Beading Arts

  Art Bead Scene Gaea guides us on a Fall Walk with this autumn themed bangle bracelet tutorial. Resin Crafts! Vintage seventies imagery and a simple bezel results in a very pretty pendant series.   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean reviews the incredible life changing book we all need, The Shameless Art of Self Promotion. by Margot Potter, and has even more super news a la Margot the Great!   About.com Jewelry Making Have an affair with jewelry? Consider this latest book store find.   Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Did you know that the Beading Arts blog is available for your Kindle ?  Unfortunately, it's not free (Amazon sets the price), but it's only 99¢ a month.  Is technology great, or what? My other two blogs are now there as well: Mixed Media Artist Real Food Fast! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Beaded Car Well, someone did!  Can you even imagine...? Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Jayne, who writes Handmade Cuties , has won the copy of  Shrink! Shrank! Shrunk!    Congratulations, Jayne!

The Complete Photo Guide to Beading by Robin Atkins Project: Earrings: 44 Designs Using Beads, Wire, Chain, and More (Project Series) by Editors of Bead&Button magazine I Can Right Angle Weave: From Basic Stitch to Advanced Techniques, a Comprehensive Workbook for Beaders (I Can Series) by Mabeline Gidez I Can Herringbone: From Basic Stitch to Advanced Techniques, a Comprehensive Workbook for Beaders (I Can Series) by Melissa Grakowsky Bead Embroidery Stitch Samples by CRK Design and Yasuko Endo Simple Beginnings: Soldering Jewelry: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Own Necklaces, Bracelets, Rings & More by Suzann Sladcik Wilson Earrings VISUAL Project Guide: Step-by-step instructions for 30 gorgeous designs (Teach Yourself VISUALLY Consumer) by Chris Franchetti Michaels 2013 Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market: The Most Trusted Guide to Selling Your Art by Mary Burzlaff Bostic First-Time Beading on Fabric: Learning to Bead in Nine Ea

Do you know Irina Miech's work from Bead&Button magazine ?  If so, I know you'll be anxious to see her new book Classic Style - Fresh Look .  Using only simple stringing and basic wire work, Irina shows you 30 classically styled projects along with 30 more up-to-date variations...60 projects in all!  How fun! This is a great book if you're feeling a bit stuck.  Irina keeps emphasizing adaptability...taking a traditional design and technique, and tweaking them in a way that will allow endless variations, modernizing the look.  Most of the the techniques are really so basic that you'll need no instructions.  But fear not if you're a beginner.  This is a Kalmbach book, so you can expect to see clearly rendered instructions for the few things you may not know. My personal favorites are the updates that Irina does with multi-strand necklaces.  Very very cool. ***Free Stuff Alert!!!*** Would you like to win a copy of  Classic Style - Fresh Look ?  Just l

I really enjoyed reading through Lori Anderson's new book, Bead Soup , as I told you before in my review .  The very first project reminded me about a technique that I've used often, but perhaps haven't given enough credit to: making wired links out of a selection of one-of-a-kind beads, and then attaching them all together with jump rings to make a beaded link chain.  Thank you for the memory jog, Lori! This turned out to be the perfect technique to use with the gorgeous Maruti and Kashmiri beads that I received from Maruti Beads .  I received one single bead of each style.  In this necklace, I used mostly Maruti beads (the ones with the large silver bead caps built in), and supplemented with a few Kashmiri beads (without the large bead caps).  I used a mixture of silver, brass, copper, and gunmetal to pick up all the flashes of color that the beads contain.  Fun! Maruti vs Kashmiri beads 1. Add small metal beads at both ends of your Indian beads if desired,

About.com Jewelry Making Still looking for the perfect gift to make? Jewelry or otherwise, see this list of hand-made gifting possibilities.  Art Bead Scene Erin Siegel reviews an exciting new book full of fun ideas for making Leather Jewelry. Resin Crafts! The classic resin glazed scrabble tile is explained in this mini tutorial.     Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean gives you the low down on Rio Grande's program concerning accepting your silver scrap! Do not throw it away!!!  A Bead A Day Yippee Skippy, Lisa's doing giveaways each week through Dec. 26! Stop by and leave a comment for a chance to win a jewelry making kit! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Thom Atkins has finally graced us with a book about his wonderful bead embroidery, and what a book it is!  Published by C&T Publishing ,  Beading Artistry for Quilts is full from start to finish with lushly exotic and emotionally evocative works like the one on the cover. You need to know right up front that this is not a project book, although it certainly gives you all the information and tools you'll need to create your own.  Rather, it is a book full of inspirational overload and clear instructions on how Thom does what he does.  Trust me, it well worth finding out! "My quest became to find the balance between the fabric and the beads and to give both a voice in the design, rather than to use beads to embellish the design. Why? Because I liked beads, and I wanted a larger canvas to use them on.  Having painted with watercolors and inks, with oils, and with acrylics, painting with beads was a logical step in making pictures, with fabric as the canvas."

What to say?  You all know that I am primarily a bead embroiderer, so I'm bound to get excited anytime a new bead embroidery book comes out.  This time is certainly no different, and I waited for Heidi Kummli's new book, The Spirit of Bead Embroidery with a decided lack of patience. I feel that my wait has been amply rewarded with beautiful images, inspiring stories, and even a few new ideas that I feel will enhance my work.  There is good instruction, beautiful projects, and an amazing gallery of work.  There is even some instruction on loom weaving, and how to integrate that into your work.  The instructions are thorough, but not so rigid that you would be unable to make substitutions in materials.  In fact, Heidi readily encourages that, so the piece you make will be truly your own. My caveat is that some readers may not feel as inspired as Heidi does by Native American beliefs.  Her heritage is her influence, and this book is Heidi's exploration of  how it gui

You've got to remember Shrinky Dinks, right?  Shrink plastic has been around for decades now, but Kathy Sheldon wants you to give it a another look.  Kathy's mission is to get you to think about stylish and modern jewelry that can be made from shrink plastic.  Ok, I'll bite! Shrink! Shrank! Shrunk! contains over 30 fun projects, all of which would be easy enough for complete beginners, and many of which would be fun to do with kids too.  My favorite is a little airplane pendant, shown below. Want to try before you buy?  Lark Publishing has made one of the projects (airplane earrings) available at the link above.   ***Free Stuff Alert!!!*** Would you like to win a copy of  Shrink! Shrank! Shrunk! ?  Just leave me a comment below and you'll automatically be entered to win.  If you tweet or post on Facebook or other social spots about the contest, you can leave a second comment and be entered twice! Please make sure that your link will lead me

I have always been crazy about beaded ropes, because I think they're such a great way to feature a special focal bead without overwhelming it.  But even though I've always loved them, I've never really gone beyond some very simple twisted spirals, tubular peyote, and right-angle weave variations.  That's all about to change, because Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes has now got me thinking about tubular netting and herringbone, which I have not played with beyond just making a few samples to see how it's done. I love the way this book is organized.  All the stitches and basic techniques are introduced in the first chapter, and then Jill moves on to dedicate a chapter to each stitch, more or less in the order of difficulty: spiral, peyote, netted, herringbone, RAW, and ending with a special bonus.  The last chapter features a few stitches that are much less common, and are very very cool looking: Oglala stitch (butterfly stitch), chevron stitch, and a

  A Bead A Day Have you ever see similarities in jewelry pieces now and from days gone by? Love when that happens! About.com Jewelry Making Re-purpose a vintage pin into a pendant for a new necklace that has a vintage look.   Art Bead Scene November's Art Bead Scene challenge is a graphic illustration by MC Escher, bound to inspire wintery jewelry designs . Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean discusses her great love of Basha Beads!    Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Anna Elizabeth Draeger has already written one totally stunning book ( Crystal Brilliance ), so it should come as no surprise that her newest, Great Designs for Shaped Beads is...well, great!  Anna is a beadweaver, so she writes wonderful books for beadweavers who want to move ahead with their designs. There is a short introduction which shows examples of many of the new shapes: tilas, daggers, peanuts, lentils, drops, and berries.  What I really appreciate is the information about how some of the beads differ depending upon country of origin.  Then it's straight into the projects!  And what a great group of projects they are.  Anna breaks it down into Tiles and Tilas, Peanuts and Berries, Daggers and Drops, and Creative Combinations.  This last chapter is especially enticing, with  six projects that combine the shaped beads in really fun ways. As with all Kalmbach books, there is a section which reviews all the basic stitches and techniques for you.  The payoff with thi

By now, most beaders have heard of Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Project .  Each designer who participates swaps a focal bead, a unique clasp, and some coordinating beads with a partner.  They then set out to create a wonderful new piece of jewelry, supplementing as needed from their own stash.  I have been a participant in this ultra-fun project and blog hop, and I can tell you from experience that it's definitely a blast!  But wait...now there's a book... Bead Soup is Lori Anderson's new book, sharing 32 fabulous projects of her own and by other participants in the swap.  Kalmbach Publishing calls Bead Soup a "recipe for success!" and they are completely right.  The recipes, I mean instructions , are easy to follow and allow for lots of substitutions.  Just as in cooking, you might not always have the exact ingredient on hand, and it's nice to know that you're being encouraged to make these projects your own. Lori has arranged the bo

Beth M , who writes Meandering Threads , has won the copy of Making Fabric Jewelry !  Congratulations, Beth!!

I have seen a lot of books on working with polymer clay, and I've even been asked to create a few beginner projects myself (scary thought!), so you'll have to pardon me for telling you about yet another polymer clay guide.  THIS IS THE ONE YOU NEED!  Lori Wilkes has written Working With Polymer Clay as an entry into the popular The Absolute Beginners Guide series by Kalmbach Books .  Yes, folks, it is a winner. So many of the polymer clay books look alike.  You'll see pretty much the same techniques, advice, and even styles.  Not so with this book.  Plus, what you almost never get are projects of this quality.  If you need to be convinced, just spend some time looking through Lori's websites: Millori and Lori Wilkes on Etsy . Faux Turquoise...amazingly realistic!  You need to see a larger version of this on Lori's website. Oh yeah...this is definitely someone that I want to learn clay from.  Just because the techniques are for beginners doesn't

  The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Andrew has been hard at work creating four new Premium Mixes!   A Bead A Day Do you ever challenge yourself to see a pendant as a bracelet? Lisa shares her latest project using a large metal pendant as a bracelet focal.  About.com Jewelry Making Tammy interviews luxury jewelry designer Rebekah Lea.   Art Bead Scene Erin Siegel takes us on a blog hop full of creative and gorgeous earring designs . Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi continues to explored the endless ways to incorporate t-shirt yarn into her projects!    Resin Crafts! An unusual copper bezel is the inspiration for this "Coronation" themed resin beauty.   Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Herringbone stitch intimidates a lot of people for some reason.  So I was happy to see that Kalmbach decided to do a Stitch Workshop series book on it.  Herringbone Stitch is the third in the series, and like the others, it consists of projects that have previously been published in Bead&Button magazine .  What that means for you is that the instructions are excellent and editor-tested.  And it's so nice to have all the projects gathered together like this. You'll learn how to use all different types of seed beads to create flat, tubular, and twisted tubular designs.  This volume will totally demystify herringbone for you, and the wide variety of designers guarantees that there will be projects to suit all tastes! Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

My apologies for posting this after Breast Cancer Awareness Month is over, but better late than not at all, I hope! This project is dedicated to the women and men that I personally know who have been affected by cancer.  And in addition it is dedicated to all those whom I don't personally know.  You are all in my heart.  Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all ~ Emily Dickinson Most of the materials and tools for my Hope bracelet came from ImpressArt , and you can read about them at the link above. Materials and Tools Copper and brass blank Black acrylic paint Brass jump rings, 7mm and 5mm Short length of brass chain Lobster claw clasp Metal hole punch Metal alphabet stamp set Other decorative metal stamps (I used a song bird, awareness ribbon, and heart) Torch Chain nose pliers Round nose pliers Wire cutters File  1. Use a metal hole punch to add holes to any of the

Altered Couture Deadline: 12/15/12        Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Making Fabric Jewelry was formerly published in hardcover format as Stitched Jewels , so it's possible you've already seen this book.  If not, though, you're definitely going to want to give it a look if you enjoy incorporating fabric into your work.  Twenty different designers contributed 23 projects that will stretch your preconceived ideas of how fabric can be used in jewelry.  Yes, there are pieces that are sewn and stuffed, but that barely scratches the surface of the techniques that are used.   Wrapping, gluing, fusing, shredding, stitching, tying, and transferring images...this book brings a full range of mixed media techniques to bear. ***Free Stuff Alert!!!*** Would you like to win a copy of Making Fabric Jewelry ?  Just leave me a comment below and you'll automatically be entered to win.  If you tweet or post on Facebook or other social spots about the contest, you can leave a second comment and be entered twice! Please make sure that your

Chapter Three of Some Assembly Required is ready to go, and the chapter title is Bridging the Gap !  If you've been following along with this project, you know that I've been writing about how to create a bead embroidered necklace out of smaller components, as opposed to the large solidly beaded collars that many of us learned to make.  Well, we've finally gotten to the point in the journey where we have to start doing something with these gorgeous components! Enter, Bridging the Gap .  In this 66 page chapter, you'll learn five different methods for creating bridges between components to hook them all together, each of which includes multiple variations.  In addition, I decided that you might like to have some techniques for creating even more dimensional texture on your bridges, similar to the texture we added to the components in Chapter Two.  While you will not want to add this extra texture to every necklace, when it is appropriate, it can help to unify your