Book Winner!

Congrats to Must Create! You have won a copy of Lisa Pavelka's The Complete Book of Polymer Clay.  Please send your mailing address to Lori. 

Thanks for playing everyone!  Looks like this one was on the wish list of quite a few of our readers.

Do You Dream in Color?

Do you dream in color?

Do you dream of beads in all their magnificent glory?

(Beads by Clayfulmingles)

Well then.  Do you ever get stuck for an idea, even though you're surrounded by colorful beads?  It's like the saying, "Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink."

Sometimes I get tired of looking through my color inspiration books, full of photos of flowers and fabric patterns and the like.  Sometimes I really do just want to be surrounded by colorful beads, even though it's the beads that are eluding my creativity.  This is when I take a random trip through Etsy.

My favorite trick is to type in a search term (being careful to also type in "NOT jewelry" so I only get beads) and then randomly choose a page.  Sometimes I'll start on page 50.  Sometimes I'll sort prices high to low.  You never know what you'll find that will cause that spark of creativity to turn into a blazing inferno of beading frenzy.

For instance, check out this ultra-cute peace bead by Cocobeads:

It makes me want to pull out a bunch of colorful seed beads -- or maybe some tiny pink, blue, and orange lampwork spacers?  Maybe even find some more flower beads to add as an asymmetric accent along one side of a necklace?

How about Earthenwood Studio's lovely toggles?  I always say the clasp of a piece of jewelry should be as beautiful as the rest of it.  How can you go wrong with this?  The bracelet can be made with a simple strand of beads, allowing this toggle to shine all on its own.

Or how about these gorgeous polymer clay beads by Stories They Tell?  I imagine pulling out fiber and making something wildly three-dimensional with beads as exotic as these.  Strips of kimono fabric, sari cloth, silk ribbon -- the possibilities are endless.

So what do you think?  If a bead show doesn't happen to be in town the day your creativity plays hooky, take a visit to my personal favorite online store for handmade art beads -- Etsy.com.  I guarantee you'll get lost in all the colors and designs and possibilities.  And your creativity just might not be able to resist coming back to play.

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and writes the blogs Pretty ThingsAn Artist's Year Off.  She lives in Maryland.

Featured Designer of the Week: Molly Alexander

Each Monday the Art Bead Scene features the Designer of the Week. One of our editors picks her favorite from the Monthly Challenge entries.

This is what Art Bead Scene Editor Heather Powers had to say about this piece:

"What can I say, enamel is hot and this piece is on fire!  I love how the painting directly inspired Molly's art bead pendant.  It's so unique and such a wonderful reflection of the inspiration source.  I also love that this is a simpler design, but with some great details like the texture of the wirework and accent beads and the handmade clasp."

Visit Molly's blog to see more of her work: Beautifully Broken Me.
 

Sunrise by John “Jack” Savitsky

 

Want to see your design here next week?  Enter our monthly challenge and you just might!
August Monthly Challenge

Sundays with Cindy

Let's see what our Bead Bloggers have been up to this week....


About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy found some inspiration by way of some very cool clasps!

Art Bead Scene
Get your inspiration on for the August Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge. Think "Sunrise."

Beading Arts
Do you like art charms? Visit Beading Arts and sign up to win a copy of a brand new book on making them!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi pulls out her buttons to make a jeweled attachment for sweaters.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy previews an upcoming newsletter series, Happy HalloweenMas. Sign up for her newsletter to find out what it's all about.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie joins some up with some hacker friends to play with LEDs and Ice Resin

Snap Out of It, Jean! There's Beading to be Done!
Jean continues her analysis of the jewelry designers whom she admires--wait!!!--loves! with some of her favorite seed beaders and weavers on "The Jean's List"!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Do you have a collection of lampwork beads nobody ever sees? Embrace simple, easy designs to showcase your glass treasures! Andrew shares five quick projects to inspire you to finally wear them!

Studio Saturday with Humblebeads

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 Lucid Moon Studio. Congratulations!

You have won a set of lampwork beads by Kelleysbeads. Send Lorelei an e-mail with your address and she will get it right out to you!

Hmm, my studio for the last few weeks has been a beach.  I'm actually taking a much needed vacation and enjoying recharging my batteries.

Favorite ways to renew my creative state:

1. Go to the beach

2. Spend time with loved ones

3. Eat delicious homemade meals with said loved ones

3. Laugh, laugh, laugh

4. Guilt-free naps!

5. Sketching

6. Trying something new - it's watercolor right now

7. Visit visually beautiful places

8. See art shows or visit handcrafted markets

9. Read

10. Enjoy nature

What's next:

When I head back to the studio on Tuesday I'm going to take a day to reflect.

1. What's working?

2. What am I enjoying about my business?

3. What's not working?

4. How can I streamline my product line?

5.  What direction do I want to go with for new products for the fall and 2011?

6. What can I delegate and where I can use an extra set of hands?

So now for the question of the week: how do you recharge your creative batteries?  Leave a comment and one random winner will receive a set of starfish charms - shown above in those earrings.  Looking forward to reading your comments!

The Complete Book of Polymer Clay

This book is full of step-by-step instructions for those that want to delve into the world of polymer clay. Written by Lisa Pavelka, it covers everything from polymer clay basics (which clay should I use?) to Skinner blending, caning, and image transferring.

Each page is full of colorful examples for each tutorial (64 in all!) -- lots of inspiration. Chapter Fourteen delves into "Projects You Can Make", offering six independent tutorials that will utilize the skills you learned in the book. The end of the book is pure eye candy, with an Artist's Gallery of finished work that is nothing short of breathtaking.

And now, you can WIN this book from me! Just leave a comment and I'll draw a name on August 18th.


Lori Anderson makes jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs. She writes the blogs Pretty Things and An Artist's Year Off.

A Virtual Interview with Kylie Parry

I sat down (alright, not really, just virtually) with Kylie Parry, ceramic bead artist. Here's the answers to some questions I had regarding her talent in ceramics! Enjoy!

Who are you, and what do you create?

Hello there! My name is Kylie Parry and my latest obsession is creating ceramic pendants.

How long have you been working in this medium? What lead you to this craft?

I took my first ceramics class in college. I fell in love with the “magic” of the process. Creating pendants was a compromise between the 2-D and 3-D sides of my brain. Creating them allows me to work with my hands (the messy, tactile clay experience) without ignoring my love for drawing and painting. I get the best of both worlds. I have been going non-stop for the past 5 years. 

Who has had the strongest influence on your development as an artist?

I was born into a creative, hardworking and stubborn family. For better or worse, these traits are me and have definitely influenced my development as an artist.

 What are your goals for your art for the future?

 I hope to continue to find ways to incorporate my drawings into ceramic forms. The idea that my drawings can exist on something that is functional, something that is used or worn in everyday life, by common folks, appeals to me.  

I also have a new series of mosaics that I am working on. Im building them into old crumbling dresser drawers. This is completely different from anything I have done before and I am excited about how they are turning out!

Someday, I would love to be an artist “full time”. I want to be my own boss. I hope to exhibit in larger shows and get into more publications. 

What do you consider to be the one thing that makes you stand out from your peers or help you be more successful?

I think my background in illustration helps me stand out among other ceramic artists. I view each pendant as a tiny canvas. Each one turns out different and special.

For fun:  What is something that most people don't know about you?

I am an aspiring children’s book illustrator and am currently working with an author on a book about a boy with a wild imagination and a pair of red goggles.

Thank you Kylie, for a great interview. I know that Art Bead Scene readers will love to know more about you! 

You can read Kylie's blog for more behind the scene looks at her art!