Physical Wellness for Crafters: Video Demonstrations

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Crafting has a number of benefits: it reduces stress, helps keep your mind sharp, and of course, delivers the sweet satisfaction of making beautiful things. Having a creative outlet can help balance our busy lives. But crafting, when done for long stretches of time or in poor posture, can leave you feeling not-so-great.

Rebeca (B3 owner and creative guru) is no stranger to long hours weaving tiny metal rings together. (Need proof? Check out her amazing award-winning chainmaille mandala.) She’s done a series of videos demonstrating how she keeps her body from feeling the effects of long hours mailling.

Hand Exercises for Crafters
Here are some simple techniques for strengthening your hands and fingers, which are great for crafters who experience fatigue. Rebeca demonstrates some tools she uses, as well as information about hand exercises.

Stretches for Crafters
If you experience neck and shoulder pain after long sessions of crafting whether that be making chainmaille jewelry or other detailed crafts like knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch, beading or quilting, this video is for you. Here, Rebeca shares two simple stretches that she frequently uses to relieve pain associated with “crafter’s hunch.”

Eye Yoga
Yes, eye yoga. It sounds silly, but these are actually some simple techniques for strengthening and relaxing your eye muscles. These tips are great for crafters who experience eye strain or worsening vision.

“Color My World” Featured in Chain Maille E-Book Collection

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Chain maille ebook

We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Interweave Press–publishers of Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry magazine–on a new kit that will accompany their new e-book, The Ultimate Chain Maille Collection.

Color My World will use B3 aluminum and rubber jump rings and is the only kit included in the price of this e-book bundle.

This is a very limited opportunity: The Ultimate Chain Maille Collection will only be available through the month of November, so order yours now!

 

KIT-INCLINED-ALUM-bigBonus: Each purchase of The Ultimate Chain Maille Collection includes a coupon for 10% off your next Blue Buddha kit purchase.

The Ultimate Chain Maille Collection also includes several chainmaille tutorials, one of which is Inclined to Shine by B3 team member Kat Wisniewski. 

Happy weaving!

Vote for Two Colorways for the November Maillers’ Choice Kit!

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Celtic Wreath Blue Buddha

The Celtic Wreath shown here is the all metal version in the Poinsettia colorway.

We can try and savor fall as much as possible, but whether we like it or not, winter and all of her chilly holidays are on their way. If we can’t control the weather and months that seem to fly by at the speed of light, we might as well do some crafting and make our days a little shinier!

This November, our Maillers’ Choice kit will be the Celtic Wreath. This project is fun, festive and versatile: hang it as an ornament or wear it as a pendant! It’s great as either.

votenowbuttonThe twist this month? We’re asking you to vote for your favorite colorway of two versions of this design — one that is all metal and one that is aluminum and rubber!

Get those votes in for your favorite two colorways and we’ll see you again in mid-November with the results. 

 

Related info: Learn more about how to care for rubber o-rings here.

 

We’ve Been Busy! The DIY Trunk Show is On the Horizon

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As we plan, plan and plan some more – we can hardly believe that the 2014 DIY Trunk Show is less than one month away!

For some history and context, here’s how Blue Buddha came to produce this show, and we’re now joined by Edgewater Artists in Motion as well!

Chicago friends, we hope you’ll be able to join us 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Broadway Armory (at the corner of Broadway and Thorndale, just a few blocks from B3 HQ). We’ve worked hard to bring you the most diverse, creative, fun experience to kick off your holiday shopping season. In addition some of the most talented artists in the Midwest, we’ll have food, beverages (yes, the grown-kind), a DJ on the main floor, and live music in the upper-level dining area.

For complete details about the show, visit www.diytrunkshow.com, like the DIY Trunk Show Facebook page, and RSVP to the Facebook event.

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Sponsored by:

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Weaving Wednesdays & Ask Rebeca: Flex Those Creative Muscles!

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As we hit “publish” on this post, many of the B3 team will be heading into our classroom to participate in our weekly event, Weaving Wednesdays. (Yes, we know how lucky we are to work here!)

Weaving Wednesdays is part professional development, part team building exercise, part creative stimulation and part fun. We teach and learn from one another, and get the opportunity to play with the bevy of jump rings we have at our disposal. It’s time like this that we get to tinker with weaves – and sometimes even come up with new ones. Which leads to a question Rebeca gets asked A LOT.

“How do you come up with new weaves?”

So here is a challenge for YOU! Host your own version of Weaving Wednesday (doesn’t have to be today, but try for this week). Find some time to sit down and experiment with Helm Chain. Add to it, twist it, deconstruct it – whatever. See what happens! Then, head to our Facebook page or comment here and post a photo of what you came up with – and we want to see the great results, and even the not-so-great ones.

Flex those creative muscles and see what happens. (And hey, if it’s great, consider submitting it for our B3 Guest Designer program!)

Happy weaving!