Linky Love

The writing and art of Andrew thornton. Beadfest Philadelphia was packed with talented artisans and bead-makers. See what Andrew picked out!

About.com Jewelry Making Do you use blogging to promote your jewelry business? Tammy has some thoughts for you on this.

Earthenwood Studio Chronices Melanie shows off some fun experiments that she has seen coming out of her studio, mixing copper and pewter

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi uses shrink plastic to make a neat little bracelet.

Jewelry & Beading Looking ahead to the fall, Cyndi shows how to make a new necklace called "Autumn Arbor".

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Lorelei is hosting a Necklace Round Robin, but you have to leave a comment to be entered to win a spot!

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva Cindy unveils a new series of Art Nouveau inspired beads. In French it's known as "Stile Floreal" and in English it's the "Floral Style."

A Bead A Day Have you ever used sterling silver curly-Q tubes in your jewelry designs?? Lisa is searching for cool ideas for these adorable tubes.

Art Bead Scene Art Bead Scene expands the editorial staff and welcomes Lorelei Eurto!

Crafty Princess Diaries Check out this unusual call for entries the Crafty Princess found for Momiji doll lovers.

Crystal Disk Necklace Idea

Check out this new necklace idea! I got this beautiful (giant!) CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements disk from Artbeads and considered some different options for hanging it. Make a wire-wrapped bail? Make a beaded bail with beading wire? Decisions, decisions. In the end, I decided to go with an intricate bail and a simple necklace...

I'm on a roll with tubular peyote stitch lately. I like it for this project because it stays nice and flat against the front of the pendant. I used matte silver Toho treasure beads and WildFire thread to make the bail. It worked up really quickly. I planned to string it pearls and crystals, but this copper chain was on my desk and caught my eye...you know the rest of the story. I wouldn't have otherwise thought of this combo but I think it really works!

Once the necklace was finished, the earrings were a snap. Same combination of copper and silver metal with the CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements ring beads. Maybe this is my interpretation of steampunk? A little bit punk but a little bit glam, too.

Beaded Picture Frame

I just noticed that my Aloha Flower Frame is one of the new projects in the Interweave Press Store. It looks like most of the projects from my book, Hip to Bead, are available for individual download at $4 each.

The felt flower on this frame is an applique that you glue together and then decorate with a little bit of stitching. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm no pro at sewing, so if I can do it, so can you! The flower makes a fun surface embellishment or you could use it as a pin or a magnet.

BTW, that's my sis-in-law, Amber, holding our dog, Finn, when he was just a pup. He's 80 pounds now and still thinks he's a lap dog!

Linky Love

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Come join the fun in Philadelphia this weekend at Beadfest! Stop by the Green Girl Studios booth to say hello to Andrew and check out all the great new things available!!!

A Bead A Day Creating a "tiara" for your wrist is easy using Jill MacKay beading components and bicone crystals.

About.com Jewelry Making Check out my beautifully organized list of mixed-media book reviews and find the perfect book to help you mix up your jewelry making.

Art Bead Scene Art Bead Scene gets green findings at the local re-use store.

Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi has a short demo on how she came up with a contest entry.

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva What do bronze and rawhide have in common? Cindy explains how she uses both in her studio.

Earthenwood Studio Chronices Melanie contemplates taking risks, making changes, and creative experimentation to prevent art burnout.

Jean Campbell Jean's whipped up a free vintage button brooch project for you to try.

Jewelry & Beading Cyndi wants to know, what's the best thing you've made so far this summer?

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio Take a peek into Lorelei's studio and see some cool bead storage solutions!

Strands of Beads Melissa reveals her Use the Muse II Entry, "Briar Rose."

Free Beading Project: Glitter Chic Choker

Hooray! My Glitter Chic Necklace is one of the featured downloads on Beading Daily today. Editor Michelle Mach says, "Daisy chain can sometimes look too juvenile, so I was delighted by Katie's sophisticated version with a combination of gray, brown, and black seed beads and a crystal star toggle clasp." Thanks, Michelle!

The pendant is interchangeable - I used a stick bail from Cool Artwear - and makes it possible to create as many variations as you can dream up. I had fun experimenting with different combos for this version. It's all about mixed patterns in the same color palette!

To change the pendant, you just switch out the beaded sticks. I also did a version using a chic crystal and peace sign combination, which you'll see when you download the pdf.

This is a companion project to my column in the October/November issue of Beadwork. In every issue, I showcase cool beading products with clever tips on how to use common materials in unconventional ways. This month's feature is unusual bails. Check it out!

Create Your Style Ambassadors

I just found out that Create Your Style with CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements has created a new web page for all of the ambassadors. You can view it here! While you're there, check out all of the great design ideas, download a free color chart and visit the Sparkling Community.

They asked us some personality questions for our ambassador profiles. It's always a hoot to see what people to say to these types of questions:

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Val says: Creative, hopeless romantic, slightly disorganized
What would you definitely take with you on a lonely island?
Fernando says: sunblock lotion
Jean says: Food. Lots of food.
What is the first thing at the day you usually do?
Kristal says: Bless the day with deep gratitude, then coffee!
What is your motto of life?
Margot says: Life is short, be sparkly!

What would you say?

Q&A: Beading Inspiration

Q: I've often wondered how your inspiration comes to you. Do you just get all your beads out and stare at them and play with them or do you sketch? Just curious! - Lisa from A Bead A Day blog

A: Yes and yes. I do get inspired by the materials themselves, so I keep a lot of good stuff in my beading stash. That way, I can get them out and experiment with different bead combinations. Sometimes, too, an idea will come to me for a particular design, so I draw a rough sketch and then try to create it.

This design was a little bit of both. I wanted to create a tassel necklace with multiple colors of beading wire, so I had to find a bead that would allow for so many strands to pass through it. Luckily, I had the perfect Venetian glass lentil bead in my collection. I drew the crystal colors from the lentil, which was easy, because they are some of my favorites: indicolite, Pacific opal and crystal copper. Get the complete materials list and instructions here. I kept the rest of the necklace simple because the tassel is such a dramatic focal point.

Upcoming Workshops

I spent last week (when I wasn't feeding the baby) preparing my class proposals for next year's Bead & Button Show. I got some good feedback from my students this year about what's important to them in a class and tried to apply that to my new proposals...cool project, interesting technique, value of class & kit, etc. I always struggle a little bit with what I'll want to teach a whole year from now! It will be interesting to see which ones the Bead & Button folks choose. They get so many submissions, I don't know how they can sort it all out. I promise to share as soon as I know anything.

Until then, check out my upcoming classes for BeadFest Portland: Black Diamond Chain and Crystal Scallop Bracelet. I used to live in Portland and am super excited to head back there for BeadFest in September. There are still seats available in both of my classes - hope to see you there!