Make Art Monday!
This piece is similar to a crocheted necklace I shared awhile ago, but this one has a hook and chain closure.
Tomorrow for Technique Tuesday, there will be a few tips on construction!
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Don’t forget about the Design Gallery at Beadalon when you need a shot of inspiration! There are so many lovely things to look at, like these Sparkle Flower Earrings, a new design by Meredith Roddy:
Each project has a list of supplies needed, plus links directly to the items available from Beadalon, and easy to follow instructions.
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My friend Darlene was given this cute silver necklace, but it was too short to wear comfortably. I think you can see in the picture that the “clasp” is a simple hook and eye. She asked me what I could do with it to lengthen it for her, and the simplest solution seemed to be to add a chain with a dangle at the end. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best!
Technique Tuesday!
The pendant necklace I showed you yesterday is very similar in construction to one I made back in April. The tutorial link is included.
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Make Art Monday!
A just-for-fun piece 
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Take nine artists, a color scheme, and a “can do” spirit. Some assembly required. What emerges? A story that we’re all proud to be a part of.
We’ve been waiting for this moment for more than a year! Our traveling charm necklace is finally up on auction. All of the proceeds will be donated for breast cancer research. The auction ends Sunday, September 16.
You can read the story of our necklace here, and a direct link to the auction is right here.
Thank you for looking, and thank you even more if you bid!
Love from,
Leah, Bobbi, Wendy, Amy, Ellen, Dorothy, Dulcey, Illaya, and Cyndi
breast-cancer, charm-necklace, creativity, mixed-media, wearable-art
Artist: Bernadine Stoopman
Location: Brisbane, Queensland (East Coast of Australia)
Websites and Blog:
Bridal Jewellery & Hair Accessories by Bernadine
Designs to Love: Bernadine’s gallery
Handcrafted Jewellry & Special Occasion Creations
Hooked on Wire blog
Bernadine, your work is so unique. How do you describe it?
Inventive and inspired are probably the first words that come to mind when describing my wirework.
What is your creative process like?
Sometimes I pull bits and pieces out of my storage boxes to see what goes together but that’s not always successful for me as I don’t have an unlimited collection, so I leave it for a couple of days and surf the net for interesting beads and components or go to a trade show if there’s one on and from there I’ll pull the design together. I sometimes design on paper for customers who’d like a couple of different options, but mostly I’m given a few descriptive words such as, Black, Crystal and Glitzy and left to my own devices. Many of my designs just kind of evolve as I go along. I like to listen to music whilst working, usually just the classical radio station. Some of the pieces I’ve created, e.g. my free form wedding Tiaras, take several days to complete, sometimes I have to put them aside and work on other things as wrapping 26g wire for a couple of hours at a time is painful on the fingers particularly in winter.
What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I have no formal training in jewellery design, I did study art in high school though. I’ve been creative from a very early age, painting and drawing, sewing, mosaics, and later on Photography when I did a short course. Above all I love colour, texture, and shape.
I also spent 26 years or so working in corporate environments in Office Management and Finance. During that time I project managed several commerical office renovations where I got to play with colour and reasonably big budgets among other things.
In Sept 2005, the International Mining and Resources company I worked for decided to relocate its divisional office from the East coast to the West coast of Australia. I walked away with a large redunancy and thoughts of a nice holiday and a new start . In March 2006, I went along to a basic stringing class just for the fun of it and was instantly hooked. From there I started making earrings, (basic techniques learnt from a book) and then really got hooked on Wire. (that could be a good title for a book…lol) The more I played around with it, the more I discovered that there’s not much you can’t make out of wire. In Nov 2006 I hosted my first jewellery viewing, with 50 or 60 people attending and did fantastically sales wise as well as collecting some wonderful repeat customers. I got alot of practice making a couple hundred pieces of jewellery for that party, as well as using my artistic skills and photographs (taken in Tasmania on that holiday I mentioned) to create swing tags and a website or two.
Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
That’s a really easy question… Wire. Playing with wire is my passion and I’d be lost without it.
What inspires you to create?
I’m inspired by Nature. I adore Frogs, Geckos, Lizards, Rainforests, The Beach and Ocean and all that it holds. Many of these things can be seen in my jewellery creations.
What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
My will to succeed and knowing that if I give up, I’ve let it beat me.
What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Read, Read, Read….as much as you can get your hands on. Most techniques can be learnt from books so join a Library, join a Beading Forum or group, enter as many competitions as you can afford. Experiment with new techinques, make things up as you go along, who knows what you might stumble on. Submit photos of your work to Beading magazines, get printed. One or two might ask you to write projects for their publication. Worked for me.
What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
My beautiful Border Collie Pup - Bojak Mister Remarkable or Remy as he’s known and oh yes that dreaded housework.
What’s your favorite comfort food?
Love Italian Food… My mum’s parents came to Australia from the Province of Brescia - Lombardy in Northern Italy. That might have something to do with it.
What’s your favorite color and other favorite things?
That’s a truly difficult question for me to answer. Love colour of any tone or description generally. But to say I’m not overly keen on Yellow. Its a difficult colour for most people to wear.
My other Hobbies are Photography, Gardening - I grow orchids, Painting with Acrylics and Cooking.
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After being lost in the mail for awhile, my lampwork, seed bead, and wire necklace finally made it safely home a few weeks ago! It appeared in a how-to article back in February that I wrote for Jewelry Crafts magazine.
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media
You’ve probably already read our story, but I’m going to include it again below so that those who are not familiar with it can read it. The time we’ve been waiting for is almost here! “A Charmed Life” will be auctioned off, starting Sunday, September 9 and ending on Saturday, September 15, on eBay. Search for it using the phrase “a charmed life necklace breast cancer”
Starting in April 2006, a small group of my artist friends and I have been collaborating on a charm necklace project. None of us have ever met in person as we live all over the country, but this project is working towards making us feel closer in so many ways!
All of the charms were sent to me to be assembled, and then the necklace began its journey from one member to the next. Each of us wore it on a special date…everything from art openings and reunions to a concrete convention. We’ve shared our pictures and stories with each other as the necklace has made the rounds. Our ultimate aim, though, is to auction it off this summer and donate all the funds to breast cancer research.
The stories from those who’ve worn the necklace and the reactions of those who see it are quite gratifying. We’ve had people stop us on the street, cross crowded rooms, and even chase us down to get a better look at it. Everyone immediately senses that there must be an amazing story behind it. We’re hoping that our sale will be amazing too: we would really like to make a major contribution to breast cancer research with the auction of our piece. Every one of us in the group has someone we love who has struggled with one form of cancer or another, and many with breast cancer specifically. [Note ~ The necklace will be up for auction on eBay in September 2007. Search on the phrase "a charmed life necklace breast cancer"]
The participants:
Wendy Van Camp
Illaya Brown
Bobbi Chukran
Leah Hitchcock-Ybarra
Dorothy Lueloff
Ellen Chasse
Dulcey Heller
Amy Fraser
Cyndi Lavin
breast-cancer, charm-necklace, creativity, mixed-media, wearable-art
Lydia is inspired by ancient Mediterannean arts, including frescoes, architecture, and gold work.
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I recently went to see what all was on Tammy’s updated list of e-courses, and I was amazed by the number of offerings she has! She has divided them into “crash courses” and “slow-and-easy” formats, so you can pick what fits your needs. Do you want to learn more about knotting, metal clay, or business tips? How about macrame, basic stringing, or metal fabrication? It’s all available at Tammy’s About.com jewelry making site!
[tags]tutorials,beading,jewelry-making,beads,wearable-art[/tags}]
Pretty cape amethyst chips and rounds on a base of crocheted wire.
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I come from a background of mixed media but charm swaps late last year have me hooked on making jewelry pieces. Combining my love of paper and metals with my new found love of pearls and gemstones has opened up new creative ideas for me. For me, I create to keep myself balanced and centered. It’s as necessary as breathing. It doesn’t always matter what I’m creating, just that I’m doing something. If I can sit by myself for a few peaceful minutes and look at the sky, ideas usually start popping into my head.
I seem to have more ideas than time, but that’s when a journal comes in handy. Toss in some books, magazines and surfing on the internet for techniques that I can learn and inspiration for color. I use reclaimed bits and incorporate color to fit my moods. I like to create playful, quirky pieces that I would like to wear using shapes that I enjoy and things that I love from my ever expanding collection of things that my husband refers to as junk. To which I promptly add…but that’s my creative junque.
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Only its temporary home though! In about a month, our collaborative charm necklace will be auctioned off to support breast cancer research.
Each of us made a charm in an “ocean” color palette that we all agreed upon. The charms were sent to me last July (2006), and it was my responsibility to get them all to play nicely together! Since we had spent quite a bit of time discussing palette and size issue, this did not turn out to be a problem at all.
Our necklace then made the rounds to all of us. We each wore it to a special event and had shared pictures and stories with each other. Some wonderful experiences resulted from the travels of the necklace. In the midst of this, Belle Armoire magazine put out a call for collaborative necklaces…could there have possibly been any better timing? As soon as we finished passing it around, I packaged it up and shipped it off to be photographed for the magazine. “A Charmed Life” should appear in the Sept/Oct issue of Belle Armoire!
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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)
» Cyndi-Lavin
