Chainmaille projects from B3 Designers in the newest issue of “Wirework”!

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Wirework Magazine Fall 2012

Pick up the latest issue of Wirework magazine to find instructions for two projects by B3 Designers Rebeca Mojica and Kat Wisniewski.  You can purchase Wirework Fall 2012 right here on our website.

Read more about these projects below including important notes about errors in the magazine!  Also, make sure to bookmark our Magazine Project Supplies page – we’ll be updating it soon with these projects and many more!

Chainmaille Bracelet“Coiled Butterfly” by Rebeca Mojica

Flip to page 24 to find instructions for Rebeca’s project.  Kits for “Coiled Butterfly” are also now available.  If you’re shopping for rings à la carte or gathering supplies from your own stash at home, please note that the mm conversions listed next to the 18ga rings in the magazine are incorrect.  The measurements listed are in AWG (1.0mm) but they should be in SWG (1.2mm).

Also note that the first ring size listed in the materials list (“A rings” which are the clasp rings) should be 18ga 1/8″ (3.2mm) – our size D18, not the size listed which would be our size G18.

“Coiled Butterfly” also scales up really nicely – check out the weave diagram below to make a larger version using base metal and anodized aluminum jump rings.

chainmaille weave diagram

(click for lagrer view)

Ring Sizes Used:
K16 = 16ga SWG 15/64″ (6.0 mm)
V16 = 16ga SWG 13/32″ (10.3 mm)
L16 = 16ga SWG 1/4″ (6.4 mm)
S16 = 16ga SWG 23/64″ (9.1 mm)
F18 = 18ga SWG 5/32″ (4.0 mm)
Clasp rings = G16 16ga SWG 11/64″ (4.4 mm)

Ring Counts – per inch (and for 7.5″ of material)
K16 = 1.5 rpi (12)
V16 = 1.5 rpi (12)
L16 = 6 rpi (48)
S16 = 3 rpi (24)
F18 = 6 rpi (48)

 

 

 

chainmaille bracelet using glass rings

Also in this issue is Kat’s project “Duplicate Duets” which we will be featuring as our “Maillers’ Choice” kit in September!  Again, it is important to note that the mm conversions listed for the 18ga rings in this project are AWG (1.0mm) but should be SWG (1.2mm).  Also note that ring counts listed are for 7″ of material.

Congratulations to July’s “Featured Product” contest winner!

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Voting for July’s Featured Product of the Month contest is officially closed and the winner as chosen by you is……

 

Lindsay L. with her piece “Danu’s Delight”


Congratulations, Lindsay! Your creativity has earned you a B3 gift certificate for $25! To claim your prize, please send an email to [email protected].

 

 

Copper chainmaille braceletFEATURED PRODUCT FOR AUGUST – Copper Jump Rings

For August, we’re inviting you to get creative with a classic! Copper is an awesome metal to work with – great for beginners because it’s easy to manipulate and it has a great weight. Combine it with other metals or colored rings or keep it simple, whatever you do – get creating!

Learn more about using copper! Read more about this metal and how to care for the jewelry you create with it in our FAQ.

August “Featured Product” contest!

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Copper chainmaille braceletFor August, we’re inviting you to get creative with a classic!  Copper is an awesome metal to work with – great for beginners because it’s easy to manipulate and it has a great weight.  Combine it with other metals or colored rings or keep it simple, whatever you do – get creating!

Learn more about using copper!  Read more about this metal and how to care for the jewelry you create with it in our FAQ. 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:




Make a project which primarily uses our featured product. The project can most definitely use other rings and components, but the featured product should really be the star of the piece. Please see the complete rules and details below for more information about qualifications.




Take a picture of your project and submit it using our official Featured Product Contest form (link below.) You may post the piece online somewhere and provide us with a link, or upload it directly in the form. You will be asked to provide your name and an email address we can use to contact you in case anything goes wrong with your submission—or if you are the winner of the contest!

GO TO THE SUBMISSION FORM

Submissions are closed at midnight CT on 15th of every month and are limited to 2 entry pieces per person.



Get Votes! Submissions will close on the 15th of each month at which point the B3 Staff will choose our favorites. The top entries will be eligible for voting through a survey which we will post to our blog. If you are one of the finalists, feel free to share the link with friends via email, Facebook, Twitter or any other means.

Voting will close on the last day of the month.

 


We will award the top voted finalist each month with a $25 B3 Gift Certificate and will feature YOUR project in a special blog post and possibly even future B3 ads to inspire fellow chainmaillers all over the world.



Complete contest rules and details: Submissions are limited to 2 per person and must use the featured product of the month as determined by Blue Buddha Boutique. The project is not required to be made from Blue Buddha Boutique rings, however any winning projects that use primarily rings from another supplier or rings made by the artist will not be eligible for posting on our blog or use in our ads to prevent false advertising. Pieces do not have to be specially created for the contest but should be no more than 12 months old. Current employees and interns of Blue Buddha Boutique are not eligible for this contest. Finalists are chosen by Blue Buddha Boutique and voted upon anonymously by the public to determine a winner. Submissions may be disqualified at the discretion of Blue Buddha Boutique if they are deemed inappropriate in any way. If a winner does not claim their prize within 15 days of notification, the second place winner will be awarded the prize.

B3 at Edgewater’s “Edge Fest” – August 4th & 5th

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Blue Buddha will be rocking out at Edgewater’s “Edge Fest” this coming weekend, August 4th and 5th.  We’re pretty darn excited to be part of this festival (which is slated to have a wide variety of food, vendors and music on 2 stages) , especially since it’s in our new neighborhood.  Our new retail location will be opening just a few blocks away from the fest in Fall 2012!

Stop by our booth between noon and 7:30pm both days to shop a selection of our popular kits and supplies as well as participate in our “Guess How Many Rings!” contest.  Come by at 12pm, 2pm or 5pm for your chance to make one of our fun “Make + Take” projects!  Also, be sure to stop by the Chicago Craft Mafia’s booth to shop Rebeca Mojica finished jewelry as well as other awesome local handmade goods!

We hope many of our local fans are able to make it out to support our new neighborhood.  We got to see firsthand how supportive this ‘hood is of crafters last year when The DIY Trunk Show moved to the Broadway Armory.  Since finding our new space in the neighborhood, we’ve continuously felt welcomed and supported and we haven’t even officially moved yet!  So come out and show some love to this great neighborhood (plus, we always love seeing your smiling faces in person!)

Visit the fest’s event page for more information about Edge Fest!

Kickstart a new destination for chainmaillers!

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As many of you know, we will be moving into our first ever retail space later this year.  Not only are we beyond excited to move into a larger space with room for our team to…uh…breath? *grin* but we are so stoked to be able to create a destination for maillers both near and far.  Our new space will aim to be a local hangout, a place for inspiration and learning and a destination for maillers from around the world.  And no, we don’t think those goals are too lofty!

As with most lofty goals however, this build out does come with a price and we need your help to make it everything we know it can be.  In the next month or so, we are planning to launch a Kickstarter campaign that will leverage the amazing passion and support that has cropped up around chainmaille (and specifically the Blue Buddha brand) to help fund this space.  If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, it is a funding platform for creative projects.  Projects start with an idea, are posted to the website and folks who want to see the project become a reality contribute money to reach the funding goal.  These supporters (called “backers” on the site) in turn receive exclusive rewards for their generosity.

Basically, through this campaign your contributions (whether large or small) will be able to make a lasting mark on our craft.

That said, we think you deserve some really cool rewards for being willing to make a contribution to this project!  We had a ball brainstorming as much cool stuff as we could to use for our campaign’s “backer rewards”, but we want to see if YOU think these rewards are compelling enough to make this campaign a success.  We also want to hear what rewards you think would be awesome that we weren’t able to dream up.

Take the survey to get a sneak peek at our rewards and make suggestions for things you’d want to receive!  Also, make sure you’re on our mailing list to receive updates about our campaign as well as our new space.