Beading Arts

Bead & jewelry blogging round-up!

2012-05-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Beads & Books
Michelle makes over an old pair of earrings. Come see the dramatic before and after photos!

Resin Crafts!
The 2012 Diamond Jubilee inspires these new resin filled bezels.

Snap out of it, Jean! There is beading to be done!
Jean reviews Sharilyn Miller's extraordinary, not to be missed book, Arty Jewelry IV. You will agree that you must own this book when you read the review!

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has some summer time jewelry tutorials for you.

Art Bead Scene
Heather shares a post about colors using bead supplies, showing monochromatic, complimentary, and analogous color selections

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Wire artist update: Terry Pugh

2012-05-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Terry Pugh
Wired4Style

We first met Terry here two years ago when she shared all about her creative process and inspirations, as well as some aspects of her journey that had led her into working with wire. Well, Terry's passion for wire has not faded!

My main medium to work with is copper wire but last year I also ventured into Stainless steel and aluminum wire. Steel has a beautiful antique look and sometimes can even have an industrial feel, as well. I love working with a torch. Fire not only make beautiful head pins but leaves a gorgeous patina. I spent a lot of time researching natural and home made patinas and found ways to make beautiful greens, blues and reds for my copper.

I love to recycle things. "One man's trash is another man's treasure." I am an eclectic artist/jewelry designer. I love to incorporate different objects and textures into my work. One can imagine my desk scattered with buttons, broken jewelry, discarded watches, etc.:)

My favorite pieces are those where vintage and nostalgic items are involved, something that once was someone's mother's or grandmother's.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Yay for Trillium!

2012-05-23T17:11:00.003-04:00

Trillium, who writes Trillium Creates, is the winner of the wonderful new book Show Your Colors!

Book review: Making Wire & Bead Jewelry

2012-05-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Have you done enough wire work that you feel comfortable with the basics, and now you'd like to see some beautiful ways to put them all together? Then you're going to love Making Wire & Bead Jewelry by Janice Berkebile and Tracy Stanley. There are 2 dozen projects which will challenge you to use those basic skills in easy but elegantly attractive ways. But wait! Do you need to learn the basics first or brush up on your skills? The techniques section will walk you through, with attention to detail and precise instructions.

Are you a visual learner? Maybe books don't always have enough details for you. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised then. The claim to fame of this book - besides the gorgeous projects - is the 500 how to photos! Each step is carefully described and illustrated by the usual fabulous Lark Books photography.

I was very inspired by a free form flower created by Janice. As usual, I didn't end up following the directions, but instead made it into my own rendition. My versions ended up on a bead embroidery necklace that I hope to be able to share with you next month, and I need to give Janice the credit for the creative nudge!

Lark is giving away of a copy of this great book, signed by Janice Berkebile and Tracy Stanley, U.S. residents only, ending on May 28, 2012. Hurry over!

If you'd like to try out a few projects, Lark has kindly made these two available on their blog.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Wire artist update: Vanessa Walilko

2012-05-22T08:15:00.000-04:00

We met Vanessa Walilko, who runs Kali Butterfly last year, and so I asked her if there were anything new wire projects in her life. Oh yes, there certainly are!

The biggest news is that I recently created a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for my most epic chainmaille project, a chainmaille wedding dress. The Kickstarter campaign was fully funded (and then some). You can read all about it here on the Kali Butterfly blog.

I'll have to link together 100,000 rings together to complete it. :) In other news, my chainmaille flapper dress was chosen as a finalist in the Bead Dreams competition.

Also, I'll be teaching at Bead&Button again. Here are the links to all both classes:

http://www.beadandbuttonshowstore.com/b122633.html (The Friday session is sold out)

http://www.beadandbuttonshowstore.com/b121077.html

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Beautiful piece from Kydo Jewellery

2012-05-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

Look what my friend Jackie was giving away on her blog, Kydo Jewellery! And guess who won...?

Yup, me!

It's a sari ribbon necklace/bracelet that Jackie made with the items she was sent by her partner in a Bead Soup swap. The leaf is ceramic and the beads are lampwork. Jackie's next giveaway is going on NOW! Don't miss it!

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Chain Drop Earrings

2012-05-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

These delicate earrings are well-balanced to give you a lot of volume and movement without too much weight!

Materials & Tools

5 inches of 20 gauge sterling silver wire, or 1 pair of pre-made earwires
6 inches of 20 gauge sterling silver wire, cut in half
6 ½ inches of sterling silver chain
14 head pins
2 round pearls, 8 mm
4 faceted crystal rondelles, 7 x 4mm
2 rice pearls, 6mm
2 round pearls, 4mm
4 sugilite rondelles, 6 x 3mm, or other gemstone to match your color scheme
A few size 8/0 seed beads

Chain nose pliers
Round rose pliers
Wire cutters
File
Ball peen hammer
Ruler

1. If you want to make your own earwires rather than using pre-made ones, cut a 5 inch piece of 20 gauge sterling silver wire in half. Wrap a small loop at the end of each 2 ½ inch piece and bend the wire approximately 90 degrees away from the loop. Form the wire with your fingers or around a pencil or jig and adjust the curve until you are satisfied. Clip off the other end if it needs to be a bit shorter, and bend the tip up slightly. File the end of the wire very well so that it doesn’t scratch your ear when you insert it.

2. Cut a 6 inch piece of 20 gauge sterling silver wire in half, and wrap a small overlapping loop in the center of each piece. Form the sides with your fingers or around a jig, and turn a very small inward facing loop on each end of the wires. Flatten each arm of these connectors slightly with your hammer. Be careful not to strike where the wires cross each other. At the same time, flatten just the back half of the curve of the earwires, the part closest to the turned loop.

3. Cut two 1 inch pieces of chain and two 2 ¼ inch pieces. Slip the ends of the long piece into the turned loops of your connector first, and then add the short piece. Tighten the loops well so the chain will not slip out.

4. On headpins, hang your pearls, crystals, and gemstones, adding an occasional 8/0 seed bead for size and color where you desire. Turn a simple loop right above each bead and clip the ends. Space the beads out and hang them from both pieces of chain, 7 per earring.

Copyright 2012 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 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.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Wire artist: Gretchen Hind

2012-05-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Gretchen Hind
Gretchen Hind Designs

Gretchen creates modern, stylish, and affordable wire wrapped jewelry. She uses a variety of metal wire, gemstones, beads, and rocks in her unique creations. She has a number of signature designs and is constantly brainstorming new ones. Gretchen loves repurposing vintage beads as often as possible and is eco-friendly conscious in all production processes.

Her inspiration comes from the challenge of looking at a spool of wire, and some beads, and contemplating what to make next. Gretchen starting making jewelry when she and her little boy started collecting rocks on the beach. She experimented with wire wrapping the rocks into pendants and it took off from there. Wire wrapped rings have been her biggest sellers, but earrings are now a close second. She has sold jewelry to customers all over the world.

Gretchen is a proud member of The Artisan Group, an exclusive, juried group of artists who gift their handcrafted products to celebrities at Hollywood's top gift lounges, and in special gift bag opportunities. Celebrities such as Hilary Duff, Cari Cucksey (of HGTV), and Rachael Ray have received gifts from Gretchen Hind Designs. Gretchen will be gifting the press in the upcoming GBK's MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge, in June, and the GBK 2012 Primetime Emmys Gift Lounge, in September. In fact, she just found out that she's been selected to have her jewelry included in a special gift bag for Tyra Banks, in early June!

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Bead & jewelry blogging round-up!

2012-05-18T08:24:00.001-04:00

Beading Arts
We're celebrating everything to do with wire this month! Come and visit with some fabulous wire artists and try your hand at working with wire yourself!

Carmi's Art/Life World
A fabric bead is always fun to create and uses up leftover beads too!

Resin Crafts!
Working in a shell pendant with resin...difficult but possible!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
What do you think of the idea of making your business more successful? Sound good? Check out what's on Jean's blog today!

A Bead A Day
Get your crystals ready, the Swarovski Elements design contest sponsored by FireMountainGems opens June 1st!!

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has some jewelry tutorials that incorporate ceramic pieces in them.

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene highlights some of the handmade beads that are entered in the Bead Star competition. Come and see some of the entries and place your votes for your favorites!

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Wire artist: Melisa Baker

2012-05-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Mimi and Moi Handcrafted Art Jewelry
http://www.mimiandmoi4519.etsy.com
http://www.mimiandmoi.com

Using hand wire wrapping and soldering I mix wire with sparkling crystals, upcycled stained glass, ceramic faces and more. You'll find some of the most beautiful and one of a kind handmade jewelry around.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Yay for Sharon!

2012-05-16T17:42:00.003-04:00

Sharon Lowery is the winner of our Making Wire Jewelry giveaway! Congratulations, Sharon!

Book review and giveaway: Show Your Colors

2012-05-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

What do you get when two beading superstars team up to explore the limits of colorful flexible beading wire? Non-stop fun, that's what! Jewelry artists will all know the work of Jamie Hogsett and Sara Hardin Oehler. Show Your Colors is the result of their collaboration: 30 fun and fabulous jewelry projects that keep the colorful wire front and center!

The new colored flexible beading wire is used as a key design element instead of hidden away. This unusual treatment adds a fun and very colorful flair to the contemporary designs that the authors share.

This book is especially excellent for beginners, since Jamie and Sara decided to make their projects accessible for all ability levels. They've included all the basic techniques you'll need, plus...you're really gonna like this!...sources for all the beads and components. Yay! Although the ladies want to encourage us to explore color and pattern for ourselves, they also recognize that many beginners really want to reproduce a few projects exactly before venturing off on their own. Well, be happy...they've made this possible!

There is a whole section of projects that use a knitting spool, and one of my favorite designs can be found there. The Long & Winding Road bracelet uses three lengths of knitted wire in three colors, with seed beads randomly placed throughout. The knitted pieces are braided together and wrapped twice around your wrist...very cool!

***Free Stuff Alert!!!***

Just leave me a comment below and you'll automatically be entered to win. If you tweet or post on Facebook or other social spots about the contest, you can leave a second comment and be entered twice!

Please make sure that your link will lead me to an email address, or else I won't be able to contact you. No contact, no win, and I simply have to go on to the next person. Deadline: May 23, 2012

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

TAST week 20 - bullion knot

2012-05-15T13:01:00.001-04:00

This week for Take a Stitch Tuesday we visited with a beautiful stitch, the bullion knot! The usual thing with bullion knot is to use it to form flowers or flower buds, so I decided that I'd make a starfish to go along with the underwater theme of my manipulated fabric quilt.

So why does it look like a flower, you ask? Because the best laid plans of needle and thread...

It looks like a flower because it is one. Despite my resolve to be creative, I fell prey to the floral charms of this stitch. I also didn't do a very good job keeping the wrappings even. I'm going to have a go at it with a needle and see if I can get them to lie a bit better. But just in case I screw them all up, I thought I'd share the picture now! More practice in my future :-)

TAST week 1 - fly stitch
TAST week 2 - blanket stitch
TAST week 3 - feather stitch
TAST week 4 - cretan stitch
TAST week 5 - herringbone stitch
TAST week 6 - chevron stitch
TAST week 7 - detached chain stitch
TAST week 8 - chain stitch
TAST week 9 - couching stitch
TAST week 10 - running stitch
TAST week 11 - whipped wheel stitch
TAST week 16 - French knot
TAST week 17 - wheatear stitch
TAST week 19 - half chevron stitch
TAST week 20 - bullion knot

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Wire artist update: Bonnie Riconda

2012-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Bonnie has put together lots of fun new styles for Spring 2012 at Calico Juno Designs! We've seen Bonnie's work here several times during our annual Wire Month.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Crocheted Pearls - part two

2012-05-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

For part one of this tutorial, Creating the crocheted front, please visit the link to find last week's post!

Creating the straps

1. Measure your finished crocheted piece and determine how long you want your straps to be. Cut two pieces of beading wire, each about 4 inches longer than the intended finished length. I made each of my straps about 3 inches long.

2. Slip a crimp tube and a glass bead or two over one end of the first piece of beading wire. Pass the end through one of the wrapped loops and back through the beads and the crimp. Tighten and flatten the crimp with your pliers.

3. String your Czech glass, stone, and additional pearl beads in a pattern that pleases you, alternating these larger beads with 8/0 seed beads.

4. At the other end, string a crimp bead and another glass bead. Pass the end of the beading wire through the toggle end and back down through the crimp tube and several more beads. Pull snug and flatten the crimp. Clip the wire end close and push any raw edges into the next bead.

5. Repeat for the other side, taking that end through the toggle bar.

Copyright 2012 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 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.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Bead & jewelry blogging round-up!

2012-05-11T09:06:00.001-04:00

Art Bead Scene
Tari shows off her colorful garden, a clear source of pride and inspiration in her life and artwork.

Carmi's Art/Life World
A kumihimo cord showcases a Mary Harding pendant.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Andrew Thornton creates a special kit for Lima Beads featuring Earthenwood birdies for a great springtime challenge!

Resin Crafts!
Jewelry Resin is a great way to repair a mistake!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean tries very hard not to say,"Wow am I busy!"... because, of course, so is everyone else! But in this post she gives up and admits what a zoo it has been here. Read to see why!

About.com Jewelry Making
Summer time is the perfect time to consider making Bohemian style jewelry, and Tammy gives you her take on a new book recently released that is full of Bohemian style jewelry techniques and designs.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Wire artist: Peggy Li

2012-05-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Peggy Li Creations

I have been a jewelry designer for over 10 years. I started making jewelry for myself and people would stop me on the street and ask where I got the pieces. Soon I decided that I'd like to sell my pieces, mainly so I could keep buying new beads!

Since then, my work has been featured on TV shows like "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer", "Private Practice" and in the movie "Superbad". I've also had my pieces in magazines like Oprah and Lucky Magazines. It's been a great ride designing and creating jewelry pieces that I love, in a medium that I love, beads and wire. There is so much instant gratification to wire and bead work! My jewelry designs are simple, feminine and easy to wear, featuring beads, charms and other handcrafted details.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Book review & giveaway: Making Wire Jewelry

2012-05-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you're going to learn to work with wire, practicing by making classic elegant designs is just plain smart. They are classic for a reason...and you will learn all the basic skills needed to handle future wire projects with finesse! In the most recent addition to Kalmbach's Absolute Beginners Guide series, readers will learn about wire types, tools, findings, and a lot more.

Martine Callaghan has put together 28 beautiful projects in Making Wire Jewelry which will teach you all the basics and will leave you with a closet full of beautiful new adornments. Even though I've been turning wire loops and spirals for more years than I care to admit, I am really impressed by how perfectly beautiful Martine's are, mixed with just the perfect beads and pendants. Great projects, wicked versatile techniques, the usual easy-to-follow instructions that you expect from Kalmbach.

***Free Stuff Alert!!!***

Just leave me a comment below and you'll automatically be entered to win. If you tweet or post on Facebook or other social spots about the contest, you can leave a second comment and be entered twice!

Please make sure that your link will lead me to an email address, or else I won't be able to contact you. No contact, no win, and I simply have to go on to the next person. Deadline: May 16, 2012

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

TAST week 19 - half chevron stitch

2012-05-08T12:22:00.000-04:00

This week for Take a Stitch Tuesday it's a stitch I've never heard of before, the half chevron stitch! I didn't feel that doing the stitch on two straight and parallel imaginary lines as it's usually done would really give me the right look for the edges of my manipulated fabric quilt. So I changed it up a bit and made all the various legs uneven. Trust me, it would have been easier to actually make them even!

TAST week 1 - fly stitch
TAST week 2 - blanket stitch
TAST week 3 - feather stitch
TAST week 4 - cretan stitch
TAST week 5 - herringbone stitch
TAST week 6 - chevron stitch
TAST week 7 - detached chain stitch
TAST week 8 - chain stitch
TAST week 9 - couching stitch
TAST week 10 - running stitch
TAST week 11 - whipped wheel stitch
TAST week 16 - French knot
TAST week 17 - wheatear stitch
TAST week 19 - half chevron stitch

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

A new wire bracelet

2012-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Check it out! How cute are these links and this clasp? And they are soooo easy to make too. This project is a teaser to get you interested in the book that I'll be reviewing tomorrow. And guess what? I'll also be giving it away!!

For a preview, check out The Absolute Beginners Guide: Making Wire Jewelry

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Crocheted Pearls - part one

2012-05-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I found a gorgeous strand of top-drilled pearls at a gem and bead show, I knew that they would need a design that allowed them to show off! I began by creating several strands of single crochet with the pearls on silver wire, and then embellished each strand with loops of seed beads. The necklace was finished off with single strands of strung beads so that it would be comfortable against the back of the neck.

Materials & Tools

60 top-drilled pearls
2 colors of 8/0 seed beads
2 colors of Delica seed beads
28 gauge silver wire
Nymo thread
6 inches of 20 gauge silver wire
2 bead caps or cones
Softflex beading wire, .019 inch diameter
4 2mm crimp tubes
Assorted Czech glass fire-polished crystals, 4, 6, & 8mm
Stone beads and additional pearls (optional)
Toggle clasp

Crochet hook (I used a size H, 5mm)
Wire cutters
Beading needles
Watch-case cement
Measuring tape
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
File

Creating the crocheted front

1. String 20 top-drilled pearls on 28 gauge silver wire, alternating the pearls with one of your 8/0 seed bead colors. Start and end with a seed bead.

2. Single crochet the wire strand, adding one pearl or one seed bead in each crochet stitch. Leave approximately 4 inches of wire at each end. You can roll it up to keep it out of the way as you continue to work.

3. Take as long a piece of Nymo thread as you can comfortably work with. Tie the thread securely to one end of the crocheted strand, leaving a 3 inch tail. Using the same color 8/0 seed beads as in step 1, proceed to string from seed bead to seed bead all along the crocheted strand. In my example, it took approximately 7 beads to arch nicely from bead to bead. Do not skip any of the wired beads along the way.

4. When you reach the end of the strand, tie the thread and start back in the other direction. This time, use the other color 8/0 seed beads. Twist the strand as you again string from wired bead to wired bead. In my example, I used approximately 5 beads for each arch, in order to enhance the twisting effect. At the end of this pass, tie the thread to the original tail.

5. For your third pass, begin to add small arches of one of the Delica colors to the beads that you added in step 4. I added from 3 to 5 small beads at a time, weaving them in and out of the previous row. Make some of your arches across the wired beads rather than through them, twisting as needed to make the strand look full. Tie a knot at the end.

6. For your final pass, repeat step 5, using the second color of Delicas, and creating your arches in different spots than before. Tie the thread off, and add a drop of glue to the knot clusters at both ends.

7. Create two more twisted strands, following steps 1 through 6. Breathe a sigh of relief!

8. Loosely braid or twist your three strands together. Twist the wires together tightly at each end to hold the shape. Cut a 3 inch piece of 20 gauge silver wire and turn a small double loop at one end.

9. Pass the twisted wires through the loop and twist them several times around themselves. Clip off close. Thread the 20 gauge wire through one of the bead caps or cones, and create a wrapped loop at the top (photo above). File it smooth if needed. Repeat steps 8 and 9 on the other end (photo below).

Next week, part two - creating the necklace straps

Copyright 2012 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. 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.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Bead & jewelry blogging round-up!

2012-05-04T08:23:00.002-04:00

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has published her latest jewelry designer interview posted for the month of May.

Art Bead Scene
It's a new month and that means a new painting for inspiration. Come see the Post Impressionistic village scene that will inspire lots of great beadwork this month!

Carmi's Art/Life World
This week Carmi uses a new crystal snap for a felted collar.

Resin Crafts!
In a two post series, Resin Crafts shows you how to make an orchid a jewelry component.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Oh wow! Jean finally broke down and opened her first Etsy shop! Read all about it here!

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Tassels!! Fashionable summer-inspired necklaces!

2012-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Tribe of the Sun

A guest post by Aileen Pablo of Open Colleges

It’s The Season for Colors: Learn How to Make These Fashionable Summer Inspired Necklaces!

What’s in this summer? Fun and pastel colors are knocking at your closets. Let them in! Pink, baby blue, yellow, turquoise, orange, yellow green – all of these yummy-looking and “FUN-tastic” colors are perfect for summer.

If you don’t have any pastel colors in your closet, why not create your own summer inspired jewelries to glam up your dull clothes? Wear a plain white shirt with a rainbow colored necklace. Spice up your plain blue top with hand-crafted tassel necklace (I will share a tutorial later!). Who says you must buy new clothes for summer? There are a lot of things you can do to glam up your old clothes and make it more appropriate for summer.

Materials needed:
1.   Tassels – any colorful tassel will do. It’s up to you.
2.   Chains – I prefer bigger chains. The diameter of the chain that I will be using in this tutorial is half inch wide.
3.   Spacer rings – this will be used for hooking up the tassels.
4.   Colorful strips of clothes – I recycled my old shirts and tops. I picked blue, pink, and yellow for this tutorial.
5.   Glue gun or needle and thread – this will be used for making roses out of fabric.
Steps:
1.   Cut 2 inches wide strips of fabric. Pick any two contrasting colors. Braid it until its length matches half of the diameter around your neck.
2.   Cut half inch fabric. Tie the end part of the fabric, wrap the rest of the strip into the end assuming that it’s the bud of the rose and the rest of the fabric is the petal.
3.   Place three roses at the end of the braided fabric. You can cut green fabric and make it look like leaves too.
4.   Sew the tassels that you have at the end of the spacer rings and attach it at the braided fabric. You can use alternating colors if you want. I picked yellow and pink for my tutorial.
5.   Attach the chain at the end of the braided fabric. You can just sew it or you can open the end of the chains and make it grasp the end of the braided fabric.

Here’s a picture of my friend, Sarah wearing my creation – Roses in Bloom.

Candy Threads

I hope all of the lovely readers here at Beading Arts enjoyed my tutorial. If you have any questions, feel free to comment on this post.

Author byline:
Aileen Pablo is part of the team behind Open Colleges, one of Australia’s leading providers of TAFE Courses equivalent and Beauty Courses. When not working, Aileen blogs about beauty, works with jewelries, and is often invited as a speaker in Personality Development Seminars in the Philippines.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Celebrating wire on Beading Arts, 2012

2012-05-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Did you notice that yesterday's post very nicely segued into our next month-long celebration? Yes, it's wire month again, and what would wire month be without a word or two from our wire guru, Paul Bishop? Thank you, Paul for getting us pointed in the right direction, again and again (and again!).

Do you love working with wire or does it frustrate you? Wire has never been my primary material, although I love the look of it...especially when someone who really knows what they're doing uses it! But even a fumble-fingers like me can put together a couple of fun projects that incorporate wire in different ways, and that's what this month is going to be all about.

During this month (and into the next one if we need to), I'm going to share a round-up of information that's in our archives here on Beading Arts, and point you to the fabulous work done by artists we already know, but I also want to share new artists and have all of you who love working with wire to join in too. Whatever you do with wire, especially if you combine it with beads, we want to see your work. You don't have to be a pro...you just gotta tell us why you love wire! Please send your artist statement of one to two paragraphs, and up to three images (72dpi res) of your work, along with a link to your site to cyndi @ mazeltovjewelry.com (remove the spaces). And please put Wire artist in the subject line. We wanna see your work!

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading

Paul Bishop: Strolling through Slovakia

2012-05-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Artist: Paul Bishop
Bishop Wire & Bead

My trip to Slovakia in 2010 was for work, and it wasn’t spring, it was at the end of summer. When I wasn’t in the office, I was traveling the highways in my rental car. Slovakia, like many European countries, is very small compared to the Canadian provinces. On particular evening after supper, I took a drive. From the northwest corner of Slovakia, I was able to visit the Czech Republic and Poland, have time for pictures, and was back at my hotel in three hours. Try that in North America!

Every day there was something new to see, somewhere new to go. I was there for two work weeks so I was lucky enough to have a full weekend to just explore. Slovakia is small, but there are always mountains around, as there are several ranges, and any drive off the highways will probably have you climbing up lovely roads canopied with the greenery of tall trees and stunning vistas below. One of my pictures from Strecno Castle shows the mountains, and these aren’t even the high ones like the Mala Tatras.

What Slovakia has that most of Canada doesn’t have is castles. Castle in spades. Strecno above is just outside the city where I worked. There was a castle in Zilina, where I worked. Bratislava has a castle. On the way to my work in Zilina after crossing the Austria/Slovakia border near Bratislava, I saw castles and signs to places with castles or ruins of them all along the way. On one of my trips I tried to go to Bojnice Castle but got lost, and saw a castle ruin instead.

During my stay I visited three and got close to another five that were on my driving routes. Some were simply old ruins now encroached upon by nature like Starý Hrad.

Some are well maintained and restored, like Spis Castle. Spis Castle is absolutely huge. In this image on the middle far right, there is a small brown blotch. That is a person climbing up to the castle. He’s about one third of the way up the path on the side from which the image is taken. I’m standing in the parking lot that I thought belonged to the castle. The real one is on the other side, only a short uphill walk to the entrance. From where I’m standing, it’s more than 4/5 of a mile to the castle, all uphill. I stopped to take my pulse on the way up, and I didn’t need to touch my wrist or neck. I just stood there and counted my entire-body pulses.

Now, why am I talking about late summer, when this is supposed to be about spring inspiration?

In April 2011 (spring!), I went to Belgium for work. It was very different from Slovakia, but I was amazed at the greenery and flowers already blooming, having left on a bitterly cold, snow flurry day in Canada. While in Lier, I did the same as in Slovakia: I got in my car and drove to several other cities, exploring them all. This time instead of seeing castles, I was looking at the architecture. Almost every building had symmetry yet amazing amounts of curls and other details. Larger buildings, especially cathedrals that took centuries to build showed several different styles over the time of construction depending on the craftspeople. They often put themselves into their work, whether having their own visages as the faces of a gargoyle or making a statement by putting the faces of their enemies on them. The incredible detailing was especially apparent in Leuven when I stood in one stop and explored the carvings on the City Hall for almost an hour, my eyes moving from curves and lines to others.

This is part of the inspiration. My own wire-wrapped jewelry is often like these buildings. It’s often symmetrical, but there are lots of details and curves, and a certain whimsical sense in the flourishes. You see this mostly only my wire-wrapped hearts. However, the trip to Slovakia and Belgium combined to provide the basis of my newer wire designs. They are larger in scale, such as necklaces rather than hearts, or they are more complex, made of several components rather than one stone with wires around it. They take more imagination, more work, and a more careful approach to design, but the flourish or creativeness is present in the finished piece. It’s always present, but until all the parts are assembled, it’s not readily apparent.

While walking on Belgium's city streets, there were many nooks and crannies, spaces between buildings that led to hidden courtyards. In many places, vines and other greenery wound around the stones and climbed up buildings, making these inviting, almost secret places. They were the places you’d go for a private conversation, perhaps to see a loved one away from the world just around that corner. Perhaps you’d go there in the dark, waiting in the shadows cast by moonlight, hidden in a secret bower, a private garden…

On an autumn night while thinking of my springtime journey to Belgium’s courtyards and my near-autumn visit to Slovakia’s castles, I imagined that secret courtyard garden, down by a castle wall. It was just off the main thoroughfare of life’s daily traffic. Near midnight, I was alone and everywhere the moon rains down light in silver silence. In the shadows I touched a dark vine and in the faint light, saw a glow of sweet red jewel-like berries behind the leaves, a living necklace...

Midnight In The Garden of Good And Medieval

Midnight In The Garden of Good And Medieval - blank annealed steel wire, garnet rounds, black jump rings and headpins. Garnet's use in medieval jewelry is well-known., and they certainly look like berries. A relatively fine black chain and a clasp finished this item, and then it sold immediately, before I had a chance to take a photo of the finished product. In the end of this part of the unending journey, I learned that inspiration doesn’t always happen in the studio surrounded by components that tell you how to put them together as I found myself doing for the last year. Always remember that art imitates life. Get out there and live it, examine it, record it somehow – a picture, a sketch, just a well-kept memory - enjoy it, remember it, be inspired.

Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading