Beading Arts

Do you remember me telling you about EcuadorianHands , the supplier of wonderful tagua nut beads?   I thought their wonderful beads would be good to feature during Spring Fever Month , along with one of my favorite suppliers of great vintage plastic, Vintage Beads from Europe .  Here's an easy-peasy stringing project that includes a tiny bit of wirework. 1. Loop wire through the pendant hole and wrap one wire a few times with the second.  Create two bail loops with the wire ends.  Clip one end off even with the wrapping and use the other end to wrap over the first wrapping and the clipped end.  2. String the tagua nut beads and vintage plastic beads in a pattern that pleases you.  I strung 5 size 8/0 seed beads between each accent bead.  I started from the middle with the pendant and strung outward towards each end in order to keep the colors balanced.  Note: the two sides are not identical, but they are balanced in weight and size...

Website: Natalia Bodre My name is Natalia Bodre and I am an artist originally from Poland.  I finished school of Art in Poland with advertisement designer degree, but soon enough I understood what my real passion was- jewelry designing. I started designing jewelry in second year (of 4 year school) and I was soon successful in creating and selling jewelry in Poland.  Right after school I moved to Ireland looking for adventure and inspiration.  I was successful with selling jewelry, and showing my art in galleries.  Somewhere along the way I met my (now) husband and fell in love.  He is American, and that's why I moved here to be with him, where I live and design for almost 4 years. My jewelry is truly unique because I never make two of the same pieces and all designs come right from my creative mind.  I love to use natural gemstones because every single stone is different and holds it's own story.  I can do anything you dream of- just cont...

  The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Inspired by the spring flower, Andrew compiles a list of trillium themed jewelry components.   A Bead A Day Are you making jewelry for your summer vacation this year? Stop by A Bead A Day to share your plans! About.com Jewelry Making Tammy gives a nod to onyx, one of her favorite gemstones to make jewelry with.   Art Bead Scene Erin provides a variety of ideas about custom jewelry tags, a fine personal detail for professional jewelry makers.   Carmi's Art/Life World Do you wear a lot of brooches? Carmi has devised a way to make wearing them easier!   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie is having a special springtime sale! Check out the Earthenwood blog for more details!   Resin Crafts! This week we have anew caps featuring Japanese paper and french owl stickers...quite the combo!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! While continuing to follow her A-...

Artist: Jean Yates Snap out of it Jean! There's beading to be done! I've got to tell you about the honeymoon Jim and I took in 1990.  We went to Walt Disney World, which Jim hated, and then to Cocoa beach to the Satellite Inn motel, which is where all the astronauts stayed in the early days of the very first launches.  Now you can see (until just recently) the space shuttle take off from the beach right in front of the motel. Jim and I endured an extremely uncomfortable night in  this historic dump which was wretchedly ill-kempt, but we were very excited because Jim has always been a Trekkie and an Outer Space freak. In the morning we got there into the stretch of beach  before dawn, as we were supposed to.  There were tons of people already waiting...it was like being a hippie again!  And then, alas, after a wait of over two hours, the shuttle was scuttled. What disappointment, but what a honeymoon memory!  ...

Simple Beginnings: Beading: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Your Own Custom Jewelry by Suzann Sladcik Wilson Wire Jewelry Masterclass: Wrapped, Coiled and Woven Pieces Using Fine Materials by Abby Hook Silver Clay Workshop: Getting Started in Silver Clay Jewellery by Melanie Blaikie Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue: 25 Jewelry Designs from a Master Artist (Beadweaving Master Class Series) by Sonoko Nozue Brooches & Pins (Magpie) by Louise Compagnone Beading with Crystals: 36 Simply Inspired Jewelry Designs by Jean Campbell and Katherine Duncan Aimone Contemporary Cube Bead Designs: Stitching with Herringbone, Peyote, Ladder Stitch, and More by Virginia Jensen Beaded Jewelry by Maya Brenner Heat, Color, Set & Fire: Surface Effects for Metal Jewelry by Mary Hettmansperger The Absolute Beginners Guide: Making Wire Jewelry by Martine Callaghan Vintage Impressions Jewelry by Terry Ricioli Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry ,...

Yay!  It's  Take a Stitch Tuesday day again!  And again there is a stitch that will look good on my quilt.  In fact, I'm really excited about it, because it's got the look of seaweed about it: the fabulous wheatear stitch !  I decided to decorate mine up a bit extra, with a double chain stitch of two different colors, straight stitches of a different color, and added French knots (last week's stitch) at the end of each straight stitch...yet another color.  I think I might add more strands of these fun stitches around more edges of the quilt .  TAST week 1 - fly stitch TAST week 2 - blanket stitch TAST week 3 - feather stitch TAST week 4 - cretan stitch  TAST week 5 - herringbone stitch TAST week 6 - chevron stitch TAST week 7 - detached chain stitch TAST week 8 - chain stitch TAST week 9 - couching stitch  TAST week 10 - running stitch  TAST week 11 - whipped wheel stitch  TAST week 16 - French knot  TAST wee...

A year ago, Eileen Bergen was able to take a vacation to the beautiful Sanibel Island, Florida .  And she was immediately swept away by the gorgeous ocean views...and the shells.  Eileen couldn't get enough of the shells!  See? Eileen wrote: I’m seeing charm-type bracelets, mosaics, collages, pendant necklaces, even shadow boxes of shells. Where to begin? Does anyone know how to drill holes in shells? Well, she must have figured it out, because before too long, Eileen had a picture of a beautiful Mother of Pearl necklace and earring set that she made featured on her blog, The Artful Crafter , and she also wrote up the instructions!  So if you too have a collection of shells sitting around waiting for inspiration, take a look at the link above and see how Eileen used some of hers.    Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

When we went to visit Hawai'i, I really didn't want to spend too much time inside museums (for obvious reasons, see above!), but one that I had to make an exception for is the Bishop Museum on Oahu. The Bishop Museum has a fabulous collection of Pacific Island wearables, some of which I'll share with you here.  There are also amazing full-sized costumes made for various occasions, but I didn't feel any of my pictures did them justice.  Feathered capes, 'i'iwi bird Hawai'i Shell anklet Hawai'i Whale teeth necklaces - all whale teeth automatically belonged to the chief .  Samoa, Tonga, Society Island Headdress of turtle shell, coconut fiber, pearl and clam shell Marquesas Earplugs of whale tooth Marquesas Whale teeth and plant fiber necklace Austral Islands Headdress of chicken feathers and fibers Rapa Nui Lei made from fern s Leis made from bone, nut, and feathers Hawai'i Lei made from dog...

The other day in part one, I showed you shots of the glass factory that we visited plus a video of the master glass maker in action.  Today, I want to share some shots from the The Museo Vetrario (Glass Museum).  This smallish museum is definitely worth the trip for glass and/or bead lovers! I can't completely remember now why I didn't take any pictures inside the museum, but I'm pretty sure it was because they didn't allow it.  Too bad, because it was wonderful.  After feasting my eyes on gorgeous glass and ancient beads all day, I felt ready to start making Murano glass bead purchases, fairly certain that I would now know how to spot quality and avoid buying cheap tourist imports by mistake.  Here are some of the beads that I got: Some things to look for: thick, high quality foil, glorious saturated colors, small holes with no bead release residue (except on beads with exposed foiling), and loose - not strung.  Copyright 2012 Cynd...

  Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean reviews the new book by Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegel: Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry--it is marvelous!  A Bead A Day Have ring blanks, will hot glue! Lisa's looking for ideas on what to hot glue onto these simple ring blanks. About.com Jewelry Making Love fabric and beads? Then bead embroidery might be your cup of jewelry tea.   Beads & Books Michelle shares ideas on how to find craft shows for selling your work.   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Gaea shares some small beady indulgences she is dreaming of to distract herself from tax season   Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Artist: Cherie Burbach Cherie Burbach My most memorable trip was to Paris when we got married. I had always wanted to go to Paris and found myself taking pictures nonstop so I could remember it all. I loved just walking around the streets of Paris and seeing everyday life. I found myself taking pictures of a lot of things that I wanted to paint later, or those that just inspired me to do so. I also wrote a lot of poetry while I was there. It's funny what I took pictures of in Paris. I photographed the usual things (Eiffel Tower, architecture) but I also snapped a lot of "regular" pictures of Paris life, like parks, people eating at cafes, or shop windows. The two pictures attached are from a park and the window of a bakery. The picture I painted (below) is an area we walked past on our way to the Monet Museum. One of the poems I wrote was about a funny story from one of our dinners. Paris has such wonderful foo...

Murano is quieter and slower paced than Venice A few years ago, our poor little art student was forced to go study oil painting and rock carving in Orvieto Italy.  It was a hardship, but she went off bravely.  And we went off bravely at the end of her four-month semester to pick her up!  As a part of that trip, we traveled up to Venice, and of course we had to make a side-trip to Murano to drool over the glass. Yes, the tower is leaning.  No, it probably won't fall over. We started our visit with a glass factory tour, of course.  Since we chose the factory at random, we felt pretty fortunate to have found a master glass maker who liked to show off.  Maybe they all do...I don't know for sure! Here is a short video that I shot, followed by some wonderful still shots that Dani took: Saturday - part two Copyright 2012 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed...

I've ended up not adding the last few stitches in the Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge to my quilt, but I have used them for other projects.  Back on track this week, with a stitch that I felt would enhance several areas on my manipulated fabric quilt : the French knot .  So simple, so lovely! TAST week 1 - fly stitch TAST week 2 - blanket stitch TAST week 3 - feather stitch TAST week 4 - cretan stitch  TAST week 5 - herringbone stitch TAST week 6 - chevron stitch TAST week 7 - detached chain stitch TAST week 8 - chain stitch TAST week 9 - couching stitch  TAST week 10 - running stitch  TAST week 11 - whipped wheel stitch  TAST week 16 - French knot Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Artist: Leslie Rogalski Leslie Rogalski Bead Jewelry & Art Sleepless Beader blog Sleepless Beader etsy shop Leslie, unless a beader has been living under a big beaded rock, they will know your name!  When you're not creating specifically for a magazine or company, how do you describe your own work?  I’m definitely best known by my own name as a seed beader and from doing TV shows.  I have a geometric approach to design. I'm also recognized for my use of rubber O rings and rubber tube, industrial ephemera as well as Swarovski crystal elements within my designs. I’m getting great feedback for my method of drawing out bead diagrams right in front of you, I call this "Doodlebeads" and I have DVDs which use this method to teach basic seed bead stitching. I use my name because I appeared on the bead scene in 2005 as the editor in chief of the now defunct Step by Step Beads , and people know me from that as well as my contributions to other magazines from man...