Jewelry & Beading

March 11th, 2008

Bead embroidery techniques - updated

Technique Tuesday!
Today is going to be one of those “my own opinion” posts! Please feel free to leave comments that share your favorite materials and methods for today’s topic.

Orinoco Flow
I am frequently asked for the specifics of how I make my bead-embroidered pieces. You can see examples of my bead-embroidered necklaces here. I’m totally sold […]

By Cyndi -- 13 comments

March 10th, 2008

Pearl embroidered necklace WIP

Make Art Monday!
Here are the first couple of steps that I’ve taken in starting up a new embroidered necklace. You can see the basic outlines on the foundation: just the neckline, the center, and a few outer guidelines. Unless I’m working on a piece that’s going to be symmetrical, this is usually all the guidance […]

By Cyndi -- 0 comments

February 29th, 2008

Bead Journal Project - January’s Wolf Moon

January’s Wolf Moon
This one was a real design challenge for me. I wanted to do something realistic and not cartoonish, but I didn’t want to end up doing a silhouette against the full moon. Even though that would have fit my theme, it’s just done too much. Then I started thinking about […]

By Cyndi -- 15 comments

February 28th, 2008

Artist Profile: Tina Koyama

Transformer 2 Bracelet
Photographer: Greg Mullin
Artist: Tina Koyama
Location: Seattle
Website: Tina Koyama
e-mail: tina@tinakoyama.com
Tina, your work is obviously very organic. How do you describe it?
My current focus is on self-supported sculptures using off-loom beadweaving stitches. My work is probably most closely related to contemporary basketry: 3-dimensional forms made from flexible materials. I like to keep an open […]

By Cyndi -- 1 comment

February 25th, 2008

A jewelry “quantum leap”

Make Art Monday
Jewelry & Beading belongs to the LifeStyle channel here at b5Media. As a channel, we’ve decided to do a little retrospective in honor of leap year, and we’re calling it Quantum Leap :-) The idea was to look back four years and ahead four years…and basically do whatever we wanted with that theme!
So, […]

By Cyndi -- 1 comment

February 14th, 2008

Artist Profile: Mary Tafoya

Artist: Mary Tafoya
Location: Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Websites & Blogs:
Mary Tafoya’s Seriousbeadin’ (Etsy shop)
Mary Tafoya’s Seriousbeadin’ (blog)
Mary Tafoya: Beadwork
Aunt Molly’s Bead Street
My Squidoo Beadwork/Art Pages
Mary’s Flickr Photos

Mary, how do you describe your beadwork?
I think of my work as graphic. I worked as a graphic designer and taught graphic arts for several years, and I think […]

By Cyndi -- 3 comments

February 5th, 2008

Quick and easy Valentine’s Day jewelry you can make

Stunning Sterling Heart Earrings
Looking back through the archives of Jewelry & Beading, I noticed that Tammy Powley shared many fast projects that you could easily make by Valentine’s Day, just so you’ll have a little something special. Or maybe you have a favorite lady you’d like to make something for… Here’s a round-up of some […]

By Cyndi -- 27 comments

January 29th, 2008

How to make a beaded assemblage

Technique Tuesday!
One of my earlier tutorials on the basics of bead embroidery will be very helpful here! When you’re going to embroider a piece of fabric and then glue it onto a structure, use either ultra-suede or buckram as the foundation, depending upon how heavy the beads and bits are going to be. Here’s how […]

By Cyndi -- 5 comments

January 28th, 2008

Beaded print block

Make Art Monday!

Here’s a little beaded assemblage that I made using an antique print block as the base. Don’t ask me what it’s for…I don’t know!
Tags: Bead Embroidery, Beading, beads, handmade-beaded, Mixed Media

Share This

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

January 25th, 2008

Bead Journal Project - December’s Cold Moon

December’s Cold Moon
I decided to use some sequins that were hanging around this time. After I had finished the moon’s halo and the swirls of “coldness”, it still seemed to need something. I had originally thought I would only use clear and white beads, including for the border, but I didn’t like the lack of […]

By Cyndi -- 9 comments