Beading Arts

About.com Jewelry Making   Make a cutie patootie little bunny charm bracelet.   Resin Crafts   Resin Crafts has a week of how-to's featuring Nunn Design and a great give-a-way for the winter Nunn Design collection.   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!   Jean discovered a great offer from Jewelry Making Daily and wants to share it with her readers!   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton   Using Now That's a Jig!, Andrew creates a fun ring!   A Bead A Day   Do beads and jewelry making components ever take you on a trip down memory lane? Lisa shares a song inspired by sparkle.   Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Sarah Sequins Since new people are joining our happy world of bead and jewelry crazies every day, and they may not have seen these terrific artists, I don't want to miss the opportunity to share these artists from our archives! Please drop me a line if you'd like to share your work! There's always room for more :-) Just email cyndi @ mazeltovjewelry.com (remove the spaces) anytime. Rebecca Brown Susan Shaw Morwyn Dow Karen Paust Margie Deeb Denise Perreault   ( update ) Dulcey Heller Amy Clarke Moore Tina Koyama Mary Tafoya Beverly Ash Gilbert Nancy Peterson Jean Hutter Kathryn lane Berkowitz Sylvia Windhurst Paula Motsinger Meyncke  Susan Sorrell  Annika deGroot MaryLou Holvenstot Cheri Meyer Dawn Dalto  Paula Huckabay Shaaron Chambers Wanda Harvell Jennifer VanBenschoten Robbie Payne  Claudia Chase  Laura West Kong Dyane Bradley Elizabeth Cogliati Jodie Atherton Karen Whiteduck Nancy Dunit

Beaded Wild Animals: Puffy Critters or Key Chains, Dangles, and Jewelry by Suzanne McNeill Vintage Revised Jewelry by Nichole Bush Making Jewelry with T-Shirt Yarn: How to Create Fabulous Fabric Accessories by Lorine Mason Some Assembly Required by Cyndi Lavin Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Here are all the seed bead tutorials from the archives, both off-loom bead weaving and bead embroidery.  Some of these are quick and dirty techniques, and some follow a larger project from beginning to end.  Enjoy! Bead embroidery techniques Free e-book on bead embroidery stitches Treasure Chest: a basic bead embroidered project Peyote stitch a beaded bead The spiral stitch A free form beaded pendant from a geode Two drop peyote beaded beads Right angle weave bezel and bail Cigar box handbag A simple square stitch bail Twisted peyote spiral necklace Simple cuff bracelet A wrapped paua necklace Free form seed bead necklace Spiral square stitch Autumn Arbor Beaded cabochon pendants A free form beaded bauble Beaded flowers Floral bead embroidered necklace Interesting spiral Deco scarab necklace Lady of Shalott Midnight at the Oasis Floral seed bead chain Embroidered cuff bracelets Making barnacles with seed beads Autumn Vines

  March Cabochon, finished I had a lot of fun this month coming up with what I wanted to work on for the Bead Journal Project !  I went back to a form of peyote stitch, specifically the Cellini Spiral .  I have previously published instructions for adapting this spiral to bead embroidery, and they can be found in Chapter Four of Every Bead Has a Story .   In progress My March piece is smaller than the ones I made for January or February, so I made a second one! Second March Cabochon, finished January plus explanation for the series February Copyright 2013 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: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Sometimes it can be difficult to find the type of supplies you need to make jewelry and accessories for children.  Not just children, though...also think weddings, garden parties, prom, etc.  Well, here's my suggestion for you to check out: our newest advertiser, the Sunshine Shoppe !  Bows, flowers, headbands, appliques, veiling...all those items that you've had a hard time tracking down, all available on one site! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

  Arctic Frost, from Some Assembly Required My friend Sarah Sequins , who writes the fabulous blog Saturday Sequins , has put together a book fair of EPIC proportions!  I kinda thought that it would just be a round-up of some self-published books by a few of us arty types that Sarah knows, but I would sorta be WRONG! Fiction, inspiration, business, art, beading, and an amazing list of self-publishing resources for those who would like to give it a whirl... Sarah was kind enough to include my most recent e-book, Some Assembly Required , and for that I am very grateful! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

  The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Andrew started a book club... with a twist! "Inspired by Reading Book Club" is a fun, interactive way to explore literature and create! About.com Jewelry Making Tammy takes another look at Jewelry Stringing magazine.   Art Bead Scene Brandi pulls out some delicious colour palettes from some of ChelleV2's beautiful handmade ceramic beads. Resin Crafts! Making a mold and then working with the duplicated item can create stunning new wearable art!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Tammy Powley has a super giveaway going on on her blog! Read all about it on Jean's!   Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Edging brick stitch Picot stitch Hi Cyndi, During one of my searches I came across this 2007 post to the Bead Journal Project and noticed your response: Cyndi L said... Hi Caren! I like to bind the front piece to a backing layer in order to cover not only the raw edges, but also the thread ends and knots. There's a picture on my blog today of nothing but the edge of my first piece. After I took the picture, I added 3 smaller beads between each of the edging beads you see there, picot style. That covered the threads and finished the whole thing :-)  {Defunct Link} June 21, 2007 at 1:35 PM This link doesn't work anymore and I can't find the article at your beading arts website. I would like to see how you did the edging. Could you please send me the link to this article? Thank you, Meryl Hi Meryl, I can do one better than that!  You can download the free first chapter of one of my e-books, and it shows you step by step how to bind the edges with edging

I love earrings, and I love making earrings...if nothing else, they are practically instant gratification!  And they are also a great way to use up small quantities of left over beads.  Kalmbach Press has a great little book called Project: Earrings which I think you'll like.  There are 44 different designs, plus some with variations, in every different style you can imagine. These projects are all by different designers, and have been previously published in either Bead&Button magazine or in the Beading with Gemstones special issue.  I love the quality of the projects that have been chosen, and it is really nice to have them all gathered up in one spot.  Plus, I swear I don't remember seeing all of these...there are at least half a dozen I want to make now!  Maybe over the next few months I'll be able to fit that in and will have some pieces to show you. Some of the designs are beaded or bead-woven, some are made with just wire and chain, and some branch in

I'm sorry to say that even though I really wanted to do Sharon Boggon's Take A Stitch Tuesday project through all of 2012, I ended up getting behind and then just sort of dropping it.  Even though I visited the site to see the new stitches each week, I didn't manage to follow along after less than half a year had passed.  That said, I still enjoyed the time that I did spend on TAST, and I'd definitely recommend it if you'd like to improve your embroidery skills. I posted information and some tutorials on Mixed Media Artist about the construction of the quilt top, including the manipulated fabric pieces.  Some of the stitches included beads, others didn't, but I thought I should post this here just to finish off my planned series.  If you'd like to see links to all of the stitches I added, they are under the label TAST .   Copyright 2013 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out f

Quite a number of years ago, my beading friend Ellen gave me a couple of pieces of paua shell that made great cabochons for the bead embroidered pieces that I was just learning to make.  I found a little picture of this piece waaaaay back on my blog, but realized that I had never posted the in-process pictures for it.  It seems like such a simple piece to me now, but I actually wear it quite a bit.  And I always think of Ellen! All the instructions you will need to make a piece similar to this one can be found in the free first chapter of my bead embroidery e-book, Every Bead Has a Story .  Visit the link and download it for yourself: it covers all the stitches you'll need (back stitch, stack stitch, adding tube beads, and edging brick stitch), plus shows you how to finish off the back and edges, and even how to add a simple beaded strap.  Here are my process photos for this necklace: Copyright 2013 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, reso

  Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Did you know that the month of March is also National Craft Month? The Cousin Corporation of America does, and check out what they have to offer us just for the fun of it!  The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Andrew has been working hard on creating pieces for the Fusion Beads 30 Day Bead Challenge! This is a recap of the second week of prompts.   A Bead A Day Making anything special during National Craft Month? Stop by to see Lisa's latest project and share your own.   About.com Jewelry Making Add some luck of the Irish to your jewelry collection with these copper and crystal earrings.   Art Bead Scene Pick up some great photo editing tips in a Q + A session with Brandi.   Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi has a step by step post explaining how to use tissue and resin on an open wire earring component.   Resin Crafts! Resin crafts blog has a great post explaining how quick and e

Val and I have had a bead-inspired correspondence going for a number of months, and she was kind enough to allow me to show you her progress.  Val has a "can do" spirit that I believe everyone should strive for, especially when it comes to doing something creative, artistic, or just plain fun!  As a postscript to this letter exchange, Val recently let me know that she was able to sell some of her pieces this past Christmas at a local art gallery show...enough to help out with birthday gifts for all the grandchildren!  Isn't that great? Here we go: April 2012 Hello Cyndi, Would you be kind enough to tell me where I can learn about the bracelet blank you mention in step 2 of your tutorial ( Destiny Bracelet tutorial ). I am just starting out and have downloaded your beginning E book . ( thank you so much for this information for free).  I have no information on making bracelet blanks or where to learn or materials to use. Can you please tell me how you traced out

I told you awhile ago about a new series that Lark Books started, called the I Can series.  I shared my review with you about the first book, I Can Right Angle Weave , written by Mabeline Gidez (my review is here if you'd like to see it).  Now that I've received and read through the second book, I Can Herringbone , written by Melissa Grakowsky, my impression of this series is solidly positive. Like the RAW book, this one is just full of photos and illustrations to show almost each and every single step in the basics and the projects.  The projects are beautiful, and I believe that Melissa has really worked hard to bring a wide range of styles to the volume, so that you'll get a very good idea of what herringbone is able to do.  Melissa fully covers flat herringbone and all its variations, tubular herringbone and all its variations, and as a bonus, you'll learn how to use herringbone to bezel stones...very very cool.  Work your way through the book in order, and

In the world of non-English language journals about beads and beading, Perlen Poesie stands apart. It is so beautiful, both inside and out, and the editor, Verena Greene-Christ , is a complete delight to work with. She recently contacted me for more information on the necklace that I made using Rubber Glass . We ended up chatting about this and that, and Verena asked me about reviewing my e-book Every Bead Has a Story on Perlen Poesie . Well, I was thrilled to have the opportunity, and I sent her copies of all the chapters.  Perlen Poesie will be doing a giveaway this month, so if you are a subscriber, please stay tuned... I don't read German, but my translator says that Every Bead Has a Story has been identified as an extensive collection on embroidery, using beads and other materials, covering 53 different techniques and stitches, and featuring 12 projects. Thank you for including my e-book in your beautiful magazine, Verena! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery

This is a fun project for an afternoon! These little pins work up so quickly that you can literally make one today and wear it tonight. I think it actually took me more time to gather up the beads and do-dads that I wanted to use than it did to stitch them together. This is also a great way to use up leftovers from other projects. If you keep a jar of “spares” sitting around, this is the time to reach for it!  Materials 2-part round mesh bar pins, 25mm Delica 11/0 seed beads Nymo 0 beading thread Assorted glass beads and crystal, 4-12mm Assorted Lucite or glass flowers and leaves Assorted metal charms or Indian bells A very small scrap of felt or pellon interfacing Fabric glue Tools Long beading needles Fabric scissors Chain nose pliers 1 . Anchor a piece of Nymo thread to a small piece of pelon or felt by taking several stitches close together. Bring your needle up from the back of the mesh dome in the middle, and

  Resin Crafts! In a two part post Carmi explains how she made a vintage piece of trim a necklace component by encasing it in resin. Snap out of it, jean! There's beading to be done! Gestures of friendship: a complicated story of the travels of a Kelly Russell bead, halfway around the world A Bead A Day While waiting on spring to arrive, how about entering to win a surprise bead giveaway? Stop by A Bead A Day! About.com Jewelry Making Yers, it is possible to craft a seed bead career. Find out how this designer did it.   Art Bead Scene Erin picks out some inspiring finds on Etsy for this month's Art Bead Scene Challenge.   Carmi's Art/Life World You wouldn't think that quilling and fish leather would go together...but they do and create the loveliest flower rings!   Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

    BeBop Artist: Victoria Pearman Blog: Art N the Heart Victoria sent me updates on the marvelous mixed media beadwork that she is doing these days.  Visit her blog for more up to the minute works! BeBop (shown above). An anthropomorphic creature inspired by beader/artist Betsy Youngquist. BeBop was a stuffed bookworm that was transformed and now is bead embroidered and has a porcelain face made by a friend. Diaboli diceri et apperebit (Latin for Speak of the Devil) features the combined efforts of my bead embroidery and lampworker, Wayne Robbins for the devil's head. While the devil is a dark subject, I added whimsy with the sneakers. Baba . This is one of my 12 BJP (Robin Atkins') challenges. Baba was the result of a visit to the Tucson Rock and Gem show, African Village. We were trying to purchase some glass beads but could not locate the vendor. His friend kept screaming "Baba, Baba" which is Swahili for the word brother. Baba

But especially for Monique, Becca, and Paula!  Congratulations!  You three are the winners of the fabulous beads from The Best Beads in the Czech Republic.  Everyone else, you are going to receive a gift card from Ekaterina.  Isn't that great??

Belle Armoire Jewelry Deadline: 04/15/13    Showcase 500 Metal Clay Jewelry Deadline: 04/26/13  Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

WhimBeads My favorite on-line sources…  WhimBeads Delicas and other Japanese seed beads in all sizes, fancy shapes Empyrean Beads Many antique and vintage seed beads Kawahara Seed beads with dichroic coating ~ fantastic! FusionBeads Great selection of Japanese seed beads with quantity discounts. Beyond Beadery A site which tends to have all the newest shapes and colors. My favorite catalogs ... Rings and Things A huge selection of larger seed beads and mixtures And m y favorite books... (Links to my reviews) I Can Herringbone I Can Right-Angle Weave Stitch Workshop - Herringbone Stitch Stitch Workshop - Right-Angle Weave Stitch Workshop - Peyote Stitch    My older favorite books - a list with links Beading Artistry for Quilts The Spirit of Bead Embroidery Dimensional Bead Embroidery Sensational Bead Embroidery The Beaded Edge   Beautiful Beaded Ropes Beaded Fantasies Japanese Beadwork Artistic Seed Bead Jewelry   Diane Fitzgerald&

Mona is the winner of Enlightened Polymer Clay !  Congratulations!! 

    Several years ago, I shared a tutorial for a simple way for a seed bead beginner to make beaded beads.  Looking back at it, I realized that I never really finished it up.  My photos were pretty bad back then, and I apologize in advance for that, but I think if you've never tried making a beaded bead...well, it's about time you started!  There are dozens of places you can find directions to make more complicated beads once you've mastered these.  They are so simple that they're a great way to practice getting your tension right.  The original instructions for the beads are posted here: Peyote Stitched Beaded Beads     So what do you do with the beads after you've finished them?  String them up into something you can wear! Materials 10 mm light purple resin drum beads, 5 8/0 crystal aurora borealis seed beads 11/0 silver hex Delica seed beads Nymo O white thread G-S Hypo tube cement .019” diameter beading wire, 2 ft 10 mm crystal au

  Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi organized a blog hop featuring eleven great artists/jewelers featuring fish leather. This is a link to the hop!   Resin Crafts! Carmi demonstrates a faux soldering technique on glass pebbles! Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Elizabeth Owens sent Jean an amazing collection of beads and materials for the BSBP...you are invited to come and not believe your eyes!!!   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Competing to win a $100 store credit, Andrew created a pair of earrings for a Design Challenge hosted by Nina Designs. Vote now and help pick the winner!   A Bead A Day How do you approach a design when you only have an hour to select beads and create? Lisa shares her strategy and 1 hour project.   About.com Jewelry Making Catch a mini-review of Cyndi Lavin's completed bead embroidery book, Some Assembly Required .   Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable

You must know by now that this is my favorite month of the year!  Not March, per se, which we lovingly refer to as "mud season" in New England.  Rather, I mean the month that we Celebrate Seed Beads and all the amazing things you can do with them: string, weave, embroider, loom, etc etc. During this month, I'm going to share some new projects for those of you who are old hands at working with seed beads, plus some super simple projects and information for beginners.  We'll be looking at a round-up of information that's in our archives here on Beading Arts too,  and I'll also point you to the fabulous work done by artists you may not know. I want all of you who love seed beads to join in too. Whether you string, weave off-loom or on a loom, embroider, glue, or whatever else you can think of doing with seed beads, either wearables or non-wearables, we want to see your work. You don't have to be a pro...you just gotta tell us why you love &#