All in a Day's Work!

I had a busy and rewarding day yesterday. I got to make 4 necklaces and 2 earrings. I had a bit of a slow start with a new design - did 3 false starts before I finally got the hang of it - then did a quick trip to the local bead store for some emergency supplies and back to beading again. This is a short post cause I need to get back to work! Hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

BAO Welcomes Spring Sale!

I have exciting news! Bead Art Originals is celebrating Easter and welcoming spring with a SALE! Not just a sale, but you'll also have chances to win free giveaways! Starting Sunday, April 12, 15 BAO artists will be participating in this extravaganza. I'm in the process of adding more jewelry to my store, too!

The fun begins Sunday! Watch for it! I'll send you more details on Sunday ;)

Hot August Nights Etsy Beadweavers Challenge

One of the street teams I belong to in etsy.com is ETSY Beadweavers. A group of very talented artisans equally obsessed as I am about weaving teeny tiny seed beads into gorgeous wearable art. We have a monthly theme going on now. The above creation was done by NoEasyBeads, titled "Midnight On The Bayou Raku Necklace"as her entry for this month's challenge on "Hot August Nights." Check out the other hot artisan jewelry and vote on your favorite!

My Preciousssss!

Ooh, I got a new stash of beads from a new lampwork artist I just discovered! This picture does not capture half the secret behind this bead set - the curls and dots on the surface have blue and bronze metallic highlights on it that is so gorgeous. Works of art like this need only a simple display so here's the first bracelet I made from this set. Now, I'm not sure I want to part with this but keep an eye out in my etsy store just in case I get a guilty conscience about being so greedy!

I'm Reader of the Week!

This week on Wickedly Chic, I'm their Reader of the Week! As Reader, I get to mention a few of the indie designers I have grown to admire. It was a hard choice as I have a long list of indies I would have loved to mention but space would not allow. I just had to take the indie designers who stood out in my mind in terms of their devotion to their craft and high level of creativity they demonstrate in their art. So click on WickedlyChic.com and read on!!!! P. S. Thank you Liz N., you are great!

Parting is such sweet sorrow!

I had a show today and one of the things I sold is this favorite bracelet I made from the lampwork bead set I bought from artist, Linda James of Flame One Glass Studio! I will miss this but I'm glad she found a new home. And it fit perfectly on the lady who bought it, too!

Lampwork Beads by THE ARTIST!

I am dazed by talented lampwork bead artists, especially those the come up with exciting and unbelievable designs in a bead that's barely an inch wide! I like beads that seem to draw me in, like I can jump right into the bead and spend days studying the swirls and patterns created by the artist. Such an artist is Linda James whose beads I covet but alas is always auctioned way out of my budget. By a miracle I was able to procure a set and I was in heaven when I got my beads in the mail. There wasn't much I had to do with them to make them pretty, just some simple thai beads, crystals, etc.

Scarfguy Extraordinaire

Surfing through the stores in etsy one day, my jaw dropped when I landed into Scarfguy's shop. Handweaver, Fred Ullom of Ohio, weaves unbelievably beautiful scarves and shawls using luxurious natual fibers like superfine merino wool, mongolian cashmere, fine chinese silk, quviut and even yak! Each scarf is his own design and can take him 2 1/2 to 3 days to make. I am in awe.

Eclectic Jewelry Artisans

I've joined an incredible group of jewelry artisans --Eclectic Jewelry Artisans (eeja.org) who create just about the most fabulous pieces of wearable art you can find! Take for example this Chaos Ring with Rhodolite Garnet handcrafted by Ahna of Shattered Glass. Ahna's bold and original designs are not for the faint-hearted!