Blog Love, Winner Announced & Special Event!

Thank you all SO MUCH for your comments on last Monday's post!!! The winner of this month's book giveaway is our friend Susan of "Watercolors by Susan Roper". YAY!!!

I've enjoyed getting to know Susan through our blog interactions and comments. She also has an artisan jewelry blog for her creative jewelry designs.

While I LOVE book giveaways, weekends are also a good time for reflecting on what our fellow bead bloggers have been up to to over the last week!

I did want to mention a HUGE craft event that is going on in Boston, Massachusetts from November 5th-7th, so take a peek at the end of this blog post for more information!

About.com Jewelry Making Tammy has a few new projects incorporating pewter, a perfect substitute for silver.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Rotting veggies and over ripe fruit makes for bead inspiration and a delicious muffin recipe!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio A little antiquing adventure, and Lorelei's got some cool new props for an upcoming craft show!


Art Bead Scene Art Bead Scene gets down to business and talks about loss leaders.


Beading Arts Cyndi just finished a 45 hour project that reused antique steel cut seed beads...and some steel buttons!

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi takes classes with Swarovski Elements Ambassadors and finally learns how to crochet

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva It's fall and along with it comes a gray sky in the form of jewelry.


Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean reviewed a unique and very beautiful book: Metal Clay Origami Jewelry, by Sarah Jayne Cole. Please come and see the review on Jean's blog!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Beadaholique has generously donated a leafy assortment of autumn-inspired beads and components. Find out how you can win this Thursday Giveaway!



11/5 - 11/7/10:

Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, November 5, 6 & 7, 2010
Featuring Gingerbread House Competition to Benefit Share Our Strength

A holiday shopper’s haven for unique and affordable gifts, the 24th Annual Christmas Festival featuring the popular Gingerbread House competition will kick off the holiday season on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 5, 6 and 7, at Boston’s Seaport World Trade Center.

A creative alternative to traditional mall shopping, this blockbuster event offers something for everyone, with many holiday gifts under $20 to be found at over 300 exhibitor booths. Shoppers on a modest budget as well as those with the most discriminating tastes will be delighted to find designer fashions, fine jewelry, gourmet foods, holiday ornaments, home accessories and one-of-a-kind gifts.

This Week's Project: Fall Pendant

This week's project is a work in process. I thought I wanted a necklace in orange similar to the sunny CZ necklace I made last fall.

I think this is a good example of, "for everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven...(turn, turn, turn)"

The time has gone for this necklace design, but I wouldn't have known if I hadn't made it. So, the good news is, it's time to design something NEW!

I'd love to have a very large glass circle in a fallish color to somehow dangle this pendant inside. Hmm, I bet I have something similar, maybe in black... That might be a little Halloweenish though.

Well guys, stay tuned! After posting yesterday's fall cornucopia, maybe I need something similar with a bauble of those fall colors hanging above the pendant on a simple gold toned chain. Sounds simple, but fun!

I just need to go digging through my beading supplies to see what I have on hand to make this work.

I hope you are having a GREAT weekend!! I'd love to hear what you made today!

Fall Gallery of Designs

Are we lucky or what?! Another weekend has been presented to us which makes me so happy and grateful! I love free time to create and have fun or just sit and think! Ahhhh!

I wanted to share the recently updated Artbeads.com fall gallery of designs just in case you haven't had a chance to check it out yet. What a wonderful array of gorgeous and creative designs (and designers!)

It's fun to see these displayed in this way so you can really pick up on the fall cornucopia of colors!

Speaking of cornucopia of colors, I wanted to let you know that I revised my fall jewelry piece.

I ended up removing the glitter-glued hemp cord band and replaced it with a plain brown hemp cord knotted band to represent the "basket" for the cornucopia. Here's the best feature of the bracelet, the SPARKLE! :)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

Shrink-firmations!

I've been thinking about shrinky dink jewelry today...probably because I seem to have little scripts running through my head on any given day that would be perfect on a piece of jewelry!

Today's script or affirmation was, "I'm so lucky"! I have a tendency to think that when I am connecting with nature or appreciating the beauty of the sky and amazing clouds on the commute to or from work.

At times, often during the morning commute, I ressurect this one..."live & let live!"

I LOVED this shrinky dink bracelet and need to start taking notes when those scripts are running through my head so I can make up a batch of shrinky dinks! :)

One more day guys, I can't wait, the weekend is so close!

Yummy Chocolate Pearls!

When I popped over here to make a quick blog post, I was thinking about saying Hi to everyone and and the old Rita Moreno yell, "Hey You Guys!!", from the opening credits of the Electric Company crossed my mind. Do you remember that from the old PBS show?

:) That made me smile so I had to go out to Youtube to see if it was out there...any guesses whether it was? Yep! Not much these days that you can't find on Youtube!

So, Hey guys! Hope everyone is having a great week so far, we're just a tad bit closer to the weekend and that is exciting!

After yesterday's post about comfort beads, I wanted to throw in some pearls along with the stones. It's almost like the first cold day must flip a switch in my brain...I start looking at glass pearls instead of other glass beads!! Interesting! There is just something warm and comforting about them!!

Makes me wish it wasn't so late, I WANT TO BEAD!

Comfort Beads

I have a theory about seasonal change....

I'm sure you are familiar with the subconscious desire people have to eat comfort foods as the weather turns colder.

My theory is the same goes for having a subconscious desire for "comfort beads". In my case, I begin seeing stones in a very different way.

Throughout most of the summer, I have pretty much snubbed gems, but come a 40 something degree day and my eye begins to wander toward the stone beads.

Interesting or crazy? Well, I'm not entirely sure! I'm curous as to whether or not anyone else has witnessed or experienced the same thing!

Book Giveaway Time!

Wow, I can't believe how quickly time flies. I know that is so cliche, but it is also SO TRUE!

I was surprised to see that I almost missed a book giveaway in the month of October!! Yikes! This is one of my most favorite things to do, I'm so glad I didn't miss the opportunity!! :)

If you are interested in a copy of my book, A Bead in Time, just leave a comment on this blog post by next Saturday, 10/30/10, and I'll announce the winner on 10/31/10. (Please make sure to leave an email address if your If your profile does not lead back to an email address).

I mentioned one of the book projects last month that involved using decorative ribbon from the craft store in a bracelet. Since we are getting ready for some fun holidays in the near future, I wanted to bring the project up again and share a little more info in case you are looking for a fun, inexpensive way to share the holiday spirit whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's, Christmas or Hanukkah.

If you are a craft store "regular" like I am, you know there is a ribbon for every holiday and then some! In addition to the ribbon bracelets featured in A Bead in Time, I have used snowman ribbon and "merry christmas" ribbon to make these bracelets and have been very happy with their fun and kitschy vibe!

For this project, you will just need a cut of ribbon that fits on top of the wrist. Pick out an iron-on patching material that you can get at the craft store or even at Kroger! This gives it a little more weight and hides the back side of ribbon that might have embroidery knots on the back. Cut the patching material to the same size as the ribbon and iron them together.

Once ironed together, just use the ribbon crimps from the craft store and an inexpensive length of jewelry chain. I used the blue moon beads silver plated charm chain as the band and finished it with a magnetic clasp. Easy, inexpensive, fun and endless possibilities!! :)

Give me a shout if you need any help and let me know if you come up with some fun new designs! I'd love to post them here on A Bead A Day!

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

I am doing my best to get every last drop of free time out of the weekend and hope you have been able to do the same :)

I wish us ALL a great, happy and creative new week!!

As always, below are some wonderfully generous, creative and fun blog posts.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean has contributed a one of a kind jewelry piece which she made to help raise funds for Andrew Thornton's medical bills. She is delighted to help, on behalf of her family. Please come and see the piece and consider bidding. Thanks so much!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Three of Andrew's necklaces are amongst the gorgeous finalists in Soft Flex Company's "Flex Your Creativity Beading Contest". Check out all of the Steampunk-inspired designs and VOTE today!

About.com Jewelry Making Tammy has a collection of crafting Halloween project ideas as well as an adorable monster pin for you.

Art Bead Scene A free jewelry project by ABS Editor, Cindy Gimbrone.

Barbe Saint John Barbe 's finally a Cover Girl!

Beading Arts Are you interested in adding found objects to your bead embroidery? Cyndi has just released the fourth chapter of her e-book, which shows you how to go wild!

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi whips up a new necklace with a "Day of the Dead" theme.

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva It's time to get educated and Cindy provides some stats along with rainbows.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Check out the goodies Melanie found at an antique mall...What would you craft with these items that are full of history?

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Lorelei is teaming up with designer Erin Siegel, to write their first beading book! Come on over and learn how you can sign up to submit work for the book!

Mezmerized by Beads

I received the Rings & Things fall supplement catalog today and placed it on the kitchen counter until I had a chance to sit down and look through it. The picture on the front was upside down and every time I walked by, I was mezmerized by it.

I just didn't have time to pick it up or even turn it around and look at what the picture was actually of. I just kept seeing a bauble of beads on a white background.

I finally had a chance to relax and take a quick peek through it. First of all, the picture on the front cover is of a beaded hair clip! On page 3 it reads, "Based on customer requests, we've added a huge selection of hair findings!" This design is called, "Precious Pretty Hair Clip".

How fun!! The possibilities are endless!

I also noticed on the same page that they have some new ear wire shapes! The ones shown are the large round loops which I have seen on people before, but never used them myself. There is something sort of happy about them.

So, here I sit, leisurely perusing my bead catalog in my jammies with my hubby and dogs nearby....life is good!!

I hope you are having a great weekend and enjoying the little happy moments too! :)

Featured Designer: Antige

We made it, Yay!! I am so happy that we have entered the happy zone, otherwise known as the weekend!! :)

As always, Fridays mean it's time to share this week's featured designer! I came across the Etsy site, "Antige" a couple weeks ago and loved these steampunk designs that have a very logical and organized vibe about them.

In many cases, you will find a gem of some sort that seems to be a perfect addition. It must be the contrast that makes this such an exciting technique!


In her profile, this designer has shared that she began making jewelry to relax from the pressures of her career as a Visual Effects Artist on feature films and animation.

She discovered that she enjoyed making jewelry so much she would work on it after 12hours work day at a studio.

If you get a minute, take a quick peek at these great designs!!

Have a wonderful, crafty weekend! :)

Turquoise for Fall

Okay, I just happened to find these at Big Lots tonight. I didn't mean to, but I am telling you it was like a scene out of the bionic woman (or maybe it was the bionic man who had the eye...)

ANYWAY, I saw this package from across the room and the next thing I knew it was in my hand!!!

I first thought, no I don't need turquoise...it is fall not summer! Then I looked a little closer and thought these would be perfect for fall!!

It's bright, but the darker silver tone contrasts nicely and would look great with a warm fall outfit in browns, khaki, plum, you name it!

Am I crazy or do you agree? :)

I forgot to mention the very cool name on the package: Global Nomad. That made me smile and chuckle a little and that's what I live for!

Sweet Little Pearls

Here it is...the final Tuesday Morning bead package from last week's Jackpot find!

I am so glad I found these and had a chance to share them with you. It just goes to show that you have to keep your eyes open and you never know what you might come across!!

This package reads "44pc 5x7 Pearl" (glass pearls, that is). These are great shapes and are fun to use in multiple strand pieces. At this size, these are sweet and would be fun paired with some color!!

I'm thinking cozy, warm fall colors and of course lots of SPARKLE as a contrast to the pearls.

Now it's time to get busy!! Have a good one!

Love, Peace, Joy, Hope

Guess what?....It's package #3 of the Tuesday Morning Jackpot find!

One more to go after this....AND, all for just $2.99. I really need to remember to visit that store more often!!

These are such fun beads! The package reads "4 pc MOP rings". I didn't really understand that since there are actually 4 MOP rings and 4 metal rings with some of my favorite, happy words on them (love, peace, joy, hope).

I am guessing the intention is that they be used together with the metal ring on top of the MOP ring in your designs.

Since these all have just one hole each, they would be crazy/fun as bracelet dangles. In fact, it would be fun to use yesterday's MOP chips with these hanging from them! :)

What do you think?

Jackpot Chips

The new week has begun so it's time to pick back up where we left off on Thursday!

I mentioned a quick trip to the shop, Tuesday Morning, and my jackpot find!

I came across a package of beads, picked it off the rack and then realized it was connected to 3 other bead packages, all for $2.99....JACKPOT!

This is package #2, a 16 inch strand of mother-of-pearl chips! They are so pretty and pearly, I would certainly have paid $2.99 for this strand alone!

These are SO beachy, it's sort of bittersweet since we are heading away from beachy and into leafy!

On the other hand, for crafty types who can create the world they WANT to have around them regardless of the season, now is the perfect time for beachy! :)

I hope your week is off to a great start!! More jackpot beads tomorrow!

Peace, Love, Bead Bloggers and MORE!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this weekend's posts and when that happens, I feel like I want to hang on to it for a little while.

On Friday, I was thrilled to report Margot Potter's great news that she is moving on to a new position with Jewelry Television (JTV) which sounds like a dream come true. The best part is she'll be designing tutorials, etc. for beaders! I can't wait! :)

I was also very happy to share a project that could be incorporated into holiday gifts in many ways. I previously created a bracelet using images from a patchwork quilt my Grandma made me when I was a kid.

While no longer usable, I can still carry the memory around on my wrist. I can see this concept being used for kids pictures, kids works of art, things you are proud of such as your new home or car. Maybe it's your family tree. The possibilities are endless!

However, as we all know, the show must go on and it's time to share links to some fun and interesting happenings of our fellow bead bloggers. Check these out!!

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy finally "did" something with one of the Katiedids she received.

Art Bead Scene
For the October Monthly Challenge, Art Bead Scene editor, Cindy Gimbrone chooses a piece of "jewelry" hanging on the front of New York City's Radio City Music Hall.

Beading Arts
Sparkling rivoli's work up quickly into this beadwoven pendant!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi takes a companies ribbon sampler and turns it into wearable art!

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
Cindy needs some help in this week's Wednesday Wire, come take her poll to help her make a decision.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie mixes new textures in ceramics and glass like resin to make new window inspired pendants.

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei is teaming up with designer Marie of Skye Jewels, on a collaboration project.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean is thrilled to host a book giveaway! The book is 30 Minute Necklaces, by the brilliant designer Marthe Le Van. There are 60 projects in this lovingly photgraphed book published by Lark to incite your creativity. Come see how you might be the lucky winner and get your copy!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off her piece "Words of Love" that was juried into the finals of the 2010 British Bead Awards

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Inspired by the Fall 2010 Pantone Color Report, Andrew creates a necklace for Artbeads.com's Colors of Fall designer gallery.

This Week's Project: Grandma's Quilt Bracelet

This week's project is the one I mentioned a while back that was published in the May 2010, Mother's Day Issue, of Bead Trends Magazine.

Since the holidays are coming and crafty people are thinking of meaningful gifts they can make for their loved ones, I wanted to share this fun and crafty project.

I had originally created this project for my book, but in the end, it was agreed to pull it since it had a little bit different vibe than the other projects. I was just a little bit bummed, but then the opportunity to submit projects for the Bead Trends Mother's Day issue came up and it made perfect sense to me!

This project was inspired by the quilt my Mom's Mom made me back in the mid-1970's when I was probably 10 or so years old. She had so many children and grandchildren, I was so surprised when she chose me for one of her holiday gift projects that year. She would typically either crochet an afghan or create a quilt for one or two people throughout the year and give them as holiday gifts.

The cool thing is, my Mom actually contributed some fabric for the patchwork quilt from leftover scraps that she had used to make clothes for me and my sisters. I used the quilt through college and a year or two into my married life before it was retired to a zippered plastic bag. So, when I found it all these years later while working on the book, I wanted to represent it in some way in a jewelry piece.

I layed it out on the lawn and got up on a ladder to take some pictures of it. I uploaded them to the computer and cropped them down to the patchwork squares.

I found some very cool sticky backed fabric sheets that were made to go through a color printer that I used to print the patchwork squares. I cut them out and stuck them onto these frosty light blue beads using a little bit of mod podge to protect them from wear.

Now I have my Grandma's quilt to carry around on my wrist anytime I like!

Featured Designer: Margot Potter

Happy Friday! I am so glad it's Friday for a number of reasons, most importantly because I have been looking forward to sharing some exciting news about fellow beader/crafter Margot Potter.

She just accepted a new job with Jewelry Television (JTV) in their Jewel School Program! I love it when great things happen for great people!

Margot has begun designing jewelry pieces with some of the beads available through JTV and is currently posting her designs and personal notes about her journey on her blog. What an amazing success story! She started out like many creative people with a dream in her heart to find a way to follow her passion and create for a living.

Margot has written six jewelry related books and contributed to numerous other books and publications. She has been a Swarovski ambassador and accomplished so many other feats on her quest, Margot has truly become a role model for many other creative people.

This new JTV adventure is the icing on the cake and the hard work paying off! What a great way to showcase her talents! Below is an excerpt from her "Big Announcement" blog post. Congratulations Margot!!

"I have taken a full time position with JTV (Jewelry Television) assisting them with their Jewel School Program. My official title is Jewel School Education and Creative Coordinator. My job is going to evolve as the program expands. To start I'll be creating projects for and hosting DVDs, appearing in educational segments on-air, helping develop video and other content for their new website, writing articles and how to projects for their e-letter, social networking and being an all around jewelry making guru for their customers, which hopefully will include all of you!"

Jackpot Find at Tuesday Morning

I happened to pop into the liquidation store, Tuesday Morning, today following a routine Dr. appointment just to treat myself to something unexpected.

I'm not a huge shopper unless it's for beads or craft related items, so it's fun for me to shop for home goods without a plan.

I ended up finding a few interesting drinking glasses to add to the cupboard. We have a few that need to be retired.

Then...I hit the jackpot!! I noticed this package and picked it off the rack before realizing it was connected to 3 other bead packages as a grouping for $2.99. How cool is that?

Each package contains a different variety of mother of pearl beads! It was the last package so I headed to the checkout happy with my purchases!

This first pendant makes me want to pair an offwhite and light turquoise hemp cord for a choker with this hanging from it :)

Yay!

"Edible" Jewelry Projects

Why do I watch so much food TV? Cooking is not something that I do unless you count cutting fruits and veggies or opening packages.

I think I enjoy it so much because watching the creative process makes me happy whether it is sewing, cooking, knitting, crocheting, beading or crafting.

It's much easier to find TV shows on during the evening that have to do with cooking!

When I was working on my book, I designed a couple of projects inspired by my favorite foods and wondered if any of you have done the same. I'd love to hear about your food related jewelry projects!!

Today's bead was used in my salad bracelet as a lettuce leaf! My "salad" also included beads representing cucumber wedges, tomatoes and diced onions wired onto an actual fork as the bracelet form. :)

Art as Therapy

I recently started reading this art therapy blog that I came across while blog hopping.

I wanted to share their post from yesterday because as artists/designers/crafters we have the ability to not only help ourselves, but others as well through teaching and sharing.

In their post yesterday, the authors wrote,"We’re big proponents of utilizing the power of art and creativity for improving emotional and mental health".

Personally, just being around jewelry findings, art or craft supplies increases my well being.

Picking up a glue gun or some swarovski crystals sometimes makes me take a deep breath.

That's pretty enlightening...It's not a drug or a doctor, but often these things can have a similar effect.

Just recognizing there are these simple tools around is empowering! Run your hand through a container of crystals and see if you smile.

Here are a few of my favorite crystals... and if that doesn't help, there's always a smiley face bead out there just waiting for us! :)

New Beading Contest!!!

What a great way to start the week...a new BEADING CONTEST!!

Artbeads has announced their first ever ‘What Inspires You?’ jewelry contest!

The theme of Artbeads.com’s first beading contest is to let beading artists share their inspiration with others. There are two categories, necklaces and other beaded designs for this contest.

Voting will be open to the public to determine the top 3 winners in each category. A picture of the inspiration and design will allow the voters to see how each entry is represented.

The Grand Prize Winner in the Necklace and Beading contests will each receive a $500 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate, the 2nd Place winners will each receive a $250 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate and the 3rd Place winners will each receive a $100 Artbeads.com Gift Certificate.

This contest is open to beaders worldwide, aged 18 and older.

GOOD LUCK!! :)

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

Just in case you were looking for a little bit of fun including giveways, challenges, treasures and MORE...here you go! Have a great week everyone!! :)

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi fashions a new choker out of felt and a spectacular yard of ribbon.

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva Sewing is the hottest trend in crafting. Cindy shows how she incorporates sewing into her jewelry designs in this week's Wednesday Wire.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie picks up some treasures during an antique shopping weekend, some of which will be useful for craftiness!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Lorelei is hosting a beading challenge using some cool beads from Michaels, read the post to and learn how to participate! The More the Merrier!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! What inspires you? That is a question very near to Jean's heart. Therefore the latest competition from Artbeads is very exciting to Jean and will be to YOU, too! Furthermore, you could win five hundred dollars in beads! Check it out on Jean's blog!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Andrew hosts another great Thursday Giveaway! This week, you could win five, seasonally-inspired, fine silver charms from Melissa J. Lee!

About.com Jewelry Making Tammy has three new jewelry tutorials that incorporate fall jewelry colors.

Art Bead Scene Always looking to inspire, Art Bead Scene offers up another fabulous finding to use in your handmade artist bead designs!

Beading Arts Are you an animal lover? Cyndi designs a piece to remind her about the importance of slowing down and making time for the small ones in our life!

This Week's Project: Fall Artbeads.com Project

Well guys...here it is! As I mentioned in last Sunday's post, I had begun phase 1 of my fall beading project using beads selected from Artbeads.com.

I spent some time today finishing it up. Phase 1 involved a "focal" or top of the wrist piece made from swarovski briolette pendants and memory wire.

Phase 2 involved using gold toned beading wire and swarovski rounds tied onto the memory wire in groups of 3. After I had the first couple of groups of 3 done, I noticed how they were curving around from left to right, sort of like a winding road. I LOVED it!

I stuck with the pattern, but then I wasn't sure how to finish it with some kind of band for under the wrist. As soon as I tied it off, I realized this reminded me of a cornucopia or "horn of plenty" which represents the harvest of fall.

I started envisioning woven baskets containing the bounty (swarovski beads) and thought I could use knotted hemp cord as the basket.

It actually looked interesting when I decided to get out the fabric glue and glitter that I had bought specifically to glitter up hemp cord as I mentioned a couple weeks ago.

Well...this is the glittered effect with dangles, however, I might be re-doing the hemp band without dangles or glitter, I just haven't decided yet.

I just wore it to do a little shopping and loved the look of the swarovski bling AND even the fabric glitter!!

Stay tuned.... :)

This Week's Feature: Creating the Hive

I wanted to share a creative website instead of a featured designer this week because when I went over to this website (http://www.creatingthehive.com/) I discovered hundreds of "featured designers".

How fun! I just love stumbling across pockets of artists/crafters hanging out in their own little part of the internet world. At first it is like being a fly on the wall around the "in crowd". You are intrigued by them, but slightly intimidated.

I felt the same way when I first logged on to twitter and some of the beading related sites. From there, it's all about jumping in and waiting to "feel the love". If you start having fun and receive a warm welcome, it's like being accepted into the group. If you don't, you can just move along.

Don't you just love artists and crafters!! What in the world did we do without the internet?

I hope everyone is planning something fun and crafty for the weekend!! :)

Spreading the Craft-Night Fun

I have a huge favor to ask...

You might have read about the sort of-quarterly "craft nights" that I participate in with family and friends which usually consist of eating, drinking, crafting and being merry! (always at least one jewelry project)...

These earrings are one of the quick & easy jewelry crafts we made last weekend during our fall get-together.

My parents will be heading to Florida for the winter in January and there has been talk of a craft night taking place there among "other" friends. There might be someone there to teach a jewelry craft, but I would LOVE to be able to participate in craft night from Ohio.

So, here's the big favor.... Do you have any ideas on how to make that happen through web cam technology? Have you ever participated in a crafty "meet-up" via the web?

I don't think it would be difficult to pull off a web based craft night, and once we figure it out, we could invite lots of others, I am just not sure where to start.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!! :)

Amethyst Cubes

These cubes are 20x20mm flat glass beads in amethyst. They have some great colors in them from gray to pink depending on how the light hits them.

I bought these recently to see if I could decopauge some paper designs on them. Unfortunately, the paper designs are a little large so I need to scan them and shrink them down slightly.

The paper that I want to glue on is actually a paper wrapper from a fancy, nutritious chocolate candy called, "Xocai". I believe they are filled with antioxidants and other good for you things, but if you didn't know, you would just think it was a fancy piece of chocolate!

If you were a salesperson of these chocolates, wouldn't it be fun to be toting around a bracelet that looked like a strand of chocolate candies? Yummy!!

I'll let you know if we can pull this off!

Bead Trends Magazine Freebie!

I was getting re-energized this evening by scanning through bead blogs in the google reader and came across an interesting blog post by Bead Trends Magazine.

I just had to drop everything and share!! This is a magazine I see so many of my beading/blogger friends in. I just love the close-up photography that turns every jewelry piece into a fabulous work of art.

Bead Trends blog post:
"We are so happy to have so many new BeadTrends friends! For a limited time ALL BT FB Fans get a FREE 3 month digital subscription to Bead Trends! No strings attached. To claim your FREE subscription, simply visit bead trends on facebook, click "like" above and then send your Facebook name and email address to freesubscription@beadtrendsmag.com. Once confirmed, we will email you to let you know your subscription is active."

How exciting! I can't wait to see these magazines online! Hope to see you in the pages!! :)

Art Deco Vibe

What a cool, art deco vibe! This strand of beads came from Michael's and I love the vibe! These are the only ones I have left, but there were clear, jet, black diamond and light topaz originally.

They are just calling out to be in a right angle weave design with lots of dangles.

There was also a strand with a tear drop shape and many more facets. They were oh so sparkly. I'm afraid I took them all to craft night on Saturday and used them all up in our jewelry projects.

If you have a chance to get to Michael's make sure you check them out! If you are lucky, they will still be on sale! :)

Phase 1, Fall Bracelet Project

I have begun my fall bracelet project with my Artbeads.com crystals and memory wire. So far, I have completed phase 1 of the focal piece of the bracelet.

I have a few thoughts for the next steps and am looking forward to see if I can bring it all together as it is in my head. This is when it would be great to just connect a USB from my head to my computer and hit print! :)

I hope you were able to get some crafting in this weekend!!

By the way, I have a winner to announce for the Inspirational Beading Bracelet Tutorial Giveaway!! The lucky one is Nicole of "The Beadwright" blog. Yay! Thanks everyone so much for your comments!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Peace, Love & Bead Bloggers!

This post is a little early, but I am hoping to share a project for a later post on Sunday! I hope you are having a CRAFTY weekend!

About.com Jewelry Making For those who like immediate gratification jewelry, there's a new line coming to your local Michael's called Trinkettes.

Art Bead Scene The Art Bead Scene Carnival Bloggers write about renewal for September.

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Lorelei was able to watch a couple of cool videos from Ronna Sarvas Weltman, and reviews them this week on the blog

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean reviews a VERY cool DVD all about metal work, which is super great for beginners AND super inspiring for old hands at this type of jewelry creating and designing!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Andrew has another great Thursday Giveaway! Find out how you can win a Halloween-themed Trick or Treat Trios set of flexible beading wire from Soft Flex Company!

Beading Arts Auntie's Beads supplied some wonderful faux sea glass beads for Cyndi to use in a new design!

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi's new BELIEVE necklace starts out with a beaded embroidery.

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva To badly paraphrase Shakespeare, "the ring's the thing!"

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie mashes up two songs about school and growing up and uses it as inspiration for a mixed media necklace

Exciting New Beading Contest!

HAPPY FRIDAY! Yay!

Are you interested in winning gift certificates for beads?!

I know...seems like a silly question!! I just learned of a fun new beading contest from Mama's Minerals. Here are the details:

Mama's Minerals
We are having a beading contest! Our People's Choice Awards are an opportunity for you to showcase your best fall-themed beaded necklace, and to win some great prizes.

The public will have one month to vote online for their favorite piece from among a jury-selected pool of finalists. People’s Choice Awards will be given to 1st ($100), 2nd ($75), and 3rd ($50)place winners.

Eligibility:
Contest is open to all ages.
Theme requirements must be met (see below).
Applications must be completely filled out and include a photograph of artwork.
Final work must be entirely original, including the design (i.e. not from a magazine).
There will be a total number of fifteen (15) entries selected for online public voting.
The selection process will be juried. The jury will be composed of professional beaders/artists.
Only one total submission per artist.

GOOD LUCK!!! (and happy beading!)