Jewelry & Beading
I am giving away a copy of Ronna Sarvas Weltman’s unique polymer clay book called “Ancient Modern”. Come and get in on this contest!

Snap out of it Jean! There’s beading to be done!
Jean is amazed by the treasures you find in Cynthia Thornton’s spectacular wonder of a book, Enchanted Adornments!

Strands of Beads
Melissa trys out Friendly Plastic (and likes the results).

A Bead A Day
It’s Arts & Crafts Week on Lisa’s A-Bead-A-Day Blog! A different craft product is featured each day with ideas for incorporating them into jewelry pieces. Stop by and share your ideas!

About.com Jewelry Making
Make it merry with holiday jewelry and crafting ideas.

Art Bead Scene
An Art Bead Scene first – the December sponsors collaborate on a special set of art beads for the December monthly challenge prize!

Barbe Saint John – New Treasures from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe is the last link in a Necklace Round Robin, Check out the finished pieces!

Carmi’s Art/Life World
Carmi uses a leather button to make a wearable collage.

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva
Cindy has developed a new line of jewelry to remind us all to live life slowly and enjoy what we have. First in the series is “Grounded.”

Lorelei’s Blog: Inside the Studio
Liver of Sulfur is finally in Lorelei’s repertoire of jewelry techniques.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew adds new pieces from Hawaiian artist, Candice Wakumoto, to his shop.

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Lesson for the week: Don’t be smug or catty…it’s not attractive.

The challenge: The designers must create a design using the Getty Center in LA as inspiration.  They even got to see it with their models!

No surprises last night…the three designers that I expected to be at the top by about mid-season were the judges’ picks.  Even though two of them made dresses that were unattractive at best, at least in my opinion.  Althea and Irina have consistently done good work, and that consistency saved at least Althea last night.

Irina’s dress

The judges seemed to really like Irina’s dress, but I couldn’t figure out why.   If a dress makes a girl of this model’s stature and beauty look like a galumph, what would it look like on me?  I’m already a galumph without help, thanks!  Nonethess, Irina was smug and catty, obviously delighting in criticisms of other designers’ work both in the workroom and on stage.

Althea’s dress

Althea’s dress was a complete mess.  Like I said, it’s her consistency throughout the season that saved her last night.

Gordana’s dress

Gordana’s dress was far better made and was just lovely, but it wasn’t the risk that Althea’s was.  I understand the decision, but overall, Gordana’s dress was the only one I liked last night.

Why can’t we all just get along?

Many of the designers this year have had extremely pleasant personalities.  One thing that has struck me time and time again is how unattractive it is to see or hear someone being smug or catty.  Competitions can certainly bring that out in people, and I know that I’ve not been through the stress that these designers have.  However, I think it’s really an important lesson for all artists, craftspeople, and designers to keep in mind: no one likes a poor loser, but everyone hates a poor winner!

Why is Carol Hannah everyone’s sweetheart?  Just look at that face, watch her interactions with others, and listen to what she says about the other competitors.  It’s obvious!  She avoids the drama, does her work without a fuss, and is kind and considerate to those around her, even when some of them are saying snippy things about her.  There’s a lesson there, I think.

Images: MyLifetime.com

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Website & Blog:
Patterns of my designs
Beading Blog

Nancy, how do you describe your work?
I think that my first love of style of beading is beadweaving. I love to learn new stitches and then take them, create and explore new possibilities. There are some that I find myself coming back to, like the various forms of peyote.

What is your creative process like?
Having two sons, my creative process can be quite chaotic. I may have an idea for a piece but then I only get to work on it in small spurts between helping and taking care of them. Every now and then I will sit down and just bead while they are watching a show. Those are usually my longest spurts of beading. It is hard sometimes when I want to work on a larger project to break it down into the time slots that I have available. Of course when I get toward the end of the project, it is hard to remember to do the other things that I NEED to do, lol.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I don’t have any “formal” training in beadwork. I started by doing simple stringing and was hooked. I wanted to make a piece of jewelry for a friend who was getting married and decided that I should expand my repertoire of beading skills. I started to buy patterns and follow along. This built up a lot of the skills that I use now. A good friend, seeing some of the things that I dabbled with on my own, encouraged me to start to write up patterns for what I was doing. I guess the rest, as they say, is history.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
I love seed beads and Swarovski crystals. Give me a bunch with a needle and thread and I am ready to go.

What inspires you to create?
Other bead artists inspire me. I like to take in what someone else has done and explore their process of putting things together. It helps me to learn new skills and pick up little “tricks” that help make the process easier.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
My advice is to just keep at it. Don’t be afraid to learn something new. Life is all about learning and adapting and incorporating. Use what you know, add to it and share it!

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I would have to say my family. We have two upper elementary age boys and they keep me on my toes. My youngest son is very interested in my beadwork. He likes to help pick colors and often likes to sit down and bead himself.

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This might be a great opportunity for you to try their hand at jewelry design, as the competition is open to any skill level.

For more information and the contest rules, check out David Kodner’s facebook page!

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The Saul Bell Emerging Artist competition is open to artists who are 18 years of age and younger.  Now in its third year, this design competition focuses on the creativity of young designers.  Pieces will be jusded on innovation and uniqueness of the design, and the quality of the workmanship.  Registration can be done online or through the mail.

Last year’s first place winner, Kelsey Oswald

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Lark Books seeks images to publish in a juried collection of international studio jewelry. Each piece must prominently feature silver. Materials other than silver, such as stones, other metals, or alternative materials, may be included, but silver must be the focus and should occupy roughly 80% of the piece. We wish to showcase a wide range of techniques, textures, and finishes. All jewelry forms, such as rings, earrings, bracelets, brooches, necklaces, and pendants, will be considered, and all design styles are welcome. There is no entry fee.

Download an entry form here.

Image credit: Allyson Bone

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I found this wonderful vintage rolled-brim felt hat with a built-in scarf in an old musty antique shop a couple of years ago, and it just occurred to me that I’ve never shared the instructions with you for its transformation!

I loved the style and the color, and knew immediately that the structure of the hat would stand up to a lot of altering! Sifting through my collection of vintage buttons and jewelry showed me just what direction to go with this hat. The name, Dreaming of Spring came to me before the hat was completed. I filled the brim, but still something was missing. The final piece was still sitting on my work table: a small vintage bee pin. Obviously, the bee was to be the focal point, the one who was “dreaming of spring”!

Now as cold weather approaches, I can wear this hat with the promise that spring will one day return to New England.

Materials and tools:
Vintage hat
Buttons, beads, seed beads, and vintage jewelry
Black nymo thread, size O
Beading needles
Fabric glue

Step by Step Instructions

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***FREE STUFF ALERT***FREE STUFF ALERT***

Would you like to have this book?  Just leave me a comment below telling me what’s your favorite jewelry style: classic?  edgy?  cyberpunk?  elegant?   Whatever description best fits your faves.  Next Monday, I’ll be randomly selecting a winner!

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I’ve started a new handmade beaded necklace, inspired by one of my favorite women, The Lady of Shalott.  She was immortalized in a poem by Tennyson (the 1842 version), loosely based upon the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astolat.  I’ll be sharing more images of it with you as it progresses.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Recently, I did exactly that!

Our town has been holding an arts fest for a couple of years now, called Art Smart. Local artists, musicians, teachers, and organizations are invited to participate. It’s the only “show” that I do anymore, and even though I sell very little (sometimes nothing) at it, I still like to get out there once a year and hear what people are thinking.

Why do a show that you know doesn’t cater to your target audience? I love my town and I love the people. Sometimes that’s good enough.

How about you?  If doing shows is important to your income, can you imagine doing one that you knew would be a selling bust?  You can leave your comments here, or if you’d like to share a picture of your show booth and a link to your site, email me with the details at cyndi @ b5Media.com (remove the spaces).

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