Raya Promo at zaimanik.fotopages.com

Inilah bahananya bila terlampau busy..blog tak di update..selalu update Fotopages ajer...

Di sini saya nak listkan Raya Promotion untuk kedai manik online http://zaimanik.fotopages.com/

Haaa...banyak item under promo sampai raya ni, so bolehlah order lebih sket utk simpan stok utk raya haji...lagipun lepas raya pun byk open house kan...takkan nak pakai baju2 yg sama to all the open houses,,,so lepas raya ni pun boleh jahit manik lagi utk baju open house pula...hihikss...so stok awal2...sebab zaimanik cuti sepanjang raya yerk...

Plastic pearl 3mm promo price is RM1.50 /10g. Usual price RM2.00/10g
http://zaimanik.fotopages.com/?entry=1802254

Sequin Flower Bowl 4mm promo price is RM2.50/10g. Usual price RM3.00/10g
http://zaimanik.fotopages.com/?entry=1819239

Acrylic Rectangle 8x12mm promo price is RM3.00/20 pcs.Usual price RM4.00 / 20 pcs.
http://zaimanik.fotopages.com/?entry=1823479

Acrylic Eye 8x16mm price reduced to RM4.00 / 20pcs. Previous price was RM2.50 / 10 pcs (RM5/20pcs)
http://zaimanik.fotopages.com/?entry=1823460

Acrylic Round 8mm price reduced to RM3.00 / 20pcs. Previous price was RM3.40 /20pc
http://zaimanik.fotopages.com/?entry=1822985

Glass Pearl 6mm RM3.00 /10g. Usual price RM3.50 /10g.
http://zaimanik.fotopages.com/?entry=1781539

The good news is I might keep some of the promo prices as a permanent price after raya...:)

Saiz 2Cut (hexagon)

Saya nak buat post ni dalam Bahasa Melayu sebab saya malas nak karang ayat dalam Bahasa Inggeris, dan lepas tu suami saya kena edit pula (kalau grammar tak betul or ayat berbelit tu maksudnya suami saya belum edit). Tapi post ni bukan dalam BM sepenuhnya, kira rojak BM -English yerk.





Nak panggil hexagon atau 2Cut (two cut)? Dua2 sebutan boleh guna, refer shape yang sama juga. Hexagon tu sah2 sebab bentuknya 6 segi (cuba tengok di lubang tu, 6 segi kan). Jangan panggil silinder yerk, sebab bentuk silinder tu tak bersegi (macam silinderlah).

Nama 2Cut tu pulak saya tak tahu dari mana asalnya...punya baca banyak buku dan majalah beading, belum jumpa asal usul kenapa dipanggil 2Cut (jangan tak tau, 3Cut pun wujud). Hmm..kena membaca lagi banyak ni (nasib baik salah satu hobi saya membaca).

Saiz 2Cut ni sama jer dengan saiz Round (saya refer untuk Miyuki aje) tapi variasi saiz tu kurang.

15/0 : 1.5mm
12/0: 1.8mm
11/0: 2.0mm --> Ini saiz yang Miyuki import ke Malaysia
10/0: 2.2mm
9/0: 2.5mm
8/0: 3.0mm
6/0: 4.0mm
5/0: 5.0mm

Sekarang dah tau, kan senang....nak tengok warna-warna yang ada, silalah ke http://zaimanik.fotopages.com

Round Bead Sizes

Lots of people confused with when it comes to beads sizes such as 11/0, 15/0, 12/0, 8/0 and so on. Alternatively, they are written as 110 (but the 0 is at the top, just like when we write degree Celcius). These sizes are applicable for round beads (a.k.a. round rocailles).

How do you pronounce the sizes?
11/0 is pronounced as Eleven Ohhh..12/0 is pronounced as Twelve Ohhh..and so on

Why do they use these sizes and what does it means?
From my reading of the beading books and mags, there's no conclusive story or evidence who originally coined the terms. Some says that 11/0 means 11 beads can fit in 1 inch, 15/0 means 15 beads in 1 inch etc. However, this might no longer applicable these days since different manufacturers use different machines. For example, 11/0 size might vary a bit depending on the manufacturer.

Can we convert the size to metric system?
Luckily the answer is YES.
Below is the metric conversion for original Miyuki. The size in metric is the size for 1 bead.

15/0 : 1.5mm --> smallest beads, I only have silverline finish and black opaque round Miyuki
12/0: 1.8mm
11/0: 2.0mm ---> Most of the Miyuki round beads imported to Malaysia is in this size.
10/0: 2.2mm
9/0: 2.5mm
8/0: 3.0mm ---> I only have Miyuki silver and gold in this size
6/0: 4.0mm ---> I only have Miyuki silver and gold in this size
5/0: 5.0mm
2/0: 6.0mm
1/0: 6.5mm

Obviously you can see that the lower the size, the bigger the beads.


The size s that we normally used for cloth embroidering is 11/0 and 12/0, and some 15/0 for finer touch. 8/0 and 6/0 are used sparingly. For jewelry, 11/0,12/0 and 15/0 are favorite sizes too.

Beads Finish

Beads Finishes

Opaque: Light cannot pass through it.
Example for Miyuku: YH401 (opaque), YH455 (opaque AB)

Transparent : Light can pass through it. Often referred to as glass.
Example for Miyuku: YH260 (transparent AB)

Translucent : Allows partial transmission of light through it.

Matte : Dull appearance. Achieved by tumbling beads or dipping them in a glass etching solution.

Silver Lined: Mirror-like finish inside the bead which adds sparkle to it.
Example for Miyuku: YH1 (silverline) , YH1006 (silverline AB)

Color Lined: Usually seen in a two-color mix with an opaque color inside of a transparent bead.

Luster: Very shiny finish which covers the entire outer layer of the bead.

Ceylon: Translucent bead with a luster finish.
Example for Miyuku: YH511

Dyed: A process of surface color dying often seen in Japanese beads. Color will come off if not protected. Clear spray paint may be used. Do not dry clean as the dry cleaning chemical might react with the surface color.
Example for Miyuku: YH1340 (dyed silverline)

Metallic : Bead surface has a fired-on, metal-like finish which adds shine to it.
Example for Miyuku: YH454

AB (Aurora Borealis) A rainbow-like surface which has been fired onto the bead.

Shimmering Flora..after 4 years

COLOR Matching

Some people are naturally gifted in COLOR matching, but some, like myself, often find themselves struggling just to match colors.

We have a dress..say ..a med brown colored one...we find ourselves faced with the daunting task of figuring out what colors of beads and sequins to use on it without having it end up looking like either a gunny sack or a Christmas tree on parade.

The obvious choice of beads colors are perhaps shades of brown, gold, dark yellow..those are the primary and complimentary colors. Then we need some contrast colors to spice up the outfit..this is when we run into some problems. What other colors can we use, either complimentary or contrasting?

We can try to mix and match using whatever beads and sequins that we have in our collection, but unless you're an obsessive compulsive beads hoarder (like yours truly), sometimes you just don't have enough colors to match.

Thankfully, there's a great tool to help us. It's called a COLOR WHEEL (as pictured above but without the top part to select the color). I discovered this handy little tool in Beads and Button magazine a few years ago and have given away soft copies of it to many of my customers over the past few years.

Who would suggest that Mangosteen maroon looks good on brown? I won't but the COLOR WHEEL suggested that it's a complimentary color for brown. Check it out in my unfinished outfit at the top (the story on the unfinished dress itself fits for another post!).


The picture does injustice to the color matching element but the maroon (on the biggest flower) looks really good on the brown..trust me on this because 3 beaders (distinguish ones) have borrowed this unfinished shirt from me for their reference.

So to commemorate the beginning of my blog, I'm giving away the SOFT COPY of the COLOR WHEEL (in PDF). Email me at zaibeads@gmail.com or beadingtreasure@gmail.com to request it. (Obviously only applicable to the readers of this blog).

All you have to do then is to print it in COLOR. Follow the instruction given on cutting this part and that part and laminate it for sturdiness. It comes complete with instructions on how to use it.

May this tool COLOR your way through those back breaking beading hours.

Testing Sequin Color Steadfastness

Yesterday I got an sms from a customer asking whether the color of certain sequins will fade during wash. Apparently, she had experienced sequin color fading after all the hard work she had put into embroidering a dress. It turned out it was a metallic sequin (fan shaped).

NOT ALL metallic sequins will fade when washed. It depends on the quality of the sequins.

Last night I did an experiment. I took few pieces of metallic purple sequins in my stock (SRC412) and soaked them in a bowl of water. And this morning, when I checked it, the color stayed on the sequin ..yeay...
Next experiment: soak the sequins in soapy water...

So, to the beaders out there, if you're not confident with your sequins, just test them first like I did.

For the list of all the metallic sequins, please go to http://zaimanik.fotopages.com