Beading Arts

Glass Cobalt Bottle Flowers Cherie makes some glass garden flowers out of cobalt bottles and bowls. Marshmallow Clay Recipe & Information Clay artist Eva Stosic has taken the term marshmallow clay to a new level and uses real marshmallows in her air-dry marshmallow clay recipe! Amigurumi Cuteness Princess Knits is hanging out her shingle, which includes some adorable bunnies and bears. Art Bead Scene Check out what Erin has selected for our perfect pairings this week Honey Inspired Jewelry See what Andrew and the other participants of the Sweet Honey Challenge created!

Hemp Jewelry All Grown Up by Suzanne McNeill 18 Beaded Jewelry Projects You can make in a Weekend by Dorothy Wood Weekend Workshop by Karin Van Voorhees Classic Style by Irina Miech Let's Hubble: A Journey into the Brand New Beadwork Stitch by Melanie de Miguel Leather Jewellery (Twenty to Make) by Natalia Colman Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

I made a slashed rectangle for this month's Bead Journal Project piece.  I saw one of these once that was really long, and was hanging from one of its corners so that it sort of spiraled down with the center slashes gaping open.  I liked that one a lot.  My own attempt...not so much!  I didn't have time to do one that was long enough to get the full effect, so maybe I should have just saved it for another month. Here's what the felt looks like after you've slashed it.  You can see that all you have to do is alternate between slashing the middle and the sides.   January 2015: Wavy raised circle form February 2015: Crescent form March 2015: Orb form April 2015: Pyramid form May 2015: Slashed rectangle form Copyright 2015 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. ...

Blocky Layout Makeover: Scrapbooking Outside the Box Eileen took a layout from blocky to eye-catching with a makeover of a scrapbook page commemorating those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. Surviving Disney & Comforting Crochet Crafty Princess talks a little about the Disney cruise she went on recently and the comfy crochet baby afghan she is working on. Connie Gee's Designs Connie shares a recent finish along with information about where you can find the pattern and what she used to complete it. Glass Garden Mushrooms Cherie brings up an oldie but popular post on her blog about glass garden mushrooms. Art Bead Scene Check out Claire's art bead picks to get your juices flowing for our May challenge!

Easy Jewelry Making was compiled from the pages of BeadStyle magazine , and includes more than 50 projects from the magazine's eleventh year of publication!  If you don't subscribe to BeadStyle, this is a great way to get the best of the best projects.  The projects are arranged by materials - crystals, stones, glass, pearls, metals, and mixed media.  There is great variety, and most projects can be done using other materials than those shown, which is good, because there are no sources provided.  That's a problem for those who want to duplicate the projects exactly, but is a great jumping off point for those who prefer to go their own way. There are many good points to this volume.  The projects are easy, you will learn lots of good basic skills in many areas of beading, all while making fun pieces.  There are great tips included to help you go beyond the project.  There are also tips on how to do things better and faster, and their is fashion a...

There are some designs that you come up with that end up being worth repeating, and Faerie Bells was one of those for me.  I was a little surprised to find that how different each of the pieces ended up looking though! Amethyst Faerie Bells Necklace Using Moonstone Using larger "sea glass" nuggets An elaborate pearl necklace Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Bead Board Video This brief video shows how to use a bead board to design beaded jewelry. Craft Lights and WIPs Connie tells about her latest WIPs along with a new wrinkle that her craft lamp has thrown into her stitching plans. Art Bead Scene Check out Mary's round up of books covering the history of beads - fascinating stuff!! Decoupage Glass Vase Organizers Have Many Uses Eileen created hers to organize paint brushes and foam pouncers. But decoupage glass vase organizers can be put to many uses. Use the cubes as candy dishes or to hold pens and pencils.

The Crafter's Guide to Patterns by Jessica Swift  and published by Lark focuses on both creating the patterns and on their application to your projects.  If you've ever stamped a simple pattern onto a background fabric in order to have a unique surface for your beading, you've been involved in pattern creation.  For me, this is an area of interest.  As much as I enjoy seeking out and using commercial fabrics in my work, I enjoy creating my own patterns even more, and Jessica has made the process very accessible. The first part of the book covers finding inspiration for you own patterns, use of color, and pattern type.  From there Jessica moves into how to create the various types of repeats: straight, half-drop, and brick.  Unfortunately, there is a little bit of a problem with the instructions for the straight and half-drop (step 6 and step 2 accordingly), but if you follow the illustrations you can easily see what you are supposed to do.  Once...

My friend Jeanne Kent of New Terra Artifacts  makes the most beautiful dichroic glass beads, cabochons, and pendants in the world!  Several years ago, I bought a set of beads from her called a blue rainbow...I have never regretted it!  Instead, I have had endless fun over the years, any time I am "in between" projects. One of these little beads makes an awesome pendant, and with so many beads in the set, I can make fun little pendants to my heart's content.  You'll find all the information on back stitch, edging brick stitch, and stack stitches in the free chapter of Every Bead Has a Story .  It will also give you all the details about backing your piece properly, so below, you'll find the bare-bones outline of how to make this piece :-) 1. Stitch down the bead (and/or glue it down if it's a cabochon instead), and bezel it with size 11/0 seed beads.  I added an extra row of back stitch around the outside, because I wanted the bead count to b...

Craft Supply Acquisitions! Beads, yarn, tools, oh my! Check out the craft supply goodies and projects the Crafty Princess is creating with them. Apple-Stamped Mom Reusable Grocery Shopping Bag Make this eco-friendly reusable grocery bag for Mother's Day, or Mom's birthday. The project uses inexpensive items, many of which you already have on hand. Art Bead Scene Check out the colour palette which Tari has pulled from this month's vibrant challenge piece! Connie Gee's Designs Felines rule (don't tell my dog) and Connie has added a new free pattern that involves a cat trio out on the prowl. Added bonus: check out the fur-baby photos. Teal Glass Sculpture Hide all your vases and ashtrays! Cherie is back to making full size glass sculptures again.

Freeform Wire Art Jewelry:  Techniques for Designing with Wire, Beads, and Gems  By Gayle Bird  Fons & Porter/F+W; $24.99  Freeform Wire Art Jewelry is a new book by talented jewelry designer Gayle Bird .  It is set up like a class that you might be lucky enough to take with Gayle, so that you will work through techniques step-by-step as you complete projects that lead from one to the next in level of complexity.  What Gayle calls "improvisations" are encouraged along the way. The book starts out with a discussion of the basic tools, design techniques, color theory (unusual for a wire book), and working techniques that will be used throughout all the projects.  I really like the emphasis on color and the simple, organic style that Gayle teaches.  Loops are layered and arranged into seemingly complex designs, but as you follow through the excellent photos and instructions, it all becomes demystified. So if you've ever wanted...

These beaded wrap bracelets are still wildly popular this spring, and they are so so so easy to make...you could whip up a few for yourself and for your Mom for Mother's Day!  I used a couple different ribbons from Offray instead of cording, because the color selection is so fabulous. Materials & Tools 1/4" Champagne sheer Asiana ribbon   (bracelet shown below and in tutorial steps) 5/8" Violet wire edged Arabesque ribbon   (bracelet shown at the top) Button with shank Scotch tape Beads (I used size 2/0 Czech seed beads) Thread or embroidery floss (I used a double strand of metallic gold sewing thread) Needle Scissors Tape measure Glue or Fray Check You'll have to experiment with length to see what works best for your size wrist.  I like having enough left over cord to make tying the knots easier, so I use 26 inches for a single wrap, 46 inches for a double, and 62 inches for a triple wrap (the length will be halved, remember!).  For...

Packing For A Cruise Here are my must haves for cruising Baby Shadow Box Make a sweet dreams shadow box for new parents or for Mother's Day. Include baby's name and date of birth, a lullaby or poem. Sea Inspired Necklace Project Mermaids, fish, and starfish plus lots of wonderful glass beads make up this easy to assemble sea-themed necklace design. Adventures in Dog Sitting Connie's been dog-sitting and watching TV and, of course, stitching. Read a brief review of her latest project and be sure to check out the free patterns page for a new addition. Art Bead Scene Check out Claire's interview with Dawn of La Touchables - fascinating and inspiring! The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Drop by and see all the Steampunk-inspired creations made by participants of the Amethyst Aether Special Challenge!