How to Create a Bracelet With Drag and Drop Beads
In the last several years, beadwork has increased in popularity. Craft stores are expanding their jewelry making supplies to satisfy their customers' needs. Creating a beaded bracelet design can be done by hand or on a computer. Some online merchants have started offering a virtual bead board that allows users to create their designs before making a purchase. The most popular site that offers this creative tool is Fire Mountain Gems.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Browser
- Virtual bead board (The example used can be found at www.firemountaingems.com/bb_login.asp.)
Instructions
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Logging in to the Virtual Bead Board
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Go to the Fire Mountain Gems Virtual Bead Board at http://www.firemountaingems.com/bb_login.asp
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Create an account or sign in if you already have one.
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On the Virtual Bead Board page, click "Enter" to begin.
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The bead board grid that opens will act as your project area. There are two tabs to choose from at the top of the board. The "Project" tab allows you to choose whether you are working on a new project, opening an existing project, saving a current project or deleting a project. The second tab, called "Board Color," allows you to select your shade from a variety of colors in a drop down menu.
Getting Started With Your Design
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To add products to your bead board, go to the left column and select "Display Item Menu." A pop-up window will appear, giving the list of available items.
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Navigate through the beads, charms and other items to select the types of elements you want to add to your board. When chosen, they will appear on the left column, where you can scroll through the sizes and shapes offered.
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Select the items you want by clicking "Add to Bead Board." This will put your items in your bead tray on the right. You may also add items to your bead board by entering the catalog number directly.
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Start your bracelet design by dragging and dropping elements from the bead tray to the grid area. You may do this repeatedly to create as many instances of each bead as you would like to appear in your design.
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Move the beads around by clicking and dragging them to make various arrangements and patterns.
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Scroll both vertically or horizontally to view your work and see the full length of your piece.
Calculating and Finalizing Your Purchase
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If you'd like an estimate of what it would cost to purchase the supplies used in your design, select the 'Cost Calculator' button below the bead board.
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Enter the desired number of designs and click "Calculate." You will see a box with the estimated cost displayed. You are given the option to get a quote if you're making multiple copies of your bracelet as well. This feature also lets you know how many packages of each jewelry component you will need to purchase in order to complete your design.
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To order your items, select the "Add to Cart" button in the "Cost Calculator" pop-up window.
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Select the "Projects" tab at the top of the bead board and choose "Save Project" from the drop-down menu. Give your project a name and click "Save."
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Proceed to the checkout page to complete your purchase.
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