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Bead Simple: 150 Designs for Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets, Embellishments, and More [Paperback]

Susan Beal
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 25, 2008
Most beading books include a mix of patterns but call for very specific beads and materials. So if crafters don't like the beads used in the projects, or don't have them in hand, they won't enjoy the projects, no matter how beautiful they are. But Susan Beal has untangled this knotty problem. "Bead Simple "is the first work of its kind that offers stunning jewelry patterns that can be completely customized with a variety of beads and stringing materials. Based on simple, yet effective beading techniques, this strikingly illustrated pattern guide includes 50 glittering designs, each featuring two bold variations for a total of 150 projects that can easily be achieved with different materials or tweaks. With hot guest designers, including DIY Network's Jennifer Perkins and Megan Nicolay, author of the bestselling "Generation T," here is the one book that finally offers jewelers the versatility to let their unique personalities shine through.

Frequently Bought Together

Bead Simple: 150 Designs for Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets, Embellishments, and More + Getting Started Stringing Beads (Getting Started series) + 200 Beading Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets: An Indispensable Compendium of Technical Know-How and Troubleshooting Tips (200 Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets)
Price for all three: $40.63

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bead Simple" is simply fantastic, proving that with a few tools, a couple of easy to learn techniques, and the guidance of Susan Beal's wonderful eye for color and texture, anyone can make beautiful handcrafted jewelry. The projects are absolutely inspiring, and I can't wait to get started myself! -- Debbie Stoller, bestselling author of "Stitch 'N Bitch
"
"Bead Simple: 150 Designs for Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets, Embellishments and More, "by Susan Beal (Taunton Press, 220 pages, $19.95 paperback): Innovative (and easy) beaded designs that range from classy to campy. Includes projects from dozens of national designers, including a multimedia charm collage by yours truly! --"Crafty Chica" Kathy Cano-Murillo, "The Arizona Republic"

About the Author

A jewelry designer and writer, Susan Beal writes about art, craft, and fashion for CRAFT, Adorn, BUST, ReadyMade, Venus, www.getcrafty.com, and www.whipup.net, among others. She blogs daily at westcoastcrafty.com. Susan's jewelry is sold nationwide in shops and galleries as well as on her website, susanstars.com. Her work has been featured in fashion shows in New York, Portland , and San Francisco, and she has appeared on the DIY Network shows "Uncommon Threads" and "Craft Lab." She co-wrote Super Crafty: 75 Amazing How-To Projects and has contributed to Tease, Get Crafty, Making Stuff, Offbeat Bride, and The Crafter Culture Handbook.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 220 pages
  • Publisher: Taunton Press (March 25, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1561589535
  • ISBN-13: 978-1561589531
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.6 x 10.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer and crafter who makes things with beads, buttons, and all kinds of crafty bits and pieces. I love Gocco printing, quilting, sewing gifts and clothes, and having friends over to make things and drink lots of coffee.

I live in Portland, Oregon with my husband Andrew and our speedy toddler, Pearl (who's my main craft inspiration and a lot of fun to make things for!). I write about things I like and projects to make at my West Coast Crafty blog, and I also contribute to the CRAFT: blog, geekcrafts.com, CraftStylish, and BurdaStyle. My favorite crafty sources are the Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena, the Knittn Kitten in Portland, Exclusive Buttons in El Cerrito, California, and Toho Shoji in New York. And I'm always on the hunt for tins full of buttons at estate sales!

p.s. I have book websites for both Bead Simple (beadsimple.com) and Button It Up (buttonitup.com) with lots more resources and book extras over there, including flickr groups for readers to add their projects too - I'd love to see what you make. For more on Super Crafty, check out our collective site at pdxsupercrafty.com!

Customer Reviews

It's a great way to see how you can easily modify a certain technique or design to make loads of different, fun pieces. Average Jane Crafter - Rachel Hobson  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
We make a ton of earrings to sell and this book gives us a lot of good ideas. Dianne E. Roberts  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
The detailed illustrations on technique are clear and easy to follow. J. Russell  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book and a great price! March 30, 2008
Format:Paperback
I love Bead Simple! With over 150 projects and technique instructions it's a great value. There are many beading books out there but Bead Simple feels fresh and modern. I especially like the range of projects offered from some of my favorite designers. What a great addition to my collection and and my craft room!
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Simple March 26, 2008
Format:Paperback
Beadsimple is a fun compilation of a bunch of my favorite crafters including Megan Nicolay, Jen Perkins, and the author Susan Beal. The projects are as the book promises, simple- perfect for beginners or beaders on the fly who are looking to make a fun colorful bracelet or a streamlined, minimalist necklace.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to Learn Jewelry Making March 30, 2008
Format:Paperback
For someone just getting started with jewelry making, this is an excellent resource. Susan Beal and several other designers (including Megan Nicolay of "Generation T" fame) transform found and vintage objects with style and originality. The detailed illustrations on technique are clear and easy to follow. The sections using vintage buttons to make barrettes, necklaces, and earrings are highlights. Embellishments include holiday ornamentations, decorating a range of items from belts to envelopes, skirts and handbags. There is a great list of online resources for supplies found at the end of the book too. Highly recommendable!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful projects, accessible for all skill levels March 30, 2008
Format:Paperback
Susan Beal's Bead Simple is a great resource both for the crafter that's new to working with beads and the more experienced beader who is looking for inspiration. Basic techniques and equipment are explained and the projects run the gamut from simple, delicate earrings to embellished clothing. The author's enthusiasm for craft comes through on every page, as the beautiful photographs and elegant layout guide the reader through making their own unique creations. The techniques demonstrated are basics that any crafter can build upon, and this book makes beading accessible to crafters of all ages. Highly recommended!
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book, though I am biased May 19, 2008
Format:Paperback
Hooray, hooray, hooray my copy of Bead Simple: Essential Techniques for Making Jewelry Just the Way You Want It by Susan Beal finally came in the mail! My first impression was man this is a heavy and thick book. Most craft books seem a little thin, but this baby is chocked full of beading goodness and stays true to the tag line Bead Simple: 150 designs for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, embellishments and more. Plus there are 200 color pictures. Craft books without photos or a little picture section in the middle are not for me. I want tons and tons of pretty pictures to look at and this book has it in buckets. Whoa, this should keep me busy for quite some time!

I'll just go ahead and get my own horn tooting out of the way. On page 170 is my Bric-a-Brac Charming Bracelet. I love the caption for the bracelet because it actually fits a lot of my jewelry and me in general: Designed by Jennifer Perkins author of The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry, this colorful bracelet is one of those baubles that is all about the organized chaos. When absolutely nothing "matches", suddenly that's the very element that ties everything together.

One of the best things about this book is the fact that there are so many different contributors which not only makes the book more diverse it also makes it a marketing dream come true. Why you ask because everyone who is featured in the book is going to blog about it just like I am right this minute. Actually even if I wasn't in the book I would write about it, but the fact that a ton of my crafty friends grace the pages sure does not hurt. Let me run down the list of a few favorites.
... Read more ›
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply beautiful! August 14, 2008
Format:Paperback
I'm so happy to have a copy of this book! I'm not really a jewelry maker, but the projects and photos are completely inspiring! I noticed that the projects don't all adhere to the same aesthetic, which is so nice and refreshing to see in a craft book - lots of good variety for gifting or matching to different styles of clothing, and it's not hard to imagine modifying many of the pieces to suit different tastes. This is a really great choice for a beginner, or for anybody who appreciates a well put-together how-to book!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Beading is an enduring popular craft and a basic skill for do-it-yourself jewelry makers, needlecraft embellishers, and crafts artists. "Bead Simple: Essential Techniques For Making Jewelry Just The Way You Want It" by jewelry designer and 'Craft' magazine contributor Susan Beal (who blogs daily at [...] and whose jewelry is sold nationwide in shops and galleries) is a compilation of more than 150 do-it-yourself designs using beads to make earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and embellishments that range from cocktail rings to Christmas tree ornaments. Of special note is the 'Getting Started' chapter that will prove especially useful for the novice. The text is replete with icons that show at a glance the difficulty level, cost, and materials required for each individual project. Thoroughly 'user friendly' and featuring a wealth of full color illustrations, "Bead Simple" is highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Arts & Crafts instructional reference collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book to learn how to make simple and fun jewelry
I borrowed this book from the library so many times, I finally decided to purchase it. I'm a total beginner and just love the simple designs and the clear, concise directions. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Tucson Gardener
3.0 out of 5 stars Well, I wish it had more creative projects.
Maybe i expected more creative projects but as it gives credit to it's name *BEAD SIMPLE*,
cause the projects are simple and basic.
I recommend this book for beginners. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Yudelka
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice.
We make a ton of earrings to sell and this book gives us a lot of good ideas. Thank you!
Published 18 days ago by Dianne E. Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars Jewelry design book
This book came in perfect condition and has been a tremendous help to me in making jewelry. I would recommend product to others.
Published 2 months ago by Karen Lisa Santini
5.0 out of 5 stars I like this book!
It has some great technique ideas and projects,,,I have added it to my ever growing library of jewelry making books...I would buy fromt his company again!
Published 3 months ago by elaine a reinhardt
5.0 out of 5 stars Great ideas
As a beginner I felt I struck gold with this book! Colourful pictures of jewellry with easy instructions and list of items needed for the chosen project.
Published 6 months ago by Lorna Lawrence
4.0 out of 5 stars Simple, but tasteful!
As the name implies, Bead Simple is Simple. Not something for someone looking for complex ideas, but if you're a novice in jewelry making or you just want to add an "idea" book to... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Flower Gem Girl
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book with good directions.
This is a good book for a variety of ideas for jewelry. It as always includes a huge front section of beading basics which after you've beaded for a number of years don't need but... Read more
Published 14 months ago by L. Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Beading Book
Wanted on 1 book on beading techniques, this is the one I bought. As a newbie to jewelry making, I need detailed instructions that come from this book. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Joy
4.0 out of 5 stars Bead Simple
The book was just one of several I ordered about beading, and I was not disappointed. Starts off with some explaining of bead types, color wheel. Read more
Published 21 months ago by marie
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