As promised, we have begun releasing the first of many new project instructions and kits for 2012.  Last week, we released our first hair accessory kit, “Scale Barrette” by Omni Mee.  Omni has long been an ambassador for B3 and we are so excited to be releasing his project.  We’ve already gotten such great feedback about the design and we can’t wait for you guys to get your pliers on these kits.  (Warning: These cute flowers are kindof addicting – you may end up making enough to wear a new one every day *wink*.)

In the coming weeks, we’ll be releasing two highly anticipated projects created by Rebeca. We’ve been sharing some sneak peeks of her Elfweave Braid project on our page on Facebook and people are excited to get their hands on this new weave.  Following the release of Elfweave Braid, we will also release a supplementary variations tutorial with ideas and quick tips for adapting this weave into 4 more projects.

This month we will also introduce Rebeca’s Beaded Gridlock Byzantine tutorial and kit.  We’ve been teasing this advanced-level project for a while and have been working hard to perfect the instructions – it’s a tricky one!  We’ve got it just right now though and can’t wait to release it later this month.

Click for a larger view.

With all these new kit releases comes a need to make some room in our inventory.  We are discontinuing a handful of older kits (don’t worry, we’re still selling the instructions!) and instead offering complete supply lists for these projects.  You can get a preview of what this looks like by visiting any of our FREE tutorial pages or by clicking the image to the left.  You’ll notice a new image that indicates the project is instructions only (clicking the image will still take you to a larger image of the project itself so you can see what you’re getting.)  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you’ll see a list of all the B3 packs and findings you’ll need to complete the project.

As we create more and more projects and revamp the kits section of our website to be more project and class-oriented, you will begin to see more flexible shopping options like this one.  We’ll still carry kits for many projects, but we’ll also include these shopping lists and even class listings for the project right there on the page.  Eventually, we will allow you to add the packs listed in the supply list directly to your cart from the project page and are working on a tool that will add notes to your receipt about what project that pack is used for (we’ve all been in that position of receiving our rings and wondering, “What the heck was I gonna do with these?”)  As we make this transition, we encourage you to share you ideas and feedback about the shopping experience.  We are excited about improving this section of the website and hope you’ll love the final outcome as much as we think you will!

chain maille tutorials · chainmaille projects · jewelry classes · jewelry kits

We just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge what a crazy success our first Maillers’ Choice kit turned out to be!  Trust us when we say that we were as surprised as many of your were when we saw that within hours of releasing the first round, they were sold out (not to mention that the second round literally sold out in minutes!)  We heard from many of you who missed buying the kits by a (flat) nose (plier) and we want you to know, we hear you.



As we continue to develop this brand new promotion, we will do our best to allow as many people to participate in the fun as we can.  One way we will do this is by varying the release times (because we have customers in all 50 states and 40 countries, we’ll never be able to find the a perfect time for everyone, but we’ll do our best to make it work!)  We will also increase the limited number of available kits over time to match interest as much as we can.

Thanks to everyone who was part of this very fun promotion, from the voting to the crazy fast scooping up.  Stay tuned to our blog to find out what the next Maillers’ Choice kit will be and make sure to like our page on Facebook and join our mailing list to stay as up to date as possible with the release of this promo and others!

chainmaille kits · jewelry kits · Promotion

Depending on your locale, the world outside may not exactly be full of colorful life but with spring right around the corner, we’re inspired by the knowledge it soon will be! This spring’s color palette is inspired by blossoming flowers, swimming pools, and gentle skies.  These luminescent colors are best found in our enameled copper, anodized niobium, and glass rings.

As you’re planning your next project, consider using one of these suggested combinations or print out the palette and play around with mixing and matching your own.

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Consider trying out this palette with one of our new artist-designed kits that use these rings to create weaves that are reminiscent of spring flowers.

Coiled Bracelet by Rebeca Mojica

This delightful bracelet uses Rebeca’s signature technique of “coiling,” which mimics the look of coiled wire by stringing tiny jump rings onto larger rings. A simple technique, but the possibilities are endless!

Features Anodized Niobium

Akimbo Bracelet by Kat Wisniewski

A little off-kilter, staggered and definitely akimbo. This intermediate level pattern feels like a warm sunrise with rays of complimenting color.

Features Enameled Copper & Glass Rings

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March is National Craft Month! What better time feel the creative spark and tackle that project you’ve been dreaming of?

chainmaille kits · color · color forecast · color palette · colored jump rings · inspiration · jewelry kits · jump rings · kat wisniewski · Rebeca Mojica · spring 2011 colors

Blue Buddha Boutique has made it easy to get started making all the pieces in CHAINED by creating kits for every project shown in the book. We’ve got 31 different project kits ready to go, and we plan to release more in the coming months. Simply visit our CHAINED kits page and shop by chapter and page number — With one click, you can add to your cart everything you need to make the project exactly how it appears in the book. There are also one-click options to add all the projects from a chapter to your cart at once, or even all the projects from the entire book!

See a variation in the book that you want a kit for? Let us know which kits you want us to create next by leaving a comment below, voicing your opinion on our wall on facebook, sending us an @reply on twitter, or joining the discussions on our soon-to-debut forum.

book · chain mail jewelry · chained · chainmaille jewelry · jewelry kits · make chainmaille · wire jewelry