Sunday, February 22, 2015

My First Tutorial is in the Newest Issue of Creative Spark EMagazine!

Last month the Creative Spark designer group (for ZnetShows, wholesale bead company) was contacted by Hope Smitherman, (our group leader and editor of Creative Spark) to create designs for the new issue and a few simple earring tutorials would also be needed.  I decided to try my hand at the tutorial since Chris and Mina had done some last year for Soda Lime Times.  These are the earrings I created.





I used small rolo chain with the globe beads and crystal cupchain to create the porcelain butterfly earrings.  You can find my tutorials in the newest copy of Creative Spark!

Creative Spark Winter 2015


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Bead Peeps Swap N Hop, Part 2: Meet Lori Alainn Blanchard

I too am participating in the Bead Peeps Swap N Hop!  My lovely partner, Lori Alainn Blanchard, lives in Ohio.  Lori & I are paired up in the Seed Bead category of the Hop.  Here are a few of Lori's beadiful, beautiful creations! 
Sugar Skull bracelet, design by FunPatternDesigns, beaded by Lori
I thought this was an appropriate design to share since it is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras Time!  Lori used the pattern and added some of her own touches when she beaded it.

Alainn Jewelry on Facebook
I was very taken with these Pop Culture bracelets designed and beaded by Lori.  Aren't they fabulous?! (You can also find Lori on Etsy: My Alainn Jewelry ).

Lori and I had quite the conversation about our "fur kids".  She has dogs and cats (with one troublemaker in the group).  Here are the photos she shared with me.
Not sure which one is the culprit, but they look like they would be fun to live with!  Lori also shared with me that she is the baby of her family, she is 29 (gosh I felt so OLD!), and has been with her husband for 7 years.  We share a love and passion for seeds and all the new shaped seed beads.  We also enjoy beading objects and bead embroidery is a favorite. 

I have quite the stash of goodies pulled for Lori, and can NOT wait to see what she has for me!




Monday, February 16, 2015

Bead Peeps Swap N Hop partner Introduction, part 1

Hi there dear readers!  Part time blogger Chris here, getting ready to introduce to you my partner for the 1st Annual Bead Peeps Swap N Hop!  This is my second hop that I have been involved in.  I  participated in Lori Anderson's final Bead Soup Blog Hop last year.

That was then, this is now.  This year my partner is Stephanie Stamper, from down in the Sunshine State.  She has an orange tree at her house!  Living in Nebraska, growing citrus is a rather strange idea!
 She has been making jewelry for about 10 years now. 


The last few of years or so have been a bit crazed and/or blessed for her as she is a full-time mommy of three little boys, age 4 and younger.  Being the middle one of five boys myself, I can only imagine life from the other side. She does not have as much time to play with her beads as she would like, but it has not stopped her from adding to her stash.  Stephanie and I have been chatting back and forth, learning about each other and exchanging ideas. 

As I type this, part of Stephanie's goodies are sitting in an old peanut butter jar at my elbow, while the rest are cooling in the kiln.  Gee, the deadline for shipping her stash is over three weeks away and I nearly have everything ready, except for the packaging.  How in the world did that happen?

I have been looking forward to this Swap.  I expect to learn some new things while I learn a new technique or two.  Bring it on. 

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Back In Time Blog Hop - Episode 1

Hi!  Long time no blog posts!  We have been busy with college visits, taxes, scholarships, and prom  dress shopping.  Time goes by way too quickly and there are always way to many things to accomplish! 

Speaking of time, I (and Chris helped too) am participating in the Back in Time Blog Hop through a group I was honored to be invited to join.  The group is headed up by Lindsay Starr of Phantasm Creations, and Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame.  They are amazing artists and this was a fun challenge to participate in.

The theme: Back in Time, Pre-Human.  Hopefully, my piece fits that theme!  I started with a piece of this:
source
Chris and I purchased a couple of the very smooth stones last summer in Lincoln at the Haymarket Farmers Market from the Lincoln Rock Shop.  I loved the shape and texture and the bits of fossil in the texture.  I thought I would use it in bead embroidery, but this was the PERFECT challenge for the piece.  I was originally going to wire wrap it, but while the front side looked great, the back was a mess from trying to anchor it on the smooth texture of the stone.  So I channeled one of my favorite artists, Darcy Horn (The Jade Dog), who does amazing things with free form peyote.

Here is my creation:



When I started, Mina suggested I use greens, which I hadn't considered but which worked very well against the smooth gray.  I varied, matte forest green, opaque olive, opaque seafoam lined topaz, matte seafoam ab, and matte metallic gray.  Because we all liked the designs on both sides of the stone, I made the piece reversible.  Side one shows off the fossil design quite nicely near the circle and the back side has interesting designs with the bead work.  I finished the piece with a gorgeous hand dyed cord using kumihimo, and finishing bead cones and a clasp in gunmetal black.

Want to see all the other amazing designs?  Here is the list!

Co-hostess: Lindsay Starr of Phantasm Creations http://phantasmcreation.blogspot.com/
Co-hostess: Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macrame
http://www.knotjustmacrame.com/2015/01/beading-back-in-time-blog-hop-big-reveal.html
Kelly Rodgers of Beadin' Black & Blue http://beadinblacknblue.blogspot.com/
Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studio http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com/2015/01/beading-back- in-time.html
Caroline Dewison of Blueberribeads http://blueberribeads.co.uk/
Melissa Trudinger of Boho Bird Jewellery https://beadrecipes.wordpress.com/
Sue Kennedy of SueBeads http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com/
Stephanie and Chris Haussler of Pixybug Designs You Are Here
Jen Cameron of Glass Addictions www.glassaddictions.com/blog
Jean Wells of Jean A. Wells Artisan Jewelry http://jeanawells.blogspot.com/

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