by Barbara | Apr 28, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, Beads and Materials, Components, Embellishments, Enameling, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind
Issue 19 of “Bead Me” digital magazine is out and I’m so pleased to have an article featuring my mixed-media and beadwork included! Issue 19 is sea-themed and so much of my work fits into that genre…it seems that I’m always creating...
by Barbara | Apr 25, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, At the Bench, Classes, Handmade, Inspiration, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques, Tools, Tutorials
I’ve been working along to Bill Fretz’s instructional DVD, “Basic Jewelry Hammering and Forming” and have just finished my first piece…a textured concave Ruffle Cuff! Now I’m ready to move on to a convex cuff. For learning purposes a cuff starts out as an annealed...
by Barbara | Apr 22, 2015 | Art to Wear, Beading, One-of-a-Kind, Tutorials
I just love using found objects in my work! I truly don’t remember where I found this bicycle gear chain, but I do remember that it was unpleasantly sticky with grease. After a soak and some scrubbing in detergent, it came clean. With the addition of a sterling...
by Barbara | Apr 19, 2015 | An Aside, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques, Tools
The cleanup of my workbench is completed and I’m ready to start creating with metal again! I’ve made some recent tool and equipment purchases (beautiful Fretz hammer and stake sets!) and I really haven’t much space left in the metals studio so I’m particularly happy...
by Barbara | Apr 16, 2015 | An Aside, Classes, Handmade, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques, Tools, Tutorials
By not going to Bead & Button this year, I’m able to upgrade some of my jewelry-making tools! Having perused the Fretz tools webpages on OttoFrei.com, I succumbed to this set of beautiful texturing hammers and other assorted jewelry-making accouterments....
by Barbara | Apr 14, 2015 | An Aside, Beading, Beads and Materials, Embellishments, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Seed Beads
While organizing my studios (I’m still not finished!) and sorting through trays of beads, I took time to assemble a collection containing jewel, earth, and neutral color-coordinated seed and novelty beads (daggers, gumdrops, Magatamas, leaf, etc.,). All six...
by Barbara | Apr 11, 2015 | An Aside, Art to Wear, Components, Embellishments, Handmade, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Resin
Practically everything has an expiration date. When it comes to art supplies, thankfully metal lasts forever! Polymer clay may get a bit crumbly as it dries out with age, but that can be remedied with the addition of liquid polymer clay. Not so with epoxy resin...
by Barbara | Apr 8, 2015 | An Aside, Beads and Materials, Components, Embellishments, Found Objects, Handmade, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind
I can’t believe the “treasures” I’m rediscovering. while cleaning my metals studio. I’ve already sorted through the Delicas, seed, and novelty beads in my beading studio, but I didn’t realize I had so accumulated so much more! You know the saying, “Out of...
by Barbara | Apr 6, 2015 | An Aside, At the Bench, Found Objects, One-of-a-Kind, Tools
I’m tackling the task of cleaning and reorganizing my metals studio. I have the TV rolled up to the door so I can listen and occasionally look up to see what Bill Fretz is teaching on an instructional DVD. A fire screen is pushed up against the door to prevent the...
by Barbara | Apr 3, 2015 | An Aside, Beading, Beads and Materials, Components, Delica beads, Designer Patterns, One-of-a-Kind
I’m a bit overwhelmed. Assembling the six new storage cabinets was the easy part, but sorting out my collections of beads, embellishments, and components by type, color, size, etc., is going to take much longer than I anticipated. It really was time I tackled this...