Bead Arts

Make-Art Monday!

So what do you call it when the colors remind you of Florida and the shape is reminiscent of a cascading waterfall? Flamingo Waterfall, of course!

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

Stringing Magazine is sponsoring a challenge for all beaders: the theme is I’ll Fly Away, and the deadline for entries is August 6, 2007. All entries will be shown on their website, and the Editors’ favorites will snag a spot in the magazine!

Stringing Magazine

calls-for-entries, beads, beading, jewelry, wearable-art

I’m still not posting a picture of my revolting ugly necklace here on the blog. The Land of Odd’s contest for the ugliest necklace is almost over, and I thought I would explain how I came to make this piece. You can see it here: Queasy It’s #9, near the bottom.

During the planning process, I kept thinking through all the different ways that rules of good design could be broken. It actually took me a lot more time to think through the whole piece than it did to make it. It’s just not that easy to make something that you know is hideous! Here are the major design elements and principles that I violated:

The shape and texture are hideous: fake vomit is visually disturbing

The color scheme uses a poisonous-looking triad in non-harmonious proportions with poor saturation choices: orange, lime green, purple-brown

The value contrast is unexciting: all medium value colors were chosen

The sizes and shapes are inappropriate and poorly proportioned, used with no balance in the rhythm and repetition of elements: neckstrap too thin for central pendant, wired bead links uneven lengths, wrapped loops uneven sizes, beads allowed to slide freely with no spacers, bead holes too large for wire gauge

The choice of materials is inexplicable: cheap plastic mixed with lampworked glass, closure a mix of fibers and a geometric shape atop a chain neckstrap and “organic” shaped vomit, fringe fibers wired onto the chain, all giving the piece no sense of harmony or unity

The pattern on the lampwork beads is poorly done: random numbers of eyes, one bead with reverse colors

The gradation is unbalanced and backwards: neckstrap beads graduated the wrong way, unequal amounts of fringe on either side of centerpiece

The overall effect of all these violations in Queasy is a piece that has no harmony or unity among its elements. There is no sense that this piece is a cohesive whole, with all elements integrated to express a meaningfully complete thought, unless that thought happens to be dis-unity!

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, ugly-necklace-contest

Two of my articles appear in the current issue of Jewelry Crafts Magazine. They are both, not surprisingly, projects that are geared towards summer. One is a bead embroidered pendant called Mermaid’s Treasure:

The other project uses beads by my friend Jeanne Kent of New Terra Artifacts, and surrounds them with a bit of embroidery and a bit of wire work. It’s name is Blue Rainbow (not very original, huh?):

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

The Bright and Beautiful Design Contest is on! Use some of the suppliers listed in the previous post to create a masterpiece, and then submit it to Create Your Style for the 2007 design competition. Here are some of the details:

PROCESS FOR ENTRY

You may submit as many entries as you wish for contest, however you may only compete in one category: Professional, Amateur, Student. Completed application, two digital photographs (jpg or gif and not to exceed 2 Mbytes) of the design and a complete list of CRYSTALLIZEDTM - Swarovski Elements used must be submitted by registration deadline of July 13, 2007. Do not send finished pieces.

SEMI-FINALISTS

The top 20 designs from each category: Professional, Amateur, Student will be chosen by a panel of jurors and notified on August 31, 2007. Semi-finalists will be required to send Swarovski their design piece(s) no later than September 15, 2007, or Swarovski will assume the semi-finalist has chosen not to continue in the contest. All semi-finalists will receive the CRYSTALLIZEDTM - Swarovski Elements used to make their design, plus a $50.00 gift check. Every effort will be made to send the participant the exact CRYSTALLIZEDTM - Swarovski Elements used, but substi­tutions may be necessary.

FINALISTS

The panel of jurors will choose 5 finalists per category: Professional, Amateur, Student. All finalists will be notified by October 30, 2007. All finalists will be invited to the VIP Reception in Tucson, Arizona on February 6, 2008 at which time the winners will be announced.

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, Swarovski, calls-for-entries

Technique Tuesday!

Blue Bells has no clasp, so make sure that you string the necklace long enough to fit comfortably over your head. I used some terrific multi-colored ribbon-style yarn to make this necklace, but feel free to experiment with the fabulous array of fibers that are available these days!

1. String 50 Czech crystals onto 28 gauge wire. I used dark blue. Leaving a 4 inch tail, crochet the wire together with multicolored flat ribbon “yarn”. Slide a crystal into place every few stitches. I crocheted a long enough length to be able to fold it into quarters. Vary this section to suit yourself. When you’ve finished crocheting, leave another 4 inch tail.
2. 
   Fold the long strand up and use the tails to wrap around and secure them together. Cut another piece of wire for the other end if needed. Twist the wire ends together so that you can hide them inside the beads in the next step.
3. 
   Cut a piece of beading wire and crimp it around one end of the crocheted strands, close to the other wires. Slip 5 or 6 clapperless Indian bells over all the wires, followed by a large-holed silver bead and more bells. Clip all the wires except for the beading wire even with the top of the large-holed bead. Thread on more beads to create the back of your necklace.
4. 
   When the necklace is the length you desire, reverse the process of burying the other wires and crimping the beading wire into place on the other side.

Materials:
Ribbon yarn
28 gauge wire
Czech crystals or other beads
Beading wire
2 crimps
2 dozen Indian bells
2 large-holed silver beads
Small beads, approximately 4 mm

Tools:
Large crochet hook
Scissors
Wire cutters
Chain nose pliers

Copyright 2007 Cyndi Lavin. 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.

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, tutorials

Make Art Monday!

Blue Bells

I really like those tiny clapperless bells that are made in India. When you add some clusters of them to a strand of beads, the jingling sound has a nice bohemian quality to it. Tomorrow for Technique Tuesday, I’m going to share the steps to making one of these necklaces.

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

I met Toby and Penny Attrill through our blogs and was quite taken by Toby’s really fun knotted jewelry…some made with ribbon and some with hemp. Toby put together some images of his work that he’s allowing me to share with you, and also some information on how he got started.

Toby Attrill is a young jewellery maker; he has designed various collections and also creates to commission. He is assisted by Penny, his Mum, who helps with some design ideas and also a lot of the administration. Toby has always been artistic, going to ceramics class for a few years now, enjoying cooking, sewing, texiles, creating artworks on the computer using Photoshop, and making things with his Dad in his workshop. The jewellery started a couple of years ago on holiday, where he met up with another boy who made beads from polymer clay. Toby came home, and started experimenting himself, making bracelets from the handmade beads, selling them, and gradually embellishing them more with shells and buttons, collecting ceramic fragments, buying hemp and ribbons, touring antique fairs for vintage beads, and finally now also using sterling silver in his creations. He supplies 7 shops and sells quite a lot from our blog.

You can see his designer range at: Attrill’s Blogspot
To find out more about his work in general see: Natural Attrill
To see his latest jewellery and ceramic creations, and generally what we are up to, visit our blog, and PLEASE say hello, leave us a comment! Natural Attrill Blogspot



Penny & Toby

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

Welcome to another Technique Tuesday!

1. 
   Originally, I had planned to make this a much more complicated necklace, but as I played with a few ideas, I finally realized that I really didn’t want to distract too much attention from the central medallion. So I settled on three knotted cords and a strand of ribbon yarn. I chose colors that would not only look good with the fish, but would also look vaguely like running water.
2. Cut all your fibers to at least 25 inches if you want an 18 inch necklace. I used a straw cut to various lengths in order to space the beads out properly on the cords. I used a mixture of vintage lucite and ceramic so that it wouldn’t get too heavy. Knot below and above each bead, and cut all the ends even when you’ve finished.
3. 
   Wrap the ends through and around a large jump ring so that the raw ends point downward. Pull the knots tight and glue them with jeweler’s cement for security. Attach a chain to one of the jump rings, and attach a clasp to the other end of the chain. When the cement has dried, clip the ends close.
4. 
   Finished!

Polymer clay pendants available from Amy E Fraser.

Copyright 2007 Cyndi Lavin. 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.

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

Make Art Monday!

These adorable medallions were made by my friend Amy Fraser from polymer clay!

Trout Season

Tomorrow I’ll outline the really simple steps to making this cute necklace.

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

I’m not going to post a picture of it here, because some folks are just not going to want to see it! I entered the Ugly Necklace Contest this year, and was thrilled to be named as a semi-finalist! Yes, I made the necklace as hideously ugly as I possibly could…on purpose. And I learned a ton about the rules of good design by doing it.

The online voting has just started at the Land of Odds, the sponsor of this contest. Would you go and vote? You can vote for as many as you want, but please don’t try to vote for any necklace more than once. I’d be thrilled if you voted mine as 100% ugly, but please follow your heart…or your queasy stomach…in this matter!

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, ugly-necklace-contest

Michelle is an art teacher with a 9th grade glass of very creative students! Several weeks ago, I posted some of their metal can assemblages on Layers Upon Layers, my mixed media blog. And now, they’re back with more…and this time it’s jewelry. I hope you enjoy seeing their work as much as I did!

Michelle writes:

The students used paper beads that they made and painted as well as found objects to make a personal piece of jewelry to serve as a talisman. I am extremely happy with their creativity with materials as well as construction. Only one student had even strung beads before, so that making jewelry was something new.

Anna


Bianca


Katarina


Krystal


Monica


Nadine


Nicole


Sam


Stephanie


Vanessa

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

Mango Madness

Valerie owns Z Creations Jewelry, home of gemstones, pearls, and above all…crystals. She writes:

I don’t usually have a specific design in mind when creating my jewelry, though inspirations can come from a variety of sources, such as the incredible diversity of nature’s colorful combinations, a piece of fabric with an unusual color or texture, and even city scenes. I simply place a variety of beads in front of me, and see what happen. It may take 30 minutes, or it may take 3 hours, to come up with a design that I’m happy with. Strange as it may sound, the inspiration for the vibrant Mango Madness Necklace and earrings was a combination of my love for the beautiful orange & black Monarch butterfly, as well as all the mangos eaten in Hawaii on my honeymoon. The lovely Pink Jasper and Black Onyx Necklace and matching earrings came to life after finding my husband’s black dog lying in my bed of periwinkles! Yes, both my husband and his dog are still with me.

I bring my designs to life with unusual combinations of colors and textures from an assortment of semi-precious gemstones, Swarovski Austrian crystals, freshwater pearls, handcrafted lampwork beads and other unusual beads/pendants. I also use a variety of sterling silver, gold filled and gold vermeil beads and clasps, as well as other quality components.

Pink Jasper & Black Onyx

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

My wild and wacky necklace is now finished. All I can say is…I have no idea where I or anyone else would ever wear this!

Through the Looking Glass

My real challenge for this piece was learning to incorporate the shisha mirrors into the design. I found a wonderful book that walked me, as a total beginner, through the process. It’s an older book, but you can still find used ones on Amazon: Shisha Mirror Embroidery by Jean Simpson.

Detail

Detail

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media

Make Art Monday!

Carnelian pendant

Tomorrow for Technique Tuesday, I’m going to post the how-to for this piece. In the meantime, gather up your broken strands of vintage beads, especially the lightweight and colorful resin ones, and start planning your color palette!

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media