Bead Arts

Often times, the jewelry pieces that I admire most are the ones that use the artist’s own handmade beads. Nothing else will ever be exactly like that piece.

If you want to make true one-of-a-kinds, you should probably think about learning to make your own beads and findings. We’ll just cover the beads today. Here’s a list of links to sites that cover lampworking, clay, paper, wire, and much more!

Lampworking ~ the allure of the flame

Schermobeads
An excellently photographed introduction to the steps involved in making lampworked beads.

Frequently Asked Questions
All kinds of information about hot glass.

Making Glass Beads by Cindy Jenkins
Beads that are multicolored, grooved, feathered or foiled, and decorated with spots, dots, eyes, and stripes: no matter which of these designs in glass you choose, the results will be beautiful. Detailed instructions and magnificent photos, along with scores of valuable tips and tricks, guide you through an awesome array of techniques, making this the best guide to glass beading ever.

Polymer ~ let’s play with clay

Polymer Clay Central
Lessons, projects, and instructions from some of the finest polymer artists, all gathered in one place.

Beads By Hand
Clay beads and more!

The Polymer Clayspot
Frequently asked questions about what it is and how to use it.

Making Polymer Clay Beads by Carol Blackburn
A comprehensive introduction to making beads from polymer clay that also provides inspiration, demonstrates the range of effects that can be achieved, and teaches how to incorporate these beads into jewelry designs.

The New Clay by Nan Roche
This book has been around a while, and for a good reason. It’s one of the best books for learning polymer clay techniques like millefiori and bead making.

Paper or Cloth Beads ~ rollin’, rollin’, rollin’…

Partz Paper Beads
How to make them, and what to do with them once you have!

Cloth Roll-Up Beads
Louise Duhamel shares her technique.

Creating Extraordinary Beads from Ordinary Material by Tina Casey
It is possible to make colorful beads of one’s own from craft materials. Casey’s beads are often humorous items made from glued strips of cloth, yarn, or paper and finished off with clear nail polish.

All wired up and no place to go

Wig Jig Wire Beads
A few lessons and many supplies for making twisted wire beads.

Make Wire Beads by Lisa Van Herik
Concise and detailed how-to instructions for making a wide variety of different wire beads. All 44 beads in this book are fully illustrated both in color and black and white and along with the individual instructions.

PMC ~ squishing silver and gold?

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.

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

Two of my articles are in the April issue of Jewelry Crafts Magazine. The first one is instructions for making a mixed media necklace like Drum Beat, shown below. It includes fabric beads, wire, and pre-made ceramic beads.

Drum Beat

The second article concerns the theme of the issue: choosing colors. I’ve used one of Jeanne Kent’s beautiful fused glass V pendants, and written a practical lesson in color theory, along with (of course) instructions for making the necklace. This poor little necklace remains unnamed. Those of you who know how name-challenged I am…maybe you can give me some suggestions?

Unnamed

Jewelry Crafts Magazine

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

Christi Friesen, winner polymer clay category
The competition is open to professional and amateur beaders from the U.S. and around the world. All work entered in the competition must be original.

Deadline: April 9, 2007

Bead Dreams contest information

Finalists will be on display at the Bead&Button Show, June 6-10, 2007 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Enter the Bead Arts Awards - Fill in the online form

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

Technique Tuesday!

1. 
   Cut 2 pieces of beading wire to 2 feet each. Center a soldered gold loop on both pieces, and pass all four ends up through a large gold bead and a large glass bead. Split the wires, and string 2 up through each hole in the V pendant.
2. 
   String each pair of wires through a large gold bead. String the rest of the two necklace strands, alternating between small beads and seed beads on a single wire and larger beads on both wires for about 4 to 5 inches. String both wires through several large beads, and finally through about ½ inch of smaller beads.
3. 
   Create 2 dangles on headpins and make wrapped loops around the soldered ring below the V pendant.
4. 
   Autumn Woods
   Use crimps to attach the loose ends of the beading wires on one side to a soldered gold ring, and to a 2 inch piece of chain on the other side. Attach a gold hook to the ring. Create another small dangle on a headpin, and make a wrapped loop around the loose end of the chain.

Materials:
V Pendant (available from New Terra Artifacts)
90 small glass beads, approximately 4mm, in 6-7 colors
20 larger glass beads, from 8-12mm, in similar colors
#8 gold-lined seed beads
3 gold beads, 6-8mm
2 soldered gold loops
2 pieces of .015 inch beading wire, each 2 feet long
2 gold crimps
Gold hook
2 inches of gold chain
3 headpins

Tools:
Wire cutters
Flat nosed pliers
Round nosed pliers
File
Alligator clips
Measuring tape

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, tutorial

I know it’s the wrong time of year to be thinking about Autumn, but these are some of my favorite colors, year-round. You see, despite my profile picture with the wild turquoise hair, I’m really a redhead.

Anyway, here’s what I made with another one of those beautiful V-pendants that I got from Jeanne Kent at New Terra Artifacts. I haven’t decided whether to keep this one or to put it on one of my websites for sale. I guess I don’t have to decide right now!

Tomorrow for Technique Tuesday, I’ll give you the instructions for this one!

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

Kim Miles, winner 2006 glass bead category

Open to any bead artist. Entries must be submitted by the designer/maker, or in cases of collaborative work, the principal designer/maker.

Deadline: April 1, 2007

Lapidary Journal Bead Arts contest information

Announcement of Winners:
Winners will be announced in the October Lapidary Journal Bead Annual, Step by Step Beads September/October issue, and showcased on the web.

Enter the Bead Arts Awards - Fill in the online form

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

Those of us who are true collectors of beads and baubles are never at a loss when we travel to a new place. We just instinctively know that we must take something home with us to help us remember…and if it already has a hole through it, so much the better! These places we travel to may be exotic ports of call or our very own local hardware store. True collectors find treasures wherever we go. And we are certainly not above drilling a hole ourselves if necessary!

So let’s get started on this beautiful Make Art Monday! Dig out your latest treasures, your broken vintage jewelry, your Grandma’s special beads on the stretched-out cord, your charms and stones and buttons and baubles…Let’s make something!

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

Belle Armoire Jewelry (vol 3) covers a broad range of mediums, from art clay to polymer clay to found object to fiber to wire to beads and much, much more. Whether you are a creator of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches, pendants, rings or other jewelry, we welcome you to submit your artwork for consideration of publication.

Deadline: April 15, 2007

Belle Armoire special edition information

Publication: September 1, 2007

Submission guidelines

handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, call-for-entries

Make Art Monday!

OK, so here’s what I made for Make Art Monday. The problem? I don’t have a name for it yet.

Any suggestions?

Here’s a link to this beading piece in progress.

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

I don’t have a name for this piece yet, but it started out with some beautiful fused glass beads that I bought from Jeanne Kent of New Terra Artifacts. I beaded around each bead as if it were a cabochon, and backed each one with ultra-suede. What to do next?

Add a little contrast, maybe? I’m still not sure where all this is going, but if you have any suggestions, I am quite open to hearing them!

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