Sunday, June 30, 2013

Show Me Sunday - Word Beads with Rebecca of Songbead

Greeting Art Bead Sceners and a Happy Sunday to you all! Here is the last of our Show Me Sunday -  Word Bead edition. I've curated a treasury of finds for you here with lots of lovely word beady goodness for you all, to finish off June. I hope the sun is shining wherever you are, and that you are getting out and about; perhaps even creating in the sunshine! I know that's what I'll be doing later today. 

'Word Beads for Art Bead Scene' by songbead

Handmade beads enscribed, stamped, carved, etched and otherwise decorated with words!


Her - Old Iron Charm, Handma...
$3.75

story beads - custom - simpl...
$25

Make Music - Music Notes - S...
$11.25

Handmade Polymer Clay Word B...
$3

Handmade Toggle Clasp - JOY...
$5

Hand Cast Pewter Love Bird
$17.99

OOAK Bead Supply, "Jour...
$3

Adventure Stick- handmade ce...
$15

Girl Of Nature - Brown Mothe...
$7.5

Wander- handmade ceramic cha...
$14

Truth Button- ONE Hand Cast ...
$2.99

Handmade Polymer Clay Word B...
$3

Copper Word Link: Truly
$12

Hand Cast Pewter Only You Pe...
$14.99

personalized monogram pendan...
$10

GreenGirl Handcrafted Pewter...
$8


Next month, I'm going to change up Show Me Sunday just a little. I'd like you to share not only handmade beads, but also items of jewellery that YOU have created using art beads that fit the theme. I will select one item of jewellery to share, along with the art beads. You can share a blog link, an etsy link, a flickr link.....whatever works for you! NB The jewellery MUST contain art beads that fit the theme.........there's your challenge for the week! (They can be your art beads or another's - they've just got to be in there!)

And what is the new theme, I hear you cry? Well, Mary gave us a brilliant suggestion which I would like to build on - food, was her idea. I'd like to expand on this and say - things that grow in the earth. Flora, rather than Fauna, if you get my meaning! So food stuffs, but also plants, wildlife.....let's push the envelope with this one. 

And I leave with the Bead Blogger Links.....have a great day! 

A Bead A Day 
Celebrating Cristmas in July? Lisa shares a couple of festive ideas. 

About.com Jewelry Making 
Baking polymer clay is supposed to be easy, but that's not always the case. Here are some tips for successful polymer clay baking. 

Art Bead Scene 
Editor Tari Sasser shares her pick for this week's Designer of the Week - a stunning, art bead-filled creation from Ahowin! 

Carmi's Art/Life World 
On my post this week I show you how I cut a turtle pendant out of fish leather! 

Resin Crafts Blog 
Jewelled and rubber stamped buttons are easy to make with resin clay. 

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! 
Jean has a giveaway of a fabulous book about soutache and bead embroidery. Stop by , check out her review, and sign up for a chance to win this hip, fascinating , great jewelry design book! 

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton 
The June selection for the Inspired by Reading Book Club was, "The Bucolic Plague" by Josh Kilmer-Purcell. Come check out what Andrew and the others made for the blog hop! 

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer, currently living in Manchester, England. You can read more about her and her work at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com. She also has a supplies shop at thecuriousbeadshop.etsy.com.


Saturday, June 29, 2013

Studio Saturday with Gaea Cannaday


Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
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This week we visit the studio of Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.
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Are you geared up for summer? I melt at the thought of long hot days. I am a fall/winter girl all the way! In attempt to trick my mind and body into submission I have made a list of things that our family looks forward to in summer...

Iced coffee
Summer vacation
Time with my kiddos
Lunch everyday on the patio
Bright colors
Water mellon
Water park
Flowers
Clear blue skies
Staying up late (more than we should)
Waking up late (occasionally)
Sweet tea

Frisbee in the park
Summer reading
Mid week movies
Creating new work
Beach days (not so much the sand)
Trying new crafting techniques with the kids
and
Looking forward to the fall

As I am looking for the good in the season, I pulled out my resin kit that has been sitting patiently in a studio drawer for, ahem, years. Yes, I said years. At least two. I don't know if it was the fear of failing or not wanting to make a mess or my lack of knowledge that kept me from creating and experiencing this lovely medium. I also pulled out the acrylic paints, some wax paper, a few powdered colors from Pearl Ex, and various papers. Putting the fear of ending up with two clear coated hands aside I pulled out the Lima Studios resin kit, (their site has a lovely video of this technique as well!) some of my newly soldered copper frames and got busy! Here are the photographs to prove it! 







Thank you for holding my hand on this epic journey!

Tell us about a project or technique that you may need your hand held on! A name will be drawn from the comments to win 3 copper frames from www.gaea.etsy.com!


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Wearing many hats, Gaea lives in Ojai, California. You can see her work here... www.gaea.cc or here... www.gaea.etsy.com and here... gaeabeads.blogspot.com

Friday, June 28, 2013

Bead Chat Magazine - ABS June Review

The Artisan Whimsy group puts out a great e-magazine each month called Bead Chat.  The Art Bead Scene is proud to be a new monthly contributor and will share the links to our news stories here on the blog.


June’s Challenge was a watercolor painting entitled, “Jackknife Village” by Franklin Carmichael from 1926.  This painting inspired a great collection of sun-drenched beach house creations and sea-themed jewelry.  Be sure to check out the blog to see the latest hop and the challenge for July. 


Here is a necklace by Art Bead Scene editor, Heather Powers inspired by the challenge.  Art beads by Humblebeads, Genea Beads and Green Girl Studio.


Best of the ABS
Down by the River Earrings” - a great free earring project from Gaea Cannaday.  Follow along with Gaea’s easy pictorial tutorial and you’ll be whipping up a pair of these earrings in time for your next stroll along with waterfront! 

Color Inspiration
Every month designer Brandi Hussey puts together a series of color palettes based on art beads.  This month was all about beach and beads by MayaHoney. Check out June’s Art Bead Color Palettes.


Brandi just released a book on color theory that is a must for designers and artists.  Understanding Color: Color Theory Made Easy is 84 pages filled with practical advice and amazing color palettes. 

Summer is Calling:




June Monthly Blog Tour

 “Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen.
We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more
if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.” 
~L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables


Oh, how I long for a vacation in a little cottage on the edge of the sea! In my minds' eye it would be in a quaint little village not unlike the Jackknife Village of our painting this month, with the gentle waves lapping the shore and the salty air tickling my nose. I would bask in the warmth of the sun and delight in the ever changing vista before me, light and shadow racing across the sky ending in a glorious sunset. But since I cannot play at tourist, I can dream of what this scene must be like and allow my beady friends to take me on virtual tour transporting me to another time and place.

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Let's kick things off with a design by our own ABS Adminstrator, Heather Powers! This necklace (above) has the perfect blend of beachy themed beads like urchins and shells along with a summer palette of teals and tans and a sweet little house bead tucked right in!

Welcome to Miss Catherine of Meadowland Designs (above)! The gently swaying grasses on the edge of the rugged landscape is the focal for this lovely necklace. I enjoyed reading about how Miss Brandi's palettes inspired her color choices and how she came to the colors she ultimately used. Read about it here.  We look forward to having you join in again!

I love the laid-back easy feel of this necklace (above). The rope reminds me of boat riggings, the jagged stones look like the island and the rocks and the wee little house makes me wish I were right there on the edge of the sea. Read more of the inspiration for this necklace by Leah at Beady Eyed Bunny.

When I do have the rare occasion to go on vacation, I like to look for trinkets to remember my time well spent. This bracelet looks like a collection of all the beach houses you might have stayed in over a length of time, like a festive little neighborhood block party for your wrist! Check it out at Ahowin.

Kathy of Bay Moon Designs (above) was inspired by the sky and the sea with her soft, ethereal color palette. The mix of shapes and multi-strand design give this a refined edge while the art bead pendant lends it a bohemian feel. Such a soothing design!

A most ingenious design! The way the bugle beads are strung gives an illusion to me of a picket fence surrounding the quaint little cottage above the cliffs along the sea shore! Clever use of materials. Read about the design at Just Beadey.

Monique of A Half-Baked Notion (above) was inspired to create this mult-faceted design as a tribute to her fisherman family roots. From the craggy rocks and the soft swirling seascape to the houses hugging each other for protection, she did a great job of interpreting this painting.

Okay, seriously? The best part of reading about what Beth and Evie create each time is hearing their process. And this time we are treated to a sketch of the pendant! I totally love the collaborative spirit of these two. And the colors in this necklace just scream summer at the beach to me! Check it out at EB Bead & Metal Works.

There is a very sea-creature sort of vibe in this lovely bracelet by Fulgorine (above). The twists and turns of the bead work act like waves gently caressing a seashell worn by time and perpetual motion to the beach of this sleepy little town.

Jen of Purple Fish Studios (above) finds that there is a great similarity with seaside towns no matter where they are. Her necklace features a rare basalt heart stone added to a pretty array of wired stones and a handmade clay and wire coiled clasp. This is truly a memory of a fine vacation along the coast!

To 'live in the sunshine' (as the message on the reverse of the pendant states) would be to experience life at it's finest. And where better to do that than on the while picking up shells on the beach! The beautiful lampwork reminds me of the setting sun and did you notice the weaving of the blue silk through the chain? Much like the waves along the shore. Read more of Karin's inspiration at Gingko et Coquelicot.

These sweet earrings (above) make me want to don some flip flops, a jaunty hat and a flowy sundress and live at the beach! Their vibrant hues are an amped up version of the palette and I just love them as it reminds me of time spent on the beaches of Jamaica and Mexico with the bright blue of the Caribbean sea. Read more about this design at Fresh Baked Designs.

This necklace is island living at it's finest... a lazy day filled with sun and heat makes you want to pare down to the bare essentials. It is incredible how deep you can get with a handful of treasured beads and some simple leather cord! I love the abstract quality of these beads and how they relate to the painting... the houses, the sea, the sky. Read more of this design by Ann at Bead Love.


Lampwork beads fascinate me. I am not sure how those artists and wrangle a flame and spears of glass into gorgeous landscapes, but I am so glad they do! There is some serious magic happening in this bead that SaraJo Wentling found. Look! There is a whole world inside of it! And a world that lives at the beach is my kind of world! Check it out at SJ Designs Jewelry.

Wow. There is nothing that I can say to top these delightful earrings! Miss Lynda (above) makes the most incredible polymer clay creations look so easy, when I know that they are far more intricate than you would think. Her use of color and pattern and texture is truly masterful. These look like the striations of stone on the craggy rocks where this little town is perched. And the mosaic reminds me of how these houses are likely built of the stone on which they rest. So wonderful. Read all about it at SC Diva.


I want to live in a house with a polka-dottie door. A place where the sea meets the sky and the wind dances along the shoreline twisting my hair in knots. I want to walk along a path that takes me to the edge of the water to dip my toes in. That is what I see when I look at this charming necklace by M is the Word.


The sea is the sea is the sea. It doesn't seem to matter much if it is along the coast of Canada or Western United States, I think that anyone that has actually been to a seashore can relate to this pretty painting. Shaiha finds the time to join us again and take us on a beach excursion with her pretty necklace. Read more at her blog Shaiha's Ramblings.


Pam of Klassy Joolz (above) made the most delightful bracelet for the challenge. The soft white clouds meeting the swirling blue sea are so soothing. And the unexpected delight is that wee little fish dangle that makes me smile!


Doing what you love to do can be a sort of vacation when you can't find the time to take a real one. Mary Ellen of Bee Tree by m.e. (above) shares her creative vacation with some faux beach stones she created paired with actual sea glass from a beachy foray.  Wearing this pretty sea-inspired necklace would help me to escape!


And I know that it is not a finished piece of jewelry, so I am sort of breaking the ABS rules, but I wanted you to see the bead I worked on all month inspired by this painting (seriously. All. Month. Long.). I took my {very} new-found skills at making polymer clay canes learned from Heather Powers at her Garden Party Beads retreat in May and turned that into a seascape that I hope would make Franklin Carmichael proud! If you can't detect the scene on the bead, I chose to focus on the left third of the canvas. (Squint a bit if you can't quite make it out! ;-) 'Painting' with polymer was a new technique for me and these beads are on their way (very late!) to the Simple Truths Sampler Club members for June. Watch for the extras to pop into my shop next week. (Notice the sweet little skeleton key cane that Miss Heather made for me based on my logo. So stinkin' cute!) I am the sponsor of the giveaway for this month, and one option the winner has is a three month spot in my Sampler Club for July-August-September, all inspired by the challenge paintings for the month.Who knows what I will be making for those months?

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As always, it is such an honor for me to share all of these amazing designs with all of you. I truly enjoy reading the inspirations, the color choices, the reminiscences and the deep meanings of all the projects that you share with us. I look forward to seeing what you will do with July's inspiration!

Erin Prais-Hintz invites you to go on a journey of inspiration at her blog Treasures Found :: Inspiration is Everywhere. You can view a gallery of her work at http://www.tesoritrovati.com/ or purchase her popular line of 'Simple Truths' in her Etsy shop.