Using Colored Jump Rings in Chainmaille Jewelry

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Using colored jump rings in your maille creatively and strategically can completely change the look of a weave and is one of Rebeca’s personal favorite tricks.  We’ve made lots of posts about color over the years and have rounded them all up here in honor of June’s “Featured Product of the Month Contest”.  We hope these posts inspire you!  Feel free to share your favorite color resources in the comments below or by posting them to our page on Facebook.

From the B3 Blog


Anodized Aluminum for Chainmaille JewelryColor Palettes that Rock!
Color palettes using our enameled copper jump rings inspired by B3’s favorite bands.

Spring 2012 Color Forecast
Fashion color forecast for Spring 2012 using B3 jump rings.

Coordinating Swarovski® crystal beads & anodized niobium jump rings (B3 quick reference guide)
Find the perfect match for your next project using crystals and niobium jump rings.

Color Inspiration for Chainmaille JewelryFAQ: Does B3 have findings to match anodized aluminum rings?
The search continues for the perfect USA-based manufacturer for anodized aluminum findings. In the meantime, here are some ideas for finishing your colored ring pieces.

Fall 2011 Color Forecast
Fashion color forecast from Fall 2011 using B3 jump rings.

Spring 2011 Color Forecast
Fashion color forecast from Spring 2011 using B3 jump rings.

Other sites


Colorful Chainmaille JewelryDiscover Chainmaille with Rebeca Mojica on Stick Craft Create: Blog
Lots of color information in this guest post from Rebeca in honor of National Craft Month.

Anodized Aluminum Color Fades on RebecaMojica.com

Learn more about your anodized aluminum jump rings:


How anodized aluminum rings are madeAnodized Aluminum 101: Color Variation is just a fact of life
The first part in our series all about anodized aluminum jump rings.

Anodized Aluminum 101: Visit to an aluminum anodizing factory
A look behind the scenes at the creation of your anodized aluminum rings.

Anodized Aluminum 101: Why is there no white anodized aluminum?
A great explanation about how the dyes interact with the rings and why there is no white AA.

Celebrating products made in the USA!
We are incredibly proud to offer 100% Made-in-the-USA anodized aluminum jump rings!

Closing for Bead&Button Show Prep!

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Due to preparation for the Bead&Button show,
Blue Buddha Boutique will be closed starting Sunday May 27th.

We will reopen on Monday June 4th at 10:00 CST.


During this time, you may continue to place orders through our website however ONLY Express Orders will be processed and shipped.  All orders placed by midnight CT on Saturday the 26th will ship out as normal. Internet orders placed after 12:01 a.m. CT Sunday and later will begin shipping on Monday, June 4th and will ship in the order in which they were received.   We are unable to accept phone orders during this time, except for orders that will be picked up at the Bead&Button show (see below).

Thanks for your patience. We are looking forward to seeing some of you at the show!

 


BEAD&BUTTON SHOW PICKUP ORDERS
Blue Buddha Boutique: Booth #1154 + 3 more!

We will be accepting pickup orders for the Bead&Button Show until 5pm CT on Thursday May 31st.  If you are planning a trip to the Bead&Button Show, you can shop our entire inventory and put together an order that will be waiting for you at our booth! We won’t be bringing our entire inventory with us and have also been known to sell out of many products at the show so this is the best way to make sure you get everything you need at the show.

To request a pickup order, you must call 866.602.7464 or email [email protected] by 5pm CT on Thursday May 31.  All pickup orders must be paid in advance.

Great reasons to place your pickup order:

  • We’ll give you discounts on anything you order that would be discounted on the show floor. (See below for some of our show specials!)
  • By paying in advance, you avoid paying the sales tax that you’d be required to pay if you purchased at the show.
  • A much wider selection of products are available to you — you won’t be disappointed if we’ve sold out of something at the booth.

Take advantage of these show specials and more by placing your pickup order:

  • 10% off all kits – base metal and silver kits are eligible!
  • Special Mix ‘n’ Match 250 packs: All our 250 packs in ANY BASE METAL (ALUM, BRNZ, COPP, JBRS, SSTL, AA and EC/ECS) are 10% off, even if you buy just one pack! Buy 10 packs and save 20%, and buy 20 packs to save 30%. For pickup orders – you can also mix and match BRNZ or SSTL packs of 250 (or 100 packs in 14ga) and get the same savings. We will not have BRNZ and SSTL at the show!
  • Mix ‘n’ Match Silver and Niobium and save! Buy 5+ packs of SILV and/or NIOB and save 5%; 10+ packs save 10%, 15+ packs, save 15%. (We’ll only have 50 packs of SILV and 100 packs of most NIOB sizes at the show but for pickup orders, you can mix and match ANY of our standard size packs to qualify for the discount!)
  • Hodgepodges are buy 2 get 1 free

If your pickup order qualifies you for any of our show discounts, we will gladly adjust your receipt so you can take advantage of the show special!

Cast your vote for this month’s “Featured Product Contest”!

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CAST YOUR VOTE NOW!

Submissions for May’s Featured Product of the Month Contest are closed and the B3 team has completed the difficult job of narrowing down the finalists, which means it’s time for YOU to cast your vote to determine the winner. Folks this month were asked to show off their stainless steel creations.  Competition was fierce and we had the most submission this we’ve every had!  Voting will close May 31st. Voting is only allowed once per computer so choose wisely!


To share the survey, we recommend you copy the link to this blog post and use that in any emails, blog posts, or social media posts you’d like to make about it (we’ve noticed some weirdness in the past with sharing the link directly – it sometimes like to bump people out of voting that haven’t already.)

Get a sneak peak at the all of our finalists below:


               

 

FEATURED PRODUCT FOR JUNE – Colored jump rings!

We thought we’d do something a little different for June and broaden the materials choices while honing in on a skill – the creative use of color.  Using colored jump rings in your maille creatively and strategically can completely change the look of a weave.  We want to see your best and more creative uses of color.  Pieces can use any of our colored rings including anodized aluminum, enameled copper and anodized niobium.

Check out this blog post for some notes about color from Rebeca!

Driver needed for Bead&Button Show 2012!

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Driver and Helper wanted


Driver:
Blue Buddha needs someone who can drive from Chicago to Milwaukee (and back) in a rented U-Haul truck for the Bead&Button show.

Driver will pickup the U-Haul in Chicago on Wednesday June 6th at 7:30 am.  You’ll help load items into the truck in Chicago, travel to Milwaukee and help deliver the items to our booth. During show set-up, the movers may be asked to help assemble the “shell” of the booth, mostly gridwall, and/or assist in setting up some of the inventory items. You’ll drive back to Chicago that afternoon.  Some items will have to go back to the B3 studio and then you will be required to drop the U-Haul off at the U-Haul facility

We will also need someone to pick up a U-Haul  in Chicago at 12:00 noon on Sunday June 10th.  The driver and helper will assist with show tear down, loading the truck in Milwaukee and unloading back at B3.  The driver will then return the truck to the U-Haul facility.

Helper:

The helper will assist with loading and unloading and will ride along with the driver to and from Milwaukee.  The helper will also be responsible for keeping a journal entry of arrival and departure times and noting any anomalies that caused delays.

Hours:

Wednesday, June 6 — 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (hours might be less, depending on how fast we load. Hours include driving from Chicago to Milwaukee and back.)

Sunday, June 10 — 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (hours might be less, depending on how fast we tear down. Hours include driving from Chicago to Milwaukee and back.)

Wages & Compensation:
$15 /hr for all truck driving duties (or $30/hr worth of B3 supplies).

If you are the helper/passenger to or from Milwaukee and do not drive, you will receive a flat rate of $15 for each one-way trip.

Both the driver and helper will receive $10/hr for all loading/unloading/schlepping/journal-entry duties (or $15/hr worth of B3 supplies).  You will receive a food stipend of $15.00 cash for each day you work.

If you cannot drive or help on both days please contact us anyway.  Depending on our responses, a one day opportunity may be very welcome!

Experience/Qualifications/Skills:

Valid driver’s license and insurance required for the 1-2 drivers. (We will screen your driving record.)

Willingness and ability to lift up to 40 lbs and physically exert yourself for a 2-3 hour period. Some heavier lifting (up to 80 lbs) might be required, but those items will be few and far between. No chainmaille experience necessary.

If you are required to pay for personal car parking (at U-Haul), Blue Buddha will reimburse you up to $10.00.

If you are interested in this position please email [email protected].

Our website has a new look – and a new shopping cart!

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We have been working diligently over the last several months to revamp how our website works.  Most changes affect the “behind the scenes” aspect of B3, but there are some front-end changes you are going to notice as of Thursday night (May 17th.)

Most notably, we have a new shopping cart and checkout system!  This new system largely eliminates interactions with PayPal, although not completely (more below) – but it should DEFINITELY eliminate disappearing shopping carts.  (Those of you have experienced this are surely breathing a sigh of relief right now!)

 

In addition to the new shopping cart and checkout process, there are some other neat changes including a new Mix ‘n’ Match discount and a whole new look to the our “Kits + Instructions” section now call “Projects”.

 

There are more tweaks and features on the horizon for us for sure, but we hope this initial burst of upgrades improves your shopping experience as much as we think it will.  As always, we welcome your feedback and will do our best to answer all your questions and concerns about the changes.  Please feel free to send us an email at [email protected] at any time.

No more PayPal – well, much LESS PayPal!

Ultimately, we will move away from PayPal completely.  For now, we’ve moved MOSTLY away.  You shopping cart will now be housed right on our site until you decide you’re ready to proceed to payment.  Payments will still be handled through PayPal (as always, you don’t need a PayPal account to pay – just a credit card.)  Basically, our cart will handle all your items and PayPal just handles the final total and your payment information.  It’s not a complete escape from PayPal, but it’s very close and we think it will eliminate many of the PayPal related headaches some of you have experienced in the past.

READ MORE + SEE HELPFUL SCREENSHOTS OF YOUR NEW CHECKOUT PROCESS

New discounts taken automatically in your cart!

Whether you’re placing an order that qualifies for our new Mix ‘n’ Match discount (click the link below for more details on this!) or you have a coupon code you’d like to use, Blue Buddha’s new shopping cart will be able to calculate and apply your savings as you shop – displaying them in your cart as you go along.  No more waiting for refunds – you’ll get your deal right away.  There is also a handy little notification that will appear at the top of your cart page letting you know when you are close to receiving a discount so you can decide if buying more now might save you more later.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR NEW DISCOUNT STRUCTURE

New look for Projects

Our new “Projects” section now houses all of our B3 Instructions.  These instructions are organized by level so you can be sure to get a project that will work perfectly for you.  Clicking on one of the projects will give you a big, beautiful image, information about the project and a picture of the project’s designer.  Many projects still offer the same kits you are used with cool new dropdowns that show swatches of color right in the menu!  For projects that do not have kits, we have created handy shopping lists at the bottom of the page where you can get everything you need to complete the project or just stock up on the parts that you don’t already have in your stash.

READ MORE ABOUT THE NEW “PROJECTS” SECTION