Hello Beautiful Beaders,
So we’re into week three of this latest lockdown and I don’t know about you but I’m coping pretty well. I know that things are tough but I think the prospect of the vaccine has kept my spirits higher this time around.
I certainly haven’t stopped working! I’ve been creating our new monthly subscription box, new workshop schedule and also filming content for our You Tube and Facebook group channels. It’s go, go, GO for me and Caroline!

Hopefully this means that we can keep you, our trusty Beading and Crafting beauties, busy during lockdown as well.
If you haven’t already seen it you must join us for our weekly free tutorial on the Riverside Beads Facebook page. This starts every Wednesday at 3.30pm and covers a variety of techniques from wirework to beaded dream catchers!
It’s a lovely chance to bead together and as it’s live you can online chat with us as we go along. If you’re not already a member of Facebook simply go to the website and register. All you will need is your name, birthday and an email address. To find our page just click here

Also on Facebook we have two free groups that you can join. One for Crafters and one for Beaders. These are more like community groups where you can share your thoughts, messages and projects. It’s like a club and I think it’s really quite special. To join the Beading group click here
To join the crafting group click here.
We have been talking about developing our YouTube channel for some time and one of the great things to come out of 2020 was time to do just this. We’ve already recorded over 20 videos showing you new Beading ideas and tutorials on how to perfect your jewellery making skills – a must during lockdown! To join in the fun click here and don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to get regular updates on when we post a new video.

As mentioned earlier I have also put together a new virtual workshop programme for January. There’s even a FREE beginners class for anyone new to braided Kumihimo. To find out more and see the full schedule click here.
Most of the classes are being held via the virtual meeting room website Zoom. If you haven’t used Zoom before please rest assured it’s very easy to navigate, even for the biggest technophobes!

When you sign up for a class you’ll be sent a meeting room ID (number) and a password. Then you just go to the Zoom website and click ‘Join a Meeting’. You’ll then be asked to enter the meeting room ID and then the password.
My top Zoom troubleshooting tips:-
1. Go to the website and register as a user before the class starts. This usually takes about ten minutes. You’ll just need an email address and to enter some basic personal information, like your name! Once you’ve registered they will email you a confirmation link. You just go to your email inbox and click on the link in the email from Zoom, then you’re ready to go. Click here to register with Zoom now.
2. Once you have your class information, log into Zoom via the website or app and click on ‘Join a Meeting’. The password is case sensitive so if it doesn’t work make sure you’ve got your upper and lower case letters correct and don’t add any spaces.
3. If you have no video and just see a black screen look for a little camera icon on the screen which may have a red line through it. Click ‘start video’ and it should turn the camera on.
