Saturday, February 11, 2012

7000 Bracelets for Hope

The 7000 Bracelets for Hope Campaign is to help raise awareness for kids living with rare diseases and also to show support for the family members caring for the children. The Global Genes Project is asking jewelry designers, beaders, crafters and artisans to donate hand-crafted, blue jean-inspired bracelets for the cause.

To give you and idea of the theme for the bracelets, 
here are a couple of design examples I've made:
Blue Jean Baby Bracelet

 Owl Button Bracelet

Click on the link to find out more details about the 7000 Bracelets for Hope campaign and to sign up to donate a bracelet!

There are two lovely ladies in the bead blogging community hosting a blog hop for this year's bracelet campaign, Erin of Elysian Studios and Christine of One Kiss Creations. If you'd like to participate in the blog hop, you'll have to hurry! Today is the last day for sign-ups!

Click the button below to be taken to Erin's page to sign-up for the blog hop!

Hop button-200x200 copy


I can't wait to design a new bracelet to donate this year! I better get working on it soon, the blog hop is coming up in two weeks! See you all there on Saturday, February 25th.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Spring Stringing

The Spring 2012 issue of Stringing is now available for download.

If you have to have the latest beading magazines as soon as they come out like I do, you'll be happy to know you can already download the Spring 2012 issue of Stringing magazine! Just click the cover picture above to download your copy from the Interweave website. 
I have two bracelet designs in there. Also, an ad for our upcoming book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cords appears in this Spring issue. That was exciting to see!!!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Art Saves

Torch-ured Heart by Painting With Fire on Etsy.



The kind and very talented Barbara Lewis of Painting With Fire, is guest curator this week over at the Art Saves blog. Today, she is sharing one of my blog posts that she found moving and inspiring. I feel honored that she chose to include me along with posts from some other wonderful folks for her special event. I enjoyed reading some of the posts she highlighted from others and I will go back again and finish reading the rest of them. Some folks are new to me and some are friends I visit on a regular basis. Head on over and check out Barbara's feature at Art Saves and all the bloggers she highlighted from this past week!

Friday, January 27, 2012

African-Inspired Cuff

I made this beaded cuff bracelet last night. It reminds me of intricate multiple strand beadwork made by women in Africa. I love channeling the inspiration of other cultures into my jewelry designs! It's kind of like armchair traveling, but with beads. Bead traveling...I think that's one of the things I find the most fulfilling in my work.

Here's a few photos of how it looks on. I love it!
I think I may do a little tutorial on how to make this bracelet. Keep an eye out for that soon!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Bohemian Knotted Earrings Workshop

 Bohemian Knotted Earrings Workshop
Bead Fest Philadelphia August 2012 
Saturday, August 18th 8:00am-11:00am
Registration now open!  
Click here to go to the instructors page and scroll down to find my name.

YAY! I can finally announce my BIG, huge news. I will be teaching this Bohemian Knotted Earrings Workshop at Bead Fest Philadelphia in August this year! I decided I wanted to start teaching again. I miss it. I've always had wonderful experiences teaching. I used to teach lots of beading classes when I worked at the Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery when we lived in Amesbury, Ma. I always had such awesome students in all my classes. I miss that interaction. I miss seeing those faces light up when they are having a great time creating something. I miss being apart of that fun. It's been over a year since I taught a class. I've been away too long. I really do love sharing the joy of beading and jewelry-making, so I'm going to return to teaching....And apparently, I'm going to eeeeease myself back in by jumping right onto the national stage. Eeeeek! It's only January, though. I have plenty of time to teach some smaller classes in between now and then. And speaking of that, I actually will be teaching this same class next month, Saturday, February 11th from 10-1pm  at the Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery! If you are local, check out the class schedule and come see me!

Anyway, back to telling you about the workshop. For months, I worked hard developing these original earrings designs and now, this class for you! The earring projects for the class are based on and inspired by an earring project I made for our book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cords. Each student in class will make 3 different pairs of earrings using various knotting techniques. Colorful gemstone rounds are knotted onto artisan-made copper and silver components by MISS FICKLE MEDIA!!! Yeah, a big thanks to Shannon for making me all those rings and ear wires for my class!


Class description:
Learn simple knotting techniques to make a trio of bohemian chic earrings! Using waxed linen cord, you will learn 3 different ways to attach colorful beads to a ring component.

Students will learn basic knotting techniques to make three pairs of stylish earrings. Techniques covered in class will included: lark's head knot, half-hitch knot, overhand knot and how to use knotting tweezers for precise knotting. Using waxed linen cord, students will learn 3 ways to use knots to attach beads to a ring component. Students will have the following color choices for each pair of earrings: red, orange, green, turquoise and blue.Variations on the three designs made in class will also be discussed, so student will be able to expand on the techniques they have learned. 

I'd love to see you in class! Hope to see you there!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Vintage Seed Bead Bracelets

When my husband came home from helping his grandma for the day, he handed me this old tin box. Inside held a long strand of colorful vintage seed beads. Grammy Siegel knows I make jewelry. She was cleaning up around her house and thought I might like them. Do I ever! I love them! As soon as I opened the beautiful aged metal box, I was inspired to start creating right away.

I decided I would make one of my signature multiple-stand bracelets to really show off the seed beads. I pulled out some purple Irish waxed linen cord. Then, I looked around in my stash for a few rustic beads to compliment the nature of the seed beads: An orange Kieth O'Connor ceramic bead, a copper African trade bead, and a Hill Tribe silver flower button for the closure.

Here is the finished bracelet! 


After I finished the first bracelet, I still had a some beads left over, so I decided to make a second piece. I strung the seed beads onto some 24 gauge wire and wire-wrapped them around 2mm leather cord to create this second bracelet. Simple, but I love the effect!

I'm thrilled with how these both turned out!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Gratitude

  THANK YOU to all those who left me encouraging messages on my last post. I am grateful for your good thoughts and letting me know I'm not alone. I wanted to share my experience with the good intention to perhaps inspire awareness in others. I know now, I was unconscious of what I was really doing to myself and I thought others might be in the same boat I was in. I received wonderful emails and messages from some of you. Most of us don't realize how powerful our thoughts and feelings are and how much damage can be done with being negative to ourselves. I know I thought as long as I was sweet-as-pie to everyone else and gave myself fully outwardly to the world, that was ALL that mattered. We don't think that what we think and feel inwardly has any real, tangible affect, but it absolutely does. The great news is, we can change all that around by being aware of ourselves and thinking good, happy thoughts! I know this knowledge will always be with me now and I will remember to be aware of what I am thinking and try to keep good, happy thoughts with me at all times. I hope you will, too.


On other note, some of you expressed an enthusiastic interest in my Chakra Meditation Pendant! I'm thrilled! I thought about and I think this item is unique enough, so I'm offering a few of them in my newly opened Etsy Shop. Please excuse the appearance, the shop is a work in progress! If there are others that would like one, I can make more, so just let me know if you would like a pendant made for you. I'm so happy for your interest! Thank you!