Beading Arts

BeadStyle Magazine has come up with a very clever compendium for the year and has published it as Stylish Jewelry Made Simple .  If you are a relative newcomer to jewelry making, or if you've decided that you want to move forward and add some new basic skills to your stringing projects, this book is a great start.  In it you will find wirework, chain, and stitching added to stringing in 45 fun and stylish projects. This is a Kalmbach book, so the basic techniques are always included (in this case, in the back, along with a glossary), and projects that use more tricky techniques are always well illustrated and photographed for you with beautiful clear closeups.  And I haven't even told you the best part yet...the projects are arranged by COLOR: reds, greens, blues, pinks, neutrals, metals, and mixed.  Not that you can't take a blue project and turn it into a yellow one, but this organization does make for really fun browsing! One of my favorite projec...

Forums have changed a lot over the past few years, with blogs and facebook groups filling in and taking up more of our time.  Good forums still exist, though, and it can be a lot of help to belong to one where you can get feedback, advice, and fellowship!  Since some facebook groups operate almost the same as a forum, I've included a few here for your consideration, as well as some online forums that are still going strong! Jewelry Making at About.Com Creative Wire Jewelry Bead&Button forums Wearable Art at WetCanvas Bead Collector Network To find facebook groups to join, try this Beading search  or this Jewelry search Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Everyone has to start somewhere, and since we've covered so many different materials and styles over the years, I thought that I would put together a short list of my best resources and easiest tutorials for people who are just starting out.  Don't be intimidated!  Just pick a something and dive right in! Beginner tutorials and resources in different media: Making a textured polymer clay pendant Wirework basics Blue heart wire earrings Leftover bead earrings Wire up some button earrings Hammered wire earrings Royal Pearls necklace Lampwork basics Simple lampwork bead earrings Easy lampwork bead necklaces Knotted cord necklace Metal stamped bracelet CopprClay basics Knotting a continuous necklace Seed bead basics Two-drop peyote beaded beads Bead embroidery basics Pretty as you please bracelet Cloth and sparkle bracelet Bottle cap pins Optical lens pendant Other resources:  Design series A practical lesson in choosing c...

This elegant bracelet started out as a plain black expansion bracelet on elastic cord. By taking the original bracelet apart and adding faceted fire-polished beads, you can make a new bracelet that will last much longer. And the best part is that there are usually enough beads in an elastic bracelet to make at least two new ones. Vary the color of the faceted beads you choose, and have fun!  I've given you extremely detailed instructions below, so I hope you'll find this to be a good beginner project. Materials & Tools: 20 inches of beading wire, .019 inches in diameter 10 - 8mm faceted rounds (teal a.b.) 4 - 8x4mm faceted rondelles (teal a.b.) 12 - 4mm faceted rounds (teal a.b.) 6 flat oval 2-holed beads (black jasper) 2 gold 3-holed spacer bars 6 gold headpins, 2 inches 4 gold crimps 3 gold jump rings 1 gold lobster claw clasp 2 alligator clips Wire cutters Chain nose pliers Round nose pliers File Measuring tape 1. Cut the beading wire ...

Resin tutorials Destiny bracelet Bottle cap pins Beaded assemblage Make Time necklace Key to My Heart pins Frame pendant Sublime Spring bracelet Rubber glass necklace Resin paper Found Objects and Unusual Materials Easy bezel for watch face Framed necklace Resin-polymer clay bezel Drum Beat necklace Metal Fabrication tutorials Metal Fabrication books Fiber tutorials Tutorials from the archives Fibers, Fabrics, and Beads Ethiopian Crosses necklace Glass pendant Fishing for Trout necklace Tape measure bracelet Bead embroidered heritage necklace Reworked earrings and bracelet Sunlit Seas necklace Fun in the Sun necklace Copper bead necklace Fashionable tassels necklace Brass wire and fabric flower bead embroidered necklace Crocheted bead bracelets Aegean Seas Part one was posted last week! Copyright 2013 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May b...

So many of the tutorials that I share here on Beading Arts could easily be called mixed media, but I tend to share them in different months depending upon the primary medium.  What makes any of these pieces into mixed media jewelry is when you combine one category of material with another.  That's the simplest definition of mixed media jewelry that there is.  So pick your favorite, or maybe several favorites, and see what projects, resources, and books await you!             Polymer Clay tutorials   Polymer Clay books   Wire tutorials Wire books Lampwork tutorials Lampwork, fusing, and  glass bead books Lampwork projects Metal Clay tutorials and resources Metal Clay books Seed Bead tutorials Best Seed Bead books Seed Bead basics online Next week - part two Copyright 2013 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. M...

Never forget the basics!  They are...well... basic to everything else you will learn in jewelry making.  And stringing is one of the first beading techniques that most folks try.  It's so easy and accessible, but you can make such amazing and unique pieces with the proper tools, techniques, and materials. What happens is that then many of us move on to bead weaving, bead embroidery, and mixed media jewelry making, and we forget that first thrill.  Let's not be that person!! If you are a beginner beader, you've picked the right month to get started: All this month, we're going to cover both basic and innovative stringing and look at ways to make our pieces unique!  I'll have a number of projects and featured artists for you, all designed to help you make your stringing projects unique.  Do you have a piece you'd like to share, or have you written up a tutorial for an innovative stringing piece that will help take our work to the next level?...

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...

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 t...

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 ...

What would you like to learn how to do this year? Personally, I'm looking into soutache bead embroidery a bit!  I hope you'll take the challenge, and pick something new to work on, and maybe even to master, in 2013.  Here are links to my updated posts about various jewelry education opportunities. Free bead embroidery stitches e-book Information and tutorials to get you started Know your jewelry terms Jumpstart your learning curve with a kit Do you want to design for yourself? Take A Stitch Tuesday 2013 Bead Journal Project 2013  The Wearable Art Project 2013 Spring/Summer 2013 color and style forecast Jewelry and beading shows with classes Jewelry and beading school classes Online jewelry and beading education Creativity resources online Online color training and tools Online jewelry design tools Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

American Jeweler's Institute in Oregon Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Tennesee Boca Raton Museum of Art - The Art School in Florida Colorado School of Jewelry & Metalarts Idyllwild Arts in California Jewelry Creations Workshop in Florida John C Campbell Folk School in North Carolina Lillstreet Art Center in Illinois Miami Jewelry School in Florida Northwest Gemological Institute in Washington Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in California Rye Arts Center in New York Studio Jewelers Ltd in New York City 3rd Ward in Brooklyn, New York I'm sure there are more schools and non-profit organizations that offer classes. Can you think of any to add?  Leave me a comment with your suggestions and I'll add them to the list! Technorati Tags: bead embroidery , handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

There's so much to be said for classes...being able to see the technique demonstrated, being able to ask questions, mixing and mingling and meeting new people. It's all good.  Unfortunately, it's not always possible for everyone to go somewhere to take a class. Fortunately, there is the internet! There are two main categories of posts on Beading Arts that will lead you to lots of techniques, tips, tutorials, and fun new projects to try. There are also new resources that I'll be adding to these categories pretty regularly. There will be some overlap on these lists. Sorry, but it's unavoidable :-) The Basics - Getting Started - online instruction to help take the place of basic classes Tutorials & Techniques - all kinds of beading and jewelry how-tos There are other class and tutorial resources all over the internet, and I've included quite a few of them below.  Note that not all of them are free. If you'd like to share a source that yo...

  Chain drop earrings If you're like me, and always end up waiting until it's almost too late to start making gifts, I think I've got some ideas that will help you out.  Especially if you're looking for quick and easy! These are not all necessarily holiday-themed pieces, just pieces that I think you'll like to share.   I'll be sharing more tutorials throughout the next couple of weeks...right up until it's almost too late.  Really though, if you're going to make something for someone, it's never too late! Metal stamped "Hope" bracelet Metal stamped pendant with a secret Crocheted bead bracelets My Heart's Chatelaine necklace Chain drop earrings Tagua nut necklace Wire-wrapped stone pendants Polymer clay greeting card necklace  Eyeglass holder necklace Enchanted charm bracelet Button charm necklace Sparkle wire wrap ring The easiest polymer clay earrings Mixed metals necklace Chain mail ...

These projects mostly focus on what to do with the beads once you've made them.  I don't consider myself to be either a lampwork artist nor, heaven forbid, a proper lampwork teacher.  I know just enough to be somewhat dangerous!  But if you've been fooling around with making beads, and you'd like some ideas for using them...browse away!   Basic earrings  Beaded Lily necklace  Perth the Turtle necklace  Stringing ideas for using lampwork beads Antique key and lampwork glass necklace   My favorite glass beads to make Lampwork jewelry designs A woven seed bead bezel for a lampwork bead My Heart's Chatelaine necklace Rock Candy necklace Simple stringing for a glass pendant Love is a Rose necklace A Leftover Toggle necklace Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

All the Daughters of Eve I don't have pictures of myself actually making the beads, but there are plenty of places online where you can see that, just not with me in the picture ;-)  Instead, what I've got for you here is a round-up of all the basic posts and tutorials that I've written on lampworking in the past.  Here are just a few of the stages that my poor beads go through.  In this particular example, I needed to make a large batch of basic spacer and nugget beads.  Since this can get to be very dull, I allowed myself to play around every so often and make some "fun" beads, like the female-shaped beads in All the Daughters of Eve shown above. After the pictures is the informational round-up.             Lampworking FAQs  Lampwork and hot glass forums Safety concerns with lampworking An Introduction to lampworking by Ann Scherm Baldwin An excellently photographed introduction to...

  Most of these reviews that I've written are of books that show how to make lampwork beads, but I've included a few that cover what to do with those beads once you've accumulated a whole pile of them.  Let me just warn you right now that making glass beads is addictive.  No fair blaming me later...you've been warned! Lampwork Books The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking by Kimberley Adams My current favorite book to recommend to beginners and intermediates. Glass Bead Workshop by Jeri L Warhaftig For intermediates and advanced artists. Creating Glass Beads by Jeri L Warhaftig More intermediate and advanced techniques, tested out by artists of various levels Creating Lampwork Beads for Jewelry by Karen Leonardo Using Glass Beads in Jewelry Books Create Jewelry - Glass by Marlene Blessing and Jamie Hogsett What to do with 'em once you've got 'em. The Venetian Glass Bead by Kathy Fox More simple projects to showcase beautiful be...

Resin tutorials Destiny bracelet Bottle cap pins Beaded assemblage Make Time necklace Key to My Heart pins Frame pendant Sublime Spring bracelet Rubber glass necklace Resin paper Found Objects and Unusual Materials Easy bezel for watch face Framed necklace Metal Fabrication tutorials Metal Fabrication books Fiber tutorials Tutorials from the archives Fibers, Fabrics, and Beads Ethiopian Crosses necklace Glass pendant Fishing for Trout necklace Tape measure bracelet Bead embroidered heritage necklace Reworked earrings and bracelet Sunlit Seas necklace Fun in the Sun necklace Copper bead necklace Fashionable tassels necklace Brass wire and fabric flower bead embroidered necklace Part one was posted yesterday! Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

Ok, what exactly am I supposed to include here, and what should I leave out? So many of the tutorials that I share here could easily be called mixed media, but they fall into different categories depending upon the primary medium.  So that's what I'll do!  I'll group them up and share them with you in broad categories.  I've probably missed many of them, but at least this can get you started. What makes any of these pieces into mixed media jewelry is when you combine one category of material with another.  That's the simplest definition of mixed media jewelry that there is! Polymer Clay tutorials   Polymer Clay books   Wire tutorials Wire books Lampwork tutorials Lampwork, fusing, and glass bead books Lampwork projects Metal Clay tutorials and resources Metal Clay books Seed Bead tutorials Best Seed Bead books Seed Bead basics online Tomorrow - part two

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. …and my favorite catalogs Rings and Things A huge selection of larger seed beads and mixtures Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading