ABS Updates

Not only did we change our appearance here on the Art Bead Scene, we've added some new opportunities for you to participate on the ABS.

First I'd like to thank Rose Noble, the incredible designer who created our new look!  Rose was so sweet she even made new banners for our readers to share on their blogs and link back to the ABS. Click here to view them and pick your favorite to add to your blog!

Art Bead Scene Design Team Challenge
I’d like to invite you to apply to participate in a new feature on the Art Bead Scene.

We are going to host a monthly Design Team Challenge and we are looking for designers who love art beads, work quickly and blog!

What is the Design Team Challenge?
One of ABS contributors will send you a set of beads or a pendant.
You have two weeks to create a piece of jewelry and submit a photograph for our blog post.
We’ll feature you and your design in a post on the Art Bead Scene.
The final step is to write a blog post on your blog about your Design Team Challenge entry.

We'll pick 4 designers for each month's challenge.

To apply: email me your contact information and your blog link. Send them to Heather.

We are also looking for news, guest bloggers and more, be sure to visit our submissions page for more details.
 
Ads on the ABS
Monthly sponsors are very special to us.  These are bead artists and our favorite suppliers that we feel exemplify our mission to celebrate Art Beads and inspire those who use them.  In the past, sponsors have been by invitation only but I'd like to open that up to an application process now.  Visit the advertising page for details on how to apply to be a featured monthly sponsor.  We can not accept all who apply.
 
Banner Ads
For beadmakers only, we are offering affordable banner ads. We'll accept the first 10 each month.  Ads run on the 15th of each month.  See the advertising page for rates and details.
 
Scroll down on the blog for a bonus post on the next Bead Soup Party hosted by Lori Anderson!

Another Bead Soup Blog Party!

When Art Bead Scene wrote about having a girlfriend's night and bringing beads to swap and having a bead soup swap, I thought it would be a fantastic idea to bring to the internet. What a great way to meet new beaders and exchange beads and ideas!

The blog party is also a great way to discover new blogs, gain new readers and followers, and network. Several party-goers have even been contacted by magazines to be contributors!

The first party was a great success, so I hope you'll join me in the second party. Sign ups end on May 7th and you have until June 19th to create your piece for the blog party.

Click here to join in the fun!

May Monthly Challenge Prizes

This month we'll have one lucky winner for the Art Bead Scene's Monthly Challenge.

Lynn Davis of ExpeditionD has donated a heart pendant made from polymer clay and a pewter wing pendant. Lynn creates wonderful artifacts that are perfect for your beautiful creations

Visit Lynn at her, blog, Lynn Davis etsy, and ExpeditionD etsy.

Heather Wynn has donated a "live bravely" pendant made from polymer clay with a silver leaf charm and and a "if my words had wings" polymer clay pendant. Heather also works in silver and is a jewlery designer.

Visit Heather on her website and etsy. 

Off Center Productions has donated two porcelain handbuilt door pendants inspired by the doors of Nagaland. Off Center Productions is a two person studio of Joan Tucker and Lana Weed creating one of a kind items in porcelain.

 Visit Joan and Lana on their website, blog and Facebook. 

Get your Art Beads, Art Buttons, Art Charms or Art Pendants out, start creating and enter this months challenge! 

Submit photos of your wonderful creations using one or more Art Beads.

"The Juggler" painting by Marc Chagall has many different elements that can be used for inspiration, bright bold color, contrast of color and imagery of the characters.

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

May Monthly Challenge

The Juggler (Le jongleur) 1943

Oil on canvas. 110.5 x 78.7 cm. The Art Institute of Chicago.

 About the Artist

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) was a Russian-Jewish painter of the 20th Century and one of the best known representatives of the Russian Avant-Garde in the West. Chagall painted in a style all his own, combining elements of Expressionism, Symbolism, Cubism and, to a lesser degree, other Modernist art movements. A prolific and multi-faceted artist, Chagall left behind him thousands of works in many different techniques and media that have established him as one of the foremost artists of the 20th Century. 

About the Painting

"The Juggler is a major picture of American war years. A very serious and mystical painting in the full sense of the word, it is filled with a personal mythology which avoids any literary symbolism. The signs are esoteric and ambiguous; they seem to suggest something real and then shift to the unreal, yet they are readable as an allegory of a personal confession."

The Prizes:

Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on June 1st.

Our sponsors this month are sponsors: ExpeditionD, Heather Wynn and Off Center Productions, please visit us tomorrow to see the prizes!

Featured Designer of the Week:

From all the entries during the month, an editor is going to pick their favorite design to be featured every Monday here on the ABS. We want to give our participants more time in the spotlight! Our Featured Designer will be this Monday, so get those entries in soon.

How to enter the Monthly Challenge:

1. Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. 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.

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

2. Upload your photo to our flickr group. Detailed instructions can be found here and click here for a tutorial for sending your picture to the group.

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

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

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.***

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

April Monthly Challenge Winner

We have one winner randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries this month. Congratulations to the winner and a big thanks to everyone who played along.  If you haven't had a chance to look through the Flickr group, here is the link.

We received some wonderful entries. Paul Klee's painting was a challenge!

Laura Holm of Jewels by Design is the winner of Aprils Monthly Challenge.

Laura has won a Pendant with Charms from Creative Impression in Clay.
She has also won Pewter pendants, button and beads from Mamacita Beadworks.


Stop back tomorrow to see what our inspiration will be for our May challenge.

Sundays with Cindy

Wondering what's going on in the bead and jewelry world? Take a peek at our links and see.....

A Bead A Day
Do you ever find beads in your own collection that you forgot you had?

About.com Jewelry Making
ISchool is in session, or at least, it will be when you sign up for one of these free copper clay e-courses.

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene's newest member opens her heart and shares how she feels about the Art Bead Scene. Maybe you feel the same?

Beading Arts
Here's a quick little tutorial on how to create a barnacle texture with seed beads!

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Spring is the time for new life and new charms at Cindy Gimbrone Beads.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie spreads her wings and designs a new pair of carvings to be made into pendants.

Strands of Beads
Melissa uses lava beads to help teach her son about volcanoes

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew shares his trip to Denver for the Rocky Mountain Bead Society's Bead Bazaar.

Studio Saturdays with Missficklemedia

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 weeks winner is Adee. Congratulations! 

You have won a this bracelet from the studio of Lorelei. 

Send Lorelei an e-mail with your address and she will get it right out to you.
This week we visit Shannon LeVart of missficklemedia.com in her studio(s)!

I would love to show you a picture of a studio that sparks radiant light of boundless creativity.
 But I do not have that. I have "places". Spots, if you will. Tucked here and there in my little house. And most of them you have to climb mountains of laundry to get to. But I am grateful I have them. These little niches in my house have allowed me to stay sane as a mother, feel cared for as a wife and have emboldened me as a woman.
 I hide from the kids in the bedroom and roll clay.

 I shut myself away in the utility room and whack away at metal on the work bench my husband put together for me.

 I stand at the side kitchen counter and put this bead with that bead and this chain with that finding and I send these projects out to the acceptance of the handmade jewelry community.

 It's scattered. And distracting. I go into the utility room to start a load of laundry but I see patina developed on a piece of copper and the next thing I know I am heading outside to seal it, the laundry still sitting in the basket.  But it works. 
 Somehow, I have slowly built a job for myself using my passion for jewelry making. I refuse to let my circumstances get in the way of creating. No money, no space; it doesn't matter, I am doing what I am meant to do.

 Do you have a special place in your house that you create from? Your coffee table? Your nightstand? Your kitchen table? Please tell me I am not the only one who doesn't have an actual studio. Leave a comment letting me know where you create from and we will draw a name next Saturday for this awesome prize...

 Just kidding. You don't have to do my laundry unless you want to.
This is the piece you could win by leaving a comment; a vintage brass bezel showcasing a blue bird and antiqued ice resin, drilled and set with a brass eyelet for easy wire-wrapping.

Have a wonderful weekend from where ever you're at!
Much Love and Respect,
Shannon
missficklemedia.com