Last Day to Enter

Enter the Art Bead Scene's Monthly Challenge to win over $100 in art beads from our contributors!

The deadline is tonight, April 30th, at midnight.

To upload your photos and enter, visit our Flickr group.

Here are two recent entries:

Fly Girl Necklace by Jane Mormino.

A wall hanging from textile artist Kathy Marks

Fit to Print - Bead Review Book 2

What better place to review a book about glass art beads than at the Art Bead Scene? If you love glass beads in any form, this is a book that you will want in your collection.

Bead Review Book 2: A Year of Exceptional Art Glass Beads is the second in a series published by glass bead artist Brad Pearson and is a collection of beads from the previous year in glass bead making.

You can find it at http://www.artofbeadmaking.com/. Art of Beadmaking describes the Bead Review on their web site as this:

Bead Review 2 is a snapshot of the artistic talent found in the contemporary art glass beadmaking movement - within the pages is a global overview of the finest handmade creations of the year. Thoughtful writing and artist insights accompany beautifully photographed art beads, all sure to inform as well as elicit “ooh's and aaah's."

This year's Review had three categories: Focal beads, Sets and Newcomers. Each piece that was chosen for the first two categories spans a two-page write-up consisting of the bead picture of course, the process used to make the bead, the artist's description and a write-up by one of the jurors for the project. The simple but elegant layout by Julie Ferguson, assistant editor and creative director, allows the reader to really soak in the images and information on each page and makes one want to look through it again and again and again.

This year I am proud to say that I am among the artists represented, with a set of my 'stitched' beads on page 54.

Congratulations to everyone who is in this publication! And for those of you who want to submit for the next Review, you have from now until around September to be working on your submission for Bead Review Book 3. Hop to it! We here at the Art Bead Scene will let you know when the call for entries goes out.

Lori Greenberg is a glass beadmaker who blogs from her studio in Cave Creek, Arizona.

Findings Worth Finding: Contemporary Pewter Findings

If you like bold, graphic findings for your jewelry designs, check out these new pewter designs that have recently come onto the market. I found these hammered-style pewter toggles, rings, and links at Art Beads. These high quality items are made from lead free pewter in the USA and come in 3 shiny finishes: bright gold, rhodium (silver), and copper, which are plated heavily onto the pewter surfaces. The styles are very clean and geometric, and would go well with many types of handcrafted beads like lampwork glass, ceramic, and polymer, for a contemporary look that doesn't detract from the beads with too much fussy detail and ornament. The whole line of links, rings and clasps co-ordinate together perfectly for endless design possibilities.

www.artbeads.com

Call for Entry - 1000 Jewelry Details

From Rockport Publishers:

"We are seeking project contributors for an upcoming book tentatively titled 1000 Jewelry Details. The book will feature handmade jewelry that can be made at home with simple tools by non-professional jewelry makers. Some images will show entire pieces of jewelry, but most will home in on points of interest: uniquely crafted findings, bead combinations, dangles, hand-carved details, surface texture, fibers, color, and nontraditional materials."

More details here: Rockport Publishers

Sounds interesting - let us know if you decide to send in an entry - always an exciting endeavor.

Findings Worth Finding - Gunmetal Findings

Gunmetal findings, which is blackened brass, is one of my favorite jewelry supplies at the moment. I'm crazy for little metal tassels, like the ones at the bottom of these lariat necklaces. You can find an assortment of gunmetal findings at Rings & Things. In the projects above I mixed wire-wrapping with copper wire, gunmetal chain and sterling siver beads. Yes you can mix your metals!

Art beads used: cuff bead in blue (bottom), lariat beads in olive & copper from Humblebeads.

Uploading Your Photo to the ABS Flickr Group

If you are new to Flickr, adding photos to the groups can seem a bit confusing. Hopefully this will help.

1. Join the ABS Group.

2. Upload your photo.

3. After your photo is uploaded, click on it and you'll get a screen that looks like this:


4. Click on the icon above your photo, it says, "add to group" Choose the Art Bead Scene. (the red is for illustrative purposes.)

That's it, your photo should be uploaded. If you are having technical difficulties, you can email me your photo and I will post it for you. Make sure to include all the important details if you email me your entry.

Good luck!