Happy 5th birthday, Beadingschool!

And even if it figured as a specific milestone that we can remember every day and dedicate to celebrating, it wasn’t the big announcement that mattered the most. What makes and keeps making a difference in our lives are the beautiful interactions in the Club, through emails you write, through jewels you create and present. The connections forged, the feeling of belonging, of being proud of ourselves, of being happy for each other. 

In a way, it might seem easier to post a picture or write a comment than to speak live on YouTube to 100+ beaders, however, I do not agree with that.

It is not one single jewel, not one single comment, not a single beader, or one designer who is responsible for what we are experiencing here. The Community, that is so Strong Together, has a different secret. Not a one-time miracle, but ‘drops of happiness, joy, and creativity’ that we need to keep giving, in order to receive. And showing up consistently in an authentic way, bringing those ‘drops of happiness’ is way harder than one challenging thing to do. The Beadingschool Club is our colourful, beady village in the online space, thanks to these drops of happiness. 

Before I would extend that thought more, I would like to use this opportunity to invite you to a very special #CoffeeTimeWithErika: called Strong Together. 

It will happen next week, at the usual time, on Tuesday at 5pm CET / 11 am NYC / 8 am Cali / 3 am NZ. During the video, I would like to introduce you to something new that we have been working on in the background. The biggest collaboration we have ever organised. The most interesting project that we have been creating, and the true representation of the spirit I was just talking about.

When we sent the invitations to our friends-designers to make this happen for you, we were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic responses. We hoped for 6, maybe 7 artists to say ‘yes.’ Instead, I will introduce you to as many as 13. This is more than fun and sparkle: the project will also bring you beady knowledge that you will be able to learn and benefit from for months to come. 

I hope you can make it, and will be there with me next week, when I reveal the big secret!

But back to the thoughts about our Community!

Every single bead that is moving from the factory lines, to the hands of beaders and beadwork designers, from the big boxes to the small ziplocks that appear on your mats in the parcels carefully packed in the Treasury, then on your bead mats and beyond, becoming parts of beautiful, colorful jewels – every single bead matters. No matter how big or small, no matter what shape, what color. What makes a difference is finding the place where they belong. 

As we very well know, missing even a miniature 15/0 seed bead can make a difference in the outcome, even if we might not notice it right away. That’s why we touch all of our beloved pearls and crystals lovingly and carefully, while securing them. Some of them become part of the ‘foundation’ – enabling us to build on top of them. Others are used for bezeling – holding and embracing the focal, that would stay hidden in the box without them. Some become center points that shine the light on the surroundings. Picots and frills that enhance the outcome, loops that make it possible to connect a motif to a metal finding, a net on the backside of the cabochon to protect it from scratches.

And just as every single bead matters, every comment, jewel, smile, heart, kind email and interaction makes a difference in our lives. They create drops of happiness that we can spread around and enjoy together. Drops of happiness that we knowingly need to bring to our everyday lives, day by day, and drops of happiness that feel like gifts when received. 

Over the past six years, it has become a tradition that I create a special collection and a jewel for the birthday celebration of the Beadingschool Community that we can then enjoy and learn from together. Traditions are important, and I did the same this year. After inviting you to create a ‘Heritage’ piece to feel yourselves being grounded in the Community, and inviting you to ‘Fly’ last year, today, I would like to present the Signature Box and Jewel of 2026: the Drops of Happiness, representing all the consistent, loving gestures and beauty that we experience day by day. 

‘Drops of Happiness’ symbolizes how love requires us to show up consistently and to keep dripping those gifts of gestures. How seemingly small acts make a difference in life. Moreover, it is a reminder that instead of a single huge event, we should direct our attention to the simple, everyday beauties of our lives. There are so many of those! And they can come to us in many different, beautiful colors – just like some of the special components that I am going to show you today. 

The Signature Box always starts with the idea of the three colors that stand in our mandala: turquoise for creativity, yellow for a pozitive approach, and pink for compassion. As time passes, as we change, as circumstances and moods differ, sometimes those colors are more vibrant and expressive, sometimes they bring a more muted harmony. There are days when pink is a true fuchsia, other times it catches a Bordeaux or purple hue. The same with turquoise balancing between light and dark, blue and green, and yellow, reminding us of a cheerful sunflower or the grace of a heritage golden jewel. All intensities and emotions find their perfect place and are perfect on their own. 

Let’s see what the Signature Box of 2026 brings you, and what you can create from it!

The basic box contains 10 middle-sized cabochons and a beautiful 18×25 mm one, perfect to shine ina statement jewel. Moreover, you can also choose to expand it with some rare or extra colours that we managed to secure for you! That extension will bring you shades that are hard to find or are pricier. These are available in limited quantities, and the colours alternate, just as the two basics that you can find in the Box. 

The Box brings you a historic filigree of an unusual shape that I built into one of the jewels I designed from it, making it more festive and more elaborate. By mastering it, you will open the door to expand other jewels similarly.

Some of my favourites are the round pearls from the Czech Republic, with a smooth, matte finish. They pair incredibly well with all the shine and sparkle of the cabochons. I also added some rare fire-polished beads, a metal component that is the perfect focal component, a filigree brooch base, a Neumann-clasp from the last batch we managed to buy in Germany, and some 10 mm Preciosa ball beads in my favourite Fuchsia in gold version. These last ones are not even available in the Bead Shop yet!

The value of all these together, if you were to buy them one by one, would be 108.43 euro at the moment. In the Box, they cost only 89. And for the duration of the Birthday Week, the Signature Box 2026 can be yours for an even better price at 79 euros.

What can you create from the Box?

Do you want to know something funny? When I was selecting material for the Signature Box, Andi told me that we would be able to add pear-shaped cabochons in interesting colours, if I wanted to. I told her, that it’s out of question, while I think they are super elegant, just as my beloved navettes, but I don’t think I can make it work… And then these two jewels happened!

I am so happy and proud of the ‘Drops of Happiness’ motif! It is a layered, square-shaped piece of beadwork. I love the lacy effect and how the metal component sits in the middle, drawing your attention to itself and the pears that sit in a single line with it. The Azure component makes it also sturdy – despite the attachment points of only the 11/0 seed beads. In between, you can see the intricacy of shaped beads, bicones, pearls, and micro-spacers.

At the moment, this tutorial can be yours only with the Signature Box 2026. You can choose to get the Box on its own or together with the instructions for this pendant!

A second, optional jewel

Surprise, surprise… After the first jewel, I still couldn’t stop creating. And I am loving the result! The peyote bezel clutches the beautiful pear drop elegantly and neatly, and creates opportunities to add more: in this case, my beloved slim navettes, and at the bottom, an unusually shaped historic filigree. I love that I could attach it to the extended bezel at two places, and in the middle at the bottom, there’s another loop to elongate the shape with more. The metal bow with the sparkling cubic zirconias is perfect for it!

🎉 Birthdays are the time to spoil ourselves – and those we LOVE!mThat’s why we have prepared a gift for everyone this week! 🤩
HOW can you get one? Or all three?

1. Place an order requiring shipping, no matter if big or small! EVERYONE will receive a sparkly bag in ONE OF the Beadingschool colors:
🦋 turquoise for creativity
☀️ yellow for positivity or
💗 fuchsia for compassion!

2. Place an order for at least 300 € / 350 $ / 260 ₤! ALL THREE colors in the goodie bag, and a special tutorial that you can create from the Signature Box

You need to place the order in the Beadingschool Bead Shop between this week’s (21. April) and next week’s #CoffeeTimeWithErika (28. April) – always Tuesday 5pm CET / 11 am NYC / 8 am Cali / 3 am NZ) requiring shipping will receive a special gift.

What’s coming still?

Interview with Chloe

Surprise NOHTBA

Treasury Visit

Days celebrating our Beaders and Friends-Designers

Reveal of the super-secret project next week!

Thank you so much for all these wonderful years together. The drops of happiness that you keep spreading in the Beadingschool Club, and beyond, in the whole beading community. Thank you so much for showing, that the values Beadingschool stands for: creativity, positivity, and compassion, still matter so much in the world.

With lots of love,
xxx Erika and the Beadingschool Team