Ornament Thursday!

Art Bead Scene
Dragonflies are all the rage, art beads & brass combine in a 1920's inspired necklace.

Beading Help Web's Dragonfly Anklet
Make this cute anklet for summer in just minutes!

Humblebeads
Flying to a fashionable ear near you, a free project from Humblebeads.

Katie's Beading Blog
Make a fun little winged thing from a handful of wire and beads.

Linda at Make It Mine Magazine
Make your own dragonfly top--check out the instructions and video!

Savvy Crafter
See some cute as a bug pins over on Candie's blog....

Swell Designer
You'll get butterflies when you see this summer-inspired necklace with butterfly pendant

The insects are out
Insects are crawling out and about at http design this month as Helen and Michelle get clay happy with some cool designs.

Going Green in the Glass Studio

Going green is becoming widespread in the art community. My studio has always been "green." There are lots of things I do to be eco-friendly. Let's start with glass. I strive to use or re-use all of my glass into beads or some kind of glass piece. Beads that have rough beadholes either are strung into garden art or they are slumped in the kiln to become a cabachon. Left-over bits of the glass rod are fused into texture pendants or beads.

I love it when a glass supplier sends supplies I've ordered in recycle-able materials. Just this week, Double Helix Glass sent an order in corrugated paper - a very eco friendly material, it will go easily into my recycle bin.

Shocking Bookstore Discovery! Time to Switch it up!

I've been on creative burst since January - Heartz n Skullz, Modern Glass Links, Rainbow Spiral, Bling Links, Chained Links, Modern Folk Bird and now what?





I've crashed.

When I crash, one of the things I do is go to the bookstore and check out the new craft books. I love books and have a large selection of bead literature - it inspires me. I drove the extra distance to go to the extra large bookstore because they carry a large selection of jewelry and beading books along with my yarn addiction, crochet and needle felting.

As I approached the crafts section - excited to go through the 4-5 shelves of jewelry/beading books - I was shocked to discover only 2 shelves of jewelry/beading books. Three shelves had been added to the - gasp - knitting section!

It's official, folks - jewelry and beading as the popular, "in" craft is over.

It's not dead, it's just not the popular up and coming craft now.

The good news is jewelry and beading will be more innovative and personal from now on. My default inspiration to the beading/jewelry section will have to change - that's a good thing - time to switch it up! Look for inspiration in art and photography - no problem, that section is just a shelf over in the bookstore!

Have the paparazzi discovered my identity?

I've been lurking in the ABS Neigborhood to report the goings on there - but I think the angry mob has found me out!

The only thing I can do it hide in my studio this week and share the environmentally friendly tips I've been developing. I'll also share with you the shocking discovery I made at the bookstore last week!

In the meantime, I've got to run for cover - darn paparazzi won't leave me alone

Super hero beads?

Here she is, Wonder Woman. The updated modern vixen version. Wonder Woman was one of my mother's favorites and it was she who showed me the Wonder Woman comics when I was a kid. I voraciously read her comic books and most other comic books I could get my hands on. I read old ones from the 1930's and the "current" ones from the early 1970's. No one was better than Wonder Woman in my eyes.

Look at Wonder Woman, she's got jewelry and make up on while she's saving humanity. As a kid, I didn't think too much of the jewelry but today I see it as inspiration. So many empowered women are wearing tiaras and fluffy boas and saying it's girl power. I love a tiara but the whole petite woman in pink running around asserting herself while poking people with her wand doesn't fit me. I'm no fairy princess in spike heels. I'm more of the Wonder Woman type - with the broad wide headband and crystal in the middle. Using a wide head band because she's got thick, wavy hair that doesn't want to stay in place. That's my role model - Wonder Woman.

She needs to be on a bead don't you think?

Re-stocking or Addiction?

I jumped out of bed this morning and ran to the computer - Darn! Too early to put in my order for the new color available from DoubleHelix Glass. Good lordy - why in the world does a new glass color cause so much excitement?


Take a look at this glass, it's call "Triton." Cool, huh? Can't you just see the beads made of this glass?

I tell myself I'm re-stocking.

True, I'm running low on Psyche and I'm allowing myself to "re-stock" every two months in order to stay within budget.



Ooo-ahhh look at the colors in Psyche! The iridescence in the purple is so lovely in person, this picture just doesn't do it justice. How can I let myself run out of it?!?

If I'm honest, I think it's a glass addiction and not true re-stocking.

Why?

Because I was in the local stained glass shop buying more sheet glass for my fused cabs. I haven't actually MADE one of them since my handpainted Red ART flower necklace.



But bUt BuT... I AM working on new cabs and didn't have any clear to cap off the tops.

(insert graphic of me hanging head in shame here)

Yep, that's one of the stages of addiction: denial.

Is there a twelve step for glass addiction?

Bloggers Unite! My Pet Cause: Food Banks

Digressing off the beading path today to post as part of Bloggers Unite! Bloggers are posting on their favorite human rights cause. Mine is hunger in the U.S. The U. S. is a wealthy country yet there are U.S. citizens who don't have enough money to put food on the table. No one should be hungry, especially in the U.S. where we have so much. In my local area, the child poverty rate is 20% - that's 20% too much. So, I'm urging you to donate to your local Food Bank. You can find a local Food Bank through Second Harvest. Don't let your neighbor go hungry.

Working.....

Working in the studio today - you'll forgive me if I don't have time to talk. I need to finish on some beads and take some pictures so I can put MF Bird up on the website.

New Bead: Modern Folk Bird

I've been working on a new set/series of beads and after obsessing over the details, my new beads are ready to be adopted!

Inspired by Modern Art and Textile Designs, the Modern Folk Bird reflects nature and modern art.

Details, details, details

I've opened the doors to my creative process over at ABS Studio Saturday. Come on over and see how I obsess over details!

BIM!! Sewing Saga....

Cool news! While surfing Twitter to add new people, I found Buffalo Indie Market - I'm excited to see the Handcrafted Indie movement taking root here - Buffalo is such a great place for it! YAY! I've sent an inquiry and would love to vend - I think the Heartz n Skullz series is the perfect for an indie/edgey market, don't you? Well, while I'm waiting to hear from BIM I'm deep in sewing the cosplay.

Cosplay: short for "costume play" is a Japanese subculture centered on dressing as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games (from Wikipedia.org).

I'm working on the costume for Anime North for the teen. I'm halfway through the yellow hooded shirt.



Admittedly, I was worried about the sewing. I haven't sewn anything in 18 years and I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Once I started the machine - it was like riding a bike - a much better bike mind you, but it all came back.

While I'm sewing this morning, I'll be heating up the kiln to do a few fused glass pieces. I'm in the middle of the altered art glass and want to get those done.

Beading on a Budget: Online Tutorials

Here's Beading on a Budget tip: Looking for a video tutorial? I found a great website besides You Tube: How To TV Online. I came across it yesterday while surfing for fringe tutorials. Do as I did and sign up immediately!

Fringey Glass Links?

Dang that Michelle Mach! I read her post on fringe and since then, I've had fringe on the brain! Now I want to make some fringe and use up MY seed bead stash - believe me, I have alot more than Michelle's tiny stash. I need to use it up. Glass links and fringe are made for each other!

So this morning, I'm hunting for online tutorials for fringe. The internet is surprisingly sparse on fringe tutorials. Here are a couple I've come across:

Coral or Branch Fringe

Leafy Vine Fringe

Here's and online book I found with several fringe techniques Guide to Beadwork

Maybe a trip to the bookstore is in order? Do you know of any good books that include techniques on fringe?

Skully Kidz Reciting Poetry in the ABS Neighborhood!

The Heartz n Skullz Gang otherwise known as Skully Kidz have walked to the Art Bead Scene Neighborhood park today.




The ABS Neighbors don't like them even though the Skully Kidz do no harm and simply lay in the grass reciting their poetry to Skully Kid's Little Brother, the Desperate ABS Neighbors make a snap judgement and think their clothes mean the Kidz are going to cause mischief in the neighborhood.



Let's speak up for the Heartz n Skullz Gang! Tell the ABS Neighbors they're good kidz - leave a comment and tell me how you'd defend them :-)

Plug Ur Bud: Heather of Humblebeads

I've got awesome beadmaking friends! I created the "Plug Ur Bud" post just to brag about them! Heather makes awesome polymer clay art beads. Here's her newest creation, sea urchins. Cool huh? Even cooler is her necklace is the cover shot for BeadStyle magazine this month!

Whoo Hoo! Way to go, Heather! She's cool, huh?

Sorry, she's MY friend, you can't have her!

But you can have her beads.