The Bead Dreamer's Blog

The Bead Dreamer’s Cyber Monday Jewelry Party took place Monday 11/30/09 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM EST (GMT -5).  I enjoyed meeting and talking with those of you who were on the phone and hope to do this again.  Happy Holidays to all!

When I came across the jewelry of Professor Quentin Ziplash, I just knew I had to share it with my readers.  Not only is the jewelry fun, imaginative, and creative, the Professor’s titles and descriptions draw you into his world – one filled with fantasy and a little mad science.

Take the Steampunk Mercury Radioactive Tonic Emulsifier 2 necklace pictured above.  It’s made from a pumpkin seed bottle, anti-freeze, mercury switch, drawer lock escutcheon, shoe buckle, vintage fishing reel handle, vintage drawer pull piece, spring, brass knobs, veterinary syringe part, vintage cloth-covered wire, steam, and aether.  And when asked if the mercury switch triggers anything, the Professor says he’s still working on that.

Another delightful design is the Padamya (Ruby) Crystal Reactor necklace, shown above.  How could every girl not want one, for starters?  In this necklace, the Professor explains that from the well-known red glow of ruby to other reactions that are not completely understood, science, art, and alchemy have collided in this powerful unit.  With such powerful forces and a total cool factor thrown in to boot, this is one fabulous piece.

The final piece I’d like to share is the Steampunk Personal Underground Radio Tuner (SPURT).  Made from clarinet keys, vintage cabinet hinge piece, vintage typewriter piece, chain, steam, and aether; it’s quirky and fun.  All of the necklaces are asymmetrical yet feel very balanced visually.  One can easily see that the Professor must have a sweet collection of stuff to work with.  It’s also very apparent that the various pieces and parts are arranged thoughtfully and artfully.

To see more of Professor Quentin Ziplash’s jewelry and other art, view more photos on Flickr.  All photos courtesy of Professor Quentin Ziplash.

Join me on Monday, 11/30/09 at noon EST (GMT -5) for a Bead Dreamer Cyber Monday jewelry party.  Call in to chat with me, ask questions about my jewelry, and enjoy talking with other callers.  I’ll be offering a special discount on all jewelry from The Bead Dreamer website for one hour only during the party.  The Bead Dreamer Cyber Monday jewelry party is  just like a home party, only online. It is designed to make it fun and easy for you to meet and learn about my jewelry “up close and personal.”  You’ll be able to call in from the comfort of your home or office and enjoy the party via conference call.

Here’s how to join:

Dial 1-605-715-4970, code 699555# to chat.  To see the live screen cast, visit Indie Business on Glance – http://www.indie.glance.net screen code 2389.  I’m excited about this opportunity to talk with you and other jewelry lovers.  The Bead Dreamer Jewelry party is being given in conjunction with the Indie Business Network.

My inspiration for making this bracelet was the gorgeous cobalt and white handmade glass center bead.  Cobalt blue is a strong color and very often when I use strong colors, I use them with other strong colors capable of holding their own in the situation.  This time, I choose a little differently.  I did select one other vividly colored bead – the little blue/green/white African Trade millefiori bead and then began softening the colors a bit by adding turquoise.

As you move further towards the back of the bracelet, the colors soften even more – creamy coral beads, a bit of shell, a striped bead in soft turquoise, red and green, two labradorite beads.  Tiny bits of black and a single crystal add punctuation.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  For me, it is simple, quiet, all about family and gratitude.  Today I will enjoy time with my family and reflect on how very much I have to be thankful for.

Winners have been selected for the giveaway of two signed copies of Creative Native American Beading.  One winner is Christine from Tallahassee, FL and the other is Piroska from Ontario, Canada.  Two very delighted winners will be working on Native American beading projects at two opposite ends of North America.  I hope they both enjoy this lovely and educational book and I’ve asked them both to send photos of something they make from the book.  Thanks to Lark Books for providing such exceptional books to all of us artisans and craftspersons so eager to learn and be inspired.

My next book giveaway will be announced on Saturday, 12/5/09.

I had never worked with Cubic Zirconia Beads or components prior to making this piece.  I knew CZ was a less expensive alternative to diamonds and was often seen in settings similar to those you would find for diamonds and precious stones but did not really consider them as something I would use in my jewelry.  So when Artbeads.com asked if I would try designing something with them, I was excited by the challenge.  I quickly realized that CZ beads come in a number of shapes and colors and as soon as I saw these long teardrops, I knew this was what I wanted to use.

They are absolutely gorgeous, sparkly with rich colors and facets that play with the light.  I laid them on a blank piece of paper, took my pencil in hand and started sketching.  I came up with the idea to create squiggles out of wire to separate the CZ teardrops.  After considering silver and copper, I decided on brass and I knew I wanted to darken it to accentuate the golden and red tones of the CZ’s.  I also added crystals in warm colors with the exception of the tiny olive crystals that cool down the heat of so many warm, fiery colors.  Black spacer beads and two lengths of handmade brass chain complete the design.

Photo and book courtesy of Lark Books

I’m excited to announce another signed book giveaway.  The book is Creative Native American Beading – Contemporary Interpretations of Traditional Motifs by Theresa Flores Geary, Ph.D.  It’s from Lark Books and is a beautiful book that teaches traditional Native American beadwork using contemporary materials and tools.  There are beautiful and fun projects for all skill levels, ranging from beginner to advanced.  The projects include jewelry and decorative items for the home.

One of the projects in the book is Huichol-Lace Sun Catchers.  They are very pretty, could be made with beads in whatever size you are comfortable working with, and then hung in a window or used as ornaments.  I made a pair of earrings using this technique.  I modified the project a little bit by adding a dangle at the bottom and a loop up top for the earwires.  To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this blog post sometime before Tuesday 11/24/09 at 7:00 p.m. EST (GMT-5) and leave a valid e-mail address.  Good luck to everyone, I think this is a book you’ll enjoy.

I had the opportunity to walk through the Hampton University Museum in Hampton, VA this week and oh my goodness.  The museum which was founded in 1868 has extensive holdings in African American fine arts, traditional African, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Island, and Asian art; and objects relating to the history of the University.  It is an awe inspiring place to visit.  I need to remember to go more often.

One of the first pieces of art to greet me was the much beloved painting The Banjo Lesson by Henry O. Tanner.  It is a work of art I have always loved.  Then I passed through galleries filled with Kuba beadwork, garments, and textiles – each item so breathtaking.  Another gallery held Native American treasures including beadwork and three pairs of beaded shoes by artist Teri Greeves.  How wonderful to see her work in person.

Everything I saw there felt so soulful.  I left inspired.

One way to involve children in jewelry is to teach them to make jewelry. Another way is to honor something that is meaningful to them by making it into jewelry.  These pendants were made out of items my nieces and nephew found while we were on a family vacation.

The coin is an arcade coin found on the streets of San Juan.  The pirate symbol is from a beer cap from the US Virgin Islands.  My nephew picked it up and liked it.  I told him I would make a pendant for him to put on a piece of leather or something.  He said “Aunt Charlene it’s going to hurt me!”  I assured him that I would remove any sharp edges.  The Presidente charm is from a beer cap from the Dominican Republic.  I hope to see them over Thanksgiving and give them these mementos from our vacation.

Another thing I did for them in the past was to have them write their names in bubble letters – you know, the kind of letters that are fat and touch each other.  I then cut their names out of metal and made necklaces for them.  They loved that they were in their own handwriting.  I’ve seen a jewelry artisan who translated children’s artwork into jewelry.  It was just so charming and I think would mean the world to the parents for a long time to come.

So, if you are good with making things, look for opportunities to involve children.  If you’re not, maybe you know or can find someone to help you turn one of your children’s treasures into a keepsake.