Bead Arts

Easy, fast, and each one will be unique…just what we want for a holiday gift! The instructions are at the Threads website.

handmade-jewelry, wearable-art, jewelry, mixed-media, buttons

Pardon me, but I can’t help myself…this necklace is just cute as a button! Sorry…

The easy peasy directions are provided by Maitreya and Becket at CraftLog.

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

Make Art Monday

All of the pieces that I sent for consideration for the upcoming book, 1000 Jewelry Details, have returned home. I was very happy to see them again, especially Orinoco Flow. It happens to be my current favorite

I don’t know which if any of my pieces will end up in the book, but there were six in all that they asked for in order to consider them. The pieces they wanted spanned a wide variety of styles too. Here are two samples:

All the Daughters of Eve

Orinoco Flow

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

Hunter’s Moon

Even more warm browns and golds! I spent the month of November reflecting on the month that had just passed and creating Hunter’s Moon. There isn’t really any hunting symbolism that really appealed to me to bead, so I decided upon the pawprints following a trail…or are they creating one?

You can find links to more of the Bead Journal Project’s participants on Robin Atkin’s blog.

You can also click on “Bead Journal Project” under “categories” in the right-hand sidebar (of my blog, that is!) to see the past four months’ beaded journal pages. Here’s a link to last month’s page.

bead-embroidery, beads, beading, bead-journal-project, mixed-media

Mexico Connect has put together a beautiful website filled with artwork by the Huichol of Mexico. There are links to articles on the culture and symbolism, as well as many fine images of artwork, much of it the beaded style that most of us immediately think of. This site is a treat!

Eclipse

mixed-media, beads, beading, hoichol, handmade-beaded

Technique Tuesday!

The loop
The loop can be made from quite a number of different jewelry parts. I’ve used earrings, pendants with holes in the middle, toggle rings, charms with holes, and a plain loop of seed beads. The most important thing is to make or choose a loop that is large enough to accommodate whatever dangling bits and decorative beads you wish to use. The strands must be able to fit through the loop at the same time, at least up to a point.

Comfort
Consider what beads will rest against the back of your neck. Try to make that section, maybe 5 to 6 inches, from smaller rounder beads for comfort’s sake!

Dangles
Again, there are many choices for what to add to the ends of your lariat. Just make sure that they are going to fit through the loop. For a little extra movement, I like to have these dangling bits attached via head pins or bails of some type so that they swing freely.

Miscellaneous tips
Use the finest diameter beading wire that will still be strong enough for your beads, and chose a brand with the softest drape possible. Stiffer wire may be less expensive, but your piece will not hang nicely. Cut the piece too long. Longer is better with lariats!

Link to another summer necklace:
Fishing for Trout

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

Make Art Monday!

Here it is already: the time of year that I have to start thinking about and making springtime and summer projects

Tomorrow, for Technique Tuesday, I’ll discuss some general tips for making lariats.

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

Beautiful example of Kanzashi by
Vivien Hoffpauir

These hair ornaments are fascinating! Visit Viven’s site to see all the different styles that she’s made. If you’d like to try giving it a go, there is a wonderful Kanzashi tutorial written by Kurokami-Kanzashi on deviantArt.

beads, beading, hair-ornament, kanzashi, tutorials

Technique 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

Make Art Monday!

Here’s one of the pieces that I made with the silver Art Clay maple leaves that I showed you last week

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

Altered Couture
A hand-me-down sweater … a raggedy old skirt from the thrift store … a plain T-shirt … Using just a few tools coupled with your creativity, all of these items can be transformed into fantastic works of wearable art! The publisher of Belle Armoire and Somerset Studio invites you to submit your own altered and embellished clothing and accessories to be considered for the third volume of this exciting publication. Chapters will include Skirts & Dresses, Pants & Overalls, Jackets & Vests, Shirts & Tops, Children’s Wear, Sassy Shoes, and Accessories.

Deadline for artwork to be received: Dec 15, 2007. Please read submission guidelines before sending your submissions to: Stampington & Company · C/O: Altered Couture · 22992 Mill Creek, Suite B · Laguna Hills, CA 92653

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Dori’s work is different from any other you’ll ever see. At first glance it seems like bead embroidery, but her style and technique is truly unique. Visit Dazzle & Shimmer and see for yourself. From her website:

“While living in Paris, Dori started creating an original line of jewelry and fashion accessories, made in a needle work technique that is similar to the traditional “passementrie”. Back home, she set up her design studio in Tel-Aviv, some twenty years ago.

From here on, Dori developed and expanded her line of accessories and jewelry with an original, fashion oriented, but personal touch. Dori’s creations, referred to by some as “Modern Decadence”, present scene stealing pieces as well as classic designs. The collection is made in small, often changing series and includes one-off and limited edition creations.”

Other posts on bead embroidery:
Betsy Youngquist

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

Artist: Olivia Competente
Business name: Jewels By Olivia
Location: San Francisco

Website:
Jewels By Olivia

Olivia, how do you describe your work?
I have always loved sparkle and color. I started out with beads and they have always been my first love. What I do now is and extension of my bead work. I love the art nouveau movement and Egyptian adornments.

What is your creative process like?
Sometimes I render a piece, but mostly I like looking at what I have and what will fit with it. I work very organically - it cannot be forced, it will work itself out and be or not. Then I show the design to my mom and she has a great eye and gets me to finish a piece.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
When I was 9ish I lusted after a pair of earrings at Macy’s and my mom wouldn’t buy them for me. Instead she took me to the oldest bead shop in San Francisco and bought me beads and started my life long passion for jewelry. Then in 2001, the industry I worked in got hit bad by 9-11 so my mom told me to go back to jewelry and I started my formal training on metal fabrication. I am now a PMC certified artisan, teach enameling, fused glass and bead work at the Sharon Art Studio in San Francisco.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
My original Cress kiln.

What inspires you to create?
The light as it plays across the ocean or trees of Golden gate park, new colors in beads.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
The fact that great work is giving life to an idea, and collaborating with my mom.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Practice, practice , practice, and have fun in the end.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
Cooking for my family and my pets (4 cats and 2 dogs).

What are some of your other favorite things?
I love a good hamburger, read fairy tales, and right now I love a blue-based red color!

Other profiles of mixed media artists:
Wendy Van Camp
Leah Hitchcock-Ybarra

artist-profile, beads, beading, handmade-jewelry, PMC, creativity, designing

I’ve got two pieces with instructions in the current issue of Jewelry Crafts magazine. They were both a lot of fun to make, and even more fun to wear! The first one, Framed, uses greeting cards and polymer clay. The second one is a shimmering mix of copper and turquoise.

Framed

Copper & Turquoise

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

Not everyone would want to make their own wooden jewelry or beads, but for those who decide to give it a try, I would definitely recommend Lee Valley Tools for your woodworking needs! I’ve already recommended the DIY Network for some interesting tutorials on making wooden jewelry. You can also find some like-minded people over at Craftster.Org too, who like to mix wood into their jewelry projects.

Any other suggestions for good places to gather info or share pieces?

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