A collection of random thoughts!

Every once in a while, the muse needs to step back, reflect, and then deal with all of the random thoughts bombarding her during the day! As the rest of you deal with this as well, perhaps we should discuss some coping mechanisms. Who am I kidding? I have no idea how others cope with life, and I’m certainly not an expert, so I just plan to ramble on until I run out of words!! But isn’t the photo pretty (it's one I took on my river walk)?

Speaking only for myself, I seem to be all over the place with my art lately! Am I a bead, fibre, or mixed media artist? Why should I categorize myself, if I enjoy what I’m doing? I guess the term “mixed media” probably fits the best, because then I can do basically, anything that I want to do. Is that a fair statement? Perhaps the problem isn’t the terminology, but rather the lack of focus on any one thing. Should that be my focus? Should I focus more on focusing? Should I start to make lists? Would that make me more productive? Who knows??

One thing I do know, is that lifelong learning is a very important part of my life. My intent is to continue exploring and expanding my art! I get easily bored, and once I master (to the best of my ability) a technique, my muse tells me that it’s time to learn something new. Granted, not always entirely new, but instead, a marriage of both old and new techniques. Take this week, for example! I’ve started working on a new bead embroidery (future class alert!), but my plan is to adapt and execute it, with some ideas I learned in my fibre life. I’m even considering incorporating hand embroidery into the piece, although it is quite small, and I don’t want to “busy up” my palette! I’d love to show it to you, but it’s an ugly stage, so instead I’ll just say that it involves flowers, land and sky. The colours are red, black, and I’m not quite sure about the sky yet!! As always, more to come later! The colours are correct, but the photo has absolutely nothing to do with my embroidery! It's just one I grabbed off Google Images.

Onwards and upwards to more randomness (and a couple more Google images)! Did you know that right brained people are clutter-holics? Not all of the quotes are clutter related, but here are some of my favourite art and creativity quotes:

“Creative mess equals creative thought” – Timothy Atwood.......... "To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk” – Thomas Edison.......... “Perfectly ordered disorder designed with a helter skelter magnificence” – Emily Carr.......... “Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint you can at it” – Danny Kaye.......... “Art is the only way to run away without leaving home” – Twyla Tharp.......... “One of the advantages of being untidy is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries” – A.A. Milne.......... “Imagination is the air of the mind” – Philip James Bradley.......... “Blessed are the cracked for they shall let in the light” – Unknown.......... “Play is the essential feature in productive thought” – Albert Einstein.......... “He who works with his hands is a labourer. He who works with his hands and his head is a crafter. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist” – St. Francis of Assisi

Are you ready to reflect, focus and make some small changes in your life? Review your knowledge base of techniques, and then try combining them into something new and exciting. Change is one of the constants in life, and isn’t it time you embraced it?

Let's talk texture!

Texture is one of those things that we seem to take for granted. It's all around us, but how often do we make a conscious effort to notice it? Raindrops on a lake, cracks in cement, rusty metal, peeling paint and rippling grasses, are all examples of textures in the great outdoors. Now let's examine some ways to include texture in your work!

Pair the creamy texture of pearls, with the soft sheen of silk. Match semi-precious stones, with fibre, wire, leather, buttons or metal. Create a collage of textured elements, and then add a smooth coat of resin. Or how about heavily texturing your polymer, epoxy or metal clays, before including them in a cutting edge piece of mixed media jewellery?

Adding texture to your work should be as natural as breathing! I suggest that you start with a simple pair of earrings, and then branch out to bracelets and necklaces? Pair the smoothness of a lamp work (or ceramic) bead, with wire, pearls and/or faceted crystal. Or how about adding knotted cords, leather dangles, or even feathers? You might also be interested in taking a look at the "Earrings Everyday" blog, for a daily dose of inspiration.

Experimentation is what it's all about! When you're wrapping a component, does it always need to be neat? Sometimes a purposely-messy wrap is all that's needed to turn the ordinary, into the extrordinary! Of course, that particular example might not fit your personal style, but I'm sure that we can all take small steps to add more texture to our work.

Books, magazines, workshops and the intenet, are full of examples of highly textured jewellery. My favourite magazines, such as Jewelry Affaire and Belle Armoire Jewelry, are packed full of exciting eye candy! Inspiration is always there, if you look closely enough! Why don't you give it a try?

What's new is old, and what's old is new!

Who says that you should only use new beads, crystals and pearls on your jewellery projects? I'm here to say that it's okay to combine newer purchases, with some of your more seasoned favourites. Why not take a hammer or shears to an old piece, combine it with wire, pearls apoxie clay, or crystals, and make a knockout piece of work! I wish that I could say that I had a lot of personal, finished jewellery to illustrate this idea, but so far these pieces, mostly reside in the depths of my imagination. I keep looking at some of the more artsy, jewellery magazines, and wondering if I could possibly re-fashion some of my collections, into similar pieces. Let's just call it, a serious case of jewellery envy!

My main focus, over the last few years, has been a combination of intuitive bead embroidery, stitching and mixed media. As a curious soul, I often wonder if this is enough for me? Are there ever enough techniques, for my muse to handle? It's in my nature, to constantly evolve, and I have a stinking suspicion, that I'll be working on more mixed media, jewellery pieces in the future. Over the past few years, my focus has been on intuitive bead embroidery (both flat pieces, and dolls), and mixed media. Although I'm still in love with the process, perhaps it's time that I branched out! My plan is to take more wire and metalwork classes, with the aim of combining this knowledge, with my earlier experience, and influencing my future work and direction!

Now back to combining the old, with the new! I know, that somewhere in this mess I call my studio, I have a box (and probably more than one box), chock full of old jewellery bits. Not to mention, boxes and boxes of seed beads and stones! Perhaps I should give myself the personal challenge, of turning some of those pieces, into my mixed media dreams? But of course, I'll still need new beads and findings, to spice it all up, and point me towards the right path. As if I could resist!! I doubt that I will start much before the New Year, and I promise not to abandon my old favourites (I'll still be teaching workshops), but there's always room for new beginnings. Not to mention the fact, that suppliers keep coming up with new and exciting products to tempt us!

Is anyone ready to take up the challenge with me? Do you have memorabilia and/or collections, just waiting to be used? Would you like some help with your direction? All you need is a little plotting, planning and perhaps a workshop or two! It's all too exciting, isn't it? But first, let's get all of our holiday gifts finished.....Sigh! BTW, the junk jewellery photos, were grabbed from EBay, as I still haven't located my collection!!! Double sigh!

Button, button, who's got the button?

Do you remember playing in your mother's button box as a child? Reach back, far back, and reflect on the sound and feel of your fingers running throught the coolness of the buttons. Aren't memories wonderful?  Who doesn't remember the sweet, sweet smell of apple pie baking, or waking up to the rythmic sound of the percolator (I know, this has nothing to do with either buttons or beads).

According to "The Button Craft Book", by Dawn Cusik, the earliest buttons date back to 2000 B.C.  I'm pretty sure that those buttons were probably made of bone, wood or rock, and destined for purely utilitarian purposes.  I won't pretend to be a historian, but the art of crafting buttons, certainly grew from there.  Buttons have been made in all shapes and sizes! They can be made of glass, metal, shell, ceramic, china, clay (including polymer), plastic, Bakelite, resin, paper mache, stone, wood, nut, and many other materials, that I've probably never heard of.  I bet that you could even laminate layers of paper, and make a button out of them!   Hmmmm, perhaps I should try!

In the 1860's, a popular pastime for Victorian girls was to make Charm Strings out of buttons (and other decorative bits). The aim was to collect 999 buttons on the string, because when you did that, Prince Charming would come and sweep you away.   Rules for collection were few, but buttons could not be purchased, as they needed to be gifts from family, friends, or suitors.

Prince Charming is long gone, and I may never make a charm string, but there are many other beading applications that could use a button or two!  Vintage buttons are still available, but are increasingly harder to find.   Luckily, BeadFX has a good supply of metal, Swarovski Crystal (including Crystalettes), and vintage Czech glass buttons (made from the original molds).

Use them in bead embroidery, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, Kumihimo, quilts, bead crochet, and knitting! Glue them to a button converter, and make a brooch out of them! You could even frame your collection, or (shocking thought) use them to actually fasten or embellish clothing!  I've made molds (using two-part silicone, mold making putty) from vintage buttons, and then filled them with either paper clay, polymer clay, or resin, for totally unique cabochons.   The choices are endless!

On a personal note, I've used vintage, new and family buttons, in my bead embroidery, and have also used vintage shell buttons in one of my favourite mixed media necklaces. Perhaps I should challenge myself, to make a mixed media "Inspiration", that includes buttons!  Would that be something that interests you?  Have you ever made anything button inspired?   If so, I'd love to see photos!

Please, please, start your own button collection.  Your children and grandshildren will certainly thank you for the memories!!!

Complicated Simplicity

Have you ever noticed, that the simplest things in life appear more complex, once you look a little closer!  If you haven't, try going for a little stroll, and really examining the world of wonder, beneath your feet. You'll find a surprising array of colours, textures, and shapes, each one more complicated than the next!

The world is full of designs, and design principals, but the one I seem to have adopted lately, is what I like to call, "Complicated Simplicity".  As a fairly informal person, I find myself designing, and reaching for simple jewellery pieces, that consist of multiple elements.  Now that's not to say, that I'm not tempted by other styles, but this just seems to fit my current lifestyle.  Am I allergic to bling, or do I simply find this casual design style, more comfortable?  Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind, because I do love other styles, and a little sparkle is good for the soul!

"Complicated Simplicity" plays a starring role, in my intuitive design process.  I start by buying a few pretties at BeadFX, pull some elements from my stash (either handmade or not), and then perhaps, cutting up something vintage.   The pile on my bead mat gets higher and messier, until my muse jumps to the rescue, and items are eliminated.   Let's call this an audition process, or rather, a beady "cattle call"!

When the pile reaches a manageable size, I start the shell game, of moving items into a pleasing configuration.  I add, subtract, and move things around the bead mat, until I'm satisfied with the results!  Then the construction phase begins!  I admit to being a rabid lover of techniques, so it's not surprising to find multiples of them, showing up in my pieces.  For instance, you could take a handful of paper beads, mix them with a little chain, then add Swarovski Pearls, using stringing (or you could even try wire wrapped loops),  for a one of a kind necklace! Or how about an Intuitive Bead Embroidery piece, combining different sizes and shapes of seed beads, with crystals, pearls, cabochons, stones, family buttons, metal, broken jewellery, left over chain, and perhaps a rusty bottle cap (but not necessarily all in the same piece)?

Limiting colours, simplifies the piece, while adding multiple textures and techniques, adds an interesting level of complexity.  I didn't say that the life of an intuitive designer was easy, did I? I design on the fly, and rarely use a sketchbook!  When I do break out the pencil and paper, it's normally to capture a simple shape.   I sometimes wish that I was more disciplined, but I suspect that my creativity might suffer, if I tried to restrict my free and easy style.

I love beads, and I love techniques!   I try to keep my work fairly simple, but my intuitive nature, has been known to bury me in an avalanche of ideas.   Not necessarily a bad thing, but it can, and does, complicate my designing life!  Who needs sleep, anyway?  Does anyone want to share my pain?

A Bevy of Bezels

Today, we're going to chat about the wonderful world of metal bezels!  As you can see from the photographs, BeadFX has quite an extensive collection, which is great for aspiring mixed media artists (all that metallic bounty in one place)!  I'll let you in on a secret though; you don't really need to know anything about mixed media, to use these remarkable products. Bezels are versatile, and suitable for an endless variety of uses. We even carry the popular Susan Lenart Kazmer, Hobnail bezels and the Klick line of interchangeable components.

Believe it or not, I haven't tried everything yet, but imagine your bezels, filled with any of the following: collaged paper, photographs, downloaded images, pencil sketches, minature landscapes, old love letters, a child's art, postage stamps, paper napkins, ephemera, text, commercial and hand painted papers, eggshells, broken china, sea glass, fibre, dried flowers, charms, beads, glitter, shells, and even more! Didn't think of that, did you?  If that's not enough, you could also fill them with either Crystal Clay or Apoxie Sculpt, and then embed Swarovski crystals, old keys, watch parts, game pieces, or other exciting stuff, and wait for it to dry! Don't you just hate, waiting for things to dry?

But what about Polymer Clay (PC), you say?  I'm sure that someone out there, has been purchasing bezels, and filling them with all types of PC.  They're metal, aren't they?   So why couldn't you bake them at low temperatures?  I'm not telling you to do this, but in the spirit of experimentation, I just might!  The official disclaimer is.....do this at your own risk, as I don't know how the coatings and finishes will react.......but I'm a Mixed Media Artist, so serendipity is my friend!  Besides, I like the distressed look!!!

You've filled your bezel, so now what do you do?  More choices! You could top it up with Ice Resin, after adding a lovely edging of Iced Enamels, and perhaps some of their Inclusions.  How about trying one of our glass tiles (but not all will fit)? You wouldn't need more than "a little spit and polish", for the various clays.....unless you'd like to add a dab of Renaissance Wax.

A few of my images to tempt you!

When using paper products, with your resin, remember to seal carefully.   Mod Podge or white glue is recommended (as are other types of collage or decoupage mediums), but don't forget to seal the front, back and edges, to avoid staining.  Botanicals should also be sealed!  Mix the resin slowly and carefully (instructions on package), wait five minutes, and then add to the bezel, a little at a time, to avoid air bubbles. Pop any that you see, and don't forget to cover your pieces while they dry.....no dust motes, or cat hair allowed!!! If you're not yet confident enough, to do this on your own, or just like the structure of a hands-on class, check out my November Resin workshop.   It's not on the schedule yet, but it's definitely in the works (and you could probably get yourself on a waiting list). Keep tuned!

Anne Marie

All Mixed Up at BeadFX

I'm Anne Marie, and I'm here to share Mixed Media with you. I have a passion for beads, textiles, fibre art, bead and thread embroidery, paper, paints, collage, free-form peyote stitch, art dolls, printing, metal, wire, various types of clay, botanicals, found objects, recycling, repurposing, and oh, so much more!  Let's just say that I'm a mixed up media person, with a serious lust for techniques!

You're probably wondering what Mixed Media is all about?   Let's start with the definition (or should I say, one of the definitions out there):

"The term "mixed media art" is a broad definition that covers many arts and crafts, including collage, assemblage (both 2D and 3D), altered objects, including books and boxes, handmade greeting cards, artist trading cards (ATC's) and tags, art journalling and book making.

The "mixed media" used includes paints, papers and board of all descriptions, glues, buttons, fabrics, found objects, photos, metal bits, fibres, things from nature, inks, pencils, crayons, markers, pastels and polymer clays, to name a few." - Mixed Media Art

Why isn't jewellery mentioned in this definition, and where do the beads fit in?  Well, in my case, beads fit with just about everything!  I first used them in my early, fibre art days.   Copper Charlottes mixed in with the embroidery, and even more on the freeform edging.  Oh look, there's even a tree, made out of copper wire!

Now they can be found in some of my more intuitive work.   Beads, lots of lucious, sparkling beads!

I've stitched them onto paper, glued them to rocks, and embedded them into Apoxie Clay. You never know where they'll turn up next!

I admit that I don't work exclusively with beads.   How could I, when there's such a wealth of other materials out there, to tempt me?  I make and teach, how to make, unique jewellery, cabochons, beads and small art pieces, suitable for framing and gift giving.  In the coming weeks, I'll be introducing some of the products and techniques available.  I do teach a variety of workshops at BeadFX, and will be hosting a monthly, Mixed Media: Open Studio, on Thursday evenings, for those interested in exploring this facinating art form. First play date - September 17th.

My upcoming September 19th workshop - "Painted Fantasy: Pendants and Bezels"' explores the mysteries of the new Pebeo Fantasy paint line.   The effects are unique, amazing, and can be used on a wide variety of surfaces.  So far, my substrates of choice have been glass and metal bezels, but I do plan to start combining with other products, and surfaces in the future.   Keep tuned!

Mixed Media is a way to express your creativity in a non-traditional way.   It's a very forgiving art form, that gives you permission to relax, and actually start using some of your collections (also known as stash), while making unique, out of the box, jewellery, gifts and art.   I invite you to join me on this journey of discovery!

Anne Marie