Merry Christmas!

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

We're all full of the Christmas spirit (not to mention a fair few mince pies....) and, before we get ready to shut the shop for Christmas, we'd like to send an extra special Merry Christmas! to all of our lovely customers.

We'll be be back open from 12pm - 3pm on 28th, 29th and 30th December, before returning to business as usual on 3 January 2011 where we'll be back with a whole load of brand new beading and metal clay classes!

Wishing you all a fantastic Christmas and exciting start to 2011!

Love,

The girls from the Little Bead Shop xxx

Scottish Bead Fair - Sunday 22 August!

It's that time of year again and we're all looking forward to taking the Little Bead Shop down to the Scottish Bead Fair in Perth on Sunday 22 August!

We'll have our usual fine array of sparkly goodies on offer as well as some brand new jewellery kits and, for all those of you who follow us on Facebook, twitter or on this blog, you'll get a fantastic 10% off any beads you buy* - just tell us which site you follow us on when you come to make your purchase!

This year our very own award winning metal clay and lamp work artist Emma Baird will be doing a free demonstration on art clay. This year, she'll be showing you how to make one of her famous lamp work bead rings as featured in Making Jewellery magazine.

So remember to pop over and say hello to Deanne, Emma, Gil and Helen (who will no doubt be bedecked in their traditional glittery Bead Fair finery!)

Look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

Love,

the girls from the Little Bead Shop x


*Please note that this lovely special discount applies only to our beautiful beads. Metal clay, tools, products and findings are not included.

Just for Father's Day - Silver Fingerprint Jewellery 10% Discount Special Offer!

We all know it's Father's day this Sunday and the girls at the Little Bead Shop are delighted to tell you that, just for this weekend, we are offering a fantastic 10% discount on silver fingerprint jewellery!

By using a combination of traditional silversmithing techniques and Art Clay Silver (often referred to as metal clay) we can capture a fingerprint directly into fine silver. What better gift for a dad than his child's fingerprint cast into a beautiful pair of cuff links or a charm for a necklace? It makes a perfect, truly personal gift.

Pushed for time? If you pop in before 2pm on Saturday you can get your beautiful personalised gift the very same day!

Arranging your silver fingerprint jewellery is easy - just pop in to see us or call us on 0131 228 5058 and tell us your requirements.

Love,

The girls at the Little Bead Shop

Just for Father's Day - silver fingerprint jewellery

Father's Day is fast approaching and with 20th June just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about presents. And we all know that getting presents for dads can be a bit tricky sometimes!

And, lets face it, there aren't that many holidays where we get to spoil our dads. So why not treat him to a really special gift?

By using a combination of traditional silversmithing techniques and Art Clay Silver (often referred to as metal clay) we can capture a fingerprint directly into fine silver. Our on site artists are fully qualified in Art Clay Silver so we can guarantee that everything is finished to a high standard.

And what would make a better, more personal gift for dad than a loved one's fingerprints cast into a pair of fine silver cuff links. Or a link in a bracelet or even a necklace?

Arranging your silver fingerprint jewellery is easy. Simply call us or pop in to see us and tell us your requirements.

Now you can "drop in" on a Saturday between 2pm - 5pm to have your, or your child's prints taken. Come along at the beginning of the session and your jewellery will be ready for you by the end of the day!

Please call us on 0131 228 5058, pop in to see us, or visit our website for more information.

Love,

The girls at the Little Bead Shop x

Comprehensive Introduction to Metal Clay - Sunday 23 May

We have another one of our fantastic full day introductory classes coming up on Sunday 23 May and we just had to tell you all about it!

This comprehensive class takes you through the basics in the three frequently used types of Art Clay Silver: lump form, syringe and paste. It's suitable for total beginners but may also appeal to those of you who have been to our evening ring making or Magic of Art Clay evening classes.

Some examples of the beautiful pieces you could make on the day are pictured above.

In the morning our qualified, professional instructors will give you a thorough grounding in the basics and show you how to make pendants, earrings and charms.

In the afternoon, we will teach you all about shrinkage in metal clay and how to make your very own silver ring, how to make decorative, personalised embellishments using syringe and how to use paste to make your very own, beautiful silver leaf!

The class runs from 11am - 5.30pm (with a break for lunch) and is £130 which includes your materials for the day (20g Art Clay Silver, 10g Paste, use of syringe type and loan of tools).

For more information, please visit our website, pop in to see us at the shop, or call us on 0131 228 5058!

Love,

the girls at the Little Bead Shop x

Metal clay at the Little Bead Shop

One of the things that makes the Little Bead Shop so special is the range of classes we provide and the level of expertise of our staff.

We share our premises with Art Clay Scotland, and provide a whole range of art clay silver classes from beginners to advanced master classes . Courses are run by Emma Baird, and taught by our team of qualified staff.

Not only that, but we also teach silver smithing techniques to bring a whole new dimension to your art clay silver and beaded jewellery. All our staff already have strong silver smithing experience, with Helen about to start her final year of her silver smithing and jewellery design design degree and Deanne is due to begin hers this September.

The level of experience of our staff makes us unique and you can be confident that we can provide you with the best possible advice and teach you to a high, professional standard. For more information about the metal clay and silver smithing classes available from the Little Bead Shop, please pop in to see us, visit our website or call us on 0131 228 50508.

Love,

the girls at the Little Bead Shop x

Big news update: New shop opening 21 April!

Hello everyone!

We can now confirm that as of 21 April, the Little Bead Shop will have moved a few doors along the street to 120 Bruntsfield Place, currently the premises of Cafe Crepe!

Those of you who have popped in to see us already know that we're already packing up and getting things organised for the move. Although we are possibly just a little bit messier than normal (ahem), everything is business as usual.

We'll keep you all posted on how the move is going :)

Love,

the girls at the Little Bead Shop x

Big News!

We are moving! :)
Some of you may have seen the 'To Let' sign on the front of our wee shop, but don't worry, we're only going down the road! Our new shop has a lovely back room, which we are going to turn into a little dedicated classroom. Our classes are now so popular, this will let us run them during the day as well as in the evening!
The front will display all of our lovely beads, tools and Art Clay. We have some awesome ideas up our sleeve too and we are so excited about it! The official opening date is still to be announced, but expect it around the 20th of April!
We will still be on beautiful Bruntsfield Place so come and visit us! We will be back with more details soon, happy Easter!
Love from the Little Bead Shop girls x

New class dates: wrapped loop charm bracelet: 30 March and 8 April

Hello everyone!

I'm delighted to be able to tell you that we have some new dates set for our wrapped loop charm bracelet classes!

In this class, we will teach you one of the fundamental jewellery techniques - the wrapped loop. This technique is a staple of wire working and being able to make these simple wrapped loops from wire or headpins will add a whole new element to your designs.

Using this technique in the class will allow you to make a beautiful charm bracelet like the one above. If you've been to one of our art clay classes, why not bring along some of your silver charms to add to your design? Seriously, once you know this technique - the sky's the limit!

The class, which is suitable for all levels, costs £15 and includes silver plated chain and headpins. Beads are not included.

The classes run 6.30 - 8.30pm on Tuesday 30 March and Thursday 8 April.

Pop in to book your place or call us on 0131 228 5058!

Love,

the girls at the Little Bead Shop

The Little Bead Shop at the Scottish Bead Fair

What can I say, the Little Bead Shop had a brilliant day yesterday at the Scottish Bead Fair.

We want to send a big thank you to all our customers, old and new, who came to see us and who stopped by to say hello.

As ever, we had a gorgeous selection of our favourite beads on offer as well as information about our brand new classes (watch this space!)



Emma from Art Clay Scotland also made a special guest appearance to demonstrate how to use precious metal clay and gave some very handy hints and tips to those who came along to watch.

All in all it was a brilliant day, but now we just need to unpack!

Keep your eyes peeled as we'll soon be updating our website will all our fantastic new classes.


Love,

the girls at the Little Bead Shop