BeadStyle : inspiration

A friend-ly invitation from BeadStyle

Erin Dolan — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:05:00 GMT

Happy Friday, everybody!

We are so appreciative that you read our magazine, receive our email newsletters, scope out this blog from time to time, and are otherwise involved and invested in BeadStyle magazine. We would like to extend an invitation to you to turn our already-wonderful friendship into a "friend"-ship.

Not to sound too first-day-of-kindergarten, but BeadStyle has a question for all of you: Will you be our friend?

I am referring to the world of Facebook. We are up and running on that social site under the name BeadStyle Mag. Search for us at facebook.com and friend us! We'd love to get to know you better!

We'll post fun pictures, projects, and other links to our Facebook page, so don't miss out on this great "friend"-ship!

Our current status: BeadStyle Mag is obsessed with the "cursed necklace" in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Has anyone seen a better image of it than this?

If you have a better photo than this one, let us know! It would be fun to try to make something inspired by that movie necklace.

And as you're making plans to hang out with family and friends this summer weekend, don't forget to friend BeadStyle Mag!

New Xilion bead

Cathy Jakicic — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:48:00 GMT

Though there’s been buzz about this for awhile, the official press release arrived this week about the new Crystallized – Swarovski Elements Xilion bead.

Called an enhancement of the popular bicone shape (5301), the Xilion (5328) has more facets and a hole with rounded edges to “amplify sparkle” and protect threads.

According to the release, the Xilion’s “harmonious design and dimensions make possible beautiful combinations with its predecessor, the bi-cone bead 5301.”
Good news for bicone fans, especially those with a stash. More good news – you can call your bicones ”vintage” soon. That makes a sexier label for the jewelry designs you sell!

The Xilion,which will be phased in gradually, will be available in 66 colors, 20 effects, and in sizes from 3 mm to 10 mm. The 2.5 mm bicone will still be available.

It's my lucky day

Erin Dolan — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:55:00 GMT

It's not really my lucky day, but it is the eve of my half-birthday, a day I completely support celebrating.

As luck would have it, I remembered that it was my half-birthday just moments ago. Also as luck would have it, I just came across this gorgeous four-leaf clover necklace by jewelry artist Jennifer Meyer. I recently saw some of her work in InStyle magazine, and was browsing her website for ideas and inspiration.

I am a fan of simple, classic jewelry, and her chain-and-charm necklaces are right up my alley. Plus her shamrock charm speaks to my Irish heart. These kinds of simple pieces never go out of style, and you can wear them so many different ways with different outfits. I'm trying to embrace the layering look, too. I feel like I'm a little late on that trend but we'll see how it goes!

Naomi's blog post about making charm jewelry to memorialize pets (or another loved one) is also a great inspiration point for creating simple, personalized jewelry.

I think this shamrock necklace would make a great half-birthday present, don't you? I'll just alert my family and friends and I'm sure they'll get right on purchasing this for me...If only I weren't being sarcastic. It's that good ole Irish wit ;)

The ultimate stringing project

Erin Dolan — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:48:00 GMT

Try this on for size!

A group of kids in Houma, Louisiana decided to start their Mardi Gras celebration a little early this year.

The group spent a boring Saturday stringing and twisting together over 800 strands of the famed Mardi Gras beaded necklaces.

After over five hours of work, and cooperation from dozens of neighbors and family members, the kids had a strand of beads that stretched halfway around their block! The kids are going to continue their project until they can reach the strand all the way around their block, and maybe until they beat that world record. The current world record for longest bead strand is a 7,000-foot-long strand completed a few years ago by Bacardi Rum, Co. The Houma strand is currently 1,584 feet long (five football fields). You can read the original article here.

This takes weekend craft time to a whole new level! What a fun, creative way to spend a Saturday.

Even if you don't break any world records, I hope you have a fun, creative weekend as well!

New products for artistic inspiration

Stacy Hillmer — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:21:00 GMT

In the March 2009 issue of BeadStyle, we published three projects inspired by artwork.

Linda Arline Hartung’s “Stroke of genius” took its cue from the brushstrokes of impressionistic painters; Lorelei Eurto used a pendant by Jennifer Stumpf and beads by Heather Powers to recreate the mood of Van Gogh’s Starry Night (necklace seen at left); and Associate Editor Jane Konkel made a necklace that would certainly have been donned by artist Frida Kahlo.

If you fell as hard for art-inspired jewelry as we did, check out Artbeads.com’s new masterpiece pendants. These wooden pendants hold prints of contemporary artists, including Charlie Clingman, Peter Pierce, and Jordan Haughey. With one- and two-bail pendants available in a wide range of color palettes, you’re sure to find plenty of artistic inspiration for your next jewelry project!

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!

November 21 Jewelry Gems of the Web

Linda Augsburg — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:22:00 GMT

Thanksgiving is almost here and no, I still didn't get any of those things on the list accomplished last weekend either. But I visited with friends and got some other things done, so it was productive none-the-less. And this weekend I'm focusing on home and projects, honest I am. (And speaking of projects, check out this great deal on downloadable PDFs on the BeadStyle site. I might have to get a few of those myself tonight.)

As for those jewelry gems, inspiration seems to be the theme for the day.

Andrew explores a few examples of where he discovers inspiration and how it relates to the jewelry he makes in Finding Inspiration on The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton.

Melissa gets inspired by a favorite strip from "Peanuts" on Strands of Beads.

Talk about interesting inspiration. Kerry Wilkinson works with resin and...fruit? Well, ok, it's really polymer clay! Go to Jewelry & Beading to read an artist profile of Kerry.

Tammy at About.com Jewelry Making found her inspiration in the scrapbook aisle. Check out her new Gathering Leaf Project - Use a chipboard sticker and some wire to make a leaf necklace for fall or to wear at the Thanksgiving table.

On Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!, Jean could easily picture herself as the lead in the book, The Secret Garden. Come play dress up with some jewelry using Green Girl Studios components!

And now for something completely different, it's not beaded, but it's quite entertaining! Carter Seibels for Divali Glass Jewelry shares some of her other creative talents this week. That's inspirational too!

Carmi's inspired to make a name tag she'll actually wear. Check it out on Carmi's Art/Life World.

Looks like Jen's been pretty busy lately! Read how Naughty Secretary Club and Etsy teamed up for a fun bracelet how-to project and a shopping guide for kitschy cool jewelry supplies.

And speaking of Etsy, Jennifer's showing some funky sticks for your hair this week both on Etsy and on Jennifer Jangles Blog.

Join Katie as she shares trends from the upcoming CHA Winter Show.

Art Bead Scene reviews their favorite tools: This tool gets around!

And if, after all of these, you're feeling inspired about publishing a beading or jewelry-making book, Kalmbach Publishing Co. is looking for authors. Read more at Bead&Button Magazine's blog.

Beautiful beadwork at Coldwater Creek

Stacy Hillmer — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:45:00 GMT

Last week, Naomi blogged about Dean Harris’ line of jewelry at Target. Many of these designs could be adapted to projects you make on your own, especially if you like working with wire and chain links.

This got me thinking about other stores that offer jewelry that inspires me. I recently received a catalog from Coldwater Creek, and found many gorgeous pieces that have a distinctly beady feel.

For instance, I fell in love with Glass bead artisan necklace (left). The beads reminded me of Cathy Jakicic’s “Sparkle and smoke” necklace from the November 2008 issue, only with brighter colors perfect for the festive season.

I also like Garland torsade necklace (below) with its many shades of red and interspersed chain links. It could easily be a design alternative for the piece on the cover of our November 2006 issue.

While it wouldn’t be ethical to copy these designs and call them your own, store-bought jewelry is a great place to start when you’re looking for inspiration. Have any of you ever made a piece of jewelry inspired by a piece you saw in a store?