SunJournal.com – Beading goes over big on backpacks

Here is a great idea for backpack danglers made from all those left over beads you have.
Click the link below to get the full patterns.

Beading goes over big on backpacks

By Jennifer Forker , For The Associated PressSunday, August 10, 2008

When a friend’s 5-year-old daughter entered my house recently and saw the many styles and colors of beads laid out for making backpack danglers for the new school year, her eyes lit up. “This will be fun,” she said.So, too, the 9-year-old neighbor girl, who saw this same display of beads and couldn’t wait to dig into them: “This is a cool project,” she said.It’s no secret that kids love beads – the big, round ones, the little ones, the sparkly ones, the wooden ones.Beading has flourished into a lucrative slice of the crafting industry, with independent bead shops in even the smallest towns and traveling bead fairs heading up and back along our interstate highways.

According to the Big Bead Book, an online directory, there are more than 2,200 retail bead shops in the United States.Robert Brown started selling beads at his store, D&I Beads, in Peoria, Ariz., 15 years ago, and online in 2001. Now one of the giants in the industry, Brown said his family-owned business has sales that are “in the millions” every year.”Beading is a really good craft,” Brown said. “It’s probably the No. 1 craft right now, because (people) can not only make jewelry, they can make craft objects with them.”Beads sell.And getting little girls to do beadwork? That’s an easy sell, too. Boys like to do beadwork, too, and there are plenty of beads they might enjoy, such as the wooden skull and crossbones I found at a Michaels craft store.If the summertime blues have hit your household, invest in a few colorful beads for your younger set.
Below are several ideas for making backpack danglers, adapted from Family Fun magazine.
Assorted backpack danglers
Supplies you’ll need:Assorted lettered and/or colored beadsButtons with large threading loops in backLarge safety pins (2-inch-long pins are sold at craft stores)
Small key rings or lanyard hooksBeading cord and/or hemp thread
Elastic cord
Scissors
Optional supplies for Idea No. 5:Shrinkable plastic (such as Shrinky Dinks)Colored markers or colored pencilsRubber stampsHole punchCookie sheetFoil, brown paper grocery bag or parchment paper

SunJournal.com – Beading goes over big on backpacks

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