As the holiday season approaches it’s time to start thinking about (if not starting) your holiday gifts for gift giving. There is no better gift out there than the gift YOU make with your own hands. It’s something that cannot be bought in a store and is something that is NOT mass produced.

As a self-taught beader I’ve seen all aspects of jewelry making and have tried (and cried over) a ton of projects that, well, just didn’t make the cut in the end. What’s mastering something if you don’t put alot of blood, sweat and tears into it. What I found was just the “therapy” in creating something with my own two hands (the ones with 4 thumbs).

If you’ve ever sat down to create a jewelry piece using beads you’ve obviously been inspired from somewhere. My early inspirations came from the weekly Macy’s ads I’d get in the Sunday paper. I couldn’t afford those (once again) mass produced items. So why not try it myself I’d ask myself. Use all those resources (like the one you’re looking right at as you read this) like the internet and libraries to get your inspiration to create. You’d be surprised at what you come up with. You’ll also be surprised at the reaction you get. So don’t be afraid to create!