Showing posts with label handmade beads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label handmade beads. Show all posts

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Bead Hoarders Reveal,
Fly Me to the Moon!

dee-lish soup from my partner, sam wescott

Well, today's the day.
The BIG reveal!

As you can see from the photo above, I received an absolutely beautiful Soup from my partner, Sam Wescott of Wescott Jewelry. 


As part of this newest round of BSBP: Bead Hoarders Edition, we were asked to look to our stash, we all have them, to unearth a beading treasure, something we've coveted for years, to share with a fellow hoarder. Sam and I have very different styles, but our fearless leader and originator of the Blog Soup madness, Lori Andersen, solved the problem of what to send by directing us to make up a package and have it ready to go before we were even matched up with a partner. A challenge of challenges.



Sam sent me an amazing focal bead. It's a ceramic lentil with the image of a swallow in earth tones, made by Caroline Dewison of Blueberri Bead in the UK. Sam purchased the bead after reading about Caroline's process of making beads on Art Elements. Feeling she didn't have a good enough design to use the bead she held on to it. She later discovered that Caroline had discontinued her screen printed beads and realized she'd never be able to replace it. It's funny how emotionally attached we can become to a beautiful handmade bead. When a new BSBP was announced, Sam mustered up the courage to part with this magnificent bead!

The hole for this lentil bead was very large so I chose to turn one side of a piece of copper tubing down using a lathe method to create a smaller centered hole, inserted the tube and then flared the other end to capture it inside the bead. The links and jump rings are made from steel wire that's been hammered flat and then formed.



Sam also included coordinating beads and a wonderful vintage three strand glass moonstone clasp that was given to her by her mom. Aren't mom's great? As soon as I saw the clasp and the focal together, I knew how I was going to use these  beautiful beads.

I loved the clasp, but found I couldn't make the original three strands work. I snipped off two of the lower jump rings and then secured the locking tab in place using a piece of thin wire snugged into the fold once it was inserted into the body of the clasp. As you can see, I cut a tiny copper heart and secured it in the little opening that was cut into the back of the clasp using UV resin.

back side of the clasp turned connector

Below you'll find a list of all of our participants. Make a cuppa tea or joe, pull up a comfy chair and check out what everyone's made. If something really speaks to you, please leave a comment, it's always nice to receive encouragement!


All rights reserved.


Julia Lund-Trott



Jean Wells
Joelyn Bissing


Saturday, January 12, 2013

Memories & Thanks Blog Hop

Razorback

Welcome to my little slice of Lori Andersons
inspired by Lori's friend Marianna.

My piece is inspired by my grandmother, Mary.
My son called her, Great-mother. Don't you love that?

Handmade brass bead, culturde freshwater pearl, 14k gold, steel

When we were young we would always spend time with my mothers family at my aunt's summer cottage on Cape Cod. We were packed as tight as sardines, but always had a great time. My uncle George, a delightful Italian import into our Celtic family, was an amazing cook and would make abundant and delicious meals for us all.

After dinner my grandmother, who always encouraged my craftiness, would walk with me along the beach to collect lots of beautiful shells. I have very fond memories of my grandmother who instilled in me the importance of being a strong and independent woman.

Detail of handmade steel clasp

The razorback bead is handmade from brass and was formed using a hydraulic press. Although the back of the bead has a brushed brass finish, I chose to leave the copper layer deposited after soldering on top. A cultured baroque freshwater pearl is hung from 14kt gold wire. The entire piece hangs from a 24" gunmetal steel chain with a handmade steel and 14kt gold hook clasp.

Click here to find a complete list of participants!



Images & Text © re-maker
All rights reserved.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Taking the Art Bead Scene Challenge


I've been a (re)maker for a very (very) long time, but most of the work I show on the web isn't the really cool limited edition or one of a kind stuff that gets sent to my sales rep for museum shops and galleries.

This morning Lorelei of Lorelei's Blog shared her entry for the Art Bead Scene Challenge. Intrigued by her work and the challenge,
I went to check it out...

I follow the creative adventures of a few on my favorite blogs and find that what I love best is when they share their process. So, I've decided to do the same, starting with this challenge.
 
Fingers crossed... it may be a bumpy ride!
xo