Change is good. But hard.

The only thing constant in life is change
  ~ attributed in various forms to Greek thinker Heraclitus of Ephesus

I have fought against it for a few years now, but at last it is (past) time for me to make a change.  I have had a website since 1997 and have been blogging tutorials, artist profiles, book reviews, and art business tips since 2005, as well as writing magazine articles and e-books, making projects for my friends' books and for suppliers, and enjoying almost every minute of it.

But now, I am ready to shift my focus to doing my own work, just because I want to do it and not because I think it will make a good blog post.  That doesn't mean that I will not be posting anymore, but it will probably be much less frequently, and may or may not include any instructions.

I am leaving you a huge archive full of projects, tips, and inspiration.  Beginners, I have always had a special place in my heart for you.  My goal has been to cater primarily to you, that you would find projects here that are easy to do while allowing you to put your own artistic spin on them.  Many times the projects came from my own exploration into new materials, so we learned together.

Here are ready links to the best bits in my archives.  I hope you will find something here to inspire your next (and next and next) project.  I love you all!


Bead embroidery e-books



Tutorials



Book reviews and recommendations



Pinterest boards



Suppliers



Business tips



Jewelry education



Artist profiles

Copyright 2018 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.

Gifts for my grands!

In a couple of weeks, I'm going to be blessed to be able to be with my grand-girls for Christmas!  Since they don't read blogs, I feel safe in showing you some things I've made for them  :-)

Here are instructional links to the stitches that I used.  I didn't make any of these things exactly as in the tutorials, but rather I used the ideas and recombined them to suit myself. 

Fingerless gloves (except I did the tops with V stitch and crocodile scales...and smaller!)

V stitch - used for both gloves and hat

Crocodile stitch

Hat pattern - I made mine smaller, added crocodile stitches, and left the top open for a long ponytail!

Copyright 2018 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.

Book review: Visual Guide to Art Quilting

I can't wait to have a few moments peace to read through this book!  Yes, you heard that right...this is not so much a review as a preview.  It's the only book on my pile right now, but with all the busyness of the season, I just haven't been able to get to it.

So here's what's in store for anyone who wants to take the chance on The Visual Guide to Art Quilting, compiled by Lindsay Conner!

Chapter 1 covers design theory and inspiration.  Where do you get your ideas?  How do you work with a theme?  Design ideas like grids, slice and rearrange, realism, and abstraction.  Color.  Working in a series.

Chapter 2 is about materials and supplies, including how to create a design wall.

Chapter 3 covers working with fabric, including organizing your fabric stash, different ways to applique, and improvisational patchwork.

Chapter 4 includes many surface design techniques, like dyeing, adding texture, freehand painting, stamping and printing.

Chapter 5 covers adding dimension to your pieces with more texture, embellishments, and creating stitching.

Chapter 6 teaches quilting both by hand and by machine.

Chapter 7 covers finishing techniques and presentation details, including how to bind, stretch, wrap, and hang your quilts.


This post contains affiliate links: Amazon

Gift books for the holidays!

Learn to Stitch Beaded Jewelry: 50+ projects you'll love to make by Marla Salezze

Fabulous Chain Mail Jewelry: Creating with components by Marilyn Gardiner

Hand Stamped Jewelry: How To Make Your Own Hand Stamped Jewelry For Beginners by Shanice Questro

Metal Jewelry Workshop: Essential Tools, Easy-to-Learn Techniques, and 12 Projects for the Beginning Jewelry Artist (Fox Chapel Publishing) Step-by-Step Photos for Designs using 12 Simple Hand Tools by Helen Driggs

Enameling: For Beginners! Techniques & Tips To Create Amazing Metalwork Enameled Jewelry Projects by Maureen Alaska

Beginner's Guide to Kumihimo by Donna McKean-Smith

Epoxy clay jewelry projects: A beginner's guide to using epoxy clay by Katherine Swift

Wire-Wrapped Jewelry Techniques: Tools and Inspiration for Creating Your Own Fashionable Jewelry (Fox Chapel Publishing) 30 Expert Wire-Wrapping Techniques Step-by-Step, plus 8 Stylish Projects by Lora S. Irish

Paper Bead Jewelry: Step-by-step instructions for 40+ designs by Keiko Sakamoto

The Practical Encyclopedia of Beading & Ribbonwork: Craft Techniques - Materials - Projects by Lisa Brown and Christine Kingdom



Publications from January through June, 2018

Wonderful books from previous years, broken down by topic, gift-worthiness, and date of publication


This post contains affiliate links: Amazon

Beaded rope necklaces: embellished right angle weave and Viking's double

Embellished right angle weave rope necklace

I made a list a little while ago of the rope-style beaded necklaces that I stitched over the summer and early fall.  Looking at my archives, I realized that I had forgotten about two previously stitched styles: the right angle weave necklace shown above, and the Viking's double shown below.  I am adding them to the master list for the future!

Viking's Double rope necklace

Copyright 2010, 2018 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.

A new beading project from Facet Jewelry Box

Here's a little peek at a piece of beadweaving that I just finished.  You can probably tell that it's right angle weave beadwork (RAW) and that it's a necklace.  It's not my design, and there's a reason that I'm not showing you the whole thing...you might want to make one yourself!

I told you all about Facet Jewelry Box earlier this year.  It's a great subscription to have if you don't have a local bead shop, or if you just want additional projects to do each month.  The nicest part is that everything you need, with the exception of the tools, is included.  No more buying an entire hank of beads just so you can use a couple of them in a project!  The tools needed are all basic, so if you've been making jewelry for any length of time, you'll have all you need.

This box came with a necklace and earrings set.  So far, I have finished the necklace...the earrings I've set aside for later this week when I'm in between other projects.  I mentioned back in the Spring that I love how all the materials come packed together in zip-locs that have the project name right on them. I also really like that there are a few extra beads in case they are not all perfect.  The instructions are easy to follow, and there is additional help online if you need it. The instructions also include tips as to why the project works, which is helpful if you decide you want to make another using different materials.

The only thing that I didn't like was that Fireline was sent for the beadweaving.  I hate the stuff, though I know it's all personal preference.  I used my Nymo thread instead and it worked fine.  Perhaps I should have taken the opportunity to really work on using Fireline, but...yeah, no :-)  I don't really feel that it's fair to consider this a true criticism, because so many people really love Fireline, and it probably helps to keep the RAW stitching a bit more rigid.

For any readers who are interested in starting a subscription to Facet Jewelry Box, if you use the code HALFOFF at checkout, you can get 50% off your first box!!

As regards FTC disclosure guidelines: I have received the above materials free of charge from Facet Jewelry Box in order to write a review. I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

Review: Brightech magnifying lamps

There has been one not-so-wonderful thing about my worktable, for as long as I've had my studio.  Don't get me wrong...I am extremely grateful for having the space, with room for storage as well as work, and with a wonderful view.  But, my hinged clamp-on magnifying table lamp sometimes left me unhinged!

Enter Brightech.  The good folks at Brightech lamps sent me a replacement for my terrible terrible lamp.  Not only is the design far superior - and yes, looks do matter! - but the function is also way way better.  The magnifying lens is large, clear, and perfectly balanced.  Unlike my old lamp, there is a cover (shown in the up position above) that protects your lens from dust while not in use.  All the springs and hinges are protected, which not only looks nicer, but also keeps your fingers out of danger.   

I received a clamp-on magnifying model (shown above but in white) that is dimmable and also boasts 2 different lamp colors, shading warm or cool as you desire.  I took a couple of pictures to show you the color variation.  Now, I know that the color you see on your screen may not exactly match mine, or match the color in real life, but you can still easily see that there is a difference: 

Depending upon your ambient light, the colors of your artwork, and the effect you want to achieve, this changeable shade could be very helpful!

This post contains affiliate links: Brightech 

Copyright 2018 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.