Showing posts with label art bead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art bead. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Designing with Beaded Chain

I have found a new favorite beading supply and I wanted to share it with you.  It's beaded chain and it comes in endless varieties.  I have seen it made with crystals and gemstones as well as wire tones in silver, gold, bronze and gunmetal.  You purchase it off of spools by the foot.  I have been purchasing it in 2 feet increments for 12" on each side, along with the closure and pendant - it's a fast and pretty necklace design option.

For my project, I have 2 feet of matte striped agate gemstones wire wrapped in 24 g gunmetal wire.  I also have a spool of matching wire, coordinating size 6 brown seed beads, a gunmetal lobster claw clasp and two 1 1/2" pieces of silk ribbon.  For tools, I need wire cutters, flat and round nose pliers.


Start by finding the middle point of the chain and cut 2 gemstone links off being careful not to cut the wire loop on the end of the chain piece.  Remove the wire from the 2 beads and set aside.  Cut two 3"pieces of wire.  Take the clasp and a bead - now make a matching size to the chain wire wrapped loop and attach the clasp before closing the loop.  String the bead and make another wire wrapped loop and attach it to the 12" piece chain before closing the loop.  Do the same thing again but make the loop a bit larger for the clasp to attach to.  Now to attach the pendant.



Cut two 4" pieces of wire.  Make a wire wrapped loop and attach the pendant before closing the loop. Make the top wire wrapped loop and attach it to the chain link before closing the loop.  Do not cut the wire tail.  Wrap the silk around the pendant loop up to the wire loop.  Start to wrap the wire around the ribbon and add a seed bead 5 times around and position the bead in place so it looks balanced. Secure the end of the wire by pressing it with the flat nose pliers.  Repeat on the other side.  This hides the pendant loops and gives the necklace a nice finished look.


Now you have a lovely necklace to wear that takes less than 30 minutes to make.  What's not to love about that? :)

I hope you will enjoy this technique as much as I do.  Michelle from Firefly Design Studio


Saturday, April 9, 2016

Shopping for Art Beads on FaceBook

I had a really good mail week.  You know...every day when you go to your mail box, another small padded envelope is in there with your name on it.  YES!!!

I'd like to share with you what I received.  I shop with the end design of having at least one of my ceramic beads added to it.  Earrings are my #1 seller, so I do buy a lot of earring components.  Everything was purchased either from the artists own page with a link to their shop, or from a FaceBook selling group.  I shop (and sell) on Art Beads, Ceramic Art Bead Market, Handmade Component Bazaar, Touch of Class and Handmade Jewellery and Components Showcase.

First up is a lovely stoneware set of earring charms by Natalie Fletcher.  Isn't the texture great?

When Erin Prais-Hintz introduced her polymer clay Seascapes line of pendants, I knew I had to have one!  I choose the seahorse for a fun summertime necklace:

I have been admiring all the earrings made with enamel charms, so I wanted to try a few earring pairs out.  This first set is by Tracy Lockhart:
Next is my favorite color turquoise.  Don't these have a fun beachy vibe?  These beauties were made by Rhonda Harris:
Etched glass headpins made by Raida Disbrow are going to make some beautiful earrings!  I make coordinating 15mm ceramic discs and 10mm round beads to stack over the glass.  Add a crystal and a wire wrap loop for simple but stunning earrings!
This is my first time working with Amy Cornett's headpins and I couldn't be more excited about them!  The shapes and colors are Fab!
And finally, beautiful tapered glass tubes made by Stacey Kroft.  I have never worked with this shape, so it will be fun to play with these:
I think just about everything I bought is in the blue family!  I guess I am consistent - Lol.  I will post some of my finished designs with these gorgeous art beads in a future blog.  Now I can keep up with my family and friends on FaceBook as well as add to my collection of art beads!

Michelle McCarthy
Firefly Design Studio

Monday, July 20, 2015

Amuse the Muse - Ocean-Inspired Beads - with Rebecca of Songbead

Hello all! We're continuing on with the Ocean-Inspired beads for this month, and I have a great line up for you today! Why? Well, because it's The Art Bead Scene does Ocean-Inspired for this week! Including all of our fantastic new contributors - just wait til you see the deliciousness below!

Heather Powers - Humblebeads (back from vacation next week!) Oh the texture! The colour! Take me down to the sea immediately. 
Mary Harding - Mary Harding Jewelry 
I love, love LOVE how this looks like it's been dug up on a windswept beach. And just look at those colours! 


Ok, I struggled a bit to get something handmade that would fit in with this theme (although I do have these awesome pressed glass fossil beads here) - but wouldn't these colours fit in pretty awesomely with any ocean-themed project? 


These gorgeous charms are from one of our fantastic new contributors. Just delightful - so dainty. Perfect for some sweet earrings!



Seriously - how cool is this? I would love to see this made up into a piece of jewellery - I can imagine a wonderful bracelet featuring this wee guy. 

 A classic pendant from Erin. I'll say it again - look at the colours! The texture! Swoon!


 These are pretty amazing - similar to Mary's pendant to me, they look like something that's been discovered on a deserted beach. Perfect!


Another of our amazing new contributors - Julie's work is so beautiful! These are perfectly sea-kissed beads! (And yep - the colours, the textures - you get the idea!)


These really do look like they could have been tumbled by the ocean for years. I love how that gives the beads a sense of timelessness, and hints at the story beneath the surface. 


And the third of our wonderful new contributors Heather - certainly no stranger to me and my jewellery! I love how Heather's use of words creates such a direct connection between jewellery and wearer. 


Just look at the smooth, dappled texture on Heather's pendants - so tactile. They seem almost to have been aged by the sea itself, not unlike Julie's beads above!


These are the perfect little triptych. What would you do with these? I don't think I could bear to break them up, do you?  


Our beaches here in the Uk are beautiful, but a far cry from some of those where perhaps we imagine the perfect beachy holiday! Wild, rugged and windswept - Claire's charms perfectly capture the cool, sun-bleached skies and the rustic, rocky coastline. 


 And last but not least, these fun and colourful (you know me and colour!) vintage sundress charms. Well, everyone's got to wear something at the beach, haven't they?!



And what trip to the beach isn't complete without an ice cream cone......Slurp!



And now for the BeadBlogger Links. Have a great week everyone!








Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer; currently living in the capital city of Edinburgh. 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.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Art Bead Palette :: RedStarArtBeads

Fox | Polar Bear | Hedgehog | Elephant

I came across these rustic animal beads from Red Star Art Beads yesterday and was thoroughly charmed. I love the texture of them, and the muted colors used are calling to me right now. Wouldn't it be a fun surprise to see one of these peeking out of a necklace or bracelet?

For more, be sure to click on over!


Monday, February 2, 2015

Amuse the Muse - (He)Art Beads - with Rebecca of Songbead

Hello, and welcome to February! Are you as relieved as I am? Something about getting the first month of the year out the way feels good. It's not so long til we in the Northern Hemisphere get a little more sunshine. Here in the Uk, we don't always hope for a glorious summer (we'd be hoping in vain!) but I am as excited about the longer days and shorter nights as anything. More natural light to design, create and photograph in - suits me very well! 

This month is the month of Valentine's Day. I know in the USA, you guys really go to town for the holidays. Over here in the UK, it's less of a big deal, but still, commercial venues have been throwing the usual hearts, flowers and chocolates at us for some time now. I for one know that the very commercial, slightly artificial side of this celebration doesn't really appeal to me. It takes some of the meaning out of telling someone you love them. And hard going if you are not in a relationship right now too (we've all been there, even if we are not this year!) However, making someone you love feel special? Now that sounds more like it. And if you are not in a relationship just now - why not treat yourself. Show yourself some love. 

Handmade is always more special to me, whether it's made by my own hands or the hands of another artist, but sometimes I can find hearts to be a little sickly sweet and corny. This month, I'm going to be looking out for a mixture of heart beads - yes, those that are pink and sparkly and gooey inside(!), but also those that are a little more subtle or unexpected.

Without further ado, here's a run down of some of the lovely heart-themed beads I found from the Art Bead Scene team:





Humblebeads (as if you need me to tell you, but it's Heather!)


Which are your favourite (he)art beads? Leave us the links in the comments below! 

And now for the beadblogger links. Have a great week!










Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer; currently living in Edinburgh, capital of her native land. 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.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Art Bead Palette :: Juliyamrboro


You all know how I love boros, and since today's Thanksgiving in the US, I thought I'd share this beautiful lampwork bead set from Juliyamrboro. Not only am I thankful to bead artists such as Yulia for creating amazing bead sets like this, I'm thankful to come across so many talented people in the online art world.

Plus, the colors remind me of the holiday. Gobble, gobble. And as always, stop by Yulia's shop to see more.

From the ABS team, we wish our American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year?

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Art Bead Palette :: ZestyFrog


This week's art bead palette comes to us courtesy of ZestyFrog, a lovely ceramic bead shop run by Annica. In there, you can find all sorts of lovely ceramic beads in organic shapes and textures. That's definitely where Annica shines, in my opinion - all of her beads feel like little natural treasures.

For this palette, I chose Annica's organic medley bead set. The colors are fantastic and great for fall, what with the olive greens and mustard yellow. The possibilities for this bead set are incredible!

To see more, stop by Annica's shop! Which beads are your favorite?


Thursday, November 13, 2014

Art Bead Palette :: Meital


We're trying something new here at ABS - weekly color palettes! I hope you're as excited for that as I am. We could all use some colorful, beady goodness, right? Right.

This week, I just had to share these colorful spacer beads from Meital Plotnik. Aren't they fun? I especially love the added touch of orange on each bead - so lovely and festive. Plus, the smaller size is a great way to dive into lampwork beads, if you've never tried them before.

To see more from Meital, stop by her Etsy shop.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Art Bead Palette :: Margit Boehmer

Artisan Pendant

I came across the work of Margit Boehmer yesterday, and I just had to share it with you.

Everything about her work draws me in. From the geometric shapes and textures, to the unabashed use of bright colors. Margit is a color lover, too (which you know I love), and it shows in pretty much every polymer clay bead she creates. I'm especially a fan of her color combos, which are unusual and captivating.

Here's more:

Flower bead earring elements

Calypso beads

Spindle beads


Aren't they lovely? As always, there's far more than I can show here, so be sure to stop by Margit's Etsy shop.


Thursday, August 14, 2014

Art Bead Palette :: Beadwife

Sky Romance by Beadwife

Lilac Romance by Beadwife

Spring Romance by Beadwife
I'm really into aqua, green, and purple right now. This combination works because they're analogous colors, colors that sit right next to each other on the color wheel, so no matter the shades, it's going to look good.

I especially like the way Kalera Stratton of the Etsy shop Beadwife uses them in the lampwork beads above. Aren't they pretty? The speckles of color are fun, and the other touches of color - from the browns and oranges to the golds and yellows - make these beads really pop.

To see more from Kalera, be sure to stop by her Etsy shop! She's got a ton of gorgeous lampwork beads to pursue.

What color combination are you liking today?


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Art Bead Palette :: Orange, Peach, Copper, oh my!

Hipster Lampwork Glass Beads by GlitteringprizeGlass

Enara mini beads by GlitteringprizeGlass

Concave Crater orange focal bead by StudioTambria

Tumbling Dice Beads by TheBeadedBead

Beaded Beads set of 9 by TheBeadedBead


Hey art bead lovers! It's Brandi, here for a rare Sunday post because... I goofed last week and missed my scheduled day. Yeah, so that happened, which might be the first time ever. All I can say is that I've got summer brain right now, and focusing and remembering and doing anything requiring recollection is not my forte at the moment.

But I'm here today to share with you a few palettes to make up for it!

And actually, I thought I'd do something different today, in that rather than showcasing one shop, let me show beady goodness from a few. Mostly because I come across so many awesome shops doing these posts, and it's a good excuse to showcase a color combo I'm really liking right now.

Which would be pretty much any shade of orange.

This is a little strange to me; I'm not usually an orange person. I can handle coral, a little peach, and a touch of copper, but orange isn't usually what I gravitate towards. Ever. And yet, as I went searching for art beads today, I couldn't help but zoom right in on every shade of orange I saw. I just can't get enough of the warmth of it right now.

So, enjoy these lovely art bead-inspired palettes! You can find links to each shop directly under the photos, should you want to cruise on by and see more.

Tell me: what color are you digging right now?


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Art Bead Palette :: Ema K Designs

Organic Twists Focal

Refined Sphere Focal

This month's bead palettes are courtesy of ABS contributor, Ema Kilroy!

If you've been reading my posts for a while, you'll know that I'm crazy for lampwork beads - I just can't get enough. It's the colors that pull me in, and keep me mesmerized, then the textures, and finally the designs. So, when I went looking for inspiration for this post, I didn't have to look very far! Aren't these just lovely? I couldn't help myself.

And I'm curious - who are some of your favorite lampwork or art bead artists?

For more from Ema, be sure to check out her shop, Ema K Designs.


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Art Bead Palette :: APolymerPenchant

Fantasy Flower Pendant - Pink Tones

Fantasy Flower Pendant - Purple Tones

Fantasy Flower Pendant - Red Tones

Fantasy Flower Pendant - Orange Tones

Fantasy Flower Pendant - Yellow Tones


I'm going to blame my current flower fixation on it being springtime. Can you blame me? After the winter we all had (and may still be having, for some), bright colors are the ticket.

Enter these Fantasy Flower beads, from Emma Todd's shop, A Polymer Penchant. Aren't they gorgeous? At first, I thought they were ceramics, but they're made from polymer clay! Beautiful. It's a hard choice, but I think my favorite pendants are the yellow ones, with the orange ones coming a very close second. How about you?

To see more from Emma, be sure to stop by her Etsy shop!