How to Make Shaggy Loops Chainmaille (Video Tutorials for Jewelry Making)

Posted by | 4 Comments | Read More / Add Comment

Hi B3 fans!  We’ve started making videos to compliment our tutorials in order to better offer you more ways to strengthen your chainmaille skills. We’re beginning with the projects that have free PDF tutorials. Shaggy Loops is a great introductory weave that has many variations, from simple ring size substitutions to advanced designs that incorporate color fades and very tough rings.

We need your help! In order to make sure we’re going in the right direction with our videos, we would love to get feedback from you!  We know many of our long-time customers already know shaggy loops … so we’d ask that you take a second to put yourself in the shoes of a newbie, or to just view the technical aspects of the video and consider what things we’ll need to look out for as we move to more complex weaves.

In particular, we have some questions that may be useful to help guide your feedback:

  • What do you find helpful about our videos?
  • What do you find difficult to understand?
  • What do you think about the lighting? The sound?
  • How is the point-of-view for the weaving demonstration?
  • What sorts of projects would you like to see videos for?
  • Rebeca particularly wants to know if the shower curtain ring demo is useful. (We use these rings in teaching, but perhaps they aren’t needed for video.)

Thank you so much for your input, we really appreciate it!  Happy weaving.  :)

 

What this woman is doing with small metal circles will absolutely blow your mind

Posted by | 5 Comments | Read More / Add Comment

For the past 12 years, Chicago jewelry artist Rebeca Mojica has been quietly crafting an accessories revolution. What started as a crazy spur-of-the-moment idea has morphed into the latest underground trend, embraced by people of all ages and walks of life.

The idea came to Rebeca when a friend mentioned she wanted her lip pierced, but couldn’t do it due to work dress code. “I wish there were temporary piercings. You know, like temporary tattoos!” her friend bemoaned.  And that’s when the light bulb went off over Rebeca’s head, and faux piercings—or as all the cool kids call ’em now, Fauxcings™—were born.

Believe it or not, NONE of the piercings on this woman are permanent (not even the ears).i-got-a-lot-of-junk-in-my-face

Each day, this gal chooses 10 Fauxcings™ and groups them together
to create a “coil” that matches her outfit.coiled-ear

If you’ve wanted pierced nails but didn’t want to drill a hole in your nail,
Fauxcings™ can help you get the look you’ve always wanted!

If you've wanted pierced nails but didn't want to drill a hole in your nail, Fauxcings can help you get the look you want!

Fauxcings™ allow you to sport jewelry in places that typically aren’t good for permanent piercings, such as your hand webs.

Fauxcings allow you to sport jewelry in places that typically aren't good for permanent piercings, such as your hand webs.

What, really? Yes, really. Let’s take a closer look at that! webs

Pierced eyelids used to be rare and reserved for only the most daring.
Now, anyone can have one … in the blink of an eye!  (Pun intended.)pierced-eyelid

Fauxcings™ allow people to try out a piercing for a short time, and they’re perfect for those who are scared of needles. Though they are meant as a do-it-yourself accessory, some folks visit professional piercers to make sure the job is done right. Bob Loblaw, owner of renowned Foresight Studios in Chicago, says he’s seen an overwhelming increase in the number of people coming in for Fauxcings™.

“Rebeca has truly started a revolution,” Bob says. “She’s made piercings accessible to huge numbers of people who wouldn’t otherwise have gotten pierced. You see that line of people around the block? Well, 90% of them are here to get a Fauxcing™. People of all ages and walks of life, it’s amazing. These are people who can’t agree on who should be mayor; people who usually would be at each others throats because one person is a White Sox fan and the other is a Cubs fan…and yet they come here and wait in line and bond over their Fauxcings™. Maybe this is what the world needs to bring us together. No, seriously. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rebeca gets the Nobel Peace Prize at some point.”

It’s true, Fauxcings™ aren’t just for millennials and Gen Xers. They’re for everyone. For kids! For grandma! For pets! Fun for the whole family!

This 7-year-old boy loves his lip Fauxcing™.

DISCLAIMER: Blue Buddha Boutique and Fauxcings, Inc. shall not be held responsible for the loss or damage of teeth which may or may not occur as a result of continued use of the product.

DISCLAIMER: Fauxcings, Inc. shall not be held responsible for the loss or damage of teeth which may or may not occur as a result of continued use of the product.

This young Chicagoan enjoys sporting Fauxcings™ in his ears
and in Marly and Carly’s ears, too.kid-n-cats

After the above photo was taken, Rebeca—who also dabbles in necromancy—
brought Marly and Carly to life … and the kitties still wanted to sport their earrings!  zeela-earring pierced cat

Young or mature: everyone loves Fauxcings™!

Photo credit: Béria L. Rodríguez @ Wikimedia Commons

Photo credit: Béria L. Rodríguez @ Wikimedia Commons

Rebeca recommends using Fauxings™ to spruce up everyday accessories and household objects, bringing out the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Got a shirt with a hole? Don’t bother fixing it — instead, Fauxce™ it!pierced-shirt pierced-shirt-close

Take a travel pack of Fauxcings™ to restaurants; and add some bling to your silverware.
You’ll have the best looking spoon in the joint.
Sure, you might choke, but what is life without a little risk?spoon-piercing

 

If you like what you see above, you can purchase Fauxcings™ here in 7 sizes and 1 dozen beautiful colors in Anodized Aluminum. Go small and delicate with D20 and F20 size (20 gauge), all the way up to massive size X12 rings – 12 gauge 7/16″. Purchase colorful mix packs, so you can swap out your Fauxcings™ to match your clothes! A different Fauxcing™ every day!

Use code FAUXCING at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase of Blue Buddha’s premium Anodized Aluminum rings (offer ends at 11:59 pm CT Wednesday April 1, 2015)

shop-now-button

Even celebrities have been spotted with Fauxcings™.

Photo credit - Kurt Kulac - Jennifer Lawrence at 214. "Wetten, dass.. ?" show in Graz, 8. Nov. 2014 - via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credit – Kurt Kulac – Jennifer Lawrence at 214. “Wetten, dass.. ?” show in Graz, 8. Nov. 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons

 
Make a statement – tell the whole world you aren’t afraid to bring out your inner (colorful) rebel.close-up-tongue

 

What do you think of Fauxcings™? Have you had one?
Do you want one now?


Leave us a comment below, or post a link/tag us on Instagram
with hashtag #fauxcing to show off your Fauxcing™!

Disclaimer: jump rings are not intended for use as fauxcings on humans, animals or other objects. Improper use may result in injury, death or lifelong mockery. In other words, don’t try this at home.

Artisan Market Monday: Poise by Cinnamon Cooper

Posted by | 2 Comments | Read More / Add Comment

 

IMG_20150326_153009

Though it’s still a bit chilly here in Chicago, we’re already dreaming of lunch time picnics along the lakefront that will be happening oh-so-soon!  What better way to package up some delicious noms than these beautiful handmade lunch bags?  Cinnamon Cooper creates both waxed canvas rolltop lunch bags and lined, zipper-closure snack and sandwich bags, so you can have a whole set to get you through lunchtime in style!

These bags are eco-friendly, water resistant, and easy to clean.   Better yet, they come with a lifetime warranty too!  Poise also carries a line of messenger bags, wristlets, and dopp bags as well, so no matter what you need to carry, Poise has you covered in style.

 

More about her work:  “Cinnamon Cooper taught herself to sew on her Holly Hobby sewing machine when she was a wee lass. She made the cutest outfits for her cats and dolls. When she got older it took a while for her skills to catch up with her style. Eventually she realized that sewing handbags and totes was great fun because they didn’t have to fit her hips or her waist. About the same time, she got huge urges to help save the world and began making and donating bags to raise money for non-profit organizations. The ego boosts she received from these sales, combined with an ever-increasing fabric stash, made her swallow her fear and create www.Poise.cc — a small handbag empire where politics are fashionable and where handbags are designed to suit your purse-onality.”

IMG_20150326_152909

April Maillers’ Choice Colorway Voting

Posted by | 4 Comments | Read More / Add Comment

 

We’ve picked out some bright, shiny colorways… Now, we need your help to select the colorway for our April Maillers’ Choice kit. The Byzantine Medallion is brilliant with dark accents. Our bright aluminum rings will really  make the AA accents just pop with color and contrast! Vote for your favorite colorway at the link below!

 

Full-72dpi-300  72 dpi-600

 

 

This month, your choices are:

1. ALUM w/ Black & Violet AA (sample photo)

BlackAA-250   AA-VIOL

2. ALUM w/ Red & Blue AA 

RED-250px   BLUE-250px

3. ALUM w/Lime & Purple AA

LIME-250px   PURP-250px

 

votenowbutton

5 Reasons to Shop at Blue Buddha Boutique

Posted by | One Comment | Read More / Add Comment

As owner of Blue Buddha Boutique, I want you to know that I appreciate each of our customers and fans. For a small business like ours, every single order is important. Over the years, we’ve often asked you what you think, and you’ve given us some great feedback and advice. I wanted to let you know about improvements we’ve made based on your suggestions and give you five reasons to shop at Blue Buddha Boutique.

1. Our new, LOWER prices

PCK-250pxThe number one bit of feedback we’ve received in the past two years has been about our pricing. We listened and took action. We negotiated better prices with our vendors, and last month we were able to pass on these savings to you by lowering our jump ring prices and changing our discount structure, allowing you to save more money when purchasing in bulk.

This means your dollars will go further, especially for aluminum and our made-in-the-USA anodized aluminum loose jump rings.

Look for this symbol on our website to know that your ring packs are eligible for our mix ‘n’ match discount, saving you up to an additional 20% off your jewelry-making supplies.

 

2. FAST order fulfillment

We admit that we were slammed with orders for a while and weren’t able to keep up with demand. To address this, we implemented some new warehouse procedures that allow us to fill orders more efficiently. Additionally, we hired an “on-call” staff who can work extra hours when we have an influx of orders.

The result? In the past few months, 95% of orders less than $250 have shipped within 24 hours, Monday-Friday, and 90% of all orders have shipped within 2 business days. We’re working on getting even faster, too. We know the sooner the product leaves our warehouse, the sooner you can get started on your project!

 

3. NEW jewelry-making components, only available at Blue Buddha

We are excited to bring you two product lines that you won’t find elsewhere – our Faux Gold and silicone rubber rings.

faux gold

Use Blue Buddha’s new Faux Gold anodized aluminum jump rings in 21 sizes to create affordable, elegant chainmaille. We are the only supplier with so many sizes of gold anodized aluminum. B3’s Faux Gold rings will not tarnish, thereby keeping your piece as beautiful as the day you created it. The look of gold, at a fraction of the price.

 

silicone rubber rings Blue Buddha Boutique is proud to introduce our exclusive line of shiny, stretchy and vibrant rubber O-rings.

These closed, non-latex rubber rings help you finish many traditional chainmaille weaves faster, resulting in flexible and stretchable pieces. You can also fold and manipulate the rubber O-rings to create spectacular patterns that you can’t achieve with metal alone. We worked directly with a manufacturer to have these rings created especially for us – you won’t find them elsewhere!

Our rubber rings are made in our most popular sizes to match our anodized aluminum best-sellers, and therefore work in lots of common chainmaille weaves.

 

 4. Blue Buddha supports ARTISANS

Nadja AllerYou probably know that we work with artisans across the world to bring you the most stunning  chainmaille designs we can find. What you may not know is that the artisans receive royalties and commissions when we sell kits and instructions for their designs. This is one reason why we charge for our instructions — so that we can support the designers who came up with the patterns in the first place and who have generously agreed to share their secrets with the world, allowing others to re-create (and sell!) that same pattern.Dan Rychtarik  They put time and energy into creating their designs, and we believe they should be compensated for their efforts. Through our website and our ads in international publications, we showcase our designers’ work to hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, giving them access to many new potential fans.

We sell our kits and instructions separately so you can choose to purchase just the instructions if you already have jump rings, or you can purchase multiple kits without needing to pay for the instructions multiple times. And of course, you can buy both together–at a discount!

Have you created a chainmaille design that you want to share with the world? See our FAQ on becoming a Blue Buddha Designer to learn more on how to submit your piece and earn royalties for each instruction that we sell.

 

5. Chaimaille TIPS ‘N’ TRICKS and other crafty goodness on our YouTube Channel

For the past year we’ve been adding videos to our channel on YouTube with ideas and information to improve your chainmaille technique.  We’ve got lots more videos in the works, including weave tutorials.  Some of our most popular videos:

YouTube-logo-full_color
Check out our playlists and subscribe to ourYouTube channel today!

 

Email iconIf you want to be the first to hear about new products and designs, and receive special subscriber-only offers, then sign up for our Mailler’s Newsletter today! (If you’re already subscribed but haven’t been getting our emails, check your spam folder or your Promotions folder in Gmail. Sometimes they get buried.)

rebeca-ooak-2014We hope to “see” you soon, either on our website, on social media or in our Chicago retail shop. If you have any questions about ordering or our products, or any suggestions and feedback in general, please drop us a line at [email protected]. We appreciate your business and look forward to helping you make beautiful chainmaille jewelry soon.

Happy weaving!
RM-sig