Finding your own voice!

I'd like you to join me in a journey to find your own voice. Do you spend precious time trying to figure out why you're not satisfied with your work? Do you realize that it's probably because you haven't found your own artistic voice yet? I began my journey as a fibre artist, yet years later morphed into jewellery and mixed media. I've been told that my work is easily recognizable, but it doesn't always satisfy me. Should it? Artists such as Sherri Serafini and Marcia Decoster have voices that are impossible to miss. They're simply magnificient! I confess to buying their books, but have never once worked on any of their projects.

Fibrella, my one and only soft sculpture doll, is one piece that I find particularly satisfying. I followed another artist's pattern for the basic doll shape (Cheryl Smith, who led the workshop), but then added my own techniques and embellishments to create the doll's personality. I've been told that Fibrella is my alter ego, but how could that be? Why was this piece successful, and others not so much? Perhaps it's my years of technique experience, and then again it could just be because of my connection to the process. Fibrella sat around naked for months, before inspiration struck. Is time the answer to my voice?

If you're struggling to find your own voice, there are many techniques you could follow to assist you in the journey. Play as often as you can; read books; take workshops; study your favourite and least favourite pieces; ask for feedback; talk to friends; obsess less about perfection; try and try again; keep a style file; take photographs; take time to practice your craft; and forget about copying the work of others. We all need to learn from someone, but that doesn't mean that we need to follow blindly! Use other colours, different patterning, or larger/smaller beads. Put your own stamp on it!

The blue/green heart shaped leaf is another example of my voice showing up loud and clear! Multiple techniques combined with some of my favourite colours. However I still struggle with the narrow brown/yellow leaf. It doesn't seem to fit with the rest in the series, and I only chose the colour scheme because I thought that I should introduce some brown. It really does make me feel uncomfortable, but is it just another version of my own voice?

Take control of your vision and your voice! If I can do it, you can do it! I know that it's hard, but just take one step at a time.

There's a new dragon in town ...

Pop by the store and meet the new dragon ... We're up to three magnificent beaded dragons, and one truly spectacular iguana.

He flew in from Tucson, Arizona, and boy, are his wings tired. 

More beady goodies and exciting new stuff soon!

February Classes Will Make You'Leap' for Joy!

Yes, 2016 is a leap year where we get to add one more day to the calendar! Leap Years are needed to keep our modern day Gregorian Calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun. Did you know, it takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds – to circle once around the Sun. However, the Gregorian calendar has only 365 days in a year, so if we didn't add a day on February 29 nearly every 4 years, we would lose almost six hours off our calendar every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days!

So, what does that have to do with jewellery making? Absolutely nothing - except you have an extra day to work on your project!

We have quite a few NEW class projects during the last half of February including a new knotted project and a new soutache project with Angela Peace. Deborah Beesley brings us a new wire bracelet that showcases stone chips and Pamela Kearns will answer all of your questions about RAW and CRAW at a boot camp! Jen Rosen as a brand new wire wrapping class and Maria Rypan combines seedbeads and the new Honeycomb beads in a new netted collar. Anne Marie Desaulniers brings a new mixed media class. Learn how to use metal clay in Sue Henry's new class and you'll learn how to incorporate Egyptian Spiral Links in Jane Doidge's new project! So, how do you keep your studio tools looking and working great? Kelly Garland will show you! Plus, there are lots of encore classes as well as open sessions for your enjoyment.

Here are the classes scheduled February 16 - 29:

Tuesday, February 16
NEW Knotted Everyday Bracelet
Instructor: Angela Peace
12:30 - 3:30pm

Thursday, February 18
NEW Tangled Chips Bracelet
Instructor: Deborah Beesley
6:00 - 9:00pm

Open Studio: Mixed Media Evening

Facilitator: Anne Marie Desaulniers

6:00 - 9:00pm

Friday, February 19
NEW The Art of Jewellery Tool Maintenance
Instructor: Kelly Garland
6:00 - 8:00pm

Saturday, February 20
NEW Right-Angle Weave/Cubic Right-Angle Weave Boot Camp
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
10:00am - 5:00pm

Hot Connections: Bangles

Instructor: Iris Rogers Melamed

10:30 - 4:30pm

Sunday, February 21
NEW Wire Wrapping: Arrowhead Pendant
Instructor: Jen Rosen
12:00 - 3:00pm

Resin: A Mixed-Up Media Approach

Instructor: Anne Marie Desaulniers

11:00am - 5:00pm

Tuesday, February 23
NEW Honeycomb Netted Collar
Instructor: Maria Rypan
2:00 - 5:00pm

Thursday, February 25
Infinitely Herringbone Bracelet
Instructor: Pamela Kearns
6:00 - 9:00pm

NEW Timeless Treasures 1: Epoxy Clay with a Mixed Media Twist

Instructor: Anne Marie Desaulniers

6:00 - 9:00pm

Friday, February 26
Open Metal Studio: Metalwork
Facilitator: Cindy Goldrick
5:00 - 8:00pm

NEW Soutache Bead Embroidery: Loops and Layers

Instructor: Angela Peace

5:00 - 9:00pm

Saturday, February 27
Exploring New Enamelling Techniques
Instructor: Cindy Goldrick
10:00am - 1:00pm

Intro to Lampworking, Part B

Instructor: Amy Waldman

10:00 - 2:30pm (continues Sunday, February 28; 11:30am - 4:00pm)

Cellini Spiral Bracelet
Instructor: Bonni Poch
11:00am - 2:00pm

Painting with Fire on Metal: Create a Storybook Pendant

Instructor: Cindy Goldrick

2:00 - 5:00pm

Sunday, February 28
NEW Metal Clay Bird House in Bronze Prometheus Clay
Instructor: Sue Henry
11:30am - 3:30pm

NEW Variations on Egyptian Spiral Bracelet

Instructor: Jane Doidge

12:00 - 3:00pm

Complete information about each class, including course descriptions and applicable fees, is on our website. Click on 'Classes' and follow the links to the February calendar.

Bring your projects and join us at our FREE open beading sessions!

Wednesday, February 17
Wednesday, February 24
Open Bead Night
Facilitators: Bonnie Cottingham, Pamela Kearns or Malliga Nathan
6:00 - 8:00pm

Thursday, February 18

Thursday, February25

Afternoon Bead Tea

Facilitator: Pamela Kearns

1:00 - 3:00pm

We are pleased to offer these FREE sessions; however we request that you use our merchandise in our facility. Thank you.

Greetings from Tucson!

Hey there. Psst. Come on in. I'm writing to you from the To Bead True Blue Show. Last day here. It's been a blast. I wanted to share with you a quick peek at some of the vendors I've found here and their exciting products. Students of mine will see samples of my many new discoveries at upcoming classes and I'll also share pictures in future blogs. Here we go...

Patricia Healey sells finished fabricated copper pieces and components. Look at the gorgeous colours she coaxes out of copper. 

I love these delicate necklaces that layer filigree components and use patina to make them stand out. These are from Filigree and Me. You can buy them plain or with verdigris finish, same price.

Think this is resin? Think again. Great image sheets and reasonably priced bezels and components come together quickly under jewellers glass to create these whimsical and personalized pendants and bracelets. Check out Craft Fantastic for more info. 

 

The original, the one and only Marianne Kasparian and her MAKUstudio raku pieces. Great as components for wire workers and bead embroiders.

More raku from Laura Souder. She also creates polymer clay tubes that handily act as closures on hand dyed silk ribbons!

Want great pliers? The ladies at the Xuron booth are happy to let you test drive their made in the USA products on jump rings. Try before you buy!

Glass. Fossils. Unusual stones. Irresistible. 

Big trend in many booths: semi precious stones edged in crystal clay and crusted with crystals and stones edged in gold that are ready to string as pendants. Bonus Druzies. 

Clay Revolution anyone? Prometheus Clay and supplies were flying out of the booth. 

And it's not just hotel rooms that are full of vendors! Stores and teachers rent hotel rooms where you can learn and shop. Vendors spill out into the parking lots and hotel courtyards in covered tents. Here's a picture of the courtyard at the Radisson.  

And talk about interesting! Check out Jody Youngs's raised texture embroidery and Bring Barbie Back brooches. 

Sunny shopping days. Well I'm heading back to Toronto tomorrow. I'll share a peek into the treasures I picked up in my next blog. 

InspirationFX: What A HOOT!

---

What A HOOT!
 
by: Malliga Nathan

These gorgeous Hooters really make this necklace!
All you need to do is put them together as you see them in the photo. Just pop a bead on on a head pin or eye pin, make a plain loop and attach them together and then to the bail using a small jumpring.

String the bails onto the leather alternating with the large hole barrels. A bit of glue onto the ends of the leather, add the crimp and crimp. Then attach the clasp using a small jumpring and Bam! You're done!
Enjoy!

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

InspirationFX: Moroccan Sunset

Moroccan Sunset
 
by: Pam Kearns

I saw so many possibilities when I saw the large-hole faceted rondelle beads. I immediately went into the store to try and fit them on the 5mm leather -- they fit! The result - the quickest and easiest necklace you'll ever make.

1. Take a piece of 5mm round leather, the length that you need to create a collar length necklace. In my case, it is 17" (the clasp adds about 3/4")

2. Arrange the big hole faceted rondelle beads in the colour order you like.

3. String the beads onto the leather, added 2 corrugated circle rings between each bead. I also added 2 circles before the first bead and after the last bead.

4. Glue the clasp onto the leather.

I didn't glue down any of the beads because I liked the movement. If you wish, you can add a drop of glue to the first and last bead to hold the group of beads together.

Enjoy!

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

Paper jewellery collage or decoupage?

What is the difference? Collage, according to dictionary.com is "a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theatre tickets and fragments of an envelope." On the other hand, the Decoupage definition from the same source is "the art of decorating something with cut-outs of paper, linoleum, plastic, or other flat material over which varnish or lacquer is applied." Sounds similar, except for the fact that decoupage uses cutouts and lacquer or varnish. For the purposes of this blog post, I'm just going to talk about collage. I use it in some of my mixed media art, including altered dominos, and resin covered bezels. Could beads, pendants and necklaces be far behind? Perhaps not!

Now let's talk about paper! For the last few years, I've been involved in an international paper swap, run by a lovely lady in Germany. If you're interested, check out the Paper Swap Blog, and follow the instructions to join. You will be paired up with someone in another part of the world, and for the cost of postage; end up getting a generous supply of various papers and ephemera to use in your art. Good mail is always exciting, and it's really quite addicting! Of course the papers will not necessarily be acid free, and could possibly yellow over time. However, I'm not all that worried! I do try to use acid free glue, resin and varnish though (UHU glue sticks, Ice Resin, Mod Podge, Acrylic Gel Medium).

If you're gluing paper to paper, use the glue stick (as it will prevent wrinkling). Use Mod Podge or Acrylic Gel Medium when gluing paper to chipboard, wood or metal. If you want to add a paper collage to the bottom of a metal bezel, make sure that you coat all sides (including the edges) of the paper with Mod Podge, then once dry add embellishments and the finishing layer of resin. Do not add resin directly to paper as it will cause staining. With the exception of Ice Resin (when fully cured), these glues and finishes are only water resistant, and not waterproof. Collage is a very flat art form; so remember to add depth by layering colour, value, and texture. You'll be surprised at how easy it is!

Why don't you give collage a try in one of your next creations? A small wooden heart would be perfect as a pendant. As it happens, Pam just gifted me with a few, so I believe a bit of collage play is in my future. I'll be sure to post the results!

Learn Sculptural Bead Makingwith Lampworker Kim Fields

We're thrilled that lampworker extraordinaire Kim Fields will be leading a two-day class at BeadFX! Kim will be teaching Sculptural Bird Beads.

Throughout her corporate career, Kim continued to explore numerous outlets for expressing her passion for the arts. In 1999, Kim took a beginner’s lampworking class. Just a year later she found that working with glass was so fulfilling, she decided to leave her 20-year corporate career behind and devote herself completely to the art of glass beadmaking and jewelry design.
 
Among her achievements are the 2005 Glasscraft Emerging Artist Award from the Flow Magazine; 2008 Commemorative Bead Artist at the Bead and Button Show; the 2009 Hans Gobo Frabel Novice Award; the International Society of Glass Beadmakers 'Presidents Award'; and the cover of "The Flow" magazine's Winter 2011 Women in Glass issue.
 
Kim has taught at many glass studios throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her recent work can be seen on her website www.northfiredesigns.com and at shows, galleries, and in numerous publications.

 

Sculptural Bird Beads
Saturday, April 9
Sunday, April 10
10:00am - 6:00pm both days

Learn to make beautiful bird beads using a variety of sculptural techniques. Demonstrations will include making simple birds to perfect shape and expanding to include realistic details. We’ll use a variety of reference materials for form and color accuracy. Techniques will include assembling canes, color mixing and overlays, heat control, and controlled application and manipulation of stringers and dots. This workshop is intermediate to advanced level.

Special Offer: Register on or before Tuesday, March 1
and pay only $440 + HST.  
Registrations after March 2 will be at the full price of $475 + HST.

Call the store at (416) 751-1911 to register with credit card payment/deposit.

Please note our Cancellation Policy for classes with Visiting /International Instructors:  
No refunds, credits or cancellations will be permitted for these classes. Student substitutions may be made at the time of cancellation as long as prerequisite requirements are met, otherwise students on existing waiting lists will be contacted.