by Barbara | Jul 7, 2018 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Designer Patterns, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, Multi-Media, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads, Techniques
That’s an acronym for Dubuque Museum of Art. It’s an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution located in downtown Dubuque, IA. Several months ago I was invited to participate in the “Handmade Craft Invitational” exhibition running June 2...
by Barbara | Jul 1, 2018 | Art Jewelry, Art Supplies, Art to Wear, Beaded Beads, Beading, Beads and Materials, Bracelets, Components, Delica beads, Designer Patterns, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Sterling Silver, Techniques, Tutorials
I started working on these geometric beads several months ago and as often happens, they were placed in the UFO bin while I worked on other projects and then went on vacation. I’ve decided that these multi-colored dimensional triangle, square, and pentagonal beads...
by Barbara | Jun 25, 2018 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art Supplies, Art to Wear, Bead Embroidery, Beading, Beads and Materials, Delica beads, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads, Sterling Silver
Aside from intense heat and far more rain than wanted or needed, June has certainly been an excellent month for me! Not only did I spend two relaxing weeks on the west coast of Ireland, but upon my return home, a package from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads that I had...
by Barbara | Jun 14, 2018 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Components, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Techniques
After a week of severe storms, high humidity, and a miserable deluge of biting gnats, we finally have a glorious day…the sort of idyllic day one wishes would last all year long! So, I’ve taken the opportunity to do more geometric beadwork (more triangles!) on...
by Barbara | Jun 1, 2018 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Delica beads, Designer Patterns, Handmade, Inspiration, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads, Techniques, Uncategorized
Exploration with color and design is so important! I’ve charted three designs using sixteen different color combinations and I’ve learned that seeing the colors on paper is quite different from seeing the actual triangle worked up! Just look at top four triangle...
by Barbara | May 1, 2018 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Designer Patterns, Earrings, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Seed Beads, Techniques, Tools, Tutorials
Flowers are blooming everywhere…even in my studio! These four collections of polymer clay flower and butterfly shaped components have so many possibilities! Each component has a subtle matte iridescence that does not show up in the photos…they truly are...
by Barbara | Apr 27, 2018 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beaded Beads, Beading, Beads and Materials, Components, Delica beads, Designer Patterns, Earrings, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads, Sterling Silver, Techniques, Tutorials
I said in my last post that the tutorial for the Geometric “Color Play” Square Drop Earrings would be available in a day or two, but stuff happens, life gets in the way, the dog ate my homework (just kidding!). Well, the tutorial and beading kits are now...
by Barbara | Apr 24, 2018 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beaded Beads, Beads and Materials, Delica beads, Designer Patterns, Earrings, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads, Sterling Silver, Techniques, Tutorials
I love to make earrings! They work up quickly and they are a great way to experiment with color. Having created geometric warped square earrings and a recent series of geometric “Color Play” earrings in triangular and pentagonal shapes, I decided that...
by Barbara | Apr 18, 2018 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Designer Patterns, Earrings, Handmade, Inspiration, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Tutorials
If you were around in the 1960’s and into Pop Culture, you probably remember Edie Sedgwick. She was part of “the MOD scene” at Andy Warhol’s Factory. Edie came from a wealthy and eccentric family. She was super thin, wore tons of eye makeup,...
by Barbara | Apr 11, 2018 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Bracelets, Components, Designer Patterns, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Techniques, Tutorials
When I had first purchased my “Now That’s a Jig” wire-working tool at the Bead and Button show in 2015, I made a bracelet that I titled “Climbing Roses Bangle” and wrote a tutorial for it. The bracelet was composed of a looped steel wire framework that to me...