Happy birthday, Beadingschool!

Thanks to everyone contributing with their creativity, kindness, and energy, the tiny sparkle grew into a powerful fire, with the Beadingschool Community enjoying its light and warmth together. Beaders get to know each other in the Beadingschool Club, and thanks to the Face to Face interviews, being playful and proud of their achievements, being supportive and curious while creating beautiful jewels. 

The Treasury Team under Andrea’s wings is looking forward to having coffee together in the mornings, and is valued for its care, precision, and dedication. Unicorns and fellow Friends-Designers keep everyone inspired. And together, we marvel at the skills and traditions of our partners: Bead Makers and manufacturers supplying us with colors and shapes to play with.

The first one, wondering about what was the toughest challenge that we had to overcome. While I could name many specific obstacles, including pandemics, a less than empty bank account, hiccups with shipping, or simply printers that keep refusing to collaborate, no matter if asked nicely or threatened by serious consequences, in my opinion the biggest challenge to overcome was learning to ignore the raised eyebrows of naysayers, who couldn’t yet experience or imagine the power of these tiny, colorful pieces of glass that we who are here now love so much. Because they are a lot more than ingredients for jewels…

This first question is more dramatic, and when answering it, sometimes I have the feeling that one day the stories should be turned into a Netflix series. However, the second is the one that I love hearing and answering a lot more. It is a question wondering about the most important moments, memorable milestones, and in general, moments when I felt the happiest because of Beadingschool. Over the years, there were many of these heartwarming moments.

Witnessing the journey of Beaders, when they are getting to know the basic tools, towards becoming more and more independent. Beaders daring to differ, daring to try, to fail, and eventually, succeed, again and again. The sparkle in the eye of Zuzi when she asks me during a meeting if I saw what Aniko, Irene, Terry, Anzelika, Sara, Johanna, or someone else from the 1300  members of the Beadingschool Club created during the weekend.

The enthusiasm of Andrea when she solves seemingly impossible situations. The precision of Edina and Dora, the care of Melinda and Dori, and everyone in the Team. Because those are the moments when I feel like flying.

Last year, our Theme Jewel for the Beadingschool Birthday Week was the Heirloom ring. We created an eye-catching piece that will remind us of the Community every time we wear it. This year, when thinking about the upcoming Birthday, of course I turned to my bead mat again, selecting beads representing the feeling of flying, and of course, turning them into jewelry.  

Today, I would like to wish everyone many such moments when you feel like flying: with a spring in your steps and sparkle in your eyes. 🪄 On your bead mats and beyond. Let’s all learn together to feel that we are capable of it, and let’s be there for each other to celebrate when we succeed. Happy beading, everyone, and happy birthday, Beadingschool Community!

During the past years, it has become a tradition to celebrate with a curated collection of beads and components – in the colors of the Beadingschool Mandala, representing our Community: 

🦋 turquoise for creativity

☀️ yellow for positivity and 

💗 fuchsia for compassion!

This time the exact shade will be dreamy, and some of them will be more on the pastel side. For example, a gentle pink-purple instead of a strong, vibrant fuchsia. I hope that you will love the collection as much as the previous ones!

Let’s continue this tradition, and let’s see the 17 components in the Signature Box of 2024. Among else: 

🦋 A rare dragonfly cabochon with flat back – perfect for bead embroidery! 

It was hand-pressed by one of the last master beadmakers who is an expert in this technique. This glittery semi-transparent color was custom made for Beadingschool Beaders.

🔮 One of the nicest decorative drop I have ever seen.

🦋 The Fly! set of jewels (pendant and earrings): 

you can bead it from the Signature Box celebrating Beadingschool’s 3. Birthday, and for now it’s not available on its own. 🎂 

The pendant is layered with hidden details under the tiny Preciosa crystal rhinestones. 💗 

Erika’s favorite part: how there are tiny 2.8 mm and slightly bigger 4 mm crystals right next to each other between the navettes. So much sparkle 🤩 

☀️The light shines through the rare Preciosa Channel Maxima!

We love making beady wishes come true. And it’s not only about the selection in the Bead Shop and events, but of course, also about the tutorials and instructions that we are preparing for you. 

3 changes from now on:

• Thread length will be included
• On the last page: how to connect drops and crystal connectors and make sure that they face the front, no matter the orientation of the loop. Zuzi already included this page in the past, and we will do the same for all Beadingschool tutorials from now on that are created by our Team of Designers. 
• Useful beady knowledge: links to blog posts, tutorials, e-books, and some sections of the Bead Shop where we keep returning to all the time

I have a sample gift, they are all super valuable to celebrate this special occasion. 

Everyone who places an order between today’s and next week’s #CoffeeTimeWithErika requiring shipping will receive one gift. It’s not one gift per order.

We slip the gifts into your packages at the end of the Birthday Week automatically.

During our Birthday celebration week, there are many surprises and gifts waiting for You. 

You can collect your orders by using the “join with order in progress” shipping method to save on shipping costs. The ladies in the Treasury will handle your orders with love and care, and you will have a designated space in the same way as during the Beadingschool Advent Adventure.

We will start shipping your Birthday goodies on the 16th of May, together with your next Beadingschool Academy Theme Boxes. We will upgrade your package to FedEx whenever it is possible 🙂

If you need anything sooner, please use the “Registered mail” or “FedEx” option as usual, and leave a message during checkout for the Treasury Ladies.

Many more events and surprises are coming during the Beadingschool Birthday Celebrations. Tomorrow is Beadingschool History Day: during an extra #CoffeeTimeWithErika PinkHot Chloe will ask me about the beginnings, and I will answer her and your questions! On Thursday, a Surprise #NoOneHasToBeadAlone is waiting for you: a motif that will unfold on your bead mat while creating it together with fellow Beadingschool Beaders. And on Saturday, Beadingschool Club members and Academy Students can visit the Treasury through an exclusive Zoom call.

Which one are you looking forward to the most?
Thank you so much for being and beading with us, and cheers to many more colorful years together!

xxx Erika and the Beadingschool Team