June Monthly Challenge - Pearls of Wisdom

This month's theme is Pearls of Wisdom. So pull out the pearls and your art beads to create something wonderful to share with us! You can also interpret the theme with sage advice in the form of pendants and beads that share a pearl of wisdom.

The Prize & Sponsor:

Along with our Featured Designer of the Week we are returning with prizes this month! Our sponsor is the extremely talented beadmaker and author Lisa Kan. Lisa will be awarding a signed copy of her book, Bead Romantique and a few strands of pearls to one lucky winner. Winners are chosen at random from the all qualifying entries during the month.

Deadline is June 30th.

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 JuneABS to your photos.

Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.

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.

Photo: The bead crochet lariat with pearl fringe and humblebeads by Beverly Herman.

May ABS - Earth Goddess - Crazy Leaf Necklace

May ABS - Earth Goddess - Crazy Leaf Necklace
Originally uploaded by sotelosally

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

Our last pick for Mother Earth was chosen by Tari Sasser. She choose Sotelosally's Earth Goddess - Crazy Leaf Necklace. Tari noted, "I love the colors in this pendant. The varying lines take you around and through the pendant. The bead fringes are a great addition!"

You can view more work from Sotelosally by visiting her flickr albums.

Join us tomorrow for our new theme for June. Prizes return this month with a great new sponsor!

Desperately Quiet in the ABS Neighborhood...

Hmmmm....it's desperately quiet in the ABS Neighborhood today. Have the neighbors packed up and left for Bead and Button? Or are they soundly sleeping in their beds? Or are they locked in their studios making art beads? Let's stroll around the neighborhood and see what art beads we can see and then it's off to visit the Bead Bloggers!

First, there's Tari of Clay Buttons.....


Then Melanie of Earthenwood....




The suspected Desperate Editor herself, Cindy Gimbrone....




And then Art Bead Scene founder, Heather of Humblebeads...



About.com Jewelry Making
Chandelier earrings are still super popular, but sometimes they are just a little too much for every day wear, unless you scale them down like Tammy did in this chandelier earring project.

Art Bead Scene
Guest Editor Lynn Davis had a happy accident in clay one day - yummy bon bon beads to whet your beading appetite!

Jewelry & Beading
An easy way to create a base for building an assemblage-style necklace!

Katie's Beading Blog
It's Ornament Thursday again and this month's theme is Insectica. Check out Katie's sweet little beaded dragonfly and butterfly.

Linda at BeadStyle Magazine
Check out the necklace that inspired Stacy to get creative

Naughty Secretary Club
No need to wear a necklace when your T-shirt already has one built in!

Savvy Crafter
Candie puts her jewelry making skills to work, raising money for Earthquake relief in Sichuan. Read all about it on her blog.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean has a cute pair of earrings in BeadStyle magazine for July, and she promptly sent them off to Kim Miles, fab beadmaker!

Did you know the Desperate ABS Neighbors open up their studios on Saturdays? Stop by and read Studio Saturdays to find out more about the Desperate Neighbors of the Art Bead Scene!

Did you read or write any good dirt on a bead blog this week?
Leave us a comment and a link and tell us the latest scoop!

Studio Saturday

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. This week's winner of Heather's Urchin bead is Cindy Leitz!

Please use the suggestion box on the sidebar to send us your address.

I have always loved the imagery of the Sun and Moon. Above are two new buttons. Both are in bisque form and haven't been glazed yet. They will have dual personalities. They will be buttons and a new item I am releasing at my show next week, a Needleminder. They will have magnets in them so they attract your needles (and each other, one on top of the canvas and one on bottom) as you are stitching and don't end up on the floor.
I will be on hiatus for a while. 2 shows in a row and medical issue. I should be back some time in July/August.

My Question is:
Do you have a bead/button or other item that has a dual purpose?

This weeks prize is a mystery button! It's a mystery because I have to run take a shower! We have a child graduating today! 3 down, 3 to go.

Fit to Print Book Review - Bead One, Pray Too

Bead One, Pray Too
A Guide to Making and Using Prayer Beads
Written by Kimberly Winston

Before I read this book, beads had meaning to me. I make my living from beads, they are all encompassing in my house and daily life. But I had rarely attributed any personal or spiritual meaning to beads and more importantly to my jewelry. When I create jewelry it's often for the visual impact alone. One thing I did take away from this book is looking at beads as symbols to remind me of important lessons I've learned along the way or ones I need daily reminding of! Even with my inspiration from nature, I would design from the physical/visual connection. After reading Bead One, Pray too, that inspiration is a way for me to connect to my faith and creation. Books like this are rare. Bringing meaning to your creativity is a powerful and fulfilling way to approach the bead table.

"Feel free to experiment with the beading techniques described here to create your own unique set of prayer beads on which you pray any prayers in any way you like. Select beads that say something about your own spiritual quest. The choice is yours and the possibilities, like faith, are endless." -Kimberley Wilson

Whether you are of a particular religious belief or not, I think that quote sums up the tone of this book. It's informational, historical, helpful, but never preachy. Something you may be concerned about since rosaries are the main focus of Bead One, Pray Too.

Covered topics include the history of praying with beads, traditional rosaries and how to pray with beads. That includes traditional prayers, praying with songs or poems or doing your own thing, as the quote suggested. I loved the chapter on choosing beads and adding meaning to your jewelry through the thought process of what beads can symbolize. The book covers traditional and non-traditional rosary construction. There is a wonderful chapter on giving rosaries and the book ends with resources for beading and praying to help you further your journey.

The how-to part of the book is basic and meant as a guideline. I would love to see a companion book with more how-to projects and examples of the different types of prayers beads that can be created.

One of the most appealing parts of the book is that prayer beads can be created using your favorite art beads as the start of the rosaries and for the larger beads used in the construction. I have two examples on my blog today.

You can read more about prayer beads on Kimberly's blog.

Ornament Thursday - Insectia

The Flapper's Summer Dragonfly Pendant

Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragonfly
Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky.
~Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Silent Noon

This is a long 1920's inspired necklace that is so easy to make, you can whip it up in just a few minutes. Long and easy, sounds like the perfect summer day to me!

Supplies:
60" Brass Chain (Hobby Lobby)
1 Brass Wheel (Michael's)
2 copper or brass spacers
1 Large brass jump ring
1 2" brass headpin
Lentil art bead (Humblebeads)
Brass Dragonfly Pendant

1. Cut the end off of the headpin, use round nose pliers to form a loop. String on a copper spacer, lentil bead and copper spacer. Form a larger loop on the top.

2. Attach bottom loop to dragonfly pendant and the top loop through on of the spokes of the wheel.

4. Cut the chain into two 30" sections and loop all 4 ends through the jump ring. This will create a double strand chain.

5. Loop the top of the wheel through the jump ring and close the jump ring securely.

6. Go enjoy the start of summer!

This is part of the fun of Ornament Thursday. Our theme this month is Insectia. Click on the links below to see what kind of creativity is swarming around our blogs.

Humblebeads

Beading Help Web's DragonFly Anklet

Katie's Beading Blog

Linda at Make It Mine magazine

Savvy Crafter

Swelldesigner

The Insects are out

Sticky Note Reminders Taking Over Your Office?

Have you forgotten something and can't quite remember what it was? The editors of Art Bead Scene are here to help you sort through that pile of sticky note reminders.
(Photo credit for above: Cybersalt.org)


On Studio Saturday, one of the Art Bead Scene Editors ask a question of the readers in hopes you'll leave comments! As an incentive, ABS offers free bead(s) each week to bribe you, the reader to use that keyboard. The following week, the winner of the bead(s) is announced during Studio Saturday.

Winners are asked to send in their address to the Pretty-Green-Blue-ABS-Suggestion-Box.




Is that what one of your yellow Sticky Notes says? "Remember to send in my address to ABS?" Did it get lost in your pile of notes?

There are free beads waiting for you! Check the Studio Saturday posts and see if you've won.

You can throw away one of your Sticky Notes. One down 9,999 to go!