Jewelry & Beading

June 3rd, 2008

Making a pearl dangle pendant

Technique Tuesday!
The “pendant with dangles” look is still going strong this spring. It’s a jewelry look that I like, and so even though I don’t usually consider myself any kind of slave to fashion, I was pretty quick to figure out how to make one of these to my liking!
Any full-service catalogs will have the […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

June 2nd, 2008

Do you want to design for yourself? Structure

Structure: Patterns and techniques
No matter how intuitively you work, at some point you will need to make some decisions about the structure and pattern you’re going to use in order to avoid having to go bead buying right in the middle of a project. That is usually not the best time to be making clear-headed […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

May 29th, 2008

Jodie’s great little button rings

Art Attack Thursday!
Jodie writes Ric Rac, where she shares the secrets of the cutest little button rings you never knew you wanted! Jodie says, “They won’t last forever and your finger may turn green but who cares, they’re buttons.” I love it!

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By Cyndi -- 0 comments

May 27th, 2008

How to make an assemblage-style necklace

Technique Tuesday!

Materials
Polymer clay (I used gold-colored Sculpy)
Large focal piece of jewelry ~ pin, dress clip, etc
Flatback rhinestones or acrylic stones
Broken watch parts
Assorted charms ~ small mirrors, broken jewelry, screws, etc
Seed beads
Larger beads and crystals (8-10 mm)
Assorted beads for straps
Chain, hook, wire, jump rings or split rings
Crimps
Headpin (for dangle)
E6000 or 2-part epoxy
Glitter, pearlex, paints if desired
Nymo […]

By Cyndi -- 10 comments

May 26th, 2008

Do you want to design for yourself? Materials

Materials: Building a palette
I usually like to build my working palette and choose my materials after I’ve decided upon focal point, theme, and color, but it can be fun to try it the other way around. Some designers like to use this method most of the time, sorting through their beads and treasures, and letting […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

May 23rd, 2008

Beading tutorials by Ruby Fischer

Ruby Fischer’s beaded bracelet
Ruby is a friend of mine from About.com’s Jewelry Making Forum. She’s an extremely talented and giving bead artist, who has compiled a wonderful set of tutorials that are available on her website, Ruby’s Jewelry Design. You can also find information on Ruby’s book on her website, and a link […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

May 20th, 2008

Creating and selling your own jewelry tutorials

Technique Tuesday!

Have you ever thought about selling your designs? Not the finished product, but the designs themselves? Here’s how Christina Ritchey decided to go about it:
Creating and selling jewelry tutorials
Tags: design, designing, jewelry business, tutorials, Wearable ArtShare This

By Cyndi -- 0 comments

May 19th, 2008

Do you want to design for yourself? Color scheme

Color Scheme: So many colors, so little time
Color is one of the basic elements of design, and many designers start off with just knowing that they want to make something purple. Or green. Or green and gold. Choosing your color scheme first is a perfectly natural pathway into designing. You might find that making your […]

By Cyndi -- 2 comments

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