Welcome Guest Artist: Nealay Patel

Today we welcome innovative designer, prolific author and charming instructor Nealay Patel. Nealay is an artist who crafts in beads and fiber to produce jewelry designs that are striking, colorful and textured. He is a problem-solver who sees his designs as solving a puzzle. His intricate jewelry is always highly textural and full of life, using a mix of metal and fiber and beads and wire. He has authored three books: Jewelry for the New Romantic, Jewelry Designs with Knitted Wire, and his most recent, Jewelry Made with Wire & Fiber. Recently, Nealay has started doing monthly Live Facebook videos featuring a kit that he sells on his Etsy site. Nealay was kind enough to share a project featuring an art bead with us.

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The power of a single pendant

How rare is it to come across an amazing pendant that works with just about anything? I asked a bead artisan and glass expert friend of mine to assemble a special pendant for me with just one word in mind…dagger.

Open to interpretation and inspired by the challenge, Scott Griffin of Griffin Glass sent over this wonderful pendant and I have to say, he deserves a gold star!

It was my turn for the challenge next and I didn’t know exactly what to do with it at first, I have to admit. I knew I loved it simply by itself! So, why clutter up a fabulous pendant with beadwork, right?

I threw out a few chains and cords onto the table and the fiber cord spoke to me the most! The detailed, black and white cord worked perfect to set the backdrop for this star! I added some minor embellishments on either side, a technique that can be found in my latest book, Jewelry Made with Wire & Fiber.

I also had this fabulous wire collar, from Halstead Beads, that worked amazingly with the pendant! I love the bright silver, un-textured collar that contrasts with the very textured pendant.

A perfect combo for the fashion forward! Give it a try!

www.griffinglass.com  • www.halsteadbead.com • www.nealaypatel.etsy.com

Be sure to stop by Nealay's Beads & Bubbles Facebook page and mark your calendars to watch his next video on Wednesday, July 26th for the In Bloom Bracelet shown above https://www.facebook.com/beadsandbubbles/

Beading Kits by Nealay Patel for this project and more are available in his
Etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/nealaypatel

And check out his new book Jewelry Made with Wire & Fiber for some great ideas that you can incorporate into your own designs, intersperse with art beads and jazz up your style!

UPDATE! Nealay has agreed to give away a copy of the digital version of his new book (retail value $21.99) to one lucky random winner for answering the following question:

Tell me...

what type of project would you love to see on a future installment of Beads & Bubbles?

Winner will be chosen at random from all entries
(one per person please!) and announced on July 14th!

Designing with Wood Beads

A few weeks ago, I was selling my ceramic beads in Pompano Beach, Florida and during a quick power shopping moment, I discovered natural wood beads and sticks at the Koru Beads booth. Tracey Jackson sells the most beautiful beads made from nature - shells, stones, wood, and so much more.  But the wood - I had to have it!  So many types and shades.  I was thinking earrings with the sticks and mini logs, pendants with the drift wood pieces (layering a beachy ceramic bead on top perhaps) and a stacking pendant with the longer sticks.  I also purchased a beautiful strand of Tibetan Agate that the color stripes matched up in pairs for earring accents.  Here's my haul:

So far I have made 2 pairs of earrings.  I made the birds out of mid fire buff clay and glazed one pair in shiny brown and one pair in shiny smokey blue.  So with the mini logs, a little bling gets thrown in to break up the brown tones.  I used 20g Vintaj wire and earring findings to wire wrap the pieces together.

The smokey blue glaze matched this pair of Tibetan Agate beads nicely.  I used the 2 shortest sticks, a crystal accent and again, 20g Vintaj wire and earring findings to wire wrap the pieces together.

Tracey will be adding the wood beads to her website this week, so be sure to check out www.truthjackson.com to get some for yourself!  I know I am excited to use the rest of my treasures in the near future.

January Monthly Challenge Recap

What a way to kick off the new year creatively! There was an abundance of awesome entries this month....some inspired by the colors....others by the stars or the landscape....all with a great reference to the art by Henri-Edmund Cross. Doesn't it just pulsate and shimmer like the night sky?

January 2016 Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge - Kizoa Online Movie Maker

Now it is your turn! Add your link to the InLinkz code below and be entered to win some great prizes! Thank you for lending your talents to this wonderful world-wide party!

An InLinkz Link-up

Get the InLinkz code for your blog!

get the InLinkz code

Wire Rocks!

The last time I blogged for Art Bead Scene, I shared a look inside my studio as I was getting ready for Bead Fest in Philadelphia.  One of the goals I set for my self while at a large show, is to learn a new skill to add to my jewelry designing arsenal.  I was fortunate to be able to connect with one of my favorite artists and designers, Staci Louise Smith, for an after show class she was teaching.  It was all about wire and connections and cool beads.  What's not to love?

Staci's class is called "Wild Wire Gypsy Charm Choker."  The kit included 16, 18, 20 and 22 gauge wire.  It was great to handle each one and learn more about differences and when to use each one. Staci annealed the wire before class to give it more flexibility and a vintage look.  The copper wire started out very shiny.  I found out I can anneal the wire with a hand held torch.  Pretty cool!

The base of the choker uses 8 feet of 16 gauge wire!  Thankfully it was cut into two 4 foot sections which made it easier to handle.  Every student hand formed the choker base so differently.  You really can't do it wrong after the basic shape is formed.  I found out I was in a symmetrical mood when I was designing my choker.  Staci told me it looked like daisy petals!

This is my finished necklace.  What an amazing statement piece!  I added some of my ceramic beads to the wonderful selection of gemstones, glass, metal, and polymer beads included in the kit.  I plan on making another unique choker necklace for an October Breast Cancer Awareness blog hop that Andrew Thornton is hosting.  I will use silver 16 gauge wire for the choker base with a wonderful mix of pink beads.  It is going to look so different, but equally amazing!

The good news is Staci is going to be teaching this wonderful class again at Bead Fest Philadelphia at the Spring 2016 show.  So if you love it like I do and want to learn some great techniques from an instructor that is so giving with her tips and techniques, don't miss it!

Inside the Studio: Erin Prais-Hintz, Tesori Trovati

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 prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard and tell us what you think. The following week a winner is chosen at random from all eligible entries.

Congratulations to Katherine Thompson!

You have won a $20.00 gift certificate to spend in Mary Harding's Etsy shop.

Send Mary an email to claim your prize. 

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Hello bead tribe!

I don't know about you, but I feel a bit like I am barely treading water right now. Spring is always a bit frenzied for me. I am having a hard time keeping up!

Dance was over in April (but starting up again) and now travel softball (first tournament next weekend) and rec league are about to start for my daughter. Today is the last day of school for my son. Tomorrow he will officially be a senior for the 2015-2016 school year (wait...what?!!!?). Next Wednesday his baseball team takes on a regional semi-final baseball game on their march to State (they made it past the regionals only to fall in the last game - sectionals - two years in a row. Feeling hopeful that this is the year we can make it!). My daughter will be graduating from 8th grade next Thursday and I have been up around the clock working on the big through-the-years slideshow celebrating all 64 graduates. Add into that the fact that the grand-daddy of all bead shows is coming to Milwaukee (about 3 hours away - how could I miss it?!), and of course back in December I signed up to take classes on Wednesday  with Thomas Mann, Eva Sherman (yes, I will be missing the baseball game...and the weekend softball tournament), and on Sunday with the Thorntons (Andrew and Cynthia) all of which I am SOOOO not ready for. Needless to say, I am going a bit out of my mind!

Examples from past Thomas Mann classes - can't wait!

I didn't sign up for classes last year and I really missed it. I typically set aside a few hundred dollars for classes/workshops each year and last year I didn't really do anything that wasn't virtual. I miss the face-to-face. So I was excited to get in a class with Thomas Mann. Sometimes I take classes with artists that I admire, not really caring about what I am learning, just to soak up their genius. That would sum up my feeling about Thomas Mann. I had the good fortune to meet Miss Eva Sherman when I filmed a episode of Beads, Baubles & Jewels in December (which will go live in July! Woot!). She is dynamite and so sweet, so I knew that I had to take a class with her. And what more can be said about Andrew Thornton and his sister Cynthia of Green Girl Studios fame? They are absolutely delightful, so I know that I will be captivated by their magical class. 

Lisa Peters Art beads from 2011... I know I still have one of those tubes in my stash!

Of course, I love to shop at the bead show, but I have been on a self-imposed bead diet for over a year (that really hasn't stopped me so much as slowed me down - thanks to Miss Heather Millican of Swoondimples for helping me cheat recently!). I have stacks, bins and boxes of beads that I have purchased over the past few years at B&B that I have been hoarding. So I really don't NEED any more beads (but I know that won't stop me). I am actually hoping to put together some kits that I was asked to design, so that might be the only way that I will get my shopping fix.

Best beady friends!

So I will be heading to the classes I am taking with Thomas Mann and Eva Sherman on Tuesday night. And I will be coming back on Wednesday night as soon as my last class ends so that I can be present for the graduation festivities on Thursday. Then back to Bead & Button on Friday-Sunday, meeting up with my best friend and ABS Editor, Heather Powers and her Aunt Rosanne. It is something I look forward to every year. We really never get enough time to be together as friends and bead shoppers, it is always a whirlwind, more so this year than ever. 

I was honored that a necklace design I made last year was selected as a class for this year's Bead & Button co-teaching with Miss Brenda Schweder using her Now That's A Jig tool. Unfortunately, the world of Bead & Button Show classes is pretty competitive and my class ended up being cancelled due to low enrollment. Bummer! But I do believe everything happens for a reason, and it would have added to my stress level to teach on that large a scale. Plus, this won't be the last you will see of this necklace idea.... ;-)

And when one door closes, another opens... I am delighted to say that I will be teaching two make-and-take mini-classes on Saturday, June 6th at the Now That's A Jig booth #901/903. I think that space is limited, so if you are interested, be sure to sign up! I just saw the template of my original holiday ornament design that I will be teaching, and I am so looking forward to it!

Since I will be at the Bead & Button show next week, my prize for you will be to have me be your personal shopper at the Bead & Button Show. I am a really good shopper (just ask Heather!), and I need an excuse to go and fondle... er.... buy some beads, so it will be fun for me to pick out some things special for one lucky random winner. I will be sure to pick out some nice things for a surprise bead stew! Here is my question for you....

Would you rather....

...spend your money on BEADS? If so, what would you be looking for at Bead & Button?

OR

...invest in taking classes with MASTERS? If so, what would you most like to learn or who would you like to learn from?

A random winner will be selected at the next Inside the Studio

and in the meantime, I will be shopping for something special just for one of you!

Inside the Studio with Erin Prais-Hintz, Tesori Trovati Jewelry

Welcome to Inside the Studio!

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.

Congratulations, Julie of Outwest! You have won a ceramic leaf pendant from Mary Harding Jewelry.  Please send Mary an email with your information so she can mail that out to you!

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Today we visit the studio of

Erin Prais-Hintz

of

Tesori Trovati

 

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How can it be March already?! 

 

Spring seems like a dim light at the end of a seemingly never-ending tunnel of snow. And March means that I should have my tax prep done. Haven't.Even.Started. In fact, I was so bad last year I never even filed one scrap of paper. Just piled it all in a heap on the middle of my studio floor. (Obviously, I am organizationally challenged!) This year I have been keeping receipts and orders on a clipboard so that I can file them by month. And here it is, month three, and I haven't even started that. The good news is that I have not bought much (you have to see my studio to know that this is not such a big sacrifice as I have enough art beads and materials to go with them to last me until my last days). The bad news is I have not sold much (of course, if I listed something for sale I might actually sell something!). So this whole start to the new year is not going very smoothly in terms of organizing my files, and it is getting a bit depressing that winter won't end (my son's Varsity baseball team season opener is scheduled for a double-header on Saturday, April 5th. Um. Probably not going to happen). With the endless vista of white outside my door, and the seemingly endless stack of receipts I really must start sifting through, I really needed a something to get me out of this rut. 

Luckily, the Bead Cruise is just around the corner, because a dose of tropical drinks and sand would do wonders for my mood. Am I going to a tropical destination to have fun in the sun with my friends? Nope. But my beads are!

I have contributed to the Goodie Bags that Heather puts together for the Bead Cruise participants the past few years. Now, I could just clean out my Simple Truths stash (I have so many new ones and samples that are waiting for me to list them already in my lonely Etsy shop!), but that would feel like cheating a bit. So I used this as an excuse to experiment. And I am quite happy with the results!

I almost never work with colored clays. But last year I took a class with Heather creating canes and got so inspired that I went a little nuts buying every color of polymer clay available. But of course, I never did anything with them. That is the way it goes with me.

 

When I think of tropical locales, I think of bright, citrusy tones. I think of resort wear with strappy sandals and white accented with touches of gold. So I dug in my stash and pulled out lime green, lemon yellow, mango orange, hot pink and turquoise clays. I found a texture plate that had a sea-theme to it. I happened upon some ocean charms. And I used a lot of shiny gold paint for a patina. 

 

I thought of tide pools and all the creatures that are massed together in a shallow little world, like some saltwater commune living together in harmony. I set out to create beads that looked like fossils that were dug up. Irregular. Rugged. Little treasures just waiting to be found.

After I pressed them and baked them, I painted them with a soft gold that gave them a lustrous sheen. But I decided that they needed a little something extra, so I did the same to some wee ocean charms I found - fish, starfish, seashells, octopi, dolphins - distressing them a bit to show the detail. 

 

I paired them up so that each set had different colors, shapes and textures. No two are alike! Just how I like it. ;-)

 

 

Did I mention that these beads are double-sided? The reverse of the emboss is on the back of each bead. That sort of detail tickles me to no end! I strung each set on an eye pin and readied them for their packaging.

 

I tied them onto my cards and put each in its own wrapper. I hope that the recipients will feel the love that went into each one of them.

 

 

I may not be able to sit on the beach sipping drinks through an umbrella topped straw with my best beady friends, but it makes me happy that these little Tropical Tide Pool Fossils will be having some fun in the sun even if the only sun that I will see is the reflection off the snow!

Would you like to win a set of some of my new Tropical Tide Pool Fossils? I will give away a random set of three Tropical Tide Pool Fossils (just the beads, not the charms ;-) to one random commenter just for answering this question:

 

 If you could go any place in the world on a fantasy bead escape with your best beady friends, where would it be and why? 

I'll start... while I would love to go on the cruise, I think I would love even more to go to someplace like Morocco or India or Nepal because the colors and patterns of people in faraway cultures intrigues me!

Your turn!

Studio Saturday - Skye Jewels

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.

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This week we visit the studio of

Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp of Skye Jewels

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This week's winner is CRAFTYHOPE! Congratulations! You have won win a ceramic pendant and bead bundle from Gaea Handmade! Send Gaea an Email with your address and she will get your prize out to you soon!

I have been asked so often to see my studio, I figured this was the perfect time and the perfect place!

So Here it is!

 I can't begin to tell you how hard it was to get this photo, getting the angle right and the placement for the camera... The space is what you might call "small" or "petite" lol but you get the idea.

 This room has dual purpose. I am first and foremost a jewelry designer and I am also an avid scrapbooker. At least I used to be... funny how beads have taken over my life and left little time to create with paper.

I spend about a week getting clean enough for pictures! Now it will be a challenge to keep it usable so I don't end up working like this...

 ...again!

Yup! You are seeing this right! When I run out of room on my work benches I end up working on the floor. I can't help it! I NEED to be surrounded by beads to be able to fully feel the inspiration take over! Those are my knees...ouch! I am getting too old to work like this. Maybe someday I will have a better space to work in.

Where do you end up working that is out of the ordinary? Do your beads take over and push you out of your studio or are you a meticulous artisan?

Leave a comment answering any of these questions and you will be entered for a chance to win an assortment of Skye Jewels wooden pendants selected especially for you, for your jewelry designs!

 

Photo Credits for the studio photos go to Angela Durocher

Thanks for stopping by...

Marie   

Gallic Beads

Bonjour mes amies! Today, let's take a trip over to Gaul - well, selected parts of Gaul at any rate! Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron and Roman ages (anyone else read Asterix when they were wee?) encompassing not only France, Belgium, Luxembourg, but most of Switzerland, and parts of Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. As our monthly challenge is beautiful Van Gogh rendition of Montmartre, and also as I recently returned from a very lovely trip to Paris, I thought it would be apt to create a treasury of French art beads and buttons. I must say, I struggled a little so opened the doors to include Belgium and Luxembourg. Some very lovely and unusual pieces I'm sure you'll agree - some are tiny lampworked sculptures, not technically beads - but can't you just see them wire wrapped into a beautiful and unusual piece of jewellery? 

'French, Belgian and Luxembourgish Bead Artists' by songbead

Lot of 6 pcs 3 pairs handmad... leeloufrance $4.90	Two Ceramic Charms/Beads Owl... BlueTerracotta $8.00	Set of 20 handcrafted bulb P... GlassMiniature... $24.99	hippie flower - handmade cer... ceramicpoppy $5.80
big blue ceramic butterfly p... ceramicpoppy $14.00	Handmade lampwork glass bead... Jimmybeads $25.00	Modern Polymer Clay Pendant ... JagnaB $25.00	Millifiori polymer clay butt... polymerclaybox $8.00
Glass handcrafted garden SNA... GlassMiniature... $12.00	Lampwork beads by jimmy sr... Jimmybeads $69.00	kaleidoscopes polymer clay b... polymerclaybox $15.99	Three Ceramic Charms/Beads D... BlueTerracotta $10.00
kaleidoscopes polymer clay b... polymerclaybox $15.99	Glass Copper Cherries lilishop $15.00	Three Ceramic Charms/Beads m... BlueTerracotta $12.00	Glass elephant HANDCRAFTED GlassMiniature... $8.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

{OK, I cheated a little. Two of these are technically finished jewellery, but as they were a simply strung pendant and lampworked earrings made from start to finish by the artist, I thought you'd let me off sneaking them in here!}

And before you ask, yes, I did go bead shopping in Paris! I had my trusty little guidebook maps marked up with a couple of bead shops I thought I could find under my own steam, both veritable treasure troves (although sadly no art beads). One was a stand at a very old flea market - Les Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt - which sold the most amazing vintage beads and findings. If you are ever in Paris I do recommend checking it out! Just look at these delicious vintage lovelies.

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer and singer, currently living in Manchester, England. You can read more about beads and singing at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com.

Pulling Colours

One of the ways I get inspiration for my jewelry, is the focals I use. Just grabbing my favorite focals will sometimes speak to me and bring inspiration as I lay them out. There are hidden colours and undertones that you may not see at first until you see them in a different light or by some accent beads that you have laying around from another project. I have piles of leftover beads everywhere! They do have a purpose however.

 This is the best example I could find of really pulling colours! This Fresco Painting is truly stunning! It has the warm colours like the red of the feathers and the yellow/gold of the fence. It has the cool colours like the blue of the bird's chest and it has the undertones of green and brown that every artist uses. You can see where I pulled the colours and added a mix of shades of each colour, pulling the different tones from the focal. Using a mix of different beads also added texture and interest to the finished necklace.

 This particular piece is more subtle than the last. The pendant has very simple shades of what seems to be grey and brown behind the Eiffel Tower. Certainly you could make a very simple piece using some black chain or some wood beads, but to really make the focal shine, put it in your tray of beads, see what hidden colours pop out at you, perhaps some unexpected combinations will shine! I found that this piece really pulled me toward using Vintaj brass with it's earthy rich brown patinas. You can see that adding the filigree really pulls out the brown in the lower half of the pendant. 

 The Vintage Style key by Tim Holtz was a nice contrast to the deep browns of the filigree and fleur de Lis. It pulls some of the more subtle Grey/browns of the Eiffel tower. The top of the pendant has very cool blues hidden in it's grey sky. I noticed that the crystal in certain positions, mimicked the sky, but when it sparkled, it sent out an array of other beautiful blues, green and teals! So the crystal was added and was the inspiration for the recycled silk sari wraps at the top of the key. The combination makes for a very unique colourful piece that could have turned out very differently depending on the colours you might have seen.

 Last but not least I wanted to show a variation of the second necklace, with completely different colours. You can see that once again the Artbead Focal had an array of beautiful colours.The warmth of the brass was perfect for the warmth of the corals and peaches of the pendant. This piece is warm where the last one was cool. But looking at the colours in your chosen focal will bring to life any piece.

 You might have seen different colours than I did, you might have seen the Gun Metal grey of the Eiffel Tower, or the soft browns at the base of the pendant. Your version of the necklace would have been completely different. Just imagine the possibilities, when you pull colours!!