More of my Decorative Pins, Lace & flowers

Hi again all,
My apologies for not posting this yesterday as I promised, but with one thing and another I was unable to get to the laptop to write it up.  So without wasting anymore time here is my second Christmas card adorned with my handmade items again.

If you look closely you can see another of the lovely Linda Wescotts doilies just popping out over the pennant.  To make the doilies go further I often cut them in half to use like this.  I know it is sacrilege to cut up someones hard work, but I love to use Linda's doilies and would hate to waste the other half just glued underneath the topper.  So really I am doing a good thing and I get two cards for the price of one doily!

 For the pin I used here, I kept the colours traditional green and red, but I used them with silver bead spacers and caps as gold was too gaudy for this card.  I thought the cool of the silver tones was more appropriate with the bluey tones in the papers. 

The pretty pearly embellishment in the center of the red flower is a button from The Hobby House.  They have some gorgeous pearly buttons in both silver and gold tone.  Worth a look if you are after something like this;  the eyelets on the back are only plastic and are easy to remove with cutters.
Below you can see my latest piece of lace.  For this one I kept the basis really simple with rows of double crochet and trebles and then finished the end with scallops to fluff it out a bit.

And finally a side view............

Well that's it for another day.  I do hope you have enjoyed seeing my latest creations (pins, lace and flowers) on my two Christmas cards.  I have created more Decorative Pins and lace so I will make some cards over the weekend to showcase more of them.
Thank you so much for popping by again, you are so kind and your support means the world to me.
I do hope you all have a good day and it is the start of a successful weekend.
Best wishes and regards Linda xx

Decorative Pins Slider Box Tutorial

Hiya,
It's really good to be back with you again today.  As promised I have another tutorial for you.  It may not be for all of you, but I hope it will be useful to some.
Todays tutorial is to create a Slider Box for your Decorative Pins (though it could be adapted for other uses).

Here is the finished article.

and all its components.

Once I had designed the box to suit my Fancy Decorative Pins, I used the fabulous Spellbinders packaging (again, you say?  Yes, it's becoming an essential piece of my kit!), to make a template.  Much easier than measuring when you have several to make and I had 15 to do straight off ready for giveaways and Candy prizes.

 1.  Cut out the Box Slider 18.4cm by 10.3cm. Score from each end, along the width, at 1.25cm, 2.5cm and 3.75cm.  Then along the length at 1.25 on both sides.   (Here you can see the acetate template I made on top of the card already cut to size.)

2.  Cut down the score line of the long sides until you reach the 3.75cm score line on all four sides.

3.  Fold the long sides up and push the cut flaps into the center. Next, fold over the shorter ends to encapsulate the end flaps and secure the box.

4.  Cut the Box Slider liner to 7.6cm by 10.2cm

(Please, please, please excuse my awful writing, I was rushing when I created the templates and didn't have the time to produce tidier ones to show you.  I didn't want to risk leaving it until another day incase I was away from the blog again for a short while)

5.  Cut the Box Slider Pin Holder to 7.6cm by 11.2cm.
Score at 1.6cm (Sorry, I've just realised I wrote 1.5 on the template) and at 2.8cm and 4cm.
Fold the 1.6cm and 4cm scores as valley folds and the 2.8cm score as a mountain fold.

6.  Attach the Pin Holder to the Box Liner up to the 4cm fold.  Next attach only the 1.6cm piece to the base of the Box Liner allowing the extra card to form a mountain in which to secure the pins.

7.  Cut out the Box Outer Slider to 10.6cm by 19.7cm.
Score, from one end, at 0.9cm, 9cm, 10.25cm and 18.4cm.
If you want an aperture, decide on the diecut shape you want and position so the center is at approx 4cm (or to suit your needs).

8.  Cut a piece of acetate (recycle that Spellbinder or other packaging again) to fit inside the box and glue it in position along the bottom and top edge.  This acetate acts as a perfect window in the aperture, but it also strenghthens the box and stops the pins from damaging the box front.

9.  Finally Glue the shorter flap behind the opposite end flap to form the Outer Cover, press firmly from inside to secure.

Now to the adhesive.  I used Redline tape for securing the Outer cover but a wet glue could just as easily be used.  For the acetate, I used a simple 3mm tape and for the inner Pin Holder and liner, I used a few drops of wet glue.






I have displayed the finished box with only four pins, but it will infact hold up to seven pins; it depends totally on the size of the beads used.  I have made up a few of these boxes ready for gifts or Candy and also to store some of my own pins.  They provide much needed protection if I have used speciality beads on my pins and it stops the pins rubbing together.
Well, there we have it, another Tutorial complete.  I do hope it will be of some use to those of you who love to make pins as I do and also to those who are going to have a go sometime soon.
I will be around blogland again today, trying hard to catch up with you all.
I hope you have a wonderful day.    Best wishes Linda xx

Back to my Spellbinders again.

Afternoon all.
Well I have had to schedule this post as I am busy with my 3year old grandson again today.  He keeps me on my toes I can tell you.  The good thing is that he still loves to have his afternoon nap, so when he settles down I get a bit of time to come and check out the blog.  So I should be able to pop on around 2ish and catch up with you all, fingers crossed.
Well here is the card I promised.

I keep looking at this one as I think it has something missing (and I don't mean a greeting, as I purposefully omitted that). I am wondering whether I should have cut some fancy corners in brown cardstock to fill a bit of the blank space.  What do you think?
I used some dark chocolate brown card, velvet ribbon and swirls to contrast with the ivory and gold on this card.  I embossed the ivory background with the one of the new Spellbinders double sided embossing folders; they are so easy to match up to repeat the pattern.  The yo-yo flower was made from a strip of lame effect fabric that I picked up at 'What' store some time ago.  It is lovely to use as it is soft and very fluid fabric.  The flower center is again, a pearly button from The Hobby House.  I must say a Big thank you to Hazel C. for introducing me to them.  They have some wonderful embellishments and their prices are really good.

While making this card I wanted an excuse to use some of my Decorative Pins and what better way than with a flower and a bow.  The left hand pin here is quite an expensive one infact as I used some of my Murano glass beads.   A couple of years ago I visited Venice and treated myself to some pieces of Murano glass including some choice beads in gold and red.  Originally I was going to make a necklace and matching bracelet but I never got around to doing them, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to use one or two for my Pins.  I then added Swarovski clear crystals to finish it off..... all in all a rather expensive pin for a card, but hey.... I love them so that's all that matters!! 

Well I hope you will excuse me now as I am going to wrap it up there as I am rather tired now and the back is playing up again.  Time for a good rest I think.
I hope you're all having a good day.  I will be back tomorrow with another storage idea and another card.  I will be using some beautiful papers by the fabulous Teresa Collins.
Bye for now.  Hugs Linda x

My Recipe
Dark brown card  and ivory hammered card - Papermill Direct online
Spellbinders Banner Basics 1,  M-Bossabilities EL-001 - Create and Craft
Velvet ribbon and fabric for flower - 'What' store
Brown pearly swirl - QVC
Pearl in gold rim button - The Hobby House
Soft Beige Organza ribbon and pearls from my stash.
Decorative Pins - Handmade by me

Quick Post

Hi all,
I do hope today finds you well and enjoying the wonderful week of sunshine.  I don't know how long it is here for but I hope it's in for a little longer.
I don't have a card yet sorry, but I wanted to tell you that I have started a Places to Shop page (Tab at top of the blog) where I will put up various links to the cheapest places I have now found to buy Pins, beads, spacers etc to make not only Decorative pins but also fancy wired decorations and sprays for your cards, bookmarks, tags and scrapbooking pages.
I will add more and more as I find the best places for you.  Unfortunately, being that I live in the UK, I tend to only buy from UK suppliers but alot of the items can also be bought on other sites like Etsy and Amazon.com etc.  I am just trying to give you a head start with places I use.  There are alot of craft suppliers selling these items also but unfortunately they are very expensive (which I found out to my detriment at first).  So for those of you interested, spend a bit of time searching the main items on Google or within Ebay or Amazon etc.

One thing to note, if you use Ebay, try to look for several items within one buyers  Ebay shop as they will offer postage discounts accordingly.  Don't let that stop you buying from lots of shops though as their postage prices are usually very good and even when added to cost of item, they work out very reasonable.  Try to buy from Top Rated Sellers if you can, you are almost 100% assured of perfect service then.
Well thats it for today.  I will have time very soon to make a card and then I will get back into it properly I promise.  Take care
Hugs Linda x

Change of Plans - New Pins

I am so sorry folks, something happened and my post didn't show, so here it is a bit late....

Good morning all

I know I said yesterday that I would do a CASE card today, but I have been promising all those with Starter Kits (purchased or Candy wins) that I would create new pins and put them up on the blog for more inspiration.  Of course I hope anyone making a start on their own pins will find some inspiration within my blog; I have tried hard to provide a large variety of styles and designs.

So with this in mind, today I would like to show you the pins I have recently completed.  I have been able to create these while sat on the sofa when I have been uncomfortable and unable to go up to my craftroom.  It meant I was still able to craft, just a little more carefully (I have in the past spilled  drops of glue on the riser of my reclining sofa....Aaarggg was I cross with myself!!)

In these new designs I have tried to cover a variety of issues to allow for greater usage of the pins and also to allow for those of you who may only want to use long dressmaking pins etc.  You will also see some other gemstones within the designs; these I have taken from broken necklaces and bracelets that I no longer wanted to repair and use, so I recycled again......... I am a really good recycling girl you know, just the other day I had a stack of dusty polystyerene dishes that needed throwing out, but I cut them up and I am now using the bases for padding under fabric etc for 3D effect.  Will find other uses yet, you'll see!!....can't let something good go to waste now can I?  LOL :)

Anyway back to the pins, I am including a list of items used in the make up of each pin and I will also put a link to this post in the Tutorials Tab to make it easy for you to find at any time..

I have already made up and sent out some Starter Kits (besides the freebie Candy ones) and if anyone else is interested please email me and I will get back to you asap.  You can also purchase readymade pins, just email me the numbers of the ones you prefer or just say MIX and the number required and I will send you costing.   Lets go then:-

Notes before I start:- LP is LongPin, SP is Short Pin.   

Head is the length of beads on the pins - all approx sizes 

Set No.1

Pin A - SP, 4mm pearls, 4mm daisy spacers, 3mm smooth metal spacer beads & 4mm crystal rondells  (A super slim pin with a head of approx 1" - would suit small cards etc)

Pin B - LP,  5x7mm filigree beadcone, (2)6mm pearls, 4mm pearl, rhinestone rondell,  (2)6mm beadcaps, 4mm daisy spacer, 3mm smooth metal spacer bead  (A slim pin but thicker than Pin A, head is just over 1" - would suit cards up to 5x7")

Pin C - LP,  5x7mm filigree beadcone, 8mm & 6mm pearls, 6 & 7mm beadcaps, 4mm daisy spacer, 8mm cup beadcap, 5mm smooth metal spacer bead (Similar to Pin B)

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 Set No.2 

PIN D - SP, 4mm crystal rondell, 6mm filigree bead, 8mm pearl, (2) 7mm beadcaps (Small head of 1inch, but chunkier than Pin A)

PIN E - SP, 8mm cup beadcap, 4,6,8mm pearls, 7mm beadcap, 5x7mm beadcone, 4&6mm daisy spacers  (Top heavy pin, head approx 1.25", would suit just about any card)

PIN F - SP, 3&4mm smooth metal beads, 6mm pearl, 10x14mm black gemstone, (2) 4mm daisy spacers, (2) 7mm beadcaps (Short head of approx 1" but chunky and shows well)

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Set No.3

PIN G - LP, 5X7mm beadcone, (2) 6mm filigree bead, (2) 6mm daisy spacers, 10mm bicone bead, 4mm smooth metal spacer bead. (Slimline but chunky central bead, head approx 1.5", suit most cards)

PIN H - LP, 5x7mm beadcone, (2) 6mm daisy spacers, 6 & 8mm pearls, (6)  6mm beadcaps, 12mm metal round doughnut connector bead, 5mm smooth metal spacer bead. (Same as Pin G)

PIN I - LP, 5X7mm beadcone, 6mm crystal rondell, 8x14mm gemstone, 10x8mm gemstone, 8mm cup beadcap, (2) 7mm beadcaps. (Short head of just over 1", slimline with chunky base gemstone, would suit cards up to 8x8")

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Set No.4   (All three pins have heads over 1.25", chunky design that would suit any card)

PIN J - SP, 3&4mm smooth spacers beads, 6mm filigree bead, 6x8mm faceted teardrop, 6mm beadcap, 6mm faceted rondell, 5mm faceted round bead, 4mm daisy spacer.

PIN K - LP,  (2) 5x7mm beadcone, 6mm filigree bead, metal heart connector bead, (2) 2.5mm &3mm smooth metal spacers beads, 4,6&8mm pearls, (2)4mm daisy spacers, 6mm daisy spacer,

PIN L - LP,  3&4mm smooth metal spacer beads, 6mm bicone bead, 8mm glitter bead, (2)4mm daisy spacers, (2) 6mm daisy spacers, (2) 6mm beadcaps.

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Set No.5   (All pins have heads over 1.5" and would suit any size card)

PIN M - SP, 3,4 &5mm smooth metal spacer beads, (3) 6mm pearls, (4) beadcaps, 4&6mm daisy spacers, 14mm metal puffed bead.

PIN N - LP,  6mm beadcap, 8mm cup beadcap, 10x16mm gemstone, 8x20mm beadcone, 4mm smooth metal spacer beads.

PIN O - LP, (3) 5x7mm beadcone, silver plated angel wings, 8x12mm gemstone, (3)4mm daisy spacers, (2)4mm pearls, 3mm smooth metal spacer beads.

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Set No.6

PIN P - SP, (4)6mm beadcaps, 8mm beadcap, 6&8mm pearls, 8mm faceted rondell bead, 4mm daisy spacer, 4mm smooth metal spacer bead. (Slimline pin, head approx 1.25" suit cards up to 5x7")

PIN Q - LP, 5x7mm beadcone, 12mm metal heart connector, 4&6mm pearl, (3) 3mm smooth metal spacer beads, (2)4mm daisy spacers, 6mm beadcap, 8x10 teardrop bead.  (Slimline pin, head over 1.5", would suit any card size)

PIN R - SP, (3)4mm daisy spacers, 8mm faceted rondell bead, 6mm faceted round, 7mm beadcap, 5mm smooth metal spacer bead. (Slim pin, head approx 1", suit cards up to 5x7")

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Set No.7

PIN S - SP, (2) 4mm spacers, (4) 7mm beadcaps, 8mm glitter bead, 8mm pearl. (Small and chunky similar to Pin R).

PIN T - LP, 5x7 beadcone, (2) 6mm daisy spacer, (2)4mm daisy spacers, (3)6mm beadcaps, 8mm pearl, 8x11mm faceted teardrop bead, 3&4mm smooth metal spacer beads. (Slimline with head over 1.5", would suit any card)

PIN U - LP, 3&4mm smooth metal spacer beads, (2)8mm pearls, 4mm daisy spacer, (2)6mm daisy spacers, 6mm beadcap, 8mm faceted rondelle bead.  (Slim pin, head approx 1.25", similar to Pin E & Pin P)

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And there we have it, 21 new designs for your delectation.  I hope these new Pins will give you lots of inspiration and encourage you to have a go for yourselves.  For those of you with the Starter kits, enjoy experimenting and creating.  Don't forget to send me some pictures when you begin, I cannot wait to see them.  

I will get the CASE card done for tomorrow, it looks like it's a toss up between Bev Rochester and Dena Concienne.   I hope you'll pop by to find out,  I so look forward to reading all your comments.

Take care of yourselves and pass on a smile today if you can.

Hugs Linda x

CANDY!!!

I have had such wonderful emails and comments with regards to my Decorative Pins that I have decided one more time to offer them as Candy. 

The prize for just One Winner will be a choice of either:-

A full Starter Kit of Decorative Pins, (also to include Glue)

or

a box of 6 readymade Decorative Pins (Elegance range- The long fancy pins!)

So there you have it, our next Candy.  Just make sure you leave me a comment under this post and you will be entered into the draw.  

I know there are alot of people out there who would like to enter the draws but do not want to become followers.  Very soon I will do open Candy draws for anyone to enter, but the regular draws at the moment are my way to say a BIG Thank You to all those who follow me and support me as I get myself into the swing of blogland.   I fully understand that we cannot follow everyone or we would be online every minute of everyday.  

So for those who come to browse and like to just pop by now and again, I do think of you too and I promise I will do a draw for anyone and everyone to enter very soon.

Ok that's it for now.  Good luck to everyone again.

Hugs Linda xx

It's Candy time again!!

We had our Candy winner for hitting the 40 followers, so of course it's time for candy for the next biggy and that is when we reach 60 followers.   I have been wondering what to offer and after reading all your lovely comments I have I seen a few requests for a start up kit for the Decorative Pins.  So I have been thinking I need to publicise this and I want you to win Candy that you actually like and want, so I have an idea:  how about a couple of winners?   I am feeling generous again so.......how about Two runners-up who will win a Start-up set of pins plus two ready made pins for inspiration and then an overall winner who will win a Start-up set plus a full box of mixed ready made pins.  

So three lovely winners for the next draw, this is exciting!!!!  

The post office is going to love me...lol!

What do you need to do for a chance of winning:-
First, of course, please be a follower of my blog, second if you have a blog put a link to my Candy onto your sidebar and then leave me a comment under this post and all the names will be entered into the draw when we reach the big 60.  (Non-bloggers just become a follower and leave a comment please.)

The Candy Starter Pack will include:-

1. Two or three sizes (lengths) of base pins (the number of each will depend on what I have managed
     to get in before the draw takes place, but will definitely be 8pins made up from the various sizes)
2.  Spacers in various sizes (4, 6 & 8mm)
3.  Bead caps in various sizes (6 &8mm) in Silver
4.  Bead caps in 8mm Gold
5.  Bead cones in silver (one size to fit 6 & 8mm beads)
6.  Smooth round Metal spacer beads 3/4/5mm in Silver
7.  Smooth round Metal spacer beads 3/4/5mm in Gold
8.  A selection of pearls and beads in various colours and sizes
9.  Metal connectors (heart and/or circle)

I hope I have chosen well and you will take part and make it a bit more interesting.
That's it for today.  See you all soon.
Big hugs Linda x
 

An altered box - something totally new for me!

Hi all and welcome Monday,
I know today is Quote day but I also wanted to show you a project that I have been working on over the weekend.  It is something totally new to me, but I was  so inspired by a box that Astrid MacLean did for Spellbinders recently that I decided to try my hand at an Altered box.  If you haven't been to Astrid's blog, pop over and take a look she is fab and offers loads of wonderful vintage freebies (alot can be found on Pinterest) 
Well, I had a plain black shiny gift box, cannot remember for the life of me what was in it though, anyway, I striped it and using lots of Mod Podge I covered it with some beautiful dark blue Oriental paper (I had not realised just how lovely the quality of this paper was and it's been in my stash for two years!). 

On the lid I added two layers of grey/blue floral paper and pastel pink damask and edged it with some pink braid.  I then cut Labels20 from pink pearlescent card and edged it with Faded Jeans DI, and I also cut a  tag from Fancy Tag2 and some Roses.  These were cut using coordinating papers in both pink and blue, shaped and then layered.  Before attaching these, I added a handcut lace rose to the top of Labels 20 diecut and a crocheted circle offset to the left hand side.  Next I made a flower from some of my crocheted lace and placed this beneath the roses and added pearl sticks and some of my handmade Decorative pins. 
I think it turned out okay for my first ever attempt and it has definitely given me lots of new ideas for future gifts etc.  I hope you like it.

 My recipe:- Spellbinders  Rose Creations, Labels20, & Fancy Tags 2.  Decorative pins, wired pearls crochet lace and circle doily are all handmade by me.  Braid from my stash. Papers are from Serif romance scrapbooking digikit.
Lace rose below pins was handcut from a lace curtain,

I will end with my quote for the week, it is an American proverb I believe:-

Doubt who you will, but never doubt yourself!

I hope you all had a good weekend and that today is the start of a successful week.  Thank you for popping by and leaving me some feedback, I truly love to read your comments.  Take care and I will see you again soon.

Regards and big hugs Linda x

Decorative Pins Tutorial

Today I am going to dedicate a post to my Decorative Pins as I have had so many questions about them here on my blog and also on other blogs I have commented on.

I started out using only long (5cm) dress makers pins but the trouble is as you practise and become less of a novice, you want to put on more beads and before you know it, the pins are much too short.  So I searched the web for the best prices, as I wanted to buy a minimum of 250 pins.  In the end I actually bought from a few different suppliers to test the quality and styling. 
The longest pins that I found and my favourite, come with beads already on the head.  I don't like them, personally, so I just cut through the beads using good wire cutters to remove them.  Then I am left with just a 9cm steel pin. (No.1)
For this pin you have to prepare it by gluing a top bead on the pin and waiting for it to dry overnight before starting the actual decoration of your pins.  If you don't want to do that then you can buy three other types of pins.
The first one is a pearl topped pin that is 7cm long and often can be found in different colours but I find white or ivory the best as they can be used with any other colour beads (though I usually cut them off too).   (No.2)
A second alternative is to buy Decorative head pins from craft suppliers and just glue on extras to your liking.  I will put a link to Sam's shop in the 'Places to shop' list below.  (No.3)
The third alternative, is an actual jewellery making head pin that has been sharpened.  Now these are wonderful as they have the flattened end to stop the top bead falling off.  This means you can decorate immediately, HOWEVER they are not steel pins, they bend very easily and they are the most expensive.  They come in both gold and silver finish and with protectors (if required) and in different lengths.  (No.4)
For those of you who want protectors for your pins, you can buy earring backs (dome style) and they work perfectly,  the proper protectors are very expensive (can be as much as 20/30p (USA 32/48c each).  I tend to put all my pins into the adhesive of any flowers or ribbon on my card or even into the card of a matt/layer.  I only use protectors if the pin is the embellishment itself.

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REQUIREMENTS (before you start)
Waste piece of acetate, old saucer or small tile........A few cocktail sticks...........E6000 glue............... Cotton cloth (eg; torn up tea towel) or kitchen roll-wiping up any glue.....Beads/Pins of your choice.
Drying your pin is best done with them upside down:-  I use a couple of mini bulldog clips, a box with no lid, funky foam about 3in deep and as long as the box. Clip the foam to the outside of the box, and carefully slide the wet pins into the foam upside down as you make them, until the bottom bead touches the foam. This will help to keep the beads close together as they dry.
If you cannot find anything to pin them into upside down, then you can lay them out flat on an old cotton tea towel (do not move until they are dry or you may end up with gaps between the beads!) 
Steal Pins:- Decide which bead you want as the top bead, this is better with a very small bead (seed bead or tiny pearl) or a bead with a small hole.  Using the glue as described below, just glue on the one bead so that it covers the top of the pin (not the sharp end), slide the pins sideways into the foam to keep them flat as the bead dries. Leave untouched overnight to harden or at least 4-6hours.  Do a batch of these ahead of time so you can get straight into the Decorating next time.

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HOW TO:-
1. Prepare you foam or other drying equipment.
2.  Design your bead on the pin without any glue.  Then rest pin down while you get glue ready.
3.  On a piece of acetate or old tile, squirt out about a petite pois pea size amount of E6000 (do not be tempted to put out more, it will start to dry quicker than you can finish your pin!)
4.  With your left thumb at the end of the pin, slide the beads down to the bottom, out of the way (you can remove them all if you prefer and slide them on as you need them). Using the cocktail stick pick up a tiny amount of glue and wipe it around the area where the first bead will sit. Push the first bead up on over the glue.  If a little seeps over, gently use a clean stick to wipe excess away or pull bead back down a little and replace by twisting to get the glue 'under' the bead.  Now decide whether you want to glue every bead or perhaps every two or three beads.  (I do all except any metal shaped beads- like wings etc).  For each bead after the first, you can help create a stronger bond by putting a little of the glue onto the part of the bead that will attach to the previous one or where it will be hidden by a bead cap or spacer.  You need to ensure you have glue on the pin and on the end of the bead that touches the next bead.  Any 'strings' of glue are easily pulled away before or after drying so don't worry.
5.  Continue gluing until all beads are in place then carefully keep the beads pushed together with your fingers and place into the drying position chosen.
6.  Leave to dry overnight, without moving, or for at least 10-12hours to ensure a firm hold.

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PLACES TO SHOP
No.1 Pins  Amazon.(My favourite and by far the cheapest)
No.2 Pins  Amazon. (My second favourite)
No.3 Pins  Creative studios (Sam Poole's shop has the Pins that Sue uses- shorter pins)
N0.4 Pins  Sparkles (Easy to use, but bendy and a bit expensive)
No.5 Pins  I have just found another site that sells 65mm pins with a pearl head click HERE to see what they have in stock.
Protectors  EBay.
Glue No.1 (E6000)  EBay  (Always use a cocktail stick with this so you control the amount and can easily twist to remove any stringy bits.  This one is my favourite as it's a thicker consistency and rubs off easily.  The downside with this is that it does have an odour, but it doesn't bother me, so up to you)
Glue No.2  EBay,  (A very good glue with no odour, but runny and sometimes you need alot to make a good strong bond on larger beads)
Spacer beads   3/4/5mm metal round silver or gold beads & metal filigree beads
Spacers   4mm or 6mm round flower decorative flat spacers are lovely though diamante rondells are lovely too.
Bead Caps/Cones   4mmx7mm cones for use with 6mm beads  -  6/7/8mm caps to match size of beads you use.
Beads,  Spacers,  spacer beads and bead caps/cones are cheapest on eBay but alot of craft shops on line also sell them so have a look around and compare prices. I must be honest I buy bits and pieces from different shops within EBay and also from lots of on line shops like Beads Direct,   Aldridge Crafts,  Cuddly Buddly,  Craftbag.co.uk,  Beads Unlimited etc. etc.
Here are a few links to get you going, but please, please look around a bit; Ebay may be the cheapest but lots of craft shops have other wonderful alternatives too:-
Filigree Metal beads  -   Tebitan Silver wings (beads)  -  4mm Silver Metal spacer beads  -  Silver & Black Rondell Spacers  -  Gold and Crystal Rondell Spacers  -  7mm Silver Beadcaps  -  5mm wide Silver Filigree Bead Cones (can be opened slightly for larger beads with plier-but be gentle. The bead only needs to sit 1-2mm inside it).

Last important note:-  Try your first pin using inexpensive beads (esp glass ones, so you learn to glue heavier beads) and just four or five will do to get you used to the amount of glue needed and drying times etc.  Like every other craft, it's about practice.  You will eventually be able to use just about any bead and make something truly beautiful.  
My next venture is 6inch pins for focal borders.  Watch this space.

DECORATIVE PINS STARTER KIT
If anyone wants to try this craft, but doesn't want to buy the bulk packs of everything, contact me on the email below as I have starter packs that you may prefer to begin with. Then if you don't like it you haven't wasted a fortune. The kit will include everything to make a variety of pins, including some of the more expensive beads and metal hearts, connectors etc to give you a good idea of what making them will be like.  All you need to invest in is glue.  To start off you can always use Glossy accents as your glue (or jewellery glue if you have it) but I think the E6000 is the best investment if you are going to do more.   (Please remember, glossy accents is very runny and so keep the pins pushed into something, hanging upside down, to let them dry or the beads will move).

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Well that's it I think.  I am sorry it was such a long post but I wanted to get down as much as possible to help those interested in making their own.  They are not hard to make at all and I love to spend a evening in front of the TV just designing my pins.  I usually do about 40/50 at a time now.  Look in the sales and charity stores for old jewellery that can be broken down for beads etc. and don't forget your jewellery boxes!!
If I can help with anything else, please don't be afraid to email me and I will see what I can do.
I hope today finds you well.  I'll be back later with something a bit different.
Regards Linda x