Beading Arts

I don't usually post the same thing on both of my blogs, but when it comes to updates on my son, I'll make an exception! Since Nate hasn't been around much, we thought this picture of him with Dani was probably the best one to use this year! Orphanage updates: twenty out of the twenty-seven kids have American families pledged to adopt them. Please pray for the Guatemalan legal services to move with all due speed. Once some of the kids have been moved out, the children's home is going to relocate to the mountains of Antigua Guatemala where they've been building a new home (the one they came close to losing in last month's hurricane). With fewer children to care for and educate, they will be turning their attention to their next mission: taking in HIV positive babies. Please pray for all of them about this change too. Nate is not sure what his niche will be as they shift their focus as a home. Emotionally, this will be a tough direction to go too.

Whirling Dervish How fun is this? I found these polymer beads that I bought maybe 15 years ago (!) in one of my many boxes of beads. Don't they look great? The colors are still as vibrant as the day I bought them. So don't be shy about investing in polymer artwork :-) Anyway, I attached them all to a vintage brass chain, which can be shortened to suit. This is definitely a head-turning piece! Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

Adam & Eve Can you see the two of them in the center of the stone? It's a ruby zoisite, by the way ~ a beautiful stone that I bought at a gem and jewelry show from a woman who thought it was a dyed jasper. Hey, that's ok...ruby zoisite is way cooler than jasper. You can see the ruby crystals in the zoisite matrix. Isn't that pretty? The beads that I used for the beaded chain and clasp are also ruby zoisite, and they match the center stone really well. So, what to make next? Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

Native Dance To create this necklace, I took aparts dozens of pieces of costume jewelry that I'd collected from the 1970s and 1980s. Remember the so-called ethnic jewelry fads that resurfaced every few years? Well, when wired together and hung from a textured-disk necklace, these pieces move and jingle together in a way that is much more pleasing (to me anyway!) than the original pieces. I absolutely love this necklace :-) Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

In the category of "now why didn't I think of that?" comes Tammy Powley's clasp connection wire technique . I'm sitting here in front of the computer, slapping myself on the forehead and going "Duh!" Tammy is the incredibly capable jewelry making guide at About.com. Happy Thanksgiving all! Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry

Paula Morgan, About.com's Beadwork guide, has just posted a great list of all their tutorials on basic beadwork techniques . Check it out and see how much there still is to learn! Thanks Paula :-) Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry

I'm ready to start the final outlining with beads, which will bind the top embroidered layer to the ultrasuede layer below it and will hide all the raw edges. I'm still not sure what type of clasp I'm going to do for this neckpiece. I'll probably use another of the black Deco-style buttons as a centerpiece and bead around it a bit. But I'm also thinking about making a linked gold chain with jet black beads, and keeping the clasp as an ornate hook. Decisions, decisions. First, to finish the binding... Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

From the UK

Remember I told you about Baylie ? The little girl with Chiari malformation, who is making bracelets to raise money for research? Ring a bell? Good! Buy a bracelet now, if you haven't already, because...Baylie is going to be famous! I know, that's a dumb reason to buy one. OK, so buy one because it's the right thing to do :-) Baylie will be in People Magazine, the issue dated November 28, according to my friend Tammy Powley at About.com Isn't that great? Sometimes good things do happen to the right people!! Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry

I've decided to add spines to the peyote twist that I'm working on. Just started a new section yesterday, and it occurred to me that it might look kind of cool... Here is where I originally talked about the stitch, right after Aleta Ford Baker's directions came out in the October issue of Bead and Button. Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

Monthly musings on color! Sign up for her newsletter to let you know when another has been posted.

I've gotten a bit more done on my new neckpiece. I got stuck when it came to what to stitch around the vines ~ I tried outlining them with black and with gold, and neither struck my fancy. Finally, I tried just using stacks of loosely spaced clear beads, which allows the painted background to show through somewhat. It gives an impressionistic feel to the piece. Even though it's not quite what I'd envisioned (when is anything?), I like it! Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

Paula Morgan posted this wonderful blog article called How to Find the Time to Bead . It easily applies to any art form. Except you probably can't pack yourself a travel project if you specialize in 10 foot canvases...

I didn't get much done on the new neckpiece this past week. I got sidetracked by other more pressing matters, like painting more watercolor and acrylic background papers to use in my collages and mixed media quilts . Anyway, I did at least decide upon a theme and color scheme, which is a good step (I hope!). The rest of this is just going to have to unfold in its own time. I'm not certain what comes next... Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

I feel quite revived from the torture of making the little teeney pouch and am now ready to start in on the next big neckpiece. I usually feel like I need to alternate between types of pieces, or else I get...I don't know, stale? Anyway, I picked up this neato bead at the last show I went to. Yes, I know it looks like a huge cabochon, but it's actually drilled top to bottom. It was tempting to use it as some sort of choker-pendant, but I was afraid it would throttle whoever wore it! It's a heavy sucker :-) For those who have asked in the past, I use the outer rim of a cd stack container to draw the inner edge of the neckpiece. Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

Berry Juice After getting lots of wonderful suggestions on how to finish off my little peyote pouch I finally chose to use garnet, brass, and crystals. Even the name for it was the suggestion of an online friend! It's such a tiny little thing that a couple of my first ideas just seemed too heavy. I'm really happy with the decision :-) Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

I got a great question on the little peyote pouch that I made ~ what is it used for? My answer was that, if you are me, absolutely nothing!! Some people use them to house a worry stone, lucky piece, or amulet, but this isn't my schtick. I simply like the way they look hanging around my neck :-) I had two good suggestions so far for how to finish it off. Chain interspersed with crystals, or thin seedbead strands. I'm not sure that I can face any more of those teeny little seedbeads right now, so the chain suggestion is looking pretty good! Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

I finished this teeny tiny little peyote pouch today. It took me all week, in between other projects, because I've started having problems with my close up vision, finally. I use one of those great OTT lights, otherwise I don't think I'd have been able to do it at all. This bag uses mostly vintage seed beads, the equivalent of #15's, and the whole thing is only one and a half inches tall, excluding the fringe. How could such a tiny little thing take so long? :-) I've got to decide what type of strand to put on it now ~ chain, beaded, cord, ??? Any suggestions? Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace

I'm going to refer you to my other blog where I've posted the latest from the orphanage. Thanks to all the people who have been expressing concern and praying for them!

Featured on BellaOnline , by Chris Franchetti Link to Part One is here Technorati Tags: wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace