Category: Metal Complex

Metal Complex is a specialty line of products featuring leather crafting supplies and tools, DIY interchangeable jewelry, unique stringing materials, hand made and stamped bezels, metal blanks, metal punches, tools, components, safety equipment and finishes for the new or experienced jewelry artisan.

Create Your Own Badge With Leather and Beads

John Bead Beaded and Leather Badges!

Earlier this year we shared some images of the “make and take” project John Bead presented at the winter trade shows.  These leather and bead badges were very popular so we are sharing our step by step with you.

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Color has meaning and we chose to focus on five unique palettes.

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The leather badge was created utilizing tooling leather for the shaped background and leather sheets for the stripe.

Leather sheets  Tooling Leather

We have attached the PDF created by our Marketing department so you can make your own.

Leather-Badges-template

Leather Badges template

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It is helpful to have a leather punch so you can make holes for the pins to go through.

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We also provided some leather crafting tools so that the leather edges received some detailing.  This is the leather edge beveler.

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Each badge featured one of these kilt pins.  There are three open spots to hang an embellishment or charm on.

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Beads we have an abundance of!  We provided a selection of gorgeous Czech glass beads for our make and takes along with eye pins and jump rings.  We think everyone really enjoyed creating their own bead charms/dangles.  We also had some tiny metal spacers available for anyone wanting to add some metallic shimmer.

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Although we had a color palette for inspiration we noticed quite quickly that some participants wanted to select their own colors.  That worked out really well too!

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We also gave our participants one more opportunity to embellish their pins since there was a little extra space available before setting the kilt pin onto the leather badge.

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I think the extra beads made the top look extra special.

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This is an easy make and take to set up.  It is a great way to use up smaller beads and leftovers.  We hope you enjoy making your own badges, with and without, a leather badge background.  The kilt pins are perfect for all awareness campaigns.

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Thread Wrapped Metal Cuff

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This bangle is a great opportunity to create a fresh summer look with a few components.

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I glued a broken rhinestone section to the blank metal bracelet.  The rhinestone chain allowed me to space my thread wrapping perfectly.

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I wrapped the bangle with embroidery floss.  This is the backside.

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I used a small section of leather to cover the inside of the bracelet.

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Super finished and clean.

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Our cuffs are available in several widths.

Creativity on The Catwalk Show – Let It Swing Look

Creativity on The Catwalk Show – Let It Swing Look

Our Global Chic product line was beautifully captured in this picture from the “Creativity on the Catwalk” fashion shows in the UK last month at CHSI Stitches. (Photo from CHSI)

Our Creative Director, Fernando DaSilva designed an “out of the ordinary collection of jewelry that is delightfully different, chic and of course trendsetting.”

The unique embroidered dresses were hand picked by Fernando in Brazil in January.

Here is a closer look at just one of the six models he styled.  

Creativity on The Catwalk Show – Let It Swing Look

Fernando said  “Our model Zoe Diana Parker added poses, drama, sensuality and a strong dose of  “I gotta no time for BS… hello”  vibe to this special look on the runway – she is incredibly beautiful.”Creativity on The Catwalk Show – Let It Swing Look

A long necklace featuring a wired flower by Lena Gillespie of Purple Lace Designs designed to almost blend with the embroidering lines of the navy blue kaftan. Lena’s wire and beaded flowers uses our Tropical Punch flower maker as the centre.  You can see more of them in an earlier blog post linked here.

Creativity on The Catwalk Show – Let It Swing Look

Fernando continued “I really wanted big earrings so I created a vintage inspired chandelier earring set with white opaque glass drops – her high ponytail highlights them.”

They beads have been added to filigree earrings hand set with crystal stones and chain tassels.

Creativity on The Catwalk Show – Let It Swing Look

The bracelets were used in their natural state – just plain blank brass cuffs, but one of them was paired with the beaded charm bracelet.  The ring you see is a finished item in our John Bead Outlet.

Creativity on The Catwalk Show – Let It Swing Look

Global Chic semi-precious bead drops were combined with white opaque glass beads for this spectacular bracelet.  Each bead was individually attached to a finished chain link bracelet.

Creativity on The Catwalk Show – Let It Swing Look

 

 

In closing, Fernando remarked “Zoe turned my handmade jewelry into a Rodeo Drive accessory.  I love this look and I loved her catwalk untouchable diva attitude.”

This is post five in our series from the Creativity on The Catwalk show.

Look One – Golden Butterscotch can be viewed here.

Look Two – Wild Boho can be reviewed here.

Look Three – The Global Jet-Setter

Look Four – The Nomadic Travellor

Macrame With Genuine Leather Cord

Leather Cord

This is the perfect time of the year to wear necklaces that feel a little more substantial. These simple but stylish necklaces were made by Nancy Donaldson who spent a few hours working with our leather cord collection.

 

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While softer cords are a more traditional approach to macrame, the use of leather allows you to really showcase the individual knots.

 

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For this collar Nancy added in some metal blank washers.DSC01076

The look is industrial and contemporary.

Metal Blank Washers

Nancy used german silver metal blank washers.

Leather Cord Leather Cords

We have a very large assortment of leather cords to select from on spools and retail ready packaging.

Leather and Lucite Summer Sensation Necklace

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This is the “Leather and Lucite Summer Sensation Necklace” designed by Carmi Cimicata for John Bead Corp for the current issue of Perles Et Cetera magazine.

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This magazine is published in French, so this is the English translation.

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Soft leathers in a range of colors make it possible to create wearable jewelry with virtually no leather crafting skills. All you require is a desire to think creatively about a product normally shaped into purses or shoes. Leather is also normally associated with colder weather. Combining it with Lucite, which is perfect for hot summer days was a great challenge.

Leather is much thicker than fabric, requires no extra hemming and can be easily cut with many dies originally designed to cut paper.   My maple leaf shape could have been hand cut with scissors but I already had a paper cutting die that made this job take only a minute or two.

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I stacked my leaves in an interesting pattern and lightly glued them together. I now had my new leather pendant. A little extra trimming gave me my new abstract shape.

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I used a regular ribbon clamp to make my new leather pendant easy to add to my polyester pipe necklace.

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The Lucite Hibiscus Bead Cap flowers are from the Dazzle-it Tropical Punch collection. I used a head pin to add my bead to the cap and created a loop so I could attach three of these to the pendant bail sliders with a jump ring.

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These special bails allow you to add components to braided cords featuring kumihimo and macramé techniques. They slide beautifully onto thick cords.

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I glued a strip of leather onto my polyester pipe cord to keep the bail positioned at this height. It was like creating a little stopper.

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Finally, a glue-in magnetic end cap finished my polyester pipe cord ends brilliantly. My necklace is lightweight and the perfect accessory for summer outings. With so many soft leather colors to choose from I can mix and match shapes for virtually any clothing ensemble.

Components Used

Metal Complex Soft Leathers

Ribbon Clamp

Tropical Punch Polyester Pipe Turquoise/Peach 5mm

Pendant bail sliders

Magnetic glue-in end cap

Tropical Punch Lucite Hibiscus Bead Cap and Lucite Beads

Jump rings in various sizes

Tools

Quick Grip Glue

Metal Complex leather scissors

Pliers

AccuCut Maple Leaf die and die cutting system

Leather Crafting For the Catwalk – Post Five

Here is a closer look at a necklace that went down the catwalk during the “Goddesses and Gladiators” runway show in the United Kingdom.

The necklace was designed by Fernando DaSilva exclusively for the Craft & Hobby Stitch International Show.

 

 

Trinket of Gems Necklace By Fernando DaSilva

Trinketofgems necklace

Designed by Fernando Dasilva

Materials 

 

Metal Complex Bezel – Handmade Pendant Square Antique Brass

8 icy bead pebble metallic gold – 278 00486-06s8

8 large bronze jump rings –  22 801 261

Gilder’s paste – Fundrey Bronze – 888 18840-09

Gilder’s paste –Antique Gold – 888- 18840-05

2 part epoxy clay Apoxie – orange  – 888 19010

1ft gold-plated German style wire – 2500 821

1 set gold-plated  17mm square toggle clap – 970 01804-00

1 gold-plated TC clover link  – ?

6 brass oxide TC bead aligners  –  96960 945755-27

2 antique gold TC bail pinch vine – 96951 945668-26

SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS:

1 black diamond 8mm crystal bicone –  277 5301 2477 215

2 sunflower 8mm crystal round bead –  277 5000 2225 292

1 topaz 14mm rivoli stone  – 967 1122 1030 246

1 black diamond 14mm rivoli stone – 967 1122 1030

14 xilion pp18 – golden shadow chatton – 967 1012 2198 001

14  xilion pp18 – crystal copper chatton – 967 1012 2200 001 

Instructions: 

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1.  Prepare Apoxie clay following label instructions.

2. Rub gilder’s paste on top of clay immediately after clay been inside of clay.

3. Begin adding components following pattern below:

a- first work with metal components. Add TC clover link and six stabilizers beads, and then add one gold-plated bail into top middle area and the other bail on the bottom right of clover link. Leave the loops out of clay.

Use picture as guidance.

b. Place black diamond rivoli inside of clover link and topaz rivoli on right top corner of bezel. Make sure the edges off the stones are set into the clay.

c. Begin adding the little crystal chatton stones as you like it.

d. Place a single chatton stone inside of TC stabilizer beads.

4. String black diamond bicone onto a gold-plated head pin. Make a half of loop and slide it onto of the bail ring and finish loop. Repeat the same with other bail loop adding the two beads left.

5. Cut seven strands of leather. Slide bejeweled pendant onto the strand of leather, altogether.  Find the middle of it and place the bezel in.

6. Holding all strands together tighten a single knot on each side of pendant.

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7. Slide TC gold-plated spacer beads using two strands of leather.  The next spacer should go through one of the same strands from previous step and a new strand of leather. Continue playing with that until you have 6 spacer beads strung on.

8.  Repeat step 6 and 7 to make the other half of necklace.

9. Cut a 6-inch piece of wire and start wrapping all the leather cord ends together and flat. Wrap it around five turns and then trim the shorter piece of wire.

10. Feed a cone end through the long piece of wire. Make sure all strands of leather are tightened and inside of cone end. Make half loop, slide half portion of toggle clasp and then finish wrapping at least 3 times around its base. Trim excess wire.

11. Repeat the same to finish the other half of necklace.

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Designer’s Tips:

1. Use provided picture as guidance.

2. Play with all the elements to make your focal piece.

3. Leather cords are supposed to look a little space out.

Tools 

Side Cutter (745 27304)

Flat Nose (745 27312)

Round Nose (745 24883)

 

Stitching And Lacing Pony – New Leather Works Tool

We have another new tool for leather crafting enthusiasts.  Our “Stitching & Lacing Pony” is a traditional tool allowing you to secure your project in place so you can use both hands to focus on lacing and sewing.  You will be able to work a lot quicker to finish numerous projects with this tool.

It is like having a third hand to help!