Bead Addicts, Jewelry Making Machines & Connoisseurs of Handmade

Spring PIN(spiration) - walks us through Deer in the Forest by Marc Franz, a dynamic composition in geometry along with a vibrant palette !

And as my eye wanders through this riot of colors and clash of orthogonal and curvilinear forms, trying to decipher where the animals emerge and merge with the landscape, I am feeling so lost! What is the subject - the animals or the landscape ? Which color should I pick to dominate my design, and which ones should play a supporting role?

So here are a few starters to walk you through the spring woodland, and spike your mental color wheel.....
 

Go rustic with...  

Shubuichi Woodland Deer Pendant - handmade by Cynthia Thornton

 

Enjoy a dash of colors with... 

Enamel Lampwork Glass Bead Set - handmade by Mona Sullivan

Add a touch of whimsy with...

Patinated Bronze Clay Owl Pendant - handmade by Lesley Watt

Explore textures with...

Stamp Textured & Fired Copper Leaf pair - handmade by Kristi Bowman

Design around tribal motifs with...  

Yellow and Green Flared Hollow Polymer Clay Tubes - handmade by Claire Maunsell

  

Go monochromatic with....

Torch Fired Copper Enamel Beads in Shades of Purple - handmade by Jill Eden

Or surprise yourself with a ABS inspired polymer clay and metal focal by Erin-Prais Hintz

And if you are GAME for some serious COLOR CHALLENGE.........

Here is a fun opportunity from my local bead store:

Beadazzled Monochromatic Jewelry Design Contest

Get your jewelry design curated in one of their 3 stores, voted to be a winner, or published in their upcoming book. And it only gets better - they are accepting entries by mail !

Meanwhile, stay PINNED to MARCH Art Bead Scene Blog PINTEREST BOARD

Kaushambi

kaushambis@gmail.com 

Note: While images above are representative of the art beads, components and each artist's language of expression, a lot of them do take custom orders.

Bead Cruise Inspiration & Giveaway

I just returned from my annual Bead Cruise adventure.  Every year we gather up sponsors to donate items for our gift bags.  This year we felt like super stars getting swag that was worthy of the Oscars! It's was filled to the brim with art beads!  Pictured above are some of our goodies.

Polymer clay heart: Artist Accents by Staci Louise. Ceramic Connector: Captured Moments. Flower & sari ribbon: Humblebeads. Ceramic Ring: Firefly Designs. Bead Glass: Glass Beach Sea Glass. Porcelian Urchins: Blueberri Beads. Sun Pendant: Jenny Davies-Reazor. Ceramic charms: Tori Sophia.  Copper button: Downtown Glam. Pewter Button: Mamacita Beadworks. Ceramic Disk: Marsha Neal Studio.  Leaf Pendant: Tesori Trovati.  Purple Ceramic Disks: Elaine Ray.  Lampwork Eggs: Sue Beads.  Porcelian Pendant: Lady Brook Beads.  Tiny Lampworkwork Wing Ding: Genea Beads.  Lampwork Heart Bead: Sparkling Waters Studio.  My Elements donated a fun mix of components to each us, but they escaped my photo session!

 Just had to show off how nicely everything was packaged for us!

And our non art bead sponsors included: Objects & Elements, TierraCast, Nina Designs, Ornamenta, Vintaj, Belle West and Allegory Gallery. Kalmbach donated Bracelet project booklets for us along with a cute idea notebook. 

Other thanks goes to Soft Flex, Cindy's Crafts, Lisa Peters, Metal Me This, ClayWorks, Kerry Bogert, Ronna Sarvas Weltman, 2nd Hand Rose and Fire Moutain Gems who were door prize sponsors.  Visit our site for a complete list of sponsors and links.

On the Bead Cruise we have a design contest featuring the items from our gift bags and here are a few pieces I whipped up to play along - just for fun.  How could I resist such a great collection of inspiration and not make something?

This necklace was inspired by the project example from TierraCast. I used their ring, clasp and jump rings as the focal point of my design.  I added Marsha Neal's ceramic bead through a double strand of gold plated chain.  Below I included the brass lotus charm from Nina Designs and a few beach glass pieces from Glass Beach Sea Glass - and yes, it's the real stuff!

My next design features the lampwork eggs from SueBeads, I showed these off to the students in my Nest Pendant class as a design alternative.

This Zen inspired pendant features a polymer clay Simply Truths from Tesori Trovati, an old coin from Objects and Elements, one of my disk beads and a trio of beads from Glass Beach Sea Glass.

 The back of Erin's pendant held a secret message.

My final design is another alternative project sample from my Filigree Blooms class.  I created this version using components from Ornamenta, the butterfly from Vintaj and a tiny Wing Ding from Genea.

Now not to make you feel sad about all the art beads and the tropical vacation you missed out on - I come bearing gifts to cheer you up!

The first is a free digital issue of the 2013 Bead Cruise program that features three amazing projects from designers Lorelei Eurto and Rebecca Anderson along with color inspiration and resources from our sponsors. 

And now, just to be even more gifty and fab I have ONE gift bag to giveaway.  

Yep,one lucky winner will get one of each of the items donated by our sponsors and a printed copy of the Bead Cruise Program.  How do you win such sweet prize?  Pin or Facebook this post and let me know in the comment below that you shared it.  I will pick one winner next Tuesday.  (Make sure you can be easily reached via email.)

Featured Designer of the Week-TresJolieDesignsBySue

Each week the Art Bead Scene features a Designer of the Week. One of our editors picks her favorite from the Monthly Challenge entries. This week's winner is tresjoliedesignsbysue/Sue Whitehouse Evenson.
Here's what ABS Editor Tari Sasser had to say about Sue's piece:

"The color is this piece is extraordinary! The swirls mirror the swirls in the painting. Love the fact that it is impressionistic and Sue went out of the box making this. FABULOUS!!"

Show Me Sunday - Flower Beads with Rebecca of Songbead

How's March going for you all? As predicted, the sunshine hasn't been sustained here in Manchester, UK, but I am hopeful it will return. As long as it doesn't rain all the time, it's not so bad! And it means more time indoors, playing with beads....I can't really complain about that! Although it's less playing and more packing in the Songbead/Curious residence at the moment.....and I can't complain about that either! I had a bunch of new waxed linen cord arrive in the most lovely colours and so I've taken a little time to play with them, pairing it with my favourite art beads of course.

We had a couple of really lovely shares last week (don't forget to leave your favourites in the comments to see them featured next week!). Bee Tree by Me showed off one of her lovely blossom pendants that she's been working on recently:

And Jeannie Ducik shared her gorgeous Cherry Blossoms. Aren't they just the loveliest colours?  

I thought I'd mix it up a little this week - rather than sharing the usual treasury with you, I have created a few inspiration boards, featuring handmade flower beads and some beads and components that you could pair them with. I couldn't resist throwing in some of my own Curious czech glass into the mix of course....;-)

handmade lampwork poppy buds - tanya mcguire

czech glass - the curious bead shop

 vintage glass beads - bead happy

handmade copper headpins - cinnamon jewellery

handmade lampwork lentils - moogin

czech glass flowers - the curious bead shop

antique brass flower caps and focal - fallen angel brass

hand dyed silk cord (for a bold bunch of colour!) - sowzere

sunflower pendant - bo hulley beads

czech glass - the curious bead shop

handmade bronze heart clasp - theatoo

recycled sari silk ribbon - yarnyarnyarns

A lot of the shops I've included here are British - extra great if you're from the UK, but still easy to shop (given the wonder of etsy ;-)) at if you're from anywhere else on the globe!

And now for the Bead Blogger Links:

A Bead A Day 
While waiting on spring to arrive, how about entering to win a surprise bead giveaway? Stop by A Bead A Day! 

About.com Jewelry Making 
Yers, it is possible to craft a seed bead career. Find out how this designer did it.

Art Bead Scene 
Erin picks out some inspiring finds on Etsy for this month's Art Bead Scene Challenge. 

Beading Arts 
As a part of celebrating Seed Bead Month on Beading Arts, Cyndi shares her favorite seed bead suppliers and books! 

Carmi's Art/Life World 
You wouldn't think that quilling and fish leather would go together...but they do and create the loveliest flower rings! 

Resin Crafts! 
In a two part post Carmi explains how she made a vintage piece of trim a necklace component by encasing it in resin. 

Snap out of it, jean! There's beading to be done! 
Gestures of friendship: a complicated story of the travels of a Kelly Russell bead, halfway around the world 

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton 
Andrew has been participating in the Fusion Beads 30 Day Bead Challenge to celebrate National Craft Month! Here's a recap of the projects he made for the first seven days! 

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer, currently living in Manchester, England. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.

Studio Saturday with Kerry Bogert

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 is Catherine/Meadowland Designs! Congrats!! You have won a Photoshop/Photoshop Elements set of Actions. Send Brandi an email so she can send your prize.

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This week we visit the studio of

Kerry Bogert of Kab's Concepts

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While you are reading this, I'm working on making my way back home from another memorable experience teaching on Bead Cruise. Our boat docked this morning and I'm hopping from plane to plane in hopes of making it back to my family before midnight.

It sounds a little cliche when you throw around works like once-in-a-lifetime, unforgetable, and incredibly-inspiriting. Really, is there any marketing agent that wouldn't throw those words at an event in attempts to get students in the door? This, though... this experience really IS all those things and so much more. Our fearless leader, Heather Powers, has created something like no other bead show or retreat anywhere else. I'm honored to be able to teach along side her, and the other amazing instructors.

Now, it may seem a little silly to have a Studio Saturday post from me when I haven't actually seen the inside of my studio in over 10 days! HA! However, my classroom really is an extension of my studio. When in a class with me, it's like we are hanging out together in my most favorite of creative environments.

I thought I'd share with you what projects I showed students how to create in my Bead Cruise classes.

It my class, TRUE COLORS, I show students my technique for creating cold connection bezels for lampwork glass cabochons. We also add a punch of color with embossing powders on metal. 

In Sweet Tweeter, we create one of a kind pendants with embroidered birds and colorful embossing powders. Oh how I love seeing all the unique little birds my students come up with. 

I sincerely hope my students enjoyed their time in my class and on the Bead Cruise! I know I sure did!! Now that we are back on dry land, it's time to race to our studios and set to putting all our newly learned techniques to work. 

Which leads to this week's giveaway question, but first, the prize! This week's giveaway winner will receive a surprise mystery set of my original handmade lampwork glass beads valued at $25!! Just leave a comment here answering this...

As I mentioned, it has been more than 10 days since the last time I saw the inside of my studio. 
So, do you find is easier to jump back into creating after a long break or more of a challenge?

March 2013 Challenge Palette

This month's challenge artwork comes from Franz Marc, an Expressionist painter. The abstract forms are so intriguing as a starting point, and I'm especially taken with the meanings Marc associated with particular colors, like yellow for sensuality.

From a color perspective, pretty much every color of the spectrum is represented in Deer in the Forest, offering up a ton of different directions you can go for your challenge pieces. I love them for being a return to the bright colors we see during spring, and for being so bright and saturated. How are you feeling about them this month? Are you excited for a return of the bright colors?

As far as using them, if you tend to shy away from using so many bright colors at once, pick one or two and opt for more subtle secondary colors, like the light grays and whites of the trees or softer browns in the deer. Another way to look at this month's challenge is through proportions (I just talked about color proportions on my blog this week, it's on my mind). The colors I see the most are the greens and yellows and orange-y browns, so you could start there and add in touches of the other shades - bright blues and bright reds, for example - as needed.

What colors do you plan to use this month?

Divine & Sublime: Etsy Treasury for the March 2013 Inspiration

Franz Marc developed his own theories about color and worked in very strong primary values. I found it intriguing that he assigned a symbolism to color, like blue was connected to spirituality and masculinity, yellow was attributed to sensuality and femininity and red was connected to the earth.

His most famous paintings were of horses, but other animals showed up prominently in his works of art. He held a belief that animals were of a more natural, or purer attitude than humans and this is reflected in his work. He studied theology intensely and believed that art was definitely spiritual in nature.

I pulled together a collection of beads and components that I think exemplify the painting and even discovered some new (to me) art bead artists! What inspires you about this painting?

'Divine & Sublime: Etsy Inspiration for the March 2013 Art Bead Scene Challenge' by TesoriTrovati

Inspired by Franz Marc's A Deer in the Forest for the Art Bead Scene March challenge. Join us! www.artbeadscene.com

6 Porcelain Tribal Spike Lon... RaggedRobyn $20	Little Deer pendant or charm... KDemARTe $10	5/8 x 1 inch Green rust Aqua... JLynnJewels $9.95	Lucite Triangle Pendants, fr... WomanShopsWorl... $16
A Button On Safari- Handcast... MamacitaBeadwo... $3.99	what is essential is invisib... TesoriTrovati $25	Southwest Discs - (3) Handma... outwest $16	Blue and Copper RAKU Cabocho... LisaPetersArt $15
Blue Sparrow - Artisan Patin... missficklemedi... $12	Deer Pendant & Poem on back ... EphemeraAesthe... $18	Handmade toggle clasp, leaf ... THEAtoo $6.5	Flower and Stars - Tahiti Me... ktotten $25.2
Rustic Stubby Stick Red Raku... starspiritstud... $11	Etched Brass Hook Clasp, Tur... MetalMeThis $17	Raku Beads, Triangle Shaped,... spinningstarst... $19.5	Handcrafted Sgraffito Enamel... cocoblack $36

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