful things that beads can make. *Thanks* for the giveaway!

  24. Sadie Lou says

    January 30, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    oooooo….I hope you pick little ol’ me!
    ~Sadie

  25. Lucy says

    January 31, 2009 at 1:54 am

    I think I need to bead because my friends and family call me a beadophile… :p

  26. Lynn says

    January 31, 2009 at 4:07 am

    I love to do bead work!
    I just started beading recently and I just can’t stop! lol!
    Its like its an obsession or something!
    As I bead my project it starts taking a life all its own.
    And Iam always amazed at the beautiful end results!
    This new hobby of mine blows my mind as I finally realize…..”Hey! Iam an artist too!”

  27. Jamie says

    January 31, 2009 at 9:22 am

    I love Katie and her books are just wonderful! A reader is going to be very lucky! 😉

    Jamie
    Creations by JAE

  28. Lauralee Hensley says

    January 31, 2009 at 6:52 pm

    I need to bead, because I saw my mother-in-laws beaded Christmas Ornaments and Angels and fell in love with this artistic endeavor. She told me she fell in love with beads from seeing beautiful necklaces and braclets her daughter had beaded.

  29. Shay Williams says

    January 31, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    I would love to win one of these books! They would help with inspiration. I bead so that I can get the images out of my mind to a format that I can show to other people.

  30. Whitney says

    January 31, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    What great books, and a great giveaway!! Enter me please.

Trackbacks

  1. Only one more day to enter the Book Giveaway!!! · Jewelry Making @ CraftGossip says:
    January 30, 2009 at 10:10 pm

    […] forget to leave a comment to win a copy of “The Need to Bead” & “Born to Bead” books by Katie Hacker!!!!! […]

Have you read?

Best Handmade Earrings To Sell At Craft Markets

There is something wonderfully dangerous about a good pair of handmade earrings at a craft market. They sit there on the table looking sweet and harmless, and before you know it, someone has popped “just one pair” into their basket alongside a candle, a card, and possibly a jam jar they absolutely did not plan to buy. Earrings are brilliant little impulse gifts because they are small, affordable, easy to display, and they feel personal without being too risky.

If you are planning a market stall, school fair table, handmade Christmas booth, Mother’s Day pop-up, or local makers market, earrings are one of those products that can work beautifully across price points. You can offer simple bead drops at the lower end, clay earrings in seasonal colours, pearl-style earrings for gift buyers, charm earrings for the fun crowd, and minimalist studs for shoppers who like things neat and wearable.

The trick with handmade earrings to sell is not just making what you love, but making what people can quickly understand. A shopper should be able to glance at your stand and think, “Oh, my sister would wear those,” or “That would be cute for book club,” or “That’s perfect for my daughter’s teacher.” Small, giftable, lightweight earrings are ideal for this because they do not need sizing, they are easy to wrap, and they can be made in batches without taking over the entire dining table. Although, let’s be honest, the dining table is already lost to craft supplies in most of our houses.

Below are some lovely DIY earrings for craft fairs that cover the big sellers: clay earrings, bead drops, charm earrings, pearl-style earrings, seasonal earrings, and minimalist studs. I’ve included a mix of CraftGossip, CraftBits, and other useful tutorials so you can build a market-ready collection with plenty of variety.

Handmade Earrings To Sell At Craft Markets

Easy Polymer Clay and Air Dry Clay Earring Ideas

Clay earrings are still one of the strongest craft-market styles because they are colourful, lightweight, and easy to customise by season. This CraftGossip roundup includes polymer clay and air-dry clay earring ideas, which makes it a handy starting point if you want to create a whole tray of statement earrings in coordinated colours. These are great for shoppers who want something handmade but still trendy and wearable.

How To Make Clay Earrings + DIY Clay Jewelry Techniques

This tutorial is especially useful if you want to create a more polished handmade earring range, because it covers clay techniques such as colour blocking, shaping, adding holes, baking, and attaching posts or jump rings. For market selling, I’d use this style to create small collections: neutrals, brights, floral colours, Christmas shades, and soft pastels for spring stalls.

How To Make Easy Polymer Clay Knot Earrings

Knot earrings are a lovely middle ground between statement and minimalist. They look boutique-style but are made with simple clay shaping, which makes them a good choice for sellers who want something modern without needing complex cutters or lots of findings. These would be gorgeous in terracotta, sage, blush, navy, cream, or speckled clay.

Polymer Clay Stud Earring Tutorial

Minimalist studs are the little quiet achievers of a craft market table. They are small, affordable, and perfect for shoppers who want an easy add-on gift. This tutorial uses simple clay shapes, which you could batch in sets of matching colours and display on small branded cards for a neat, professional look.

Easy Bead Earrings

A simple bead-drop earring is one of the best beginner-friendly designs to make in batches. This CraftBits tutorial uses headpins, ear hooks, beads, and basic jewellery tools, so it is ideal if you want low-cost easy earring making ideas that still feel pretty and giftable. Change the bead colours and you can create dozens of different pairs from the same basic method.

Elegant Easy Earrings

These are a slightly more dressed-up version of the simple bead earring, using large, medium, and small beads with earring wires and headpins. I’d make these for shoppers looking for something a little more “grown up” — the kind of earrings they might wear to lunch, church, work, or a Christmas party. Lampwork beads, Czech glass, faux pearls, and gemstone-style beads would all work beautifully here.

How To Make Easy Beaded Drop Earrings

Beaded drop earrings are a craft fair staple because they have movement and sparkle without being too expensive to make. This tutorial shows a simple loop technique using headpins, beads, earring wires, and basic pliers, which is the sort of skill you can use again and again across different designs. Once you learn this method, you can create colour stories for every season.

DIY Seed Bead Earrings

These seed bead and leaf charm earrings are a sweet option for anyone wanting delicate handmade earrings that feel light and wearable. Charm earrings are great at markets because shoppers can instantly connect them with a person or interest: leaves for gardeners, stars for teens, moons for the witchy crowd, hearts for Valentine’s Day, and flowers for Mother’s Day.

Super Easy Bead and Charm Earrings

If you want a beginner-friendly charm earring idea, this one is a good fit because it combines beads and charms in a simple dangle style. For selling, the magic is in choosing charms with personality: bees, cats, moons, flowers, books, sewing machines, teacups, pumpkins, snowflakes, or tiny shells. Make a few themed groups and shoppers will do the matching in their heads before they even ask the price.

How To Make Your Own Elegant Freshwater Pearl Earrings

Pearl-style earrings are perfect for shoppers who want handmade but not too crafty-looking. This tutorial uses freshwater pearls, headpins, jump rings, and simple jewellery-making skills to create earrings that feel elegant and giftable. These would be lovely for bridal markets, Mother’s Day stalls, teacher gifts, and Christmas gift tables.

Jewelry Making – Pumpkin Wire Earrings

Seasonal earrings can be excellent impulse buys because they feel fun, timely, and affordable. These pumpkin wire earrings from CraftBits are a Halloween and fall idea using wire, beads, jump rings, earring hooks, and basic tools. Make them in small batches rather than huge quantities, because seasonal stock sells best when it feels fresh and limited.

4th of July Patriotic Earrings – A Quick and Easy DIY

These patriotic bead earrings are a good reminder that seasonal earrings do not have to be complicated. The same basic idea could be adapted for Christmas, Easter, school colours, sports teams, or local events by swapping the bead colours and adding a small charm. CraftBits notes that this style is light, quick, and can be made in under 15 minutes, which is exactly the kind of project that works well for market prep.

What Handmade Earrings Sell Best At Craft Fairs?

For impulse buyers, the best handmade earrings are usually the ones that are easy to imagine wearing or gifting straight away. Think small bead drops, pearl-style earrings, clay studs, floral clay dangles, tiny charms, seasonal pumpkins, Christmas trees, stars, moons, bees, hearts, and simple geometric shapes.

A good market table should include a few different price points. I’d suggest a small “grab and gift” section with simple bead or charm earrings, a mid-range area with clay earrings and pearl-style drops, and a small feature section with more detailed seasonal or statement pieces. Shoppers love choice, but too much choice can make them wander off, so grouping earrings by colour or theme makes everything easier.

Tips For Selling DIY Earrings At Craft Markets

Keep your earrings lightweight. Even if a design looks fabulous, shoppers will put it back if it feels heavy in their hand. Clay earrings should be rolled thin enough to wear comfortably, bead earrings should not pull on the ear, and charm earrings should be balanced so they hang nicely.

Presentation matters enormously. Use clean earring cards, clear pricing, and a mirror on your table. A small sign saying “Handmade Earrings – Great Little Gifts” or “Easy Gifts Under $20” can work wonders because it gives shoppers permission to buy without overthinking.

Make multiples, but not identical rows and rows. For example, create the same bead drop design in six colours, or the same clay stud in three sizes. That gives your stall a cohesive look while still making each pair feel handmade.

Craft Market Display Ideas For Handmade Earrings

Earrings sell best when shoppers can see them at eye level and touch them easily. Try a small rotating earring stand, cork board, framed mesh, wooden display blocks, or simple kraft cards clipped to twine. For a softer handmade feel, group your earrings by mood: “Everyday Neutrals,” “Pretty Pearls,” “Fun Charms,” “Seasonal Favourites,” and “Colour Pop Clay Earrings.”

Packaging can also help close the sale. A tiny paper bag, branded card, care note, or ribboned backing card can make a $10 pair of earrings feel like a ready-to-give present. Around Christmas and Mother’s Day, I’d absolutely add a small sign that says “Gift-ready handmade earrings” because tired shoppers love anything that saves them wrapping drama.

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