Crafts, cakes, and creativity in 2009!

Stacy Hillmer — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:41:00 GMT

In recent blogs, Naomi talked about her creative resolutions for 2009 and Erin gave us the shortlist (which is actually a pretty long list) of projects she has in the works. Now here’s a sneak peek into the creative pursuits on the front (and back) burners of my own craftiness.

A few weeks ago, BeadStyle’s Senior Editor Linda Augsburg had the fabulous idea of cleaning out her craft room, depositing items she wasn’t using in an empty office here at Kalmbach, and allowing other crafters to raid the stash. I picked up a few rolls of seasonal-colored snowman-printed ribbon, and turned them into what I affectionately call Jacob’s Ladder of Letters.

I absolutely treasure the tradition of sending out holiday cards, letters, and pictures in December, but I could never figure out how to display them in a way that was meaningful but not messy. Inspired by a few holiday card displays on sale at Etsy.com, my Jacob’s Ladder of Letters did the trick. Here’s what I did:
1) Used chainnose pliers to bend a piece of 20-gauge craft wire into a triangle, then used 24-gauge wire to securely wrap the ends together.
2) Secured the end of a long length of ribbon to the wire triangle with a button and thread.
3) Installed a 3M Command Strip Hook upside down on the back of a door and anchored the wire triangle in the arch of the hook.
4) Flipped the ribbon over the front of the door so that it reached almost to the floor, then used wooden clothes pins to secure cards to the ribbon on both sides of the door.

I found that Jacob’s Ladder of Letters also works great for birthday cards. Thanks for sharing your stuff, Linda!

And speaking of birthdays, last week Friday was mine, so it was time to dream up another cake to decorate. Those who know me well know that there is a special place in my heart for my favorite Muppet, Cookie Monster. This year, I decided it was time to give my sweet-toothed hero an equally sweet homage, and below is the result.

So that’s what I’ve been working on so far in 2009. Since this post is already long enough, I’ll give you a glimpse of near-future projects in my post next week Monday. Stay tuned!

What's "old" is new again

Erin Dolan — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:48:00 GMT

I’ve been working at BeadStyle for nearly four months now, and one of my favorite “perks” of being the editorial assistant is working with readers and contributors. When I answer your questions, find elusive components, or organize jewelry, I get to page through back issues of the magazine. I love spotting great projects, then going to the workroom archives to check out the finished pieces in person. It just goes to show you that classic pieces never go out of style, especially for new staff members and beaders!

What’s great for those of you who can’t just walk down the hall to our workroom is that we post so many of our projects online. We have projects for subscribers, projects direct from the magazine pages, and (best of all), free projects!

Some of my favorite “old” (and by “old,” I mean “pre-Erin-working-at-BeadStyle”) projects include:

Lauren Hadley’s pearl-dangle bracelet, the March 2008 online subscriber project

Roxie Moede’s barbell necklace, from the November 2007 issue of BeadStyle

Yvette Jones’ dangle earrings, from the May 2005 issue of BeadStyle

Rupa Balachandar's necklace with kite-shaped beads, from the September 2007 issue of BeadStyle

What are your favorite BeadStyle projects from the past?

BeadStyle : Erin Dolan

Crafts, cakes, and creativity in 2009!

What's "old" is new again