The Bead Spot

Ten years ago, I took an introductory drawing class with the idea of being able to use the skills later at my job, which called for me to occasionally create a graphic or illustration. I really enjoyed the class, and I learned a lot about creating depth and perspective with shadows. I did some drawing in the months that followed, but eventually, my drawing journal wound up in a drawer amid my craft supplies, and there it's sat for the past eight or nine years. Until this past weekend, that is. An itch to draw again has been following me around over the past few months. I'll see a lamp post or desk or flowers in a vase, and think, "How would I draw that? What would I need to do to show the light? How could I show the reflection on the side?" etc. So on Saturday, I took out my journal, grabbed a charcoal pencil, and attempted to draw my daughter from a photo. I learned two things as I sketched: (1) At the time I drew the stuff that was already in my journal, I...

"Pendant Necklaces" by Jerilynn Clements, Nancy Javier and Barbara Finwell While I mostly work in seed beads, I'm looking forward to giving the projects inside "Pendant Necklaces" a try. The book, a Leisure Arts Publication by Jerilyn Clements, Nancy Javier and Barbara Finwall, was another birthday gift from my in-laws. I love the look of every necklace it features and the fact that the book includes some instructions on using polymer clay. I've never tried polymer clay, but it's a medium I've long considered adding to my craft stash. Maybe the Dragonfly project will be what will give me the courage to finally give polymer a try. For now, I'm going to put the book aside while I try out a project from " Elegant Beaded Bags ," but this one is next on my list. Some of the projects look so simple, but they still have a lot of "wow." I'm hoping the book will help jump-start my own creativity, which I feel has been a ...

My in-laws sent me a few new beading books for my birthday last month, and I cannot wait to try them out. The first one I want to try out is "Elegant Beaded Bags" by Sonja Hood because features crochet beading, which I've toyed with a time or two, and bags, which I love. (Seriously, I've signed up for magazines I didn't really want just to get a free bag with it.) "Elegant Beaded Bags" by Sonja Hood Each project in the book falls into the "easy" category, which makes it perfect for a bead-crochet novice like myself. I can crochet, but the only crochet projects I've ever completed were blankets. From the first time I saw a bead-crochet bracelet, I've wanted to make one, but for some reason, I find it intimidating. Hopefully, this will be the book that gets me past the skittish stage. I'll update with a craft book review once I have a chance to try it out.

"What We Want, What We Need." Artist Jeffrey Gibson (born 1972) at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas For the first time since our daughter was born, my husband and I went to an art museum earlier this month, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas. It was a trip I've wanted to make ever since the museum opened its doors back in 2011. Though the collection was smaller than I thought it would be, the trip still did not disappoint. One of my favorite works was a beaded punching bag sculpture titled "What We Want, What We Need" by Choctaw artist Jeffrey Gibson. According to the Crystal Bridges website , "in this work, seemingly contradictory positions are blended equally and harmoniously, demonstrating Gibson’s philosophy that varied cultural influences generate new ideas and creations." The museum also has on show an exhibit of blown glass by Dale Chihuly, an artist I first learned about while taking...

A few weeks ago, I had an idea for earrings with a Fourth of July theme. If only I had sat down with pen and paper right then and worked out the mechanics of how to make it. Instead, I let a couple of weeks pass, and then finally last weekend, I took out some graph paper and tried to work out the trickiest part: How to make a star look star-ish without making it so big that I can't add the rest of my idea. I figure that at most, the star cannot be bigger than five beads high. However, no matter how I worked it -- brick stitch or square stitch -- my sketches seemed to look more like little aliens that stars. One page of my "star" sketches. So I switched to my Bead Canvas software, and yet again, I wasn't happy with the results. More attempts to make a tiny star. After a few hours of trying to figure it out, I think what I'll need to do is rely on the colors around the stars to make them look as they should, which, for me, will take trial ...

It's tough when trends change before you're ready. The problem has affected both my mom and me. First, the local stores stopped carrying the starburst beads Mom likes, and now she cannot find the  spaghetti and rondelles she uses to make headdresses. In the case of the starbursts, she wound up substituting a different bead. For the spaghetti and rondelles, I'm still hoping to find them somewhere online. For me, the issue is mostly about convenience. Not too long ago, I could find Delicas at local retailers. Not anymore. Now if I need a specific color, I have to order it online and wait for it to show up. By then, I may or may not remember the project I had in mind.  I've also had trouble finding items I want, like trays that make toting beadwork easy, and a particular type of big-eye needle. I've found other (though inferior, in my opinion) needles, but no substitute -- good or bad -- for the trays. Should I ever find any of the supplies on M...

Kids seed bead rings, made in ladder stitch It took her nearly a month, but my daughter finally finished the ring she began working on back in mid-April. Her beading sessions were short, maybe 20 minutes at a time. And she insisted on having YouTube Kids playing on a smartphone as she worked on it, so because her focus was divided, she managed to complete two to five rows each time she sat down to work on it. But she stuck with it, and got it done. The wires got rumpled, which happened to me when I first started making them, but with more practice, she'll be able to keep that from happening. She also used colors -- a dark blue and dark green -- that were a little too similar. In bright lights, you can tell the differences in the colors, but in lower light, not so much. But to me, it was the most beautiful beaded ring I've ever seen. I just wish I'd taken a photo of it, but now it's too late. I wanted my little girl to feel proud of the work she did, so I to...