It's time for me to admit it, my studio and jewelry designing area is a mess. My New Year's resolution is to clean it out and I mean REALLY clean it out!
I have alot of old inventory and one of a kind art beads just sitting here waiting to be used in a lovely design. I need to release them into the jewelry making environment! You know what that means....
I'll be having a HUGE inventory clearance and seconds sale on Saturday, January 9th, 2010 from 12am-12pm.
I'll also be online LIVE from 1pm-4pm on Saturday, January 9th.
And to entince you even more, my beady colleague, Melanie Brooks of Earthenwood Studio will be having a seconds sale and be online too! It's going to be so much fun!
Here's my latest set of goodies from the good people at Rings n Things. I added in a set of black keys I bought from Joanns. Just perfect for the bleeding heart style!
A Bead A Day There is still plenty of time to make some New Year's Eve jewelry! Lisa shares an eye catching bracelet using velvety hearts and chandelier-like egyptian crystals.
About.com Jewelry Making Yellow facted CZ fan pendants become gorgeous earrings with just a little chain.
Art Bead Scene It's the ABS annual 12 days of Christmas free projects. Twelve days of last minute holiday gifts!
Strands of Beads Melissa shares some whimsical lampwork artistry by Debi Cogwell.
The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Using a drilled resin piece from Lynn Davis and some filigree, Andrew creates a necklace paying homage to the faeryworld sanctuaries.
During my trip to NYC on Thanksgiving, we made the walk down to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree. We went down the first night we were in town and the platform was still around the tree. The next day, the platform was down and the tree was topped with the Swarovski crystal star.
I took some pictures but my camera battery died so I only got to shoot a few. Fortunately, many others were just as enamoured as I was. I chose my favorite videos from YouTube to give you a good sense of the experience.
One of my favorite things is when designers send me pictures of the pieces they've made with my beads. It's a thrill to see someone else's creativity sparked by something I've created. When I form the glass, I usually have ideas about how to use them but I'm constantly amazed at the variety of ways they are used by jewelrymakers - ways I've never even thought of.
The unique use of fiber is a hallmark of Mary Jane's work. The fiber introduces another level of texture to winterberries, reminding me that it's fibers that keep us warm in the winter.
Thank you for sending the picture Mary Jane and thank you for designing such a beautiful piece!
When a designer sends a picture to me, I upload it to a special flickr account where others can see these amazing designs. If you're ever wondering what can be done with any of my beads, you can see it on flickr. Maybe it'll spark your creativity - it does mine!
If you've designed with my handmade glass beads, please send me a picture! It's one of my favorite things!
More of my favorite things today - Vintaj brass rings! I've borrowed the photos from the Vintaj website and included links to Artfire and Etsy if you fall in love with them like I did.
I'm most in love with the multi tiered donut pendant. I've made a necklace with it and my bronze Stile Floreal pieces. that's just waiting to be photographed. The tiers enhance the bronze pieces just perfectly!
But I had to have the Tim HoltzWord Keys. I have a collection of vintage skeleton keys but I'm not quite able to alter them. The Word Keys are just the thing - I can alter them all I want and they have such meaningful words on them. ,
Do you have a favorite thing for your jewelry that you've borrowed from another craft?
I've got a pile of jewelry to photograph and ideas for blog posts but healthcare has been preoccupying my head space lately. Yes, it's in the news and it's a hot political topic but that's not why I'm thinking about it. Since TBC left his job and went into his own business, we've had a tour of the U.S. healthcare system going from company sponsored insurance to COBRA to paying completely out of pocket (with a premium equal to a house payment) and now to a "national plan" which has left me with a stack of medical bills to pay while they determine any "pre-existing conditions." I feel like a reflection of the political discussion going on right now.
I wish I weren't.
I'm coming to terms with the fact that health insurers are there to make money, doctors are there to make money, drug companies are there to make money and my husband's business is there to make money so the costs are passed to us, to me. I could talk here about how I don't think a for profit healthcare system is effective but the point is moot. I've just got to wrap my head around it.
Essentially, I pay a monthly premium out of my paycheck but for what? Paying a premium is like buying into a group rate. The insurance company has negotiated a price for health services. Paying for insurance allows me get their negotiated rate. I pay their rate on top of my premium - or as the insurance company explains, a deductible like car insurance. It's called "high deductible health insurance." My health services deductible is $5200 for a family. So here's another bill to add to the family budget - $5200 for healthcare in addition to the monthly $450 taken out of my paycheck.
I see your eyes glazing over like mine. I'm not trying to explain healthcare so much as I'm trying to explain how it effects Joe and Jane Schmoe.
The insurance company says it's a good thing because we'll all be careful and look for the most reasonable priced healthcare. The word reasonable usually means cheap.
Scary thought that keeps me up at night. What happens when the most reasonably priced healthcare isn't what's right for you?
I need to go for an MRI because of migraines. I've got claustrophobia and need a completely open MRI. Not every place has one so you know it'll cost more. But first, I've got to call around, price the options and then see if I can afford it.
This holiday, I think I'll ask for an MRI for Christmas. Do you think they'll wrap it?
I hope my readers will excuse me for being a bit pre-occupied - you can see why. But, I'm still here making beads and jewelry and drinking coffee with you.
So now that my kvetching is over, thanks for listening by the way, chatting over coffee always reminds me of one of my favorite SNL skits, Coffee Talk with Linda Richman - she's like butta!
A Bead A Day If you find yourself in need of a quick holiday gift, don't overlook memory wire! With this simple design, you can make one for all your friends.
About.com Jewelry Making Thinking of making some beaded ornament covers? Then you'll need to know the size bulb to use too.
Art Bead Scene It's the first day of Art Bead Scene's annual Twelve Days of Free Projects!
Barbe Saint John Barbe gets all steamy over the new Steampunk Style book!
Beading Arts Cyndi shares a new tutorial featuring one of Earthenwood Studio's fabulous new pendants!
The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton Each representing a different spectrum of lampwork glass, Andrew shares the new additions to his bead collection from two different artists.
I should be drying my hair this morning instead of writing a blog post, the back of my hair will do it's weird wavy thing it does like in this picture of me in the Modern Art Museum (MoMa) in NYC over Thanksgiving - if I don't. But I'm throwing caution to the wind and writing it anyways!
I'd never seen it in person. It's a very large piece, vivid and lively.
I saw lots of art that day at MoMa and I'll share more with you throughout the week. There's so much to talk about I don't feel I can do it justice in one post.
Besides, I've really gotta go and dry my hair, I feel it curling up and it's getting time to go to work.
Uh-oh - I just looked at the time - I've REALLY gotta go!
I'm sponsoring this month's Art Bead Scene Challenge which is a Lee Krasner painting. I chose it because I wanted to see more female artists in the challenge - so I went looking for one. Married to Jackson Pollock, she was overlooked yet she created an impressive body of work. I was able to see this month's painting in person when it traveled to my hometown as part of the Action/Abstraction exhibition last spring.
"It's been said that without Lee Krasner, who for a time kept her volatile husband sober and productive, there wouldn't have been a Jackson Pollock. But without Jackson Pollock, there might have been a more self-confident, centered Lee Krasner."
I think the movie,"Pollock" did a great job portraying this part of Krasner's life.
My husband's grandfather was an alcoholic and his only child, my mother in law, did a heroic job trying to keep him alive and paid a high price for it. I believe Krasner did the same for Pollock.
Her personal life may have been draining, but her creative life survived thankfully.
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society, New York. Above:'Shellflower' (1947)
The color in her abstract paintings are lovely but I'm particularly enamoured of her later work. The Seasons in the Whitney Museum of American Art is particularly lovely and voluptuous.
I didn't know much about Lee Krasner when I chose Untitled for the ABS December Monthly Challenge. My interest had been piqued when I saw the movie Pollock - I loved the independence and the struggle. I wanted to know more and now I've shared that with you.
Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! The ever breathtaking beadmaker Kim Miles pulls out all the stops for the Holidays and gift giving. But that is not all! If you have the "secret word" on the secret day" every week, you get a fab discount!
Going through my Grandmother's jewelry many years ago and trying to decide what I wanted to keep, I selected a classic design made with cable chain and crystals. I blogged about her necklace before focusing on the staple setting for each crystal.
It's a simple necklace, cable chain, spring clasp and crystals. Looks to me as if the chain and settings for the crystals were plated or maybe gilded but I can't tell for sure. It's very small too, 14 and 1/2 inches, made for a very young woman I assume. My maternal grandmother was married at age 14 and I imagine she could have worn a small necklace.
After drooling over the Cubic Zirconia Beads from Artbeads, I realized the crystals in Grandma's necklace were similar. Using her necklace as inspiration, I designed an edgey, modern version of the necklace for the bleeding heart.
I used cable chain like my grandmother's but smaller and in sterling silver. I alternated the red and black cubic zirconias and faced the pointed side of the stones outwards giving the necklace an edgey, spikey feel. To soften the edgeyness a bit, I added four vintage stylized red hearts to the end of the string of cubic zirconias.
Both necklace styles show off how versatile cubic zirconias are, they can be classic or combined into an edgey look. Viva la Cubic Zirconia!
I'm back from vacation - didn't know I was gone, huh? Well, I don't like to announce to the cyberworld my house will be empty for a few days. Later on, I'll upload my own pictures but I wanted to tell you where I'd been.
NYC!
Yup we did the Thanksgiving Day parade and all that madness. Never did it before and wanted to experience it. (Can you say "Bucket List?")
What can I say? It was fun and fabulous - Broadway plays, museums and hitting some special jewelry/bead places!
About.com Jewelrymaking It's is so easy to get into the holiday spirit when you have the perfect lampwork beads to get you there. Just think of all the jewelry possibilities.
Art Bead Scene Are you a Twilight Fan? If yes, then check out the Twilight inspired jewelry on the Art Bead Scene!
Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva It's Double Dippin' Week - a week full of ideas for the Double Dips. Try a necklace and become "Entwined."
Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie gives her review of Enchanted Adornments, and gives a reminder to enter teh Art Bead Scene monthly challenge for your chance to win a copy of it and some other great beads, including new Earthenwood beads!
Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Ah, Etsy! So many of our problems solved by visiting Etsy for gifts for our dearest friends at this time of year. Take a look at this premade pendant, which also comes in a kit so you can teach yourself if you prefer. It's all jump rings and it's all beautiful. The Alchemist's Star!
Strands of Beads Melissa is thankful for generous friends - who share their beading supplies!
Right about now you're wondering what this has to do with my bead commitment issues? These pieces are laying right in front of me now, I've figured out about 100 designs I could make with them but I can't get myself to commit to a permanent design for them.
I love holding them in my hands and reading the oh-so-pithy phrases on the back. They're like little bits of magic. So maybe it's not so bad afterall to want to keep them loose so they be held and read and carried in my pocket so I always have a bit of a woodland fairy's magic with me.
I can't get enough of the Through the Looking Glass Charms. Introducing "Alice Blue" wrapped in oxydized silver colored wire! The oxydized silver wire lends a Victorian feel to the glass nugget yet it's grey color is neutral and can combine with a variety of metals in your jewelry.
Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie shows the piece she made for the new book Chain Style, and talks about her struggles with letting go of her published jewelry pieces.
Jewelry & Beading Gather up some little beaded flowers and turn them into a very special necklace!
Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Artbeads teamed up with Nintendo DS to create a fantastic virtual learning game for jewelry lovers! Style Lab! Jean shows it off in a youtube clip! FUN for the HOLIDAYS!
Strands of Beads Melissa discusses the virtue of buttons in jewelry-making
Inspiration hit and I took advantage of it. Out came this sweet little adjustable ring made of my favorite Double Dip - Tahitian Plum and Pink. I've sealed the ring so your skin is protected. Ring can be adjust for up to size 8. I haven't had time to put it up on my Art Fire but if you like it, it's yours - just use the Buy It Now below:
Tahitian Plum Double Dips go so well with antiqued brass so I made a circle pendant with them. I twisted the teardrops of the double dip so they were hugging each other. Small gauge brass wire patinas very quickly so I had to be very careful not to overdo it. The result is a new 18 inch necklace that looks vintage and is called "Entwined." Hold onto the good things in life, those you love and dear friends.
I want to keep the Double Dips ideas coming. Here are the original Double Dips:
I have to admit to an addiction to the Italian made coral colored glass. It usually striates in the flame and produces a varigated coral colored bead. So I selected the coral colored Double Dip to make charms.
Materials:
1 Double Dip in Coral
Tools:
Round nose pliers Flush cutters that will cut up to 18 ga wire Chainnose pliers Optional: steel bench block and chasing/planishing hammer
Directions:
1. Cut the Double Dip in the middle so you have equal length.
2. Make a wrapped loop using the round nose pliers. Please note the 18 gauge wire is dead so it's easy to wrap.
3. Optional: Hammer the loop a couple of times on each side to work harden.
The 18 gauge copper wire gives these charms an ethnic feel. If you're not inclined or unable to make your own Double Dip Charms, these are available!
Payday! Ahhh, I mean I got a goody bag from Rings n Things. Ok, I'm being sarcastic about the payday because I've written before about how I can't pay the bills with beads - but hold on, now that I think about it, I've never actually TRIED to negotiate beads-as-payment terms with the electric company and there is a precedent for it. Isn't it said that Manhattan was "bought" for $24 worth of beads? Beads have been legal tender but I digress, on to the beady-goodness I received last week.
I chose my favorites out of the Rings n Things goody bag sent to the Bead Bloggers. Can I say I'm in love with the wooden chain? How cool is that? My creative wheels are turning.
