Intro to Janet’s Bead Crafts

I have been creating beaded jewelry for a few years now and I have found it to be an absorbing and satisfying craft. I love patterns, repetitive stitches and the initial puzzle of trying to work it out followed by the achievements of creating a beautiful object that is a delight to wear.

I have been asked about my creations at the supermarket, in cafes and when visiting with friends. If someone indicates that they like what I am wearing I will generally make an individual gift for them… something that is individually handcrafted in their favourite colour and generally they become loved pieces.

Last week, my daughter and I visited a café in Ponsonby and the waitress saw my beaded ring that I was wearing and could not take her eyes off it. She asked a myriad of questions about it which was lovely so I took it off and gave it to her. She was delighted!!

I must admit it was made from Swarovski crystals which are my absolute favourite because they emanate a spectacular glitter and shine. Unfortunately Swarovski is no longer supplying the bead shops, sigh. Sourcing new crystal beads is a challenge for all bead suppliers now.

Beads:

These beads mostly come from 2 shops, both located on the North Shore.

Of course, I also pick up beads from overseas travels, from op shops and from Ebay.

Auckland Beads– Lauren is wonderful and she has a great collection of beautiful beads at wholesale prices, see web site here.
Beadazzle– Anne has beautiful beads and she runs beading classes which is where I made my first item… threading the needle was my biggest challenge but Anne is a totally awesome teacher and soon had me beading away. See web site here.

Beading Thread:

Marine Deals: I get my beading thread from the fishing shop, either 6, 8 or 10lb depending on how strong the design needs to be, see here.

Patterns:

Most of my patterns are from free sources but I do pay for some from Deb Roberti during a sale or from Etsy:

Deb Roberti: Deb has easy to follow visual patterns which are beautiful, see here.
Beads Magic: the beading patterns here are lovely and the method is easy to follow, see here.
Gina Gem’s Creations: Gina has beautiful and easy to follow instructional videos on Your Tube and I love her patterns. See here.
GGC’s Beginning Beaders: On this You Tube channel Gina has slightly easier, but just as pretty, beading videos. See here.

There are many, many more beading blogs and beading tutorials, try looking on Pinterest, Youtube and on Etsy, but I have just listed my faves above. If you are wanting to make any of my items please contact me and I will find the link and send it to you.

Here is a small video tutorial I made as an intro to beading as a craft: