Dishfunctional Designs: my youtube channel

Showing posts with label my youtube channel. Show all posts

Sunday, July 25, 2021

How To Use A Bead Board (With Video Talk About Beads)

If you are new to jewelry making you probably have seen bead boards (aka beading boards aka bead design boards) at your local craft store or maybe you've seen them in bead catalogs while shopping for beads and other jewelry supplies.

When I first started jewelry making and would visit my bead shop I would see these beading boards, but I would always ignore them–probably because they have numbers on them and I a have a pretty strong aversion to math!

A necklace I constructed using my beading board

But once I got past learning the most basic of jewelry making techniques–mastering my wrapped loops and collecting all the tools I would need–I eventually sat down to create my first "big" project, a long, hand-beaded necklace, and learned very quickly that I would need to work on a towel or other cloth so that my beads did not roll off of my table and into oblivion!

It was then that I realized, hey, that bead board may not be too bad of an idea! And so I purchased my first one, for approximately $5.00 USD at my local Michael's craft store.

A necklace I constructed using my beading board

But although it seemed pretty straight forward, I wasn't 100 percent sure exactly how to use it, and I was also still in my early days of understanding color and different types of beads whether they were stone or glass. It seemed like there was so much to learn.

Now, years later, I have put together a short YouTube video showing you how I use my bead board along with a few useful tips to help you along your jewelry making journey.

A necklace I constructed using my beading board

So head on over to my YouTube channel and check it out, and while you are there, be sure to take a peek at what else is new...

Also in case you haven't heard:

Recently I created a video workshop for how to create stamped molten solder components that you can find here, and afterwards I created another 2-part video workshop to go along with it where I show you how to turn these unique findings into jewelry. You can find Part 1 and Part 2 on my YouTube channel as well. Be sure to check them out and while you're there, don't forget to subscribe!

And be sure to check back again soon - I have some great videos coming up!

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Thursday, March 4, 2021

New Free Tutorial Workshop On My YouTube Channel!

Exciting announcement! I have a brand new jewelry tutorial available on YouTube, for free!

Now you can learn to make these Blue Blossom Soldered Beaded Earrings by following along with my easy to follow step by step tutorial that includes complete tools and materials list and step by step instructions.

Learn the secrets to making the most chic Bohemian style jewelry with me in the comfort of your own home and on your own time at your convenience.

This video was previously on another site that required a subscription, but I have decided to now offer it for free for all of my YouTube subscribers.

I will also be publishing a companion blog post here on this blog to accompany the video, so be sure to check back for that as well.

Monday, February 3, 2020

How To Make A Pair Of Ear Wires For Earrings

If you are not already making your own ear wires for earrings then you need to watch this ear wire tutorial now! Making your own earwires is easier than you might think, and with a little bit of instruction and practice, you will be turning out your own handcrafted earrings in no time at all.

This beginner technique is essential to jewelry making. If you're a complete beginner it may seem a bit daunting at first, but I promise, it's not at all as hard as it might seem. The tools and materials you need are minimal and are basic jewelry making tools that are essential to jewelry making, so once you invest in them you will use them for all sorts of jewelry making techniques and projects.

For this tutorial you will need:

Round nose pliers (sometimes called rosary pliers)

Chain nose pliers

Wire cutters (aka wire cutting pliers)

*Wire straightening pliers

*A ball peen hammer (you can improvise with a different hammer you have at home if you do not yet own a ball peen hammer)

*A steel bench block (another thing you can improvise on if you do not yet own one)

A ruler

24 gauge wire

*A note on the tools:

The round nose pliers and wire cutters are essential tools but you can easily improvise with a different hammer if you do not yet own a ball peen hammer.

Same goes for the steel bench block; you can hammer on another hard surface until you acquire a bench block.

The wire straightening pliers are a great tool to have and really are useful, so if you do not have a pair, put them on your list to get in the future, as they will make working with wire SO much easier and will make your work look much more professional, but you do not need them to learn how to make earwires.

For this video tutorial, I used 24 gauge sterling silver wire but when you are just starting out and learning you should use inexpensive craft wire or copper wire (you can buy both at most craft stores and watch for those coupons!) Save the expensive precious metal wire for when you perfect your techniques and practice on the inexpensive stuff!

Did you know that you can also buy copper wire in many different gauges at your local hardware store? Check it out the next time you visit, and take note of the prices. When I first started out with jewelry making and wire work, I bought myself a wire stripper and a few spools of different gauge wire at my local Home Depot and paid only a fraction of the cost that jewelry catalogs charged for wire.

The wire that I bought was plastic coated, so the wire strippers were essential to easily removing the plastic coating from the wire. Be careful though, those buggers are sharp!

Check out the tutorial video below, or watch it directly from my YouTube channel.

Enjoy the tutorial and I'd love to know how your ear wires turn out, so be sure to leave me a comment below and on the video on YouTube and don't forget to subscribe!

Join me on YouTube and be sure to Subscribe!

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What do you think?
Do you make your own earwires?

Have a great week!

Laura

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Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Article copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2020 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. For any link corrections please leave correct info in comment area.

How to make earwires for earrings

Friday, January 10, 2020

New Thrift Haul Video! My January 2020 Thrift Shop Treasures

Don't you just love a great thrift shop find? Who doesn't love treasure hunting on a dime? I do!

I've collected some of my best thrift shop finds from the past month or two and you can check them out in my new YouTube video, January 2020 Thrift Shop Haul!

Take a look, leave a comment and let me know what you think, and I'd love to hear about what kinds of things you look for when you're thrift shopping and I'd also love to hear about any unusual treasures you've found, so be sure to leave a comment on the video and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Be sure to check out my other videos and subscribe to get my latest updates! I'll be posting a brand new jewelry soldering video very soon and you won't want to miss it!

What do you think?

What is your best thrifting find?

Join me on YouTube and be sure to Subscribe!

Have a great week!

Laura

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