♥ Love Liberty! ♥

Good Morning Beaders!

So I thought, seeing as though we’re all completely nutty about Liberty of London here at BeadsJar (oh and we’re super excited about our new collection of Liberty ribbons and Cords), I will write a little bit about Britain’s most famous department store's world renowned prints and introduce you to some of our new products and design ideas.

So grab yourself a nice brew (and a biscuit if you like!), and get comfy for five….

Did you know that Liberty is England’s oldest department store? Yes, Liberty’s doors were opened in 1875 by founder Arthur Liberty and by the 1890’s had become one of the most prestigious stores in London, working with some of the most influential artists and designers of the time, including William Morris. In fact, his famous ‘Strawberry Thief’ print still remains part of the classic Liberty art fabrics in the Tana Lawn collection.

'Strawberry Thief' by William Morris

Liberty’s Tana Lawn cotton is famous for it's beautiful quality. It's 100% pure cotton and is very finely woven which allows for some amazingly tiny and intricate prints to come to life in stunning detail. Some of Liberty's teeny tiny designs include 'Katie & Millie', 'Emilia's Flower's', 'Glenjade' and 'Phoebe L' pictured below...

If you’ve been watching the 'Liberty Of London' series on channel 4 recently, you’ll know that the store offers a huge treasure trove of beautiful products, from home furnishings, accessories, fragrances, the latest fashion (alongside the classics), and of course a massive collection of fabrics.

Over the years Liberty’s intricate ‘ditsy’ floral prints have become somewhat iconic, leading to collaborations with top designer brands such as Nike, Barbour, Marc Jacobs, Dr Martens, Puma, and Gola. These were love at first sight..…

Gola pumps featuring Liberty's colourful 'Betsy' print.

You won't just find these prints on clothing and accessories either....Liberty now have a super collection of homeware accessories, wallpaper's and stationary too.

Make sure you have half an hour spare to gaze in wonder before clicking that link!

Then.....some marvelous person came up with the idea to make ribbons and cords out of the famous ditsy prints. This paved the way for the Liberty charm/friendship bracelet trend which is really popular right now....and why wouldn't it be?! It's a really affordable way to walk around with your own little piece of Liberty heaven.

You get to choose your own prints and charms, wear them alone or layer them. Finish them with Lobster Clasps, decorative toggle clasps or simply tie them in a bow around your wrist/neck. I'm not gonna lie...once you start making these it's difficult to stop...I'm completely addicted. My obsession is fed by the beautiful selection of Liberty prints available here at BeadsJar, as well as some stunning sterling Silver charms and thousands of beads!

A small selection of our Liberty of London ribbons and cords,

....and some of our sterling charms.

Quick snap: Liberty charm Bracelets and a necklace made with Sterling Silver charms, Swarovski crystals and

freshwater Pearls.

Would you like to learn how to make one of these beautiful bracelets for yourself?

Watch our YouTube video here and make this sterling silver snowflake

charm bracelet in minutes!

Or pay a visit to our bracelet design ideas page to see our step by step instructions on how to make this cute Liberty Star Charm Bracelet. This technique can be used with any of our gorgeous Liberty ribbons, cords and charms. There's no need to go hunting around the store for the components you need, you can add all your ingredients to basket right below the tutorial.

So! Who's got the urge to get making? I know i do! Get started by checking out our Liberty of London Collection here.

If you have any questions or comments, i'd love to hear from you. Don't be shy!...Drop me a hello in the comments section below.

See you next time!

Emma xo