Help Us Customize the August Maillers’ Choice Kit!

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OmniCurvedHodoWe love seeing what you vote for each month for the Maillers’ Choice kits. Sometimes it’s like you read our minds, and sometimes you vote for something we didn’t really consider and it makes us say, “Of course! It looks great that way!”

So, what will you come up with for August’s Maillers’ Choice? Take a look at Omni’s Curved Hodo Choker and vote for the color to be used for the tiny connector rings (the sample uses all aluminum; the larger rings will stay plain aluminum). Tell us what your favorite is!

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We Have a Winner of the Guess How Many Rings are in the Jar Contest

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Thank you so much to everyone who submitted guesses of how many L16 AA jump rings are in the jar!

imageWe received guesses between 2,000 and 3,000,000, and the winner – whose guess was within just a few hundred of the actual number of rings – is Leah R.! Leah guessed 19,756 and the actual number of rings in the jar was 19,485!

Congratulations, Leah. You are the winner of a B3 goody bag valued at approximately $75. Here’s a peek at what’s coming your way :-) Please email us at [email protected] so that we can arrange the shipment of your prize.

Happy weaving!

 

Free & Easy Jewelry Project: Vintage Floral Burst Earrings!

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Vintage Floral Burst Earrings, designed by Kat Wisniewski, Blue Buddha Boutique Designer
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This vintage-inspired, summer-loving design uses pops of aqua to complement the beautiful bronze and copper tones. These simple earrings incorporate copper and glass chainmaille for an added touch of sophistication. The inspiration for this project came from the gorgeous Copper and Teal Flower Component itself; Kat was immediately drawn to both the color palette and the shape. Give them a try!

Materials
2 Copper & Teal Flower Components (available from Cousin Corp.)
2 Niobium earwires (in Curry)
2 large Copper Jump Rings in size Z16 (16 SWG 15/32″ // 11.9mm)
12 medium Copper Jump Rings in size M18 (18 SWG 17/64″// 6.7mm)
2 glass rings (9.5 mm OD x 3.5mm ID)
20 size 6 Miyuki seed beads*

*Even though the size of these beads are quite consistent overall, you may need to have more than 20 beads on hand to ensure the large jump ring fits through them. Also, Miyuki is more likely to work than Czech size 6, which have slightly smaller holes. 

Prep: Attach one earwire to each of the flower components by gently opening the loop on the earwire, weaving it through the hole on the component, and closing the loop again with your pliers. Set these aside until Step 2.

 

1. Add 10 seed beads to the large ring and close the ring. 01
2. With a medium ring, scoop up a glass ring and also weave through your beaded ring from Step 1. Before closing, also weave through the Copper and Teal Flower components you prepped. Close the ring.floralburst23
3.  Weave a medium ring through the glass ring within your unit and continue to weave it around the large ring.  Before closing ensure that there are 5 beads on either side of this medium ring.  Close the ring. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
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4.  Finish your earring by weaving 2 additional medium rings on both sides of the center medium ring (5 rings total including the ring added in step 3). Make sure to trap a bead in between each medium ring before closing each one. (Click on photos to enlarge.) floralburst910Repeat steps 1-4 to complete your other earring. You’re done!

Contest Time: Guess How Many Jump Rings are in the Jar!

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Click photo for a larger view.

When we have a booth at a craft show or festival, obviously, we love showing off our love of chainmaille. We also like to have some fun with our visitors! Who doesn’t love a good contest and winning free things?!

Last month, at the 2014 Bead&Button Show, we revived our Guess How Many Jump Rings are in the Jar contest. We placed our trusty jar on the counter and the entries piled up. Guesses came in for a couple hundred (um, nope) to a couple million (again, nope). The winner of that contest was SO CLOSE to the actual number — she definitely deserved her prize.

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Click photo for a larger view.

We know not everyone can come see us at shows, *sniff* so here’s your chance to win the online version of Guess How Many Jump Rings are in the Jar contest! Based on these photos — which include a few angles and a ruler for scale; the rings are L16 AA. The round jar is approximately 9.5 inches tall and 5.5 inches wide. If you’re familiar with the jars full of pretzels that you can buy at warehouse stores, then you’ve got the idea.

Give us your best guess in the comments, or email us at [email protected] with the words JAR CONTEST and your guess in the subject line of the email by Monday, July 14, 2014.

The entry closest to the actual number of rings in the jar will win a B3 goody bag valued at approximately $75!

Happy guessing!

 

 

Time to Customize the July Maillers’ Choice Kit!

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For July’s Maillers’ Choice kit, we’ll be releasing this Wide Mesh Cuff by our very own Aimee Leang. This is a great piece — wide enough to make a fun and colorful statement, but still light and airy.

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Now, we need your votes on what AA mix it should include! Pictured here, Aimee used a special Bright Colors AA mix that we think you’ll love as much as we do, but check out the voting link for all the available AA mix options.

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