Jewelry Sale!

Anita's Beads is holding a 25% Off Sale on all jewelry now through May 12th - Just in time for Mother's Day! Shop early for the best selection. Shop hours are 10-5; Closed Tue. & Wed.

Jewelry Sale

Santa's Special! 20% off all finished jewelry at Anita's Beads now through December 24th.

Bead Club Tonight

Bead Club will meet at Anita's Beads tonight Thursday July 5th from 7-9. All are welcome. Call Anita at 603-522-6529 with questions.

The bracelet in the photo is my latest kumihimo creation featuring a Czech dragonfly button with 4mm Czech faceted firepolish beads--now available as a limited edition kit!

Kumihimo Jewelry by Harry

I had a special treat to share with last Thursday's Bead Club: some fabulous kumihimo braided necklaces made by Harry. Today he gave me permission to post photos of his work, and he is planning to attend the Bead Club meeting on Thursday March 29th from 7-9 pm so save the date!

Here's a close-up of the two-color necklace which is made of size 6/0 Czech seed beads on S-Lon cord.

I particularly like his designs with size 8/0 Japanese seed beads combined with Czech glass rosebuds. The glossy finish on the rosebuds provides a nice contrast with the matte finish of the seed beads. I can't wait to see the new designs he'll have to show us in two weeks.

Kumihimo with Tex-400 Macrame Cord

Anita's Beads is now stocking Tex-400 macrame cord in 22 colors. It comes on spools like S-Lon, and it is about twice as thick. There are 35 yards to the spool as opposed to the 77 yards you get with S-Lon. It is available in fewer colors than S-Lon but the colors match the S-Lon line.

This is one of my favorite necklaces. (Some day I may even finish it!) It combines Czech glass beads (knotted with spaces in between like my Illusion Necklaces) on 8 strands of Tex-400 cord. I cut long strands so that after all the strands were knotted I could tie them together after the beads and braid both sides (one at a time) in my small kumihimo disc. I will end by gluing on 4mm barrel caps once I decide how long I want my finished necklace to be.

I made the second version (displayed at the top of the page) in green. This one combines 6 strands of Tex-400 cord with 2 strands of S-Lon. The 5mm round turquoise-green beads had holes too small for Tex-400. When I braided the ends, I mixed in some more of the 5mm beads on the S-Lon cord, leaving the Tex-400 strands plain.

The kumihimo braid on the far right of this last photo was done on Tex-400 with small Antique Copper beads on one strand only added every other turn.

Jewelry on Etsy

You can now shop for my handcrafted jewelry on Etsy. I've got a few items up, including the turquoise and coral bracelet shown above, along with its matching necklace. More jewelry will be added over the next few days. At some point in the future, I will also be adding original collage art.

Just click the banner below to connect to AnitaNH on Etsy!

Bracelet Challenge

I've noticed folks purchasing lots of red and green lately. It's time to start thinking about the winter holidays. Because handcrafted jewelry is a gift that is as much fun to make as it is to receive, I have decided to have some holiday fun in the form of a bracelet challenge. I am going to create a bracelet a day to be offered for sale starting on October 1st. Photos will be posted on a new blog called Anita's Daily Bracelet. The last of 85 bracelets will be posted on Christmas Eve.

The "Almost Done" Series

I recently made what amounts to an official apology on my jewelry home page. It is so underdeveloped and neglected. It has featured forever the same triple strand necklace (sold long ago) of turquoise and coral--one of my favorites. The photo serves to remind me to make more like it.

I have made a promise there as well. So this weekend I will make good on that promise. Even this very morning, unless I get diverted!