3 days of bead shopping

Hi my lovely beading people!! :)

How are you today? Sometimes I really get a little nuts of having to shop for beads. Of course, I bead a lot and if you bead a lot you eventually run out of beads. And it is not that I don't like getting new beads, but it takes so much time out of my hands!

Shopping list:
4 Swarovski light rose rivoli's
48 4mm Swarovski light rose bicones
11/0 Matte Dusty orchid Miyuki seedbeads
15/0 Matte Dusty orchid Miyuki seedbeads
11/0 Pink lined Crystal AB Miyuki seedbeads
15/0 Pink lined Crystal AB Miyuki seedbeads
11/0 Galvanized Duracoat Dusty Orchid
11/0 Baby pink ceylon
15/ Baby pink ceylon
Pink superduos

Now that does not sound like a list that would take me 3 days to get together now doesn't it? Well actually it is not that simple! I do not know about other countries, but the color pink seems to be very hard to get my hands on. I am on a tight budget, so I can not afford to just shop anywhere as I have to make the most out of my money.


Day 1

The search for pink superduos;
If you think pink seedbeads are hard to find around here, you should try pink superduos! Every time again the same thing happens to me. *sigh* I look at the picture, it looks pink and when it gets here, it turn out to be purple. I think I already have bought at least 5 bags of superduos this way! And yes I could have returned them, but as I have to pay for the shipping cost myself so that would be just as expensive as the bag of superduos. No of course I can use the superduos, just not for the project I have in mind. So I have to go 'bead hunting' again.

After a very long search I found a shop that seemed to have them. As I did not know the shop, I had to check first if they where trust worthy. Luckely they where! So because I did not want to risk buying the wrong superduos again I emailed them a photo and asked if they where the same or at least close to the same superduos I used in this Zianna pendant:

Now before you think, why didn't you just go back to the store where you bought the same color of superduos, I did and they are sold out never to return. The lady said that the superduos where not the same but where not purple either, and that I could return them if they where not the color I am looking for. Good enough for me! So now the shipping cost at this shop are 3,50 euro when you order under 20 euro's. So I will order for 20 euro's,  but I will only put things in my cart for now, as here comes the problem I have with every single store here in the Netherlands. *sigh*

Shops in the Netherlands never seem to have everything I need. So this shop dit not carry Swarovski, the pink 15/0 seedbeads and the 15/0 dusty orchid seedbeads. That means I am forced to shop at one or more other shops to get my order together. At this moment I have to look at all my options. Most of the beadshops in the Netherlands do not carry Swarovski, so I will go to a special shop for that. But it seemed that the 15/0 pink lined seedbeads are nowhere to be found.


Day 2

So the search continuous. When I finally found a shop the next day that seemed to have the seedbeads I needed, I found out they have a minimum order amount of 25 euro's and they only sell seedbeads. *sigh* But on the top of there page it said that they have corresponding color numbers, so when I need 11/0 beads they also have those in 15/0. As I found that to be a good deal, as 11/0 with matching 15/0 beads are hard to find. I would just order some beads that are hard to come by also and so be it. So after I spend an hour on there site, getting all the colors together (so also the ones that I did not need), I found out that there statement was not true. So I spend 1 hour for absolutely nothing. *sigh*

Now I do not have many options left as all the other stores don't carry the 15/0 pink lined beads. So I have to get them from somewhere else. After a good long search I decided to go to my last resort, I looked on Ebay. Found a shop that said 'spend 25 dollars and get free shipping'. Well now thats a good deal! After another hour I filled my cart and was ready to check out. But my shopping cart still said: shipping cost 9,98 dollar... So I had to email the to ask how come. Well the free shipping was only for US people... *sigh*


Day 3

So after 2 days just looking through all the beads shops, I have to make a decision. I have to at least spend 20 euro or more to get my free shipping on my superduo order. The shop at Ebay has all the Swarovski and other things I need. However, I can only shop for 22 euro's as otherwise I have to pay 13 euro's of clearance cost, and they also charge me 10 dollars, which is about 8 euro's shipping cost. So I will have to see what I can put in my cart the best (as seedbeads are cheaper from other countries) so probebly I still have to get my rivoli's from another shop here in the Netherlands. Total cost? About 60 euro's, that is around 75 dollars. KATCHING! And what can I make with that? Well 4 Zianna pendants as showed above on the photo (or at least close to that one). And I will use some of the seedbeads for other projects.

Conclusion: beading is a time consuming and expensive hobby!

But I think most beaders already know that :) I hope you liked my little story, how do you do your bead shopping? Do you have a store where you can just but everything at the same place? Or do you need to go nuts and spend 3 days just searching and emailing for that one color, like me? Let me know in the comment section :)

Have a nice day!
HoneyBeads

Japanese Candy Review!!!

 Hi my lovely beading people and crafty friends! :D

How are you today? Today I want to tell you about my second love and no I did not trade my hubby for a new one :D I'm talking about candy! I'm a real sweet tooth and although beading and crafting are my number one hobby's, trying new candy's gets a good 2th place on my hobby list.

This time I've ordered some candy's from Japan. Japan is known to have wonderfull exciting candy's with better flavoured than we have in any other country. Also they have candy kits where you have to make your own candy before eating it, how much fun is that! I remember well that I had the Harry Potter kit when I was little, with the coocking pot where you put in stuff that bubbled up, so much fun!

So today I wanted to share what I bought and how some of them taste. I will make the candy kits into video's so that you can watch how to make those! Lets start what is in the box! :D

I bought this from NapaJapan, I ordered it with SAL shipping and it was here after in 10-11 days. I am subscribed to the news letter that contains a 'free gift' code every month (at least I believe they do this every month) My order was 24,22 dollar all inclusive (8,75 shipping) I think this is a very fair prize for shipping as we pay 6,75 euro (9,16 dollar) for shipping a package her within our own counrty.

I bought the following items:

Popin Cookin Kuru Kuru Takoyaki kit (the one with the octopus) (3,99 dollar)
Popin Cookin Candy Suchi kit (in the right corner) (4,99 dollar)
Pachi Pachi Wata Jelly Candy kit (the blue item in the middle) (3,99 dollar)
Puccho Miracle Multi Flavor (2,50 dollar)

The items I got for free:
Mintia Dry Hard mints (2,25 dollar)
Fuwarinka Rose Chewable Candy (2,75 dollar)
Chewing Gum Bleuberry (1,99 dollar)

**Mintia-Dry hard sugarless Mints in very strong mint with caffiëne (2,25 dollar)**

These mints where free as it was one of the 3 gifts in my box. There are different flavours and a box contains 50 mints each. The container is 3 inch by 2 inch. When opening the wrapping you can really smell the very strong ice minty scent.

The taste test:
HOLY CANOLI!!! These are so so strong wow!!! I was like wow what happens here!! I first thought that is was a little thin for a mint but WOW!!! Taste bud alarm code red!!! This is a real waker upper wow!! Super super strong mint flavour to the point I am in doubt if I like them or not. Very refreshing! There is an very interesting after taste to it also and the mint taste stays very long in your mouth. This mint makes me curious what the other mints would taste like!

Conclution:
If you like super super strong mints with caffiëne this is your mint! Not a mint you eat the whole pack of at once.


**Fuwarinka Rose Chewable Candy (2,75 dollar)**
These candy's where also free in my box and I wanted to try these candy's for a very long time! It is the reason I orderd at NapaJapan again to be honest! The packaging is 6 by 4 inches and the candy is 1/2 inch and contains 10 pieces. The package can be resealed what I really like! The candy contains Vitamin C, Hyaluricon acid and Collogen!! Japan is known for its collogen containing candy, which is benefitial for you skin. When I open the package there is a strong rose/strawberry flavor. I expected it to be more of a rose scent, but I really find it a bit of a mix. The scent is sweet and a little sour at the same time. Very interesting! They do smell more like candy's than roses!

The taste test:
Something I did not expect from this candy is the crunchy layer, yummy! The taste has a hint of soury rose, but not super sour. I had to take a second bite as this candy dissolves in your mouth very quickly. The texture of the candy is really nice! There is almost a slight jelly feeling in the texture but the candy is quit chewy. Not as chewy as a High Chew but a nice chewy texture. After 3 candy's I do start to taste the rose taste more. If you don't like parfum like tastes this is not your candy. I would buy this candy again!

Conclusion:
Crunchy yet chewy and a little sour. Not a candy for people who don't like flower/parfume flavors.


**Puccho Miracle Multi Flavor (2,50 dollar)**
This was recommended by NapaJapan as one of there favorite candy's. It is a chewy candy with little colored gummy's inside. The packaging is 4 inch by 1 inch and contains 10 pieces. I expect this to be like the famous High Chew candy's. The candy does not smell like anything but i really like the colorfull packaging!

The taste test:
As expected it is very very chewy with a little bit of fizz and a strong pineapple flavor. You can chew on the candy a very long time before it desolves, I like that a lot! The gummies inside are very yummy to! This really gives me the feeling I'm eating a good piece of candy. Although the pineapple flavor is very strong, the rest of the candy tastes very soft and smooth. It is a very nice texture! I tasted another piece and this one tastes more like apples, very nice also! I would not hesitate to buy this candy again!

Conclusion:
A very good candy for those who like chewy candies with pineapple and apple flavor. Love it!


**Chewing Gum Blueberry (1,99 dollar)**
This candy was also in my box for free. The package is 3 inch by 1 inch and it contains 9 sticks of flat gum. This is not a candy I would buy as I am not a big gum fan. I have not found a good gum yet that holds it taste very long and besides that I rather eat a normal piece of candy. Although this candy is made by Lotte, one of the best candy makers in Japan I'm sceptical. But that is the great thing about this goodies, you can try them for free!

The taste test:
The first taste is very blueberry like, very strong and sweet. After a longer chew most if the flavor wears off like expected. The gum has a light pink/mauve color and has a normal gum structure. But the gum acts like any other gum, its gets to firm to chew after a while and the taste is gone. After a minute or 5 I'm done whith this piece and I've thrown it into the trash can.

Conclusion:
It is a nice flavor for those who like blueberry but it is just a regular gum, not my cup of tea.


Here is a close-up of the candies I'm going to make into tutorials the next time. I have no idea how these taste and to be honest I don't like to know as the taste test will stay a surprise! :D

From top to bottom:
Popin Cookin Kuru Kuru Takoyaki kit (3,99 dollar)
Pachi Pachi Wata Jelly Candy kit (3,99 dollar)
Popin Cookin Candy Suchi kit (4,99 dollar)

Well I hope you liked my Japanese candy review! In the future there will be more as I really like to do these reviews! When I filmed the candy kits I will also place a review of them here!

I wish you a very nice day and until next time!
HoneyBeads

Goldfish and loombands

Hello my lovely beading people and crafty friends :)

Yesterday my goldfish died, it was the pretty kind with the long tail. Over the night he must have got stuck somehow as he laid in between the fake plants the next day. He was still alive but you could clearly see he had broken his pretty tail. He was already half white and I just knew it was over. This fish have had a lot of problems before with his health but I did not thought it would end like this for him, poor fish!

First I doubted to get a new one or not as the other fish was so very active all of a sudden after the other one was gone. I didn't know if that was because he was happy that the other fish was away or just because he missed his friend. But after taking a long look at the aquarium I decided we needed another one to keep him company.

So we went to all the animal shops in town as I don't think getting a new animal is something you just do. I have to live with that fish for a long long time (some fish can get upto 40 years although 10 would already make me very happy) and I don't want to make a dicision like that to fast. In the first stores they didn't had the kind of fish I was looking for. I wanted a long pretty tail like the one we have now. But in the last store we found one! A red goldfish with black dots on his long tail and on his fins. That was the one!

My son was very exited about the new fish that we took home. When my hubby went to pay for the fish and I took him to the buggy he was almost afraid we would not take the fish with us! When we came home we let the fish sit in the bowl with the bag he came in as he needs to get up to the temperature of the water first. Well then came that moment where I doubt that fish don't have the ability to think!

My other fish seemed to be very exited to see another fish! And the new fish looked like he wanted to meet the new fish too. He also got scared big time when my cat came for some water! Our cats drink out of the bowl but they leave the fish alone. The other fish just stayed calm while the new fish started to swim for his live in his bag. He will have to get use to it, even the cat looked like what are you doing hahaha :D

After a while we let him free in the bowl and the fish seemed happy with each other. You really see the fish needed some time to get use to the bowl. Not 200 other fish swimming around him that must have been a relieve! Nice and quit bowl with one other gold fish and the fish that sucks to the glass. Fresh waterplant and some deco. If the fish could think he would have thought like 'Ow I can get use to this!' hahaha :) He calmed down very fast and they went off swimming together.

Then I came to look at them. My other fish swims up to see of there was some food to score when the new fish hide underneath the plants. My other fish looked down to the other fish like 'what are you doing' hahaha :D I might be a little crazy but I always talk to my fish like I do to my cat. I think they understand in a way that I love them. I think this little buddy has to get use to people and being a part of a family as he is not use to it yet. We will se how things go :)

Speaking about goldfish! I made this cute little goldfishy's in my loom:

You can find the tutorial for these on my Crafting channel! I really like the loomband thing! First I thought it was not my cup of tea as I am not a hype person at all. But when I saw some of the youtube videos I just knew this was fun! This week I will upload the different color variations of this fish and next week there will be a tutorial of a bracelet. I do these things on my Crafting channel as I don't think it belongs on my beading channel.

Well that was it for this time :) I hope you liked it!

Have a nice day!
HoneyBeads

Paint jobs and pendants

Hi my lovely beading people!!

How are you today? Today I listed my first NEW PDF-file on Etsy! This is the first PDF-file that is not made out of one of my video tutorials. I am so happy I made the decision to not film these hour long tutorials anymore! I was amazed how many people understood and stood behind my disicion! :D This pendant was inspired by the Lotus flower as I find it to be such a pretty flower! This PDF will just be a little more expensive then the PDF-files I make out of my video's. I still tried to make them as affordable as possible because I don't want my PDF-files to be to expensive.

This is the pendant I made from my new pattern:

Link to pattern in Etsy

I also made another Zianna pendant that is up for sale. This time I used colors that kind of matched with the original Zianna pendant. I will be making tons more of these pendants as I really like making them.

Link to this pendant in my Etsy shop

This week I didn't uplaoded a tutorial as I was very busy with Spring cleening and painting my furniture. 

I painted them white wash white with foil on top with roses on it. And I added a decorative edge to the side of the furniture. It looks very girly and fresh :D I hope to finish my house next week, I always love a good paint job :) It makes your house as new!

Well that is all I have to say for now!

Have a nice day!

HoneyBeads

Written patterns, change of plans and jewelry for sale!

Hi my lovely beading people! :)

How are you today? A lot of you have been asking me for a while now to start making written patterns. Most of you said you asked because you didden't like to bead by the computer all the time. So I started to make written patterns a while ago. I have to say that I really enjoy making these! I'm also starting up a team of ladies that help me with my PDF-files. 2 ladies check my grammar flaws and one ladie makes the pattern to see if everything fits. In this way I hope to sell good quality material that everyone can enjoy. I sell the pattrns for 2,75 euro a piece, this is for the made-from-video patterns only. I thought this was a fair prize because I don't want people to pay the full amount because after all I already released the video for free. At the other hand the patterns do take me a lot of time to make, so I have to ask something for my time.

Link to my Etsy shop

With this I also made another change in my system. I will stop making advanced beading tutorials on my channel. The reason for this is that the advanced video's are beeing watched very poorly. To make my point, I made a beginners tutorial and an advanced tutorial in the same time period. The beginners tutorial now has over 135.000 vieuws where the advanced tutorial has only 18.000. But the beginners tutorial took me a total of 1/5 day to make, where the advanced tutorial took me at least 3 days to just finish the disign. My point is, I have to start spending my time in a more efficient way. That same advanced tutorial will take me only the making time twice (on doodle and one time right with photo's) to make when I make it into an PDF-tutorial. So that will safe me at least a whole day and maybe even more. And in this way the more advanced beaders will still have a change to make the patterns!

I'm also starting to sell my handmade jewelry on Etsy. It was time for me to stop hoarding only and start selling haha :) Here are pieces that are up for sale at this moment:

 The Zianna Pendant (HoneyBeads version)

This pendant is made with Steampunk colors to give the pendant a tough look.

Etsy link to this pendant

Dingeling Dangles Earrings

These earrings are made from one of my patterns that is not available yet. I used Sapphire and Silver to give the earrings a very diamond like look.

Etsy link to these earrings

English Roses Swarovski Earrings

These earrings are made from the 25mm beaded cabochon tutorial.
I used 2 english roses cabochons to give the earrings a girly look.

Etsy link to these earrings

In the future I will also be start selling kits. But at this moment that is not yet relavant for me. I have to buy my beads like anyone else, at the (online) bead store. This means that my kits will be very expensive because I also have to pay for shipping cost and I have to make a little something off them. So lets say I make a kit for 6 euro's, plus 2 euro shipping cost, plus 2 euro for me and 2 euro for shipping to your country. Don't forget about Etsy and Paypal fees! So that is also 1,20 euro. A kit will soon cost you 13,20!!! When it would be around 8 euro's to buy it yourself. In my oppinion this will only work if I have a business number and I can buy my beads at the wholesale department. But for now that is the future in maybe 3 years.

So that is all for today :) Have a nice week!
HoneyBeads

Free 5,- euro Etsy Discount Coupon

Hi my lovely beading people and Crafty friends! :)

I just got another coupon code for Etsy!!!

It is a 5,- euro discount coupon for friends (that's you haha) to spend on Etsy!! Maybe I got that because my shop is up and running??? And doing good even!! :D

I don't know for sure, but as I read it, it is for custumors to spend on there first purchase on Etsy. And I also don't know if there is a minimum that you have to spend before getting the discount. (It doesn't say anything about that so...)

But how does not try does not know so grab this 5,- euro discount coupon to buy something cute on Etsy!!!

------> 5,- euro Discount Coupon <------

Please let me know if this worked for you and what are the terms and conditions!!

Have a nice day!
HoneyBeads

10 Tips for beginners in beading

Hi my lovely Beading People!

Today I've got 10 tips for beginners, to help you start beading!

1. Start with simpel and easy projects.
-If you start with simple and easy project, your project will have a low change of failing. This is very important because most of the time your first beading project gets you hooked on beading when it was a succes. Beading is more about 'getting the feeling of it' and less about just making things.

2. Pick something you like
-You can find all kind of free beginners tutorials on internet. Pick one you like to make, it is important that your first experience is a nice one. You want to be proud at yourself at the end that YOU made that! Make it for yourself or to give as a gift, your friends and family will love your handmade jewelry!

3. Learn the basic techniques
-How funny this may sound, even opening a jumpring has a special technique! There are a lot of video's on Youtube that show you how to do these basic techniques. Watch them before you start with your project. It helps you to make your jewelry look profecional.

4. Practice a lot!
-Every beader starts with a lot of practice pieces. It doesn't matter if you fail a few times, this is all part of the learning proces. I myself still make mistakes and I keep learning from them and I'm a beader for over 11 years now!! So don't be afraid to make mistakes, take note and keep on going.

5. Get the right tools.
-Tools are very important! The right tools will give you the result you want. Don't be scared to invest in good tools, they will go a long way and you won't regret buying them if you want to keep beading. Tools that I reccomend when starting beading are: round nose pliers, flat nose pliers, a cutting plier, small scissor, a beading mat, size 10 and 12 needles and something like beeswax to coat your thread with.

6. Get the right materials.
-Depending on what kind of beading project you want to start with, get all the materials that you need to make your project with. Most of the (free) beginners tutorials give you a full list of the materials you need. I suggest when you need a certian amount of beads to get a few more. You can loose one by dropping and never find it back (yes it happens!) or you can have a bad bead that you will have to throw out.

7. Where to buy your beads?
-For beginners I always reccomend going to a local store to buy your beads. When you are a beginner it is very important to get ín touch with the beads. You need to see and feel them in order to make a good selection. Buying your beads online has a total different feeling about it and you will have to have a good insite on thing like size, color, amount, quality and other things. If you can't buy your beads in a local store, ask the webshop owner to help you pick out the right beads or buy a jewelry making kit.

8. Don't start selling yet!!
-I've known a lot of people that just knew how to add a bead to a thread and started selling. DON'T DO THAT! Of course you can sell them to your family and friends, but don't go on Etsy and other selling sites like that. People will expect high quality when your on selling sites or fairs. I made this mistake myself (and I wasn't even very bad!) and I got customers coming back to me with tarnished jewelry, jewelry that broke and other things your not happy about to hear from a customer. This was because I didn't had the skills or the knowledge how to make proper jewelry.

9. To buy or not to buy books?
-A thing a lot of beginners do is buying a lot of beading books. I myself did it to when I started beading, but at this moment I reccomend first searching on the internet. The internet provides a lot of beginners information that is the same as in the books. I recommend saving up that money for a book that you really like when you actualy can bead. Then you can pick a book you really like and that you will really use. Because once you know the basic techniques you won't forget them and that beginners book will be an the shelf for ever collecting dust.

10. Writer patterns, photo tutorials or video tutorials?
-Most people prefer video tutorials when learning how to make jewelry. Search for these 3 types of patterns and see what you like. If you know what you like you will know what to look for in the future. This is very important because when you want to start buying patterns you will have to know what works for you. I reccomend first searching the internet, some patterns that cost money on selling sites are free at other sites.

I hope you liked my tips for beginners!

Have a lovely day!
HoneyBeads

Long lost goodies found again!!

Hi my lovely Beading and Crafty people :)

How are you today? Today a blog for the beaders. A while ago I told you that I completely lost my big project somehow, along with the winter pendant that I was to send to Beads&Buttons. But after my montlhy stash clean up I couldn't find it anywhere!! But yesterday I wanted to make something wit my polymer clay again, and there they where!!! So I'm very exited!! I don't know if I still want to send it to the beads and buttons, so that is something to think about, but of I do and they might reject me I just make a tutorial of it :)

Here is a picture of my long lost goods;

So I'm very happy that I found them back! I'm also working on a very cute cross, that I hope to upload this week. It is a very easy pendant that can also be used for earrings.
For now I will leave it at this, I will have to go to the docter in a couple of hours. I need to get the stitch out of my arm, it got a little infected (why do I alsways have these things??)  But at least it doesn't hurt or anything, so I'm fine :)

Have a nice day!
HoneyBeads

Second Channel Happiness

Hi my lovely beading people :)

How are you today? Long time no see! I'm not really a good blogger, sorry haha :) Thats a thing that I really want to change this year. Mostly I don't know what to talk about, but I have to say, I do have more things to talk about now because I started a second channel on Youtube called HoneyBeads & Crafts It's a crafting channel with all kinds of simple and easy crafts to do for yourself or with your (grand)children. I started this channel because next to beading I also like crafting a lot!

There are not a lot of video's yet on that channel, but here are 2 examples of video's that are aready uploaded:

This is a snowball made out of cotton wipes, very cut for next winter :)

This are gesso jars for last Valentine's day to light a candle in.

I have a lot more of ideas to make for this channel, but I didden't have the time to uplaod them yet. But altough this channel had kind of a slow start, I hope it will be as succesfull as my beading channel. Because what in life is more joyfull than making your own stuff?? :D

I will try to write more on my blog, maybe there will be some random things now and than. Just something to chat about :)

Have a lovely day!

HoneyBeads