Online color training and tools
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
Basics - Getting Started
Metal clay resources
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007Technique Tuesday!
PMC and Art Clay Silver
An online manual for success with the new precious metal clays.
Making metal beads
Register with the ArtJewelry site and receive a free download of Nanz Aalund’s tutorial.
Metal clay lenses at Squidoo
The very best informational and instructional lenses you’ll find anywhere.
The Art of Metal Clay by Sherri Haab
Artist and instructor Sherri Haab demonstrates metal clay’s remarkable versatility, showing how it can be textured, molded, carved, and sculpted to create gorgeous beads.
Metal Clay Magic by Nana Mizushima
Packed with color photos showing each step of working with metal clay. Covers more than just beads, but has lots of techniques that can be used in making beads.
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
Lampwork and hot glass forums
Thursday, October 25th, 2007Help me out here…did I miss any good ones?
International Society of Glass Beadmakers Forum
lampwork, lampworking, beads, glass-beads, glass-art, artist-communities
A new addition to the best online instruction sites
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
I rarely add to my list, because I wanted to keep this list for just the best of the best. However, Bead & Button has forced me to add them. When they redesigned their website recently, they made a lot of areas more accessible and better organized. On their techniques page, you’ll find links to pdf downloads on most of the major stitches and important beginning techniques. Here’s the direct link to the new page, and here’s the link to my full list of online bests!
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
Online color training and tools
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
I’ve added a couple new sites to the color scheme generator list. I do have my favorite one or two of these sites, but it’s great to have lots of options. No one generator is perfect for every person or in every situation.
Venetian and Murano glass beads suppliers
Friday, July 6th, 2007
Beautiful beads from Via Murano
De Roma Venetian Glass
Imported Venetian glass beads
Venetian Bead Shop
Imported Venetian and Murano glass beads
Gems 2 Behold
Wholesalers of Venetian and Murano glass beads
Via Murano
Imported Venetian glass beads
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, venetian-beads
Online dictionaries, glossaries, and encyclopedias of jewelry information
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
EncycloBEADiaAll About Jewels
Illustrated dictionary
FDJ Tool
Dictionary
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
Wirework
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
Getting Started with Wirework
A nice basic article with good overall information
Wonderful Wire Jewelry Projects
Lots of projects with lots of pictures to get you started by Tammy Powley. Also links to Tammy’s informative articles on types of wire.
Preston Reuther’s Wire Sculpture
Free downloadable videos from Preston Reuther, master wire sculptor. Also sells supplies, including a complete package to get started, and has a free 7-part e-course you can sign up for.
WigJig University
Supplies and instructions for making jewelry with beads and wire
Fire Mountain Gems
All types of wire, both precious and base
Rings & Things
Argentium Sterling Silver. Learn about Argentium Sterling Silver at The Artful Crafter’s blog.
Rio Grande
You’ll need to set up an account to browse the site
Creative Wire Jewelry Forum
A place to hang out, talk, and learn about…what else?…wire!
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
Update on one of my lists of Basics
Friday, May 18th, 2007I don’t know how I missed this site, but the Beading Help Web recently came to my attention, and I have decided that I most definitely need to add it to my (very very spare) list of the best of the best online sites for basic information. You can find my complete list here, and you’ll notice that there are only 6 sites that made my list! Great job on the site, Lynn!
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
Creativity online
Thursday, May 3rd, 2007
Online tools
Imagination Prompts
Are you looking for some random writing prompts or story starters for your journal, blog, or other creativity-related project?
Oblique strategies
a handy online version of Brian Eno’s creativity tool
Creativity and the periodic table
Roll your mouse over the table to see examples of each strategy
Excellent articles
Don’t wait for the muse
Apparently you shouldn’t sit around waiting for yours even if you do happen to believe you have one!
Creativity. We could all use more.
References three good articles on living creatively
Judith Reilly’s creativity page
Twelve life lessons for creativity
Six myths of creativity
This study may change how you generate ideas
11 tips to suviving a day job with your creativity intact
View your day jobs as the blessing that it truly is!
How to get your day job to leave you
How to naturally outgrow your current life right into the one that you desire
Best sites for a general pick-me-up
The best seed bead books
Tuesday, April 24th, 2007
There are literally hundreds of books that you could buy on the art of working with seed beads, and most of them are good books, with something good to offer. And since I’m a book and magazine junkie, I own most of them. The ones that I don’t own, I’ve read, courtesy of the local library. It was hard, but I’ve whittled the list down to the very few books that I think are really the best of the best. The first two are excellent books that cover many techniques. The rest are specific to a particular stitch and go into an amazing amount of detail.
The Art of Seed Beading
By Elizabeth Gourley
The author emphasizes the how-to in this book. Every one of the more than 25 projects focuses on a specific tool or technique, complete with color graphs, a list of materials, size and measurements, a color photo, and diagrams.
Making Designer Seed Bead, Stone, and Crystal Jewelry
By Tammy Powley
Beginners will find enough detailed instructions to get started while more advanced jewelry makers will find it provides new ideas for using stitches in different ways.
Beading With Brick Stitch
By Diane Fitzgerald
Focusing solely on brick stitch, this unique guide presents 10 exciting beading projects-from tassels to necklaces-along with detailed, illustrated instructions.
Beading With Peyote Stitch
By Jeannette Cook, Vicki Star
Here is everything the beader needs to know about using peyote stitch to create both flat and three-dimensional pieces. Thread, beads, graphing techniques, and five projects are thoroughly explained, and a brief history, with photographs.
Beading With Herringbone Stitch
By Vicki Star
The herringbone stitch is a versatile and unique off-loom bead technique. This guide offers a thorough historical and cultural background of the stitch, along with complete instructions for creating beautiful beaded projects.
Beading with Right Angle Weave
By Christine M. Prussing
The right angle weave stitch is demystified in this beading handbook. All projects include easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations for both single- and two-needle techniques.
Bead Embroidery
By Valerie Campbell-Harding, Pamela Watts
Emphasizing how beads add color, texture and beauty to a piece of work, they guide the reader through a variety of traditional and contemporary techniques, including bead weaving; sewing “trapped” beads; stitching beads onto mesh and canvas; and adding them to fringes, edges, cords, chains, and tassels.
Beaded Embellishment
By Amy C Clarke, Robin Atkins
Beaders, quilters, and fiber artists will find this book invaluable for its solid technical information about how to apply beads to cloth, resulting in unique creations that will stand the test of time.
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
Antique and trade bead suppliers
Friday, April 20th, 2007
African Accents
Beautiful handmade beads available from a number of African nations
Rita Okrent
Ancient and ethnographic beads. Sadly, Rita died in 2005, but her website is remaining open.
African Crafts
A wide selection of African trade beads
Crazy Crow
Native American and mountain man syle beadwork supplies
hanodmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
Best of the basics online
Friday, April 13th, 2007In the ocean of information that is the world wide web, there are a few websites that rise to the top when it comes to covering the basics of beadwork. Not surprisingly, one of them is the Beadwork Site at About.com. Paula Morgan has compiled the very best tutorials on just about every aspect of beading that you can imagine: bead weaving stitches, stringing, wire work, and loom weaving. So really, this is the place for you to start.
One other brilliant site has made my list of the best of the best: Beads East has animated tutorials on many of the most popular off-loom bead weaving stitches! This is one of Ann Benson’s sites, and if you haven’t seen Ann’s beadwork before, prepare to be amazed!
There are a few additional sites that each have great tips to offer:
Bead Jewelry Making
Some harder-to-find seed bead instructions
Beading Help Web
Well-written articles and tutorials geared mostly for beginners
Jewelry Making at About.com
Tutorials and tips on all aspects of the art, including business
BeadStyle Magazine
Some good tips on working with wire
Fire Mountain Gems
How to use specific tools
Bead&Button Techniques
Pdf downloads of instructions available
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, tutorials
Full-service catalog suppliers
Friday, April 6th, 2007
Rio Grande
A comprehensive selection of raw materials, findings, chains, gemstones, beads, stringing, art jewelry supplies, display and packaging
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Huge assortment, aimed at uniting the world, one bead at a time!
Rings and Things
This wholesale catalog is your one-stop source for beads, jewelry findings, charms, cord, polymer clay, Swarovski crystal beads and prisms, Czech glass beads, jewelry display items and other jewelry components
Ornamental Resources
An enormous selection of beads and other decorative materials, with many hard-to-find items
The Bead Babe
No license required for this on-line wholesale catalog
Gemstone bead suppliers
Friday, March 30th, 2007
ArtGems Inc
A huge selection with an easily searchable website
Trash City Beads
Low prices, no frills. Website or mail ordering only
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
About Bead Arts
Come on a journey through a bead and jewelry wonderland, where no item is considered too strange to use in making something...especially if that item has a hole in it! All types of beads are welcomed and cherished here, and no techniques are off-limits. You'll be amazed and inspired by the beadwork that is being done today!
Bead Arts Author(s)
LINKS
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