Sundays with Cindy

Good morning, Beady Readers! Wondering what's going on in the bead and jewelry world? Take a peek at our links and see.....

A Bead A Day
Can a piece of jewelry create a feeling of calm and happiness? Check out Lisa's starry bracelet made with "new jade" stones.

About.com Jewelry Making
How has your web store experience been? Are there too many 3rd partry sites to sell or buy jewelry these days? Take the poll as a sell or buyer.

Art Bead Scene
ABS Editor Heather is on the road. Check out her quick project!

Barbe Saint John
Barbe reviews Simply Gemstones book.

Beading Arts
Cyndi shows you the steps to making a simple but sparkling necklace from CopprClay!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Rub-ons and leather - a cool combination for this cuff sample.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Check out Cindy's new project in the summer edition of Step by Step Wire!

Drawing Dilemma
Jean asks her friends about what drawing programs they use for beading illustrations

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Lights, Camera, Action! Melanie tells a tale of her Beads, Baubles, and Jewels televison taping experience.

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei is giving away a necklace and a copy of Creative Jewelry!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean discusses finishing up the challenge "Use the Muse II" which was thought up by Scarlett Lanson, Rainbows of Light.com and Artbeads.com. She enjoyed it very much, particularly because it made her think!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off a new variation of her lunar phases toggle.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Busier than a bee, Andrew shares fifteen new jewelry designs.

Sundays with Cindy

Good morning, Beady Readers! Wondering what's going on in the bead and jewelry world? Take a peek at our links and see.....

A Bead A Day
Lisa’s “Swarovski Summer Picnic” project is progressing. The only thing missing are the crystally butterflies!!

About.com Jewelry Making
School's out for summer, but is it really? Nope, not when you can take one of these free jewelry making e-courses.

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge painting for July is the Lascaux Cave Paintings. Get your stash of beads out in ivory, red and brown to match the color palette of these ancient drawings.

Beading Arts
Wonderful wonderful wonderful new CopprClay! Cyndi is so excited about this new material that she can't stop playing with it!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi attempts to create a necklace after a resin pouring disaster.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy shows off some new chain and realizes one should never shop for jeans on her lunch hour.

Humblebeads
Check out the 2009 Bead Cruise design contest winners!

Jean Campbell Ink: Eureka!
Jean Campbell finished off her new LeTemps Necklace design which marries bling to grunge. Hurray!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei has busted out of the studio and into the Museum of Art for a trunk show.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews a different, colorful, and inspiring book called Glass, by Marlene Blessing and Jamie Hogsett

Strands of Beads
Melissa talks about where to find reliable information on copyrights - the U.S. Copyright Office, of course!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Challenging himself with a smaller scale, Andrew tackles doll jewelry. Check out five new designs with dolls in mind!

Sunday with Cindy

Good morning, Beady Readers! There are new links in our list of highlights - be sure to check out the newest additions!

A Bead A Day
Lisa shares her selection of summery pink beads and crystals. The "Watermelon Crawl" bead mix is sure to conjure up visions of a family picnic on a warm summer day!

About.com Jewelry Making
Take these quick polls about wearing and making jewelry. Which are your favorite pieces?

Art Bead Scene
The Trendy Bead shows off wood filigree pendants.

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Read Barbe's interview on the Objects and Elements blog.

Beading Arts
Cyndi's initial thoughts on working with the new CopprClay. There'll be lots of projects coming this summer!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi hand felts a pretty bead from wool roving.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
A trip to glass city doesn't go as well as planned. Yet Cindy finds inspiration and few new tools!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie mixes up gunmetal chains and components with brass to make a necklace with one of her Toolbox Treasure pendants

Humblebeads
Heather sketches out some new designs using this summer's hottest color.

Jean Campbell Ink: Eureka!
Beading in the fresh air clears the mind, bringing fresh creativity.

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Searching for some new inspiration? Lorelei's got just the place for you to find it!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews Wirework, a new book by the famous Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off her new lunar phases and compass rose designs

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
While traveling in Florida, Andrew shares a new variation on a favorite skull bracelet.

Read the Best Highlights of the Week: Sundays with Cindy

Good Sunday morning, dear Readers! Got your cup of coffee and a nice soft sofa to settle into? There's a new kid on the block, The Bead Economist advising you on how to get art beads on the cheap and luscious new jewelry from the Bead Blogging World so let's get started...

Carmi, Melissa and Jean are showcasing new jewelry and art beads on their blogs. Check out their lovely work and ready how they created each of them on their blogs:

Carmi's Art/Life World
A little wood, paint and stickers helps Carmi to recreate a native art inspired pendant. (Below)



Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off new jewelry designs using Soft Flex Trios wire. (Below)


Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean has a sparkly Swarovski bracelet in July's BeadStyle magazine! Check it oooout! (Below)


Cyndi and Tammy have news about metal clay and The Crafts Report...

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi has decided that this summer is "The Season of Metal Clay"! Check out these inspiring metal clay sites.

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy's got the scoop and a link to a free issue of The Crafts Report. They've gone digital! What do you think? Is this a good thing or a bad thing when craft magazines go totally electronic?


Andrew and The Bead Economist post ways to get books and art beads for free...

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew announces a NEW design competition to celebrate Cynthia's new book, Enchanted Adornments.

Art Bead Scene
In this economy, everyone is asking the advice of economists - ABS has brought in The Bead Economist with advice on how to get art beads on the cheap.

Keep up on all the highlights in the Bead Blogging World by reading Sundays with Cindy a weekly posting of all the best news from the jewelry and beading world! A glass beadmaker and designer, Cindy reads the blogs and picks the best - all you need to do is bring your coffee!

Sunday with Cindy

Lots of news today. Let's take a look-see.....

About.com Jewelry Making
Are you a Tweep? Do you Tweet? Find out about the fun of networking with other jewelry folks via Twitter.

Art Bead Scene
Trying to figure out how to use those swatches of trendy colors? Check out The Color Report for Beaders for help.

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe opens up about a new venture.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi recycles the images of an old calender for her new gold bezel necklace.

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi is concentrating on metal clay for the month of June. Come meet some amazing metal clay artists!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
How simply sunny! A focal Celestial Crystal will encourage your love of the summer sun!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off beads by Andrew Thornton and plays tag this week

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Last month's Art Bead Scene's theme, Monet's Water Lilies, inspires Andrew to create a new necklace.

Sunday with Cindy

About.com Jewelry Making
Want to try bead weaving but not sure where to start? Consider one of these amazing kits for 1 Bead Weaver.

Art Bead Scene
Beads made from nuts are all the rage. Go nuts and add some to your bead stash!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie chooses a new name for her new work: Toolbox Treasures!

Jewelry & Beading
Repurpose old beads and charms into a wicked fun treasure necklace!

Katie's Beading Blog
Exposed Gets Exposure! Learn more about Katie's latest beading book, Bead & Wire Jewelry Exposed.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reveals the cover of an upcoming wonderful new jewelry design book by Jean Campbell all about the fabulous Victorian-fantasy style of jewelry, Steampunk!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off a new necklace design inspired by a beautiful, Russian hand-painted focal pendant.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew shares the NEW cover of his sister's new book, Enchanted Adornments: Creating Mixed Media Jewelry with Metal, Clay, Wire, Resin & More! Pre-order it today!

Sunday with Cindy: Color Inspiration Yellow

Spring is in the air! I love this time of year, the spring daffodils pop out of the ground and scream, "Spring!" I'm a yellow lover - all kinds of yellow so today, before we peruse the paper, I'd like to share a little color inspiration with you. I went to Flickr and typed in the word "yellow" and got a mountain of lovely photos - here are just two of them:


Yellow Flame Tree taken by Natasha on Flickr



Yellow Rose taken by comin or goin on Flickr



A pale yellow in this forsythia in my backyard, taken last week!

Ahhhhh...now that we've warmed up our eyes with color inspiration, let's see what's going on with the beady news....

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has some knotting jewelry tutorials for you, as in making jewelry with fiber. It's an often inexpensive media that can add a unique twist to your jewelry designs.

Art Bead Scene
Wings are the backdrop for a visual treatise on creativity.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi turns a dried crab apple into something wearable.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie shares her thoughts on ethics in art and an example on how she used inspiration from another artist's work in her own work, finding her own expression with the idea without copying.

Jewelry & Beading
Use antique optical lenses to make wonderful mixed media jewelry!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Kim Miles is on the road and she is giving away beads as she blogs! Check it out!

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.)

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.

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.

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!