Jewelry & Beading

May 15th, 2008

Soda can tag pendants

Art Attack Thursday!

Altered Angel shared these wonderfully fun little tag pendants that she made from various soda cans! She graciously added a tutorial that you’ll have to go to page 3 of the comments to find :-)
Can’t you just think of a million uses for these beyond simple tags? Go leave her a nice comment […]

By Cyndi -- 4 comments

May 13th, 2008

Turning a geode into a beaded pendant

Technique Tuesday!

On a trip to Arizona, I found some small cut geodes in a gift shop and promptly bought ten, having no clear idea what I was planning to do with them. Looking at them later, I decided to make a freeform beaded setting, which would cover the less-attractive back and leave the cut and […]

By Cyndi -- 8 comments

May 12th, 2008

Do you want to design for yourself? Theme

Theme: Your guiding concept
Suppose that you have an idea or a concept that won’t leave you alone…you just must design something with that theme in mind, but you can’t find the notion of theme on your list of design elements and principles? Never fear, theme is a wonderful potential pathway into designing. Many many of […]

By Cyndi -- 0 comments

May 6th, 2008

The versatile spiral stitch

Technique Tuesday!

There are so many wonderful things that you can do with a basic spiral stitch. If you’ve never tried it before, start with the basic steps that I’ve illustrated below. After you have gotten the rhythm, let your imagination go wild!
Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5
Repeat from Step 2
Tags: Beading, beads, tutorialsShare This

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

May 5th, 2008

Do you want to design for yourself? Focal Point

Focal Point…show me where to look!

Just as it does in a painting, the focal point in a wonderful piece of jewelry captures your gaze and directs your eye where to settle. Additional focal points can create a sense of movement by guiding your eye around a piece. Having a strong focal point can create a […]

By Cyndi -- 1 comment

May 5th, 2008

Do you want to design for yourself?

Make Art Monday: A new series on design!

Learning the basics of beading and jewelry making by following how-to instructions is a good way to develop a repertoire of techniques. But sooner or later, the day comes when you find yourself wondering if it would be ok to modify that pattern just a bit. As you […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

April 30th, 2008

WigJig’s jewelry-making videos

What’s Up Wednesday!

As a part of their commitment to helping people learn how to make wearable art pieces easily, WigJig site has added videos and still photos with instructions for some of the most popular jewelry project techniques.
For our videos below, we will reference a link to that video on our web site and a […]

By Cyndi -- 0 comments

April 29th, 2008

How to make time…

Technique Tuesday!
Well, how to make the “Time to Run” necklace at any rate! Wish that I knew how to make more time in each day :-)
Materials
3 copper discs, 26 mm
4 hammered oval links, 20 mm
Copper curb link bracelet, cut in half
5 ” piece of heavy brass chain, cut in half
12 ” piece of […]

By Cyndi -- 6 comments

April 29th, 2008

The Basics: the best of the basics online

In the ocean of information that is the world wide web, there are a few websites that rise to the top when it comes to covering the basics of beadwork. Not surprisingly, one of them is the Beadwork Site at About.com. Paula Morgan has compiled the very best tutorials on just about every aspect of […]

By Cyndi -- 3 comments

April 22nd, 2008

The Basics: wirework

Getting Started with Wirework
A nice basic article with good overall information
Wonderful Wire Jewelry Projects
Lots of projects with lots of pictures to get you started by Tammy Powley. Also links to Tammy’s informative articles on types of wire.
WigJig University
Supplies and instructions for making jewelry with beads and wire
Fire Mountain Gems
All types of wire, both precious and […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments