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Showing posts from July, 2012

Jewelry artist: Haley Mindes

I hand craft accessories which can be viewed at HaleyM.com . I am also a jewelry design instructor at Sheffield School in NYC where I teach foundations like wire wrapping and bead stringing to beginners so they can get a line together to have their first show or open an etsy store. The courses are self-paced so they will fit anyone's schedule! I started my business with a photo jewelry line in 2003 where I placed people's photos in settings I created. I have since moved into working with semi precious stones and leather cutting down some of the the use of silver and gold so pieces remain affordable. The rising cost of silver and gold had something to do with that decision but it has turned into a fantastic passion. The combinations of stones, leather and metal are endless. I currently have many projects in the makings that are not yet on line such as my leather right angle weave bracelets. They are made from glass beads not semi precious stones or pearls so I d

Gemstone and pearl tutorials from the archives

As you've seen this month, there are so many different types of designs and techniques that look great with the addition of gemstones and/or pearls.  Start with simple stringing, move on to knotting between your stones or pearls, add some wire work, experiment with embroidery, or even add larger accent beads to your bead weaving projects...the possibilities are endless! As I started to look through the archives to find some good projects to share with you, I realized that I tend to use glass beads more than stones.  So in a few cases, you'll find projects linked here that feature glass instead, but it is soooo easy to see how wonderful they would be with stones or pearls instead! Stringing projects - these include instructions on knotting Beadweaving Turning a geode into a beaded pendant A free form peyote necklace Fibers and beads Sunlit Seas necklace Turquoise finger-woven necklace Wire and Chain Pearl dangle pendant Faerie Bells necklace Crocheted pea

Bead & jewelry blogging round-up!

A Bead A Day Do you like mixing crafty techniques into jewelry making? Stop by A Bead A Day to chat about DECOPAUGE! About.com Jewelry Making Tammy takes a look at a new book about chain maille that is scheduled to be published by Interweave next month. Art Bead Scene Erin Siegel shares a free Tribal Dance Earrings project, a great ethnic, boho look perfect for hot weather.   Resin Crafts! This resin blog post is dedicated to cat owners!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean wants to know if you get the Jewelry Business Success Newsletter...she does, and finds it very worthwhile! Here is the info on how to get it! It is free!   Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Jewelry artist: Marina Rybak

Marina Rybak  Moon & Venus The “ Back To Earth ” jewelry series was born on the rooftop garden of my Manhattan apartment. The joy of gardening in an urban environment invigorated my artistic expression and passion for delicate detail, which has its background in lingerie design. Once I had reengaged the artisan within me, it was natural to integrate my design knowledge with my jewelry concepts. Liberated by creating organically and intuitively, the intricate trimmings from lingerie transformed themselves onto a mix of wire, semiprecious beads, nuggets, and pearls. Each custom-made-piece, takes me on a journey that includes storytelling, meditation and immersing myself in an invisible world of rich poetic imagery that gives me a message that I include with each original creation. My wish is to facilitate the growth and transformation of the future owner simply by wearing my art. “ Back To Earth ” jewelry has expanded into an international market asking me to enter a new

Book review...sort of: Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry

I feel like it would be a conflict of interest to plug this book when I'm featured in it!  But then, so are quite a few of my friends, and none of us have been paid to do so :-)  It's an honor for me just to be chosen to be included in a Lark Book .  I am an Amazon affiliate, though, so I might actually earn a few cents if you buy the book through my site.   That said, I spent a delightful evening leafing through Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry, and I plan to do it again more slowly later.  Lovely stuff included.  Here's my piece that is in there: Blossoms of the Moonlit Waves

Recent publications: July 2012

How to Do Beadwork Complete with 100 Illustrations by Mary White Bead Crochet Jewelry: An Inspired Journey Through 27 Designs by Bert Rachel Freed and Dana Elizabeth Freed Creative Beading Vol. 7 by Editors of Bead&Button magazine Steampunk Accessories: 20 Projects to Help You Nail the Style by Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate Classic Style, Fresh Look: Sixty Jewelry Designs to Make and Wear by Irina Miech Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Jewelry artist: Liz Blanchflower

Sterling Beaded Necklace with sterling, jasper, and ruby quartz hand formed pendant. Liz Blanchflower Stone & Sterling Design I've been a jewelry lover all my life. I never understood the attraction of wearing the same jewelry as half the people on the planet, in the same way that I don't gravitate toward clothing and accessories with other people's names on them. I always go for original pieces, more artisan-like than production line in appearance and design. Possessing a fair degree of artistic ability, I eventually started exploring my own design skills with beading and then metalwork. 46 inch garnet and sterling lariat.  This necklace is worn long, with a simple knot at the desired spot. I've been designing and crafting my own jewelry for 10 years and started my jewelry business, Stone and Sterling Design, in 2007, followed by my ETSY store in 2008. After beading exclusively for three years, I decided to take some classes in metasmithing

Beaded turtles...an update

A few weeks ago, I showed you a couple of beaded fabric panels that I was working on.  Well, all four are finished now, and if you're interested in seeing the step-by-step process for painting the panels, I've got it all posted over on Mixed Media Artist .     Copyright 2012 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact. Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Have you still not rocked out your facebook timeline?

This is my Beading Arts facebook business page .  You are welcome to like it :-) What are you waiting for?  Whether you are happy about it or not, the newest iteration of facebook is upon us.  No, no matter how much you protest, it's not going to go back to the way it used to be.  I know it's annoying.  Deal with it! Getting Creative with Your Facebook Page  Exact dimensions for all those different image types!  And some great samples too. 15 Must Know Tips to Rock Your New Facebook Timeline Business Page Not knowing some of the rules can get you kicked off.  I'm just sayin... Create an AMAZING timeline cover photo By the take-no-prisoners experts at Photojojo This is my personal facebook profile .  You can friend me here, too, if you want to, but I just tend to post smarty-pants stuff and food here! Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Jewelry artist: Carolyn Turner

Eye of the Tiger Embroidered seed bead cuff bracelet with Tiger Eye cabochons. 2” wide aluminum covered cuff.     Fireweed Jewelry and Gifts   I do other types of jewelry besides the bead embroidery, but even though bead embroidery work is much more time consuming, I love doing it. I am 1/2 Canadian Indian and strive to include a native approach in many of my one of kind pieces of jewelry. I have done various forms of artwork throughout my life. While living in Canada I was very successful in making leather work, ie: moccasins, mukluks, gloves, etc. I did a lot of custom work when I lived there.    Mother of Pearl oval bead embroidered dangle earrings. I have many relatives who are very talented artists as well, the closest being my mother who has her own art gallery in Kitwanga, B.C. called Gitksan Paintbrush . She is a well known artist throughout Canada with many of her paintings being purchased by quite a few art galleries. Needless to say I

Bead & jewelry blogging round-up!

  Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! What is going on at Jean's new Etsy shop? Here is the latest and the colors are right on trend!  A Bead A Day Looking for a great project that girls or women of all ages will have fun making? Lisa's sharing some bracelets made with iron-on appliques! About.com Jewelry Making Tammy is catching up with her jewelry book reviews. This new book has some interesting fabric techniques to try.   Art Bead Scene Heather reveals some gorgeous jewelry designs from a variety of artists who participated in her Inspired by Nature challenge . Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi finally gets to incorporate a little neon into her jewelry making projects!     Resin Crafts! This week I had an opportunity to pour resin into ceramic bezels from Jennifer Jangles!   Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Jewelry artist: Elena Kriegner

Austrian-born and trained at the prestigious European Jewelry Design School, Elena Kriegner knew she wanted to become a 'jewelry maker' at the age of six, creating her first pieces by ten and attaining her Masters degree by nineteen. Elena specialized in creating one-of-a-kind signature pieces for private clientele from her Austrian workshop for fourteen years. During this time, she traveled to South Africa to work with gemstone lapidaries, and to Greece to teach a jewelry design workshop. She also frequented New York City to visit her sister and indulge her love of fashion. In 2002 Elena moved onto a sailboat, sailing from northern Italy, and crossing the Mediterranean and Atlantic to the Caribbean. Designing while onboard, she incorporated inspiration from her travels into her jewelry. Elena now creates exquisite pieces from her Chelsea studio.  The beautiful pieces at the top are from her South Sea Pearl Collection.  Elena can be contacted at the email link above, or

Book review: Contemporary Cube Bead Designs

Have all the new gorgeous cube-shaped beads caught your eye, but you don't know quite what to do with them other than stringing?  Or maybe you've already fallen under their spell and you'd like more ideas.  Either way, you're going to love Virginia Jensen's book, Contemporary Cube Bead Designs .  In this new Kalmbach book, Virginia shows you how to use different sized cube beads in herringbone, peyote, ladder, St Petersburg chain, brick, and square stitch patterns.  But wait!  Let's back up a minute... Don't skip the introductory material where virginia discusses the myriad of new cubes available from different suppliers.  Each has its own features, and it is important to know the differences before you pick the beads for your project.  Although she does not discuss Tila beads (2 holed) in the introduction, there are a few designs that use them. There are 29 projects plus many suggestions for variants.  If you've been wanting to add more cubes

Book reviews: Lark's 30-Minute series

Aren't we all rushed these days?  There never seems to be enough time to make all the wonderful pieces that you dream of.  Well, that's one of the things that I most like about the 30-Minute series by Lark Books .  I've previously posted reviews of  30-Minute Rings and 30-Minute Necklaces from the series, and now I've had the chance to read through 30-Minute Earrings and the new 30-Minute Bracelets too! I haven't changed my mind...I think this series is wonderful.  Flip through for some quick inspiration from some of the best designers out there, or browse slowly to enjoy the sights.  The books are all heavy on fabrication, but there are also wired, strung, stitched, and beaded projects as well.  I'll remind you again that these are not really beginner books...many of the basics are assumed rather than spelled out, and there is no included techniques section, simply a list of tools that you'll need.  But since many of us already have books th

A project from 30-Minute Earrings

Tomorrow, I've got a review for you of  30-Minute Earrings along with the other 30-Minute members of the Lark Books series.  In the meantime, I thought I'd try to tickle your interest by showing you one ultra quick project that was inspired by the book. I used a technique by designer Nancy Wickman , but instead of making earrings, I sized (waaaay) up and made a quick pendant from a stone donut and some colored wire.  This is actually electrical wire, one of my favorites.  Nancy uses copper metal washers and sterling silver wire for a lovely and rustic pair of earrings. Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Artist profile: Hazel Ward

Artist: Hazel Ward Business name: Continuum Designs Beads Location: Notts, UK Websites & Blog: Continuum Designs Etsy shop Continuum Designs blog How do you describe your work, Hazel? Bold, subtle, rustic, geometric- I like to dabble in a lot of styles!  If I had to pin down a common theme, I'd have to say that plant-life re-occurs a lot in my work, mainly because I love the curves and shapes that you find in amongst flora. My business name stemmed from the fact that in my studies, I always chose to write on cultural continuums of some kind, and I thought, hey, why not carry on the tradition and name my business in the same vein? What is your creative process like? My creative process starts out in an organized way, but somewhere between designing and making, organization falls by the wayside. I start out with a sketch or a general idea of theme or colour, get out my materials, and then let the clay decide how it wants to turn out.  In general I like

Bead & jewelry blogging round-up!

  Resin Crafts! A week of special projects begins with this one featuring Stampendous and Jewelry Resin.   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean discusses her thought process when she designs jewelry.  A Bead A Day To add or not to add...when should you call it a masterpiece and stop adding more beads? About.com Jewelry Making Love them? Hate them? Not sure about them? Get the skinny on magnetic clasps.   Art Bead Scene This month we have an extra bonus giveaway you can enter by spreading the word about the 7000 bracelets project!   Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Jewelry artist: Lynn Julian

Albuquerque Artist: Lynn Julian Velvet Chokers I design custom choker necklaces made from velvet chokers, satin, lace and organza, adding pendants featuring a gemstone, cameo, rhinestone or vintage charm. Visitors are invited to design their own custom chokers, and I will bring them to life. Prices start at only $10.95 for a basic choker necklace, and $29.95 for a gemstone choker. Amethyst Velvet Choker Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Yay for Liz!

Liz, aka KipperCat , is the winner of the tagua nut beads from Ecuadorian Hands .  Congratulations, Liz! Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Calls for entries and submissions

Flex Your Creativity Deadline: 09/01/12        Cultured Pearl Association of America's 2nd International Pearl Design Competition Deadline: 09/01/12         Saul Bell Design Award 2013 Deadline: 09/12     Altered Couture Deadline: 09/15/12        Swarovski Elements - Fire Mt Gems Deadline: 09/30/12       Niche Awards Deadline: 09/30/12        Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Jewelry artist: Courtney D. Williams

She Walked the Plank with Grace and Poise Courtney D. Williams Seventh Cloud Studio All of my work is completely original in every way—the designs are all my own, and are never recreated—so that each Seventh Cloud Studio piece is truly one-of-a-kind, something that no one else will ever own. Each time I sit down to work on jewelry is a new experience—so even when I’m working with the same stash of materials, I’m doing so with a different perspective and different inspirations. I could spread out the same beads and supplies each day, and come up with something unlike anything else I’ve ever designed or made. Pachelbels Canon on the Electric Guitar I love to use semi-precious stones, pearls, Hill Tribe silver, and vintage elements. When I repurpose an old brooch into a new pendant, or reuse vintage beads, I like to think about the piece’s history. Often I make up stories about it that influence the piece’s name and description. I’m also a writer, and strange as it sou

Crocheted bead bracelets

Regina Lord , an artist in Arizona, has filmed a tutorial for the cutest little crocheted bead bracelets .  If you enjoy crochet, I think you'll go wild for these. Among other things, they work up so FAST it's amazing.  I strung and crocheted these four bracelets (there are two of the acrylic bead bracelets in that pile) over the course of two evenings of television viewing.  The perfect project for when you don't feel like concentrating. The other reason I thought I'd bring it to your attention is because this could be a great way to use up shell and gemstone chips.  Since this is Gemstone and Pearl month, that seemed appropriate!  The irregular shape of chips can add a lot of interest to a simple bracelet, and think how great it would look to have a whole armful of them.  In the case of pearls or more expensive gemstones, this airy style will allow you to space them out and get more bang for your buck.  I should note here that I used C-Lon cord instea

Jewelry artist: Kat Douglas

Washoe Kat's Creations Look at this beauty: charoite (one of my favorite semi-precious stones!) framed by glorious free form peyote.  I want Kat to give me lessons! And I can't help sharing this piece with you, even though it's NOT jasper...it's a broken ceramic bowl.  How clever is that? Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading