Business Card Holder

Today Albina from AroundBeads will show you how to make a business card holder/display.


You will need:

· 16”(40cm) of 14ga round dead soft wire( you may use 16ga half hard wire as well).

· Beads with large hole (optional)

· Round nose pliers

· Wire cutters

· Flat nose pliers

Step 1: Straighten and then cut the 14ga round dead soft wire. Measure and mark the wire in 2”, 2”, 2”, 1”, 2”, 1”, 2”, 2”, and 2”. Find the center 2” section and bend the wire at 90 degree angle at one of the marks.

Step 2: Slide the beads on the 2” section (optional). Make second 90 degree bend, so both wire ends are parallel and have “П” shape.

Step 3: Using round nose pliers, holding at 1” mark, bend the wire on an angle 30° as shown (you don’t need to be precise).

Step 4: Repeat step 3 with another wire end. Make sure that the wires run parallel.

Step 5: At the next 2” mark, make 45 degree bend (again, you don’t need to be precise), so the wire has Z-shape. Make sure that all three segments of “Z” lie in the same plane.

Step 6: Make 90° bends towards the outside, so the “Z” and the right angles lie in perpendicular planes. Well, I hope it is not too much geometry for you.

Step 7: Using round nose and flat nose pliers make spirals from 2” “left-over” wire ends.

Step 8: Adjust the wire(s) if necessary. Place your business cards in your new card holder.

Tutorial by Albina (AroundBeads)

Freebies on Monday - Tutorial: Wrapped Rectangular Pendant

This tutorial from our team member Albina from AroundBeads shows how to make a wrapped rectangular pendant.

Materials for one pendant:
* 1 rectangular shaped gem bead, approx. 1 ¼”x 1 ¼”
* 22ga round soft wire
* with 1 foot of wire you can make 3 wraps around 1 ¼”x 1 ¼” bead.

Tools needed:
* Flush cutter
* Round nose pliers
* Flat nose pliers

Step 1:
Cut a piece of 22ga wire Make a 90˚ bend 1” from one end of the wire. Make a simple loop. DO NOT CUT the wire!

Step 2:
Bend short end at angle of 90 ˚ so both wire ends are parallel.

Step 3: Insert both ends** into bead’s hole, leaving 2 mm “neck” between the loop and the bead. **If the bead’s hole is not big enough for two ends of wire, make a wrapped loop instead of simple loop, trim the short tail, and insert the wire into bead’s hole.

Step 4: Bend the wire on the back of the bead

Step 5: On the distance of about ¼ of the bead, make a bend at the angle of 90?.

Step 6: Wrap once around the bead…



Step 7: On the back side, insert the wire end into “loop”.

Step 8: Tighten carefully.



Step 9: In the middle of the bead, make another bend at the angle of 90˚, wrap around the bead…

Step 10: Insert the wire end into “loop” like in step 7.


Step 11: Continue “stitching” in the same manner until the last stitch.


Step 12: Tighten carefully the wire after finishing the last stitch. Bring the wire to the top of the bead…

Step13: … and wrap 2-3 times around the “neck”.



Step 14: Trim the wire.

This is how your wrapped stone will look like from the front and the back.

If you like straight wires on a front, your pendant is done :) …

Front Back

Step 15:
… Or, you can make “waves”. Using your flat nose pliers, grab the wire and slightly twist.

Step 16: Final
Do the same with the rest wires twisting them in the same direction as the first one. You are done!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Please do not distribute, lend or copy. Do not mass produce.

Copyrights 2009 Albina Manning
AroundBeads

Wonderful things Wednesday - Stone of the Month: Peridot!

Peridot (also called olivine, chrysolite) is a yellow-green, olive green, brownish in color stone which was always popular in jewelry making.

Some facts about peridot:
It has been found in ruins of ancient Egypt and some of historical legends say that peridot was the favorite gemstone of Cleopatra.
Most ancient peridot came from the volcanic island of St.John in the Red Sea and it has been mined for 3500 years.
Peridot was brought to Europe by crusaders in the Middle Ages and became really popular during baroque period.
In Russia some cut peridots came out of a meteorite which fell in east Siberia in 1749.

Peridot is a beautiful gemstone and it is becoming more and more popular with every year.

Here is our peridot green collection today – enjoy!


1. Earrings green summer jade peridot gold leverback by MyWayToSay
2. Peridot and Mother of Pearls 14K Gold Filled Cascade Earrings by Expressyourself
3. Green and Pearls Memory Wire Bracelet by SFBeads
4. Art Nouveau sterling silver necklace with green Quartz Agate Citrine Prasiolite Peridot – Harmonia by Arctida


1. Handmade Green Valley long faceted jade earrings by Lightkeeping
2. Minty Forest Body Butter by Herbolution
3. Avocado - big adjustable handmade ring by Sexyhandmade
4. Green Jungle bead set by Visart


1. Summer Trees ring by Beautyspot
2. Green grapes antique glass earrings by TonyaUtkina
3. Abstract Green - fine art photograph by YuliaKazansky
4. Emerald gold - Crocheted necklace/bracelet - glass pearls by TomBjornDesigns

Designing with wire & beads

If you ever thought about making jewelery but did not know where to start, think no further, take a class!

I am very lucky to live in the same city with jewelery instructor & my fellow etsian Albina Manning. So I thought about it, called some friends who'd like to learn it too. We picked a day & time for the Girls Night In Party and got together last Saturday night and hired her as an instructor.

I have to say, the class was amazing! We are beginners, and Albina spent a lot of time with each of us, helping to understand the basics better. The result of a 2 hour class was great. I made cute earrings & matching bracelet. My friends left with newly made gorgeous Swarovski crystals earrings they made that night. I also bought a book Albina wrote with other talented artists and I am hoping to make at least a couple of beaded necklaces I found there!

Albina is a professional teacher and jewelry making instructor. She enjoys teaching at the Bead Museum in Glendale, AZ. She also does classes at the Beaderie in Chandler, AZ and at the J.O.G.S Gem & Jewelry Show which is occuring every year in February in Tuscon, AZ. The photos of her beaded tree Bonsai Shakkan has been used by Fire Mountain Gems (Beading & Jewelery Supplies Company) both as a back cover advertisement and inside their catalog. In 2009 Albina won 1st Place, the Gold Medal award with Inca’s Gold Necklace in FMG’s wirework category. She has been published in the Art Bead Circle Magazine, as well as the book Mixed Media Jewelry Techniques.

You can visit Albina's web-site www.around-beads.info and her store www.aroundbeads.etsy.com

With kind regards -
Tanya at socksandmittens