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It's time for your  Contest Entries

It's that time again.    Time to get your entries to our store for our Annual Design Contest.

 

If you don't know what this is about,  here's the skinny.  Each year in January we put out a call for your beaded designs.  We put them on display in February and March for people to admire, and vote on.  Then, when we close on the last day we are open in March, we tally up the votes and the person with the most, wins first place, second place, third, etc.  The merchants of Fountain Square help support this and many of them give something that can be awarded as one of the prizes.  Last year we had approximately $500 in prizes.  That's nothing to laugh at for just doing something you love to do anyway. don't you think!  Oh. I forgot to tell you how you actually gain votes.  You, and your family, and your friends, and your co-workers (you get the idea) bring donations for a local food pantry to Heirloom Classics.  Each product is weighed and you  are credited with the weight of the products.  Whoever gets the most donated, in weight, wins.  It couldn't be easier.  And it IS a lot of fun.  So here is what we ask of you.

1.    Design something amazing

2.    Bring your entry to Heirloom Classics

3.    Tell all your friends, family, co-workers etc, to bring something heavy to donate in your name

4.    Keep track, and if you are not winning, bring more to donate.

5.    Be proud that there will be people that will get food, or laundry soap, or whatever has been donated

6.    And in the first week of April, hopefully, come collect your winnings. 

 

Good Luck!!!!!

Where Do the Donations Go?

 

Your donations will be given to the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry on Thompson Road.

We have chosen this pantry for several different reasons.  One being that Loaves and Fishes is located in a church with a small membership but with a huge heart.  Their membership of active members numbers somewhere between 45 and 60 each week.  But they pass out food for over 100 families a month.  This figures out to about 900 individuals.  That's a bunch!  And as far as we know, they are the only food pantry that is open in the evening.  This has proven to be very important to some of the families that use the pantry as that is the only time they can get a ride to get food.

 

And the reason we choose to hold the contest at this time of year is that Loaves and Fishes is the benefactor of a matching donation of $1 for every pound of products donated to the pantry.  That's the reason we focus so much on how much the donations weigh.

 

Last year we got started with the contest a bit late and only held it in March.  But with it only being held for one month, the donations were quite remarkable.  We were able to take almost 1/2 ton of food and products to the pantry.  That also netted them another $1000 in matching donations from the other group.  Now, I know that I have made many more beading friends in this last year, so I KNOW that we will be able to hit one ton in donations this year.  Part of what makes me the most proud of the beaders that I have met is what big hearts they have.  So let's use those big hearts and get bunches for the food pantry.

 

Remember that you can also bring bleach, laundry detergent, personal hygiene products, and diapers.  These are things that are always in great need.  They are things that cannot be purchased with food stamps.

 


 

Confused over Bead Wire Numbers?

The beading world can sometimes be confusing with all its numbers. Stringing wire is a good example. "Stringing wire" is a bunch of stainless steel wires bundled together and then coated is added for strength, durability and comfort.

How does a new beader know which beading wire to use and when? Well, stringing wire comes in many different diameters and that is the way that they are measured. They begin with wire as small as .007 inches in diameter and goes up to .024 inches and some are even larger.

flex-rite metal micro-wireWhy should you choose one over another? One thing to consider is the type of beads you will be stringing onto the wire. Some beads have larger holes than others, and some are rougher on the inside than others. If you are using man-made beads such as ceramic, Czech glass, or Swarovski Crystals the holes will usually be a bit larger and uniform in size. Depending on the quality of those beads, some are a little sharper on the edges than others.

The weight of the beads is another thing to think about. If you hang large beads, more than 8 mm on the thinnest wire, the beads will pull the wire. So on larger man-made beads, I try to use a little bit larger diameter wire, maybe one that is .018. That is really my “go to” size of wire. It is a good all-around size.

If you are stringing natural stones there are other considerations. Something that new beaders do not realize is that most natural stones are drilled from both sides of the bead and the drills meet in the middle, so even if a hole looks big enough on the outside, sometimes it is much smaller in the middle. I usually use just a little bit smaller wire than I think I need for natural stones. Then there are pearls. Pearls take a much smaller wire because when they are drilled, the person drilling wants to leave as much nacre as possible. A more familiar name for nacre is Mother of Pearl. That’s what gives them their beautiful shine. The result is very small holes in pearls.

But you ask, “There are other numbers on this wire. What do they mean?” The other numbers on the spools of beading wire, usually refer to how many strands of individual wires are twisted into the wire. The most common numbers are 7, 21 and 49. And, just because there are more strands, it does not mean that the wire is larger. It is possible to have 49-strand .018 gage wire just like it is possible to have 7-strand .018 gage wire. And strangely, the more strands, the more flexible the wire. I am not sure about this, but I think it is because those 49 strands are so thin that the whole wire is more pliable.

I hope this has made choosing beading wire a little easier for you. We at Heirloom Classics - Jewelry and Beads are here to help you understand even more or to explain this in a different way, if you still have questions. We have been here in Fountain Square for nearly 2 years now and Judy has been making jewelry for many years before that. Please feel free to call anytime you have questions, or better yet, drop in (free parking on the side of the building). We will be happy to answer general questions and have classes to teach the specifics. We are located at 1311 Prospect Street, Indianapolis, IN 46203 (located in the Historic Fountain Square area). Phone number is 317-495-1102. Web Site is: www.heirloom-classics.com. And you can email us at: info@heirloom-classics.com. We are open from 11am till 7 pm Monday thru Saturday, and closed Sundays.