A few of our favorite things: April 2014

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If you follow us closely on our page on Facebook or via Twitter, then you know that we recently launched our brand new YouTube channel (yes, we had an old one but it wouldn’t play nicely with our Google+ page so you’ll need to resubscribe to this new channel.)  We’ve been busy adding videos of chainmaille techniques, jewelry projects and more.  You can expect to see new videos each week so make sure to visit often!

About once a month we’ll post our “Favorite Things” video that features some of our new tools, projects and supplies. This month, our Social Media & Marketing Assistant Betsy shows off our new Bead Smith 1-Step Looping tool, our recently launched B3 Steel Collection (which includes a new stainless steel lobster claw) and a new project from B3 team member April that has a free PDF download right here on our website.

Try out one of these new products or projects?  Let us know what you think in the comments section of the video or right here on our blog.

Happy Weaving!

Free Instructions Now Included in Maillers’ Choice Kits!

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The headline sums it up, but let us explain.

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You might be asking, “Well, why are they free now? Maillers’ Choice has been around for a while.” We reached out to our Maillers’ Choice subscribers for their feedback on a variety of aspects of the program. A fair amount of folks expressed that it was frustrating that they had to buy the instructions separately. We can totally relate to wanting to just sit down and get started with a project right away and agreed something about this needed to change.

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Zeela – April’s Mailler’s Choice kit!

Originally, we didn’t include the instructions in Maillers’ Choice kits because, at the time, most subscribers already owned them (or at least a variation of the weave) for a majority of the kits. (Our kits and instructions are always sold separately to allow the greatest flexibility for our customers who might already have the rings on hand for a new project, or who want to buy multiple kits without paying for instructions over and over.) When we initially launched Maillers’ Choice, we created it with a similar thought process in mind. Basically, we didn’t want to force folks to pay for something twice! But, time has passed, and subscribers are now letting us know that they, in fact, often don’t already own the instructions for kits they receive each month. Or, other folks wanted to give a gift subscription but didn’t want the recipient to have to buy the instructions each month.

Based on all this feedback, we made the decision to include instructions—at no additional cost—to every Maillers’ Choice kit* beginning with March 2014. To those of you who are Maillers’ Choice members, you have made an investment in B3. THANK YOU! We truly appreciate your commitment to supporting us as a company. We hope you (and future Maillers’ Choice subscribers) enjoy this added value to the program!

*This perk is for Maillers’ Choice subscription members ONLY; if you purchase a Maillers’ Choice kit a la carte, you will need to buy the instructions separately.)

 

We Want to See YOU in a B3 Ad!

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Are you ready for your close-up?

As many of you already know, we attend the Bead&Button show each year and have a half-page ad in the program that lets attendees know who we are and encourages them to come check us out. This year, we want this ad to be focused on the people that make us who we are. That’s where you come in!

We are looking for quotes and photos to feature in this ad and other potential marketing materials, including print ads in magazines, our blog, online ads, website, etc. If you would be interested in participating, here’s what we need:

QUOTES
Share a B3 highlight! If you had to give a 1-2 sentence review of Blue Buddha, what would you say? You can make it a general impression or more specific (talking about a product or service we offer that you love). Try to keep it short or let us know if it’s okay to edit if you make it longer.

PHOTOS
Betsy-tuesdaySend us a picture of you with something (or more than one thing) you made using Blue Buddha products. It’s important that your item use ONLY B3 products just because we don’t want to get into an false advertising messiness. Please send us headshot-style photos that show your face as well as the piece(s) very clearly. Selfies are fun but it’s probably better to grab a friend to take your picture for this one. *wink* Photos should be 300dpi and at least 900px wide.

Please submit your quotes and photos as soon as possible—production deadlines are creeping up on us :) Email them to us at [email protected]. Any questions? Let us know! Thank so much for your help—we can’t wait to see your shining faces!

Help Us Customize the April Maillers’ Choice Kit!

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Below you can vote for the kit we will release in April! subscribe-MC

Love Maillers’ Choice? Join the club! Subscribe and you’ll automatically receive every Maillers’ Choice kit in your mailbox each month. Also, there’s been an update for Maillers’ Choice subscribers: As of March 2014, instructions for each month’s kit are FREE!
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We’re looking ahead to April, so that means it’s time for you to help us customize next month’s Maillers’ Choice kit!

KIT-ZEELA-ALUM-300pxWe’ll be featuring Zeela, a Half Persian 3-in-1 variation enhanced with colored AA jump rings. Half Persian 3-in-1 is actually half of the round Full Persian. It can be tricky to get started, but once you master it, the weave flies along.

This design is one of Rebeca’s. She explained, “The Zeela variation shown here is named for my cat. As an avid cat person, I’d always wanted to name a weave after one of my cats. Zed and Apollo were already taken as weave names, so this weave is named after Apollo’s daughter, Zeela. However, she seems rather unimpressed by the honor.” votenowbutton

Two versions of the kit will be available—copper and aluminum. (The sample pictured here is aluminum with pink and violet AA rings.) Click here select your favorite AA colors for each kit.

 

Help Us Choose the March Maillers’ Choice Color

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Tapered Helm ChainYou know what they say about the best laid plans, right? Well, that’s the case with Beaded Fire Wyrm—what was supposed to be February’s (and then March’s) Maillers’ Choice kit. We gave it our best shot, but the rings and beads just wouldn’t lay right. Beaded Fire Wrym—while it’s an awesome weave—is fickle, and even the slightest variation in either the rings or beads will make it less-than-amazing. We don’t want to send out a project that won’t turn out perfectly, so sadly, we have retire it (at least for now).votenowbutton

Instead, the March Maillers’ Choice kit will be Tapered Helm Chain Necklace, designed by B3’s Full-Spectrum Filler & Inspectionista April Hannah Llewellyn. This project is especially great for beginners who want to take on a little more of a challenge by following a pattern closely and using multiple ring sizes.

AA samplesThis necklace kit will come in aluminum, with an AA color accent (our sample here is violet). Vote now to help us choose what color kit we’ll send out for March! The color options are black, purple, yellow, violet and blue.