Soldering?

[wild-huntress.livejournal.com]

I looked through the memories but failed to find anything like a beginner's guide for soldering (or "soldering for dummies," which I seem to need), particularly to make microscope slide pendants. What does one need other than a soldering iron, solder and flux? I take it flux is the powder that you put on the strip of solder - or do I have that backwards? Are there flux free solders available? Is it dangerous due to the heat or carcinogenic nature of the materials? And, since I'm a bit hesitant to get into soldering as it seems way too complicated (and potentially dangerous) for me, are there any alternatives for making microscope slide jewelry other than the Ranger Inkssentials frames, which I can't seem to get shipped here?

Any resources or links are very much appreciated. I'd hate to have to give up altogether on making beautiful microscope slide pendants, but these techniques seem... not too promising for me.

PS: If this is repetitive, I apologize in advance - but as I said, I did some poking around and did not find answers to my questions yet. Thanks again.