Time is Running Out

Pendant by ExpeditionD

Nothing like a deadline to spur on a rush of creativity, right? I know some of my best work comes from working under pressure. Here are some fast approaching deadlines, don't miss out on the fun!

Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge - deadline Midnight tonight!

Bead Star Contest - deadline May 1st

Win $50 in free beads from Humblebeads - deadline noon tomorrow (no creativity needed, only a good memory!)

Need some breathing room to let your muse settle? Soft Flex has a new design contest using their Trio color wire sets. You have until September 1st to enter the Flex Your Creativity Beading Contest. (Thanks Andrew)

Findings Worth Finding: Vintage Enamel Flowers

Hello spring, goodbye self-control:

Head on over to Sleeping Dog Studio's Etsy shop for these sets and many more! I know I couldn't resist a certain teal blue collection.

Waxing Poetic

Wear your heart on your sleeve or around your neck with these poetic art beads.

Anne Choi's Ginkgo/Blake Bead

"To hold infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake

Heather Wynn's Like a Seashell Pendant

"he held her like a seashell and listened to her heart"

Jennifer Stumpf's Lao-tzu Silver Zen Pendant

"by letting go it all gets done" - Lao-tzu

Panopoly's Poem Pendant

"That fair perished summer long ago"

Green Girl Studios Shell Pendant

"Listen to me and not to them." - G. Stein

Featured Designer of the Week - Mary Harding

Each Monday we feature the Designer of the Week. One of our editors pick their favorite from the Monthly Challenge entries.

This week I picked Mary Harding's intricately beaded necklace. I love that Mary focused on the wings of the Zephyrs and the flowered cloak. A beautiful mix of pearls, seed beads and stones set off Mary's unique flower beads. See more of Mary's work in her website.

Want to see your work featured on the Art Bead Scene? Our theme for the month of April is "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli. The deadline to enter for the monthly prize is April 30th! Create something that combines the theme with art beads and then send in your submission for the April Challenge.

Sunday with Cindy

Good morning, Sunday readers! I spent a little longer snoozing on a Sunday before getting up a checking out what's going on in the Beady News.....

Jean and The ABS Crew check out the contests going on and the big prizes you could win!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
There's a great giveaway prize to be had if you check out Soft Flex Company's Big Prize Giveaway! Jean has the low down on how to get in on it!

Art Bead Scene
Is time for your 15 minutes of fame? There's still time to be the next Bead Star and "bead famous!"

Every week, I like to highlight someone's work or a free project.

Remember ABS has the "Twelve Days of Christmas" free projects available to you everyday. My Rainbow Spiral Wind Chime is one of them - just the right thing to hang from your car mirror or in your window during the summer.

Barbe and Melanie show off new jewelry designs and Cyndi shares a step by step necklace project.

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe makes a necklace with supplies from Alpha Stamps.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Mixing different kinds of mud with bug images, Melanie has fun in the dirt with new brown Lava Stone beads from Rings & Things.

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi's written a tutorial on making a necklace with one of the new Swarovski discs from Artbeads!

Melissa and Tammy read and review two awesome books!

Strands of Beads
Melissa reviews Margot Potter's new book, Beyond the Bead.

About.com Jewelry Making
Be chic and make jewelry with some help from a new book: Chic Metal: Modern Metal Jewelry to Make at Home by Victoria Tillotson.

Leslie is in learning mode - see the techniques she's perusing...
Bead & Button Magazine
Leslie's keeping up the creativity--see what she's up to.

Jennifer is making her own stamps and Katie's ready for weddings and the summer!

Jennifer Jangles Blog
Jennifer gives a great source for getting your designs made into rubber stamps.

Katie's Beading Blog
Get ready for wedding season with Katie's beaded bridal necklace pattern. This necklace is the perfect accessory for brides, attendants, and guests alike!

That's the Beady Sunday News. Join me next week on the couch with a cup of coffee and we'll see what's going on in the bead and jewelry making world. (written by ABS Editor and glass beadmaker Cindy Gimbrone, newspaper and coffee addict.)

Studio Saturday - Fiesta!

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner. Last weeks winner is Summer Studios. Congratulations! You have won a set of 4 buttons from Creative Impressions in Clay. Send us an e-mail with your address in the suggestion box and we will get it right out to you.

It's party time in the Humblebeads Studio! For two weeks in April San Antonio pulls out the all the stops and celebrates our heritage and mixed culture with over 100 events during Fiesta. It's like a Tex-Mex Mardi Gras. Today is my favorite event, the King Williams Art Fair. I love arts & crafts shows, meeting the artists and seeing their work up close. This is one of the few in San Antonio with all hand-made goods. With Fiesta comes our summer season here in Texas. The dandelions are already waging war on my yard! So why fight them, here they are in all their glory. My dandelion beads are some of my favorites and ones I've been working with for some new summer and fall designs. They are a good fit for today too, they remind me of fireworks with their bursts of layered colors.

So my question today, what designs/symbols/motifs remind of you summer? Are you all about the shells when it comes to summer jewelry? Inspired by abundant gardens? I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment to win one of my dandelion beads.

And speaking of winning free beads, I'm hosting a contest on my blog. Check it out to play along!

Branding & Your Business

Our focus this week has been copyrights, originality and creativity. I have one more thing to talk about that conscientious designers, especially those just starting their business, should consider. Everything you do online that relates to your business is a type of branding. Make sure that your online branding tells a story about your jewelry and that is doesn't step on the toes of designers you admire.

What does this mean?

Your shop - Make sure your website design or shop banner isn't a copy of something you've seen. It should reflect your work, inspiration, style and what customers can expect to see from you.

Your blog & your brand - there are only so many templates out there, so what ways can your blog stand out from the crowd? First, take care that your blog color choices and banner don't resemble another designer's, especially if you have similar styles in jewelry. You can make a custom banner with images of your creations or have a designer create something unique for you. There are many designers on etsy who do this for a small charge. Look up graphic designers or banners.

Photography - Search for props/backgrounds that are personal to you, that complement your style of jewelry. When searching through hundreds of photos on Etsy, your images should immediately conjure up your name. Do not style your photographs based on someone elses ideas, it's frustrating to the person that is being copied and doesn't help to set you apart from the crowd.

Your visual brand should carry over to all places online and off, keep it consistent and originally yours. Business cards, postcards, ads and your packaging should also reflect your brand.

Not sure you have a brand or what that means? Here are a few helpful links:

2 great articles from Modish Biz Tips on branding

Lots of links on branding your handmade business

If you have felt a twinge of guilt this week, feeling maybe you have been a little too influenced, don't be discouraged. Use this as a time to reinvent yourself, dig deep into your own influences, take a closer look at what makes you an individual and celebrate that. Creativity is a vast ocean, you can never use it up or run out of it. Trust yourself.

Your Designs on Rubber Stamps

Since we are talking about copyrights this week, I thought t would be a perfect time to share a source with you. When I started designing and making my beads, I wanted to use stamps on them. Since rubber stamps are usually designed by other artists I couldn't use them on my beads to resell. I found a great place called Ready Stamps to turn my designs into rubber stamps. This way my work would be original and different from any one else's. That what we all really want isn't it?

So here what you do...
Draw up, by hand or computer, some stamps you would like. Send Ready Stamps a sheet of paper measuring 7" x 9" with all of your stamp designs on the sheet. It needs to be in black and white. Send them a check for 32.00 plus 5.00 shipping. In about a week you will get your stamps in the mail.

You can cut them apart and use them how they are or you can glue them to a wood or acrylic base. I am usually too excite to try them out to bother adhering them to anything. Here are some beads made with my Ready Stamps.

Oh, and the best part....Ready Stamps is a non profit group employing people with cerebral palsy.

Here's a link to the order form through Polymer Clay Express' website. It's all ready to print out and this form is specifically for artists.

Have fun!
Jennifer Heynen of Jangles

Be Informed: Copyrights and Fair Use

There alot of confusion out in internet-land about copyrights and fair use among jewelry designers and beadmakers. So I'm providing links to articles I like to refer to when I start to feel confused.

Bead and Button's downloadable article on copyrights
A nice concise read on what copyright is and how it applies to jewelry making.

Margot's Manifesto on Copyrights
The honest opinion of a jewelry designer who earns her living from her work.

Crafts For You Please Stop
Bead patterns, jewelry tutorials, craft patterns should not be copied and shared with all your friends.

If you're kind of a geek/nerd like me and enjoy reading the bookish versions there's Copyrights and Fair Use on the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse.

Don't let copyrights and fair use stifle your creativity, use it to spur you on to more adventures! On my Lampwork Diva Blog, I tell my own creative story and how it spurs me on!

Let us know how you feel - leave us a comment!

Water Skimming Wings

Photo Courtesy RIVERTAY - http://www.flickr.com/photos/rivertay

How do you know if something is original? There's an old saying, "you never step into the same river twice" - how can we know if we are dipping the same water from the stream that someone else has dipped before us?



It’s happened to me, I create something and I believe it’s unique to me. I will be looking on Etsy, or at websites or blogs on the internet, and I find out that someone else is already doing it, making it, and has been for quite a while.

I started making wings in polymer clay primary colors, to use as charms. One day I was on Etsy and saw someone else doing it, except all of her wings were black, no colors. I was shaking my head thinking I was being copied, when I realized hers were on Etsy several months earlier than I started making wing charms.

So, am I copying her by accident, when I didn’t know she was doing something similar? Are our wings different enough that I can comfortably keep making mine, now that I have discovered that someone else is making black wings and I'm making colored wings?


Some things are pretty easy to decide, and it’s not as tricky to answer the questions. If I saw a beadwoven necklace made by someone in a certain color combination and pattern, and I reproduced it exactly for my own sales, that’s not a puzzling head-scratcher, it’s definitely copying someone else. But what if that design was in a beadweaving magazine with a how-to for making it exactly – does that mean it’s available to be reproduced as-is and sold as my own design?


Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, coined a term known as Collective Unconscious, a part of the mind of a society or a people that’s a product of sharing ancestral experiences, separate and apart from the personal subconscious that belongs to each human being. He said, “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity.”

The Collective Unconscious goes hand in hand with the concept of synchronicity – two or more events unrelated to each other, that occur spontaneously in a meaningful manner, but unlikely to occur together by chance.

Photo Courtesy Positiv: http://www.flickr.com/photos/positiv

I think of the Creativity of the Collective Unconscious as being the airwaves of creativity, available like a radio broadcast, to those willing to tune in and get the messages. So if, in our culture and society, we associate wings, and things with wings like birds and angels, as a good icon and something positive, is it so unlikely that two people will create charms, separate from one another but using wings as the image? No, not really.

Photo Courtesy of Positiv: http://www.flickr.com/photos/positiv

Certain images and symbols are going to reappear often, like spirals, heart shapes, circles. Creativity and spirituality are often two sides of the same coin, as we tap our minds and hearts for expressions to put into the fruits of our hands.


If there’s a key to being original and fresh in our creativity, I believe it’s looking inside our own experiences and framing our own words of expression and visions of the world. Carl Jung says it this way: “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”


Let us all hope for a vivid personal awakening, no one can express your individual special personal vision but you.

Make Visible What, Without You,
Might Perhaps
Never Have Been Seen.
Robert Bresson

Thoughts about Creativity and Originality posted by Lynn Davis - ExpeditionD - Wings Created by Me - Photos courtesy FLICKR

Featured Designer of the Week - Bijoux Jardin

Each Monday we feature the Designer of the Week. One of our editors pick their favorite from the Monthly Challenge entries.

This week Tari, of Creative Impressions in clay picked Birth of Venus by Sharon Palac of BijouxJardin. Tari noted, "I love the the the wire wrapping of this piece, along with the aqua and coral colors that mimic the water and fabric in the painting. I really like the 3 stick pearls and the direction they are strung, which represent the shell element in the painting." See more of Sharon's work in her Etsy shop.

Want to see your work featured on the Art Bead Scene? Our theme for the month of April is "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli. The deadline to enter for the monthly prize is April 30th! Create something that combines the theme with art beads and then send in your submission for the April Challenge.

Sunday with Cindy: Beadmaker Tip Alert and Carmi's Fiber Necklace

Good morning, Sunday readers! I've been perusing the blogs this morning and have a tip to share with you from my beadmaker's blog, I share insider tips only beadmakers may know about and I call them a BEADMAKER TIP ALERT! Here's a tip I shared last spring and one I happily share with you today. Glass beads purchased from craft stores aren't kiln annealed and could crack when you're wearing the beads.


Why should you care about kiln annealing? Kiln annealing strengthens glass by allowing the glass to cool very, very, very slowly. If properly done, it relieves any stress in the glass and the beads won't crack.

Below is a picture of a set of glass beads I purchased at a local craft store:


As a glass beadmaker, I know by where the crack is, that the bead has not been kiln annealed. A crack along the bead hole means the glass cooled too quickly. Glass cools too quickly when it hasn't been placed in a kiln.

So, when you're buying supplies to add to your creation, be wary of large, thick glass beads. A beader on a budget will invest her/his money wisely on quality artisan made glass focal bead and/or sets that are kiln annealed. Make sure to look for this phrase when buying handmade glass on the web or on Etsy.


So let's go to the beady news. Lots going on but I want to highlight Carmi's post and show a picture of her lovely fiber necklace:

Photo courtesy of Carmi, of course and here's her teaser and link for it:
Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi creates a punched fiber collage necklace.

Catch up on the news for the B&B Show in June
Art Jewelry magazine
Demos and more planned for the Bead&Button Show 2009

Earthenwood has a sale going on:
Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Spring is here and Melanie announces a big springtime sale on her website, going on from now until Earth Day.

Jean is catching up on her reading:
Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews an excellent wire wrapping book, Beautiful Wire Jewelry for Beaders, by Irina Miech

Several projects and new designs:
Strands of Beads Melissa shows off a new necklace design inspired by Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem "Whoso List to Hunt"

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Taking advantage of Artbeads.com's free shipping and fast, friendly service, Andrew attempts to capture the beauty of a Lord Byron poem with the new Crystallized - Swarovski Element Disk Pendants in his new necklace design, "Cloudless Climes".

Candie Cooper
Mother's Day is coming fast! Do you need a project idea? Candie and Katie have just the thing!

About.com Jewelry Making
Puzzle piece jewelry is perfect to make during the month of April since it happens to be autism awareness month. Here are a few projects to help you make your own puzzle piece jewelry.

Jewelry & Beading
Make a fiber and wire necklace that will slide right on with no clasp!

Barbe and ABS are working the business end:
Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Marketing Monday: Its all about word of mouth

Art Bead Scene
Worried about the economy? Take care of your bead business with these tips.

Are you enjoying your Sundays with Cindy? Leave a comment and let Cindy know what you think.

Studio Saturday-Happy, Happy!!

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner. Last weeks winner is KatieN Congratulations! You have won a new pendant Jennifer at Jangles. Send us an e-mail with your address in the suggestion box and we will get it right out to you.

It's my Birthday! Besides that it is such a beautiful day today Sunny and 73º. I love spring! My favorite flower, the Tulip, is in bloom. They are just the perfect flower, simple and coloful!
It is the makings for a Happy, Happy day!
It's getting closer to Mothers Day and mom's like it when you make them gifts :)
Here is a project you can make for you mom or yourself. Flowers that last year round.

Supplies needed:
Felt :: 1" Button :: 3/4" Art Buttons :: Pattern :: 18 gauge wire
24 gauge wire :: Small pot

Make your pattern, I drew around the 1" button then added petals. Cut out the flower.

Cut 2" of 24 gauge wire, I used copper, any kind can be used. Center the 3/4" Art Button on the flower. Use a needle or piece of the 24 gauge and poke it through the button holes felt, wiggle it around to separate the fibers of the felt. Fold your 2" piece of wire lightly in half. From the back side of the flower, push the wire through the button holes to the top and twist once. Lay the wire down flat so it is out of the way. Putting the stamen wire in now keeps these 2 pieces together while adding the stem wire.

Cut 6" of 18 gauge wire. From the backside of the flower push the wire through one of the button holes. Approximately 1 3/4" through the flower, bend 90º, as you would when making a wire loop. Slide the long end of the wire up further from the top, enough so you can finish bending the wire to go back down through the other button hole. The wire will naturally want to curve and cross. Straighten a little as you go to make it easier to push it down through both holes. With your wire straigthened and through both button holes, slide the 1" button onto the wire and through both button holes. I used shell buttons because it's what I could find in my studio. Plastic would work also.

Wrap the short end of wire around the long piece of wire. Use your pliers to bend the tail of the wire into the stem.
Curl your stamen wire.
Repeat this as many times as you would like for your bouquet.

I used a small terra cotta pot for my flowers. A yogurt cup would work. Decorate the container. Put styrofoam, flower foam or in my case, clay (it was within reach in the studio), in the bottom of the pot. Place wood Excelsior, paper shred, easter grass, yarn, whatever you like on top. Arrange your flowers. Viola!! A gift your mother or yourself.

This weeks question:

What was your best birthday gift or suprize?

Leave a comment and you could win these four 3/4" buttons, so you can make your own bouquet.
Tari "Birthday Girl" of Creative Impressions In Clay.

Fit to Print - Beads 2009

In stores now, Beads 2009!

I love this special publication from Interweave Press and look forward to each year. Editor Danielle Fox pulls together an amazing collection of beads from our favorite artists, including a few from of our regular Art Bead Scene contributors. On the cover you'll find beads from Jangles, Earthenwood Studios and Humblebeads, along with projects in the magazine featuring our beads. Be sure to pick up this informative annual guide filled with trends, tips, projects and lots of eye candy!

Bead Scoop - Mamacita Beadworks

It's no secret that Mamacita Beadworks is one of my all time favorite beadmakers. I have an ever-growing stash of her buttons that I love using in my designs. Here you can see her seaweed inspired button with my urchin, aren't they just the perfect pair?

Did you know that Mamacita Beadworks has a new website with her entire collection. Run on over to check it out. I'm especially digging the large assortment of nature-inspired charms, like this lotus one:

Mamacita Beadworks

Are you the next Bead Star?

There is still time to enter the Bead Star competition for 2009! You can read the rules here.

Tips for winning entries:
1. Follow the rules carefully! Stringing and wire work designs are the focus of this annual publication, so the entries must follow the guidelines.
2. Pick your strongest designs for each category. Not sure which ones are your best, ask a few of your friends or do a poll on your blog. Enter in more than one category.
3. Take the best photos you can, your entries are judged by the readers based on those photos.
4. Make sure your design is original.
5. Use unusual focal beads/materials.
6. Go for an over-the-top design that is beyond what you normally create. (Unless all your work is over-the-top!)
7. Have fun while creating and don't stress about coming up with a "winning" design!

The Bead Biz - Finding Art & Craft Shows

Before you run off to find a market to sell your jewelry, take a moment to think about your customers. Are they busy mom's on the go, fashionistas, alternative artsy indie girls or no-nonsense business women? Each one of these women go to different types of shows. You'll need to put on your detective hat to find the right fit.

I can only offer you my experience and what I know. My customers are women in their 30's - 50's. They are usually married, work and have disposable income. They love handmade items and the arts in general. They support their local art museums and organizations. They collect handcrafted items. They aren't worried about trends, but see jewelry as an expression of their individuality. They love to give gifts that are meaningful and well thought-out.

My best shows are art fairs and shows that are hosted by arts organizations. I wouldn't do well at a country-craft type show. My customers aren't there. I do better in urban areas in larger cities. Knowing these things about my customers and where to find them helps me plan shows that have a greater chance of success for my style of jewelry.

Where to find shows?

*Ask other artists/crafters.

*Go to shows and see what events your favorite artists are doing.

*Get connected with the local art groups in your area.

*Find out if your state has an arts commission or council, here is a list of them.

*Network with guilds/societies in your area. We have a fiber arts guild & a bead society. Both put on shows for their members and announce upcoming shows in the community.

*CraftLister is a list of craft & art fairs.

*Looking for big shows? Sign up for Zapplication, most of the larger shows use this service.

In general, it's better to attend a show before you sign up for it, especially ones that charge higher fees. Stay away from 1st year shows, it's such a gamble. Exceptions would be organizations that you want to support.

Featured Designer of the Week - JKD Jewelry

Each Monday we feature the Designer of the Week. One of our editors pick their favorite from the Monthly Challenge entries.

This week Jennifer Heynen of Jangles picked JKDjewelry's Birth of Venus Necklace. Jennifer noted, "Jeannie's necklace is so close to the Birth of Venus painting, when I saw it right away I could see the connection, the colors, the shell, etc. I took a peak around her flickr photos and she's got some great designs." To see more of Jeannie's work visit her flickr photostream.

Want to see your work featured on the Art Bead Scene? Our theme for the month of April is "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli. The deadline to enter for the monthly prize is April 30th! Create something that combines the theme with art beads and then send in your submission for the April Challenge.

Cindy's Free Project Sunday with Links

Along with the Beady News is a free project by Cindy Gimbrone. It's a fun pendant that recycles watch parts and uses sewing to create a trendy Steampunk flavor.

So take your Sunday paper with you and click on over toThe Deconstructed Watch Project: Materials and Step by Step!

Make sure once you're done there, you check out the rest of the Beady News from our intrepid Bead Bloggers....

About.com Jewelry Making
Oy, may aching back! Tammy is de-stashing her jewelry and other craft supplies while on spring break. Here are de-stashing tips and places that need your jewelry supply orphans.

Art Bead Scene This month's challenge is Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe talks about riveting & finding the right size drill bits.

Bead&Button magazine
Julia Gerlach talks about bead patterns and gifts.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
A splendid night out at the Smart Shop metalsmithing studio's gallery crawl inspires Melanie

Jacket Corsage
Carmi sews a few hooked flowers and beads to create a jacket corsage.

Jewelry & Beading
Think that shell jewelry is just for kids? Take a look at Karen Sugarman's designs, and I guarantee you'll change your mind!

Katie's Beading Blog
Check Out Katie's Fun and Flowery Spring Inspiration!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
April is Austism Awareness Month. Express yourself creatively!

Strands of Beads
Melissa discusses the usefulness of the preliminary sketch in her design process

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
A new double-sided sugar skull pendant from Anne Choi, inspires Andrew to create this new bracelet.

Have you heard any good dirt in the beading world? We'd love for you to share!

Gossiped...errr...reported by Cindy Gimbrone, The Desperate ABS Editor.

Studio Saturday with Jangles

Happy Saturday from Jangles

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments!

As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner. Last weeks winner is KatieN, Congratulations! You have won a set of disk beads bead from Humblebeads. Send us an e-mail with your address and we will get it right out to you.


My last Studio Saturday post was all about me thinking spring. I am happy to report where I live in Georgia it has arrived. Along with it the pollen has arrived and that is hard to deal with but I still won't complain. I took this picture yesterday at the Georgia State Botanical Gardens.



Also, in my last Studio Saturday post, I showed several images of new flower beads that I was making. I received a ton of comments on a particular pendant. You, the readers liked the texture. I took this as a challenge and wanted to see what I could come up with with texture. Well, what I got I really liked. Take a look and see what you think...To make these new beads when I ma making the pendant out of clay I texture it with stamps. These stamps are made from drawings of mine. I have them made into rubber stamps. Once the beads are fired I paint the underglaze over the bead and immediately wipe it off. The color stays in the crevices. I go back and paint other colors on top. Two coats of clear are painted on top of the beads. I really like the aged look it gives the beads while keeping my bright colors.




I really like this stamp and think it makes a nice pendant so I have experimented with different color combinations .
Personally, this is my favorite of the pendants, it's got all of my favorite colors.


Once I made pendants and got a look I like I thought I would make some matching beads for earring or stringing with the pendants. Below you can see my pairs.

I would like to give away on of my new pendants for this weeks prize. As you see I gave myself a challenge with the limitations of making some more textured pendants. I find when I have some guidance I feel like I can be more creative. It helps me keep me focused and It clears my mind some. Do you like a challenge with guidelines or do you prefer the sky's the limit approach? Let me know in the comments this week and I will send the random winner a pendant.

The Trendy Bead - Birth of Spring

Today's trendy bead is inspired by our monthly challenge theme, The Birth of Venus. I've paired Spring art beads with finds from Etsy. We are looking forward to seeing your entries and I thought you might enjoy a glimpse into what beads I would use for the challenge.

For the first set, I want to bring in the color of the flowery fabric with the shell theme. I adore the Large Flower Button from Creative Impressions in Clay, complimented perfectly by the Shell Beads from AndAnotherThing. The texture of the Shell Clasp from Green Girl Studios ties in the two organic elements.

Not quite a literal interpretation, more of the essence of the painting is captured by the Knobby Urchin Beads from Humblebeads, paired with these Carved Conch Shell Roses from JuneJewels, and I'd to throw in a few Coconut Shell Pendants from Goshen to symbolize the forest in the painting.

A whimsical set featuring Amazonite Rondelles from BeadersBoutique reflect the hues of the ocean. A Textured Lime Pendant from Jangles has the color scheme of the painting, and to go back to our inspiration piece, I found these awesome Mother of Pearl Connectors from EarthlyElements which repeat the playful curves of the flower design on Jennifer's pendant.

Here we have the wings that appear in the painting in a Winged Blues Pendant from ExpeditionD. I love the dreamy color of these Wisteria Lampwork Beads from SueBeads, and because shells are such a big part of this month's theme I'd subtly add them in with these heishe style Hammershell Beads from SuperMagic.

For a modern look, I'd focus on one part of the painting, like the sea. So for a sea-foam inspired collection I'd start by pairing Love Links Glass Chain from Cindy Gimbrone Beads with Foam Asian Circle Pendant from Chinook Jewelry, add in a generous sprinkling of oxidised silver chain with a clasp made from A Button Waving by Mamacita Beadworks.

The Bead Biz - Modish Shares Insights

If you are in business for yourself or thinking of starting your own business, head on over to the Modish Biz Tips blog for a collection of helpful and inspirational articles for creative entrepreneurs.

Did you write down goals for 2009? Now is a good time to take a look at them and see how you are doing. Maybe it's time to come up with a concrete action plan if you aren't on track. Or perhaps it's time to add new goals if you have met a few of your milestones already.

Findings Worth Finding - Links Ahoy!

I ran across Atlantis Glass & Bead the other day and fell in love with their organic looking metal links in copper and silver. Along with links you'll find an assortment of earwires, clasps, jumprings and boro glass art beads. They are offering 10% off their metal findings through April 13th!

Rings and Things Product Review

The Art Bead Scene was invited to participate in Rings & Things blog partner program. They send a packet of items to review or use in a project, I share my thoughts and results with you.



This round features Disk & Loop Bracelets. I'm not much a "gluer" so I wasn't exactly sure what I could do with these bracelets when they first arrived. I found myself loving the warm antiqued texture of the brass disks and decided instead of covering up, I'd use them as an integral element of the design.

With a little wire-wrapping I added my teal branch disk beads in between the brass disks, skipping every other one. After the the disks were added I made dangles of copper pearls, amber disks and crystals on brass headpins and attached them to the alternate loops.

I love the fit of the bracelet too. Rings and Things offers the disk and loop bracelets in a variety of styles and sizes. This bracelet is 8.2" long and just perfect for someone with a larger wrist, which is always a challenge when working with pre-made bracelet forms.

(A detail of my wire-wrapping.)

To see more projects using the Disk & Loop Bracelets visit the Rings & Things blog. And stop by my blog today for a free project using the Disk & Loop Bracelets.

Featured Designer of the Week - Lorelei Eurto

Each Monday we feature the Designer of the Week. One of our editors pick their favorite from the Monthly Challenge entries.

This week I picked Lorelei Eurto's shell bracelet. I love how the colors reflect the ocean and the forest in the painting. It's such a lovely design inspired by the painting but a little masterpiece in it's own way too. To see more of Lorelei's work visit her blog.

Want to see your work featured on the Art Bead Scene? Our theme for the month of April is "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli. The deadline to enter for the monthly prize is April 30th! Create something that combines the theme with art beads and then send in your submission for the April Challenge.

Sundays with Cindy

Today is the inaugural post of Sundays with Cindy where ABS Editor, Cindy Gimbrone will highlight the news from the bead blogging world and throw in a free jewelry project here and there. So sit back and enjoy your Sunday with Cindy!

This Sunday, I've got a large cup of hot coffee and have curled up on the couch to enjoy the Beady News, new designs, book reviews, projects and more. So let's dive right in!

Jean and Barbe spent this week reading. Click on over to read about an inspiring jewelry design book and a business e-book:

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
If it has Margot Potter's name on the cover, you know it will be a superfun and interesting book! Beyond the Bead, Margot's latest, is just that!

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe reviews Dr. Weiman's 101 More Jewelry Selling Techniques Ebook

Speaking of e-books and downloadable projects, Linda has posted one in this week's highlight...

BeadStyle Mag
Linda's jewelry does the Lindy Hop far better than she does...check out her inspiration!

Barbe and Tammy were on the same business wavelength this week because Tammy has tips on how to brand your business....

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has some tips for branding yourself and your jewelry product while also putting together some awesome packaging.

Carmi shows us how to make a brooch, Melanie shares how she used glueable findings and Melissa shows us her celadon creation...

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi features a mini canvas pendant on a felted background.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Using gluable bracelet blanks from Rings and Things, Melanie shares ideas for how to use them in two very different ways

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off a celadon-themed necklace she made for Ornament Thursday


Cyndi, Andrew and Art Bead Scene found inspiration in a variety of places this week...

Jewelry & Beading
Thanks to some inspiration from beadmaker Melanie Brooks, Cyndi has an article in Belle Armoire Jewelry!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
A sleepless night for Andrew produced seven new necklace designs.

Art Bead Scene
Feeling out of step with the trends? Here's some inspiration for the fall 2009 season!

Ahhhh...now that we've poured over the Beady News, it's time to stretch out on the couch and enjoy the rest of the day!

Do you have some Beady News? Leave and comment and share! There's always time for another cup of coffee and Beady News!

Studio Saturday Winner

Sorry dear readers for missing this week's Studio Saturday post. We are only human here at the ABS! Our winner this week is FrankandRox, please send your address to the Art Bead Scene to receive a Bling Link from Cindy Gimbrone Beads!

This week for my post, I am throwing in a bonus free project since not much is going on in the Humblebeads Studio beside some serious production work.

A Song for Spring Earrings

Supplies:

2 Humblebeads Disk Beads

2 lucite flowers

6 stone rondelles

2 Copper earwires

2 copper headpins

2 copper eyepins

6 copper bead caps

6 copper seed beads

2 copper 5mm spacers

Directions:

1. String a seed bead, lucite flower, copper spacer, humblebeads disk and a seed bead onto a headpin. Trim headpin and use round nose pliers to form a loop.

2. On the eye pin string a seed bead, stone and a bead cap. Repeat the stone and bead cap two more times. Trim eyepin and use round nose pliers to form a loop.

3. Attach dangle to the bottom of the eyepin and the earwire to the top of the eye pin.

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To win a set of Humblebeads Disk Beads please leave a comment about this weeks' question. We will draw a random winner next Saturday.

What would you like to see on the Art Bead Scene?

Share an idea for a post you'd love to read about here on the ABS. Perhaps a topic we haven't covered or one you'd like us to write more about.

I heart tools! BeadGlo Box

I am a sucker for a new tool and this looks really neat to me. I don't do a lot with seed beads but if I did I could see this being helpful. I just like the idea of a portable bead station with a light. Wouldn't it be great in the car? Here are the details of the BeadGlo Box...

The BeadGlo is the perfect accessory for all your beading projects. Easily sort and lay out beads and crystals on an illuminated surface with custom-designed trays. Features a 5”x9” illuminated slanted surface, 9V (AC) power adapter, (optional battery operation), convenient carrying bag, 8000 hour fluorescent bulb, two removable design trays (Necklace Tray& Multi Tray) with covers and two design rulers.

I found it online, but I am sure it will show up in beads stores soon. Check out all of the different trays you can get for it.

Happy Beading!

This post was written by Jennifer Heynen of Jangles.

Monthly Challenge Prizes

Our first set of prizes include three hand sculpted silver charms from Hint. They offer the symbols of spring and Aphrodite's shell. Add in some stones in the pale shades of teal, pink and blue from our inspiration painting, The Birth of Venus.

The winner of this month's challenge will also receive two goddess buttons from Creative Impressions in Clay. I could see someone playing up the Greek/Roman classical theme from the painting with scrolled metal work and ancient-looking glass beads.

You can go in so many different directions this month. I'm looking forward to seeing your inspired creations! One entry from the challenge will be randomly drawn to receive all 5 prizes, challenge details can be found here.

Monthly Challenge - Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus
Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482–1486

The inspiration for this month's challenge is "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli. Let the beauty of the Italian Renaissance inspire your creations this month.

Your entry this month can be influenced by the colors, pattern or whatever you choose to focus on for your creation. Just remember to include at least one art bead in your design.

The Prizes:

A winner will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on May 1st.

Our sponsors this month our Creative Impressions in Clay and Hint, please visit us tomorrow to see the prizes!

Featured Designer of the Week!

From all the entries during the month, an editor is going to pick their favorite design to be featured every Monday here on the ABS. We want to give our participants more time in the spotlight! Our Featured Designer will be this Monday, so get those entries in soon.

How to enter the Monthly Challenge:

1. Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. The art bead can be created by you or someone else. The challenge is to inspire those who use art beads and to see all the different ways art beads can be incorporated into your handiwork.

***Beads by themselves and beads simply strung on a chain or cord will not be accepted.***

2. Upload your photo to our flickr group. Detailed instructions can be found here and click here for a tutorial for sending your picture to the group. If you can't upload to Flickr, send your entry and information to Heather.

Please add the tag or title APRABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.

Deadline is April 30st. Photos are approved by our moderators, if a photo hasn't followed the guidelines it will not be approved. You may upload 2 photos a day.

What is an Art Bead?

An art bead is a bead, charm, button or finding made by an independent artist. Art beads are the vision and handiwork of an individual artist. You can read more about art beads here.

*** A bead that is handmade is not necessarily an art bead. Hill Tribe Silver, Kazuri ceramic beads or lampwork beads made in factories are examples of handmade beads that are not considered art beads.

p.s. If you have a blog, post your entry and a link to the ABS challenge to spread the beady goodness.