Beading Arts

I'm taking some time off to be with my family and friends over the Christmas holiday!  I hope you will do the same, and I'll see you early in the New Year.  Think about all your art resolutions over the break! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Last week, I showed you the steps for making the bead embroidered part of this necklace .  Today, we finish it! 8. Use edging brick stitch all along the outer edge. 9. Add picots, short stacks, or fringe to the edging brick stitch. 10. Hammered oval links can be captured by square stitch bails on each side. 11. I used beading wire straps and chain to finish off each side, and I used heavy brass wire to create the hook. 12. The finished piece! Copyright 2014 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

Episode 9: An Undisclosed Location Catch some holiday cheer with the Crafty Princess in her 9th video podcast. Oh, and check out a super cute crochet monster she just finished too. Cupcake Liner Christmas Trees Cute cupcake liner Christmas trees are everywhere. In learning to make them, Eileen developed some helpful techniques. Peace Ornaments Cherie makes ornaments for her family homemade ornament exchange.

Artists & Makers  Winter 2015 Interweave/F+W; $9.99 Cloth Paper Scissors presents a special edition, published by Interweave , just in time to help with your New Year's resolutions! Here is all the business and social media information you've been looking for, including insightful articles on how to get your price, get unstuck creatively, work your networks, fund your business, design your own space, get known, and give back to the world.   As well as all these great articles, the magazine features in depth interviews with five full-time artists: Chelsea Miller, knife maker; Kevin Bradley, letterpress artist; Gustavo Victor Goler, sculptor; Jamea Richmond-Edwards, visual artist; and Amy Barick man, artist, entrepreneur, and author.  These make fascinating reading, as you learn how each of these very different personalities navigates the world of art and living.  And now you've got a chance to check it out for yourself, and an extra-long time to si...

You know that I just have to read every book that comes out on bead embroidery, from the most basic to the most advanced.  Except for the very most basic texts, you're almost sure to pick up a tip or two in each new book, and Textured Bead Embroidery by Linda Landy is no exception.  Although much of the material can be found in books you probably already have, I really really like the rather large section that Linda calls the Bead Directory.  In it, she tackles the fun task of showing how many of the new shaped beads can be incorporated into bead embroidery.  It's easy to forget just how many new shapes there are now!  One of the techniques that Linda explains in the book is how to build support rows to make these beads behave too. The twelve projects are nice, and some are quite innovative.  I really liked the Unleased pin .  Instead of having the much more common donut as a focal, Linda has chosen an agate which has a druzy void in the bottom ...

Congratulations to Jessica Manion, who has won a copy of Beautiful Bracelets By Hand !

Here's a necklace that I made last month, intending to capture some of the feel of the Caribbean.  Instead, what I got was more other-worldly.  My friend Paul Bishop  named it Midnight Sky of Distant Stars .  Always the poet, our Paul! I'm going to skip over explaining the steps that are available in my free download (Chapter One of Every Bead Has a Story ).  You can go get it if you don't already have it...it will show you the tools you'll need, how to do the basic stitches, and how to finish your piece with a backing, etc.  The materials list is very similar to the cuff bracelet that I made for the Bead Journal Project  and that is taught in Chapter Three of Bored By Back Stitch . Here is a direct link to the materials you'll need: Materials List [ New for 2016!!  Chapter 3 will be free with the purchase of the first two chapters, even if you don't buy them at the same time.  Upon confirming your purchase, I will email the final cha...

Victorian Candy Cone Christmas Tree Ornaments Make lovely Victorian cone ornaments for the Christmas tree. These close at the top so you can hide little trinkets and candies inside. Free template for download! Carmi's Art/Life World Would you like to participate in a heartfelt resin exchange? I will ship you two bezel hearts if you do. Rings & Things A simple wrap to transform a gemstone donut into earrings or a pendant.

Is bead crochet on your list of new techniques to learn, or perhaps to master this coming year?  If so, you owe it to yourself to take a good look at Candice Sexton's new book--and DVD!-- Bead Crochet Basics . Candice will teach you everything you need to know, and all in the perfect order.  Twenty two projects are used to help you master ten essential techniques, which will take you from setting up to start, all the way through finishing ropes, invisible joins, trouble-shooting problems, and using some the newer shaped beads in your work.  You know how much we love our shaped beads! Candice has you starting with larger beads and cords so that you can have some instant success without feeling like a klutz.  She has a chart which will help you match bead size to cord, needle, and hook too.  Before you know it, you'll be working with tiny little beads and beautiful complicated patterns! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , we...

I am so excited to be able to share with you about a beautiful new book by Jade Gedeon , called Beautiful Bracelets By Hand .  In it you will find 223 pages of awesomeness, starting slam bang with the projects.  Beautiful close-up photos show you how to navigate any of the tricky steps, and a little techniques section in the back will refresh you on the basics you will need, as well as information on the tools and materials. I really like the way the book is organized, according to the main material being featured in the bracelet.  There are eight major sections, including beads, bits and pieces, chain, fabric and cord, leather, metal, plastic, and wood.  There is some overlap between categories, of course, but I think you'll be very pleased with the organization, and how skills you'll come across early on will pop back up in later projects.  This would be a great book for someone who wanted to branch into additional areas of jewelry making, perhaps after h...

A few weeks ago, I showed you two double-wrapped bracelets that I made using Offray ribbon , which involved weaving the ribbon back and forth between two cords, and then scrunching it up for a more interesting texture.  Well, I must have gotten really hooked on figuring out unconventional ways to use ribbon in jewelry making, because here we are again, this time making a necklace! Materials & Tools 20" of 1/4" OD plastic tubing 26" of .24" diameter heavy beading wire 11' of 1 1/2" turquoise satin ribbon 2 5" lengths of 20 gauge bronze wire 2 18" lengths of 20 gauge bronze wire 14' of 22 gauge bronze wire 6 large turquoise nuggets Assorted glass, ceramic, and stone beads, from 4mm to 10mm Assorted metal and filligree beads 4 filigree components, bent to fit necklace 2 bead cones 2 jump rings Clasp set Scotch tape Round nose pliers Chain nose pliers Wire cutters Small file Tape measure 1. Turn a small loop in...

Decoupage under Glass Using Holiday Theme Paper Napkins Use holiday-themed napkins to make inexpensive decoupage plates for display or serving. Carmi's Art/Life World Elizabeth the first is the inspiration for this new necklace idea featuring vintage pink coloured pearls. Blue Jean Baby Cherie experiments with mixed media.

These are my three winners, who will each receive a free copy of Interweave's brand new magazine, DIY Holiday !  Congratulations, one and all!