Inside the Studio with Rebecca of Songbead

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 Karin G! 

You have won  a pair of raku beads from Mary Harding.

Please send Mary an email with your information.

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I'm not sure that I am prepared for this Inside the Studio post - if you've visited my own personal blog recently, you'll see that I've been noticeably absent for over 3 months now. 3 months! Can you believe it? Life has been rather upside down for me recently - moving from Ireland to Scotland, a mega craft fair, a few more craft fairs, turning my teenage bedroom into a studio (that took a while!), taking care of my family whilst trying not to forget about myself at the same time, a family wedding in America which was wonderful of course, but came at a most inconvenient time.....well, you can imagine, I haven't known my you-know-what from my elbow (is that a British saying?!) for some time! 

However, I think I'm getting there. Despite my own blog being silent for some time, I have blogged twice in the past few days. I've updated my etsy shop. My lovely cousin Eleanor is working for me before she jets off on a super exciting trip to New Zealand; just a day or so a week but goodness me, it's making all the difference. I can make jewellery. I haven't had a day/night where I've been up to 1am working, since I returned from America (believe me, that is a fabulous feeling!). 

So we're getting there, slowly but surely. Three steps forward and two steps back - it might not be quick, but it's moving in the right direction! I was hoping that today I would have some new earring designs to show you - new, beaded {song}bead studs. But alas, I have been waiting all week for stud settings and super strong glue to arrive with me, but they still haven't. Hopefully tomorrow! So instead, I have a bunch of new Songbead pieces in the shop to share. I have five craft fairs between now and Christmas Day, and so having Eleanor here, taking a little of the pressure off me, has really allowed me to create without guilt. Have you done that recently? Pencil it into your diary - make a date with yourself and some beads. You'll thank yourself for it! 

You can find some of these in my etsy shop. 

You will see from the pictures above that I am still well and truly in love with hand-weaving my beaded {song}beads. I am loving experimenting with colour, pattern and scale....putting a little bit more of myself in each little bead. 

Do you make your own beads? 

Do you know that feeling? 

Creating handmade from handmade is always a wonderful feeling, whether you use your own handmade art beads or someone else's. 

I'm giving away two pairs of sweet handwoven {song}beads this week - colours, your choice. Here are some of the choices available to the lucky winner:

To be in with the chance of winning - let me know, what is your favourite thing about working with Art Beads. What makes you turn to handmade in your work? I want to know! Leave your answer in the comments below. 

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.

November Challenge Color Palette

Out of all of the challenge palettes we've had this year, Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds by Martin Johnson Heade might be the one with the most colors. It's definitely the one with the most number of color swatches I've ever shown!

Normally, I aim for eight to ten color swatches for our monthly challenges (you probably noticed), because that feels like a good balance. Too many, and it starts to feel overwhelming. Too little, and we can't really capture the spirit of the painting with colors. With this painting, though, I felt we needed the extra colors to tell the color story.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, keep in mind that the bulk of the shades we see come from red, orange, yellow, and green, and most of those are going to be darker, somewhat muted shades. Aside from the flower, the birds, and the hint of sunshine peeking through, Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds is pretty moody, so keep that in mind as you choose colors and beads for your designs this month.

The trick to using this as an inspiration is to focus on just a handful of colors that call to you, rather than trying to work with all fourteen. If you're liking the moodiness, stick with the swatches on the right. If you like the contrast between light and dark, pull from the swatches on the left and middle, like maybe the shade of light pink against the dark green (which works because they are complements!).

As for specific colors, choose different shades of olive green and warmer browns with red or orange undertones to capture the jungle/forest. Those are the two predominant colors, along with darker shades of gray. The rest - the pinks, purples, yellows, and reds - are just touches here and there against the dark green background; you can use them as you like.

Your turn! Which swatches are you feeling this month?

November Monthly Challenge Prizes + Sponsors

Our Wonderful sponsors for the November Challenge.
We will have 2 Lucky Winners this Month!

Ragged Robyn

Robyn Cove of Ragged Robyn  creates beautiful beads and pendants that are both organic and rustic. Each piece of her jewelry is eclectic and stunning incorporating different materials as well as her own handmade treasures. 

Her beads would be a great addition to your bead stash!

Robyn is donating a $50 Gift Certificate to her website.

Visit Robyn at her Website, Blog, Etsy, Pinterest and Facebook.

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Gardanne Beads

Anne Lichtenstein of Gardanne Beads makes handmade glass, enamel and mixed metal beads + jewelry components.  Anne skills with glass are evident with the mixing of colors and going between powered glass and glass rods.
A true glass artisan!
Anne is donating a $50 to her etsy shop or at any of her shows.

Visit Anne on her Etsy Shop, Facebook and blog.

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Submit photos of your wonderful Jewelry creations using one or more Art Beads here.
Submit to our new Bead Category here.

Cattelya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds by Martin Johnson Heade has with many different elements that can be used for inspiration: orchids, flowers, hummingbirds, birds, nests, eggs, trees, foliage, pinks, greens + other colors of nature.

We can't wait to see where your creativity takes you with the art for this months challenge! 

Please remember to put NOV ABS in the title or tag of your submission(s).  

Provide us with the artist of the Art Beads used and we always love to know all the materials you used. 
***Art Beads MUST be used in your entry.***

November Monthly Challenge

"Cattelya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds" 1871 

by Martin Johnson Heade

34.8 x 45.6 cm"

Oil on Mahogany Panel

About the Art

Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds is an oil on mahogany panel picture by Martin Johnson Heade acquired by the National Gallery of Art in 1982. Inspired perhaps by the works of Charles Darwin and Frederic Edwin Church, Heade planned to produce a deluxe book in the 1860s depicting Brazilian hummingbirds in tropical settings, and, to that end, created a series of 40 small pictures called The Gems of Brazil. The project was abandoned, but Heade retained his interest in hummingbirds and continued to paint them in combination with orchids and jungle backgrounds through the 1870s. The NGA describes the work: "Lichen covers dead branches; moss drips from trees; and, a blue-gray mist veils the distant jungle. An opulent pink orchid with light-green stems and pods dominates the left foreground." On the right, two green-and-pink Brazilian Amethysts hover about a nest while a red-tailed Sappho Comet perches nearby.

About the Artist

Martin Johnson Heade (August 11, 1819 – September 4, 1904) was a prolific American painter known for his salt marsh landscapes, seascapes, and depictions of tropical birds (such as hummingbirds),[1] as well as lotus blossoms and other still lifes. His painting style and subject matter, while derived from the romanticism of the time, are regarded by art historians as a significant departure from those of his peers.
Heade was born in Lumberville, Pennsylvania, the son of a storekeeper. He studied with Edward Hicks, and possibly with Thomas Hicks. His earliest works were produced during the 1840s and were chiefly portraits. He travelled to Europe several times as a young man, became an itinerant artist on American shores, and exhibited in Philadelphia in 1841 and New York in 1843. Friendships with artists of the Hudson River School led to an interest in landscape art. In 1863, he planned to publish a volume of Brazilian hummingbirds and tropical flowers, but the project was eventually abandoned. He travelled to the tropics several times thereafter, and continued to paint birds and flowers. Heade married in 1883 and moved to St. Augustine, Florida. His chief works from this period were Floridian landscapes and flowers, particularly magnolias laid upon velvet cloth. He died in 1904. His best known works are depictions of light and shadow upon the salt marshes of New England.
Heade was not a widely known artist during his lifetime, but his work attracted the notice of scholars, art historians, and collectors during the 1940s. He quickly became recognized as a major American artist. Although often considered a Hudson River School artist, some critics and scholars take exception to this categorization. Heade's works are now in major museums and collections. His paintings are occasionally discovered in unlikely places such as garage sales and flea markets.

Our Sponsors

Our Sponsors this month are Ragged Robin and Gardanne Beads.

Please visit us tomorrow to see the prizes!

Monthly Challenge Recap

• Please post at least one single shot of your creation on the Pinterest Board. This will be used to make a collage for the Monthly Challenge Gallery. Every creation will be added to the collage, regardless of a blog post. So everyone gets included! 
Your entry must be on Pinterest 2 days BEFORE the recap to be included.
• Be sure to share with us the name of the art bead artist in the description of your photo so that if you are selected for the weekly Perfect Pairings on Wednesdays, both you as the designer and the art bead artist can get the credit you both deserve!
• An InLinkz button will be added to the bottom of the Monthly Challenge Recap post. Here you will be able to link up your blog post if you have one. It is no longer necessary to add your blog post URL to the description unless you want to. Be sure to hop around and see all the great inspiration and leave some comment love!
• The Monthly Challenge Recap with Blog Tour will be posted on November 30th.

Monthly Challenge Winners
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all pictures posted on the Pinterest 
board.
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all blog posts added to the hop for the Monthly Challenge Recap post. So if you want to be in the pool for the second prize, be sure to use the InLinkz code at the bottom of the post to share your process and inspirations!
• Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on December 1st.

NEW CATEGORY!!
• Beads Makers Pinterest Board-Art beads must be created by you and fit the Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge theme. They can be made for the challenge or ones you have made before. 2 entries per month are allowed. 
One entry will be picked by the editors on the 28th of each month for a free month of advertising on the Art Bead Scene. Bead entries have to be pinned by the 27th of the month.
Beads only - do not post jewelry on this board. If a post doesn't fit the challenge it will be deleted.

Perfect Pairings :: Designer + Art Bead Artist
• Formerly the Featured Designer of the Week, our new Perfect Pairings will now focus on both the jewelry designer and the art bead artist. Be sure to point out all the art bead artists in your work in the description of the photo on the Pinterest Board. Links to their website or shop are appreciated. That way we can all find new art beads to love!
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Wednesday here on ABS, so get those entries in soon.

How to enter the Monthly Challenge:

1. You need to have a Pinterest account. Go get one ASAP if you don't have one already. It's easy, fun and inspiring. 

2. Email us at absmonthlychallenge@gmail.com to get added to the monthly challenge board.

Subject: Monthly Challenge Board Request

Indicate if you want to be added to the Jewelry Board, Bead Board or both.

You will be emailed an invite to the board within 48 hours. Accept the invite and you are ready to pin your entries.

3. Two ways to pin your entry to the board.

Pin your photo from the internet (on your blog, Etsy shop, etc.) 

Add your photo directly from your computer

Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. We post the art to be used as your inspiration to create. 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. 

An Art Bead must be used in your piece to qualify for the monthly challenge.

***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply added to wire or cord will not be accepted.***

Please add the tag or title NOV ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.

Deadline is October 31st. Photos are approved by our moderators, if a photo hasn't followed the guidelines it will not be approved. You may upload 2 entries per month.

NEW CATEGORY for ART BEAD ARTISTS!!
• Beads Makers Pinterest Board-Art beads must be created by you and fit the Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge theme. They can be made for the challenge or ones you have made before. 2 entries per month are allowed. 
One entry will be picked by the editors on the 28th of each month for a free month of advertising on the Art Bead Scene. Bead entries have to be pinned by the 27th of the month.
Beads only - do not post jewelry on this board. If a post doesn't fit the challenge it will be deleted.

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.

Beaded beads, stamped metal pendants or wire-wrapped components are not considered art beads for our challenge.***

p.s. If you have a blog, post your entry and a link to the ABS challenge to spread the beady goodness.

October Monthly Challenge Winners

Congratulations to this Month's winners! 

2 winners was chosen randomly from all the challenge entrants.
1 winner was chosen randomly from the InLinkz blog entries.
Winner of a month of advertising on ABS from the Monthly Challenge Bead category.

Our First lucky winner is Terri Gauthier/Blooming Ideas.

She has won a $50 Gift Certificate from Celtcraft Designs.

Our Second lucky winner is Winterbird Studio.

She has won a $50 in Bean Beads from Swoondimples.


Our Third lucky winner is Phantasm Creations/Lindsey Starr.

She has won a $50 Gift Certificate from Fanceethat.
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Our winner from the Bead entries of the Monthly Challenge is Sheila Davis of Stone Designs. 

She has won a Month of Advertising here on Art Bead Scene.

  

 Celtcraft Designs                     Swoondimples                           Fanceethat      

               

Thank you Celtcraft Designs, Swoondimples and Fanceethat for being our October Monthly Challenge sponsors!

Winners, please E-Mail Tari, tari@claybuttons.com with your information (Name and address) so your prizes may be sent to you.

A Big THANK YOU to everyone who entered this month using "Autumn" by Milton Avery, as your inspiration. 

We were so fortunate to have so many beautiful entries and experience such creativity from our wonderful readers.

Visit us tomorrow to see what November's challenge brings.

Amuse the Muse - Buttons - Tari of Claybuttons

I dropped the ball on the post this past Monday. I thought I would post this Sunday instead.
There weren't any links left in the comments to post, so I will show an assortment of buttons.

Rebecca will be back from her Holiday for the next Amuse the Muse post.

Our own Mary Harding.

Glass Buttons by Leah Pellegrini of LeahGlass.

Kylie Perry Studios

Earthenwood Studio

Buttons by McAnaraks

Elsa Mora

Lisa Peters Art

Suburban Girl Studio

Moving Mud

Be sure to add the link to your favorite buttons in the comments!!

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And now for the BeadBlogger Links. See you on next Monday!

 The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Check out what Andrew and other participants of the Inspired by Reading Book Club made in response to "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Have you had a craft fail? If you have and could laugh about it, you will love this new book.

 Bat Out o' Hell Halloween Treat Basket

Make cute Halloween treat baskets using Eileen's Bat Out o' Hell basket template and design.

Art Bead Scene 

October Monthly Challenge recap of Entries.

 

Facebook Me!

Keep up on all the latest updates and more at the Crafty Princess Diaries' Facebook page. Like it, and make sure to click on the drop down notifications menu when you do.

Beading Arts 

Have you seen Michelle Mach's new book, "Unexpected Findings"? It's a lot of fun...

 What is Failure?

Cherie contemplates hope and failure with her latest print.
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Tari makes Handmade Ceramic Buttons...Fun, Funky&Functional!
Uniquely different, every piece of art is an original.
Visit Tari's website ClayButtons.com, browse more than 20 Collections of Buttons.
Remember every button can be a Pendant or Jewelry Component!

Sneak Peek Art Beads for the November Art Bead Scene Challenge

The painting for this month's Art Bead Scene challenge will be revealed on Tuesday  November 4. Today I have posted a sneak peak of the painting and some art beads I  have picked out to help you get a head start on making beads and designing jewelry.  I hope you enjoy my choices.  You will just love this painting when you see it in all of its magnificent detail on Tuesday.  In the meantime have fun savoring this delicious eye candy.