
Good morning, Sunday readers! I've been perusing the blogs this morning and have a tip to share with you from
my beadmaker's blog, I share insider tips only beadmakers may know about and I call them a
BEADMAKER TIP ALERT! Here's a tip I shared last spring and one I happily share with you today. Glass beads purchased from craft stores aren't kiln annealed and could crack when you're wearing the beads.
Why should you care about kiln annealing? Kiln annealing strengthens glass by allowing the glass to cool very, very, very slowly. If properly done, it relieves any stress in the glass and the beads won't crack.
Below is a picture of a set of glass beads I purchased at a local craft store:

As a glass beadmaker, I know by where the crack is, that the bead has not been kiln annealed. A crack along the bead hole means the glass cooled too quickly. Glass cools too quickly when it hasn't been placed in a kiln.
So, when you're buying supplies to add to your creation, be wary of large, thick glass beads. A beader on a budget will invest her/his money wisely on
quality artisan made glass focal bead and/or sets that are kiln annealed. Make sure to look for this phrase when buying handmade glass on the web or on
Etsy.So let's go to the beady news. Lots going on but I want to highlight Carmi's post and show a picture of her lovely fiber necklace:

Photo courtesy of Carmi, of course and here's her teaser and link for it:
Carmi's Art/Life WorldCarmi creates a punched fiber collage necklace.
Catch up on the news for the B&B Show in June
Art Jewelry magazineDemos and more planned for the Bead&Button Show 2009
Earthenwood has a sale going on:
Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Spring is here and Melanie announces a big springtime sale on her website, going on from now until Earth Day.
Jean is catching up on her reading:
Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!Jean reviews an excellent wire wrapping book, Beautiful Wire Jewelry for Beaders, by Irina Miech
Several projects and new designs:
Strands of Beads Melissa shows off a new necklace design inspired by Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem "Whoso List to Hunt"
The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Taking advantage of Artbeads.com's free shipping and fast, friendly service, Andrew attempts to capture the beauty of a Lord Byron poem with the new Crystallized - Swarovski Element Disk Pendants in his new necklace design, "Cloudless Climes".
Candie CooperMother's Day is coming fast! Do you need a project idea? Candie and Katie have just the thing!
About.com Jewelry MakingPuzzle piece jewelry is perfect to make during the month of April since it happens to be autism awareness month. Here are a few projects to help you make your own puzzle piece jewelry.
Jewelry & Beading Make a fiber and wire necklace that will slide right on with no clasp!
Barbe and ABS are working the business end:
Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts Marketing Monday: Its all about word of mouth
Art Bead Scene Worried about the economy? Take care of your bead business with these tips.
Are you enjoying your Sundays with
Cindy? Leave a comment and let Cindy know what you think.