Starry, starry night…

I really like multi-purpose components.  My firing of bronze metal clay stars last night produced this batch of lovely little embellishments that can be added to a multitude of projects. Each slightly curved and textured satin finished star measures approximately 13mm from point to point – a perfect embellishment for bead embroidered projects!  Several of these linked one on top of another would make wonderfully kinetic tiered earrings!  They could be used as charms dangling from a necklace or bracelet.  And used as bead caps, they would take a mundane bead from boring to beautiful.  I’m definitely keeping some of these for projects I have in mind, but I’m willing to share as well and will be offering small collections of these little stars in my Etsy shop for those of you who have an appreciation for such versatile components! 

The “Op Art” cuff kit and pattern are now available!

As promised, the beading kit and pattern for the “Op Art” cuff are now listed in my Etsy shop.  The kit contains six colors of 11/0 seed beads, one color of 15/0 seed beads, my handmade bronze clasp and fifteen bronze embellishment disks, Swarovski Lochrosen crystals and crystal pearls plus easy to follow step-by-step instructions which are accompanied by large full-color photographs, a design graph, and 4×6 inch color photo of the finished bracelet. Recommended for the all levels of beading expertise, this original design is a really fun and quick project to make!

Flashback – the “Op Art” Cuff…

I’ve finally finished this cuff! I started it months ago, but I kept getting sidetracked with other projects so it had been sorely neglected.  Comprised of six colors of 11/0 seed beads and accented with my handmade bronze clasp ring, it measures a little over an inch in width.   Tiny textured bronze metal clay disks accent the surface of the cuff and  sparkly Swarovski Lochrosen crystals perch in their centers.  Are you wondering about the title?  It hales from the 1960’s when Pop Art was the rage.  A spin-off of Pop Art was Op Art, referring to art that creates optical illusion -  visually perceived images that differ from objective reality.  As I designed the graph for this piece, I started with teardrop shapes composed of several colors intersected with undulating ribbons of contrast color.  Depending on the light, this design somewhat plays tricks on one’s eyes.  I really like the autumnal colors of this piece, but had it been made in hot pink, acid green, stark white and black beads, it would fit right in with  fashion of the 60’s.  Rudy Gernreich and Mary Quant clothing would have been perfectly accessorized with this “hip” design. Stay tuned, I’ll have the pattern and  beading kit in my Etsy shop tomorrow!

Perfect weather for beading!

We have nine degrees and plenty of snow in our little corner of the world.  By this time of winter, most folks would be experiencing cabin fever.  I’m not one of them…I’m a homebody and possess very little wanderlust.  My husband practically has to drag me out of the house!  Because my life spins on the axis of creativity and because everything I need is at home, I’m perfectly content to spend every day confined to my “digs”.  The cats are here and I always miss them terribly when we leave, even if just for a few days.  And when I’m away from the bench or beading table, I’m not making things…I have to make things, it’s what I was born to do!  Perhaps it’s my compulsion, but it is also my comfort zone and it is what makes me happiest.  So I’m throughly content to hunker down in my studio and pick up the beaded cuff I started designing six months ago.  I actually think I may finish it in the next few days – providing that I stay home!

New components!

Buttons and beads made of pure fine silver and bronze metal clays…these are several new additions recently added to my Etsy shop.  If you’re looking for unique, one-of-a-kind items to add to your projects, check these out!

Repairing a beadwoven piece…

By their very nature, beadwoven pieces are delicate in comparison to metal jewelry.  Thread is simply not as permanent.  Yes, there are some beadwoven works that have been around for hundreds of years, but one must take into account how often and under what circumstances the pieces were worn.  How they were cared for and stored must be factored in as well.  Fortunately, out of the many beadwoven pieces I have made, I’ve only had to repair a few.  A tool I use often in my daily work for singeing thread ends comes to the rescue when a piece needs repair.  It‘s called the “Perfect End™ Thread Burner” and it makes short work of ends that would otherwise have to be knotted and woven back and forth through many beads to secure.  Because I use Fireline® primarily for beading, I simply cut an exposed thread to about 1/8” and zap it with the thread burner which fuses the thread end and causes it to shrink, creating a nub on the end which can be pushed inside the bead!  It’s wonderful!

Storage…

One never seems to have enough. I’ve already filled three jewelry boxes with pieces I’ve made over the last twenty years – pieces I can’t bear to part with. Some works, such as my enameled pieces take up lots of space because they require divided compartments so the enamel won’t get scratched. In my never-ending quest to find storage, I came across this shadow box in the  in a section of a craft store where picture frames are sold. Not only was it attractive, it was also relatively inexpensive. I love that the framed glass lid in the upper half allows me to see my colorful stash of mixed media jewelry – a jolt of eye candy to enjoy! The ample sized drawer in the lower half holds bracelets and a collection of cosmetic brushes that have polymer encased handles. I like this shadow box so much that I purchased several more to have on my beading table. They house collections of crystals, cabochons, and accent beads, beading tools and thread, and other items I need for projects I’m working on.  I have several more of these shadow boxes in my clay studio.  They house a selection of carving and texture tools that I use with metal clay and polymer clay work.  Because the glass lid allows visibility to whatever I’m looking for,  I save an immense amount of time that would otherwise be spent hunting for whatever I need at a given moment. Very hand indeed!

My Bead&Button Classes are locked in!

 

It was a tough decision.  I would like to have added more to my list, but I only have three free days in which to attend classes.  Those I signed up for are Robert Dancik’s “Concrete – It’s not just for Sidewalks Anymore”, Jeanne Barta Craine’s “Zipper Teeth and Free Form Beads”, and Richard Salley’s “Making Tools 101” (see my January 9 post).  I’ve not worked with concrete before so I thought Robert’s class might be a lot of fun and provide an additional element in my never-ending quest to keep jewelry-making ideas fresh.  Jeanne’s class deals with bead embroidery, which I’ve wanted to do for the longest time and the idea of stitching pieces of zipper onto a bracelet along with beads is rather novel.  I also wanted to sign up for Kim Hickcox’s “Introduction to Glass – Bead Making”, but I just can’t fit a fourth class in this year – maybe next year.  It’s always something to look forward to!

Bead and Button Classes!

Online class registration at the Bead&Button show opens tomorrow and I’m still perusing the catalog trying to decide which classes to sign up for.  It’s a bit of a dilemma for me.  I’m somewhat limited in my choices because I don’t want to be away from my studio for the entire ten days that classes are offered and many of the classes or workshops that I’d be interested in taking are at the beginning of the week. Because the floor show, where one can purchase all manner of beads, tools, and assorted jewelry making goodies, opens on Thursday and runs through Sunday, I look for classes that fall on those days so I can shop when I’m not in class.  I seldom take classes having to do with bead weaving anymore, as I’ve become adept in designing my own patterns and can decipher  by looking at a photo of a piece what stitch was used and how to make it.  And my expertise in wirework and metal smithing renders many of the metals classes  redundant for me.  However, I have found one class that definitely intrigues me.  Richard Salley is teaching “Tool Making 101″.  Having worked with metal for over twenty years, I have quite a collection of beautiful tools including wonderful Fretz hammers, a rolling mill, hydraulic press, bench shears, and a vast array of pliers, etc., but I’ve never made steel tools!  From the catalog photo, I assume the various tools shown would be used for texturing metal.  Yes, I think I’ll register for this one.  I won’t walk of class with some sparkly new adornment, but I’ll certainly enjoy wielding tools wrought by my own hands in the creation of my jewelry designs!

In need of an ad for publication…

I found that unless you possess the skill and have programs on your computer that can handle the fine-tuning required for print ads, you need a good graphic designer!  Fortunately, I found a great designer at Bobcat Graphic Design (email bobcat@pyramid.net).  Vickie Spurgin does fantastic work – in fact, she’s done the artwork for the last three Blue Night Records CD covers!   With my article coming up in the next issue of Metal Clay Artist magazine, I knew I needed an eye-catching ad.  I sent her three photos and the text that I wanted included and she came up with a design that is everything I could possibly want!  And the format will be perfect for my next order of Moo mini business cards!