Vintaj Fabulousness

Three really cool chicks.  I mean, the kind of chicks you'd just want to snatch up, carry around in your pocket and keep forever.  Those are the kind of women that are behind Vintaj natural brass beading components.  Sisters Wendy and Jeanne, along with their dear friend Jess, started the Vintaj company to bring innovative, vintage inspired beading items into the marketplace.  These hip mamas wanted to work for themselves, so they could have a flexible work environment and keep their focus on their children.  Plus, they figured that we would want all of this gorgeous stuff to play with.  They were right!

An instant favorite of beaders everywhere, Vintaj items have been repeatedly featured in every major beading magazine.  What's not to love?  Unlimited creative options, gorgeous hand rubbed patinas, pieces that work together in a variety of ways, "alternative" setting techniques (yes, a dragofly wing is a perfectly reasonable prong!) -- all created using an eco-friendly, lead free process that's healthy for both the earth and your children.  (Yes, they are going to put that in their mouth!) 

At Bead World, we are unabashed lovers of the entire Vintaj line, and we carry a lot of it in our stores.  Just look at the gorgeous things you can make with their unique pieces!  (Yes, I gush.)  We "borrowed" these great design ideas from the official Vintaj Co. website -- there are a million more where these came from.  Check out their blog, too.  It's always full of great ideas.  I want to hear all about how much you guys love this stuff.  Send me pics of your projects, and I'll add them to the blog!

Think Outside of the Box!

This fun little bracelet was created by Frongelyn Booker at our Phoenix store.  It highlights a number of non-traditional elements in a very sophisticated, cohesive way.  The large double-drilled pietersite sets the rich, organic color pallet for the piece.  Small faceted garnet rondelles bring in some light and sparkle.  The metals used in this bracelet, Vintaj antiqued brass and copper, are a perfect compliment to the gemstones.
Frongelyn did two particularly interesting things with this piece.  First, she used a single strand toggle with a two stranded bracelet.  Contrary to popular, this is a completely reasonable thing to do!  You just need to be certain that the last few beads on the toggle bar end can fit through the toggle ring opening.  Secondly, she used small copper jump rings as a spacer!  This bracelet looks great, and shows that you can do amazing things when you think outside of the box!

Loving the Leaf Chains!

Fringy, swingy leaf chains have been all the rage lately, and I can't get enough.  Sweet tiny leaf charms are incorporated right into the chain, giving an "I worked sooooo hard" look simply and easily.  Bead World currently offers this chain in both hot metals of the moment, brass and copper (copper shown above left, brass shown lower right).  With so much going on in this chain, it's not inexpensive ($17.35 per foot at Bead World).  Luckily, we sell chain by the inch at Bead World, so you can buy just enough to make a super chic pair of earrings if you prefer!  When you consider how many tiny charms are loaded onto the chains as well as your time savings, it's clear that leaf chains are an amazing bargain.

At right you can see the fun earrings I made with the brass leaf chain.  I've been working through an obsession with long linear dangles lately, as you can clearly see.  Each of these little swingers has two inches of chain plus an ear wire.  That's about as easy as it gets, folks!  Plus, it looks amazingly high end.  And these cute little guys will only set you back around $8.50.  (Pricing is based on Bead World stores.)

There is plenty of space left in these links for a wire wrap, so the possibilities are truly endless.  You could add a gemstone drop at the bottom, add tiny Swarovski crystals throughout...  I look forward to seeing all the great ideas you guys come up with!