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Saturday, May 19, 2012

Jewelry Stringing Magazine

The Summer 2012 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine is available in digital form!


The much-awaited Summer issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine is available as a download, now. I tell ya, this magazine just keeps getting better and better! This Summer issue is packed with inspiring jewelry designs that I would love to create for myself. Many of the creations are right up my ally with turquoise gemstones, fibers and other natural beads and materials. I'm excited to say I have two bracelets and a necklace project called "Mystic Magic" in this issue. In the necklace, I used ceramic beads by Duane Collins of Elements Pottery. Duane is one of my favorite ceramic bead artists. His work just speaks to my very soul! Check out his phenomenal beads and pendants in his Etsy shop.

 "Mystic Magic" necklace in Jewelry Stringing magazine Summer 2012.

In addition, I am deeply honored to be featured in an interview for the Sell and Tell section of the magazine! I was asked to answer questions about teaching jewelry-making classes and workshops. This subject is near and dear to my heart. Teaching is something I love to do and I hope to do more of in the future. In fact, I have every intention to make teaching my main focus of my jewelry-making career. I feel more than ever that this is the path for me.  I could not be more grateful to the editors of Jewelry Stringing for extending their invitation to contribute to the publication in this way! An opportunity I won't soon forget. Here is the feature article below:

Click here to download
or
Click here to pre-order a print copy.
On newsstands June 5.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Button Swap Blog Hop

Button Swap Bracelets

Hi and welcome to the Button Swap Blog Hop hosted by Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studio! My swap partner was Sharon Borsavage of Livewire Jewelry. She sent me a generous collection of beautiful buttons and I love them all. To see the full stash, visit my previous post. Well, as you can see, I'm still on the bracelet bandwagon from a few weeks ago. What can I say, bracelets are the thing this year! I created 3 bracelets with individual buttons from my swap collection. I used two of my favorites from the vintage selection and one handmade ceramic button by Mary Harding

Aren't these vintage buttons amazing? Sharon sent me some extra special beauties. They are precious little gems. I wanted to create simple designs that would allow the fantastic buttons to really stand out and be the stars of the show. The bracelets are made with colorful Irish waxed linen cord and antiqued brass beads. I really like how these turned out. I thought of our button swap host while I was creating them. Hey Cindy Wimmer, these are for you! :) Both bracelets were made using different braiding techniques.

Americana Queen
This red one is a six-strand flat braid with small brass beads incorporated. The braid looks much more complicated than it is! I love this vintage pearl button with a rhinestone inset. Gives the bracelet a fancy, regal look fit for any antiquing queen out on the hunt. ;)

Shiran
This purple bracelet is a Kumihimo round braid. Kumihimo is a Japanese braiding technique. I've been admiring the technique for some time now. I finally got a chance to use my Kumihimo loom disc and I love it! I think I might be hooked. The name Shiran is a type of Japanese orchid. I really enjoyed making this. The button is just phenomenal! A vintage brass filigree button with a mirrored back. It's kinda tough to see in the picture, but it's got a shiny, reflective backing that can be seen through the openwork at the top of the button. Stunning.
May Flowers 
And last, but not least, I created this feminine, Springtime bracelet with soft colors pulled from the floral impression button. I made my signature multi-strand, button & loop bracelet with a handmade button by Mary Harding.  Mary creates beautiful ceramic jewelry components from various botanical impressions. Visit her website to see more of her incredible work.

Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Mother's Day! 

Relax, enjoy the day and have fun blog hopping...


 Kim Roberts and Partner unable to participate at this time.
Pam Ferarri and Stefanie Teufel (will share their reveal on a later date)
Stefanie Teufel and Pam Ferarri (will share their reveal on a later date)

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Voting Is Open!

Bead Star is a jewelry design contest that consists of 7 main categories: Ceramics, Crystals, Plastics, Glass, Metals, Pearls and Stones. Members of the Beading Daily community can enter 1 jewelry design per category. 20 finalists are then selected from each category to be voted on by other Beading Daily members. Voting is open from now til May 28th. It's free to join and you can vote for all your favorite designs. Come on and vote!

 I'm lucky enough to have 5 jewelry pieces in the Bead Star 2012 contest! I'm very excited about that because this contest has eluded me for years. I'm thrilled to finally be apart of it for the first time this year. So, without further ado, here are my entries:

Ceramics Category

 Spice Of Life
Colorful ceramic beads by artist Kieth O'Connor are hand-knotted on Irish waxed linen cord. Hill Tribe silver spiral charms dance between the beads on this cheery bracelet! A knotted loop and silver Greek ceramic bead make the perfect closure.

Crystals Category

Onyx and Gold
Click here to VOTE!
These are sparkly! Golden crystals and faceted onyx rounds are hand-knotted on black silk cord in these party-worthy earrings!

Plastics Category

Bohemian Bracelet
Plastic never looked so good! A double row of faux "turquoise" beads have been hand-knotted on amethyst silk beading cord. An artisan-made copper washer by Miss Fickle Media is the focal piece.

Metals Category

The Glamorous Life
Chic earrings perfect for a night out on the town! Rows of copper, silver and gold faceted cubes are woven together with copper wire. Tassels of suede lace finish these stylish earrings.

Pearls Category

Fringy Pearls
These fun, fringe earrings use cord crimp ends in a unique way. Fresh-water pearls in silvery grey and copper dangle from loops of leather cord. Classy and hip!

Thank you for taking the time to vote.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Book Party at Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery


You may have heard me mention the Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery a few times before. This is the place where I really got going making jewelry. Riverwalk opened it's doors in early 2006, in Amesbury, Massachusetts. We had just moved to Amesbury the previous year. Discovering the new shop and meeting owner, Nancy Plante was one of the biggest turning points in my life and jewelry-making career.

I remember my husband and I were driving through the center of Amesbury on a cold Winter day. As we drove past the old train station building, I glanced up. I spotted a banner hanging about the door. It read, 'Riverwalk Beads'. I kept starring...and I tried to look back behind us as the car drove past. "Did that just say BEADS?!?!" I said. Good thing I wasn't driving because I think I would have crashed into something! I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. I had just been thinking to myself that I really wished there was a local bead store or bead society or some beading community that I could somehow be apart of. (It would be another few years before I discovered the online community.) And, here there was a bead shop opening up in the same town I was currently living in. This was amazing!

As we were out and about that day, I could stop thinking about what I had seen. "It didn't look like it was open yet when we drove by." I thought. As soon as we got home, I scrambled to my computer and googled 'Riverwalk Beads' to see if I could find out any information. I found a starter website and a grand-opening date!!! OH, I was going to be there with bells on. That was for sure. I was so psyched and excited up about this new bead shop opening, I felt like a crazed, crazy person.

The Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery - Bead side.

The Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery - Artist Gallery side.


The grand-opening day finally came and I was there. I was in awe, as I walked into the interior of this shop. It's one big, beautiful space! It used to be an old, abandoned train depot. Owner, Nancy Plante worked her magic, put loads of love into the building and returned it to it's former glory. It's a huge, wide open space with high ceilings and gorgeous wood floors. The walls are painted red with local art, handmade wall hangings and bead strands all over them. It's half bead shop, half artisan gallery. There is art, beads, jewelry and inspiring handcrafted items everywhere you look.

Being a lover of beads, jewelry and handcrafts, you can image how over-stimulated I was! To say I was overwhelmed, seems like an understatement. It was a good overwhelmed, though. Overwhelmed with joy! The shop was something extra special and I was determined to be apart of this incredible place.

Over the course of the next few months, I showed up at the store a LOT. I got to know Nancy very well. She knew I loved the shop and wanted to be involved, but she couldn't afford to hire another person at the time. Finally, she offered to let me teach some beading workshops even though I'd never taught before. I taught my first beading classes at the shop in the Summer of 2006. Soon after I had a few teaching experiences under my belt, Nancy hired me to work at the shop part-time. I worked at Riverwalk for 4 years and I taught a good number of jewelry-making classes and private lessons during my time there. (I left the shop in 2010, after I had my daughter, Nora.) I built many great relationships with other artists and I met so many wonderful people there.

Me and Lorelei, July 2009

In fact, speaking of meeting wonderful people, The Riverwalk Bead Shop is the place I met Lorelei Eurto in person for the first time in July of 2009. You can read about our first meeting on this post. Then, Lorelei and her husband, Joe returned again for another visit the following year, in July 2010. You can read about our second meeting here. This is when the collaboration on our book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry all began!

Everything has come full circle. I'm going back to the place where is all started. I'm going back to my jewelry-making roots. It feels like I'm returning 'home' to celebrate one of the most significant events of my entire life, the release of Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry! It means so much to me to share this moment with my biggest supporters and dearest friends. I can not think of anything more fitting than celebrating the book's launch at the Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery with all my friends, family and anyone else who would like to party! ;) I can not imagine having it any other way.

Save the date! 
When: Saturday, May 26th 2012
Time: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Where: The Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery
32 Elm Street
Amesbury, Ma. 01913
978-388-3499
 Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery on Facebook!

On May 26th, the Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery will be hosting the very first event for our book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry, written by me and my co-author Lorelei Eurto. Come meet me, get your book signed, enjoy some refreshments and see some of the Jewelry from the book in person! Select pieces will be on display and for sale. If you are local or (or not!) and you are in the area, please come and celebrate with me! It will be a blast!