Esther Beadwork in a Trunk Show

Esther Beadwork will be participating in a trunk show at Art Sea Living Studio in Boynton Beach, FL.  Located in the Winn Dixie plaza on the corner of Federal Highway and Woolbright (next to JoAnn Fabrics).  The exhibit dates are Friday, November 2 from 5-9 for meet the artist and wine and cheese and Saturday, November 3 from 10-6.  Many other exhibitors will be there also to display art and product.  Make an effort to attend this event.  It really is a nice venue...and you can get your nails done next door!

Crystal and Pearl Bracelet Class

This simple and beautiful bracelet will be offered as a class on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 at 7:00 pm.   Contact me via email for further information regarding this class or post on this site.  kimleahy@estherbeadwork.com

Kumihimo and Russian Leaves Lariat

Classes begin for the instruction of this piece on Wednesday, November 7 at 7:00 pm.  Cost of the class is $90 and it runs for 4 weeks.  Each week a new technique will be taught culminating with putting all the components together for a finished product.

Please contact me via this blog or email me at kimleahy@estherbeadwork to sign up, ask questions, etc.

This is one of the most fun classes that I have given.  Not only will you enjoy learning several new techniques, but you will get to really know some neat ladies as you bead together for a month.  A fifth week to learn the flowers is optional and will be offered for an additional $20 after the 4 weeks.

This photo is the same technique you will be learning, just different components are used.  You can see how different one will look from the other with just a difference in a few components.

PRODUCTS...the good, the bad and the ugly...

The market for beading products is almost as overwhelming as the beads themselves.  There are hundreds of containers to organize your product, threads, glues, mats, scoops, cutters, needles, etc.  I think I could write something about each product and blog for about a month.

I will give you my opinion, and hopefully many of you will write back with your likes and dislikes of certain products.  This helps beaders buy, so let your voice be heard.

I like things simple.  If you have ever been to my house, I have 2 appliances on my kitchen counter.  A coffee maker and a toaster oven.  I don't particularly care for gimmicky products, so many times unless another beader says you "must" have this, I usually shy away from many products.

My favorites (and this is just my opinion...so please share yours) are:

#1, the metal triangle bead scoop.  One of my students bought one for everyone in class one day, and I absolutely cannot live without it.  I have to say, my bin of beads that I refused to separate after a project and just dumped them all together has not gotten any larger since receiving this awesome gift.  It makes separating and putting away everything you dumped out so easy!

#2, the foam bead mat.  This inexpensive product rocks!  I resisted this for some strange reason but once I used it, like the triangle sorter, I was hooked.  Round out the edges on the square ones to avoid your thread catching on the mat and dumping your product all over.  You can cut these to fit your storage and take along boxes.  A great, great product.

#3, the thread zapper.  Ok, I will admit I truly thought this was so gimmicky.  I poo-pooed it and being stubborn, continued to ruin 10 more pairs of scissors and  a few cutters.  Then when every student in my class one day showed up with them, I decided to give it a try.  Well, needless to say, this is a great product.  No more whiskers in my work!  That alone is worth a fortune!  And batteries are much cheaper than scissors.

#4, E6000 in the small tubes.  This glue is wonderful, but the large tubes have a tendency to glob up after a while and I find I waste a lot.  The small 0.18 oz. tubes are perfect as you actually use all the glue before it gobs up.

Many of you have shared your favorites with me personally, please post them and tell everyone!

Oh, ugly products?  Right now, cannot think of any...You?

Blues Show Piece

My first piece for the "Blues" show at the Columbia Arts Gallery.  It's funny, I have the book Beaded Opulence by Marcia DeCoster, and she has a beautiful piece like this.  I had not set out to copy her, and I didn't even look at the book; however, it did seem to take on a life of it's own and ended up looking very similar to her design.

The rope is bead crochet and the embellishments are right angle weave added to the rope.  I am entering it in the Blues show because I remember winters in Michigan where the sky is almost a dirty brown color and then some random bit of blue would show through just to tease you into thinking nice weather was coming.

Crochet ropes can be tedious; however, they are a great
"take along" project.  You don't have to worry about beads getting dumped all over when traveling.  I worked on much of this sitting in waiting rooms with my kids at doctor and orthodontist appointments...every minute is bead time, right?!

Beaders Block

We have ALL had it...well I assume so anyway.  We all hope it doesn't happen too often as it ruins our art fun!  What can you do?  I am not an expert, but I have a few things that work for me and a few points that other beaders have shared with me.

Myself and a few beady friends...we play with our beads.  We organize them, put them in new containers, tiddy up our work area, clean out bead bins and before you know it you "found" a great bead, a lost focal that gives you new inspiration, a pretty seed bead you purchased and never used....it's endless.

Other ideas I have heard are going to art shows, museums, etc. to be around art and find inspiration.  Spending time in a fabric, craft, yarn or paint store to observe colors.  Walking on the beach, in nature to enjoy the colors we are given.

I remember one time digging through a bin of sale beads (there is inspiration right there), and some of the bags were broken and many beads lay on the bottom of the bin...the color combination was awesome!  I ran home and made a bracelet just on the color alone.

What gets your juices flowing?  What breaks that block?  It may even be walking away for a few days...(oh the horrors of that thought).  Share your ideas with us by commenting below.

I am working on a lariate with blues in it...for an art show themed "Winter Blues"...and I must be inspired because I cannot see the top of my work area!!!

Obsidian Obscession

Yesterday I sent out an email to my bead show contacts stating I was going to use Facebook more to reach customers and to please "like me"...(you know, high school re-lived via the internet) and one very insightful lady asked why I didn't write on my blog more.  Well, outside of being lazy (okay beading instead of writing), I hadn't done or experienced anything note worthy in my opinion...she disagreed, so I am going to write more.  

She asked if I was going to polish the Obsidian I brought home and that reminded me that I have a beautiful cabochon of Obsidian I have yet to use, which reminded me of a class I want to teach, which reminded me of a book!  As beaders we all share patterns, ideas, projects and maybe even sometimes when we probably shouldn't--we are just so excited about a cool pattern we want EVERYONE to experience it.  So, in my way I try to help artists by talking about them and recommending their sites, books, patterns, etc.  With that in mind, I have another book I want to plug.  "Dimensional Bead Embroidery" by Jamie Cloud Eakin.  If you are looking to "UP" your embroidery skills and ideas, this is the book.  She has some amazing techniques, things that make you go "oh, duh".  Or "Oh, Wow"; and that is a book worth having.