A Tin with Many Purposes

I love items that have many purposes. This tin can be used to store, travel, work and even display your beading projects.
An 8" x 10" tin that is 1 1/8" deep. Inside it is sporting a jewelers pad and a foam insert so your beads and supplies don't shift in transit.
A portable workstation! I have a bag I take with me when I go places so there is no wasted time. I get strange looks at Doctors office because I'm doing something other than reading a magazine.
This handy dandy tin would even fit in your briefcase to sneek in some beading at the office.
Check out all the details at ViaMurano.com

Wikibeadia - Shibuichi

Shibuichi - the word means "one-fourth" in japanese, which refers to the proportions of one part silver to three parts copper. This clasp is from Green Girls Studio in shibuichi, cast in the alloy of copper and silver.

Because of the increased copper in the alloy, shibuichi has a lovely patina ability to grant great colors of blue and green. This toggle set is from Zoa Arts in shibuichi silver.

Posted by Lynn Davis, who loves to patina silver and copper.

Monthly Challenge-Red Fish

The inspiration for this month's challenge is Henri Matisse, The Goldfish.
"In 1905, Matisse and a group of artists now known as "Fauves" exhibited together in a room at the Salon d'Automne. The paintings expressed emotion with wild, often dissonant colors, without regard for the subject's natural colors."
Your entry this month can be inspired 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. A few places to start: Tourmaline for the pink and green colors, Coral beads, multi-color Fabric Beads, Seed Beads, and Ceramic focals in hues of Gold, Green or Reds. We can't wait to see what you create!

The Prizes:
A winner will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on April 1st. Our prize this month is a set of lampwork beads by CindyGimbroneBeads.

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 MARCHABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one. Deadline is March 31st.
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.

February Monthly Challenge Winner

Congratulations to Floy Height of Floy Freestyle! You are the winner for this month's challenge. This entry was randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries this month.

Floy has won a set of Florence White Frosty Sparkles lampwork beads by SueBeads. And a set of Golden Kiss beads from Humblebeads.

Tomorrow we'll announce our March monthly challenge with a new sponsor and prizes!

Featured Designer of the Week - Edythe Heilner

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 picked Edythe Heilner. Jennifer noted, "I love the fun look of the wrapped fabric beads and the colors are fantastic." To see more of Edythe's work visit her blog.

Our theme for the month of February was "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. The deadline to enter for the monthly prize was February 28th! Thanks to all who entered!

The Desperate ABS Neighborhood!

Bringing you all the gossip from the Desperate ABS Neighborhood....

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has discovered a new product for creating resin jewelry - Ferido ! It's a two part epoxy you can mold and even insert sparklies into.

Art Bead Scene
A visit to Studio Saturday. Colorful sculptural beads take wing on a beadmaker's workbench!

Art Jewelry Magazine
Art Jewelry now offers free desktop wallpaper--don't miss it!

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Marketing Monday-Don't blame the economy.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi finds a home for her big resin bead/bauble.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie's finishes her Alchemical Glove costume project: an intricately articulated metal glove constructed of brass filigree and jump rings.

Jewelry & Beading
Combine wirework and embroidery with stringing to make a beautiful one-of-a-kind necklace.

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off an unusual stash acquisition - mammoth bone beads

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew shares six new earring designs, utilizing some of his favorite artisan made components.

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

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 Carolyn, Congratulations! You have won a surprise bead bead from Cindy Gimbrone. Send us an e-mail with your address and we will get it right out to you.

This week we are visiting the studio of Jangles, where Jennifer is trying her hardest to think spring!


Have you had it with winter? I don't know about you but I am ready to be sitting on my porch in the warm sun. This time of year is really hard for me because I am longing for the warm weather and with a chance of snow this weekend(in Georgia!) it's hard to think spring will be here. I have seen hope the baby lambs were born at the farm down the road from me, that's always my sign that things will be getting warmer. Okay, enough about the outside, let's talk about inside my studio.

I just returned from the Buyers Market of American Craft last week. For me this show is always my kick off to the spring season. I know when I get back I will have orders to fill and need to start getting ready for my trunk shows and bead shows. This year, because of my worse than usual spring fever, I added a lot of flowers to my line. Below is a picture of some new pins I made.

I have always enjoyed making flower beads but I have always tried to keep them the same. I decided this year to really push my self and make some new designs, new colors, etc. With ceramic clay, I can think in my head what I think I want it to look like but until it comes out of the kiln and is finished, I just don't know exactly. It's not like a painting where you can keep adding to the layers until you get it right. I have a lot of trial and error in coming up with new work. I would say 99% of the time, I have a new beads in the kiln I am firing, sometimes I like them and other times I don't. So here are some of my flower experiments that I liked.


First of all I had to add some polka dots to my standard flowers I make. I think it's just spunks them up a bit.


I tried some white, for some reason I am in love with white this season. I usually like to add black to my colors schemes but not with this phase I am going through. I think white so much cheerier .


This is a pendant that I made a bit thicker so I could paint the sides, with polka dots.


This is a pendant I made with some texture. I really like how this one turned out, so I think I will try this one in some new colors.
As you can see I have been having some fun in the studio getting some new ideas worked out. To me, spring is a perfect time of the year to start working on new designs. This leads me to this weeks question... What are you working on that's new? Is is new designs? Is it a new display, new color combinations? Leave me a comment in the box and this weeks winner will get one of my new flower beads. Good luck and Happy Saturday!

Jennifer