Hey, Reader!

As you may recall from last week, I asked you to vote for the designs that you most want to see in the make-along video format. Not surprisingly, the Twig Earrings and Twig Pendant came out on top after all the votes were tallied. These are my most enduringly popular designs. And it just so happens that they're perfect for spring. So, I can't think of a better design for my March Make-Along series!

I may even see if I can work a Twig bracelet into that series. I've been wanting to design a Twig bracelet for ages, but I haven't made the time to do it. Now seems like a great time to add a bracelet to that collection, though. Don't you agree?

Other designs that made the top four were the Lyonesse Pendant, the Lover's Knot Bracelets, and the Rosewood pendant and earrings. So, I've added all of those to my editorial calendar as well. I plan to sprinkle some brand new designs into the mix, just to keep things fresh. But this gives you an idea of what you can look forward to seeing this spring.

In the meantime, I have another useful quick tip for you today. I touched on this trick very briefly in Part 3 of the Fleur de Lis Make-Along, but in today's video, I explain why I break my weaving wire tails instead of trimming them. I show you exactly how my technique compares to the traditional method of trimming tails with wire cutters. And I demonstrate that technique on three popular weaving patterns so you can see how well it works on different weaves.

Spoiler alert: this technique nearly always gives you a cleaner finish than wire cutters. The only exception is if something goes wrong and your wire breaks off in the wrong place entirely. This exception is rare, but it can happen if your wire is kinked or if it was overworked during the weaving process.

To watch today's quick tip video, just click here or hit the play button on the image below.

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Next week, we're going to talk about how to scale or resize designs. I've discussed this technique briefly in my written tutorials, but I want to expand on it because it's a really useful skill to add to your toolbox.

Sometimes, you need to adapt a design to fit a specific focal bead or gemstone. Or maybe you just want a bolder or more petite version of a design than the one that's specified in a tutorial. There are a million reasons why you might want (or need) to resize a design. So, I'll walk you through my simple process for scaling a piece to virtually any size.

I'll meet you back here in your inbox next week. Until then, go make something beautiful!