My Bead Soup
This is the gorgeous bead soup I received from my partner Shiraz from Secret Song Designs She was so generous. Obviously, I have plenty of supplies here to make multiple jewelry pieces. Except for a sterling toggle that I put in at the last minute, this is the bead soup that I sent. She sent so much, that I hope I sent enough. The rules require that you send a focal piece (which I figured could either be the lampwork bead (made by DD Hess) or the “passion” charm); coordinating spacer or other beads; and a special clasp. I made a few claps, but then I thought the toggle would be good to add just in case she wasn’t thrilled with my wire handi-work. Once we get our bead soup from our partner, the next thing we have to do is make jewelry .
Bead Soup !!!
Today is the day! Finally I get to reveal what I made with my beautiful bead soup from Jenni Connolly. First of all, I was so lucky to get such beautiful beads. I knew right away I wanted two things; to bring out the fuschia in the beads that Jenni made and to make a necklace that was a show stopper. Hopefully, I have done that here. Here’s what I received in the mail from Jenni. Here’s my post about the day it arrived. I went into my beading area of the studio and saw the spikey shell beads hanging on the wall. I have had these forever and I guess this is what they had been waiting for. After choosing the shells everything else just fell into place. As for the design, I knew I wanted a multi strand necklace. I started laying out the layers on my table. I played around for—-ever trying to get the right length and layers. I didn’t want symectrical so it took a while for me to get the beads exactly where I wanted them.
Jennifer Jangles Blog .
The Lost Bead
The parable of the woman searching for her lost coin (Luke 15:8-9) was very much on my mind recently when I lost a bead. It was a lovely 3mm round corrugated silver bead that I dropped as I was threading it onto a rosary line (see picture on left for what a rosary line looks like). I’m not exactly penny-pinching but sure can be frugal, and at approximately two cents per bead, I was immediately crawling around on the floor and under my dining room table looking for it. “Rejoice with me because I have found the bead that I lost.” Yes, I did find it. It was such a wee thing but so worth hunting down. I thought about God searching for me, tiny creature that I am, one of His little ones but no less important to Him than the greatest in His Kingdom. How happy God is when he finds me and brings me home to His heart of boundless love! And how happy I am, too! I also thought of my sins, which are more often than not small as opposed to large.
HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING? .
Bead Distraction
Have you ever had beading overload? Tonight it started when I was looking through a “junk drawer” or catch all drawer in the kitchen and found a HUGE black plastic bead that must have come from something like a purse and my mind started racing about how to use it. Then I found a premade bracelet on stretchy cord that someone gave me so I could use the beads. They are pretty dark brown, sort of shiny beads. The next thing I found in the drawer was the credit card-like cruise ship cabin “key”. I started reminiscing about the cruise ship and remembered one of the ladies who works at a local Joann Etc. store. She took used Joann gift cards and cut out the word “Joann’s”, punched holes in either end and strung them, in between multi-colored 8mm crystal bicones all along a beaded eye glass holder. How cool was that!!!? I need to go on more cruises so I can make something out of multiple cruise ship cabin keys! 
Okay, you are probably seeing a pattern of distraction here….
A Bead A Day .
The Bead Master
The Bead Master is owned by DaD of 3, Don from Florida who has custom handmade / hand carved beaded hats,belts,accessories, and more. Who is The Bead Master : I started back in 1970 I was in the U.S. Navy Stationed in Sasebo Japan. I noticed a bead store and I went in. Knowing that I would by in Sasebo for ( 4 ) years I needed a hobby. I spoke to the gentlemen behind the counter for quite some time. I wanted to learn this fine trade,so I asked if he could teach me.He stated that he could not afford to pay me.So, I said “ I do not want to get paid.” He said kindly agreed. Every evening and every weekend I visited this shop and was taught this trade. I ended up being stationed there for 10 years. I did work for him after about 3 years part time and I’ve been beading ever since. I started beading full time until 1979. Every piece displayed in my store is handmade / hand carved. Beading since 1979 and going strong. All U.S.A. Made…Custom orders and wholesale are welcomed.
Living My MoMent .
Bead Annealing
There are two approaches to annealing beads. One is to keep them warm as you make them and when the session is finished, anneal all the beads sitting in the kiln. Assuming you are using soda lime glasses rather than borosilicate , you need to have the kiln idling at around 500C. When you have evened the heat throughout the bead, you place it in the kiln. Gloves and other heat protection attire will be needed when you open the door/lid to put the bead on the mandrel into it. When you have finished the bead making session, you then take the temperature up to about 520C – 540C and soak there for about half an hour – both depend on the type of glass and the thickness and shape. The object is to take the glass up to a temperature where the annealing process can work, but without being so high in temperature that the bead takes up marks from the kiln shelf. More information on the soak and annealing of various shapes, sizes and types are given in later tips.
Glass Tips .
Just Bead It
Iam a part-time crafter. But you will not catch me tooting my own horn. … What does that even mean? Because in high school I literally tooted my own horn, six days a week, 40 weeks a year for four years. How does being a geeky trombone player relate to bragging?? But I digress. … I was turned onto jewelry when I stumbled onto the Mill Girl’s blog featuring a felt ball necklace. It was so unique, I fell in love instantly. I ran out to our local craft store, bought the cheapest wool roving in every color I could find and ended up with three of the itchiest felt necklaces that no one could ever wear. Eventually I discovered the gloriously luxurious alpaca and have been hooked ever since. Hello darling. Looking lovely today. Each of those little suckers takes about five minutes to felt;
Corey & Stacie .
International Bead Award
To bead or not to bead, that’s not a question for thousands of people whose passion is beading. They face another question: to enter a beading contest or not to enter. Our answer is positive: of course, to enter! Not every contest, but promising a great challenge. It seems that the First International Bead Award held and supported by Beaders Best Publishing (Beaders Best Verlag) is what you don’t have to miss! The contest is open to all bead artists around the world. Five international jury members select a first, second and third place winners in each of nine categories. The jury will judge by photos only. The winners will be announced at the Beaders Best Fair for Bead Art in Hamburg, August 20-21, 2011, and shown in the following issue of the Perlen Poesie Magazine. All submissions will be showcased on the Perlen Poesie website after the jury has voted. Out of all submissions the website visitors will be able to select People’s Choice Award Winner. Deadline for submissions is the 15th of December, 2010.
Gem and Beaded Jewelry .
Bead Journal Project registration is open!
Registration will close on December 8, 2010 so register early! Once the project gets underway, you will be invited to participate in the BJP blog so that we can share our work and our questions with each other as we go. To register, please send a request to our registration angel at beadjournalreg11@gmail.com Your request should include the following information to ensure it is processed correctly: 1. Your full name, first and last. 2. Your web name or alias, if you have one. 3. Your email address. Please give us your “best” email address, onethat is not likely to change during the year and one that you checkfrequently. (Note: we don’t contact you very often.) 4. Your home address. 5. Your telephone number. 6. Do you have a website? Y/N – If yes, what is the URL? 7. Do you have a blog? Y/N – If yes, what is the URL? 8. Were you a registered participant in any other Bead Journal Project? Y/N If yes did you complete the project for the year?
Mixed Media Artist .
Peace, Love, Bead Bloggers and MORE!!
Ithoroughly enjoyed this weekend’s posts and when that happens, I feel like I want to hang on to it for a little while. On Friday, I was thrilled to report Margot Potter’s great news that she is moving on to a new position with Jewelry Television (JTV) which sounds like a dream come true. The best part is she’ll be designing tutorials, etc. for beaders! I can’t wait! I was also very happy to share a project that could be incorporated into holiday gifts in many ways. I previously created a bracelet using images from a patchwork quilt my Grandma made me when I was a kid. While no longer usable, I can still carry the memory around on my wrist. I can see this concept being used for kids pictures, kids works of art, things you are proud of such as your new home or car. Maybe it’s your family tree. The possibilities are endless! However, as we all know, the show must go on and it’s time to share links to some fun and interesting happenings of our fellow bead bloggers. Check these out!!
A Bead A Day .
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