Jewelry Making

DIY Jewelry, Beads And Patterns

Review – 500 Gemstone Jewels

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cover of 500 Gemstone Jewels

If you love jewelry, you’ll want this book! If you need inspiration in your own jewelry design, you need this book! From start to finish, 500 Gemstone Jewels is eye candy and inspiration. When the world seems dark and ugly, this book is a beautiful, shiny thing to refill your soul and inspire you to create once more.

One of the 500 series from Lark Books, 500 Gemstone Jewels show a large variety of stones worked into dramatic and surprising pieces of jewelry. The contributing artists each bring a unique style and the collection shown in this book is breathtaking. Even so, I still want to sing a happy song when I look at this book.

Comments

  3. wow 500 Gemstone Jewels show
    i love to win this book if t not to late
    happy craft month to you all. i love to make jewelry

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Have you read?

Beaded Halloween Skeleton Craft – A Spooky-Cute Bead Project For Halloween Decorating

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.