Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Fall Is In The Air

For the first time in a long time, I am experiencing  Fall!  The temperature is cold in the morning with that nice crisp smell and the leaves have me standing and staring at the intense color.  I think the reds are my favorite and that yummy orange - throw in a bit of green and you have a color palate only nature can create.

Being a bit focused on Fall (because it's right outside my window), I was thrilled when I received Toho's new semi-glazed 11/0 seed beads.  I love the richness of the greens and the burnt hint of the orange/red.  They do come in blues and purples also, but I just couldn't resist creating some Russian Leaves with the fall colors.   They are matte with a semi-gloss finish that seems to give them a bit of texture.    It's always fun to see new beads and for me, I have a love affair with the 11/0 and 15/0 rounds.  Currently the semi-glazed come in 11/0 and 8/0.  

For those of you not experiencing Fall right now, Toho has posted a desert creation using these beads.  

Available from Esther Beadwork.





Friday, October 2, 2015


Jumping Into the Fire


Ever have a great idea that you never pursued? What held you back?  Fear? Lack of experience?  Support?  Maybe even the lack of time?  I recently interviewed an amazing lady that didn't hold back...she jumped into the fire with both feet moving at full speed.  Was it smart, successful, just plain crazy?  Meet Laurie Gregory Bye, founder of the Bead Society of the Palm Beaches and currently serving as President. 

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http://beadsocietyofthepalmbeaches.com
My first question - WHY?  Laurie said she had friends who all used to bead together on a regular basis, then they were not.  Missing this she said, "let's start a Bead Society then we can spend time together, do a bit of charity, have retreats, learn from others and maybe even go on a cruise".  With her experience as President of Vintage Painter's Guild of Ontario, Laurie, with the help of some great friends, launched the Bead Society of the Palm Beaches in 2014.  In just a year, the society has  grown to 176 members, supports two charities: Hope House, www.hopehouseofthepalmbeaches.com and Joanne's Cottage, www.placeofhope.com.  They have monthly beading sessions called Bead Soup, guest speakers, trunk shows, famous artistic beaders, great give-a-ways, fun parties, AND an upcoming bead cruise!  Talk about jumping into the fire.

This all sounds so glamorous and exciting, but Laurie puts in over 20 hours a week making all this happen (along with the hours the Board Members put in).  Again the question, WHY?  "to inspire people and get them interested in beading.  I love bringing out the creativity in people".  I just had to ask, "would you do it again?"  Laurie did not even hesitate.  "Yes, I would do it again, but I would do more research regarding logistics such as taxes, by-laws, rules of a non-profit, etc., and educate myself better before just diving in".  Isn't the title of this article called "Jumping Into the Fire"?

Laurie tries to bead 4-5 hours a day.  Now we are up to 40 hours a week and I am wondering when she has fun, then I remember that beading is fun.  Her favorite stitch right now is what we commonly call CRAW (cubic right angle weave) "because you can form it, make shapes and swirls".  "Bead embroidery is my favorite and I always have a project on my board of bead embroidery".  Besides beading, Laurie does like car races (now that goes with beading), traveling and she loves kids that she can spoil and send home.

Thinking of joining?  This is why you should according to Laurie: "there is a camaraderie and people all doing the same thing is very inspiring to be around.  You can get help with stitches, education, meet people and have fun.  I love helping people and when they finally get it, I just love that!"

If you are interested in joining the Bead Society of the Palm Beaches, just head to their website and everything is there.  If you are not in South Florida, there are many bead societies throughout the country.  They truly have a lot to offer!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Do you Work with other artists?

I have to admit, I am a hard sell.  I always think I can do it myself.  I am learning the hard way that isn't true.  I have been paying more attention to artists I meet at the shows that I participate in.  If you follow me on facebook, you know that I "stalk" Michelle from FireFly Design Studio.  There are two reasons for this:  One, I love her product and have found it works very nice in some of my designs, and Two, her booth is right next to mine at the trade shows, so I like to hover over her product while the brain works up ideas.











My first piece that turned out to be quite a hit in the kit department, incorporated her ceramic bird.  Then I made a pair of earrings from the ceramic drops and sold them right off my ears.
I also made a nice necklace using the separated fish.  It's on Facebook, so you can check it out there as well as a few other pieces incorporating her ceramic product.  

I have another gal that I LOVE her glass beads and she also is at the trade shows I do, but I cannot seem to locate the bead I purchased right now, but I do want to mention her.  Her name is Starleen; she makes the most amazing glass beads.  I haven't made anything with this killer bead I purchased because my first attempt was an epic failure, so it is awaiting a cool project.

Lately I have actually purchased small pieces of jewelry from artists.  One of my new favorite gals is Hannah Long.  She is a super cool metal artist.  She is supposed to be making me some pieces to incorporate into my work.  Check her out also.  The Sterling/pearl earrings are from her.  Very simple, but I love wearing them.  The stained glass necklace comes from  Nora's Stained Glass. One place she sells is at Art Sea Living on the Avenue.  She does both jewelry and decorator type stained glass.  She is different, and I find her pieces just fun!

My last purchase was from Laurie Onufer from New Hampshire.  I met her at Delray Affair.  I saw this bracelet and fell in love.  Very simple and elegant.

I could write about several more artists and will probably do so at another time, but when creating your own jewelry, try to use their product in yours.  It's a great way to support fellow artsy people and it makes your jewelry unique.  It's also nice to purchase a finished piece.

Firefly Design Studio       www.fireflydesignstudio.etsy.com
Starleen                         www.starleensstudio.com
Hannah Long                  Hannahlongjewelry.com
Nora's Stained Glass       norsol23@gmail.com
Laurie Onufer                 yessy.com - enter: Laurie Onufer




Monday, April 13, 2015

BRAGGING RIGHTS

My friend, former student, and partner in crime at the Delray Affair, Nancy, from NE Designs and I took 2nd place in the jewelry division at the infamous Delray Affair this past weekend.  If you have ever been to this show, you know there are 80,000 jewelry vendors (ok a bit of a stretch), so we are extremely proud of this accomplishment.

What made this year more special are two things:  I really loved seeing Nancy in her element of the show.  She and her husband do several local shows.  She has really grown in her art and will be continuing the tradition of the Delray Affair without me next year.  I will be cheering her on from the bike trails of Bend, Oregon!!!  And that is the 2nd thing that made this year special, since it was my last time at the Delray Affair, it was so awesome to receive our THIRD 2nd place award at this event. We worked very hard in all areas to make this happen.  Nancy has put hours upon hours not only making jewelry, but perfecting the display.  If you have ever done these shows, you know, the display can be maddening.  

So, we feel we have some major bragging rights.  It truly is an honor to be selected for an award!

Friday, April 3, 2015

BUTTON, BUTTON, WHO HAS THE BUTTON

Who remembers playing in their Grandmother's or mother's button bin?  I remember my Grandmother's button Jar.  I used to dump them all out and match them, sort them, and put them into combinations.  I loved playing with the buttons.

I have had the privilege to work with some gals from Wild Side Furs. They upcycle old vintage fur coats into decorator items used for the home.  I get the buttons.  We have created a line of jewelry using just the buttons from the old coats.  You can see a large part of the collection at wildsidefurs.com.

Buttons make great components in jewelry.  








Two samples of the buttons from Vintage coats.






Recently friend gave me some buttons that were her Grandmother's.  I created this necklace using the shell pearl buttons from a coat.  I just HAD to give it to her!

The earrings are also from some of the buttons she gave me.  


This bracelet was created using Vintage Czech Glass buttons.  If you have not played with these gems, it's time to.  They are so beautiful and you will experience some of the art that was button making many years ago.

So, grab a cool, or not so cool even, button and see what you come up with.   



Monday, March 23, 2015


WHERE DOES INSPIRATION COME FROM

For me, many many times it is just the beads themselves.  The color, the finish, the combination of some beads together inspire me.  Other times it's just an idea in my head. My latest design, however, came from a popular show/book "Game of Thrones".  My daughter loves this show and the costumes are by far some of the most amazing pieces of art I have seen in costumes.  In fact, they have inspired me so much, that I have a few more pieces on the drawing table...can't wait to see how they turn out.
The piece below came from the pin on Khaleesi's cape...hence the name of the piece.  Even the colors...

Think about where you get your inspiration.  I know artists that walk around fabric and get color ideas.  Nature is a huge inspiration for many.  Sometimes its a focal piece, or just a very interesting component that gives you an idea.  
This piece was inspired by both the buttons...Czech vintage buttons are amazing to work with...and also the need to want to use the new 2-hole triangles.  They are so cute and the colors are wonderful.  

Post your inspiration ideas and inspire the rest of us!




Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Esther Beadwork now has kits for sale.
Go to: Square Market - Esther Beadwork
We have both beginner and intermediate kits available.  
There will be many more to come.