by Barbara | Oct 28, 2016 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beads and Materials, Cabochons and Gemstones, Designer Patterns, Earrings, Embellishments, Gemstones, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, Seed Beads, Tutorials
I should have started playing with Warped Squares several years ago when the craze for geometric beading was in its infancy. But there were so many exciting ideas presented in Jean Power’s book “Geometric Beadwork” and Kate McKinnon’s “Contemporary Geometric Beadwork”...
by Barbara | Oct 21, 2016 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Cabochons and Gemstones, Components, Delica beads, Designer Patterns, Earrings, Gemstones, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Seed Beads
I’m almost finished with my tutorial for the “Geometric Warped Square Arrow Drop Earrings” that were featured in my previous post, but I just had to take a break from proofreading to create another pair that is slightly different. This time...
by Barbara | Sep 27, 2016 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Bracelets, Cabochons and Gemstones, Components, Delica beads, Designer Patterns, Earrings, Gemstones, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, Seed Beads, Sterling Silver
The project I take on my next vacation will consist of Delica, seed, and Charlotte beads and a collection of beautiful Swarovski crystal cabochons. These beauties just arrived and they are absolutely breathtaking! I’m ordering more in other colors, shapes, and...
by Barbara | Jun 14, 2016 | An Aside, Art to Wear, Bead Embroidery, Beading, Beads and Materials, Cabochons and Gemstones, Embellishments, Gemstones, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Resin, Seed Beads
I truly tried to curb my enthusiasm this year, rapidly passing by all vendors who had tables piled high with gemstone beads…they are just too tempting and I find that I buy too many beads I will never use! Instead, I focused on supplies and materials for beadweaving...
by Barbara | May 17, 2016 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Cabochons and Gemstones, Components, Delica beads, Designer Patterns, Embellishments, Gemstones, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Seed Beads, Sterling Silver, Tutorials
The “Tibetan Inspired Beaded Rope Necklace” tutorial is finally finished! I have literally been working on this mixed-media project for months and it’s lovely to see it come to fruition! Had it just involved beading a rope, it would have gone more quickly,...
by Barbara | May 3, 2016 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beading, Beads and Materials, Components, Delica beads, Embellishments, Gemstones, Handmade, Inspiration, Jewelry kits, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Polymer Clay, Seed Beads, Sterling Silver, Tutorials
I’m still not over whatever bug has gotten me, but I did have enough energy today to complete directions for the Triangle Charm portion of my “Tibetan Inspired Beaded Rope” tutorial and the only thing left to do is the portion of the tutorial that entails...
by Barbara | Apr 6, 2016 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Cabochons and Gemstones, Fine Silver, Gemstones, Handmade, Metal Clay, Uncategorized
I made these rings in a class taught by Katie Baum at the Bead and Button show several years ago. Both rings have textured high-shine surfaces. I sold the “Trefoil” ring (shown at left), but decided to keep the other. I fell in love with the dichroic...
by Barbara | Mar 27, 2016 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Bronze, Gemstones, Inspiration, Metal Clay, One-of-a-Kind, Resin, Techniques
This is a piece I made several years ago. It certainly isn’t a traditional Easter cross! According to Wikipedia, “It represents the concept of life, which is the general meaning of the symbol. The Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying it by its loop,...
by Barbara | Feb 26, 2016 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Cabochons and Gemstones, Gemstones, Inspiration
I never can stay awake long enough to watch the Academy Awards presentations in it’s entirety, but I do enjoy seeing the fashion and jewelry being worn on the pre-show broadcast. Sadly, most of the jewelry is diamond encrusted, mass produced, and the rather...
by Barbara | Feb 20, 2016 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beads and Materials, Embellishments, Gemstones, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, Mixed Media, One-of-a-Kind, Patina, Polymer Clay, Sterling Silver
I couldn’t wait to get to my jeweler’s bench and start hammering out silver components to go with beads from my new collection of polymer clay faux gemstones! I wanted them to have a tribal feel as if they had been discovered in a treasure trove of exotic jewelry, but...
