Beading Arts

When I found a gorgeous strand of top-drilled pearls at a gem and bead show, I knew that they would need a design that allowed them to show off!  I began by creating several strands of single crochet with the pearls on silver wire, and then embellished each strand with loops of seed beads.  The necklace was finished off with single strands of strung beads so that it would be comfortable against the back of the neck. Materials & Tools 60 top-drilled pearls 2 colors of 8/0 seed beads 2 colors of Delica seed beads 28 gauge silver wire Nymo thread 6 inches of 20 gauge silver wire 2 bead caps or cones Softflex beading wire, .019 inch diameter 4  2mm crimp tubes Assorted Czech glass fire-polished crystals, 4, 6, & 8mm Stone beads and additional pearls (optional) Toggle clasp Crochet hook (I used a size H, 5mm) Wire cutters Beading needles Watch-case cement Measuring tape Round nose pliers Chain nose pliers File Creating the crocheted front ...

  About.com Jewelry Making Tammy has published her latest jewelry designer interview posted for the month of May. Art Bead Scene It's a new month and that means a new painting for inspiration. Come see the Post Impressionistic village scene that will inspire lots of great beadwork this month!   Carmi's Art/Life World This week Carmi uses a new crystal snap for a felted collar.   Resin Crafts! In a two post series, Resin Crafts shows you how to make an orchid a jewelry component. Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Oh wow! Jean finally broke down and opened her first Etsy shop! Read all about it here!     Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

  Tribe of the Sun A guest post by Aileen Pablo It’s The Season for Colors: Learn How to Make These Fashionable Summer Inspired Necklaces! What’s in this summer? Fun and pastel colors are knocking at your closets. Let them in! Pink, baby blue, yellow, turquoise, orange, yellow green – all of these yummy-looking and “FUN-tastic” colors are perfect for summer. If you don’t have any pastel colors in your closet, why not create your own summer inspired jewelries to glam up your dull clothes? Wear a plain white shirt with a rainbow colored necklace. Spice up your plain blue top with hand-crafted tassel necklace (I will share a tutorial later!). Who says you must buy new clothes for summer?  There are a lot of things you can do to glam up your old clothes and make it more appropriate for summer. Materials needed: 1.    Tassels – any colorful tassel will do. It’s up to you. 2.    Chains – I prefer bigger chains. The diameter of the chai...

Did you notice that yesterday's post very nicely segued into our next month-long celebration?  Yes, it's wire month again, and what would wire month be without a word or two from our wire guru, Paul Bishop ?  Thank you, Paul for getting us pointed in the right direction, again and again (and again!).  Do you love working with wire or does it frustrate you?  Wire has never been my primary material, although I love the look of it...especially when someone who really knows what they're doing uses it!  But even a fumble-fingers like me can put together a couple of fun projects that incorporate wire in different ways, and that's what this month is going to be all about.  During this month (and into the next one if we need to), I'm going to share a round-up of information that's in our archives here on Beading Arts , and point you to the fabulous work done by artists we already know, but I also want to share new artists and have all of you who l...

Artist: Paul Bishop Bishop Wire & Bead My trip to Slovakia in 2010 was for work, and it wasn’t spring, it was at the end of summer. When I wasn’t in the office, I was traveling the highways in my rental car. Slovakia, like many European countries, is very small compared to the Canadian provinces. On particular evening after supper, I took a drive. From the northwest corner of Slovakia, I was able to visit the Czech Republic and Poland, have time for pictures, and was back at my hotel in three hours. Try that in North America! Every day there was something new to see, somewhere new to go. I was there for two work weeks so I was lucky enough to have a full weekend to just explore. Slovakia is small, but there are always mountains around, as there are several ranges, and any drive off the highways will probably have you climbing up lovely roads canopied with the greenery of tall trees and stunning vistas below. One of my pictures from Strecno Castle shows the mountains, a...

Do you remember me telling you about EcuadorianHands , the supplier of wonderful tagua nut beads?   I thought their wonderful beads would be good to feature during Spring Fever Month , along with one of my favorite suppliers of great vintage plastic, Vintage Beads from Europe .  Here's an easy-peasy stringing project that includes a tiny bit of wirework. 1. Loop wire through the pendant hole and wrap one wire a few times with the second.  Create two bail loops with the wire ends.  Clip one end off even with the wrapping and use the other end to wrap over the first wrapping and the clipped end.  2. String the tagua nut beads and vintage plastic beads in a pattern that pleases you.  I strung 5 size 8/0 seed beads between each accent bead.  I started from the middle with the pendant and strung outward towards each end in order to keep the colors balanced.  Note: the two sides are not identical, but they are balanced in weight and size...

Website: Natalia Bodre My name is Natalia Bodre and I am an artist originally from Poland.  I finished school of Art in Poland with advertisement designer degree, but soon enough I understood what my real passion was- jewelry designing. I started designing jewelry in second year (of 4 year school) and I was soon successful in creating and selling jewelry in Poland.  Right after school I moved to Ireland looking for adventure and inspiration.  I was successful with selling jewelry, and showing my art in galleries.  Somewhere along the way I met my (now) husband and fell in love.  He is American, and that's why I moved here to be with him, where I live and design for almost 4 years. My jewelry is truly unique because I never make two of the same pieces and all designs come right from my creative mind.  I love to use natural gemstones because every single stone is different and holds it's own story.  I can do anything you dream of- just cont...

  The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Inspired by the spring flower, Andrew compiles a list of trillium themed jewelry components.   A Bead A Day Are you making jewelry for your summer vacation this year? Stop by A Bead A Day to share your plans! About.com Jewelry Making Tammy gives a nod to onyx, one of her favorite gemstones to make jewelry with.   Art Bead Scene Erin provides a variety of ideas about custom jewelry tags, a fine personal detail for professional jewelry makers.   Carmi's Art/Life World Do you wear a lot of brooches? Carmi has devised a way to make wearing them easier!   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie is having a special springtime sale! Check out the Earthenwood blog for more details!   Resin Crafts! This week we have anew caps featuring Japanese paper and french owl stickers...quite the combo!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! While continuing to follow her A-...

Artist: Jean Yates Snap out of it Jean! There's beading to be done! I've got to tell you about the honeymoon Jim and I took in 1990.  We went to Walt Disney World, which Jim hated, and then to Cocoa beach to the Satellite Inn motel, which is where all the astronauts stayed in the early days of the very first launches.  Now you can see (until just recently) the space shuttle take off from the beach right in front of the motel. Jim and I endured an extremely uncomfortable night in  this historic dump which was wretchedly ill-kempt, but we were very excited because Jim has always been a Trekkie and an Outer Space freak. In the morning we got there into the stretch of beach  before dawn, as we were supposed to.  There were tons of people already waiting...it was like being a hippie again!  And then, alas, after a wait of over two hours, the shuttle was scuttled. What disappointment, but what a honeymoon memory!  ...

Simple Beginnings: Beading: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Your Own Custom Jewelry by Suzann Sladcik Wilson Wire Jewelry Masterclass: Wrapped, Coiled and Woven Pieces Using Fine Materials by Abby Hook Silver Clay Workshop: Getting Started in Silver Clay Jewellery by Melanie Blaikie Japanese Beadwork with Sonoko Nozue: 25 Jewelry Designs from a Master Artist (Beadweaving Master Class Series) by Sonoko Nozue Brooches & Pins (Magpie) by Louise Compagnone Beading with Crystals: 36 Simply Inspired Jewelry Designs by Jean Campbell and Katherine Duncan Aimone Contemporary Cube Bead Designs: Stitching with Herringbone, Peyote, Ladder Stitch, and More by Virginia Jensen Beaded Jewelry by Maya Brenner Heat, Color, Set & Fire: Surface Effects for Metal Jewelry by Mary Hettmansperger The Absolute Beginners Guide: Making Wire Jewelry by Martine Callaghan Vintage Impressions Jewelry by Terry Ricioli Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry ,...

Yay!  It's  Take a Stitch Tuesday day again!  And again there is a stitch that will look good on my quilt.  In fact, I'm really excited about it, because it's got the look of seaweed about it: the fabulous wheatear stitch !  I decided to decorate mine up a bit extra, with a double chain stitch of two different colors, straight stitches of a different color, and added French knots (last week's stitch) at the end of each straight stitch...yet another color.  I think I might add more strands of these fun stitches around more edges of the quilt .  TAST week 1 - fly stitch TAST week 2 - blanket stitch TAST week 3 - feather stitch TAST week 4 - cretan stitch  TAST week 5 - herringbone stitch TAST week 6 - chevron stitch TAST week 7 - detached chain stitch TAST week 8 - chain stitch TAST week 9 - couching stitch  TAST week 10 - running stitch  TAST week 11 - whipped wheel stitch  TAST week 16 - French knot  TAST wee...

A year ago, Eileen Bergen was able to take a vacation to the beautiful Sanibel Island, Florida .  And she was immediately swept away by the gorgeous ocean views...and the shells.  Eileen couldn't get enough of the shells!  See? Eileen wrote: I’m seeing charm-type bracelets, mosaics, collages, pendant necklaces, even shadow boxes of shells. Where to begin? Does anyone know how to drill holes in shells? Well, she must have figured it out, because before too long, Eileen had a picture of a beautiful Mother of Pearl necklace and earring set that she made featured on her blog, The Artful Crafter , and she also wrote up the instructions!  So if you too have a collection of shells sitting around waiting for inspiration, take a look at the link above and see how Eileen used some of hers.    Technorati Tags: handmade beaded jewelry , wearable art , beads , jewelry , necklace , mixed media , beading

When we went to visit Hawai'i, I really didn't want to spend too much time inside museums (for obvious reasons, see above!), but one that I had to make an exception for is the Bishop Museum on Oahu. The Bishop Museum has a fabulous collection of Pacific Island wearables, some of which I'll share with you here.  There are also amazing full-sized costumes made for various occasions, but I didn't feel any of my pictures did them justice.  Feathered capes, 'i'iwi bird Hawai'i Shell anklet Hawai'i Whale teeth necklaces - all whale teeth automatically belonged to the chief .  Samoa, Tonga, Society Island Headdress of turtle shell, coconut fiber, pearl and clam shell Marquesas Earplugs of whale tooth Marquesas Whale teeth and plant fiber necklace Austral Islands Headdress of chicken feathers and fibers Rapa Nui Lei made from fern s Leis made from bone, nut, and feathers Hawai'i Lei made from dog...

The other day in part one, I showed you shots of the glass factory that we visited plus a video of the master glass maker in action.  Today, I want to share some shots from the The Museo Vetrario (Glass Museum).  This smallish museum is definitely worth the trip for glass and/or bead lovers! I can't completely remember now why I didn't take any pictures inside the museum, but I'm pretty sure it was because they didn't allow it.  Too bad, because it was wonderful.  After feasting my eyes on gorgeous glass and ancient beads all day, I felt ready to start making Murano glass bead purchases, fairly certain that I would now know how to spot quality and avoid buying cheap tourist imports by mistake.  Here are some of the beads that I got: Some things to look for: thick, high quality foil, glorious saturated colors, small holes with no bead release residue (except on beads with exposed foiling), and loose - not strung.  Copyright 2012 Cynd...