Happy Halloween!!

Enjoy these fantastic Handmade Vintage Ornaments by Jessica Ramey. See all of her wonderful Ornaments at http://charmedbyjessica.com/ Jessica also has some cool Halloween jewelry you can look at by downloading her catalog.



BOO!!!

Spooky!

Mask bead from Lavender Creek.

Do you know what would be really scary? If you missed out on your chance at winning a $100 gift certificate from Rings & Things and over $150 worth of really cool beads from Cindy Gimbrone!

Enter your Gothic or Halloween inspired creation that features art beads today! The DEADline is tomorrow at midnight. (CST)

Can't figure out flickr? Then send your entry to me at humblearts@sbcglobal.net along with your name and any information you'd like posted with your entry.

Spooky Skulls and Skeleton Beads

With Halloween and the Day of the Dead close upon us, what better way to celebrate than with this gang of spooky skeleton art beads?

Porcelain Spookyheads by Earthenwood Studio

PMC skull charms by Melissa Lee on her Strands of Beads blog

Colorful bone lampworked pendants by LORiOLA on Etsy

Skeletal Skull Girl pendant by Dolphin Daze on Etsy

Two holed polymer skull beads by Dragonfly Lane on Etsy

Lampworked glass Skull pendants and bone toggles by Michele Goldstein

A Pirate's Life for Me! PMC pendants by Zoa Art

Ceramic Skull bead by Jangles

Pewter Skeleton Key pendant by Green Girl Studios

Ceramic Day of the Dead Pendant by Gaea

As the Bead Turns, Octber 28th, 2007

Bringing you all the dirt and drama from the beading blog world...

Fab Fibers Our friend Rosanne from the Fab Fibers Blog made a spiral seed beaded rope chain to go with her new Halloweeny Joan Miller/Penny Michelle pendant. This is a good reminder that the Art Bead Scene challenge is almost up for the month, so get your entries in!

Bead Arts There are lots of great lampwork and hot glass forums out there! Can you think of any to add to Cyndi's list?

Jewelry and Beading Blog Tammy at the Jewelry and Beading Blog has spotted some adorable wire pumpkins from Wig Jig.

Katie's Beading Blog Beading Daily spotlighted Katie's book, Hip to Bead, this week. Read her post for links to a fun Q&A and free project download and a sneak peek into Katie's crafty organic farming lifestyle.

Naughty Secretary Club Have you taken the Handmade Pledge? Jen chats about how her girl gang the Austin Craft Mafia joined forces with the likes of Etsy, The American Craft Council, Interweave Press, Design Sponge and more to bring you Buy Handmade!

PearlEsq. Are you a Perfectionist? Robin's got a quiz for you and some thoughts on not sweating the small stuff and to embrace imperfection in your art!

Savvy Crafter Grab your skull beads!!! Dia De Los Muertos is right around the corner. Make some festive jewels for this mucho fun and special celebration.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! A stunning Geisha polymer focal bead by Janet Farris was dressed up using lustrous coin pearls and tiny multihued spinels to express classic Japanese beauty. Take a look at Jean's latest offering in Beadwork Magazine!

The Impatient Blogger Are you tired of playing by the rules and itching to break free? Guess what, you can! Check out this inspired post by Margot Potter that gives you the kick in the pants you need to follow your bliss.

Did you read or write any good dirt on a bead blog this week? Leave us a comment and a link and tell us the latest scoop!

Book Review - Hardwear - Jewelry From a Toolbox

I had a hard time putting this book down at the bookstore recently and couldn't help but think of the many ways an art bead could be incorporated into the designs.

The author, Hannah Rogge, was inspired by the variety of interlocking geometric shapes she saw on a routine trip to the hardware store one day and got the idea to create jewelry from them.

This "hard" cover book is beautifully written and designed and would make a good beginner's book for someone wanting to get started designing jewelry inexpensively. A seasoned jewelry designer will also appreciate this book for it's resourceful and "outside the box" perspective toward jewelry design.

One thing is for sure - your visits to the hardware store will never be the same after you've read this book!

Alternate uses for Art Beads - Masks

Art beads can used to embellish a simple mask for your Halloween celebrations. Here is a very elaborate example from New Zealand bead artist, Joslyn Hobbis.

You could use art bead cabochons, like Joslyn cleverly did for the face of her butterfly. Or add them to a geometric design and bead around them, letting the fabric of the mask show if you aren't up to beading a whole mask.

Another way to add art beads to a mask would be to use it as part of the embellishment on an opera style mask, where a dowel is used to hold the mask in front of your face. Attach your favorite art bead to the top of the dowel. I'd tie some varied fibers under the bead for added texture.

Visit this link for basic information on bead embroidery for art dolls. The directions can be used to embellish a fabric mask, found at hobby stores.