Jennifer Heynen, aka Jennifer Jangles is teaching both in Miami and at Bead & Button this year!  Visit Jennifer’s site for additional information or to contact her.
Ceramic Vessels and Rattles and an Intro to Raku

Date: Sat and Sun, April 18 – 19, 2009, 10 AM to 4 PM in Miami

Description: We are taking ceramic bead making to the next level to create vessels & rattles. Students will learn basic ceramic bead shapes as well as how to create hollow forms: vessels or rattles. For those who didn’t take the 2008 class, the focus will be on basic bead shapes. But, …read more

Artist: Erin Siegel
Every Heart Crafts
Every Heart Crafts etsy shop
The best advice I ever received was simply ‘Follow Your Dreams’. Look deep in your heart and do what you’re passionate about. Too many of us learn the hard way by suffering through jobs we don’t like or constantly catering to others needs and ignoring ourselves. Take care of yourself first. You’re no use to anyone else if you’re unhappy. Set aside time at least once a week to do something for you, whether it’s beading, jewelry-making or whatever it may be. Believe in yourself and follow …read more

Technique Tuesday

All the Daughters of Eve
I’m going to be tantalizing you with lots of beautiful handmade beads this month (stay tuned for tomorrow’s post!), and so I thought it might be a good idea to remind you that we’ve got a treasure trove of links on making your own beads. Every year, I like to add to my personal repertoire of techniques, so if you are in agreement that that’s a good way to keep your designs interesting and fresh, check out all the different types of beads that you could learn to make for yourself!

Ceramic Bead Jewelry: 30 Fired & Inspired Projects
by Jennifer Heynen
What makes Jennifer’s beautiful (and colorful!!) book really unique is that she spends time covering both the making of ceramic beads AND the construction of finished jewelry that features them! I love this book. I don’t do any ceramic work at all – just a little bit with polymer clay – but Jennifer has got me convinced that I can. And that I want to! Her pieces are so vibrant and fun, and her writing style is so friendly and inviting that I’m really tempted to try.
If you’ve ever had …read more

Clayfulmingles

The Spirited Bead
Beautiful polymer beads by Karen Lewis, aka Klew
Clayfulmingles
Mia Rox’s polymer cane beads
Beyond Beads Gallery
Porcelain beauties by Jean Christen
CF Originals
Spectacular critters and more by Christi Friesen
Columbine Beads
Raku beads and pendants by Linda A Hendrix

1000 Jewelry Inspirations
by Sandra Salamony
[Wicked big disclaimer: I've got 7 pieces in this book, so of course I think it's really good!]
OK, that being said, it is really good! Page after glorious page of beautiful designs. Some so simple that you say, “Yes, of course! That’s all it needs.” Others are complex enough to make your jaw drop. I will be leafing back through this book over and over and over…
One of my pieces even (sort of) made it onto the cover! There it is – a teeny piece of it anyway – in the lower righthand corner. Here’s …read more

Congratulations to Mary Harding!  I wish that I could tell you that she actually won a free hour, but you all know that’s not within my power to grant    What Mary did win was a small package of lovely beads made by my friend Melanie, of Earthenwood Studio.

Make Art Monday!
My friend Melanie, of Earthenwood Studio, made these terrific steampunk-inspired ceramic beads and sent a bunch to me to play with. This is what I made:

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

I’ve got two sets of spacer beads and one tile, all in black and white, left over from this project. The beads and colors are great, but they just didn’t fit in with what I made. So Melanie and I decided to do a giveaway! I’m going to send these beads to a winner, and in addition, Melanie is going to do another drawing and …read more

Last week when I shared a list of my favorite resources for advice and tutorials on making beads, I left out ceramics! Not because I don’t like them, but because I know next to nothing about them. Since then, I’ve done a bit of scouting about on the internet for sources of info, and thanks to Google…voila!
Beads of Clay
Celebrating the world of ceramic bead artists. Artists working together to promote the art form.
Mystic Spiral Studio
A tutorial on different bead shapes and how to make them with clay.
Ceramic Bead Artists
Tutorials for both the beginner and the more experienced artist.
Ceramic Bead …read more