Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Prong Set Pendant and Peyote Necklace with Genea Beads



I read Staci Smith's Tut and prong set this pendant

I was able to do this with a pendant with a hole in it instead of a cabochon. I did a few other things differently from Staci's Easy Prong Setting Tut due to what I had on hand.  And it worked out anyway.   Thanks so much for the inspiration and directions, Staci.  I highly recommend her tutorial.  You can find it here
And there is a CHALLENGE to show off what you make in a blog hop too which you can learn about  here


                                                           New Peyote Stitch Necklace



       Genea Beads and Me

my ceramic orange sun charms are available in  pairs in my Etsy shop

Making jewelry with Genea Beads is not entirely new to me.  I was so fortunate to have her as my Bead Soup Blog Partner in 2011.  We had a great time and I have been crazy about her lampwork beads ever since I first saw them.  
Genea's beads are the lovely brown and green glass beads.  They inspired my colors choices and the overall design.

I am planning to have this necklace on display in my studio for  the St. Lawrence County Arts Council  Artists' Studio Tour the weekend of Nov. 10, 11, and 12.  

Friday, October 26, 2012

The Isabel Necklace


I recently read Henry James Portrait of a Lady for  the first time.  I don't know how I missed it all these years but I am so glad we finally connected.  Henry James has always been a writer I have admired.  I love his style of precise and very long sentences.  His carefully worked out plots.  But I was not prepared for this amazing book  because the story  is totally focused on the main character, Isabel Archer, and her very modern dilemma. I  had always thought that Middlemarch by George Elliot was my favorite novel of this time period and subject.  And that is what makes this book so exciting:  Henry James moved modernity one step forward from Dorothea's story and the book stands on the cusp of Modern Literature as we know it today, and probably this book is one of the main movers. I find these kinds of moments in literary and art history thrilling.  
                                               

After I read The Portrait of a Lady, I read Michael Gorra's new biography of James, Portrait  of a Novel.  The book focuses entirely on all the biographical detail that has to do with Henry James' writing of the Portrait of a Lady.  It is a fascinating book and fills out the literary history of the time with little know details of Henry James' life, his activities and his thoughts.

During this rather long period of time, James' Portrait is 600 pages and the biography is quite long as well, I have been thinking about Isabel Archer, anguishing over Isabel Archer and wondering.  Seems it has crept deep into my unconscious and I see that it escaped into the necklace I made for one of the Challenges for Deryn Mentock's ecourse the Alchemy of Objects.  I didn't realize it at first.  I did use a large Victorian  brooch I have had for many years as the central focal for the necklace and gave it a kind of rustic look with my handmade beads ( one could say a bow to Isabel's American nationality) but what really got me thinking about it being about Isabel is that I hung one of my book beads for a dangle.  At that point I thought I could call it a Victorian Book Necklace and not give a specific reference to a person.


Before I turned the bead over, I had thought the word on the spine would be BOOK as I have made several of these beads that way.

But when I turned it over to check it said LOVE.  Then I knew it had to be the Isabel Necklace.
But really the Portrait of a Lady is not a love story, rather it is a story of how Isabel tries to negotiates a Victorian era woman's traditional role without losing  her ability to choose and her freedom to be herself.. 

I hope I have inspired you to read this wonderful  book.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

MisMatched Art Bead Earring Swap The Reveal


Earrings by Pam Sears  Art beads by SueBeads

Welcome to the Mismatched Art Bead Earrings Swap Reveal.  This is the creative idea of Diana of Suburban Girl Studio.  She, by the way, is the master of mismatched earrings.  See her post yesterday at ArtJewelryElements

The only rules we were to follow were to be creative, to use an art bead in each earring and to make them mismatched.  I was partnered with the wonderful Pam Sears of  Crazy Creative Corner.  You can visit her fun blog  here.


Halloween earrings by Pam Sears

Pam was so kind to send me two pairs of earrings.  The first pair has art beads by SueBeads --delightful coral orange beads with delicate silver dots. And the Halloween pair has charms made by Pam herself.  I thought the orange Maple leaves from our trees would be perfect for these and then used them as a back drop for both pairs.  Thanks so much Pam for being my partner and adding such fun and beauty to the season.
The list below is of the other participants.  I hope you will hop on over and see what they made.

Diana Ptaszynski  http://www.suburbangirlstudio.com
Lisa Liddhttp://www.lisaliddy.wordpress.com












Charlene Jacka  http://clay-space.com/blog















Dawn Pierro  http://www.turtlemoondesigns.me

Shelley Graham Turner  http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com

Karen Mitchell  http://www.overthemoon-design.comMelissa Trudinger  http://www.beadrecipes.wordpress.com

Friday, October 12, 2012

And the Winner is.....

Wrist Wrap  Tutorial by Mary Harding


Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!  All of you who took the time to leave a comment on my Wrist Wrap  Tutorial.
You have been so encouraging and kind.  I appreciate it so much.
And now I will announce the the winner.  Actually I decided this morning, since it is a very special day--the birthday of my first born child-- Happy Birthday Brian--that I will have two winners.

Congratulations to  Lynaeve and to SummersStudio.  I will be contacting you for your address and getting a toggle clasp and some silk out to you.

Again, thanks so much to all of you who played along.  It was a wonderful experience.

Raku Bead Video Part III