Free & Easy Projects: Spike Earrings!

Often, chainmaille projects consist of hundreds or thousands of jump rings linked through/over/between/under each other, creating gorgeous, intricate weaves. This is not one of those projects. And we LOVE it! Pick up those pliers and make our newest free & easy project: Spike Earrings.

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Designed by B3 team member Darlene Ostrowski of Do Bats Eat Cats? fame, these earrings can be made in just three simple steps. They’re fun, lightweight, sculptural earrings unlike anything you’ll find in a store. 

Materials needed:
16 aluminum scales
4 anodized aluminum scales
2 medium jump rings (We used L16 AA; L = 1/4” (6.4 mm); 16ga SWG = 0.062” (1.6 mm).)
2 earwires
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Don’t have the necessary supplies handy? We’ve created kits for two colorways: aluminum with purple AA and aluminum with gold AA. Kits come with enough supplies for three pairs of earrings! Want to get creative? Grab a pack of our anodized aluminum scales

 

 

Nested Ring Wire Wrapping Class With Guest Instructor Aimee Leang!

While chainmaille is and always will be our one true love, sometimes, our eyes wander. We admit it — we have a crush on wire wrapping. *blushing* How can you blame us? Look at this gorgeous Nested Ring by our very own Aimee Leang.

CLS-NESTED-RING-MASTER-bigAnd you’re in luck, because Aimee will teach students how to make this ring in a beginner-level wire wrapping class at Blue Buddha on June 26th! This is a great introduction to wire wrapping, where students will learn how to make a nested ring with a stone and one piece of wire.

For details and registration: Nested Ring Wire Wrapping Class with Aimee Leang.

We asked Aimee to tell us more about the class, and she explained, “This is the first kind of wire ring I learned where you use a bead with a hole and I loved it because it was so fun and easy. I like that the design is simple yet elegant. It has a classic look that will never go out of style.”

She continued, “Students will learn some basic wire techniques, with a ring-based focus. I especially wanted for the ring sizers and wooden ring mandrels to be included with the price of class. Students get to keep these and can continue to make more rings after the class. The more you make the easier it is to remember what you learned and to improve your skills.”

There are just a few seats left, so sign up today!

Help Us Customize the June Maillers’ Choice Kit!

The June Maillers’ Choice kit will be a set of Ripple Double Spiral Necklace & Earrings, designed by B3 team member Darlene! This kit uses six rings sizes to create a gentle ripple through the weave.

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So, we’re asking you: Should the kit be plain aluminum, or aluminum and a color AA? (You’ll be able to select from several colors when you click to vote.)

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DIY Trunk Show 2014: Submit Your Application Now!

BRING ON THE CRAFT.

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We could not be more excited to announce that the DIY Trunk Show is back and it’s time to get those vendor applications in! The 2014 show will take place 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday, November 22, at the Broadway Armory (5917 N. Broadway in Chicago). Complete details are available on the APPLY page of the DIY Trunk Show website. We look forward to applications for all kinds of handmade goods, but are especially interested in adding more vendors in in the following categories: men’s items, pet items, candles/home goods and bath and body.

Take a minute to read over the information on the application page before diving into the application itself. In the meantime, here are some quick facts about the show and a snazzy video to get your blood pumping for this year!

  • More than 8,000 shoppers attended the most recent DIY Trunk Show.
  • All vendors in the show live/work within a 400 mile radius of Chicago.
  • 20-30% of our vendor spaces are reserved for first-time sellers.
  • Planned promotions for the show reach upwards of 1.1 million impressions.

If you’re not familiar with the beginnings of this amazing event, check out these blog posts on the beginnings of the DIY Trunk Show and then how B3 came to manage it.

We can’t wait to see everyone in November!

The Spring Cleaning Continues! Get These Kits Before They’re Discontinued

We’re lucky to have such a creative team who consistently comes up with new, amazing designs. Heck, in the last few weeks alone we launched Barrel Ride Necklace, Wobble Necklace, Rubber Interwoven Bracelet, three additional new Spring Seasonal kits and our latest Exclusive Collection kit, Niobium Sleek Cuff). Phew! Can we take a nap now? *wink*

With that said, it’s time to retire a few of our older kits. They’re still great projects, but discontinuing these will help us make room for even more fun new kits. Note: We’re just discontinuing the kits. You’ll still be able purchase the instructions, and then buy jump ring packs and findings to complete the project – just not all packaged together in neat little pre-counted packets. So, order these kits before they’re gone on June 15:

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