Bead & Button February 2010…Out of the Retro Box

This issue had a retro feel to it.  The Five Beautiful Bracelets on a Budget projects are a throwback to when this magazine was mostly about seed beads, off loom weaving, and the world of Fireline (near invisible fishing line).  But don’t let the retro feel of the cover fool you.  Inside the magazine there is a wild party of different beading techniques mixed in with some clay work, wire work, and a dash of punk…er…steampunk.  If you never heard of steampunk, then you’re in for a delightful ride of eclectic wonder.  Diane Hyde coined the phrase “beadpunk” to combine bead work and steampunk design.  If you can’t picture what steampunk is, imagine walking into a trendy, modern museum in San Francisco and seeing art that looks like someone took their bicycle apart, soldered on the inside workings of a clock, and glued a picture of their gray haired grandmother behind the wheel spokes.   Even though is sounds like chaos, there is an element of unity that makes it appealing.  Now imagine doing something like that with beads and a host of unlikely items to make jewelry.  This article, Get Beadpunk’d, will push the most conservative beader and jewelry artist to the next level of creativity.  Check out Diane Hyde’s website to see more of this thing called beadpunk.

Stringing Outside the Box by Jennifer Curran is another article the undermines the retro look of the magazine.  When many artist string their beads together to make jewelry, they follow a rule of aesthetic thumb and says only certain types beads go together.  This way of thinking is fine for most, but for the more creative spirit trying to establish their creative voice in the jewelry making world, this article gives the cheerful “go ahead” and I support it with a gusty cheer.  I have been known to mix and match beads that don’t normally go together and have gotten delicious results.

Cherries Jubilee

Now beading magazines are populated by a lot of female energy.  This issue features Nealay Patel who is a graphic designs student who has been beading for 7 years.  That is refreshing.  His article  on Positive Spaces focuses on stringing and peyote stitch.  Once you feast your eyes on his work, you will know you are looking outside the box.  Check out his website and see some of his work.  It may take a moment to load up, but it’s worth the wait.

Anyway, check out this magazine.  If you have any New Year’s Resolution that involve your jewelry making, this issue may give you some great inspiration.  No matter if you want to work outside the box or get a little punk’d, this issue will give you a springboard to jump off.

What Do You Get When You Cross a Beader and a Hooker???

Me!

Okay, I’m a hooker from way back. I started hooking when I was about 9 years old. A male classmate and a nun showed me how to hook when I used to wait after school for my mother to pick me up. When I was a teenager, I managed to make a little money for my hooking. I believe hooking became my gateway for a lot of other amazing experiences.

Yes, there is nothing like curling my fingers and hand around that hard, cold aluminum crochet needle and hooking loops into anything from a doll to an afghan. I believe the art of creating something out of next to nothing started me on my crafty journey. Seeing this spark of interest in the yarn arts, my mother introduced me to embroidery and later knitting.

I lacked the patience to manipulate 2 needles to make a wash cloth. Don’t get me wrong, I finished the project, but I was not a happy camper because I was…impatient with working 2 needles. I had been spoiled by hooking with one needle, so 2 needles seemed redundant and awkward. I finished the obligatory cloth and didn’t look at knitting needles again until about 4 months ago.

I’m interested in merging my beading and jewelry making and yarn arts. I had already crocheted wire and beads, but I kept seeing articles and books singing the praises of knitting beads. So I picked up the knitting needles and began to work the yarn like my mother taught me so many years ago. Initially, I was frustrated and felt like all thumbs, but then after a while the needles began to move easily and the yarn began to take shape. I made a tri-colored scarf, a bulky scarf, a hat, a kerchief, and a pair of socks.

Socks.

To say I’m obsessed with socks is an understatement. The irony of sock making to my initial take on knitting won’t slip by you because to knit socks the good ol’ traditional way you need 4-5 double pointed needles. The needles can be very small (size 0). I love it.

So in the middle of my sock frenzy, I discover a book that focuses on incorporating beads into knitting. Visions of cute, beaded cuffs on lacy socks spin in my head. I have a calendar that has a pattern for knitted jewelry with beads. I already own a book that shows how to knit wire and beads to create unique jewelry.

Who would’ve thought that teaching a young girl how to hook would have started this great craft adventure.

These socks are NOT my socks, but they are inspirational and cool.

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Have a Happy Happy!

December tends to be a landmine of holidays. As the years go by, it seems harder to offer a polite greeting to someone without offending them. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Yule are a few December celebrations many people honor. There are some people who do not celebrate anything at all. So to not offend anyone, I want to wish everyone a Happy Happy. May whatever you do is with the people that you love and you are happy. May the gifts of life and exchange make you happy. May your crafty pursuits make you happy. Take a moment, stop a stranger in the street and wish them a Happy Happy. After they wonder what you’re babbling about, they’ll smile.

Creating with Embossing Paste…A Different Frontier for Embossing

Types of Embossing

Dry embossing is when a crafter uses a light box to trace images from a brass template onto paper with the use of a stylus.  When you see a card with a raised image which is concave on the opposite side of the image, that is dry embossing.

Wet embossing is when a crafter stamps an image with very wet craft/embossing ink.  A powdered plastic substance (embossing powder)  is sprinkled over the image and a heating tool is used to melt the powder to create a 3-dimensional outline of the stamped image.

Embossing Paste

Embossing paste is…well, paste.  If you were a young child in the sixties and seventies, you probably remember sitting in your elementary classroom being seduced by a big plastic jar of white paste.  The paste would have that unique smell that wasn’t in the least bit edible, but at some point you might’ve been tempted to stick your wooden stick into the gooey mix and take a little lick….

Oops!  That was my memory.

Anyway, embossing paste is not much different from regular old paste.  The difference is found in the color and possibilities of effects.  Embossing paste comes in clear, white, gold, silver, and various other colors (red, green, etc.).  With a few materials and some patience, embossing paste can take your card making adventures to a different level.

To create an image using embossing paste, you will need the paste, a spreading tool, cardstock, a template, paper, removable tape, and a cup of water.

For my example I used a brass template that is used for dry embossing using a light box.  Tape the template onto the cardstock to minimize unnecessary movement of the template and create a tight seal of the template onto the cardstock.

Now with the spreading tool, spread the paste onto the template.  Spread evenly in one direction to make sure the paste covers all parts of the image.  Spread thick to get good coverage.

Next scrape the excess paste off the spreading tool into the paste jar.  With the clean tool, scrape the excess paste off the template.  Notice the scratches on my tree template.  That was caused by using another brass template.  That gem of advice created perfectly even images, but it damaged my template with scratches.  I advise against using any metal objects for this step.  Stick with plastic tools.

Gently lift the template from the cardstock.

For this example I used gold embossing paste which dries in an hour to a glossy golden color.  To add a little more dimension to this project, I sprinkled glitter over the wet paste.

The final product is glossy with a little bit of glitter.  The paste adds dimension and pop to any craft project you may be working on.  The last image was made using silver embossing paste.

Feeling Pretty Good and Oh, So Pretty!

Look!  Do you see them?  No, I’m not talking about Gina Grad and Randy Wang from the hottest podcast on Hot Talk LA.

Dangling from the ear lobes of the beautiful and talented Gina Grad from The Pretty Good Podcast are a pair of my earrings.  She is showing off  a one-of-a-kind mother of pearl design  along with the new t-shirts for The Pretty Good Podcast which can be found on Hot Talk LA.

She said that the earrings were perfect for the promotional photo shoot.   I have made and sold countless pieces of jewelry that I have not seen again once they had left my studio.  Seeing my work in print is a good feeling.

So if you want some fashionable and one-of-a-kind jewelry, come visit my shop on Etsy.  I also make custom orders.  If you want to be entertained by two pretty good podcasters and maybe purchase a fashionable t-shirt, visit Hot Talk LA.  You will also find a lot of other cutting edge podcasts that may fill your entertainment sweet tooth.

 

These are NOT the earrings in the picture, but these simple floral dangles are…PRETTY!

Bead & Button December 2009 Issue

I have to admit that nothing on the cover of this particular issue grabbed my attention.  The project on the front cover is pretty, but it didn’t give me those delicious goose pimples and inspire me to go into my craft room and play with my beads.  To be perfectly honest, I looked at the cover, gleamed over the subtitles, and let the magazine sit on my night stand for a week before I thumbed through it.

Honesty is my policy.  Being a fan of a magazine does not mean you have to LOVE everything it produces.

With that being said, a week later I looked at the cover and felt a little bored.  The wirework earrings featured on page 51 looked interesting.  Being a lover of wire work and beads, this piqued some interest.  The announcement of a chain maille project on page 39  got me to open the magazine.

WOW!

Suddenly I got the goosebumps and I felt like playing!  Feeling a little silly about discounting this particular issue from just looking at the cover, I started from the very beginning of the magazine and looked at every page.    Starting with the letter From the Editor, I couldn’t put the magazine down.  The Bead Soup introduced me to a silk/stainless steel blend fiber from Habu that could prevent my crystals from cutting my crochet cotton.  Priceless tip since I like to crochet with beads and have had to make some emergency fixes when a stone wore a thread a little too thin.

Anyway, I thumbed through the pages and caught another gem.  On page 18 is a stitch workshop for bead knitting.

Bead knitting.

I have just recently taught myself how to knit and I LOVE it.  With every new craft I learn, I always look for an angle to combine something else I already do.  To knit beads blew my mind.  Honestly, I couldn’t stop smiling.

All in all, this magazine is a sleeper find.  Initially it did not knock my socks off, but later I was sold.  My husband commented that my magazine should start repeating itself soon.  Well, that has been true for many other craft magazine subscriptions I have had, but I haven’t found the repeat.  I’m only a year in on this subscriptions.  When this magazine starts to repeat, I will definitely say so.  As of right now, I’m lovin’ it.

The Poor Economy Blues: Shop Handmade and Go Green

Last year I spent Thanksgiving in Ohio. So on Black Friday, I got up fairly late in the day to do a little shopping. I was too late for the doorbusters, but I wasn’t looking for a big shopping adventure. Since the airlines charge for baggage, it would not had been a good idea to shop for “deals” and pay extra baggage fees to bring it home.

Anyway, I digress.

As we drove from one shopping mall to another it was clear that the economy was tanking because the malls and stores were like ghost towns. It appeared that people made a pledge to stay away from the stores and the “sales”. Looking back to 2007, my family spent an hour in line waiting to pay for our “deals”. In 2008 the stores were pretty empty in Ohio. I was told things were not much better back at home. Now we’re days away from Black Friday 2009. Will Friday turn successfully black or go dreadfully red?

Well, we could all sing the blues and lament the economic woes. We could rush out into the cold on Black Friday and give the big merchants our money while chasing down the “deals”. We could stay home, stimulate the true backbone of the economy (the everyday man/woman) by supporting the handmade market. To make the holidays a green holiday, shop online at the many handmade vendors, and find some truly good deals. A lot of handmade artisans and vendors are having sales to move merchandise. Having a low overhead, online vendors would be able to offer a good deal without “door buster” gimmicks.

Come visit my shop on Etsy and browse my favorite shops to see some really good deals from hardworking men and women who love creating handmade items.

Fire Mountain Gems…the Shopping Experience

When it comes to buying my jewelry making supplies, I like to be hands on about it.  I travel miles to visit bead shops, craft shops, and gem fairs to purchase beads.  For a couple of years I’ve been receiving catalogs from different vendors which I use for inspiration and wish list shopping, but I never actually took the next step to make a purchase until now.  Fire Mountain has a huge catalog filled with everything you could possibly want and the prices are very competitive.  After a highly disappointing experience at a local  bead store where rude service and triple priced merchandise rubbed me the wrong way, I referenced my FM catalog and discovered that for the money I spent on two items I could’ve bought more.  So I took the plunge.

Immediate gratification is huge for me, but when needed, I could tap into my patience reserves.  This is what I did with Fire Mountain.  First I perused their huge inventory presented in their catalog.  Next, I perused their awesome online inventory.  At the end of the day, I had so many items in my shopping cart that moved me from the first level of purchase to the next level which was notably cheaper.

For example a strand of beautiful Jablonex Czech fire polished glass beads cost $2.52 if I purchased 1-14 items.  If I have more than 14 items in my cart (15-49), I would spend $2.12 for the same strand.  Purchasing 50-99 items will lower the price to $1.81, and 200+ will mark the same strand down to $1.54.   Without trying, I found myself in the 15-49 range which was fine by me.

Their website is always boasting of a sale that is a true sale.  I had added a few items in my cart one evening, by the next evening, those sale items were gone because the items were so limited.

The beads I purchased are lovely and of good quality.  The grab bag I bought on a whim was a true treasure chest.  There were so many different types of beads that I would not have normally chosen for my jewelry making.  But after handling these beads up close, my horizons began to widen.

So if you’re like me and need to handle your beads before purchasing, take a step on the wild side and check out this vendor.  The $5 flat rate shipping is reasonable, the turn around delivery is quick, and the beads are quality.

 

How to Preserve Fashion Jewelry

During these hard economic times, you may find yourself wearing and purchasing costume/fashion jewelry instead of the more expensive pieces of jewelry.  Fine fashion jewelry is jewelry that uses less expensive materials (i.e. gold and silver is layered over a base metal).  If you have bought jewelry that was not behind a locked glass case, you have bought fashion jewelry.

What Damages Fashion Jewelry?

No matter how careful you may think you are handling your jewelry, the act of wearing your jewelry damages it.  Your skin consists of oils that can dull your jewelry.  Hairspray, perfumes, and make up all do their share in dulling and or eroding the shine of your jewelry.  The damage may not be obvious during the first few wears of your cherished pieces, but after constant wear, you will notice that your shiny gold and silver are starting to look dull.  Some people enjoy the antiqued look, but when the gold is looking mottled and dirty green…well, that’s unattractive.

How Do I Preserve My Fashion Jewelry?

Jewelry cleaners are a sure way to damage your fine fashion jewelry.  They may look simple and the perfect solution, but there are some key ingredients you MUST keep away from your jewelry and these ingredients are found in many popular cleaners:

• vinegar
• ammonia
• acids
• alcohol

Now if you find a cleaner that does not contain any of the listed ingredients, then use with extreme caution.  Some sources will suggest a glass cleaner or soapy water for cleaning your jewelry and those suggestions can cause your jewelry to corrode with hidden ammonia in the glass cleaner or become dull from soap film.

Another old school way of preserving your fashion jewelry is using a little trick my grandmother taught me.  Brush a little bit of clear nail polish onto your metals to preserve the shine and color.  Now this little trick does two things.  It puts a high gloss onto the metal and it prevents the natural yet eroding oils from your skin to break down the chemistry in the gold/silver plated base metal.  This trick may sound easy, but it must be done with care because a rush job with a partially wet brush could put unwanted streaks and clumps on your jewelry.  So take the time to purchase a brand new bottle of good clear polish and carefully cover your exposed metals.  Allow sufficient time for drying before wearing.

Lastly, if you find a wonderful piece of fashion jewelry that you know you will wear often, then purchase two.  Having multiples would help insure that you would always have your favorite jewelry available in spite of loss and damage.

Was This Helpful?

Hopefully this article has provided you at least one way to preserve your favorite fashion jewelry.  During these economic times, people are counting their pennies and holding on to what they have with a vice grip.  So do whatever you can to continue looking fabulous and preserve that fashion jewelry.

You Know You are a Bead Addict When…

It was only a month ago my poor family weathered the hot, Orange County heat shopping at the outdoor marketplace while I cruised the cool  indoor bead fair extravaganza.  I spent all of the money I allotted for this event and did not find what I was looking for.  That, my friends, brings me to this list.

You Know You are a Bead Addict When…

1. You attend looking for findings and leave with…more beads instead.
2. You buy beads in bulk with no idea what you’re going to use them for, but they are so pretty…
3. You run through the cash you brought to the bead fair and find yourself wondering how much more of your limit is on your Visa about an hour in.
4. You sit down to bead and start eliminating all the “good” beads for a project you’re considering.  Unfortunately, the “good” beads are the majority of your stash.
5. You find yourself counting 4mm beads in a store to make sure you are not cheated out of one bead.  After all, if you are going to pay that kind of money for a strand, you want to make sure you get every…single…bead…you…are…paying…for!!!!!
6. You could kneel on the hard, cold floor for as long as it takes to find THAT bead.
7. You search through boxes and containers full of beads and you just can’t find what you’re looking for.  Well, that’s an excuse to go to another bead fair less than 2 months later.

Yes, the Gem Fair is back in Costa Mesa, and I will find the restraints needed to keep myself at home and use the beads I have.  I just recently bought a lot of beautiful, swarvoski bicone crystals.  Lately, my passion lies with off loom bead weaving.  So those gorgeous crystals and seed beads I have been collecting for years are really getting a lot of attention.