My First Bead Cruise

I (Michelle from Firefly Design Studio) returned a few days ago from my first Bead Cruise.  Our own Heather Powers says she plans her dream vacation and invites 65 friends to join her!  Heather keeps us busy, but there is plenty of time to enjoy the ship and ports.  For me, it was the top notch classes that got me excited.  This is what I took and learned:

Kerry Bogert is a wire worker expert.  She has written 3 books and has so many tips and tricks that she is willing to share.  My first class with Kerry was an earring class.  We received sheets of copper and brass, 24 g and 18g wire.  We punched circles and cut rectangles as well as punched small circles around the edges of our shapes.  It was fun texturing the metal with fancy hammers.  Here they are!

Next I learned chain making from Kerry.  She also showed us how to make a few kinds of clasps, which I was excited to learn.  We made 1 chain each hour.  We used dowels, pliers, punches, and made jump rings.  Which is your favorite?  Mine is the circle one, third from left.  I plan on dangling a ceramic bead at the end of the extender chains I made to make these bracelets and 1 necklace "me."

This necklace that Kerry taught us is so cool!  We used a coil machine, or hand coiling, as well as wrapping 16g wire around different sized dowels.  We connected our links together for this statement piece design!

Beverly Herman is a very talented, patient and fun seed bead instructor.  This is only my third time doing bead embroidery.  Time Traveler used multiple sizes of seed bead, pearls and a ceramic disc that I had the honor of making for the student kits!  I am about half finished at this point.  Isn't it going to be gorgeous?

Bead Cruise 2017 is already more than half booked.  I know the ship departs from Texas and is going to the Western Caribbean next year in February.  I am already going on a cruise in February with my friends, so I didn't think 2 cruises in 1 month would work with my schedule.  If you'd like to learn more, go to www.beadcruise.com and check it out.

5 Free Art Bead Jewelry Projects

Today I'm bringing you a preview of the projects featured in the 2015 Bead Cruise Program. We celebrated our 10th anniversary of the Bead Cruise when we set sail in February. One of the highlights of the cruise every year is the awesome gift bags with items donated be our fab sponsors. I love using their beads in our projects for the booklet year after year.

Briny Sea Bracelet

• Lampwork: www.suebeads.etsy.com
• 15mm ceramic beads: www.suburbangirlbeads.etsy.com
• 10mm ceramic beads: www.whitecloverkiln.com
• Pewter octopus: www.greengirlstudios.com
• Pewter button: www.mamacitabeadworks.etsy.com
• Faceted ceramic beads: www.potterybeads.com
• Peanut seed beads: www.whimbeads.com
• Waxed linen: www.ornamentea.com

Fiesta Bangle

• Cord: www.stinkydogbeads.com
• Czech flower bead:www.thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com
• Bead caps: www.rings-things.com
• House charms: www.claybuttons.com
• Steel wire: www.acehardware.com

Did you know our very own Tari Sasser makes theses adorable house charms - I think you need one right now! 

Island Life Pendant

• Starfish charm: www.tesoritrovati.com
• Beach house: www.humblebeads.com
• Ceramic bead: www.whitecloverkiln.com 

Sail Away Bracelet

• Ceramic charm: www.suburbangirlbeads.etsy.com 
• Ceramic bead: www.whitecloverkiln.com
• Rizo beads: www.whimbeads.com

My favorite project in the Bead Cruise Program this year is this super fun cuff bracelet featuring stamped Vintaj blanks and one of Bandana Girl's new multi-strand leather bracelet clasps. These clasps are the bomb!!! I have another one that is calling my name, I love a component that just offers unlimited possibilities.

Drink the Wild Air Bracelet

• Leather clasp: www.bandana-girl.com 
• Metal blanks, Patina paints, jump rings and heapdins: www.vintaj.com 
• Glass beads: www.fusionbeads.com 

• Download your free copy! You can find the step-by-step directions for all these projects and several earring ideas in the 2015 Bead Cruise Program.

• A handy list of our sponsors can be seen here. Great place to bookmark and visit the next time you are in the need for beads! 

• Our 2016 Bead Cruise details will be out later this month. Until then feel free to join the Bead Cruise Facebook group. 

Bead Events Hosted by Heather Powers

Hello dear ABS readers! Heather here, your bead-obsessed editor with news of two events that I'm hosting that I just had to share with you today.

First up is that general registration for Bead Cruise 2015 is opening up on May 8th. This is our 10th anniversary sailing.  This is a dream vacation filled with bead classes, bead parties, make-and-takes, design contests, a costume cocktail party and much more!

Our 2015 sailing is February 15th from Ft. Lauderdale, FL heading to St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan and a private island called Labadee.  Yeah, a day on a private island.  It's paradise!

Pictured above is one of the classes that I'm teaching. Classes include metalwork, wirework, beading, stringing, bead embroidery, felting and polymer clay - something for everyone! Instructors include myself, Tracy Stanley, Beki Haley, Shelley Nybakke, Beverly Herman and Erin Siegel.

Beverly Herman is teaching the Star of the Sea necklace that features a ceramic cabochon from from Suburban Girl Beads.

Erin Siegel, co-author of Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry and former ABS contributor, is a guest instructor and will be teaching this fun and trendy tribal inspired knotting class.

We sold half our spaces yesterday during our early bird registration (for past cruisers) so head on over to the website and see if this is something you need to add to your travel plans for next year. If this has been on your bucket list, 2015 is the year to go! 

www.beadcruise.com

The next event is a little closer to home, in fact - right on your computer screen. I'm hosting my first online workshop on June 16th - July 7th. We'll explore color and polymer clay to make amazing beads. 

It's a four week class to learn color theory and how to create simple to complex cane designs, leading up to making this spectacular Van Gogh's Sunflower cane. You can read the details and sign up here.

Bead Cruise 2014

It's that time of year again! Registration for Bead Cruise 2014 is now open.

Bead Cruise 2014 will set sail from Miami, Floridia for 7 nights of beads, friends and fun!  We'll sail on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of Seas to St. Maarten, Puerto Rico and Royal Caribbean's very own private island Labadee in Haiti.
 

Instructors include Kerry Bogert, Beverly Herman, Heather Powers and Leslie Frazier!  All the fun of a luxury cruise combined with a great bead retreat.  Join us for a week of bead classes, workshops, open beading sessions, a costume cocktail party, gift bags, door prizes, a bead bazaar and more! 

Visit www.beadcruise.com for all the details and sign up at www.memorycruisin.com.

Bead Cruise Gift Bag Winner

Here are some lovely coral branches from Nina Designs and starfish from Humblebeads.  Do they make you want to run away to a tropical island?  I could use another week in the sand and surf!

So, I have a winner of that fab gift bag from the Bead Cruise sponsors and I know you are anxiously waiting!   Drum roll please...

Congratulations to Beti Horvath!  

She was randomly chosen from all our entries.  Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun. 

Stop by tomorrow, Kerry Bogert will be sharing more cruise reviews with our design contest entries using these awesome art beads.  If you're thinking you need to sign up for the next Bead Cruise, be sure to stop by our website and join the mailing list.  Details for 2014 will be released soon. 

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.)

Studio Saturday with Erin Siegel

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 Cheri of Creative Designs by Cheri! Congratulations, Cheri! You have won Ephemera Pendants from Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp of Skye Jewels! Send Marie an email with your address and she will get your prize out to you soon!

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This week we visit the studio of

Erin Siegel of Erin Siegel Jewelry

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www.beadcruise.com
I'm preparing for a trip of a lifetime aboard a luxury cruise liner! I have dreamed of this since I first heard it even existed. Yep, I'm going on the Bead Cruise 2013, March 1st - March 9th hosted by our fearless leader in the bead community, the gracious, Heather Powers. I jumped at the chance to be apart of her Bead Cruise. Perfect combination of a little bit of business with a whole LOT of pleasure. Plus, it's amazing opportunity for me to do something I have never done before. It's my very first cruise ever and really this will be my first trip outside the US, besides Canada. Geesh, I'm 35. I think it's about time I saw the world a little! I had to rush and get my passport for the first time, too and everything. Well, I got my passport in plenty of time and I'm ready to get away on this cruise!

Did I tell you my word for the year is EXPAND? Well, it is and apparently, I'm kickin' it off with a whole lot of 'expanding my horizons' in a very literal kind of sense! Cozumel, Grand Cayman Island and Jamaica, here I come. I'm so excited and so looking forward to this incredible adventure. I'm ready to be inspired by these amazing places we are visiting. Since I don't know if I'll ever get to go on a trip like this again, I went all out and signed up for the shore excursions at the three ports of call. Mayan ruins in Cozumel, snorkeling at Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman Island and a Reggae beach party in Jamaica. Hoo Whoo! Ya Mon. I feel so Irie!...Sorry...A little Jamaican talk for ya. ;)

Jamaican Reggae-Inspired Earrings
In fact, I've already been inspired by the cruise before even stepping onto the boat. I made myself these Reggae-Inspired color block earrings to wear on the beach in Jamaica!

Not only will this be a vacation trip of a lifetime, but I will also be teaching my Bohemian Knotted Earrings Class as well! Go here to see all the classes. I'm now getting all my beady goodness ready. I'm making kits for my class and extras to sell. I'll be bringing my other jewelry kits from my book and also kits and tutorials for my Macrame Flower Bracelet, some of my favorite supplies, materials and tools such as Irish waxed linen cord, Macrame boards and knotting tweezers. And of course, a few copies of my book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cord.

 Bohemian Knotted Earring Kits 

available for purchase in my Etsy Shop

Whether you are taking my Bohemian Knotted Earring class on the Bead Cruise or not, you can purchase a kit for the earrings in my Etsy shop! The kits included all the materials you need to make the three earring styles, Sun, Fringe and Chandelier. The kits come in Solid Copper for $30 OR you can upgrade to Sterling Silver for $40. All metal components are handmade by Shannon Levart of Miss Fickle Media. If you can't make it to one of my classes this year, you can purchase my Bohemian Knotted Earrings PDF tutorial in my shop for the instruction on how to make the earrings.

Not only am I teaching a class, but I'll have the opportunity to take two of the classes offered on the cruise. Ronna Weltman's Go Organic With Polymer Clay and Kerry Bogert's Sweet Tweeter class. I'm very excited for both of these classes! I'm thrilled to have the time to connect and learn from these two amazing artists, authors and instructors.This is a rare opportunity because most times when you are teaching at an event, you won't have the chance to take any classes yourself or even just chat with the other instructors.

Can't wait to meet all those aboard Bead Cruise 2013. Many will be new to me. I'm looking forward to seeing my familiar bead friends and fellow instructors, Heather Powers, Beverly Herman and Kerry Bogert, again and I'm looking forward to meeting instructors, Tracy Stanley and Ronna Weltman for the first time. I'm honored and humbled to be in the company of all these talented and accomplished women.

I can't wait for this journey to begin and I know it will not end once I step off the boat. I will forever hold the memories from the trip and the experience. The places we visit will influence and inspire my future jewelry designs for years to come, which leads me to my questions for you this week:

Have your travels influenced your jewelry designs? Where have you gone? How have those places inspired your creating? 

Dream Catcher Pendant Kit
 Leave a comment answering any of these questions and you will be entered for a chance to win one of my new Dream Catcher Pendant Kits in my Etsy Shop.

Thank you for joining me today and Bon Voyage!

 
Erin Siegel is a jewelry designer, beading instructor and co-author of the jewelry book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cords. To find out more, visit her blog: Erin Siegel Jewelry.   

Bead Cruise 2013

I'm so excited to announce the details for my next Bead Cruise!  Mark your calendars for March 2nd for a seven night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas.  We'll set sail from New Orleans and head to tropical destinations such as Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Jamaica. 

Our instructors this year include Tracy Stanley, Ronna Sarvas Weltman, Beverly Herman, Kerry Bogert, guest instructor Erin Siegel and myself!  We have classes that include beading, wirework, metalsmithing, bead embroidery, photography, polymer clay and more.  Most of the projects are ones you'll walk out of the class wearing!  And you'll return home home with all sorts of new skills to add to your box of jewelry-making tricks.

It's not just classes and islands - we are having a bead shopping field trip the day before the cruise to Turquoise Coyote.  It's a wholesale to the public store and induces bead shock!  You'll walk around the store saying, "Is that really the price? Really?" Stones, crystals and pearls line every wall and every wall is lined with display classes filled with beads.  Did I mention it's awesome! 

On the cruise we'll enjoy open beading sessions with demos and presentations from each of our instructors.  Join us for a jazzy 1920's inspired costume party.  And you'll get to shop with our instructors during the Bead Bazaar. 

Check out all the details on our website, http://www.beadcruise.com/.  Registration opens April 30th.

In the meantime, I hope you'll take a look at this year's Bead Cruise program. 

I have four free projects in this book featuring items from our awesome sponsors!

Bead Cruise Sponsors

The countdown to my annual Bead Cruise has begun.  I'm still accepting sponsors for our 2012 sailing.  If you own an online bead shop or offer a product that beaders would love, email to find out how you can be featured in this year's Bead Cruise Program.

Last year's program can be viewed, downloaded and printed from Issuu, click here.  The program includes free projects and resources for beads, supplies and classes.

Thanks to all our 2011 sponsors. 

If you are in need of beads, I highly recommend checking out their sites.

For more information on how to become a sponsor email me for details.

Bead Cruise 2012

Registration for Bead Cruise 2012 opens on Monday!

Join us March 3rd as we set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida for 8 nights of beads, friends and fun! We'll sail on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas to Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St. Kitts; San Juan, Puerto Rico and the private beaches of Labadee.  Visit the Bead Cruise website for complete details.

Instructors include Tracy Stanley, Kerry Bogert, Beverly Herman, Jill Wiseman and Heather Powers. Our classes include metalwork, wire-wrapping, beadwork, beadmaking, and even photography!

All the fun of a luxury cruise combined with a great bead retreat. The registration fee covers classes, workshops, open beading sessions, a cocktail party, gift bags, door prizes, a bead bazaar and more.

Space is very limited for our 2012 sailing - don't miss the boat!

As a special treat, I'm offering our Bead Cruise Program as a free ebook.  You can view it here.  It includes 7 free projects and bead resources. 

I do have a small request - if you like the ebook please blog, twitter or facebook about the Bead Cruise!

Bead Cruise 2011

Bead Cruise 2011

March 27th - April 3rd

Galveston

Cozumel

Grand Cayman

Jamaica

The classes!

 Beverly Herman

 Dallas Lovett

 Heather Powers

 Jean Campbell

 Marcia DeCoster

Tracy Stanley

We'll set sail from the quaint island of Galveston, Texas for 7 days of beading, beaches and fun.  As we sail to tropical islands you'll take classes with incredibly talented instructors. Join us in the evenings for fun events,  a cocktail party under the stars, shop during our Bead Bazaar with Bello Modo and sit in on demos and talks with our instructors.  Enjoy the ship, sit by the pool and be served like a queen! Join us in Cozumel for a day of Beads on the Beach.  Enjoy the beaches, shopping and local culture on the islands. 

Make jewelry, make friends, make memories that will last a lifetime on Bead Cruise 2011.

This is my event, it's my dream vacation I plan every year with my favorite teachers and invite you to join me.  2011 will be our 6th annual event. Space is limited, so visit the Bead Cruise website for complete details and to register today!

Visit the Bead Cruise Facebook fanpage.

Bead Cruise Classes

I'm teaching on the next Bead Cruise! 

We've added 5 new classes to our line-up and two of them our mine.  I'm teaching Beaded Tide Pool, a fun bead embroidery class with some needle-felting basics thrown in.  We'll felt starfish, urchins & nautilus and them embellish them with seed beads and pearls.  If you can sew a button, you can create these!

My second class is my Van Gogh Dreams Bracelet.  We'll alter Vintaj blanks to create unique focal pieces and findings and then fashion together a charm-style bracelet for a flashy and fun project that you'll be able to wear to dinner that night!

Tracy Stanley has joined our team and she is a cold connection diva! 

Check out those metalwork classes, I love them all.

Okay, you know you want to join us in January and spend your time beading and lounging on beaches like this rather than shoveling snow!

So, run now to tell your husband he just bought you the perfect Christmas present!  That would work, right?

Visit the Bead Cruise site for all the details.