Product Review: Cousin Beads

I have the privilege of reviewing these beautiful beads sent to me by Cousin.

This family owned and operated company began in 1970 as Enterprise Art, a retail company in Largo, Florida. The success lead the way for Cousin, a wholesale division. Today they are a premier wholesaler of jewelry making supplies.

You may have seen the Cousin brand displayed at fine stores such as Michael’s, Jo-Ann’s, Hancock Fabrics, and Wal-Mart, just to name a few.

Cousin has a wide variety of beautiful beads to choose from. Take a look at the beads they were so kind to send me.

Blue is my favorite color, so naturally these are my favorite of the beads I was sent. Look at the stunning color of these glass beads. They remind me of a deep blue lake with the sun shinning upon it making it sparkle like diamonds underneath its warm rays.

These glass beads are stunning in both color and detail. They make me think of a bride. I can see a beautiful bracelet made out of these beads adorning the wrist of a bride a she walks down the aisle to be united with her awaiting groom. These beads would be perfect for wedding jewelry.

I like the shape and color of these beads. These are glass beads, but they resemble delicate chunks of stone.

Look at how beautiful these are! They are gray and transparent, but, you can seen a variety of colors, depending on how the light hits them.

I like the red and black colors of these glass beads. The petite size is perfect for making jewelry that will sit gracefully on the neck or wrist depending on if you want to make a beautiful necklace, or bracelet.

I am very impressed with this brand of beads. A supply catalog was included with the beads. It is filled with all kinds of beautiful beads in various colors, and styles, as well as charms, and jewelry making components. I can see this being a brand I add to my favorites of brands to use in my jewelry making projects. Speaking of, do you want to see what I make with these lovely beads? I will post a second blog post and show you!

You can find all of the beads in this post, plus many more by visiting the Cousin website. Take a look for yourself and see what beautiful beads awaits you!

Special thanks to Cousin for supplying these beautiful beads for the review!

If you like your Halloween crafts with a little bit of spooky charm and a whole lot of handmade personality, this Beaded Halloween Skeleton from CraftBits is a fun little project to add to your October crafting list.

This project uses simple supplies — white seed beads, black seed beads, 24-gauge wire or beading thread, scissors, and wire cutters — to create a small beaded skeleton that can be used for Halloween decorations, charms, party favors, or even spooky handmade jewelry. The original tutorial walks you through building the skeleton row by row, starting with a black bead at the top and working through the skull, body, arms, hands, legs, and feet.

What I like about this project is that it has that lovely “old-school craft book” feel. It is not overly complicated, but it does ask you to slow down and follow the bead pattern carefully. This is the sort of Halloween bead craft that is perfect for a quiet afternoon when you want something seasonal but not messy. No glue gun strings across the table, no glitter stuck to the dog, just beads, wire, and a little bit of patience.

The finished skeleton would be cute added to a Halloween keyring, made into a zipper pull, tied onto a treat bag, or hung from a mini Halloween tree. You could also make a batch of them for party decorations or classroom craft swaps. If you enjoy tiny seasonal makes, you might also like browsing the Halloween Crafts section on CraftBits for more spooky little projects to pair with it.

This is a good project for confident beginners who have used seed beads before. Younger crafters may need help with the wire ends and keeping the rows tight, but older kids, teens, and adults who enjoy bead crafts should find it very satisfying. I would suggest using a bead mat or a shallow tray, because seed beads have a special talent for rolling into the one place you cannot reach. Ask me how I know.

For supplies, small packs of black and white seed beads are easy to find, and Amazon is handy for basic beading wire, bead mats, and small jewelry pliers if you are building up a Halloween craft kit. If you prefer more unusual beads or want tiny skull charms to add alongside your skeleton, Etsy can also be a fun place to look for Halloween beading supplies.

This little skeleton is proof that Halloween crafting does not need to be huge or expensive to be fun. Sometimes the best seasonal projects are the small ones you can make in multiples, tuck into gift bags, or hang around the house for a bit of handmade Halloween mischief.

Best for: Halloween bead crafts, spooky handmade charms, beginner-friendly wire bead projects, Halloween party favors, and small seasonal decorations.

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