Ornament Blog Hop

Jingle, jingle, merry and bright! Join in the 4th annual Art Bead Scene Ornament Blog Hop.  We have had such a great time with our past events, I can't wait to see what you come up with this year.

How to play along:

1. Sign up to let me know you are planning to participate.

Sign up for the blog hop here:

2. Create an ornament using handmade components or art beads. 

Here is an example: Little Church in the Woods.  (Click the link to see the first hop)

3. December 11th post your ornament on your blog.

4. On December 12th you'll link your blog post here with the InLinkz linking tool and join me for a Holiday blog party with a few giveaways and free tutorial! 

This is an inclusive creative challenge - we'd love to see Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Winter Solstice themed decorations along with traditional Christmas ornaments. Have fun!

Pictured above are some art beads to help inspire you.

From left to right:

1. Tesori Trovati     2. Kylie Parry

3. Gaea    4. Humblebeads

Have questions? Feel free to leave them in the comment section.

Perfect Pairings :: Ruby Acorn + Round Rabbit + Loupiac

I am in love with the spicy color palette of this necklace by Martha Thomas of Ruby Acorn. The texture on the pendant is mimicked by the pattern on the lampwork beads that look like juicy little apples ready to pick off this copper and sari silk vine. I also like that as I look closer there are little details that set this apart, like the dragonfly flitting off and the tiny birds on the vine.

Featured Designer :: Ruby Acorn

Featured Art Beads ::Round Rabbit + Loupiac
 

 

Join me here on Friday, November 29th for the Monthly Challenge Recap

with a picture gallery and InLinkz blog hop!

Tutorial Tuedsday - Peace on Earth Holiday Ornament

Ceramic pendant: www.gaea.cc

Glass leaf: thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com

Lampwork beads: dancingfrog.etsy.com

Polymer nest bead: humblebeads.com

Woolywire: woolywireetc.etsy.com

Amuse your Muse Mondays with Rebecca of Songbead

Gosh, is is really the 18th November? I don't know about you but this month is FLYING by for me. I am two events down of my five, with my next The Art Market at Holmfirth next weekend. {If you are around the north of England this weekend, then I'd love to see you there!} I took part in their Summer event in June and it was great, so I am really look forward to returning. Lots to do before then - price tags to make and write, ear wires to production line, display to tweak…..what preparations are you making for the coming month? Whether it's presents for friends, an open house or a whole host of fairs, it all requires planning and organisation - not two of my best qualities, it must be said! 

I also have a few holiday beads that of course, I must crack on with turning into designs sooner rather than later! I have a few beautiful Kylie Parry snowflakes that I don't want to turn into pumpkins before I get the chance to make some jewellery with them….and speaking of holiday beads…..no links left last week (sniff!) so you will have to make do with my finds this week!

First up, these fun snowball lampwork beads from Odie Bells Designs:

I can see these in some very sweet earrings! Also, they really would work all year round if you wanted them to - so no need to panic if you don't use all of them immediately. 

Next up, these (quite frankly) amazing holly beads from Donna Millard: 

I mean, what more to say other than WOW! The great thing with these too is that you can buy them individually. They kind of remind me of icing sugar dusted Christmas Puddings.

And lastly, these adorable wee Rudolph beads from Rebekah of Tree Wings Studio. 

I have two left over from last year that I'm going to make into a pair of earrings for my Mum (shhhh!).

And last, but certainly not least, you might want to (you have to!) go and check out lampwork artist and jewellery designer Sylvia Iskovich's etsy shop for some jaw-droppingly awesome work, like this festive necklace below - reminiscent of poinsettias, I think:

You NEED to see this artist's work! 

Good luck with all your preparations over the coming weeks. And now, over to the BeadBlogger links:

A Bead A Day

Do you get bead obsessed? Stop by A Bead A Day, where you will find a kindred spirit sharing her latest bead obsession.

Resin Crafts Blog

If you have ever wondered about how to make unique cabochons for jewelry designs, this new EasyCast video should be a big help!

Art Bead Scene

Check out how ceramicist, art bead artist and jeweller Kylie Parry updates and personalises her holiday packaging!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!

Jean enjoys some special jewelry creativity with the help of the season's first snow, some friends, and a camera!

Beading Arts

Vintage hinges make a wicked cute bracelet!

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer, currently living in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 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.

Inside the Studio with Humblebeads

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 Kathy Lindermer! You won a fun Circle Button from Claybuttons.com! Send Tari an email and she'll get that right out to you. 

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Welcome to the Humblebeads Studio.

Let's talk about inspiration and more importantly Pin-spiration!

If I could marry a website it would be Pinterest.  Not only because I'd never be bored, it so get's me in a soul mate kinda-way, but I'm pretty sure with a few pins I'd have the perfect wedding arranged in an evening!  I would say it's my go-to place when I have a few moments to spare in a day.  Sometimes I'm on a mission looking for something, other times I'm happily entertained by the days pins or looking through past pins.  But how does all that translate into beads and jewelry for me?  Let's look at some of my current inspirations and dish.

First up, I'm slightly obsessed with folkloric influenced fashions and thanks to my Pinterest friends I've recently discovered Gundun Sjoden.  All the photos and designs above are from their website.  I love the playful mix of colors and patterns and see new beads being inspired by this trend. My next step will be to spend some time sketching and deconstructing what I find so appealing about these styles and how to translate that into beads.

I'd say this fits the folk theme quite nicely. Wild flowers and oak leaves to entwine the wrist.

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Next up, looking ahead to winter and into spring I'm digging the teal, navy, sage mix in these textile prints.  I know you'll be seeing beads from me as a direct inspiration from these designs.

(Photo links: William Morris, Unknown, Anna Maria Garthwaite.) 

 Until then, I'm seeing those colors spill over into some of my Woodland Winter Collection.

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And Pinterest can help expand your idea of a motif.  Like the deer pins that have been swirling around in my brain.  I'm seeing something layered, brightly colored and patterned with antlers that look like tree branches.  Are you seeing it?  This is going to be my work this weekend, finding my voice in the deer motif. 

(Photo links: Unknown, Lionhart, Dolan Gieman)

Until then I've been using a few deer components I have from Green Girl Studios and Andrew Thornton like the Bronze Deer Pendant.

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Now I've shared my inspirations with you, 

in the comments below share a link to a Pin that you've found inspirational lately.  

We'll pick one random winner next week for a $20 gift certificate to Humblebeads.com. 

Holiday Packaging

I update my packaging seasonally, and since the holidays are sneaking up on us, I thought I’d share how I add a little festiveness to my packages. 

Regardless of the time of year, certain ingredients (and priorities) in my packaging regimen remain consistent:

Safety: I ship in kraft jewelry boxes because of their sturdiness. I fill the boxes with kraft crinkle cut paper. Surrounding my beads in a cozy nest of paper, gives me piece of mind when I hand my packages over to the USPS.

Eco-friendly: Sticking with paper allows my customers to toss the packaging in the recycling/ compost, if they choose to not reuse. 

Cost: Simplicity costs less and cuts down on shipping costs. I also buy in bulk to get better prices. 

And the fun part, the PRETTY factor: I love receiving a pretty package in the mail. Packaging can enhance the handmade shopping experience and if it reflects the work, can strengthen the artist’s brand. I decorate kraft boxes with washi tape and secure the box with bakers twine. Each box gets topped with a hand-stamped manilla tag. Large purchases get wrapped with tissue and twine. At holiday craft shows, I offer hand-stamped muslin bags with holiday business card tags. My beads and jewelry are earthy and rustic, my packaging has a similar feel. 

Instead of going all out ‘red and green’, I try to keep my packaging “holiday neutral”. Stars and snowflakes, polka dots and stripes, earthy hues with a pop of color. This year I found washi tape in bronze/ gold hues and I pair that with a pop of red or green bakers twine. Since I don’t assume purchases are Christmas gifts, I try to create packaging during the holidays that would work as holiday wrapping, but doesn’t scream Christmas. 

If you sell online, include a picture of your packaging. Similarily, display samples of gift wrap available when selling at a show. People are busy and sometimes the convenience of having a ready to give gift, will bring in more sales. Resources for supplies listed below.

Resources:

Kraft boxes, crinkle paper, tissue paper: Papermart

Manilla tags: Uline

Washi tape, bakers twine: Etsy

Business card tags: Moo

Muslin bags: Celestial gifts

Perfect Pairings :: Linda Landig + White Clover Kiln

When I look at Cezanne's still life, my eye is drawn to the haphazard fruit on the tilting table. The apples look so ripe with their lively hues of deep red and soft orange and tart green. This necklace by Linda Landig has the same effect. The juicy colors tempered by the deep black beads really make this design pop to me. And that sweet little flower bud pendant from Mary Hubbard really does look like one of those apples come to life!

Featured Designer :: Linda Landig

Featured Art Beads :: White Clover Kiln
 

Remember to share the name of the art bead artists
(and don't forget to share URLs of your web store or blog and also for the bead artist!
Don't make me work so hard to support you ;-)
in your description of the picture so that I can include that in the weekly
Perfect Pairings, now on Wednesdays!
 
Join me here on Friday, November 29th for the Monthly Challenge Recap
with a picture gallery and InLinkz blog hop!