A Beading Blog

October's Gemstone

2009-10-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

Opal displays rainbow-like hues that have been prized for thousands of years . In the 1960s a team of Australian scientists analysed Opals with an electron microscope and discovered that small spheres of silica gel cause "interference and refraction manifestations". These spheres act on the light that passes through the gemstone and create the rainbow of colors that we see.

Almost ninety-five per cent of all fine opals come from the dry and remote outback deserts of Australia. Opals are often cut in cabochon, a rounded half-circle form, to best display their fire. The exceptions to this rule are the highly prized fire opals mined in Mexico, which have a warm, beautiful transparent red or golden color. Fire opals are sold in more traditional, faceted gemstone cuts and conventional settings.

Opals Love to be Worn
Opals always contain water – usually between 2 and 6 per cent, but sometimes even more. If stored too dry or exposed to heat over a period of time, Opals will show fissures and the play of colour will become paler. Therefore, Opal jewelry should be worn as often as possible, for then the gemstone will receive the needed humidity from the air and from the skin of its wearer.

Opals throughout history.

In Australia, there is an Aborigine legend claiming the Opal sprung into being when the foot of the creator touched ground on a mission to bring peace to all human beings. The opals sparkle like the rainbow the creator walked on to visit the Earth.
The Roman writer Pliny describes opals as a stone having "the fire of the carbuncle, the brilliant purple of the amethyst and the sea green color of the emerald, all shining together in incredible union."
Shakespeare called opals "the queen of gems."
An opal was set in the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor and in the crown jewels of France.
Queen Victoria broke a 19th century stigma on opals by giving the gems as wedding gifts to many of her royal relatives.
French actress Sarah Bernhard, whose birthday was in October, always wore birthstone opals, popularizing them at the turn of the 20th century.

Opal Folklore for Health

Opals cure eye diseases and infections.
Opals resolve depression.
Dispel bad dreams with opals.

Other Opal Folklore

Opals instill faithfulness, confidence and good luck to the wearer.
Opals enhance creativity.
For the lonely, Opal aids in the search for true love.
Black opals worn near the heart protect against the evil eye.
Wearing jewelry containing opal will focus the energies of Venus and the zodiac sign Libra through the gem to it's wearer.
In the 15th century blond maidens valued nothing more highly than necklaces of opals, for to wear these ornaments their hair was sure to guard its beautiful color.
And my personal favorite, it was thought to render the wearer invisible!

Opal as a gift.

As the birthstone for October, it makes a great birthday gift. An alternate birthstone for October is Tourmaline.
Opal is the birthstone for the zodiac sign Libra, making it appropriate for birthdays between September 23rd and October 23rd.
It is the suggested gem gift for 14th and 18th year wedding anniversaries.
It is the official gemstone of Australia. As such it could be a good gift for displaced Australians, a little piece of home, or a great souvenir for those who have visited Australia.

This photo is a boulder opal a friend of mine brought back from Australia. I created a beaded bezel for it using peyote stitch and seed beads. The necklace is strung seed beads, Swarovski crystal and Czech glass beads. I love how the pattern on this side of the opal is reminiscent of a waterfall.

If you've created anything using Opals, feel free to leave a link to it here.

Sources:

Valuable Stones - The Online Encyclopedia of Gemstones, http://www.valuablestones.com/libra.htm.

Gem by Gem - International Colored Gemstone Association, http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/opal.html.

Precious Stones Guide vol. 9, http://www.jjkent.com/articles/history-folklore-opals.htm.

Save the Bead Museum

2009-04-20T20:18:00.003-04:00

The Bead Museum in Arizona is in danger of closing after 23 years. The Bead Museum in DC has already closed. The Arizona museum is the only one we have left. Who knows, maybe someday your beadwork, mine, or beadwork from someone else we know will end up in this museum. We need to do what we can now to keep this museum open. The Bead Museum is in jeopardy of closing its doors at the end of May.

We are in the process of a $200,000 sustainability campaign but need to raise $100,000 of that goal by April 30th. This funding is needed to allow
us time so that we can continue our fund development plan to insure the long
term financial health of the Museum. Read more about what The Bead Museum offers and their situation on The Bead Museum's website.

Interweave has decided to help by making it easy and quick for everyone to make a $5 donation to help keep the museum doors open. It's just 5 bucks, the cost of a Starbucks coffee. I'm unemployed and I did it. You can too. Donate now.

If you are interested in making a larger contribution, please contact The Bead Museum directly.

How To Make a Delica Color Sample Book

2009-04-10T18:03:00.008-04:00

Finally finished all my Delica color cards and bound them together into a book. I wanted my book to be small enough to fit in my purse or carry around when shopping at a bead show, so I chose to make it 1/4 of the size of a sheet of paper. It was really easy to do. The binding is reinforced so that the pages won't rip out from use. The book itself is just an old photo album I had lying around. I should have typed in all the Delica numbers but I couldn't wait to play with the beads, so I wrote the numbers in as I went instead. Since I do not have all the Delica colors, I just used the ones I do have. Now I have a Delica Sample Book I can refer to when creating patterns. I can also take it with me to bead shows to help me know if I already have the irresistible color I'm about to buy. Instructions are below the picture.

Supplies:

Paper
Spreadsheet software (or substitute graph paper for above paper)
Scissors
Glue
Delica beads
Thread
Beading needle
Small photo album or day planner with rings you can open to insert your pages.

Step By Step Instructions:

Create a grid using a spreadsheet program like Excel. If you don't have one you can download open office for free. Or, use a piece of graph paper and mark out your lines using the grid on the paper. Email me if you want me to send you a copy of my template. RECYCLING TIP: you can use paper that has already been used on one side. Print your grid on the other side. The backside will not be seen when the book is finished.
Fold your paper in half from top to bottom (hamburger fold). Cut along that fold.
Stitch your beads onto each paper. The knots and thread can be all over the back side of the paper, it won't be seen later.
Fold your paper in half again, keeping the beads on the outside. The side with the thread and knots will end up inside and not seen. You now have a Delica Color Card.
To make a stronger edge where the binding goes cut strips of tag board. Make the strips twice as wide as you want the finished edge to be. Fold the strip in half lengthwise (hot dog fold) with the writing on the inside. RECYCLING TIP: Use food packaging boxes (like cereal boxes or pasta boxes). You can even use the existing folds in the box as your folds.
Glue these onto each of your Delica Color Cards. Hold them on with paper clips while they dry.
If the tag board edge is longer than your Delica Color Card trim it down to size.
Measure the distance between each ring of your photo album/day planner.
Use a hole punch to make the holes for each ring based on your measurements. TIP: use a piece of leftover tag board to make a template. Cut the tag board to the length of your book. Mark where the holes should go and punch them. Use this piece as a stencil to mark your Delica Color Cards, that way the holes will always be in the same place on each card, but you only have to measure once.
Put your Delica Color Cards into your little binder and you have your very own Delica Sample Book!

April's Gemstone

2009-03-27T13:14:00.010-04:00

Receiving a gemstone gift often has a poetic, special significance which can be even more special when that stone relates to the month in which you were born. For those of you born in April it would seem you are destined to be rich, for your gemstone is none other than the Diamond!

What is a Diamond?

Diamond is the ultimate gemstone, having few weaknesses and many strengths. The ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splinters of stars fallen to earth. It was even said by some that they were the tears of the Gods or perhaps crystallized lighting or hardened dew drops. In addition, the fact that white light is composed of all colors convinced the ancients that the diamond, the gem of light akin to the sun, was a combination of all the other precious stones.

The name Diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning unconquerable, is a reference to its hardness. It is well known that Diamonds are the hardest substance found in nature, but few people realize that Diamonds are four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum (sapphire and ruby). Only another Diamond is capable of polishing a Diamond. Diamonds range in color, the majority having yellowish tinges. Diamonds also form in the rest of the colours of the rainbow, with the rarest being red then green, purple, blue. No two diamonds are the same. A diamond's most distinguishing characteristics are its inclusions or marks that are often invisible to the naked eye. A diamond's clarity is determined by the presence or absence of these inclusions, with fewer being better. The greater a diamond's clarity, the greater its brilliance and value. Diamonds began being 'cut' in the sixteenth century to improve their optical effects. Diamonds are a polymorph of the element carbon found in Africa, India, Brazil, Russia, Australia, and the United States of America.

Diamonds in Love

A diamond, if not forever and a girl's best friend, is still for love. It is the most popular gemstone for engagement rings, and also the gem for both the 10th and 60th marriage anniversaries. It was said that Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds which have a magic that nothing else can ever quite equal. For centuries the diamond has had the unique status of being the ultimate gift of love. In 1477, Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, beginning the tradition of diamond engagement rings. And the reason a woman wears it on the third finger of her left hand dates back to the early Egyptian belief that the vena amoris, the vein of love, ran directly from the heart to the top of the third finger on the left hand.

An old English ballad tells of the romance of a beautiful princess who gave her suitor a ring set with seven diamonds as a memento on his departure for a sea journey. Some distance from home, he observed that the diamonds had turned pale. He saw this as a sign that the princess had found a new love. He hurried back just in time to prevent her marriage to another. Need we add...they lived happily ever after.

Diamonds in History and Religion

In ancient times only kings wore diamonds as a symbol of strength, courage, and invincibility. In the Talmud, a gem supposed to have been the diamond was worn by the high priest and served to show the guilt or innocence of one accused of any crime. If the accused were guilty, the stone was supposed to turn dim; if innocent, it shone more brilliantly than ever. The Hindus classified diamonds and rubies according to four castes. The Brahman diamond meant power, riches, friends and good luck; the Kshatriya diamond was reputed to prevent the onset of old age; the Vaisya stone was supposed to bring success; and the Sudra was supposed to bring all manner of good fortune.

Diamond Lore

This is the section where I tell all the fun little things about the gemstone that some people believe and some people do not. Wow, there's quite a few for the Diamond! Perhaps because ancient people believed diamonds were the combination of all the other precious stones they added all the other stone lore to that of the diamond? Whatever the reason, the diamond seems to be the ultimate super gem (perhaps even the source of superhero powers ). Here's a few highlights:

A symbol of purity, diamonds unite relationships by bringing love and clarity into a partnership. Like the emerald, the diamond was said to be a reliable test for fidelity. A stone placed on the breast of a sleeping lover was expected to make him tell all. Alternately, to rest a diamond on a wife's head without her knowledge while she slept. If she was faithful, she would turn to her husband in her sleep; if not, she would move away.

The hardness and durability of the diamond protects its wearer from evil. A diamond is believed to represent peace, innocence, fidelity and serenity and purity. It has always been associated with strength and good luck. Diamonds bring power, riches, success, friends, everlasting youth and the promise of serenity and contentment. For the insomniacs among us, a diamond gives calm sleep and takes away nightmares.

Here's my favorite, soldiers believed that a diamond carried into battle would keep them safe from harm and even render them invisible. And perhaps the most useful for today's lifestyle, a large diamond is an ideal tool to block against geopathic or electromagnetic stress which can come from cell phones. But remember, according to ancient lore the magical powers of a diamond only work if the gem has been freely given.

Update On My Beading Endeavors

2009-03-16T07:12:00.006-04:00

Just a quick update on what I've been up to lately with my beads.

I've just completed a peyote stitched pattern I was testing for a designer and sent that off, so I'm back to working on the Mini Mona Lisa.
I played with BeadTool for an evening and realized once again that I'd really like to have a Delica sample book with me when I do that. Since I cannot afford to purchase that right now I've designed and printed some cards and I'm busy stitching on the beads that I have in my stash. I'll show you all the final results once all my beads are on and the pages are stitched together.
Plans are in the works for creating some beads from recycled materials. I'll be posting pics and instructions once I've completed that project.
My niece has been bead shopping and I'm told picked out some really nice ones. I'll be getting together with her soon to show her what she can do with them. I haven't yet seen what she has, so I have no idea what kind of a project this will be. I'm guessing it will be stringing; but since she's a very creative girl, she might surprise me. Of course there will be pics coming from this as well.

If you feel so inspired, go ahead and comment here on the projects you are working on. Links welcome :)

Rings & Things Wins a Green Business Award

2009-03-01T19:42:00.005-05:00

Rings & Things has long been my favorite place to buy gemstones. I'm proud to say in the past week they were granted an award by the City of Spokane, Washington for their for their implementation of green and sustainable management practices.

The SMART (Sustainable Management of Assets, Resources and Technology) Business Recognition Program recognizes businesses at either a “participant” or “certified” level in a variety of categories, including energy efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, renewable energy, water conservation, green building, transportation/commute trip reduction, and pollution prevention. Rings & Things was awarded certification in the categories of Waste Reduction and of Transportation.

You can read more about this and about their other green awards at the Rings & Things site.
Their SMART award
An award for their Green Transportation practices
Details of their Transportation plan (includes a link to see the amount of miles and carbon dioxide reduced)

Environmentally Friendly Beading Wire and a contest

2009-02-18T14:38:00.013-05:00

It's so exciting to see the beading world become environmentally friendly. This week I've discovered that Soft Flex has become the worlds first wire manufacturer to go green. I like their green page better than Fire Mountain Gems.

It talks about their new Extreme Flex Eco Friendly Beading Wire.

It tells us how to recycle the packaging and spools the wire comes on.

It tells us where we can send in your wire scraps and spools so they can be recycled.

It tells about their green practices, like one third of their employees telecommuting. (Hey I'm in the market for a job, maybe they can hire me to telecommute!)

It's got lots of tips on many ways we can all be more green.

There's currently a contest on Bead & Button with several spools of Soft Flex as the prize including the new Extreme Flex. The contest ends on March 31st. Good Luck.

Keep watching, I've got a couple more posts on green beading in the works.

Current Beading Project

2009-02-14T23:02:00.007-05:00

Here's a shot of one of the projects I'm currently working on. Sorry for the poor photo quality, I really need a good camera. It's an unfinished project I started last year on Bead Cruise. Anyone recognize it?

Fire Mountain Gems is Green

2009-02-13T10:05:00.005-05:00

This is great news! Fire Mountain Gems is doing their part to reduce packaging and also uses recycled materials to produce their packaging. They even provide a page on their site with tips on how to reuse their packaging and further reduce waste!

Their boxes are made of recycled materials and can be reused to package gifts or as storage. I even used one once to send a care package to kid at summer camp, it was the perfect size.

The tissue paper in their packaging is also made of recycled materials can be reused as gift wrap. I've used it to make little packages for the jewelry I've sold and also in decoupage and scrapbooking projects.

For the baggies that the beads come in, their stickers are designed to be easily removed from the plastic bags. This allows you to reuse the labels and identify your products by item number for easy stocking and re-ordering. If you are a bead seller, you can also remove their label and place your own there (no need for re-packaging). I've removed labels and reused the baggies for packaging when I sell earings, rings and other small items. You can also store your beads and supplies in them.

Their catalogs are also printed on recycled paper. They are great for inspiration and I haven't met a beader yet that has thrown one of those out. :-)

White Flowers Beaded Purse

2009-02-07T15:45:00.007-05:00

I completed several beadwork projects (and began several more) during the year I took off from blogging. Here's the first of many I have to show you, the White Flowers Purse. I'd already blogged about the two panels that make up the body of the purse. The strap is made of hematite beads and Delicas in some of the colors from the panels. I had added fringe but decided it drew the eye away from the flower panels. Since I wanted the flowers to be the focal point, the fringe came back off. What do you think?

Learn to Bead

2009-02-05T20:04:00.008-05:00

I get asked a lot to teach people how to bead, unfortunately we don't always live near enough for it to be possible. So, I'm recommending this book: Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making & Beading

I chose to recommend this book over others because it has both beginning techniques as well as more intermediate ones. I like that it combines bead stringing, bead weaving, macrame and wire work all in one resource. It also includes a very nice index that makes it easy to refer back to and quickly find what you need.

The pictures are clear, the directions are easy to read and there are many ideas for beginner through advanced beaders. Thorough charts detail everything from the common lengths for various styles of necklaces (both men's and women's), bracelets, and anklets to common finishing methods for different materials. Photos clearly display techniques for knotting strings, creating eyepins, headpins and clasps, and even making your own Byzantine chain from jump rings. Wire gauge is demonstrated visually, with gauge's thickness and examples of what each gauge is used for. Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making & Beading is a wonderful teaching AND refrence book for jewlery makers of all skill levels. Clicking on any of the links or the photo in this post will take you to Amazon where you can read more reviews and see some of the pages within the book.

Beading Contest

2009-01-20T19:35:00.003-05:00

Fire Mountain Gems (FMG) has opened their 2009 beading contest and is now accepting entries. Categories include several new ones (all listed below). Brand prize is a $1000 gift certificate (that's a lot of beads!). Don't forget, many entries will end up pictured in their catalogue for all to see. If you enter this contest you may get published! Good luck.

Swarovski
Earrings
Findings
Acrylic/Resin Bead
Art Clay® & Metal
Cabochon
Freeform Expression
Doll
Fashion Accessories and Clothing
Home Décor
Jewelry
Gemstone
Glass
Jumpring
Kato Polyclay
Kids' Creations
Metal Beads and/or Chain
Pearls, Natural or Created
Seed and Bugle Bead
Shell, Wood, Bone
Turquoise and/or Coral
Wedding
Wire Work

1-13-08 What I'm Working On Today

2008-01-13T13:42:00.002-05:00

I'll be at Elf Shelf today

2007-11-24T06:03:00.001-05:00

This is the show I have to pass a live jury to get into. It guarantees all artwork is unique, hand made and sold by the artist that created it. Nothing made in china sold here! Look for me in the gym along the back wall. Happpy shopping!

Clarkston Show this Weekend

2007-10-12T14:09:00.002-04:00

As usual, one week before the show I decide to change my setup. This time I didn't have a choice as I suddenly realized my current setup was too big for the indoor shows. It's ok, I've gotten very good at redesigning and building new booths in just one week of time. Tonight I just have to repack my beadwork and I'm ready to go.

Tomorrow and Sunday I'll be in Clarkston, Michigan at the high school. Show hours are from 10 am to 4 pm. They stuck me in the gym again, so you'll find there. I'm bringing a bunch of the new line of lanyards and some new Christmas earrings made with Swarovski crystal. I've got a few Halloween earrings as well. Hope to see you there!

Clarkston High School Fall Spectacular Art & Craft Show
Clarkston High School
6093 Flemings Lk Rd., off Clarkston Rd.
Clarkston, Mi

Beaded Lanyards

2007-09-29T12:50:00.004-04:00

My daughter is in preschool now. Every day I leave from work and get to her school with about 25 minutes to wait for her class to get out. So I sit there and bead while I wait. The teachers have noticed me doing that and asked for some lanyards (ID badge holders you wear like a necklace). So I've started a new line of them for Kintera Arts. This is the first - Calypso. It includes a key ring for keeping any work related keys on. The key ring and badge clip are easily removable so that the bead work can also be worn as a necklace. Many more to come.

Oktoberfest Show Results

2007-09-29T12:41:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately things didn't go so well at this show. Lots of people - just not buying anything. I couldn't figure it out until I went back to my day job. My day job is as a web designer/asset manager at a GM facility. When my UAW friends asked me how the show went, they provided my answer for me. Because they knew they were going on strike they weren't spending any money that weekend. With Michigan being such an auto industry related state, that effects almost everyone and that's why I couldn't sell much that weekend. Oh well, they're back to work so my next show at Clarkston High School on October 13 - 14 should go much better.

Oktoberfest Show

2007-09-20T17:24:00.001-04:00

This weekend I'll be up in Frankenmuth, Michigan for the Oktoberfest Festival. The festival actually started at 3 today but the craft show portion that I'm part of doesn't start until tomorrow. The craft show opens Friday afternoon and runs until 7. Saturday it opens at 10 and closes at 7. Sunday we open at 12 and close at 5 . There's lots of other stuff going on too - it's one of the festivals Frankenmuth is famous for. So come on up, sample some great German food and beer. Listen to some German music, watch the wiener dog races and have some fun! Don't forget to stop in and say "hi". I'll be at Zhender Park (on main street next to the famous restaurant) in the booth that looks like this:

Green Bracelet

2007-09-12T12:04:00.003-04:00

I tried some freeform beading to use up a few leftover beads from other projects and wow, is this ever fun to do! This Green Bracelet is the first of many more to come.

Freeform beading is quite simple to do. First I choose several beads of different shapes, sizes and textures. Then I start with the Peyote stitch for the first few rows (though I could really start with any stitch - this is just what I've done so far). After that I just add whatever beads I feel like adding in whatever stitch seems to work best in that spot. The design evolves as I go and I have no idea what the finished piece will end up looking like. It's done when I feel like I'm done. The resulting jewelry is unique - a one of a kind work of art that will never be reproduced.

The Green Bracelet evolved with that point near the center all on it's own. When I was finished I realized that point needed something... so I added the crystal point.

I'm offering this Green Bracelet for sale on my Kintera Arts website, where I also describe the folklore associated with the beads and elements of this bracelet for those who are interested. http://kinteraarts.com/bracelet-green-bracelet.shtml

Joan Painter is Open For Business Again

2007-09-05T08:43:00.001-04:00

Joan has got things up and running again since the drunk driver crashed into her home/store. In addition to all the great beads she sold before she also has some delica size 11 bead soup for sale at 20 grams for $1.00. Just click the title of this post to get to her website.

Update on Joan Painter

2007-08-20T12:33:00.001-04:00

Things are looking up! She is now accepting orders paying with MONEY ORDERS ONLY. She will be fully functional by September 3rd. She wants to thank everyone for the patience and understanding and all the well wishes.

Painters Art Gallery Accident

2007-07-30T16:55:00.001-04:00

I receive an email from my friend Joan Painter. She runs a store from her home where many of us purchase our beads and supplies. A drunk driver drove strait into her house! The driver happened to hit the office/store section of the house. The truck totaled her car, wiped out part of her inventory and took out her ability to process orders. So if you've placed an order with her recently it may be a bit delayed. She has gotten her email back up and running. If you've placed orders I'm sure she'll be in contact with you soon if she hasn't been already.

Updates on two shows

2007-07-06T10:32:00.001-04:00

I should have reported this a long time ago, but I was having too much fun with some new designs to take the time out to blog. I'll post about the new designs once I get the pictures transferred from my camera.

Frankenmuth Show
The Frankenmuth show went well. Hellen, you'll be glad to know my experiment in booth design was a success - we definitely drew in more people with the outward U booth design. All three days had perfect weather. I had the best spot in the show - right on the sidewalk on an outside corner. I wasn't the only one with such a great spot, but I was the only outward U in a spot like that and I seemed to get more customers than the others. There were trees providing shade which everyone was grateful for on such a hot day. I felt bad for those with booths not in the shade - it was very hot in their booths. However, I did see a booth with a battery operated cieling fan. I may have to get one of those. Tons of people walked through this show. Not to many buying on Friday or Saturday but many returned and lots of buyers on Sunday. Sorry, no pictures as I had misplaced my camera.

4th of July Show
This one was in Clarkston at Clintonwood Park. I should have announce it here prior to the show but didn't get much time for blogging. I used the outward U setup again and loved it. I did make one change to that setup; I added some chain to the supports on my tent frame so that I could hang the rosaries, eyeglass leashes and sun catchers. The rosaries and eyeglass leashes got a lot more attention than they ever did on a table display. Amazingly, the sun catchers didn't and I'm not sure why. The weather people lied to us again. They had said it would be all thunderstorms and high winds. This time I'm glad they were wrong. There was some heavy rain during setup, but it didn't last long and the rest of the day was perfect. The high winds never happened. In previous years the show ended at 5 even though the festivities at the park kept going until the fireworks. The new promoter this year told us we were welcome to stay past 5 and right up until the fireworks if we wanted to. I was one of the few who stayed and I'm glad I did. I got pictures this time (finally found my camera). As soon as I can figure out how to get the pictures from my camera into my new Vista based computer I'll post them. At the moment the camera doesn't seem to be compatible with Vista, but there's got to be a way around that.

Frankenmuth Show This Weekend - My Experiment

2007-06-11T11:39:00.001-04:00

This weekend I'll be up in Frankenmuth, Michigan for another show. The show will be held outdoors at Zehnder Park.

Friday June 15th 2pm to 7pm
Saturday June 16th 10am to 7pm
Sunday June 17th 11am to 5pm

I went and redesigned the look of my booth - again, one week before a show. I wish these ideas would hit me sooner, but for some reason the ideas only come in the week before each show.

I've been closely watching the jewelry booths at the shows and trying to figure out why some booths get more customers than others. I have determined that it's not price based. It's not media based (metal, beads, stones, etc). It's not even display based, and by that I mean the way one displays each necklace, bracelet, etc. It is based on the way the tables are arranged within the booth. People tend not to shop at a jewelry booth that they need to walk into.

I've also realized the reason for this. My products are small items with fine details. When a booth with small detailed items is set up so that you need to walk into it (like all my prior booths) many people just glance and keep walking. If they walk into a booth they are committing themselves to shopping there. If it's not the category of items they are planning to shop for that day, then they have no reason to walk in and look closer. They will never see how my jewelry and bead work is so different from all the others at the shows.

However, when booths with those small detailed items are set up so that the tables are right out front, the people can see the details on those small objects as they walk by. They subconsciously begin to shop without realizing it because they don't have to consciously commit to walking in and shopping.

So, to prove this theory I am changing my booth. When I originally came up with this theory I thought I needed different tables and was planning to purchase them after this show. Then about a week ago it hit me. If I combined parts of my current booth with parts of some of my past booth designs still sitting in my shed out back, then I could do it now. There were a few things that needed to be built/modified and I got most of that done in the last two days. Just a tiny bit left to do then I pack it all up and head out to the show on Friday. Hope to see you there!

Billy Jo Necklace

2007-05-29T10:38:00.004-04:00

Billy Jo Necklace
Originally uploaded by avogana

Made from the beaded beads I received from Billie Jo for the beaded bead swap on the Yahoo group Beadingaholics.

Show Report: Genesys Hospice - Spring 07

2007-05-29T10:21:00.001-04:00

The weather people lied to us. It was supposed to be in the mid 70's and sunny all weekend. Instead we got strong, biting cold winds and lots of grey cloud cover with rain. Being located in a small town with that kind of weather can't ever be a good thing for a show. However, on Saturday quite a few people were there shopping at the outdoor show in spite of all the rain. I should have realized rain wouldn't stop people in a farming community. I made booth fee plus a little more that day. Sunday there was no rain after the setup period, but the winds were much colder and stronger. Temps were in the low 40's and that doesn't account for wind chill. Not as many people stopped for the show and no more sales.

I was very impressed with the promoters. This was their first show ever and I felt they did a better job than many promoters who've been doing this for years. I saw signs advertising the show as far as 3 cities away! I think the only real problem with the show was the weather - and the fact that I forgot my camera both days so I can't show you any pics. I will definitely try this show again if they decide to have another.

Weekend Show

2007-05-17T12:18:00.001-04:00

This weekend you will find me going back to my tiny High School home town of Goodrich, Michigan. Actually, it's grown quite a bit since I lived there. I'll be selling my beadwork at the old Wheelock Hospital, which is now known as the Genesys Hospice. It's their first Genesys Hospice Craft Show. Joyce Burrow, one of their residents wanted to give something back to the hospice and came up with the idea for this show (Way to go, Joyce!). The show will benefit the hospice by contributing to the activities fund for all residents and their families to enjoy. Saturday May 19 and Sunday May 20 9 am to 4 pm both days Genesys Hospice 7280 S. State Rd (M-15) Goodrich, Michigan (found East of Grand Blanc, between Ortanville and Davison

Beaded Fishing Lures

2007-04-13T09:40:00.001-04:00

I just found a blog that shows some beaded fishing lures for fly fishing. I've beaded around some odd objects like churchkeys, but I never thought about doing a fishing lure. I don't think I'd like to have my beadwork swallowed by a fish. It seems like a pretty unique idea though. Click on the title to see the beaded lures.

Show Report: Mott Spring 07

2007-04-12T10:20:00.001-04:00

Here's a photo of the booth we used for the show. The two girls in the booth are my partners for that show. Spring shows are usually slow, so I partner up and we split the booth fee. Sandy does all the beaded flowers you see ont he left. Maria strings semi-precious stones into jewelry that is much different from the beadweaving that I do. So our work is similar enough to show in one booth without us actually competing with one another. I did fix the way the table cloth lays across the front edge, having noticed it just after taking the photo. I think next time I should turn the necklace stand on the end sideways so it can be seen from the aisle.

As usual, we didnt' sell much at this show. We made a combined total of under $100. I think at this time of year the people attending just aren't interested in what we are selling. We heard a lot of people comment on items that would be good for mothers day. Most of them asked if we were doing any more shows closer to mothers day. They just weren't ready to spend the money yet. If they move this show to a date closer to mothers day I'll try it. If they leave it scheduled in March I don't think I'll bother doing this one again.

My next show was just added. It will be at the Genesys Hospice in Goodrich Michigan on May 19-20. I'll post more information on it soon.

Show This Weekend

2007-03-30T11:24:00.001-04:00

Great time to pick up some Easter or Mothers day gifts. This is a juried show - tht means all items are hand made by the artists selling them and only the highest quality gets in. I've been busy re-disigning my booth this week (photo is of last year's booth), so stop in and tell me what you think. I'll be in booth #35 located in the gym.

Saturday March 30th (Tomorrow!)
10 am to 4 pm
Waterford Mott High School
Corner of Scott Lake and Pontiac Lake roads
Waterford, Michigan

Mention you read my blog and get 10% off.

Gemstone Beaded Bead Auction #2

2007-03-19T14:45:00.001-04:00

As you all know, I created two of these gemstone beaded beads to be auctioned off for Bead Aide. The first was already auctioned off. The second was to be temporarily strung with everyone elses second beaded bead and auctioned off as a whole "set". I'm not sure why, but the beads are all being auctioned off individually. My second gemstone beaded bead is now up for auction. So if you missed out on it the first time around, here's your second chance. 100% of the proceeds goes to help a fellow beader with cancer.

Gemstone Beaded Bead Auction - Bidding is closed. Final auction price was $8.00.

View all Bead Aide items being auctioned

10 Beading Patterns

2007-03-15T09:03:00.001-04:00

Paula Morgan has her top 10 free beading patterns listed on her About.com beading blog today. If you're into creating your own beadwork from patterns you'll want to check this out - there's some really nice ones in there. Many different techniques and skill levels are represented in this pattern list. All are free.

Beaded Bead Auction Open Closed

2007-03-08T10:32:00.001-05:00

The bidding on this beautiful gemstone beaded bead has ~~begun~~ ended! 100% of the final price goes into the BeadAide charity fund. The Gemstone Beaded Bead sold for $13.63. Thanks for bidding!

If you are interested in having a bead like this for yourself and you missed the auction, don't worry, I can always make more. Send an email to anne@kinteraarts.com

To read my previous entry for details about this bead, go to http://snipurl.com/1bp7s

To ~~bid~~ see bidding on this bead, go to http://snipurl.com/1bp6q

To see all items currently being auctioned for BeadAide, go to http://snipurl.com/1bp6n

Bead It Forward

2007-03-06T19:26:00.001-05:00

I finally finished my two butterflies for Bead It Forward. Each year the Beady Shenanigans yahoo group asks beaders to create a small square that will become part of a large beaded quilt auctioned off for the Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer project. Each one is one and one half inches square.

March's Gemstone

2007-02-27T09:42:00.001-05:00

Tumbled Aquamarine Stones

Aquamarine, named by the Romans after it's resemblance to the sea. Aquamarine is a member of the beryl mineral family. Aquamarines vary in color from almost colorless pale blue to blue-green or teal of different intensities, caused by traces of iron. Naturally occurring deep blue stones are the most prized. Aquamarines are often heat treated to change a blue-green or teal colored stone to a pure blue. This results in a permanent color change. Women across the globe love it for its fine blue shades which can complement almost any skin or eye colour.

Polished and Cut Aquamarine

Aquamarine as a gift.

The birthstone for March.
The birthstone for the zodiac sign Scorpio.
Suggested gem gift for 16 and 19 year wedding anniversaries.
It is the offical state gemstone of Colorado.

The color of Aquamarine.

The light blue of aquamarine brings feelings of sympathy, trust, harmony and friendship. The blue of aquamarine is a divine, eternal color because it is the color of the sky.
Aquamarine blue is also the colour of water with its life-giving force.

Aquamarine folklore for protection.

Safe voyage and protection against monsters and perils of the sea.
The source of power for soothsayers who use it to tell the future.
Wearing aquamarine, according to the old traditions, promises a happy marriage and is said to bring the woman who wears it joy and wealth into the bargain.

Aquamarine folklore for health.

Cures ailments of the stomache, liver, jaws ans throat.
It has also been recommended for toothaches.
During the Middle Ages, an effective antidote against poison.

Aquamarine Bead Chips

Other historical uses of Aquamarine.

Once used in eyeglasses in Germany to correct shortsightedness. The name for eyeglasses in germine is "brille" which comes from the mineral name "beryl". Aquamarine is a beryl.
Beads of aquamarine are found in ancient Egyptian mummy tombs. They were used as a tribute gemstone to the Gods of the Nether world for safe passage.

Links to beadwork with Aquamarine.

BeadAide Beaded Bead Charity Donation

Beaders Provide Water to Villages in Africa

2007-02-25T09:09:00.002-05:00

I just found an article about a group of women in Miami that are helping villages in Africa to drill wells so they can have fresh water. These villages currently have no water source. The women of these villages walk about about 4 miles to get to water (often dirty, disease filled water) and carry about 44 pounds of it back to their families each day. These villages can easily have fresh water by drilling wells, which cost about $3000 each. Unfortunately, the villages cannot afford that. So a group of women in Miami came up with a plan. They learned to bead, designed just two styles of earrings and sell those two styles, donating all the money to purchase wells for these villages. So far they've raised enough to provide safe water to two villages in Africa. Click on the title of this post to see the full article.

Carole's Ammonite

2007-02-21T12:20:00.001-05:00

My Aunt Carole went to last year's Tuscon beading event and picked up a bunch of ammonites. She asked me to make this one into a necklace for her and expected I'd drill a hole or something and stick it on a chain. Well, I've never been able to do anything the easy way, so here's what I came up with.

The necklace part is done in garnet, citrine and labradorite stone chip beads. The ammonite is held in by all the tiny glass seed beads I stitched and wove around it. It should arrive at her house any day now. I hope she likes it!

The Gallery is moving

2007-02-19T14:37:00.001-05:00

Whenever I sold and item off my Kintera Arts website I used to move that item's picture into my gallery there. I've decided to remove the gallery from my website and store those photo's here on the beading Blog. I'm creating a new Gallery entry here. All items will be entered onto that same entry, with newer ones at the top. When it begins to grow too big I'll split it into categories.

I just sold the Pegasus Horse Bookmark to Leslie in the UK, so I'll make it my first gallery addition to the new page. I'll also place a copy of the Beaded Bead I made for Bead Aide there. The rest will move over from the Kintera Arts site as I have time.

Bead Aide Beaded Bead

2007-02-16T10:34:00.001-05:00

I've created a beaded bead (that's a bead made by weaving smaller beads together) to donate to the Bead Aide auction. I actually made two of these beads. One will be auctioned off as a single bead. The other will be auctioned as part of a strand of beaded beads made by the various artists that donated beaded beads to this cause.

Bidding on this beautiful gemstone beaded bead has ended! The winning bid on the bead was $13.63!

Bead Aide is a fund created to help beaders in need. Items are auctioned off on ebay and all proceeds go into the fund. The most recent recipient was a cancer patient that needed money to start on an experimental treatment because the normal treatments weren't working for her. Unfortuately she passed away before the new treatment was started, so the fund was used for her funeral expenses instead.

The bead I've created is constructed from czech 11/0 purple lined blue beads and citrine aquamarine semi-precious gemstone chips. The base is a peyote tube encrusted with the chip beads. This beaded bead is approximately one inch long. According to the color trend forcasts this bead will be in style from spring/summer of this year all the way through winter and into spring/summer of next year.

If you missed out on the bidding for this beautiful gemstone beaded bead don't worry, I can make more. Just send an email to anne@kinteraarts.com to tell me you're interested in one.

Stone lore for the two stones in this bead:

Citrine

The gemstone Citrine is the official birthstone for the month of November.

It is also the Planetary stone for the Sun Sign of Virgo.

Citrine is the accepted gem for the 13th and 17th wedding anniversary.

Citrine has also been said to ward off poison such as snake bites.

Citrine is known as the "success stone" because it promotes success, prosperity, and abundance.

It particularly promotes success in business, earning it's other nickname, "merchant's stone".

Aquamarine

The gemstone Aquamarine is the modern March birthstone.

It is also the birth stone for the Zodiac sign of Scorpio.

Aquamarine helps husbands and wives work out their differences to ensure a long and happy marriage, making it a good anniversary gift. Aquamarine is suggested as a gem to give on the 16th and 19th wedding anniversaries.

Aquamarine is to endow the wearer with foresight, courage, and happiness.

It is said to increase intelligence and make one youthful.

As a healing stone, it is said to be effective as a treatment for anxiety.

Legends say that it is the treasure of mermaids, with the power to keep us safe at sea.

White Flowers Completed

2007-02-10T18:04:00.001-05:00

I finished the White Flowers panel I was testing for my friend Dot. Finished size came to 4.25 inches wide by 4 inches tall. I managed to get a better picture this time. I photographed it with no lights on in the room to eliminate the glare from the shiny beads. Then I used my photo editing software to adjust for the lack of lighting in the room. It eliminated all that glare from the flashy beads used in this piece and also shows the colors a lot more acurately.

I'm still going to make this into a small evening bag and I've finally decided on what I'm going to design for the other side. I'm going to do a single white flower using the exact same colors Dot used in her White Flowers pattern. So one side of the bag will have Dot's field of white flowers and the other side will have my design of single flower of the same type. I haven't decided on how to do the fringe or strap yet. I figure that out when I get that far.

White Flowers

2007-01-25T20:28:00.001-05:00

I'm testing a bead pattern for my friend Dot. It's a beautiful picture of white flowers on a soothing green background. She calls the pattern White Flowers. It's not done yet, but I thought I'd show you what it looks like so far. It's super shiny, which makes it hard to photograph, but I did my best. Not just shiny, it's really, really sparkly like a fancy evening gown, beads catching the light and bouncing it back in all different directions. I've got 32 rows left to do. I think I'm going to design a complementary pattern in the same size and bead colors then put the two together to make a small bag - just big enough to carry some credit cards, your drivers liscense and the ever important lip stick. The finished size will be 4 inches by 4 inches.

My Beading Room

2007-01-16T14:13:00.001-05:00

I haven't Written in a while because I've been spending my time on finishing up so many projects. One of those projects is my new beading room.

I had a beading room - a small room in the corner of the basement, where I could do my work and be as messy as I wanted. But I was tired of being in that small room all by myself, so I started looking for someplace closer to where my family likes to be that would become my new little beading spot. My house was built to have a formal living room and a family room. The TV was in the family room, and that room is open to the kitchen and dining area so that's were the family always is. The living room, which is right next to all that never got used. It also has a very large picture window which makes for good lighting while beading. It took a little convincing, but I got my husband to agree to let me have that room.

We ripped out the carpet and refinished the hardwood floors. My husband painted the walls metalic gold and the longest wall red. I installed 9 cabinets that hold all my beading supplies and shelves above that across the 20 foot long red wall. I found a very large dining room table and 4 chairs. I installed a chandelier on the ceiling and filled it with Ott light bulbs (true daylight bulbs - great for beading and for photographing my work).

The room is now multi-purpose. It is a library, a place for my kids to study and do homework, an extra dining area (came in handy for Christmas dinner) and most importantly my beading room / art studio. I can now have weekly gatherings for other beaders to come bead with me. I also plan to use the beading room for some Kintera Arts shows in the near future.

Below is a picture of how it all turned out. I plan to add bench under the window to fit along one side of the table. The border at the top of the room is old and will soon be removed. I also need to purchase some rugs to keep the beads from bouncing and rolling around when dropped on the floor. On the back wall you can see my new triloom. That's another project I've been working on - I'll blog about that one later. My cats make me put my beadwork away in the cabinets when I'm not working on it, which is good because this is the first room anyone sees when they walk into my house.

Gallery

2007-01-01T14:46:00.001-05:00

Click the images to see larger versions. Enjoy the eye candy!

She Loves To Garden
A charm belt for Diana in Michigan.

Carole's Ammonite
Created for my Aunt Carole. She got the ammonite in Tuscon.

Pegasus Horse Bookmark

Sold to Leslie in the UK.

See more Shepherd Hook Bookmarks on my Kintera Arts website.

Beaded Bead
Donated to Bead Aide to be auctioned. Bead Aide is beaders raising money to help other beaders in need.

Church Key
More commonly known as a beer bottle opener, or in my case a beaded beer bottle opener.

See more church keys on my Kintera Arts website.

Two shows this weekend!

2006-10-17T12:34:00.001-04:00

Yep, that's two. I double-booked by mistake, but don’t worry, I’ve got a friend running one of the booths for me.

Clarkston Autumnfest Art Show

D & D Promotions present Clarkston’s Halloween Craft & Art Show at the New Clarkston High School. This is the one all the signs in Waterford and Clarkston are about. About 225 exhibitors this year. This is a juried show, which means they try to only allow quality hand crafted items made by the exhibitor (that’s me!). They also limit the amount of exhibitors in each category so there’s more variety in the kinds of items at the show. This is always a good show for picking up unique Christmas Gifts! It’s also a very large and popular show, so be sure to wear your walking shoes.

I’ll be working this show along with my Mother-in-law, Sandra Kinter. She’ll be selling her French Beaded Flowers along side my Bead Art and Bead-Woven Jewelry. You’ll be able to see Sandra making more flowers and me weaving on my new bead loom at this show. We will also have semiprecious stone jewelry strung by Maria Gonzalez in the booth. (Maria will be running the Grand Blanc booth for me this weekend). We’ll be using a new booth set up at this show. Look for the booth with the Red tables, Matchstick walls and Gold accents.

Location:
Clarkston High School
6093 Flemings Lake Rd.
Clarkston, Michigan

Time:
Saturday, October 21 10:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday, October 22 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Driving Directions:
Take I-75 to M-15 (Clarkston exit 91)
Turn left (south) and continue to Clarkston Rd.
Turn left (east) and continue to Flemings Lake Rd. Turn right at the light.
There will be lots of signs to help you find it also.

Holy Family Arts and Craft Show

The Holy Family 55 and older group presents Holy Family Arts and craft Show. Free admission to this one. This is also a juried show and I have never seen any buy/sell items sneak their way into this show. Everything is hand made. Over 50 tables including Jewelry, Christmas items, Religious items, Ceramics, Stained Glass, Woodwork, Sweatshirts and Afhans and lots of other stuff too. This show also includes a bake sale, raffle, face painting and pumpkin painting as well. If you don’t like crowds you can easily avoid them at this show. The crowds come in waves after each mass at the church. To avoid them, shop early on Saturday or during mass times. There is usually extra parking at the school across the side street.
Maria Gonzalez will be working this show for me along with a young helper. In addition to Maria’s semi-precious stone jewelry, she’ll have several of Sandra’s French Beaded Flowers as well as some of my Bead Art and Bead-Woven Jewelry. Maria always brings lots of extra stone beads and supplies so she can make you custom orders on the spot. She’ll be using my old booth set up at this show. The photo on the Kintera Arts website is one of my old booth set. That’s Sandra making some flowers in that photo. :-)

Location:
Holy Family Church
Father Bush Parish Center Building
11824 South Saginaw
Grand Blanc, Michigan

Time:
Saturday, October 21 9:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday, October 22 9:00am – 3:00pm

To view the entire Kintera Arts Show Schedule, visit the Kintera Arts Website at http://kinteraarts.com/.

Updates and Beautiful Bookmarks

2006-09-29T17:47:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy working on my new studio space and revamping the Kintera Arts website, as well as creating many new pieces for the upcomming fall shows.

I'm not quite done building the studio yet, so pictures will come later. But you can check out what I've done on the website. The entire Shepherd Hook Bookmarks section of the site is up and running in the new format as well as a few other pages scattered throughout the site.

Visually the new format isn't too different from the old one as it has the same colors and menu system. I took the pictures out of those heavy frames they were in and optimized the pages so they'd load faster. It makes the pages much easier to look at. I also took the time to learn to photograph and optimize the pictures correctly so you can really see the details of the beaded items on the site now. I filled out the descriptions on each item page and added lots of extras like stone lore, color connotations and even the story of Pegasus.

I'll be adding a few new bookmarks next, then moving on to the next section of the site - Beaded Bracelets.

Huge addition to Bead Show List

2006-08-23T11:57:00.001-04:00

The Bead Show List on the main Kintera Arts website has been updated. There's about 100 more shows listed there today that weren't listed yesterday. Several states were also added to the list. If you're ichin' to buy some more beads, you'll want to check this list out!

Have you been reading the Journals?

2006-08-22T11:28:00.002-04:00

A while back I blogged about the Journals of Louviere. For those of you that missed my previous blog, it's a story about a door to door bead salesman and all the strange happenings going on around him. It's fun to read about the people this guy interacts with and how his beads touch their lives. There's some exiting twists to it also. The story is as yet unfinished - or at lease not yet completely published to its web site.

Every couple of weeks a few more pages are added. Reading it always leaves me wanting more. If you haven't checked it out recently you should. It's about 5 times times longer than it was the last time I wrote about it.

The link above will take you to the intro page about the journals. If you scroll all the way to the bottom you'll find the links to the pages from the journals. Happy Reading!

Bead Show List Updated

2006-08-07T13:08:00.001-04:00

Many new shows have been added to the Bead Show List on the Kintera Arts Website. I didn't have all the states listed on previous releases. I'm now working diligently to add the rest. The most recent addition is Minnesota. Michigan and Missouri will be up by tomorrow. California still ranks highest for having the most bead shows. Kinda makes me want to live there.

Jewelry as a Birthday Gift

2006-07-21T14:29:00.001-04:00

I read two articles today about a study conducted to deturmine how many people purchase jewelry to give as a birthday gift. The study found that 66% of the participants have purchased jewelry for that purpose. An even higher number, 74% said they are considering purchasing jewelry to give as a birthday gift in the future.

The survey also showed that people are purchasing jewelry as a birthday gift for themselves.

Past studies have consistently shown that jewelry gift shoppers also buy for themselves when they see something they like.

Not allowed to make jewelry...

2006-07-11T08:07:00.002-04:00

I just read an article about a man who decided to make jewelry as a home based business. He tried to do the right thing and applied for a liscense with his city. They denied him the liscense because the fire department says the gas tanks used in silversmithing are a fire hazard. But it's the same gas used in our gas grills and camping equipment! He agreed to a whole list of safety regulations and they still denied him. Now his city is trying to stop him from creating jewelry as a hobbyist as well. I feel so bad for this guy...

Here's the article if you are interested in reading it.
Jewelry maker denied liscense

Bridal Jewelry Trends

2006-06-03T17:49:00.001-04:00

Necklaces, earings and bracelets can be just about as important as the rings on that special day. This years trends go vintage.

Necklaces are dramatic, following a bigger is better theme. Dripping with gemstones they set off demure necklines for the bride and bridesmaids.

Earrings are bold in a chandelier style with dangling diamonds, pearls or anything sparkly. They evoke a glamorous Art-Deco look.

Bracelets are going for a wide and antique look. Thick cuffs of silver and gold sparkling with gemstones, or old fashioned family heirlooms for a sentimental touch.

Jeep Rally Uses Beads to Raise Money for Food Bank

2006-05-31T17:52:00.001-04:00

This Saturday is the third annual Topless Jeep Poker/Bead Rally in New Mexico. Going topless means taking the top off the Jeep Wranglers. They then drive the Jeeps through the towns of Portales and Clovis, collecting poker cards and beads at specified stops along the way for a total of seven cards and eight beads. At the finish, the Jeep with the best poker hand winds. The beads are strung into a Mardi-Gras style necklace for the participants to keep. The main goal of this rally is to raise money for the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico.

Bead Show List

2006-05-26T10:07:00.001-04:00

I've put together that bead show list I mentioned a week or two ago. You know, the one that lists all the bead and jewerly making supply shows that I can find. I'll keep this one current and updated just like the contest list. It's not quite finished yet, but it is usable in it's current state and there is quite a bit there. It's already the longest web page I've ever created and I've still got a LOT to add to it.

The Garnet Diva Necklace

2006-05-19T10:26:00.001-04:00

I finished up a new necklace last night, just in time to take in for a jury session this weekend. This should show that my jewelry isn't just strung stones like so many others out there and help to get me into the Elf Shelf show this year. Last year I couldn't even get a jury time scheduled because they already had the jewelry category full from return artists that were there the prior year. This should be a good show and lots of fun so I'm really hoping to get in.

Anyhow, the necklace is made using a dutch spiral stitch. It has a base of garnet chips, golden brown and red seed beads and antique gold lined seed bead for the "lacy" part. It tapers into tubular peyote to be more comfortable on the back of the neck when worn. It's a very rich looking necklace that grabs attention. What do you think?

Karen's Topaz

2006-05-03T11:26:00.001-04:00

Just finished this piece for a client of mine. She provided the topaz and asked me to bead around it and maybe do some spiral rope too. I'm really proud of this one, it's one of my best yet. I used czech 11/0 rootbeer colored and czech 15/0 silver-lined gold colored seed beads and two cathedral beads .

As beautiful as it it, it was a pain to make. Those 15/0 czech sead beads have holes too small for any beading needle I could find. So I used fireline as stringing material since it's a bit stiffer than the rest and still small enough to go through those beads several times each. I simply pushed the end of the fireline through each bead. Ok, not so simply - some of those beads around the cab took up to 40 minutes of "pushing" to get the fireline to go through. Several times I decided it wasn't worth it, but that stone just demanded to be done this way and my muse agreed. Good thing too 'cause this one is my new favorite! Here's a larger than life closeup (click on it):

Beaded Bead Swap

2006-05-02T09:21:00.001-04:00

Last night I received my beads from the Beaded Bead Swap I participated in on the Beadchat group. For this swap we were to create beads made from smaller beads in teals, blues and purples. As you can see, they are beautiful!

Troll Bead

2006-05-01T13:33:00.001-04:00

Went shopping at the Rings and Things show in Novi yesterday. As always, saw tons of high quality beads at very low prices. This is still the best bead show I have ever been to. Got some nice cabs to bead around, and lots of black beads - tourmaline and onyx (my stock in black was low). I picked up a few other strands that looked like they'd be fun to play with too, and wished I could afford to get a whole lot more.

Maybe some of you have heard of or seen the Russ Troll bead? His employees like him so much they had his likeness made into a troll shaped bead. I was surprised not to see any of those at the show. Well, when I was checking out they asked me how I'd heard of Rings and Things. I told him I am in an online forum with the owner Russ. That's when they handed me one of those beads. They were giving them out to whomever drops Russ' name at the show. The one I got has on red socks, green shorts and a polka dot shirt. I'm not sure what I'll use it for, but it's kind of cool having a bead of someone I know. Thanks Russ.

Blog Changes

2006-04-24T14:44:00.001-04:00

I've made a few changes to the structure of this blog. I added an archives by category section to make it easier to find entries by topic instead of by date. It should become very useful as this blog grows. I've got plans to add a pattern category also, once I start publishing those.

If you ever experience any problems with the beading blog, let me know by posting a comment here. Of course, suggestions are more than welcome too =D

The Journals of Louviere

2006-04-23T14:19:00.001-04:00

Someone recommended an online bead store and I thought I'd check it out. I can never resist a good deal on beads. But what I found there was something much different - The Journals of Louviere.

Apparently the owner (or at least someone with a connection to that online beadstore) was remodeling his home and discovered some journals hidden inside of a wall. These journals were written by a door-to-door bead salesman. I'm not sure if the story is true or not, but it makes for an interesting read. The intro to the story that tells how the journals were found have a completely different tone and writing style than the journal entries themselves, so I think that lends some credibilty to the truth of it.

Anyhow, it's fun to read about the people this guy interacted with and how his beads touched their lives. I'm reading only one page each day because there are so many other things I need to do. I'm not very far yet, but it always leaves me wanting to read more. I highly recommend it. The link above will take you to the intro page about the journals. If you scroll all the way to the bottom you'll find the links to the pages from the journal. Enjoy!

Spring Fashion Forcast

2006-04-20T17:18:00.001-04:00

A rainbow of colors all sun drenched, subtle and soft as shown on the left. Clothing will be shimmering in these colors on fluid lightweight fabrics, so our jewelry will need to complement that.

Necklaces are forcast to be the most popular jewelry item. Gold metals will complement the spring colors nicely, try layered chains of different thicknesses. Natural materials like seashells and polished rocks will be quite common. Also popular - large colorful beads.

Earrings will be swinging, dangly or fringed. Think movement!

Bracelets will tend toward wide or stacked bangles with interesting and contrasting textures. Charm bracelets will still be in too.

For rings, think big, bright and noticeable.

Church Keys

2006-04-18T20:41:00.001-04:00

I've added a new line of beaded church keys to my website, an item I've not seen anywhere else. This is a truly unique item. Church keys are those bottle openers with a triangle shaped end for opening cans and a rounded off end for opening bottles. I saw one of the plain metal ones hanging the the aisle of the grocery store and the idea to bead around the flat center surface of them was born.

I create all my own designs by using a grid on my computer that matches the size of the church keys I use. I fill each grid with colors that match my beads. Once I'm happy with the design I save the file and begin stitching the beads together around the church key. I'm still trying to figure a way to make them magnetic so they can be displayed on a fridge.

Welcome to my beading blog

2006-04-17T12:36:00.001-04:00

Hi, I've created this blog as a place to connect with my customers and other beading friends. Here you'll find posting beading patterns, tips and tricks and how to care for your beadwork. I'll be announcing new products and website updates and asking for your opinions. There will be lots more too. If it's bead related, there's a good chance you'll find it here. Wow, I've got a lot of writing to do - I'd better get started!