Daily Blogs : mixed media

Discover your jewelry-making style with a Beads, Baubles & Jewels video!

Leslie — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:28:00 GMT

My Style, Your Style!

We beaders love a challenge! The challenge of learning new stitches and twists on a technique. The challenge of that “blank page” moment when you spread out your beads and wonder what you’ll make. But the challenge we love most is seeing what happens when two or more beaders go to their respective beading corners with identical materials and create individual, personal pieces of beadwork.

Marlene Blessing and I are no exception and love beading challenges, too. In our new season of presenting on B eads, Baubles & Jewels on Public Television, we had loads of fun doing a “My Style, Your Style” segment that we approached just like a challenge. We started with identical materials, key charms in three metal finishes––pewter, sterling silver, and shibuichi, and an option to use a toggle that looked like a keyhole. The charms were designed by Greg Ogden and Cynthia Thornton at Green Girl Studios. Our mission was to use the same materials in our jewelry designs, knowing we had personal styles, then share the process we each went through to reach our final designs. So, read the scoop on our different style stories, and watch the video from the show!

How did we each approach our jewelry design plans?

Marlene: I wanted the grouping of keys to be front and center, clanking together like keys on a key ring. At first, I thought I would create a strung necklace for these charms, adding a great Green Girl heart toggle clasp (with a “key” for the bar, of course). Even though I was short on time, I changed my course. Seed bead weaving was the way to go. I wanted to mix the fabric-like texture of beadweaving with the hardness of metal. That’s where some anxiety crept in. I’m a slow stitcher. (And I don’t have Leslie’s great facility with seed beads.)

Leslie: Keys are such powerful symbols besides being cool shapes. The style of these specific keys made me think of medieval times, and the metal finishes reminded me of Renaissance Faire jewelry and armory. So, I chose to design a heraldic banner brooch. I knew I’d be using seed beads even though, like Marlene said, there wasn’t much time. I may be faster than the average beader, but I’m not that fast! So, I worked in my fastest stitch, peyote, and used larger sized cylinder beads, size 10º, which helped me finish even faster.

What else inspired us besides the key charms?

Marlene: I followed a tip from Jean Campbell about not reinventing the wheel (or the jewelry) and decided to recycle design elements from something I already made—then add new twists. I chose to do a tubular herringbone single strand with stripes like those in my Maggie’s Weave project in the August/September 2009 issue of Beadwork. I also wanted to use a design idea from a strung project I made for the Fall 2009 issue of Stringing.

Leslie: Since this piece had a story, the keyhole toggle of course had to be an actual keyhole in the beadwork. I used it as a design element with a paradoxical function. A keyhole to what? Did one of the keys open it? What does a lock in a banner open to? It may be bit of Alice in Wonderland—that’s the mystery and fantasy of keyholes. It instantly invites the question, what’s on the other side?

What gave each of our jewelry designs a Marlene or Leslie look?

Marlene: Probably my subtle asymmetry in the design. I think I'm a bit of a tease. I want my pieces to look very balanced, almost symmetrical. In this piece, I made sure the stripes were arranged asymmetrically, and the detail with the jump rings and hammered links was only on one side of the necklace. My style!

Leslie: And I'm just the opposite! I admire anyone who makes asymmetrical work, like Marlene does. It’s not easy. So I’m totally about symmetry. The only math I was good at was geometry, and I’ve always been inspired by geometric forms. My designs are very architectural, especially my seed bead work. Plus, speaking of not reinventing, I’d already engineered the type of piece I made for this challenge, having made other medallion, banner style pieces. Also, the colors of the keys were right up my alley: though I do use bright colors, I am more drawn to metallic and matte surfaces. My style!

How to find your style

As you see, Marlene and I developed personal styles only after we’d worked to grow a jewelry-making vocabulary. We’d already explored different techniques and materials, so we had many choices we could use. Beads, Baubles & Jewels is all about helping you build your own buffet, so you can develop your personal style, too. The teachers and designers on Beads, Baubles & Jewels are experts who show you what’s new in materials and tools; how to work techniques in wire, beadweaving, metals and more; and how to simply play as a designer. Find your style—or styles! So check out the sneak peek at My Style, Your Style, and be sure to pre-order the latest season of Beads, Baubles & Jewels for even more ideas and inspiration!

Did our key challenge open some doors to your own ideas? Share them with us!

Try These 11 Surface Design Techniques

Leslie — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:24:00 GMT

Boy, Interweave Press is sure coming out with some kick-butt jewelry making books lately. The one I recently picked up,The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques is no exception. I was a bit put off by the cover at first, thinking the pieces there weren’t my cup of tea, but when I opened up the book I just couldn’t believe all the information held within! Like The Beaders Companion for beaders, this book is a one-stop information station for anyone interested in knowing how to cut, pierce, file, anneal, solder, polish or rivet metal. The bonus here is the chapter upon chapter of great ideas for anyone curious to learn about incorporating plastics, rubber, fabric, paper, wood, and even concrete into jewelry design. I know this one will become dog-eared in my studio. I’d highly recommend you check it out, too.

Inspired Surface Design Techniques

One of my favorite parts of The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewelry Making Techniques is a section at the back called “Decorative Effects”. It features rows of simple photos of different hammered, stitched, wired, printed, rolled, and other surface applications. This section was so inspirational to me that I sat down and did a few of my own “Surface Design Studies” on some aluminum foiling. Check them out:

Hammered with the round end of a ball-peen hammer.	Hammered with the textured edge of a jeweler’s hammer.

Folded, opened, and flattened with my fingers.	Leather scrap added with an eyelet.

Layered with lace and spray-painted.	Punched with a paper punch; yarn threaded through.

Drawn with a pencil.	Hammered with a rubber mallet over a metal form.

Sanded with 320-grit sandpaper while holding.	Sanded with steel wool on a flat surface.

Colored with permanent marker, then sanded while holding.

Hey—that was fun! I think I’ll pack these into a plastic zip bag and tuck them in my design journal for future reference. Or perhaps I’ll play a little more, using one of them as a background in a collage pendant. Or maybe I’ll simply cut them into charm shapes, cover in resin, and make a bracelet. What would you do? Please share your comments with us.

Say What You Want: Add Words to Your Beads

Michelle M. — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:13:00 GMT

As anyone who has every seen me at a bead show knows, I find beads with words irresistable. So when I saw that the new free project from Cloth Paper Scissors involved adding words to beads, I knew this was a project I'd have to try for myself. ...(read more)

5 Tips for Using Dimensional Adhesive Glaze

Michelle M. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:13:00 GMT

I’ve been obsessed with the cable series Mad Men lately. If you haven’t seen it, it’s basically a smart soap about Madison Avenue ad execs in 1960. It’s all about sharp suits, Doris Day-style frilly aprons over petticoated taffeta, and lots of martini lunches and general naughtiness. The period is captured just brilliantly in small moments, such as one where a main character very carefully spreads cream cheese into a celery stick, adding it to a pile of other era-appropriate hors d'œuvres. It’s absolutely great fodder to bead by....(read more)

3 Easy Mixed Media Jewelry Ideas

Michelle M. — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:42:00 GMT

My 13-year-old announced at the dinner table the other night, “There’s too much junk in the basement. We need to give it away or throw it away.” Wow! I thought. This coming from a boy whose bedroom floor is a sea of candy wrappers and Gatorade bottles? Maybe change IS coming?...(read more)

Quick Beaded Valentine Cards, Plus New Reader Gallery

Michelle M. — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:01:00 GMT

The first reader gallery of 2009 includes designs by 35 readers from all over the world, including Mexcio, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Germany. From simple strung necklaces to a Victorian-style beaded bag with size 15 beads to a bead embroidered pin, you'll find something to love in this gallery!...(read more)

Fearlessly Creative: An Interview with Kristal Wick

Michelle M. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:41:00 GMT

Kristal Wick is one of those folks who sparkle with creativity-- just take a look at her colorful new book, Fabulous Fabric Beads! I was lucky enough to catch a few minutes with Kristal before she took off to the International Quilt Show in Houston. I asked her about her signature beads, her love of color, making mistakes, and current projects. I loved her advice about creating fearlessly and listening to yourself--and your customers!--Michelle Mach, Beading Daily editor...(read more)

Tips for Making Your Own Fabric Beads, Plus Kristal Wick Interview

Michelle M. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:26:00 GMT

A few years ago I tried to make beads from ribbons. Sounds pretty easy, right? Cut a piece of ribbon, roll it up, and glue it. What could possibly go wrong? (How much time do you have?) My beads came apart at the seams and they were easily squashed. I couldn't figure out how much ribbon should overlap on the seam or what type of adhesive I should use. It's safe to say I was very intrigued when I saw Kristal Wick's new book, Fabulous Fabric Beads. Here was an artist who made and sold fabric beads for a living--if I still couldn't figure out how to make a good fabric (or ribbon) bead with this book, then I would just give up!...(read more)

6 Ways to Combine Beads with Paper

Michelle M. — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:53:00 GMT

Whenever I venture into one of the local craft stores, I try to take a detour of the scrapbooking section to look at all the papers. Why would a beader ever care about pretty paper? What can you do with it? ...(read more)

Dragonfly Pin and Other Beading Challenges

Editor — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:00:00 GMT

The Challenge
The idea behind the Beadwork challenge is simple: give different designers the same materials and see what they create. The August/September 2007 kit was from Lady Bug Beads and contained seed beads, Czech pressed-glass beads, crystal bicones, pearls, copper beads, and chain.

The Beadwork Projects
Beadwork editors Melinda Barta, Jamie Hogsett, and Dustin Wedekind all created stunning pieces, suitable for an elegant dinner party:

Melinda used circular one- and two-drop peyote stitch to create a fringy centerpiece for her necklace.
Jamie dangled green nautilus beads from short lengths of chain in her simple, yet striking necklace.
Dustin created a beautiful brooch with right-angle weave—and then created a second brooch with nearly all of his remaining beads!

The Beading Daily Projects

Sandi's "Under Construction" Project To make the challenge project even more challenging, contributing editor Sandi Wiseheart and I agreed to split one kit of beads and create a project that was not a necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings. (More than 300 readers voted on how Sandi should complete her project—stay tuned to see how it came out!)

For my project, I decided to take the funky route with a pin that would be more at home on a denim jacket than a beautiful gown. As soon I saw the beads, I knew that I wanted to create a nature-themed piece. At first, I thought I would make a flower, but in playing around with the beads, I began to imagine a dragonfly pin. I found two scrapbooking tags, one vellum and one metal, that served as the base for the piece. (I love scrapbooking materials, even though I'm not a scrapbooker.)

For the dragonfly's body, I sewed a line of beads to brown moleskin fabric covered with blue tubular wire mesh ribbon I found at Bead Expo. This was the first time I'd ever worked with wire mesh and I really liked it! It was easy to stretch apart and much softer than I expected. To complete the piece, I added wiredworked antennae, dagger wings (sewn to the fabric) and a border of seed beads and chain.

I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille. P.S. I'm a decent photographer, but for some reason, I could not take a good photo of this project. Too dark, blurry, weird camera angles. . .Then late on a Friday afternoon, I found our photographer Ann in her basement studio shooting a project for another magazine. She generously agreed to squeeze me in and came back in about fifteen minutes with this beautiful photo. I had a little teary, makeover show moment in my office. Maybe this little pin could go to a grown-up dinner party. Thanks, Ann!