Monday, April 30, 2007

Design Flexibility = hair bling!


A good design is flexible - take the spirals for instance. I posted a few in my etsy shop and got an inquiry about altering them just slightly. The customer wears her hair in dreadlocks and she liked the spirals but wanted them open at the top and bottom in order to twist around her dreads. What a great suggestion! To wear them as jewelry, it's best to have the ends closed so the spirals will stay on a stringing material - but as hair bling - the ends need to be open!

Another great customer suggestion - and it's about wearing the beads in your hair! Hmm, do I sense a trend?

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Tuckered out.....


I'm back from Beadfiesta and tuckered out!! I did two shows two weeks apart and now it's catching up with me! Standing so long on my feet on the concrete floor at Beadfiesta has made my heel sore. I'm sitting as I type with it on a bag of ice trying to bring down the swelling. It's cold, it's wet but ooohhh soooo sooothing!!

I'm throwing a baby shower for a friend of mine on Sunday. I'm having a ball running around buying everything I see for her - my son is 15 and I'd forgotton how cute those little booties and onsies are! The best thing I've bought so far is a book for the Mom to be entitled "Motherhood is not for sissies!"

Can I get an "Amen?"

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Customer suggestions....

I love the suggestions I get from customers. If you make a suggestion to me, it will usually appear in my work. The Lime green spirals today are a good example. I had a customer suggest and request an "even twist" spiral bead. So I made one for her. I liked the idea so much, I've created even twists in other colors. I'm loving this lime green - the opaque glass shows off the texture in the spirals so well!

So, don't be hesitant about making a suggestion - I love to hear from you!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Beadfiesta! Monticello, NY


I've re-stocked from Urban Glass and am ready! I've got more spirals in lots of colors! Beadfiesta is this weekend in Monticello, New York - click on the title above for details!

I love the name - Beadfiesta! Sounds like fun! I feel like a Mariachi band should be playing in the background! I love the show hosts - Mac Arts they're friendly and treat the vendors well!

Hope to see you there!!

Sunday, April 08, 2007

What to do with a large holed mandrel?


lathe rings, originally uploaded by arthurjewelry.

While staring at your mandrels, do you ever wonder - what kind of bead besides a large disk, can I make with a large holed mandrel? Cruising Flickr this morning, I found Arthur Hash's lathe rings. Hmmm...it just says large holed mandrel to me! Take this as inspiration and see if you can create the spirit of his look with a large holed mandrel! When you do, send me picture and I'll post them here on the blog. This is a quickie - ya got until April 30th!

Thursday, April 05, 2007

A month full of Challenge!!




April is my Challenge month! First, is the Beadwork Challenge. The Spirals debuted via the Challenge and have been very well received. They're available at Cindy Gimbrone Beads. Next is the Art Bead Scene Challenge. I've taken the ABS monthly challenge as inspiration. I've created birds taking flight - a sculptural bead that I've never made before. These turned out well - there are blue birds, white doves (love birds) and cherry head parrots for some vivid color! If you'd like to purchase any of these birds - drop me an email. Prices range from $8.00 - $50.00.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

ABS Announces Monthly Challenge!


Myself and some fabulous bead/button makers have banded together to create Art Bead Scene. Art Bead Scene (ABS) is an interactive blog with the goal of uniting bead artists of all materials and the jewelry designers who use art beads in their work. An art bead is a bead, charm, or component made by an independent artist. To us, art beads are incredible, tiny works of art made by hand from the finest materials by some of the best artists in this country and around the world. I'm so excited to be a part of this group of fabulous beadmakers!

ABS introduces the first Monthly Bead Theme! This month's theme is Taking Flight. Let your imagination soar to interpret the challenge. You might be inspired by flying creatures, flying objects, the sky and air, or anything that makes you think of flight!

Any handmade object qualifies. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. Beads by themselves DO NOT qualify.

Go to Art Bead Scene for details on how to enter.

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Upgrading and fingerless gloves....



A new oxygen generator arrived at my door on Friday. It's phase one of upgrading my studio equipment. Tomorrow, I'm getting on the phone to order a larger torch. I've been talking about upgrading for a year - exactly. Last Urban Glass Bead Expo, I was asking all of the other lampworkers what torch they used, how did they work , etc. etc. I've been doing that for a year now all the while saving up some money to buy. Tomorrow is the day!

I crocheted myself a cotton fingerless glove to wear while torching - it protects my hand from the infrared that comes from the torch - makes a big difference. I had to crochet it short in the fingers so that the mandrel doesn't get caught up in the glove while I'm turning the bead. Love it!