Enter Bead Star 2012!

Click here to upload your entries!

Click here for all the official rules

The Bead Star contest consists of the following 7 categories: 

CERAMICS: Designs created using predominantly ceramic beads.

CRYSTALS: Designs created using predominantly crystal beads.

GLASS: Designs created using predominantly pressed-glass, fire-polished glass, sea glass, lampworked glass, and/or any other type of glass bead.

METALS: Designs created using predominantly metal beads, components, and/or wire. Metal can be of any type or mixed.

PEARLS: Designs created using predominantly pearls of any shape, color, type, etc. Faux pearls (including crystal and glass pearls), shell, and mother-of-pearl can be used in your entry.

PLASTICS: Designs created using predominantly plastics. (Polymer clay is accepted.)

STONES: Designs created using predominantly stones of any type.

Entrants may submit 1 design per category. One winner will be selected from the finalists in each category by tallying the votes cast by members of the Beading Daily community. The winner in each category will receive $250 in prizes from the sponsor of their category. The winner of each category will be publicly announced in Jewelry Stringing magazine, available on newsstands in mid-December 2012.

I actually got it together enough to enter my jewelry this year. In past years, this competition always seemed to be at an off time for me, but this year, I've entered a design in all 7 of the categories. That is some type of record for me. Mind you, I entered all bracelets and earrings. No necklaces. But hey, at least it's better than nothing, right? COME on! Join me and enter your pieces. Let's make it a nice, fun and friendly competition. I want to see some entries, people! I have to say, the amount of entries is lookin' a little sad, right now on the Beading Daily website. :( You've got a week left, so get a crackin'. The entry period ends on Friday, April 27th. Looking forward to seeing everyone's designs! 

Did you enter?

Let me know if you did or if you didn't, why not?

Art Bead Swap at Bead Fest!

I had a fabulous time this past weekend at Bead Fest Spring! Check out my special post for the Art Bead Scene blog to find out more about the happenings at the show...

Flap Your Wings

Judith B. Glende was a phenomenal jewelry designer and she befriended many in the beading blog community. Since Judy touched many of our lives in some way, Moobie Grace Designs is hosting a blog hop tribute in memory of her. I was first introduced to Judy through a blog-hosted, handmade earring exchange two years ago. She was my exchange partner. Ever since then, I've been captivated by her design work. We met over earrings, so I thought I'd make another pair in honor of her now. Judy loved to incorporate butterflies and other winged creatures in her jewelry designs. Inspired by the "Flap Your Wings" theme, I created these earrings:

Butterfly Bohemian Earrings

Fun and flirty earrings perfect for Spring and Summer! Colorful waxed linen cord in plum, fuchsia, and orange tie amethyst gemstone rounds to artisan copper links by Miss Fickle Media. Copper butterfly charms dangle from the centers. 

These beauties can be purchased in my Etsy Shop.
 *All proceeds from the sale of these earrings will be donated to the Melanoma Research Fund at Massachusetts General Hospital in memory of Judith B. Glende.*

Butterfly Inspiration Design Board
Butterfly wing top: Forever 21

Purple suede flats: Nine West

Butterfly Bohemian earrings: Erin Siegel Jewelry

I hope you enjoyed my design tribute to Judy and thank you for stopping by. Please join the hop and visit these other fine artists participating in this tribute!

Our Gracious Host: Moobie Grace Designs

1. Tania Spivey

2. Lori Anderson

3. Kashmira Patel

4. Gail Accinelli

5. Rebecca Anderson

6. Rebekah Payne 

7. Amanda Doyle Tibbetts 

8. Kim Ballor 

9. Rochelle Brisson 

10. Sandra McGriff 

11. Lana Kinney 

12. Kym Hunter 

13.  Terri Wlaschin 

14.  Ginger Bishop

15.  Shannon Chomanczuk 

16.  Kelli Jacobson

17.  Patricia Gasparino

18.  Deana Hager

19.  Erin Siegel -You are here!

20.  Deborah Wenske Brooks

21.  Lynne Bowland

22.  Alicia Marinache

23.  Pam Ferrari

24.  Shirley Jones Moore

25.  Joanne Tinley

26.  Shanti Johnson

27.  Lorelei Eurto

28.  Antiquity Travelers

29.  Shelly Joyce

30.  Marlene Cupo

31.  Dee Torcherer Elgie

Off to Bead Fest!

Bead Fest Philly 2011 

Picture taken by Andrew Thornton.

I'm leaving tomorrow for Bead Fest Spring in Philadelphia this weekend. Are you going??? It will be a much needed getaway girls weekend with some wonderful beady friends. I'm looking forward to seeing some familiar faces I met last year, as well as some new friends, too! I will be promoting my new book with Lorelei, called Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry. Our publisher, Interweave Press, sent us some cute postcards to hand out at the show.

I will also be running a "test class" to help me prepare for my Bohemian Knotted Earrings Workshop coming up at the next Bead Fest in August. I'm so glad that some of the ladies going to the Spring show were willing to participate and voluteer their time. This test class will allow me to practice my teaching skills and gain some more experience teaching these particular techniques. I'm looking forward to the feedback from my volunteer students!

Oh, and there may be some bead shopping thrown in there somewhere, too. ;) It's funny, the beads are certainly secondary to socializing with other bead enthusiasts! For me, the people are definitely the main attraction for the event. How about you? What's your favorite part about attending a bead show? The people? The classes? The beads? Do tell and I hope to see you there!  

Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry e-book!!!

Hello friends, I have some really super-duper EXCITING news! We just received word that our book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cords is now available as an e-book version at Interweave.com!!! This was a total surprise! Yes, that's right, you can download it this very instant and be making jewelry projects from it over the weekend. If you just can not wait another month for the print version to become available, click here to download your digital copy now. I hope you can't wait, because I'm so anxious for you all to see it! Please let us know what you think, Lorelei and I are dying for some feedback from the beading community.

If do happen to download the e-book and you have questions about any of the content or techniques presented, please feel free to email me about it. I'm more than happy to help you if you need it now that the book content is readily available. Thank you for all your support for this project and I hope you do enjoy it immensely!

Irish Waxed Linen Cord

I'm honored to be a guest contributor on the Love My Art Jewelry blog, today. Stop on over to read my guest post all about my favorite jewelry-making material, Irish waxed linen cord!

Asymmetry Made Easy

Ah, asymmetrical jewelry. You LOVE the look, but maybe designing this way just doesn't come naturally. You struggle. You feel discombobulated. You are not alone. Many designers feel this way. I used to feel like this, too. My brain automatically goes for symmetry, but guess what? You CAN learn to design asymmetrical jewelry. It just takes practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets. I'm sure you didn't perfect your wire-wrapping skills in a day. It's the same thing with this. The good news is you can train yourself to design asymmetrically!

Enter: Lorelei Eurto. A master at her craft that no one can deny. My dear friend and co-author has just come out with a new e-book. Asymmetry Made Easy. In this design guide, Lorelei covers classic jewelry design concepts such as size, texture, color and designing in threes, but she also talks about never-before-covered topics like transitioning between elements in a design. Lorelei also shares a visual example of how you can lay out a beaded necklace design in a symmetrical pattern and easily change it into an asymmetrical one. This is particularly helpful to those of us that automatically think symmetrically.

But wait! There's more. I haven't even gotten to the best part of this e-book. The best part is Lorelei's innovative design diagrams. I'm very impressed with these diagrams because they are concrete tools that you can apply to your jewelry designs over and over again. No more guess work!

Order your copy of Asymmetry Made Easy today.

With this handy guide, you will be creating successful asymmetrical jewelry designs EVERY time.