Christine's Beadworks

Giveaway

2011-10-31T08:33:00.000-04:00

So much to say and so little time! I'll skip the rest for the moment and go straight to the important news. Cat Ivins, (shop owner and artisan of Polarity and Uncorked), has sponsored a giveaway for me. I've enjoyed Cat's blog, Olive Bites, for sometime now. It's a perfect balance of instruction, news, and humor with a generous splattering of great finds. There is still time to enter the drawing for a CUSTOM belt cuff with your choice of bottle cap. So head on over to Olive Bites for some fun reading, you'll be glad you did.

Time Flies

2011-09-28T21:38:00.000-04:00

As I edited my background and headers this evening, I looked at some of my past posts and was amazed at how long it had been since my last posting. At that time I was busily working on updating my business presence and much of my time was taken away from my blog. I have a lot to catch up with but I'll leave you with a few teaser pictures while I gather my thoughts.

Opportunities

Consignment

Wholesale

New Ventures

Family

Signing Your Artwork

2011-05-29T13:51:00.000-04:00

     It's important for an artist to sign his/her creations. The artist signature or mark identifies it for all time and is often the final step in the creative process. Something about applying that signature or mark closes a creative verse and leaves a sense of well being with the artist. Jewelry artists have struggled to find a way to apply their mark to the artwork. For metal artists that often involves a stamp that is hammered into their piece or attached as a separate tag.

     Bead woven jewelry still does not easily lend itself to an artist's mark and again most of this work is left unsigned or tags are attached that don't often remain with the work. Why should you care? Ultimately the mark is there for the future. Beadwork encompasses a huge body of work that has lasted for centuries and has had historical significance. Time will tell if patterns emerge and whether we can trace an artist's growth and influences through the years. At the very least, your mark will be important to your buyers and/or your family for future generations.

     Bead embroidery artists have learned from quilters and embroidery artists and many have begun finding small ways to mark their creations. Since most of this type of work has a fabric backing of some sort, there are places the artist can write or embroider their initials. It's this type of beadwork signature I'm currently exploring. In this post I concentrate on my first steps in branding my designs.

     Cat Ivins hosts a series of giveaways on her blog Olivebites. It was there that I discovered Bullfrog Laserworks, and owner Roberto Sand. He was giving away a custom stamp, so off to his shop I went. I was astounded at what I saw. I had been looking for awhile at having a custom stamp made for cards and packaging, and Roberto's are not only functional, they are beautiful.

These well made stamps have wooden handles engraved to match your design and can be made in practically any size and shape you need. I ordered two stamps. The larger one will serve as my Thank You on boxes and cards but I can also cover the words and just stamp the larger logo when needed. The smaller logo was purchased with the intent to mark my ultra-suede, metal work, and the tops of plain bottlecaps to use in packaging.

These stamps are wonderful, but they weren't the most amazing item I found in his shop. The second item is still in the prototype stage, but we're getting close. Roberto has wooden tags he initially designed as wedding favors. The slots in these tags caught my eye because I had been looking for slotted buttons (also called ribbon slides) to use on my laced back cuffs.

Because of the small size of the button (7/8") the slots are not centered to allow room for the text. Roberto is sending me a sample so I can see if it rests properly on the cuff, if it doesn't we'll go back to using two holes for the ultrasuede to hook through. I'll be able to color these buttons and perhaps put artwork on the reverse side. I'm looking forward to playing with them and seeing where else they can be used and how I can alter them to coordinate with my design.

But wait, there's more! As excited as I was about these discoveries, I was nearly jumping out of my chair when I saw his listing for 50 faux suede labels custom engraved! We began a long exploratory journey into faux suede while I considered the most practical use of these amazing labels. I knew it would be too expensive for me to have multiple shapes cut, so I settled on a large circle with my logo at approximately 25mm in the middle. This would fit the majority of the cabochon pendants I make. The faux suede Roberto offers in his shop is not ultrasuede, it's a polyester blend that frays. This is not the end of the world, when the laser cuts out your shape it seals the edges. For me, though, that would require pieces to match the size of all my cabochons, I wanted more flexibility. I asked if I could send him some ultrasuede to use and was delighted when he agreed.

We were both thrilled with the results although I did discover that light to medium colors work best. As you can see, the logo did not show up well on the black and I loved the tone on tone result on the Orange ultra suede.

I quickly worked up a couple of Izze pendants and couldn't be happier with the look. They add a professional touch while also keeping to the whimsy I like in my beaded work. I'm looking forward to incorporating the stamps on my metalwork and anticipate a more industrial feel if what I envision works out as planned.

So now what to do for my cuffs? Since these are made in various widths, it just wasn't practical to laser engrave them. My first experiment was with heat embossing. I was at one time addicted to HGTV. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. My realization came when my daughter (then only 2) exclaimed "it's Joan" when the host of one of my favorite shows came on the air. I learned about heat embossing velvet from Carol Duvall a longtime host of all things crafts. I thought I'd try to see if it worked on ultrasuede. It will be hard to see in this picture, but it works amazingly well. I set the iron at the "wool" setting, placed the stamp image side up and layered the ultrasuede on top. I held the iron on the ultrasuede for 10-20 seconds, pressing firmly. I lifted carefully and repeated until I could begin to see the indentation of the stamp.

It worked beautifully. It's much more subtle than the laser engraving, but it still marks effectively. Unfortunately, I did not get the same results with my new stamps. The handles made it hard to get a firm press, I'd have to have them mounted on a flat wood block instead. But the biggest reason is the detail. My logo is too detailed for this method. You need a stamp with deeper impressions, something to consider when you have your stamp cut.

My last experiment for this post was using the stamps and Staz-on ink. The image to the left is the larger logo and the one on the right is the smaller one. Both work well and this is the method I'll use for my cuffs. With the smaller stamp, I'll need to press very firmly to work the ink into the grain of the ultrasuede. I did these quickly and got good results, taking time and experimenting with ink colors will yield even better results. I like the boldness of the laser cut images, but these are a great alternative.

Roberto opened his etsy shop in 2008 and has grown quite successfully due to his unique product offerings, great prices and flexible customer service. He has targeted the bridal market in the past, perhaps now the bead market will be a new venture for him as well. You can find more in his etsy shop: http://www.RobertoSand.etsy.com

What's Old is New Again - ArtBeads Blogging Project

2011-05-11T23:01:00.000-04:00

A Comedy in Three Acts

Act I

ArtBead's blog theme, What's Old is New Again, immediately sent my thoughts to my coveted stash of champagne caps. These were sent to me all the way from Belgium by my friend Sigrid. Selecting materials is almost as much fun as working on the project. I've literally spent all day browsing the shop, oohing and aahing at all the possibilities until I've narrowed my selection. Keep in mind, at this stage I only have a rough notion of theme, the design often doesn't evolve until I have the materials in hand. This can create challenges when something doesn't work, but that's part of the fun.

I selected materials that reminded me of vineyards, grapes, and imagined sipping on a mimosa while shopping (alas no champagne in the house to make an actual mimosa). I wanted to try some of Artbead's new Kabela filigree pieces so that's where I began my selection.

Kabela Design Antique Brass Vino Pendant

Kabela Design Antique Brass Andrew's Fire Link

Antique Brass-Plated Split Ring Cable Chain

Kabela Design Antique Brass Filigree Leaf Hook and Eye Clasp

Czech Glass Druk Beads in Opaque Rose, Opaque Amethyst Luster, and Jet Picasso.

From My Stash

Kabela Design Antique Brass Lovely Filigree

Antique Brass-Plated 5+1 Round and Twisted Rectangle Link Chain

Antique Brass-Plated Rollo Chain

Although title Saint Andrews Fire, this awesome link reminded me of Demetrius, god of wine. I select two of these beauties and intend to put one on each side of the focal piece to be the major component of the necklace. I also selected one foot of chain and leaf hook and eye closure to complete the neck piece.

I interrupt this design for a story....a funny thing happened on the way to the pre-school. One day a friend asked me to pick up her son from pre-school. I was happy to help and my daughter and I drove off and arrived at the school with only a little confusion (mainly which door do we go in). With the children secured in the back seat, I pulled out of the lot and proceeded to turn the wrong way. I got about a 1/2 mile before realizing I wasn't heading towards home. My daughter pats her friend on the arm and said "don't worry, mommy always gets lost, daddy never gets lost. Daddy doesn't like to turn around, but Mommy always has to turn around." True story, I kid you not!

Act II

You can see from the picture above, these links were not going to work as planned. My directionally challenged brain forgot to take into consideration that I'd need a mirror image of the link to be able to place one on both sides of the focal as planned. This mistake totally messed up the design. I toyed with using one link for an asymmetrical but I didn't have enough chain to complete the neck piece. Also a link of this size needed a counterbalance on the opposite side.

In the meantime, I'd noticed that the hook end of the clasp was missing. Duchess Erickson from Artbeads could not have been more accommodating. I've always had excellent service from Artbeads and it's one of the many reasons I frequently shop with them. Duchess offered to exchange the clasp and links so that I could rework my design. But I love nothing more than challenge and I just couldn't ask her to go through the trouble. I didn't really have a concrete design, just a rough idea and oftentimes a problem leads to something better than what I envisioned. Plus I loved these St. Andrew's links so off they went to my little box of pits and pieces from these blog designs. I already have a couple ideas in mind for them. And, lets not forget, there was that very cute story about my directional impairment (I'm missing the sense of direction gene, I'm sure). Despite my protest not to go to any trouble, Duchess sent me a replacement clasp as soon as it was available (these components are provided to me free as part of the blogging program so this was a very nice thing).

I began working on a revised design and pulled the following out of my stash.

Kabela Design Antique Brass Lovely Filigree

Antique Brass-Plated 5+1 Round and Twisted Rectangle Link Chain

Antique Brass-Plated Rollo Chain

All of these components were purchased from Artbeads for another project that I hadn't yet completed. I had purchased the filigree with no project in mind, just to play with molding it around a cabochon. It fit the champagne cap perfectly and a bit of wire was all it took to add it the Vino filigree center piece. The edges molded perfectly into four grooves along the side of the cap (where the cage holds to cap to the champagne bottle). The only regret is the filigree is so pretty its a shame only a little bit shows on the front.

I love these antique brass chains. They come in a multitude of styles and I attached one long chain to allow me to place it over my head while I worked on the focal piece. I need to see how it laid while on to make sure I was getting the components placed correctly.

ACT III

I just happened to take the emerging necklace along with me to a family Easter dinner celebration. My niece Brittany asked if she could put it on. As she was admiring the chains, I told her that I planned to put a clasp in the back and shorten the length. "Why" was her response, "I love long necklaces." "Can I have it when you're finished?" Thus, began the third evolution of my design and Brittany's Choice was born. Had I used the clasp, shown to the left, I probably would have shortened the neckpiece and the chains dangling from the focal piece. Brittany loved it the way it was, and I plan to give it to her when we visit again. I now have a gorgeous clasp to use with my other project (a Full Sail bottle cap design) and with the St. Andrew's links, renamed Demetrius, perhaps soon to be renamed Poseiden.

Disclosure: The above mentioned beads from Artbeads.com were kindly provided free-of-charge by Artbeads.com, within the frames of Artbeads.com blogging program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from above-mentioned company. The post above represents only personal opinion of the blog author. You can find additional participating artists and their blogs on Artbeads' facebook page.

Events and Opportunity

2011-04-26T14:37:00.001-04:00

This post is a collection of upcoming events and new contests.

The first is Flint Handmade. I try to attend this show once a year. I have good friends in the area and I love the work the community has undertaken to revitalize an area hit hard by the downturn in the automotive industry. Friends, Art, Good Food, everything one could possibly want to enjoy a good day.

I'll be at The Loft, come join us if you're in the area. For more information please visit Flinthandmade.com.

In honor of Mother's Day, Artbeads is sponsoring a contest but hurry, it ends May 7. Click on the link below the picture for more information.

Make it for Mom Challenge

I love the writings of Cat Ivin's, her blog Olive Bites is informative and a fun read. She also sponsors the best giveaways not only of her own creations, but that of other artists she's met along the way. This month's giveaway is one of her cork board sets for mom (or to keep for yourself). Click on the link below the picture on how to enter.

Uncorked Giveaway

Thanks for stopping by and if I don't win, I hope you do.

Renewal Step Two

2011-02-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

If you read my previous post, one of my goals this year was to reinvigorate my art. I've invested in a lot of different supplies over the years, but haven't practiced enough to utilize them or the skills I've picked up in classes. I was quite grateful that Anne, from El Milagro Studios, began posting tutorials and invited us to play along.

I had to break one of my goals, "not to buy any supplies" to get the gloss gel medium, but I felt it was well worth it as I was still using a lot of what I already had. Anne has directions if you'd like the play along, here I'm just showing you my results and a couple of things I've picked up in the process.

First Lesson Learned

No matter how aggravated you get at your child's mess, don't throw everything away. I am not a neat person, but even I have my limits. Unfortunately for my daughter, when I reach my limits, a purge usually follows. She made valentines from foam hearts when she was about 4 or 5, the kind that you had to punch out of the background foam. I had saved the left over outline and they would have been the perfect stencil for this project. Nope, in the last purge not a single piece of foam remained but two of these flowers (you don't know how tempted I was to go the Michael's and buy another bucket of them, $4.99 cheap). I had a small heart cookie cutter so I was able to make a stencil using Anne's directions.

This is what I created following along with Anne using the gel medium and a bin of beads I've collected from leftover projects. Anne mentioned that her beads bled into the gel. I've had the problem with resin as well. There are a couple of types of beads to avoid if you don't want this to happen; color lined and dyed. I'm sure some others will do the same, but those two I know will cause problems. My beads are larger than what Anne used and the effect is much lumpier. In the first heart, I tried to cull out the larger ones; on the second I just let it be.

This is how it looks after a day of drying. It still has a lot of drying time left. The bleeding I'm getting around the edge I think is from the alcohol ink I used on the mat board and not from the beads. I'm curious to see if the white will disappear completely. I don't really like a couple of the beads sticking out, but I stopped myself from picking at them....patience.

Second Lesson Learned
You really do need patience to get good results. I didn't like my background color and squirted diluting liquid all over it and nearly ruined it. I'm not upset about the near mishap, I could always paint over it, it was wasting a quarter bottle of the liquid...not cheap stuff. Of course I had to relearn this lesson with the next project. I didn't let the layers dry completely and nearly ruined my background again....patience (that little white spot in the middle of the page is from the paper coming off on my hands).

This project involved gluing a sheet of paper to the background. This time I spray painted the background lightly with black then overcoated it with Pepeo Setacolor transparent paint in Oriental Red with a very wet brush. I used the same color on a page from an old poetry book I use for a prop in my photos. I adhered it to the mat board with gloss medium/varnish (yep I had gloss medium but not gel, go figure). I then lightly tapped on alcohol ink in Slate to tone things down a bit.

Now I had a dilemma, I didn't have any foam left and I didn't want to use the little heart I had cut out earlier, it was so much smaller than the mat board.

Did I tell you I have a lot of different supplies? This is a die cut board from my scrapbooking endeavors. I punched out a few of the shapes and I had a pretty good stencil. Not as good as the foam, cardboard will not stand up to repeated washing, and it didn't lay as flat so I had to be really careful applying the gel. This time Anne used German glass glitter. Crap, I didn't have that so I used some microfine glitter left over from one of Heidi's projects (she's banned from glitter you know). In hindsight, I probably didn't need this deep of a stencil and could have gotten by with one of my brass stencils (it would be dry by now too, lol). I'm not sure what the results will be, the glitter may not show up enough since it's so very fine.

I'm pretty proud of my control here, there were a lot of open spaces on that board I had to avoid and a very high risk of seepage under the stencil. It's not as smooth as I'd like it, but I was afraid to play with it too much. It would have been easier had I found the quilt basting spray I was looking for (of course I found it AFTER I finished). It's similar to the light tacky spray you use on stencils to hold them down while you paint. But, who knows, it may have damaged the background and I did fine without it. I'll post a follow-up picture when both dry completely (could take awhile, it's pretty thick and it's cold in the house). I'd used the heat gun, but I'd probably melt the gel....patience.

Check out Anne's blog for instructions and to learn more.

Winter Wonderland

2011-02-03T14:15:00.001-05:00

Winter themes typically involve crystals, glittering snow, ethereal fairies in winter white garb, angels, ice cycles, and children frolicking. A winter theme involving jewelry will often capture that imagery in spectacular ways and I am looking forward to the responses to Artbead's Winter blogging theme.

As we leave January and enter February, Michigan's winter often has a harsher look. The snow is no longer pretty but grimy with dirt, we begin to tire of huddling for warmth, and our arms ache from shoveling mounds of the no longer white stuff out our driveways. By the end of March, when it is still frosty cold in the Midwest, I will admit to being downright grumpy and feeling more like Robert Brynes, "Winter is Nature's way of say 'Up Yours'. Should snow fall in April, you'll hear a collective groan from even children who would rather go to school than huddle one more day in the cold.

It was this imagery of winter that captured my imagination. My husband's yells from the other room as the hockey game played locked in my response to the theme. I wanted to show winter in an industrial city like Detroit; beautiful but grimy, hard edges and raw power, a raw uncut diamond and a dangerous yet elegant opponent.

My husband is from the Detroit area and I'll never forget my first Redwings game. It was before we were married and we went to Joe Louis arena with his parents to watch them on New Year's. Needless to say, it was an incredible experience. Nothing beats being at a live game; the pounding of the men hitting the boards, the roar of the crowd, and yes the excitement of the fighting surely chases off the winter chill.

Hockey, like winter, is many things. It is beautiful; the shear grace of the players as they maneuver, their unrestrained joy as the puck reaches it's target, the equal joy when a goaltender thwarts a goal, all of it at amazing speed on thin little blades of steel. It is also brutal, not many players make it through a career with their front teeth intact.

Winter is also breathtakingly gorgeous. Freshly fallen snow is like a blanket of fine opals while nothing compares to the sun glistening through ice. And there is no doubt that winter is the harshest of seasons especially to those without adequate heat and shelter.

Industrial Chic

After a few searches, I selected these items from Artbeads:

I chose the charms as a literal representation of the Redwing's team and the black agate coin beads represent the puck. From my own stash, I selected stainless steel jump rings to represent the skates. A hockey sticker and a plumping washer add an industrial element to the back. A sterling silver washer and sterling wire completes the front of the bezel, effectively invoking the beauty of the season hidden under a layer of patina. The bottle cap I used originates from Labatt's celebration of Stanley Cup winners. Usually, I cull the heavily scratch caps from my collection, but these hockey caps are relatively rare and, after all, hockey is a tough sport. A pristine, unscratched cap would be a bit out of it's element representing what it means to be a Stanley Cup champion.

The silver bezel was not my first choice. I've been experimenting with a wire wrap bezel that allows the edge of the bottle cap to show to make it more apparent a bottle cap was used. However, I still have not captured the right look with wire, it's too delicate and pretty for the more masculine look I wanted. After two scraped attempts with wire, I found this sterling washing in my stash, left over from a class with Anne Mitchell. I gently formed the center circle of the washer with pliers, then hammered it to fit the cap. The rivets holding the layers in place are a combination of aluminum welding rivets and eyelets (where an open area was need for the charms).

The reverse of the pendant is more industrial looking but still mirrors the front. The necklace is not quite reversable, (unless you don't mind seeing the hockey player from behind). I see a lot of potential in these pipe fitting washers from my late step-father's garage. I believe he would be quite proud that I found a use for them and did not allow them to go to waste.

The chain alternates between the black agate coins wire wrapped with sterling wire and chain maille sections done with square stainless steel jumprings in a Jens Pind pattern. I love the richness of stainless steel, it is every bit as beautiful as sterling yet tougher. These rings are 18 gauge, the heaviest I can use with my hand strength and I envy those who work with the heavier gauges. The Jens Pind pattern is one of my favorites and is a suitable look for men and women alike, and is especially elegant in 20 gauge sterling.

The clasp is a textured sterling silver magnetic hook and a ring of fine silver I made in a PMC class I took with Kate Mckinnon. The final piece is not a traditional winter look, but I believe I captured both the feeling of winter in Detroit and the fun of that first hockey game.

As a final note, I selected two additional items from Artbead's; a link that reminded me of an Octopus and a another that reminded me of a goalie mask. They didn't make it into the design, but I believe I'll purchase another set to use as earrings. So for now, I'll keep them a surprise.

You can learn more about the products used in this project at Artbeads (the product codes are included in the picture) and find charms here and semi-precious stones here.

Disclosure: The above mentioned beads from Artbead.com were kindly provided free-of-charge by Artbeads.com, within the frames of Artbeads.com blogging program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from above-mentioned company. The post above represents only personal opinion of the blog author. You can find additional participating artists and their blogs on Artbeads' facebook page.

Grow and Renew

2011-01-16T09:09:00.000-05:00

It's common to begin the new year with a list of resolutions. There's something about flipping that new page in the calendar that makes you want to set some goals to build upon the previous year's experiences. I have three goals this year:

Reduce consumption by recycling and utilizing materials on hand. This one I believe will actually spark creativity. The only breaking of this rule will be for custom orders. No doubt it will be hard to maintain as I'm tempted daily. In order to achieve the next goal, this one must be enforced.
Earnings will be applied to improving my web presence and investing in artwork. By keeping to the first goal, the second will be much easier to achieve and much more satisfying. My main goals are to do at least one juried art show, take control of my .com website, and create a unique brand.
Really explore all the different creative avenues at my fingertips (and use those supplies I've collected over the years). I have the ideas, but I have not yet learned the techniques (and the patience) to implement them.

These goals are primarily business centric but they correspond to my more personal goals of simplifying and living well (healthy, positive and giving). I've begun a new adventure with Liana Spiegel, Marmalade Hills, and she is a wealth of inspiration; both personal and business. I'll write more about that at a later date, when we come back for our great adventure in Chicago.

Business Investment
A lovely lady discovered my shop and purchased three of my cuffs. Her words of encouragement brought light to my day and her purchase allowed me to begin the steps toward becoming more professional. I commissioned a logo as my first business investment. Like many of my journeys, this began in a round about way on the internet.


GoodQuillHunting

GoodQuillHunting
I met Christina Neit, GoodQuillHunting, through Etsy and through Facebook not long after I began using both sites. I continue to be bewildered at the connections that occur by happenstance. If my memory were better, I could almost do the "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon" game on how one post led to Chris creating my logo (and hopefully more fun stuff in the future).

You'll find me complaining (okay, whinning) about how much time I spend on the internet and how that time is wasted. Much of it is because I lack the discipline to get in and get out in a timely fashion. But there's enough that leads to wonderful people and great opportunities that I'm learning to relax and let it flow (I really need to try meditation).

In December 2009, I saw the banner above advertising the Haute Couture beading contest that Chris sponsors. My comment at the time, "Stunning. That's a skill I'm sorely lacking. This banner will get attention". To which Chris replied, "if you ever need one let me know". A little seed was planted in the brain. I entered the contest and this is the shot she used to show my entry, she created one for each of the 76 entries.

You can see all the entries here and the winning entries here. It's worth taking the time to look. All were amazing, but the winning entry is unique and spectacular even in a world of amazing bead artists. But I digress; I was left with a very positive impression and started thinking about how to improve my picture presentation.

Traveler's Blues by GoodQuillHunting

It was this shot and necklace that won me over completely. I knew that Chris' was an incredible beadwork artist. However, this arrangement also showed me that she had an gift for composition and marketing as well. This piece has gone to a new home but she assured me she has more of these cabs, so maybe a new creation will be available soon.

Bird in the Hand by GoodQuillHunting

This collage soon followed Traveler's Blues and I was smitten and continued to hope that she would begin offering her services for sale (okay, that sounds funny, but you know what I mean). In December 2010 (almost one year after I saw that first banner), Chris opened up her shop for graphic design.

Izze Cuff with Color Logo

I know there are many good designers out there; what Chris has given me is personalized service and an artist eye for details. When she created my logo, I provided very little in terms of direction. She knows me and my shop through Facebook and Etsy; but even with that knowledge she had a feel for what I needed and guided me towards something better than I envisioned. Her customer service is outstanding. When I wasn't placing the logo correctly on my shots (the limitations of the freeware I'm using), she offered to do it for me while I was waiting for my software to arrive.

I'm looking forward to doing more work with her as I wrestle the huge task of taking over control of my .com (bet you didn't know I had my own website). You can see more of Chris' work on the following sites:

Website
Blog
Facebook
Etsy
Artfire

Holiday Accoutrements

2010-12-30T17:24:00.001-05:00

Christine's Beadworks

What's On Your Body

Get it? Not what's in your wallet but... Okay, I guess if you have to explain your witticism it's not that witty. I thought it would be fun to see what you wore over the holidays. Over on Anne's blog I saw holiday socks my mom would love and some fuzzy flannel pants Anne wore outside taking pictures, and thus was born the idea for this post.

I support handmade and treated myself to a few items before the holidays which I wore proudly over the week long celebration that occurs between Indiana and Michigan. Someone asked me why I buy jewelry when I can make it, and the short answer is I get more enjoyment supporting another artist and proudly stating this is an "insert name here" original. I don't get to splurge often, but I've enjoyed every piece given to me or purchased. Of course, I wear my own creations but there is something special about wearing a piece from someone you admire. This blog piece may come across as one giant advertisement for Etsy, but I don't recommend shops unless I've purchased from them, and I don't recommend them unless I've loved what I've purchased.

Underneath the Layers

Don't worry, I'm not going to show my undergarments, this is not about that type of accoutrement (what a fun word, you may see it again). When I first joined the Etsy community, I also joined a team or guild. The first was Micetsy and its members are Michigan artists with shops on Etsy. Each year I try to purchase from this team in my gift giving to support handmade and the local economy. I stumbled across Liana and her shop, MarmaladeHills through the team and purchased soy candle tarts and gave them to my daughter's teachers and beer soap samples for the men's stockings. I sent her link to a friend who loves artisan soaps and she told me how wonderful Liana's products made her skin feel. Long story short, I purchased a few of Liana's products and love them.

Marmalade Hills

So, under it all I wore Dark Ale Beer Cold Processed Soap (actually a gift from Liana, thank you again!); Coffee Butter Sugar Body Polish, Tea Tree Blossom Ultimate Body Butter, and for the face; Tea Tree Cucumber Complexion bar, and her Facial Serum. My skin glowed. My daughter loves the sugar polish and on her list is the Gingersnap scent (maybe for her birthday).

Jewelry

WondrousStrange

Wait, what about clothing? I did receive a very special Christmas present, but I'll save that until the end. The item I wore every day during the Michigan holidays was the bracelet that you see above (since it's for sale I can't wear it to Indiana and around the smokers in the family). It is one of my own creations and complements just about everything I own. Although it's my piece, I did support two Etsy artists in making it. The first is a shop called WondrousStrange. She makes lovely ceramic pieces as well as other artwork. The buttons above are what I purchased, the one in the bracelet is one she threw in the box as a gift, wonderful!

The leather is from an Etsy artist from Montreal, Santosleather. I purchased this leather from her to make a cuff for a good friend and I've been back to her shop several times. Exquisite leather and excellent customer service. The cuff pictured above is Loretta's and features this gorgeous leather and the Druzy stone purchased from Beadsaddict, another favorite shop. Unfortunately, Loretta didn't get to wear her cuff for the holidays. I was late mailing it and she left to visit her mother before it arrived. Her husband has the box safe and sound waiting for her return.

GypsyMoonArt

The piece above is from GypsyMoonArt, another Michigan artist. I've been a huge fan of Shannon's for sometime now and a sale allowed me to purchase one of her pieces for myself. It's so easy to wear, and looked fantastic with the earrings below. I'm also in awe of Shannon's photography; jewelry is not easy to photograph and the picture above would look as good on my walls as the pendant does on my neck.

BlackWaterSiren

These earrings are from BlackWaterSiren and are my favorite earrings. They were made by shooting through sheet metal and are my nod to my brother's passion for guns and his own talents as a non-practicing artist (the art really never leaves your soul).

On Top of It All

I was fortunate to make a few sales that made these purchases possible. I'm very thankful to my customers both near and far who've discovered me along the way. I'm also blessed with a wonderful family who supports my passion and a husband who works so very hard in this economy. When he found out how much I loved Santos Leather, he purchased this wonderful jacket for me for Christmas. It's been waiting in my closet for New Years, when I will wear it proudly and try to keep from stroking the leather all night long. I just recently discovered DH stands for Dear Husband. All this time, I thought there were a lot of men out there with the initials DH (I can be quite dense sometimes). My DH is thoughtful, caring, and has been the light of my world since I met him. So I close this posting with a picture of his wonderful gift.

SantosLeather

What Inspires You

2010-11-24T15:58:00.001-05:00

The Rest of the Story
This phrase from Paul Harvey has become a frequent visitor to my blog. It's not always possible to tell the full story in a short blog piece and sometimes the rest of the story doesn't happen until much later. This is the case in the "What Inspires You" contest hosted by Artbeads. I wrote about this contest earlier, and I believe I did a bit of whining about not being able to define my inspiration easily and lamenting that I was not going to enter this particular contest.

Well you can see from the button above, and my shameless plug to vote for me, that I did in fact enter. I thought I'd share the evolution of this necklace's creation.

Japanese Owl Necklace

It all started in at a bead show in Flint Michigan, hosted by Flint Handmade. A good friend of mine, Sue lives in the area. She joined me at a show I was doing in Ann Arbor a few weeks before Flint's show and after a good meal and a couple of beers, I roped her into letting me spend the night with her and helping me out with the show.

This is Sue working hard in my booth. Of course, before the show, she took me to a local market that had beer and soda by the bottle. I kid you not, there were at least 3 huge isles, floor to ceiling of the most amazing selection I've ever seen. It was hard picking out a few interesting caps, uhmmm beverages, out of so many (they were a bit pricey or I would have bought more). When we stumbled across the Nest Beer, Sue bought a bottle and I bought a bottle ($5 each)...have I mentioned what a great friend she is. We drank it up that evening and I bought these two amazing caps home.

I knew I wanted to bead around these so I prepped both with resin and set them aside. I had been using cotton fabric out of my stash for my cuffs and had recently begun using oilcloth for durability. The problem with oilcloth is that it's limited in designs and a bit stiff, although still very lovely. I'd read about laminated cotton and a couple of my favorite fabric designers, Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler offered this in a handful of prints. Needless to say, while on vacation Up North (it's a Michigan thing) I made my husband stop and a fabric store I had seen online. My intention was to get ultra suede but when I saw Kaffe's laminated cotton I fell in love immediately. It has all the suppleness of his cotton fabric with the durability of oilcloth. It is luxurious to use on cuffs (and completely throws out my intention to use up my existing stash).

My first owl was transformed into this amazing cuff. (I know I shouldn't say amazing in reference to my own work, but it really fit the adjective for me; comfortable, cute, unique).

I pulled the colors from the fabric and they went perfectly with this little guy. When I was invited to join Artbead's blogging program with the Autumn as the theme, I once again knew this little owl would be perfect. Using the fabric as my guide I choose beads from their website that fit the colors and complimented the bottle cap. I took a chance on the funky fringe beads and I know have a new favorite embellishment bead.

Japanese Owl Necklace

When I look back at most of the pieces I've created, my inspiration doesn't come from a picture, or nature, or necessarily anything concrete. It comes from an amazing focal point, a problem that needs solving, and my color wheel. It comes from friendships, good food (and yes good beer), as well as the challenge to try something new, be it a new bead or a new technique. It's hard to show in pictures, but it's a drive none the less.

Inspiration also comes to me from the work of others I admire. A fellow Michigan artist, Shannon Lovorn, has a shop on etsy called Gypsy Moon Art. Her shop is a work of art and her jewelry is amazing. I keep missing her at shows, but she is one of my favorite wire work artists and always inspires me to reach deeper into my inner artist and work to improve the look of my shop. When I saw this piece she did sometime ago, I knew I wanted it (alas it sold before I got the chance) but I also knew I wanted to create something with that wonderful cameo she used.

While in a class by Annie Hesse, I chose to depart from the class project and use this cameo in pendant. The pendant design came quickly, but it took several attempts to get the neck strap they way I wanted it, but I love the final result.


Gothic Wedding

Shannon's original piece captured my attention in a way that's hard to describe. Everything from the photography, to the elegant bezel, to the chain. It's a beautiful design, as are all her designs and I hope I've done justice to my muse. You can see more of Shannon's work in her shop and on her blog.

More to Follow

2010-11-07T11:23:00.001-05:00

I have a backlog of blog entries partially due to procrastination, partly due to a writing slump, but mostly due to a backlog of pictures that I need to take or edit to tell the story. So to move me along, I decided to do a short list of what's to come.

Where do you get all those bottle caps?

Subtitled "Things I'm thankful for and no, I don't drink it all."

Studio Space

Subtitled "Work habits, and things needing improvement"

Craft shows and Friendships.

It's never too late to learn.

Plus a follow-up on my favorite resources, teachers, and products that was the original purpose of this blog. I've learned so much recently and I planned to intersperse the above articles with some of those tips that have made creating a bit easier.

Inspiration

2010-10-25T20:18:00.000-04:00

Ode To Project Runway

I enter bead related contests every so often. I find they keep me fresh and push me outside my normal creative process. On a recent episode of Project Runway (a favorite show of mine), Gretchen lamented (okay whined really) that the challenges stifled her ability to be herself and create her best work. What??? Hmmm, did she miss the fine print about what a "challenge" meant. Ah well, I shouldn't scoff, there's no way my creativity would flourish under all the pressure. Fortunately, beadwork challenges usually involve a bit more time and fewer restrictions (not to mention no hidden cameras in the bathroom).

Artbeads has a contest at the moment "What Inspires You." A couple of entries have been posted and as I consider entering, I realize my inspiration is not so easy to describe in a picture. When I create something for a challenge, it's a methodical (and somewhat painful) process starting with color and experimentation. I'm not one of those artists who look at nature and a vision of beadwork comes drifting into my conscientiousness. It may be due to lack of fine art training, but more likely my personality. I think I've quoted this from Anne Mitchell before, but I'm more of a technician than an artist (her words borrowed here). I'm not being modest (nor was Anne), I know there's artistry in what I create, but there's much more building and tweaking from what I've learned. Much of my inspiration comes from the structural building blocks of the beadwork pioneers before me. I see components of a piece and pull it apart and utilize sections or adapt it to fit my end goal.

The piece above was created for the Use the Muse IV contest. I challenged myself to create a versatile piece (the two side straps can be worn as bracelets). The wheels connecting the centerpiece to the straps was adapted from a pattern by Cindy Pankopf. I'm not sure how I would show that inspiration. The wheels did not inspire the entire piece, they were a solution to a technical and visual puzzle I had created for myself when I made the straps. The beading in the center of the wooden focal point came about when the colors of my strap need to be carried downward for balance (I was originally going to leave it bare with the stamped copper image I had added for depth). I'd love to be able to pre-plan and sketch a design, but, at least for now, that skill (patience) eludes me and perhaps always will. It's not a necessity, just a wistfulness "would this have been easier if I had sketched it?" I've never created a piece based on a visual inspiration, perhaps that's a challenge I should tackle.

So for now I'm not sure how or if, I'll tackle this particular challenge. I'm inspired by problem solving. How do you define the indefinable and, harder yet, how do you provide a picture of the elusive? I'm feeling more sympathy for Gretchen than I was a few days ago. At least I can walk away from the challenge and no one will know (well, except my readers, but you'll keep my secret).

Nice Day for a Fall Wedding Etsy Style

2010-10-19T08:47:00.000-04:00

In my previous post, I uploaded a gallery created in Artfire of Fall Wedding inspired items. I created a similar collection (treasury) in Etsy. In the past, in order to post an Etsy treasury here I'd have to do a screen shot and the picture would not link to the respective items. There is a new tool created by Whaleshark Websites that makes posting Etsy treasuries easier and more dynamic.

Orange and Black Gothic Wedd... weddingdressfa... $599.00	Sweet Romance - Hammered Cop... MintyFreshFusi... $35.00	Forest Wedding Invitation, B... vohandmade $100.00
Golden Brown Floral Tapestry... dashandbag $80.00	Cocktail Keyhole Dress in Ch... TheSparklingCo... $330.00	sky dancer - natural vine cr... whichgoose $65.00
White Widow Steampunk Spider... bionicunicorn $69.00	Autumn Floral Collage Statem... goodgirlsstudi... $146.00	13 x 14 Tree Slice Cake Stan... roxyheartvinta... $45.00
Silk Bridal Bouquet - Terra ... mairzydozy $100.00	BRIDAL PARTY (13 glasses) FizzyArtist $360.00	Wedding Guest Book (LARGE) B... PaperThickInk $250.00
Edible Sugar Fall Leaves 50 ... andiespecialty... $120.00	Stainless Steel Spiral Thumb... leftoniron $25.00	Pine Cone Boutonniere fruitsofthefor... $12.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

In the process of creating these collections, I discovered that searching within Etsy was much easier than Artfire in creating a themed collection. This is perhaps due to the way shops tag their items and the Etsy community of shops may be more creative with their tags. I also had much more quality items to choose from within Etsy. However, Artfire has learned from Etsy's struggle with creating balanced front page collections. Their collection tool is fully integrated (no research needed to find it) and it let's you know if your collection is eligible for the front page using a set of criteria to help ensure a variety of shops are featured. I also liked the framing and layout of the Artfire collection, it has a rich professional look that really enhances a blog feature.

Do I like Artfire? Overall, yes. But it has a ways to go in improving it's look and generating views on the site. I have reservations about maintaining two similar shops, so I have to give careful consideration to what I place in Artfire. While I welcome the increased exposure, I don't want to confuse my customers.

Collections, Galleries, Treasuries why do I care?

As sellers, most collections are created to increase the shop's presence in google searches, to make connections with other sellers, and for the opportunity for a front page feature on the site (leads to more views and potential sales). As a blog writer and reader, I will admit to collection fatigue. Seeing endless arrays of products on a daily basis in the forums, on facebook and on blogs has created a bit of picture overload for these weary eyes.

I don't typically blog about collections unless I'm telling the story behind their creation. I use them to feature a medium I'm interested in (like my bottle cap series) and to discover artists to feature. I'd like to encourage collection makers to tell the story behind their collections, why did those items call to you. Make me want to click on the item to learn more. Tell me what you know about the artists.

My Fall Wedding collections were created to celebrate my own Fall Wedding 18 years ago. A good friend is getting married next year. As I help her with preparations, I'm swept away again with the joy of the ultimate party. It makes me want to do it all over again, I had the greatest time at my wedding. The greatest gift I could give my daughter when (if) she gets married, is a fun day that she wants to repeat over and over again. I love the colors of a Fall Wedding and I can so see my future daughter in either of the dresses pictured in these collections.

Until, next time.....

Fall Wedding

2010-10-17T11:41:00.000-04:00

I'd like to thank all my followers for sticking with me during my summer hiatus. I have many blog articles planned, but am lagging behind (primarily to take pictures). I have a show October 23 and after that, I'll be back and running. So to all my favorite blogs, I'm so sorry I've been absent, and to all you loyal followers, thanks so much. Today's post is a collection I created in Artfire to celebrate my anniversary. I'm really in love with Artfire's tool to create beautiful arrangements. So easy to create something worthy of a magazine spread. Enjoy!

Its A Good Time for a Fall Wedding

Curated By: ChristinesBea...

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

Celebrate the Colors of Fall

2010-10-10T20:21:00.004-04:00

Owl Cuff

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

I adore fall and October is a particularly special month. In October, fall colors peak in Michigan and my husband and I celebrate our anniversary, a wonderful 18 years. This year October begins a new venture for me as well. I was asked to participate as an Artbeads design partner. When I received the theme, "Celebrate the Colors of Fall", I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate a bottle cap I purchased during a show in Flint. My friend Sue took me to a local market that sold beers by the bottle and we splurged and purchased a handful of brews with interesting caps. I paid $10 for two bottles of Hitachino Nest Beer when I fell in love with this adorable owl cap. I recently turned one into a cuff and its picture begins this post.

To select my products, I did a search on the Artbeads site for picasso. I love the multi-dimensional finish of these beads. I tend towards the triad approach in my color schemes and this finish has never let me down. I was thrilled when I received my selection a few days later.

First, I must say I'm a big fan of Artbeads packaging. It's so simple, yet elegant at the same time. Each package includes an inspiration card that is beautiful to behold. The first item I included in my design were the Czech glass spade beads (code: CR-SP018) in Orange Silk Picasso. I'm in love with these beautiful beads. Although the peacock daggers I used on the cuff are luscious, these spade beads have a rich, two-toned colorway and an unique shape. Strung on wire, they stack nicely, and used, as I have here, they provide a lovely accent for the cap.

After selecting the spade beads, I chose a selection of beads matching the colorway, but strayed a bit from my original concept once I began working on the piece. What I didn't incorporate were the silk cord and copper cones originally planned for the back strap. Although gorgeous paired with the cap, I liked the fullness of the beaded design better. The silk cord matches the cap perfectly and I may need to make a trip to Flint to get another bottle of beer to use it on the next design.

For the strap, I fell back to my favorite technique, the embellished spiral rope. I utilized four products in the rope: Czech rondells, Czech grooved rectangles, Czech Ovals, and Toho seed beads.

The result is a fine tribute to autumn and represents the colors of the season shortly before the leaves fall to the ground; the colors of Halloween, pumpkins, and chocolate flavored candy corn. You can almost smell the mulled wine (hmmm, wonder if there is a recipe for mulled beer...maybe that's carrying things too far).

Owl Necklace

Disclosure: The above mentioned beads from Artbead.com were kindly provided free-of-charge by Artbeads.com, within the frames of Artbeads.com blogging program. The author of this blog has not received any payment from above-mentioned company. The post above represents only personal opinion of the blog author. You can find additional participating artists and their blogs on Artbeads' facebook page.

Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp

2010-09-23T19:28:00.000-04:00

I, Christine Wilson, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!

Spotlight on Polarity Collaborations Part V

2010-06-27T08:33:00.000-04:00

I don't remember how I first stumbled across Cat Ivins' two shops (Polarity and Uncorked) but I was immediately drawn to her designs. One look at her shops and you'll see what I mean. Her attention to detail, the simple elegance of her designs and her unique packaging all make for an attractive showcase of talent. While working on this collaboration series, Cat pointed me to other artists when I was having difficulty finding them. Her blog, Olivebites, has often left me smiling, if not downright laughing, while keeping me informed at the same time. She's a true etsy success and was a featured artist in September, 2009. There's a beautiful interview with her on Etsy that I encourage you to read. It gives you insight into her art and her fabulous sense of humor, click here for that interview.

For this article, I chose to focus on her collaborations, which are many, and she agreed to share her experiences with you. I changed Cat's wording just slightly to improve the flow.

Collaborations

For my first collaborations, I chose a few sellers I knew from making treasuries, but now the artists usually find me. I try to work with artists whose work doesn't conflict with anyone I am already working with and whose work I love! We work together to select the images. They have an eye for what best represents their work and what has sold best for them in print. I consider the same things, but also look for what fills an open niche in my line up. I have a licensing contract which basically says I will pay them X amount for each sale and they can't license the images out to any other locket designers, but they can always make their own jewelry. The contract can be canceled by either of us at any time.

A good collaboration is made with a mutual respect between the artists and being very upfront about everything. I respect their amazing illustrations and the huge part that plays in the sale of the locket and they respect my design and physical labor that also plays a huge part. For promotions, I have done quite a few giveaways on various blogs with the artist lockets; sometimes a specific artist and sometimes giving the winner a choice of locket. Three of my artist lockets are currently in the Uncommon Goods catalog.

My favorite part of the collaboration process is the early stages; although that is also the part that takes the most time and I tend to procrastinate it when busy. I work with over 60 artists so there are lots of challenges! I am also about to do tradeshows with many of these lockets on my linesheets for the first time (in August) so I am expecting various issues will arise when we move the sales off Etsy.

Artist's seeking collaborations should work with people they like and respect. Set everything out, up front and very clearly. I would definitely recommend all sorts of collaborations; whether it be with your actual work, using each other's items in your photos, business card exchanges for customers, etc. I recently had a newish Etsy seller named FlowerBomber send me a few seedballs to send out with my orders along with his business card. There are many ways to collaborate with each other!

The mosaic above are shots of Cat's home work studio. I'm secretly hoping that my studio space will look as inviting some day. I should say, a fantasy of mine, as I have no hope of achieving this without an intervention of some sort. Her work space is as artistic as her designs and the organization is a necessity.

I've had a few people ask me how I approached the collaborations I've done recently. I did not have an organized approach, I went were the inspiration struck me as I was working on this series and I kept them very simple. Cat brings up several interesting ideas for approaching collaborations. They do not need to be complex; start with a business card promotion with artists you know and whose work compliments your own.

I have one last interview in the pipeline for this series as well as another of my own collaborations to show (just waiting for those beads to come in to finish it off). If you'd like to learn more about Cat Ivins, you can find her on the following sites:

Blog = Olive Bites
Twitter = UncorkedEducation
Facebook = Cat Ivins

Spotlight on HouseofCats Collaboration Part IV

2010-06-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

Zen Bridge

Today continues my collaboration series as we talk with Bill, owner of House of Six Cats. Imagine my surprise when I found he hails from Oregon, one of my favorite places. The Japanese garden pictured in his original print above was a favorite weekend destination of my husband and I during our brief time living in the Portland area. It is my great pleasure to share Bill's profile with you and his thoughts on collaborations and what makes them work.

The Beginning

My love for photography started when I got my first 35mm camera for my 16th birthday. It was a minolta X700, and I still have it! Fast forward twenty-seven years; that includes a burn out with a ten year hiatus from shooting, three cross country moves, a marriage and birth of our daughter.

It was the birth of our daughter that reignited my passion for photography, that's why she is my shop's avatar [picture that appears on all shop communications]. Because of my renewed love for photography, I finally decided to try to sell my art. I opened my Etsy shop in June of 2007, and quickly became the leader of the then dormant POE (Photographers of Etsy), street team. Now it is the biggest team on Etsy and is approaching 2000 members!

Dandelion Wishes

Over the past three years, I have developed a knack of finding unique and functional ways of using my images. Some of these ideas have been more successful than others. I currently offer ceramic art coasters, night lights and jewelry, as well as prints. With the coasters and night lights, I also offer collaborations with other Etsy artisans.

Beside Etsy, I do local craft and art shows. I am in six local Portland shops including a gallery, and I am also in a new, Wichita, Kansas shop that just opened!

I love how these artists work together building on each others' strengths. For example, House of Six Cats offers five incredible ways to enjoying his art: print, pendant, coaster, locket, and night light. Four of these offerings are his own creation, but the locket was a collaboration with another shop, Polarity.

Bill was gracious enough to provide advice to others seeking collaborations. I've edited his replies only enough to place them in conversational form. I asked him to describe how his collaborations formed, what he enjoyed best, what posed a challenge and advice he might give to readers in forming their own.

Collaborations

Merchant of Venice, Photopia

Initially, I formed collaborations by contacting members on the POE Team list that I had some contact with in the past. Now, people come to me asking to collaborate. I'm always open for new artists who are interested in a collaboration. Either with me and their art, or my art and their creations.

For my collaborations, artists typically give me permission to use their images for the coasters. I can sell them in my shop and they can also sell them in their shop. There have also been times where I have made direct off Etsy sales to friends and family members. For each sale the collaborative artists make a percentage, and we both sign a simple agreement. In addition to the listing, I utilize social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to promote each new listing or new sale.

I truly enjoy getting sales from the collaborative shops! It's exciting and rewarding. The only downside to the process is seeing artists that don't get any sales from the collaboration, that is always a bummer.

When forming your own collaboration, if possible, work with shops that you have a relationship with, or fellow etsians they know. Second, make sure they write up a simple contract/agreement to help protect both yourself and the artists you collaborate with. Third, use your common sense and don't collaborate with someone you don't feel comfortable with.

The biggest joy I've discovered in my new on-line presence is the wealth of learning and sharing that occurs within this community. As a final note, Bill is generously giving away a set of coasters, you can find out more at Bee's Go Buzz, and take advantage of an excellent opportunity to enjoy one of his creations. You can also learn more about this incredible artist at the following sites:

Facebook Fan Page
Facebook Personal Page
RedBubble
Etsy
Twitter @houseofsixcats
Flickr

EBW Monthly Challenge

2010-06-09T07:03:00.001-04:00

It's time once again to vote in the Etsy Beadweavers' monthly challenge. The theme this month was phenomenon and there are many fantastic entries for you to enjoy. My entry is in honor of Mt. St. Helene's. I was not there when it erupted, but moved to the area over 10 years later. The stories of those who survived and those who did not, the landscape, and it's dark beauty left a lasting impression.

To place your vote, go the the team blog:

Etsybeadweavers.blogspot.com

Work in Process Part 2

2010-06-02T12:26:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd share a couple more pictures with you of my Barrel of Monkey's collaboration. It's coming along nicely, with only a few "tear outs" and "start overs". It is freeform, like my first cuff.

I did tear out the blue surround I had originally placed along the outside edge of the pin. I found it interferred with the flow of beading, although I've come to regret that decision as it did provide a nice termination for the the beadwork. I'm basically following the lines of the fabric with some modification to add interest and movement.

You can see that I could not resist adding fringe around the pin. In my defense (although there really is none) I was seeing a gap when I bent the bracelet around my wrist (where I had removed the blue surround). I wanted to know if the fringe would cover that gap. Of course it did (I knew it would but needed the excuse to fringe away). I love the fringe and it would look spectacular on a pendant, I'll have to hunt down more of the teardrop shaped beads. Unfortunately the fringe does make beading in the immediate area difficult, so avoid adding fringe until you're finished with the beading in the immediate area of your focal (do as I say, not as I do).

You can also see I've added eyelets to the outside edge. I'm going to use ultra-suede lace for this bracelet's closure. Not only does it add to the whimsy, it allows for some flexibility in sizing. I'm on the hunt for a cinch button. I have a couple that will work, but I'm still looking for the perfect one.

I have a long way to go, but it's a fun project and definitely outside of my normal beading. These are becoming addictive and I have plans for at least three more.

Collaboration Work In Progress

2010-05-26T10:03:00.004-04:00

Everybody Loves a Monkey

I'm pleased to tell you I have three more follow-up interviews coming in the Collaboration series. While those are percolating, I thought I'd attempt my first "work in progress" posting. I love it when artists post these and I am woefully bad at doing it myself. When I'm caught in the frenzy of making something, I rarely stop to get out the camera and take pictures.

What better place to start, than with my collaboration with Jill, from Barrel of Monkeys. My inspiration for approaching Jill for permission to use one of her buttons in my design actually came from my Mother-in-Law, Judy. Judy (and her husband Earl) is one of my main sources for bottle caps and one day she handed me these three pins from Bell's Brewery knowing my love for reusing stuff.

I have a project planned for these jewels, but my Collaboration series sidetracked me for the moment. I had purchased several of Jill's pins in the past for gifts and couldn't resist using one in my first design. They are the perfect shape for using as a cabochon with no additional prep work needed. The only thing I did was remove the pin finding from the back. (Note: If this had been an antique pin, I'd have made a pendant instead and would have kept the pin in place so as not to destroy it's value).

Although it was screaming to be a pendant, I decided I'd made enough of those recently and I screamed back, you are a cuff, you are a cuff. I like to try new techniques so rather than a brass cuff, I'm going for a softer foundation. I found a fusible Peltex at Joann Fabrics that has the right weight to it (Note: you can get this as fusible on both sides, one side, or nonfusible). There are many materials you can use as a foundation for bead embroidery which may be a good series for another post (always thinking ahead).

There are several methods you can use with bead embroidery, you can bead as you go, draw out your design first, or do as I did here and find a fabric that coordinates with your design. The advantage of this method is that it gives me some design lines I can follow (or not) and the color will show through any gaps in the beading. (Note, I strongly advise dying your foundation or using a color that will blend with your embroidery, I really dislike seeing the white foundation in this type of work).

To prep the piece, I first ironed the fabric to the fusible side of the Peltex and then glued the button to the center. Allow it to dry for several hours.

The next step is bezeling the centerpiece. This is both decorative and functional as it holds the button securely in place (never rely on glue alone). Usually I would embellished the bezel next, but I learned from experience that I need to do the surrounding beading first so whatever embellishment I choose doesn't get in the way (plus I haven't decided yet what to do).

The last step is a decorative surround which can also be used as a foundation for further embellishment or left alone. You can also see I've added guide lines, this keeps me from stitching too close to the edge, I'll need some room for attaching a backing.

The easy part is done and now I'm stuck. My original thought was corkscrew fringe all around the bezel, however, that may be too wild and too delicate for a cuff. I need to decide whether I'm going to follow the lines of the fabric, whether I'm going to add other stones, and what I'm going to do as a closure. My first instinct is not to include other stones or keep them to a minimum and focus instead on creating patterns and textures with seed beads. I'm really going to try not to embellish the focal point until the end (embellishing is my favorite thing, but I need restraint here).

I'll do my best to take pictures at each step that I can share with you as I finish this piece. As always, your suggestions and comments are most welcome.

Featuring LilaRubyKing and Artmind

2010-05-22T17:09:00.009-04:00

Art Minis

Today, I'm excited to present the collaboration between Anna's shop, Lilarubyking, and Misty's, Artmind. I came across both of these artists while searching Etsy for collaborations. The following interview is from a press release prepared by Misty for just such an occasion. Not only will you learn a bit about how their relationship began, it may just send you out to form your own. Their story is inspirational and demonstrates that there are no limits if you are willing to explore the possibilities.

Leaf Form Earrings

Around the middle of 2009 I was thinking how much I would like to have a go making jewelery using porcelain which I had just begun experimenting with. I had no idea where to start and thought I would ask my friend and jewelery designer, Anna from LilaRubyKing if she would possibly, maybe, perhaps, one day be interested in collaborating with me. Anna and I had become Etsy friends through the European Street Team, and many conversations discussing printed envelopes, our mutual affection for crackle glaze, and trying to work out if our paths ever crossed in Perth in 2001. Anna was super keen and the planning began!

Art Minis

Interesting fact: Anna lives in Greece and I live in Belgium. We have never actually met but are living proof that collaborating over the internet is as easy as living next door. It feels like you have a co-worker even though you never actually see each other. It's great to exchanges ideas and to inspire each other.

It started off in a chat room on Etsy. Anna made some visual aids. Soon ideas began to flow. We decided to keep our collaboration secret and I started referring to it as ‘the secret project on my blog’. I started making samples in my studio, showed pictures and shared processes in my blog. It was a way for us to work out ideas while trying to pique people’s interest. And it was great to see people were intrigued by the all that we showed, giving us great feedback. Since we both love textures and nature, it showed in the prototypes.

After a few months and trying out some bits and bobs on both sides, we set a date on which we would list our first items. The balance of who does what was never really a subject. Anna takes the pictures, lists, wraps and ships the items. I take care of promotion, writing about the collaboration in my blog, and sending off the occasional blog submission.

All in all, we ‘met’ twice in a chatroom and chat via e-mail every day. Exchanging ideas, blabbering about our cats and partners or doing more serious stuff like discussing pricing. We calculate our price based on time, material and artist value and we each get our share of that. Very fair! It's a collaboration based on respect for each others work and for our friendship that developed throughout.

Earrings

Exchanging ideas is super exciting and gives you a boost. It’s like wanting to dig into the clay right away or putting together jewelery when the mailman brings a box of goodies. Anna comes up with the most unusual ideas and makes me do stuff that I hate, like molding Barbie hands (not again!) but that makes it all fab and fun. The advantage for both of us is that it doesn’t feel like you’re working on an island. It generates energy and makes you try things that you never thought off before. It’s opening up new doors to new adventures and it’s all super exciting. The combination of porcelain and silver is not shocking or new but putting ideas on each other’s plate is a challenge.

I'm honored that you've taken this journey with me. In the upcoming weeks I'll bring you more features as we continue to explore this series. If you'd like to learn more about Anna, Misty or the European street team, please visit their links below:

ArtMind Blog
ArtMind Shop
Lilarubyking Shop
European Street Team

Collaborations Part III

2010-05-17T15:37:00.006-04:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/46172011/beaded-jellyfish-bottle-cap-necklace

I had tremendous fun hunting examples of collaborations and knew I'd have just as much fun creating a couple of my own. While working on my bottle cap series, I fell in love with the miniature paintings Karyn, Somewhathip, created on her bottle caps and knew they'd be the perfect first venture to combine talents. I contacted her for permission to utilize her cap in my own creation and then bought two of her pendants in my favorite design, the Jellyfish.

What I most appreciate about Karyn's work, besides the gorgeous artwork, is you can tell it's a bottle cap. Although my designs preserve the cap's graphic artwork, you can't readily tell it's made from a cap. I hesitated before beading around the image and taking that aspect away from her pendant. However, I decided to take the plunge and focus on the painting and not the bottle cap.

Painting and drawing are talents I truly wish I had. I can paint the Donna Dewberry one-stroke method (she can teach anyone to paint with the right brushes). However, this is a technique not true artistry in my incapable hands (although I did create very cute paintings in my daughters bedroom thanks to Donna). I'm not any better at graphic design or collage work. I lack the depth perception, color vision, or art gene that it takes to make something beautiful in these areas.

Karyn's artwork was a perfect match. She utilizes bottle caps, my favorite "cabochon", and her paintings are vibrantly beautiful and could hold their own with the beading. I wanted to experiment with fringe and decided to mimic the jellyfish tentacles. I found the perfect german glass beads on Laura McCabe's ebay store, highendbeads, in half moon shapes in oranges and red. These were added the the bottom of the branch fringe along with Japanese drops for additional color. I also included Japanese drops around the perimeter of the cap to fill in the fullness created by the cap's depth. In my own designs I usually flatten the cap first for a more narrow profile. The thicker profile created a bit of a challenge as I was at risk of overpowering the painting but needed to fill in the area.

The result was highly dramatic and it needed a necklace strap that was bold, but would also pull back a bit so that the painting did not become lost. (A danger in beadwork is to add too much to the design). I went back to my favorite rope, the spiral, and added a second row of embellishment to create fullness. The result, I believe, is beautiful and pulls the predominant blue of Karyn's design back into the design.

I have a couple of other ventures in the pipeline. The first utilizes a graphic button from one of my favorite button artists, Jill from Barrel of Monkeys. I've purchased several of her buttons as gifts and own several others from my travels. I think this button will be my first one, it's her signature design and I can envision something wonderful for it. This collaboration combines my love for using found objects (who doesn't own a button), buying local, and combining skills.

Stay tuned for some follow-up interviews and notes from my most recent classes (just have to finish the projects first). I leave you for now with a Jellyfish treasury to enjoy. When I release a new design, I often create a treasury based on the same theme. I'm proud to say that this was chosen to appear on Etsy's front page recently.

Collaborations Part II

2010-05-16T07:49:00.006-04:00

A Treasure Trove of Collaborative Efforts

In my previous post, I spoke a bit about different types of collaborations. What grabbed my immediate attention were examples of the same artwork represented by two different sellers working independently. This collection represents the best of what I found on Etsy.

Print Art Transformed

There are many, many examples of paintings, photography and other print artwork being transformed and reproduced into another medium. Examples include greeting cards, jewelry, and stickers to name a few. Oftentimes the artist completes this transformation on their own, like this example from Michigan artist, Kandy's shop, BitOWhimsey:

Here, her original mixed media painting is offered as a one of kind painting, print, print mounted on wood, jewelry pendant and note cards (not pictured). Kandy maintains complete control over her artwork while offering the buyer multiple price points for enjoying her paintings.

So what makes for a successful collaboration? In the collections above, the first two rows are artists who have partnered with another artist to create accessories of their original paintings/prints. A quick trip to their shops will show how successful that collaboration has been for both artists.

Cat Ivins has two distinctive and highly successful shops on Etsy, Polarity and Uncorked. Cat's magnetic pendants, made from recycled car parts, are simply gorgeous. She's successfully partnered with several artists to showcase their original artwork in these pendants. Dilkabear's artwork is shown in this example. Dilkabear offers prints, art cards as well as original paintings in her shop. Her artwork is beautiful rendered in Cat's pendants and this collaboration (and resultant cross promotion) has worked well for both artists.

Yaelfran is a graphic artist whose prints are also offered in a Polarity locket. Yaelfran also offers sticker books featuring the artwork of several Etsy artists. An ingenious way to decorate a page with your favorite artwork such as Geninne's Love Bird print. Each sticker book contains the work of several artisans. Yaelfran also offers you a chance to participate in a collaboration. She offers coloring pages of her graphic art to encourage your inner artist.

The next two artists also feature pendants in their shops and the origin artwork, again, is perfectly showcased in the chosen design. Heart Works by Lori's elegant lockets pair quite nicely with Irene Suchocki's delicate butterfly photograph (yep that's not a typo, it's a photograph). In contrast, I couldn't envision a better setting for Rustic Goth's moody yet whimsical, paintings than this copper stained glass pendant by Enchanted Glass.

Two artists on the last rows also had their print artwork transformed into another media. In the first, House of Six Cats takes, in this example, Eyeshoot's photography and makes coasters that can also also be used as backsplash tiles. Tea Party Revolution, however, offers you a different opportunity to collaborate with The Loli Shop by offering a cross stitch pattern for her prints that you can stitch and recreate the original (or use your own color scheme to create something new).

My last two examples in this series use the original artwork as inspiration or as a foundation for their own design. Artmind provides the ceramic pieces Lilarubyking uses in her jewelry. It's a fabulous collaboration and you can easily see the artists sharing a studio or gallery (although they live in two different countries). And last, but definitely the inspiration for this series, is Loran Scruggs' collaboration with OopsthatsArt using their toys as a foundation for her own creation. It's a brilliant collaboration and illustrates what two artists can accomplish when they combine their talents. Although they work separately, their creations are uniquely linked.

You can see more of these artists and their collaborations by clicking on their names in this article or on the title at the beginning of this article. I encourage you to look for your own collaborations, big and small, they are inspirational. This series has left me with many questions; how did these collaborations start, how do the choose their partner, and many more. I'll cycle back and speak with a few artists to help answer these questions and will cycle back to this series.

In the meantime, my next article will focus on my collaboration with Somewhathip and a sneak peek at a couple planned for the future.

Collaborations Part 1

2010-05-11T09:50:00.015-04:00

According to Wikipedia, collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together in an intersection of common goals. That's a fairly limited definition, but it serves as a good introduction to this series. Back in February, I did a spotlight article on Loran Scruggs during which I discovered that her toy animals started from the wooden toy animals sold by Oopsthatsart. I was instantly smitten (maybe a bit obsessed) by the idea. Two separate shops, each selling a product, but one had it's origins with the other. I went on a mad quest through Etsy looking for other examples. I even posted in the forums, which I never do, but received no response. Fortunately, a search led to a couple of shops and a query (i.e. nosey questions) resulted in a few more. My collection was complete and I titled it That Was Then, This is Now (clever aren't I). That wasn't the end of my obsession; my mind was brimming with ideas. I vowed to make at least one of those ideas a reality before starting this blog series and I'm happy to say I finished my first piece last week and I'm very pleased with the result.

Anne and Tristan, The Beginning

Before introducing That Was Then, This is Now, I'd like to briefly highlight a couple other collaborative efforts. When I started my bottle cap art series, a lovely artist name Anne Huskey discovered my blog and left a comment and I went on a happy blog hop. When I joined Anne's merry blog group, she was working on a joint commission with her friend Tristan to create a stole for a young minister. It was an amazing endeavor, two artists crossing the miles to create a stunning piece of wearable art. The picture to the left is a Bargello quilt created by Tristan. Anne describes the process (sometimes scary, mostly fun) of converting this work of art into a stole.

This is Anne's work in progress. (Please note that I had Anne's permission to post these pictures for this article. Please do not repost these pictures without her permission) I won't spoil Anne and Tristan's big reveal, I let you go on a blog walk of your own. They posted about this process January and February of 2010 and the picture of the young man wearing their creation is worth the journey and hunt through their archives.

Types of Collaboration

I choose to focus my upcoming article on artwork that stood on it's on in each artist's shop. However, they're are many, many forms of collaboration, some with direct input from both artists, some indirect, and many with a tenuous connection at most.

Supplier to Artist -- This is, perhaps, the most common collaboration and one that you might not consider. However, great suppliers are very much in tune with the artist community, continually creating products that help the artist enhance their work. There are many examples of suppliers and artists working together to create new tools and products to fulfill the artist's vision.

Marsha Wiest-Hines and Hannah Rosner

Art Supplier to Artist -- I wasn't sure how to title this collaboration but anyone who has a great relationship with a lampwork glass artist will know what I mean. Marsha partnered with Hannah to create this lovely chapeau for Convergence II. Hannah's orchid cannot be called a "supply" it just doesn't fit. It's a work of art that beaders around the world covet, collect, horde, and sometimes use in their fabulous creations like Marsha did here. I encourage you to visit Marsha's blog for more on this collaboration, it will literally bring you to tears.

Artist to Artist -- You'll find many examples of artwork in this category. Marsh/Hannah's and Anne/Tristen's efforts fall into this category as well. In this type of collaboration each person works on the end piece either separately or together (e.g. book illustrators with authors). Each artist brings a unique skill to the creation. I was fortunate to find a teammate whose work touched all of these categories and shows the progression of artwork.

In this example (disclaimer, the stones are different, these have sold as fast as they are made) LostSierra's lovely cabochon is transformed into a brooch by Glimmerstone, who in turn, provides beaded cabochons to MoreOutoftheOrdinary who uses them on her fabulous bags. A full cycle of artwork awaits the new owner of these bags.

Of course there are many other examples and I encourage you to look for them, some are apparent and some are hidden but it's worth really looking at what goes into the artwork you see. For me, I'm anxious to get to the meat of what started me on this journey, but alas, that will await my next posting. I'll give my poor suffering readers a chance to digest this article and peruse the blogs I recommended. It will be worth the wait (and blog hop), I promise you.

Blogs in this Article

2010-05-06T15:05:00.001-04:00

Christine's Beadworks

The winners of the Use the MUSE IV contest have been posted and you are in for a visual overload of beauty and creativity. It never ceases to fill me with wonder at what occurs when you hand over a pile of beads to different artists. I'm honored to have my creation included with these other incredible designs and I encourage you to look at every entry. All of us have been waiting for the reveal and we were not disappointed. Win or not, we all walk away with a great design and pride in our creation. I have a very difficult time taking good pictures, but I particularly like the one above...makes a great ad doesn't it?

For my piece, I kept to my current emphasis on asymmetry and versatility making two separate neck straps that can also be worn as bracelets. The picture above shows one of those straps in the foreground with the other strap in the background. We have to keep the muse portion of the necklace secret until today, so (drum roll please), here's the necklace in it's entirety:

I enhanced the center piece by stamping it with a clear ink and rubbing in copper mica powder. The powder was then sealed with four layers of matte artist sealant. For the next challenge (yes I would definitely do this again), I'll take progression shots. The center piece went through at least 5 different designs before I settled upon this one (and not a picture of anything but the mess left over). It can be nerve wracking to start from scratch when you are under a time limit but the results are so worth it.

Please visit Scarlett's site to learn more about this event and to see all of the entries:

Sponsors:
Scarlett Lanson, The Beader's Muse
ArtBeads

Judges:
Marcia Decoster
Sherry Serafini
Cynthia Thorton
Lorelei Eurto

To Purchase:
Christine's Beadworks

2010-04-21T13:48:00.001-04:00

Flint Handmade on Facebook

Come join me and 60+ other local Michigan artists at the Flint Handmade show in downtown Flint, Michigan. I'll be at the Loft and will have a clearance sale on my crystal spiral ropes. This is the last show I'm offering these beauties, what doesn't sell will be repurposed. I'll have my bottle cap pendants both metal and beaded including a couple of new designs. I look forward to seeing you

there.

http://www.flinthandmade.com/home.html
http://flinthandmade.blogspot.com/
http://christinesbeadworks.etsy.com/

The Beauty of Friendship Swaps

2010-04-15T09:15:00.010-04:00

My online group, Etsy Beadweaver's Team, recently organized a swap and 21 of my teammates and I participated. This lovely picture is of Susan Ivey, and I couldn't have asked for a better picture to illustrate the joy of doing a friendship swap. The bracelet on the right is the piece that she created for fellow beadweaver, Aster Sadler and the one on the left is the one she received in turn from Jacquie Champion. With this swap, each person was assigned someone on the list and provided with information about that person. No one knew who had their name, so it was a surprise to both receive a piece and to find out the identity of the sender. There were no real requirements on what to make, just something the other person would like and to do the big reveal today, April 15th. I have the great honor of not only showing the piece I sent to, drum roll please, Naan Pocen, but to also show everyone's pieces. We have a few pictures missing, so I will follow-up when they come in.

Naan was, I believe, the very first person to leave a comment on my blog. Naan is a gifted writer, as well as a gifted bead artist and I highly encourage you to read her blogs (each mention of her name has a separate link to different blogs). For any challenge and/or swap, I push myself to create something I haven't done before. I knew I wanted to use a bottle cap in my design, and for something new to me, I decided to make it reversible (not everyone wants to advertise their favorite beer/soda all the time, lol). My original thought was to put an image of Naan and her beautiful daughter on one side, but that attempt failed miserably. I still have a lot to learn about creating collages that will look nice with beadwork and not look flat. I was told that Naan likes the color red and didn't own a lariat. Perfect, I've never done a true lariat and I adore these new Coke caps. What's a "true" lariat, you might ask. For me, a lariat is very long and something that can be worn multiple ways around the neck. The picture on the left is the back of the caps, with the left side being the medallion beadwork I used to cover the failed picture and the right a collage of nail polish (makes a great paint) and stamped acetate. Red with gold is one of my favorite pairings, it looks rich and elegant and it also avoided a color comination that Naan doesn't like (red/blue) and one that I don't like (red/green). I used a herringbone weave for the strap; perhaps not the best choice. It's a little stiffer than I wanted at the crystal intersections, but I love the overall look and versatility. The embellishments for the herringbone were first introduced to me by Laura McCabe's designs and they work wonderfully here.

This collage illustrates the many possibilities of wearing this piece. It's long enough to be drapped around the waist (correction, Naan's waist, not mine, lol).

Readers, you've been very patient with me. I know you want to see what others on the team sent and received. Another drum roll please........

Make sure click on the picture to make it larger and you will be able to read the sender and the recipient names. Check back later in the week, I'll continue to update the picture with others as I receive them. Below is a list of all the participants in the swap. Clicking on their names will take you to their blogs (if they have one) or to their shops (if they don't). Many will be writing about their experiences with the swap so you can have a great time taking a journey with us.

Karina Houben to Ellen Shukis

Ellen Shukis to Hadas Ferber

Hadas Ferber to Carol Holmes

Carol Holmes to Laura Zeiner

Laura Zeiner to Charlene Abrams

Charlene Abrams to Jacquie Champion

Jacquie Champion to Susan Ivey

Susan Ivey to Aster Sadler
Aster Sadler to Ruthie Stickney

Ruthie Stickney to Christine Wilson

Christine Wilson to Naan Pocen

Naan Pocen to Olga Pettersson

Olga Pettersson to Patricia Vener

Patricia Vener to Lisa Savoy

Lisa Savoy to Marilyn Norman

Marilyn Norman to Nancy Dale

Nancy Dale to Esther Neijman

Esther Neijman to Louisa Meece

Louisa Meece to Marcy Abney

Marcy Abney to Deb Andersen

Deb Andersen to Karina Houben

Use the Muse IV Sneak Peek

2010-04-07T13:22:00.002-04:00

Scarlett Lanson's Use the Muse IV contest is currently underway and I'm excited to show you a few sneak peaks of my entry. My daughter and I are huge Project Runway fans and as I worked on this piece, I couldn't help but compare the experience. If you've watched the show, you'll know that contestants are constantly pushed to create couture and creative garments. While that is not a requirement in this bead challenge, winning pieces definitely need to be creative as well as skillfully constructed. My beading tends to be streamlined and matches my individual style. Like project runway contestants, I find it challenging to create something that is both me, yet also elaborate enough to catch the judge's eye. I attempt to incorporate techniques I haven't used before. I also attempt to make the piece versatile and asymmetrical both of which usually push my creativity.

I totally sympathize with the time and material constraints placed on Project Runway contestants. In comparison I had nearly unlimited materials (a base kit is provided by Artbeads and you can add whatever you want) and I might as well have had unlimited time (3 weeks). This season's most recent "your out" was given to Jonathan after he redid his dress five times and finally ran out of both fabric and time. Had he been given more of both, he would have achieved a better result. I can't count the number of times I completely revamped my Use the Muse IV design. I'm lucky that beads can be pulled apart and reused an unlimited amount of times or my result would have also failed on the runway.

My first inspiration was chainmaille and I envisioned draping chains of beadwork from the Muse (shhh, a big secret, I can't reveal the muse yet). Unfortunately, neither herringbone nor spiral stitches created the delicacy I was looking for. My daughter provided the next inspiration, dream catcher, and the resulting spiral dangles were quite lovely. I then preceded to add a riveted element and was quite happy with the result and it was time to work on the neck pieces.

That's when I created the ropes you see in the picture above. They started out as a simple weave around the provided leather cord that was going to go behind the neck. However, they evolved in something much more elaborate using herringbone and right angle weaves in tubular form. They were also the perfect size to make into a bracelet and I decided to make two straps, both bracelet length.

The second strap quickly formed in an embellished spiral weave. Back to the drawing board....I decided the focal point needed to be redone completely. Off went the spiral rope dangles (lovely though they were) and off went the riveted elements (never to be seen again). Many things were tried and cut off until I was satisfied. I won't spoil the surprise but look for updates after the Muse is revealed on Scarlett's website later this month. I leave you with the picture of the mess left behind...I wonder how long before this is cleaned up?

For more information visit:

The Beader's Muse
Artbeads

Christine's Beadworks Fan Page Giveaway #3

2010-03-23T17:08:00.001-04:00

Christine's Beadworks on Facebook

Christine's Beadworks has reached over 280 facebook fans thanks in large part to the Flint City Handmade Market and the recommendation of my supportive fans. It's time for another giveaway and my good friend, Loretta, selected two items from my inventory for two lucky fans.

First the rules. To enter, you must be a ChristinesBeadworks Fan on Facebook or a follower of this blog; you must be 18 years of age or older; and you must leave a comment here on this post or on my face book page here. The winner will be selected randomly from those who leave comments and will be contacted through their facebook or blog profiles. Now the comment topic: I'm considering offering optional beaded and/or satin cords for my bottle cap pendants. The big question of the day is: "When purchasing a pendant, would you prefer an optional neck cord (you can select your own) or an included neck cord (a complete look)?" The winner will be selected and notified Monday, March 29, 2010.

The first person chosen will receive this lovely spiral rope. For some reason, I cannot seem to get a good picture of this beauty. The enameled, sterling silver button from Gita Maria inspired this colorway and is evocative of spring days romping in daffodil fields. This 18 inch necklace can be worn with the button facing front or back. It's a versatile piece wearable with most spring and summer colorways (yellow, blue, teal, raspberry, red, and green).

The second person drawn will receive this riveted metal pendant featuring my newest, double sided design. The featured bottle cap is from Magic Hat Brewery located in Vermont. This is another awesome brew with an equally awesome bottle cap. Each brew has a thought provoking quote inside the cap that a customer suggested I find a way to show. This is my first generation pendant fulfulling that request. Like all my metal pendants, this one is heavily textured with brass on the front and copper on the back. Both flame and liver of sulfur were used to create an aged patina. Alcohol ink provides additional aging to the saying on the cap's back and resin protects the image on both sides. The pieces are riveted with copper wire and the pendant suspends from a handmade copper bail. A 24 inch brass chain is included.

Good luck everyone.

Spotlight on Mortira Natasha vanPelt

2010-03-17T06:30:00.006-04:00

Each month, my online group, Etsy Bead Weavers, hosts a challenge where the entire membership is encouraged to participate. A theme is chosen by the previous winner and off we go to create a masterpiece in beads. Today, I'd like to spotlight an artist, whose work did not make it into the challenge but immediately caught my eye. When I saw Mortira's bracelet, Little Goat Tree, I was immediately struck by it's beauty, it's earthy colors and how well it represented the tale she choose to protray. I could almost envision the silver leaves floating in the wind. This is Mortira's story behind her bracelet and her art.

My bracelet was inspired by a lesser known Grimm Brothers’ folk tale, “One Eyes, Two Eyes, and Three Eyes”. I have always been a non-conformist at heart, so the obscure fairy tales were usually my favorite. This is one I remember reading a lot as a child.

“Little Goat Tree” represents a kind spirit’s last gift to the story’s heroine. The magical tree with golden fruit and silvery leaves draws the attention of a handsome prince, who takes Two Eyes away from her life of grief and want. I like this story because it has a truly happy ending. The evil sisters, One Eye and Three Eyes, are inspired by Two Eyes’ kindness, and in the end are sorry for treating her badly. In most fairy tales, the good guys live happily ever after, and the bad guys suffer some fate worse than death.

About the Artist

Throughout my life, there have been only two things that I’ve stuck with: beading and books. When I discovered audio books, I was able to combine my two favorite hobbies. Listening to a book while creating with beads is more appealing to me than a tropical vacation or trip to the moon. I can’t say for sure why I’m drawn to beads, but I can’t ever see myself growing weary of them.

The thing I am most proud of is my decision to abstain from metals. When I first decided to forgo clasps and other metal components, I worried that it might hinder my ability to design. I was surprised to discover that it actually fueled my creativity. Now that I don’t have ready made materials to fall back on, I take bigger risks and try new things with more enthusiasm.

I'd like to leave you with two more creations from Mortira's shop. On the left is one of Mortira's favorites, her Tide Pool Scarf Necklace. This delicate netting makes me long for those days when I was closer to the ocean. On the right is one of my personal favorites from her shop, West Coast Woman. I have a current fascination with with beadwork utilizing unusual materials. The carving in this focal point is stunning and Mortira's beadwork enchances it perfectly while also pulling from her Canadian heritage.

To learn more about Mortira or the EBW Team, please visit the following sites:

Inspirational Beading
Sage's Cupboard
Sage's Cupboard on Facebook
Oh Canada Team
Etsy Beadweavers Team

Blog Makeover

2010-03-13T14:27:00.003-05:00

I recently updated the look of my blog and invite you on my journey for blog improvement. I'm not sure I will do this journey justice, but I will try to start at the beginning (a very good place to start according to Julie Andrews). The journey began when I noticed a new blog follower, Anne Huskey-Lockard, who shared my love of bottle caps and recycled artwork. I was thrilled, in turn, to discover her blog, El Milagro Studio. It just so happened that Ann had just won a title makeover from Susie Jefferson at 1stFloorFlat. Of course, I took a journey over to Susie's blog and was amazed at all the advice, tutorials, and blog backgrounds she offered. I was happy with my blog at that particular moment. The colors provided in the standard Blogspot template, Thistle, matched my header perfectly and I liked the two column layout.

Then I started my in-depth artist interviews and was increasingly frustrated with the small column width in which I had to write. If you've not noticed, I tend to be wordy and with the exception of this post, I like to include lots of pictures. The picture sizes I had to use in those articles was too small to fully do the artwork justice and I had to eliminate pictures that I otherwise would have included. Loran Scrugg's video was cut off slightly and everything seemed to be scrunched and hard to read.

That's when I started to modify my blog in earnest. Anyone who has worked with me in my previous Finance career knows I'm pretty good at tweaking macros and simple code. I'm not good at writing it myself, but very good at modifying existing code to suit my purposes. How hard can HTML be? Well, it's not hard exactly, but I do not have enough fundamental training to do much more than modest tweaking. I was able to make my column wider, but I could not make the format follow. I was like a dog worrying a bone, I could not let it go. I spend several hours, days even, changing this and that before admitting defeat. I really liked my colors and resisted changing templates because I wanted to make this work.

That's when Susie came to my rescue. I posted a comment on her blog and she visited mine to take a look. Completely free of charge, she played around with the Thistle format to see if she could make it larger for me. The verdict; it could not be done easily. It was one of those pesky formats that resisted changes (made me feel a little better that I hadn't lost my tweaking skills). She suggested I switch to Minima or Minima Stretch. Both of which were easier to modified and many sites offered free backgrounds, headers and other cool stuff that worked on that template.

Bear with me, I know this post is getting way too long. Minima Stretch worked perfectly. I began reading Susie's tutorials in earnest and she sent me a couple of links to other blogs with tools to improve my blog's appearance. Her feedback was invaluable and willingly offered. I really can't thank her enough. There are four major changes I made to the standard Minima Stretch template. First, I modified the code to put a background color behind the titles in my sidebar (very proud of that bit of tweaking). I then used the links Susie provided to put a background color behind the entire sidebar to make it stand out more. The instructions for this are on the blog, The Cutest Blog on the Block. Next, I took Susie's advice in her post about Blog Backgrounds, to not use italics as it was hard on the eyes. Now, when I use someone's direct words, I highlight their words in a different color. You can see it in my interview with Jan from HungryHoller. You can find instructions for doing this at, BlogBulk.

Almost done, hang in there. With all these changes in place, I was still not happy with the look. It was flat and rather boring. I needed a texture in my background for interest. I liked the colors, but it needed a bit of spark. I searched for free backgrounds but none of them were quite right. After all this work, I was not willing to settle for something that did not quite match my color scheme.   There are instructions out there on how to make your own, but I know from experience, it's time consuming and frustrating if you don't have a strong background with photo editing software. I contacted Susie for a quote and could not be happier with her service. She tweaked the background for me until I was happy with it and then, free of charge, she modified my header when it was clear it no longer fit the new format. She even provided a second, smaller header, when my daughter thought it was too big (I outvoted her, but Susie gave me the option anyway). I'm still doing a bit of tweaking (once I start playing with code, I'm like a little kid with a new toy), but I'm very pleased with the final results.

Let me know if you like the look or if there's anything that is hard to read. Below are links to places you can go for more information on updating your blog and if you haven't discovered Anne's blog, check her out on El Milagro Sudio:

1st Floor Flat
The Cutest Blog on the Block
Blog Bulk

Spotlight on Jan, HungryHoller

2010-02-22T06:54:00.009-05:00

I've met someone wonderful people during my bottle cap journey. We've laughed together, traded bottle caps and stories, and marveled at our commonalities. Jan, from Hungry Holler, has been a true joy getting to know. With each email exchange, she has shared glimpses of her work, and each one has astonished me and brought true joy to my mornings. Jan also has a video on YouTube and I strongly encourage you to watch it. She shows how she creates her incredible gourd art pieces. It is my great pleasure to share her story with you.

Journey

[Painting by Jan's father, Arthur Mohr, of her husband]

My Dad is an accomplished artist, not professionally. Art has been a part of my life ALL my life. And not just as in painting, sculpture etc. My folks landscaped artfully, built barns and corrals artfully. Purchased art. Stuff they pointed out to us made us think artfully. All that stuff adds up. As a child, I loved to color and make the holiday centerpiece. I don't know what inspires me. I don't know what motivates me. Creating is just something I do. Nothing deep. Nothing profound. I can't help it. I often don't know what the heck I'm doing, but I just blunder in and most of the time, it works out pretty well. It could be I'm master of nothing. Perfection is boring. I love the odd turns creation takes. Sometimes it's irritating. Sometimes it's downright fabulous.

I'm self-taught, with input from family over the years. They know their stuff and I respect their opinions, but when it comes down to it, I pay attention pretty much only to my ownself. I've struggled all my life with two warring hemispheres of my brain: bohemian vs beancounter. My degree is in history. I thought I'd go to law school. The universe thought otherwise, thank goodness. Obsession is partnered with discipline in that if you're driven to do something, you do it. It's the other part of your life that can fall apart. The beancounter in me hasn't permitted that. The mundane is important to me too. I don't like sitting down and doing paperwork, but I dislike the fallout from not doing it even more. My studio can look like a whirlwind went through it, but my kitchen is clean. And I know where everything is in my studio even though it doesn't look like there's order to the chaos.

Jan and I share a beancounter background and that personality conflict. Each time I allow one side to overrule the other, which I often do, the imbalance is palatable and immediate. For me I tend to swing wildly between both and I have great admiration for Jan's ability to stay at the crest of the wave.

Bottle Cap Nirvana

I Heart Coffee

My bottle cap and pull tab work has become an obsession second only to my long-time gourd obsession. I love upcycling/recycling industrial dross. The combination of the organic and the manufactured delights me. Go figger. Hungry Holler Art Center (the grandiose-sounding name for our 6 acre home place, studios, gallery and pasture) is full of industrial stuff created for one purpose, reincarnated as art. There's something to see everywhere you look.

I'm a gardening fiend and again, the juxtaposition of the organic with iron is so appealing. I do believe there's a pattern here! Obsession is critical to creation. If obsession doesn't drive you, you don't get stuff DONE. Living on a small old farm also is very freeing. I can bottle cap my living room walls and know it's an improvement over yucky painted paneling.

This shot (on the left) of Jan's wall showcases Cynthia Reddish's Road to Hell picture. As you know, I love Cynthia's picture and am in awe at Jan's bottle cap wall. In Jan's window surrounds (on the right), the caps look like mosaic glass and I love the raw wood framing. I have visions of a lovely day spent with these incredible artists doing the same treatment on my bar downstairs. Beer, conversation, cement all sounds like a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. I'd always imagined someday putting tile on that ugly old bar...but the bottle caps....WOW, great idea.

You can learn more about Jan and see more of her artwork on the following sites:

HungryHoller
Etsy
Blog

YouTube

Spotlight on Karyn, Somewhathip

2010-02-15T06:00:00.003-05:00

The featured artist this week is Karyn who sells her colorful, hand painted bottle caps in her shop, SomewhatHip. Karyn is a self taught artists who experiments in many media, including pencil, paint, ceramic, paper and computer graphics. In her own words, Karyn describes her background and inspirations that led to these fabulous pendants:

A Shop is Born
I'm currently working on my Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, where I do cancer drug delivery research with a lab that makes new materials for medical applications. Although I'm studying engineering, I like to indulge my artsy side. When my friend Rio introduced me to Etsy, I was immediately hooked. Curious about my shop name? A few years ago, an employee of the school of graduate studies contacted my supervisor to ask for recommendations for students to star in a recruitment video for UofT. The selection criteria - "we're looking for graduate students who are photogenic, articulate, and somewhat hip." Apparently I fit the bill, and the rest is history...

Journey

I like to create things that people don't see every day. For me, the best part about handmade items is their uniqueness - a quality that can never be mass produced. I'm inspired by many offbeat things. I would say I got my start in grade 8 art class, where I first produced a portrait of a girl that actually looked like the girl - by drawing a grid on the original, and drawing each square while blocking out the rest of the sketch. I also learned a lot about form in a high school drafting class. This taught me about proportion and perspective. I also learned a lot about sketching through biology classes by looking through a microscope and sketching without seeing the page. I've also been designing personalized Christmas ornaments for my friends and family for the past 15 years, using fabric paint and a curved surface, which has given me speed and a more practiced and steady hand. And to prove that inspiration really does come from everywhere, the original idea to paint names and designs onto Christmas ornaments came from watching Days of Our Lives in high school. I'm almost embarrassed to share that...

My latest obsession is collecting up our bottle caps after drinking with friends, and transforming them into miniature pieces of art. Each of my bottle cap pendants is painted freehand. They were originally inspired by a pendant my sister bought me for my birthday, which was a hand decorated domino. I thought it was pretty amazing that it still retained so much of its original form, even though it had been completely transformed. I'm also collecting some beautiful and unique stones and beads to launch a wire wrapped jewelry line, which is coming to my shop very soon.

Inspiration

I'm inspired by a diverse set of things. I am greatly influenced by color. Sometimes I just mix paints or think about color combinations and think about how I can use them together. Song lyrics often capture my attention, and I will think about what they mean to me, and how they translate visually. I am also highly influenced by things that I see. I'm an avid amateur photographer, which is a hobby that trains you to focus on objects that normally go unseen or unanalyzed. I'm usually the only person that people know who has broken cameras because of too many shutter actuations. Usually the image count (beginning with 0001) has to reset itself 2 or 3 times before it gets to this point.

The events that have triggered designs are fairly disconnected. The sliced kiwi was inspired by a mural in a fast food restaurant in Barcelona called Pans, that had many foods in cross section. The goldfish was a request from my other sister, and so I drew him based on a pet goldfish we used to have. The water lily is based on a marsh boardwalk in Point Pelee national park, which is the southernmost mainland tip of Canada. The dragon is a portrait of a kite I purchased in a market in Bali, after my best friend from Vancouver got married in Singapore. The cherry blossom design is one I made for my best friend in Toronto, who really admired blocky industrial pendants we saw in a courtyard in Montreal. My mom also helped me a lot by giving me her signature paint brush many years ago - it's the thinnest brush I own, as it is normally used to sign a name on a painting, so it demands precision and fine lines - I'll bet she never guessed what I'd ultimately use it for.

I recently purchased one of Karyn's bottle caps to use in my next design. I'll share more about how Karyn's and other artists in this series influenced my design in a future post. Karyn's pendants are even more stunning in person. If you'd like to learn more about Karyn and see more of her work you can find her at:

SomewhatHip.com

Twitter

Spotlight on Loran Scruggs

2010-02-08T22:42:00.003-05:00

(Music by Eric Beug and Boolar. Animation by JuliaPott)

This video, produced by Eric Beug, for Etsy's Handmade Life series, is an excellent introduction to Loran Scruggs. It's not often we get to see an artist working in her studio and describing her process in her own words. Loran shared the following with me:

I graduated with a BFA from the California College of Arts (and Crafts). I went there with the idea of learning how to make things but, even at that point when the college still had ‘Crafts’ in its name, it was more of an Arts school. The focus was on the artist's intent; who is your audience, where to display your work, the why more than the how was emphasized by my instructors. I often wonder what it would have been like to go to a Craft School.

Whistles on Chains

I've always wanted to make things; my earliest piece was a dragon fly made out of candy wrappers. My parents were supportive, allowing full access to the tape dispenser and making things progressed from there. I’m motivated by the puzzle ‘what can I make with what I have at hand? For example I’ll ponder Hunt’s tomato cans...tin cans are sharp…I cut myself... Hunt’s..red… hunt cut sharp... Oee, I know I’ll make a Hunting Knife out of Hunt’s tomato cans. Usually with a lot more threads that don’t finish into anything.

Pendant Floral Yellow Chamber Rattle

Port Townsend, where I live, is a small town with a food co-op and a large arts community. Many people here are into the simple life, living off the grid, reusing and recycling. I graduated from art school with a strong interest in creating with what I had at hand as well as not using heavy machinery. My art work reflects my values as well as that of my place."

I've enjoyed this peek into the work of Loran Scruggs. Before we leave her, I'd like to share one of her toy creations. I found these very intriguing. This is collaboration at it's finest. The wooden camel hand crafted by Etsy artist, Oopsthatsart, is beautiful on it's own. Loran takes that same camel and creates her own work of art that still serves it's original intent as a child's toy. The buyer benefits from the work of two fine artists in one piece.

"When I first saw Oopsthatsart wooden toys, I purchased one hoping the wooden wheels would fit inside a bottle cap. When they did, I was so pleased I contacted Lisa at oops..and she wrote back saying that they could do any custom order animals or shapes if I had any ideas. I immediately thought about the Tiger Balm tins and a tiger that I wanted to make using the tins as wheels (they fit over the wooden wheels as well) and so began a great relationship."

Little Wooden Camel by Oopsthatsart

Toy Camel Tropical Theme by loranscrugss

A great relationship indeed. Next week we'll meet Karyn from Somewhathip. If you'd like to see more of Loran's work or Oopsthatsart's work you can click on their names anywhere in the post or see their shops at:

Loran Scruggs on Etsy
Oopsthatsart on Etsy

Spotlight on Cyndia Reddish

2010-02-01T13:13:00.004-05:00

It's my great pleasure to introduce the first follow-up article on artists previously highlighted in my series on bottle cap art. Cyndia Reddish is a self-taught metalsmith, jewelry artist and photographer. She is well known for her art jewelry and her photography has won numerous awards in the Montana State fair. Cyndia shared the following with me during our discussions:

"Art is in my soul. In the twenty years that I have been a professional jewelry artist, I have felt the ever-present conflict between my conservative side of myself and my wild bohemian side, the gainfully employed adult versus the artistic free spirit. I constantly see dichotomy in the world around me as well as within myself; I see beauty in objects that create a sense of uneasiness, even fear in others. For me there is a concurrent sense of balance, a yin/yang, within the inherent conflict of perceptions.

After moving to Montana in 2006, I found myself becoming creatively restless, wanting to reach deeper and unleash a more primal nature, a grittier creativity. By using my art to provocatively confront the uncomfortable feelings that force us to stare at a train wreck even though we want to look away, I feel that I am fulfilling an important aspect of my divine purpose, to touch people and change them in some way that they otherwise might not have achieved alone.

Photography

I have always been intrigued with provocative photos that draw you into the scene, that capture a moment in time and convey the mood in a way that sticks with the viewer and provokes contemplation. Taking pictures of everything helps me to remember my past and my trips to other places. Macro-photography is my personal favorite venue, and many of my photos depict unusual close-up views, such as the inside petals of a lily, or a water droplet reflecting the landscape from a barbed wire fence. With my photograph (on the left), Road to Hell, I took a low-angled shot of a bar parking lot full of rusted bottle caps to try to capture the intimation of a deteriorating life of an alcoholic."

[This picture spoke to me in many ways. First the title reflects so clearly my husband's joking view of my bottle cap obsession. He is very supportive, but he couldn't help but laughingly say "road to hell is right." It also is a strong connection for me to the other artists in this series. When I saw this picture, I saw the friends I've made through this very unique piece of discarded metal. I saw art and friendship waiting to happen. Cyndia took this shot outside a redneck bar in Okema, Oklahoma. The sign outside the bar reads, "Rocky Road Tavern, Home of Woody Guthrie and the Common Folks, God Bless America."]

Jewelry

Cyndia has two jewelry lines, Black Water Siren Studio and Traeshe. Her handcrafted art jewelry studio has been in business since 1989 and was featured in Femail Creations, a national gift catalog showcasing female designers. The earrings on the right, Kyrah Arrowhead, are an example of the craftsmanship you will find in her studio. Cyndia describes her shop, Traesche, as "Outsider art for the Alter Ego." She has this to say about her newest line:

"In my latest conceptual jewelry series, the Bullet Hole CollectionTM, I capture an iconic symbol of violence (the bullet) in its precise moment of impact (the hole). I use what is physically not present to convey movement and action, to tell a story of inference, like using an echo rather than the voice itself. In doing so, I create an unsettling beauty in my jewelry with what many would consider to be an alarming, but very unique, choice of subject matter. Notches on the Post by Traeshe.

It was my pleasure to get to know Cyndia through her artwork. You can find Cyndia Reddish in select boutiques throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom or at these on-line locations:

BlackWaterSiren.com

BlackWaterSiren.etsy.com

ReddishGallery.etsy.com

Traesche.etsy.com

blackwatersiren.blogspot.com

ebay username: blackwatersiren

Become a fan of Black Water Siren Studio on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Make-Black-Water-Siren-Famous/335850360516?ref=nf

Become a fan of Make Black Water Siren Famous! on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Make-Black-Water-Siren-Famous/335850360516?ref=nf

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #5

2010-01-25T17:42:00.000-05:00

In this last grouping, are artists whose work is meant for contemplation and display. Some bridge the cap into fine art, some are quirky, some are functional yet can also be viewed as sculpture. It's hard to limit myself to nine artists, but I believe you will enjoy their work as much as I have.

Treasures from the Sea
Of all the artists I've stumbled across in my searches, these first three have captured my heart with their imagery and design. Dianedickens' whimsical and colorful crabs, bugs and other critters always make me smile. Her lady bug was the first wall hanging I saw, but her crabs are my simply sublime.

I could do a whole series on the artwork of HungryHoller.    I really can't encourage you strongly enough to check our her website and etsy store.   She does the most incredible pieces with gourds and bottle caps. The turtle shown here is a wall hanging, but it is also a container for your treasures.   In my communication with the artist, she has also shared pictures of some of her home projects that are truly amazing.

Johntunger is well known for his gorgeous renditions of fish. They are incredible and he describes his creative process on his website. He makes fire bowls as well and was featured on Etsy as Ruler of the Earth (-Friendly Items).   That is high praise indeed and well earned.

Dimensional Artistry
The next three artists did not fall into a set category so, for lack of a better term, I'm putting them here as dimensional art. StudioStebbyLee has a section in her shop called "melded by me" where I found this lovely chair in a last minute search for this article. I love it. I dream about sitting on this stool while working on my own creations.   Embarkingdog's animal sculptures have long been a personal favorite. I also love the lettering in her titles (but that is off subject, I suppose).    Merritthyde's rich, distressed cross was also a last minute find. It goes to show that it is well worth the time to refine your searches and page through items to find gold. It's a beautiful piece and has graced the front page of Etsy.

Accidental Tourists
I could not resist the prints from these last three artists, (in fact I purchased one of them). The first, Road To Hell, by ReddishGallery, is a perfect illustration of trash and treasure. Littered over the ground like this, the bottle caps reflect desolation and disregard for our lovely planet. It also reflects how my husband feels about my bottle cap obsession on some days. However, in the hands of an artist, like this photographer and many of those who create with bottle caps, this is a mound of gold waiting to be mined. The second piece, Bury the Past, from BlueRabbitGallery, is a great segue from the first photo and shows that the earth eventually reclaims us all (so we need to hurry to that parking lot in Oklahoma before the caps are all gone). The last artist, pinkiesister, has an incredible eye. A lone bottle cap stands out on a pebble beach, whispering to me, pick me up, pick me up.

I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I've enjoyed finding them. Each week, beginning February 1, I will showcase an individual artist from the three different series (jewelry, functional, and art). If there are particular questions you would like answered or a particular artist you want profiled, please contact me. They are all worth getting to know better.

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #4

2010-01-23T20:01:00.002-05:00

I'm very excited about the growing field of bottle cap art. These next artists feature products that I've classified as functional art. It's a smaller field than jewelry, but it is well worth the hunt. These items aren't as easy to subcategorize, but the artists I chose tend to celebrate the artwork of the cap itself. The first artist, fattslures, creates fishing lures with recycled caps. What a fabulous way to spend the day; fishing, sunshine and your favorite brew.

Loranscruggs, was also featured in my very first bottle cap treasury many moons ago on etsy. I'm not sure how I first stumbled across her store, it was either a feature on Etsy's front page or one of my many combs through the bottle cap entries. Her whistles are amazing and she has adorable pull toys made from tin cans and bottle caps. I'm also impressed with her collaboration with a fellow etsy artisian, oopsthatsart, who makes the wooden frames for Loran's toys. Two handmade objects in one item is fabulous.

I found StickToIt when preparing for this article. They make the cutest tic tac toe boards using coordinating bottle caps as the game pieces. They'll even customize a board for you. A very convenient item for mom's to keep in their bags to keep the kids entertained.

There are many sellers who make bottle cap magnets; however I love ScreaminMonkeyCircus's shop name and the idea of giving a six pack of magnets to your favorite beer drinker. Brian also showcases the bottle cap image rather than covering it up, which I prefer for gifts for the men in my family. Speaking of the men on your shopping list, kroseadams, has fabulous leather belts embellished with bottle caps. She hails from Oregon and lauds it as beer heaven. As a onetime resident of Oregon myself, I used to agree with her. However, Michigan does offer some fabulous breweries of its own, not to mention the best cap ever designed, Oberon. I feel a beer taste off in the works!

Pottopgirl, offers several bottle cap related items, but as a midwest gal, I couldn't resist this clock made from bottle caps and, get this, recycled car parts. What's not to love! The same is true with ElenaMary's unique business card holder made of various recycled materials and bottle caps. What an excellent way for sellers of bottle cap art to present their cards.

The last two artists feature items for your home. Rettocamme offers trivets and table runners and I can tell she really appreciates bottle caps. How do I know? Her table runner has cork under each cap to protect your table top. However, she very considerately did not put cork under the Magic Hat caps. Magic Hat lovers know that these caps have fun phrases on the inside of their caps and Emma was sure to leave those visible for you to enjoy.

Our last artist, LeBeauMEL, offers end tables, planters and other items utilizing bottle caps and I love the title of his store, The Art of Drinking Beer. If you're a poker player, you really have to check out his poker chip set. An amazing collection of caps and a unique way to play poker.

I hope you enjoyed this new set of artists. I'll be cycling back for more in depth coverage of a few artists featured, but the next post will be on the art category. You'll be just amazed at what these artists have done with caps.

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #3

2010-01-19T19:59:00.003-05:00

The easiest way to continue my series on bottle caps is to show the works of some fabulous artists I've found on Etsy. Jewelry represents a growing avenue of bottle cap design and is the first set of designers featured. These designs can be loosely divided into those that: showcase the cap itself; use the cap as a form for other artwork; use the cap as a bezel; or transform the cap into a new form.

The Integrity of the Cap

The first four designers embrace the iconic image of the bottle cap and preserve that image to different affect. The first designer, Blingismything, showcases the cap in its original form. Few do it as well as Katie; her designs are simple, yet chic and wearable. While the cap does the heavy lifting, her beadwork adds whimsy and flair. Also showcasing the elemental cap is the second designer, edGys. I love how he flairs out the edges of his bottle caps to create unique decorative pins. It's a fabulous design that celebrates the cap while changing its look dramatically.

When I stumbled across the third designer, artbyelissa, I was immediately enamored with her jewelry. Every piece of the earrings you see here are from recycled materials and SOLDERED. I put it in capitals to show how impressed I am with this design. Soldering is not for whimps, it takes practice and I find it very difficult to master. Which leads me to the fourth designer, mannmadedesigns. Jimmy makes his OWN sterling silver bezels and findings. He cuts out the important part of the bottle cap (the image) and sets it in precious metal. His design elevates the cap into something that would easily grace the store front of your favorite jewelry store.

The Cap as a Form or Bezel

The next two designers take a different direction with their bottle cap art. They use the bottle cap as a form or structure for their other artwork. The first, SomewhatHip, uses the bottle cap as a canvas for her stunning paintings. I've done some very minor painting in the past, and painting on such a small scale takes real talent (again, not for the faint hearted). The next designer's, craftyaddictions, piece caused me a great deal of stress when I first researched my own designs. Well, not her's specificially, but the notion of the flattened cap. No matter how hard I tried, my cap DID NOT look like this. (The capitals illustrate my level of frustration at the time.) It took several ruined caps before I discovered this look can only be achieved with unused bottle caps. Notice how perfectly the unused cap flattens into a wonderful bezel for her artwork. Unused caps can be found from many sources, but the most common is the home beer brewing industry. For my designs, a used cap works better, so oftentimes I have to use my husband's bottler to crimp them first. But for designers like craftyaddictions and scrapbookers, the unused cap is pure gold.

What Cap?

The next two designers remind me most of Mary Hettmansperger's inspiration. When you first look at these two designers, markaplan and RadiantShadow, you don't see a bottle cap, you see a stunning piece of jewelry. Who needs a pristine, unblemished cap, when a rusty beat up cap provides such a spectacular design. I've been pinning after Mark's earrings since I featured them in my very first etsy treasury many moons ago. Denise's pendant is now on that list of growing wants.

Bottle Cap or Cabochon?

The last designer is a fellow Etsy Beadweaver's teammate, PFordCustomJewelry. This is a design very much after my heart and uses the bottle cap (in this case champagne) as a cabochon surrounded by beautiful beadwork. While preserving the bottle cap image, the cap is transparent in this design. Your eye is drawn to the image itself and the beadwork which showcases it.

In the next post, I'll showcase functional bottle cap designers. If you'd like to learn more about the designers in this post, please check out their shops:

http://blingismything.etsy.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/edGys

http://www.etsy.com/shop/artbyelissa

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mannmadedesigns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SomewhatHip

http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftyaddictions

http://www.etsy.com/shop/markaplan

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RadiantShadow

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PFordCustomJewelry

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #2

2010-01-18T16:13:00.006-05:00

In my previous post, I credited Mary Hettmansperger with my foray into designing with bottle caps. But after a conversation with a facebook friend, I realized the seed was planted much sooner. Sigrid asked me if I'd ever created with champagne or cava caps. After admitting to my secret desire to obtain these caps (I don't drink enough champagne to build a stash) we agreed to a trade and a friendship has blossomed. In our conversations, I remembered a piece submitted by a Bead and Button reader, Toni Trefethen, in the December 2006 issue. She utilized Laura McCabe's bezel technique to create a stunning bracelet out of champagne caps. From there I realized, that my original inspiration came from Laura's Expand Your Memory Necklace that was published in Bead and Button in April 2003. That necklace was created with computer circuit boards as the cabochons. I remember laying awake at night figuring out how I could use circuit boards. With my husband, the engineer, and my father, the electrician, surely I could find and cut circuit boards. Of course I never did, the cutting part was a hindrance and I was still very new to beading at the time.

Now we come back to Mary. When I took Mary's class in 2008 all those buried inspirations began to surface. It took awhile, though. I was hampered by what I learned in class and was not thinking outside the box yet. My failures to create a pendant I liked with wire, and my willingness to keep trying led to this design. I came up with the brilliant (if I do say so myself) to treat the cap like a cabochon and bead around it. Okay, now that I've traced my inspiration, maybe not so brilliant, let's say inspired.

With my first attempt, I cut a 1 inch circle out of the top of the bottle cap with my circle cutter and poured resin on that. That didn't create a uniform result for me. I do have a couple and I'll probably create more for a smaller bracelet design. The waste involved in the uneven results led me to do some some research. I found that people flattened the caps for use in scrapbooks and other crafts. Again, with some experimentation and a lucky find of a used die cut machine, I was able to flatten used caps effectively. This created a reservoir for the resin, a slight dome for the beadwork, and protection for the image. In my earlier pendants, I bent the edge of the cap all the way to the back, before adding the resin. Since then, I realized that step was not necessary and I got a much smoother result if I left the edge upright.

I absolutely love the results. Not only was I able to preserve a piece of graphic art, I elevated it into something wearable, eye catching and fashionable. From that humble pendant, I'm now working on pieces that further test the design and, I hope, encourage people to consider the cap as something worth preserving. These caps are every bit as stunning as a gemstone or crystal cabochon and well worth using in designs.

Once you start looking, and I spend way too much time at the store just looking at bottle tops, you'll discover many other unusual caps out there. This pendant was made for a friend who collects Fleur Di Lis. She discovered a wine bottle with this cap and it made a beautiful pendant.

In my next post, I'll show some of my non-beaded items. I'm still experimenting on finding a design that men might enjoy. I'll also share with you some incredible Etsy artists who have taken the bottle cap to new levels.

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art

2010-01-08T14:11:00.004-05:00

According to Wikipedia, the modern crown bottle cap was patented in 1892. While plain caps are prevalent, the iconic images are what captured my interest. Bottle caps provide a unique form of advertising and I love how I've been able to preserve that into something beautiful and wearable. Bottle caps have been used in crafts almost from the time of their invention and I'm honored to include my designs in the mix.

My love affair with the bottle cap began in a class by Mary Hettmansperger. In her book, Wrap, Stitch, Fold and Rivet: Making Designer Metal Jewelry, Mary shows how to use a bottle cap as a form for wire weaving. For her project, the condition of the cap is not important, the rustier the better. Holes are punched into the ridge of the cap and wires are poked through to create spokes. These are later hidden by an object placed in the cup which is held in place by bending the cap edges over. This was the pendant I created from that class. The front is layered with a Chinese coin, a washer, a button, waxed linen thread and a couple of stone beads.

After weaving the wire around the spokes, the spokes are hammered and bent to the back of the pendant. You can see here, I've hidden the bottom of the spokes with a Canadian coin and crimped the bottle cap edge over to keep it all together. Instead of a coin, I could have riveted something from front to back and created a double sided pendant. What also works very well is to cut a 1 inch disc from sheet metal and dome it. The doming, for me, helps to achieve a better crimp. But a quarter works very well.

I had several caps at home that I wanted to preserve. The images were too nice to cover up. I created several like the one in my first fan page giveaway, using Oberon, Coke, and these caps from a Wisconsin soda company. These pendants looked better with the spiral edge, but that made them somewhat too large for a pendant (although I still wear mine as one). I made these as ornaments and gave them away during the holidays. I started experimenting with resin when I created an ornament from a Guinness bottle cap. The image keep scratching and I wanted to preserve it as best I could. I failed pretty miserably creating this design and using resin. I couldn't pour it after I drilled the holes and drilling the holes after pouring the resin didn't create a nice look. The resulting failure, led me to my beaded caps. This was a good lesson for me. I don't like wasting material, so I don't experiment enough. You can't design, if you don't experiment and aren't willing to start over.

In my next post, I'll discuss my original designs resulting from Mary sparking my interest in bottle caps, my desire to play with resin, and my need to preserve the delicate image on the bottle caps.

Facebook Fan Page Giveaway #2

2010-01-06T12:38:00.001-05:00

Christine's Beadworks has reached 100 facebook fans and it is time for another giveaway. This will be the last giveaway for awhile and I decided to make it a big one in honor of the sun and the bottle cap that started it all for me (along with Mary's class). I'll be giving two items away this time (shown below). In addition both winners will receive an Oberon Bottle cap to use for their own inspiration. This cap comes from Bell's Brewery located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. When I moved from Portland, Oregon to Michigan, I knew two of the things I would miss most were the fabulous breweries and the independent coffee houses. Thank goodness for Bell's Oberon, it replaced Widmer for me and this cap is striking.

First the rules. To enter, you must be a ChristinesBeadworks Fan on Facebook; you must be 18 years of age or older; and you must leave a comment here on this post. The topic is "Spread the Sunshine" and you can make any comment that is positive, uplifting, or inspirational. It can be something you are thankful for or something to bring a smile to other readers. Only fans who leave comments will participate in the giveaway. My daughter will choose the entries out of hat (she likes to help). The winners will be contacted via email through facebook and will need to provide shipping information.

The first person chosen will receive this beaded bottle cap. This was my very first beaded cap. It's a little rougher than my subsequent caps, I was still experimenting with resin and flattening the cap. That's not to say that it isn't beautiful. It has a herringbone edge and I called this one Harvest Sun. It comes with an ultra suede cord that expands to 18".

The second person drawn will receive this riveted metal pendant. I'm experimenting with pendants that appeal to men or women who like a more streamlined look. This one has a copper washer bezel, a rubber layer (from a furniture pad) and a brass washer back. Screws were riveted to hold the piece together and it was lovingly wacked with a hammer and torched for that weathered look. I'm including a 24" copper ball chain, but this also looks lovely as a key chain or a purse decoration as well.

Good Luck, the winner will be drawn Sunday evening (January 17th, 2010).

2009-12-21T16:16:00.000-05:00

Our first fan page giveaway is now complete and we have a WINNER. We had 8 fans leave comments and I numbered them in the order they were received (1 - Nancy Dale; 2 - Ruthie Stickney; 3 - Liana Spiegel; 4 - Rebecca Anderson; 5 - Marjorie Ixes; 6 - Laura Zeiner; 7 - Linda Roberts; 8 - Loretta Sirota) and the winner is:

Ruthie Stickney. Congratualations Ruthie, I'll put your ornament / pendant in the mail as soon as I receive your shipping information. Our next fan giveaway is only 20 fans away and I'll be giving away a pair of my sterling and crystal heart earrings. Even if you don't wear earrings, these are beautiful hung from a tree. More details to follow.

Use the Muse III Countdown (Updated with Pictures)

2009-12-15T13:29:00.003-05:00

NOTE: This Post has been updated to include pictures. The Big Reveal occurred December 17th and you can see all of the entries here.

In a previous post, I gave you a sneak preview of my entry for the Use the Muse III contest. Well the big reveal is almost upon us. Scarlett posted the winners December 17th!. She asked participants to share their favorite part about the Use the Muse contest experience. When I approach a challenge, it's not enough for me to create something beautiful. I usually challenge myself to also try something new, whether it be a new technique or simply incorporating elements I don't usually use. When I belonged to a quilt guild, we had a challenge every year. I entered 4 quilts during my time with them, each one incorporating a new technique. The last two, I also further challenged myself to incorporate my grandmothers unfinished blocks. As a result, I ended up with something so much better than if I had just considered the challenge rules only.

I approached Scarlett's challenge the same way. I wanted my focal point to be removable and I wanted to incorporate beaded beads from patterns I'd been saving over the years but had never tried. I ended up creating two focal elements although you'll only see one of them when Scarlett posts everyone's designs. I'll show both here after the reveal. I also challenged myself to use everything in the kit. I succeeded with all of these challenges, even though I had to demolish the crystal yarn to do it! I loved this about this challenge. You get this gorgeous kit, with an unexpected element, and the freedom to do anything you want.

I also learned a great deal. This was my first bead related challenge and I made a huge mistake reading the rules. It almost derailed my entire entry. Fortunately I had time to recover and I learned to slow down. The challenge came to me while I was preparing for my first craft show. I was frantically making pendants for the show and rushed through my entry. Although I'm very pleased with my design, there are a couple of elements I could have reworked. I had the time and didn't take it. I also should have blown up my pictures and looked at them for awhile before submitting. You'd be surprised what shows up when you use your picture as your computer's screen saver. I won't make that mistake again and I'll take every bit of time allowed. I'd definitely do this challenge again, it was rewarding and I have a fabulous piece to show for it.

First Fan Page Giveaway

2009-12-14T14:01:00.000-05:00

I've found that the handcraft market is full of wonderful people on both ends of the transaction. Buyers and admirers have never ceased to amaze me with their support, kind words, and advice. Fellow artists are always quick to lend a helping hand and words of wisdom in this very tough market. In the spirit of this ongoing friendship, I'm sponsoring my first fan page giveaway. The ornament/pendant above is my first giveaway. I don't sell these in my shops, I carry them at my shows. These were the first things I made with bottle caps after a class I took from Mary Hettmansperger. She's an inspiring artist and started my love affair with the bottle cap.

First the rules. My Facebook Fan Page giveaway will take place each time we acquire 50 new fans. Prizes will be announced here and on my Facebook Fan Page. To enter, you must be a ChristinesBeadworks Fan on Facebook; you must be 18 years of age or older; and you have to leave a comment on my Facebook Fan Page. The topic for comments will vary for each giveaway and will be announced on the Facebook Fan Page. Each giveaway will last one week and I will collect comments from fans. Only fans who leave comments will participate in the giveaway. I'll use a Randomizer to choose the winner. The winner will be contacted via Facebook messaging to obtain shipping information. I owe a debt of gratitude to Leah from Marmalade Hills for providing this framework and for her support. She has excellent products and I've purchased often from her. If you have not had the chance to check her out, click on her name and you will be directed to her blog.

Ode to Cynthia Rutledge

2009-12-10T14:05:00.002-05:00

If you haven't explored the world of Cynthia Rutledge, you need to do so. Her work is structural and, at least for me, provides a path to other creations. I'd classify her patterns as advanced, but doable. I do not consider myself an advanced beader and am able to do her patterns. I have to rework and redo, but with patience I get through them just fine. Her teaching style is conversational, which poses some difficulty for me as there is a repetitiveness that confuses me occasionally. Nothing I couldn't overcome, and something that probably doesn't bother most. The first few kits I purchased, I wasn't focused on the piece itself, it was learning how to do a specific closure (I've been obsessed with making my own closures).

This first picture is not a great one, so you may want to click on it to blow it up a little. This is from her Beyond Buttons kit, it's not a kit you can purchase online but she typically has it at her trunk shows. I was able to call her and she sold me a kit that way. The instructions include several different ways to create your own buttons or to enhance an existing button.

Unfortunately, (because I was looking for closures for necklaces), this kit did not meet my original goal. However, they became great embellished buttons for my friend Loretta's knitted purses. They made fabulous pins and pendants, but were just too large for a necklace closure.

This kit, Coming to the End, was purchased specifically for it's key toggle closure. Although I've not yet done it, I envisioned this as the closure to a flat peyote strip. The only difficulty I had was that the toggle bar slips out of the base and the bracelet falls off. I've added a touch of velcro under the point, but the toggle needs to be longer and fatter to offer a more secure closure. I made three of these bracelets. They're fun to do and it gives you a very good lesson in peyote increases and decreases.

This was the last kit, Simply Elemental, I bought simply for it's possibilities and it has really paid off. I bought it with the intention of using the attached rings as toggles. They're a bit too much work for that purpose but I may consider it again in the future. What really inspired me was my decision to do a Kumihimo rope rather than a herringbone rope as called for in the kit.

When I came to the ends of the necklace, I referred back to the pattern to do the loop and toggle closure. I had to do some reworking of the pattern, but those of you who have done Kumihimo ropes will see the beauty and elegance of this closure. No more cones and the raw ends are completely encased. I plan to end my ropes this way in the future.

The only problem I created for myself (always seems to be a little problem) is I did the rope in size 15 seed beads. This was the same size Cynthia used for her herringbone rope. Unfortunately, the Kumihimo is much more compact than the herringbone and I had to do a lot of creative stitching around my stop beads to keep the rings and other embellishments from sliding around. You can't tell from this picture but it did create a headache. In hindsight, I should have used size 11 seed beads, it would have aesthetically balanced the larger elements and I wouldn't have had to fuss with it so much

This bracelet, Sea Coil Bangle, was done for the pure joy of the design. It has a seemless closure which you can see opened in the picture to the right. It's beautiful on but does need an added safety chain. It also has a tendency to open on me.

I had the great honor to take a class with Cynthia this past year. This bracelet, A Chain Reaction, is not yet sold as a kit. I don't often do Cynthia's projects more than once, I pull components from them instead. This bracelet is the exception. I think it's because each segment can be done in one sitting and then you link them all together. It's not as overwhelming as working on the the piece in it's entirety. I have one finished, one halfway finished and one started. That's a true testament to how much I like it. Visit Cynthia's website by clicking on any of the project names in this post. They are worth looking at.

Christine

Warm and Cozy Bazaar Report

2009-12-06T17:50:00.002-05:00

I just returned from the Warm and Cozy Bazaar in Hartland. It was a huge show spread throughout the old High School building. I had plenty of space in my location as there was a ramp to my left keeping that area clear. It allowed me to set up my high-end items that I don't always have room to display. These three pictures show my set up which seems to be working well. I do believe I need to invest in some lighting. Jewelry looks it's best when you can clearly see the shine and color.

This customer is admiring one of my Coca Cola pendants. I had set it up as raffle for joining my mailing list. However, no one signed-up to win, so by mid-show I removed the sign. Either I didn't promote it hard enough, or no one wanted to spend the time filling out the ticket. Three people did sign up for my mailing list and I look forward to seeing them again in the future. Several people picked up business cards and suggested items they'd like to see at future shows or on my website.

My set up expenses were less for this show as I already had the displays and I was able to borrow tables from my friend Lisa. My only expenses were the entry fee, table covers, and my annual fee to offer credit card payment as an option (all but the entry fee of course, is reusable). Although the bottle cap tree were new items I made for the show, I was able to use existing materials to make them. I sold enough to cover these costs and as this was only my second show, I count that as a success. I believe I received about 1/3rd of the overall traffic that visited the show. We were down a side corridor and, while not a bad location, was also not ideal. It's uncertain if I would have done better in another location. Those that did visit my booth, were very complimentary, with one person saying "I know high quality when I see it," and another saying "you have by far the best jewelry here". It always a great experience to receive feedback that positive.

A big thank-you is owed to my mother-in-law, Judy (on the left) for, not only spending these 12 hours with me at the show, but also listening to all my shop talk these past few weeks. In the middle is my daughter Heidi, who brought us lunch and also has been very patient with mom's obsession this holiday season. And last is me adding last minute extender chains to my cords (I probably should be using the readers on my head!).

Sharing

2009-11-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

A fellow beader and blogger recently requested that we write a bit about ourselves in our next blog post. This fits in nicely, as I do not have pictures yet of my Cynthia Rutledge pieces. It's also nice to get to know one another and she shared a very personal story to get us started. However, I didn't realize how difficult this would be until I finally acknowledge, beading is who I am. Just like my daughter was at one time, my job another, and college at yet another phase. It's not the only thing, of course, but I tend to be consumed by what has my focus at the moment. I'm very much a gemini in the sense that there are two distinct aspects of my personality. There's the side that's focused and relentless in pursuit of a goal, and there's my flakey side that lives in a sea of chaos and clutter. What focuses me, also grounds me. It's typically when I'm most relaxed and in tune with myself, nothing else intrudes.

It's why I love to cook when I'm entertaining. It's a focused task that appeals to my creativity and has an ending with the cleanup. My mind is totally engaged on the task at hand. It's also why I fail so miserably at the day to day family cooking. It doesn't seem to engage my mind the same way and I'm flitting around looking for something else to do when I should be focusing on the weekly menu.

As a financial analyst, I worked in a sea of clutter and I'd thrive after 5:00 p.m. when everyone else was leaving for the day. I couldn't put down the puzzle I was pursuing and often it would be 10:00 p.m. and I'd still be at work. Not because I had to, but because I was so engaged in what I was doing. Beading has filled the gap that work once filled. However, it is something I can put aside easily when I need to turn my focus back upon my daughter. I'm not sure if I could have turned off work and not been left frustrated. These days, the computer is slowly supplanting beading. I find I can't keep away from it and I may have to rationed it the same way I ration my daughter's time on the computer.

The picture above is with my very handsome husband Scott who puts up with me. If you look at my about me section, you'll see a picture of me with my daughter. She's a beautiful combination of us both.

Laura McCabe Conclusion

2009-11-11T21:13:00.005-05:00

I'll close my Laura McCabe series with three projects. The first two are embellished spiral ropes and the last is a sphere for which I'm particularly proud. This first spiral rope has the basic embellishment. The rope is created in the normal method, then you go back and add a picot between every core bead on the spiral. The result is lush and elegant, particularly when done with fresh water pearls

I so pleased that Laura is coming out with a new book in May of 2010. You can pre-order it from Amazon. The front cover shows a version of this project of Laura's. This necklace was completed the same as the one above, but uses keshi pearls in the back and an elaborate frothy fringe in the front. This is a substantial and stunning necklace.

I love the basic picot embellishment and have used it often to liven up an otherwise plain spiral, especially when I'm not using crystal. You can use anything to create these picots (leaves, magatamas, drops, seed beads, etc.).

I'd like to close with another project I did for my friend Loretta. She purchased the kit from Laura and sent it to me, and was one of the most difficult of Laura's projects. Not so much the technique, but joining and reinforcing the sides of the cube without breaking needles and beads created a huge challenge. I almost didn't make a second one for myself. But I'm so glad I stuck with it. I found some fabulous lampwork beads at my guild's semi-annual sale and created a kumihimo rope that goes through the center of the sphere. The result is stunning and is one of my favorite necklaces.

Christine's Beadworks

Giveaway

Time Flies

Signing Your Artwork

What's Old is New Again - ArtBeads Blogging Project

Czech Glass Druk Beads in Opaque Rose, Opaque Amethyst Luster, and Jet Picasso.

From My Stash

Act II

I began working on a revised design and pulled the following out of my stash.

I love these antique brass chains. They come in a multitude of styles and I attached one long chain to allow me to place it over my head while I worked on the focal piece. I need to see how it laid while on to make sure I was getting the components placed correctly.

ACT III

Events and Opportunity

Renewal Step Two

Winter Wonderland

Grow and Renew

Holiday Accoutrements

What Inspires You

More to Follow

Inspiration

Nice Day for a Fall Wedding Etsy Style

Fall Wedding

Celebrate the Colors of Fall

Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp

Spotlight on Polarity Collaborations Part V

Spotlight on HouseofCats Collaboration Part IV

EBW Monthly Challenge

Work in Process Part 2

Collaboration Work In Progress

Featuring LilaRubyKing and Artmind

Collaborations Part III

Collaborations Part II

Collaborations Part 1

The Beauty of Friendship Swaps

Use the Muse IV Sneak Peek

Christine's Beadworks Fan Page Giveaway #3

Spotlight on Mortira Natasha vanPelt

Blog Makeover

Spotlight on Jan, HungryHoller

Spotlight on Karyn, Somewhathip

Spotlight on Loran Scruggs

Spotlight on Cyndia Reddish

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #5

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #4

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #3

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art #2

Can't Get Enough Bottle Cap Art

Facebook Fan Page Giveaway #2

Use the Muse III Countdown (Updated with Pictures)

First Fan Page Giveaway

Ode to Cynthia Rutledge

Warm and Cozy Bazaar Report

Sharing

Laura McCabe Conclusion