So Much More Than a Beaded Band

By Vicky Eva, Klutz buyer, DIY queen, and (most importantly) proud mama

Before I worked for Klutz I used to be a buyer for a beads company, and oh how I loved it. I got to play with beads and make jewelry EVERY DAY. Pretty neat, huh? These days, with a little one and a new home, it’s a lot harder to find the time for crafting but I make a conscious effort to make time for it because it’s inspiring. Recently, Klutz's Beaded Bands inspired me to revisit my roots in beading. 

The book teaches kids how to make cute beaded bracelets, but I thought it would be fun to make something that would be multi-functional for me—beaded headbands that can act as necklaces as well. (I wasn’t kidding when I said I don’t have too much free time. I need my crafting to be productive!) After studying the techniques from the book, I grabbed some stretchy cord, and voilà! 

It was such a joy to make these projects. Not only was the crafting stress-relieving, the results were so rewarding. These headbands/necklaces will look great with my short hairstyle but I must say . . . they look much better on my model.

Celebrating Craft Month with Shrink & Link Jewelry

Today's post is brought to you by: Emily Feliberty - Klutz Marketing Manager

 
March is National Craft month and as you can imagine it is a serious celebration in the Klutz office. It’s a time when we shake off the winter blues and set aside some time for crafting, or what we like to call “working.” ;) While I’m not exactly known for being the craftiest one in our group, I vowed to honor the festivities and try out our newest product, Shrink & Link Jewelry.

If you’ve never played with shrink plastic, here’s the deal: It’s a sheet of magic plastic on which you draw and color designs. Cut out your designs with ordinary scissors, bake them for mere minutes on a cookie sheet and, through the miracle of quantum plasto-physics, your creations shrink to approximately 44% of their original size! Yes, I know—amazing. But wait, it gets better. Now, with the help of a handy-dandy hole punch and a custom shaping tool, kids can finally layer their creations and curve their teeny tiny plastic art like never before. With more than 50 traceable designs and 55 brads, they’ll be shrinking and linking, over and over again.

Need a visual? Watch me Shrink & Link here:

 
I kept mixing and matching, and before I knew it I had a limitless wardrobe of “did-you-really-make-that?!” jewelry. Check out my designs!

 

Who knows, maybe I’ll be dubbed the Ultimate Klutz Crafter sometime soon. Maybe not. In either case, happy National Craft Month!