Seed Bead Fusion

I thought I'd sit down and review Rachel Nelson-Smith's upcoming book Seed Bead Fusion like a) I didn't edit it, and b) I'd never seen it before. So here it goes:

Rachel Nelson-Smith's new book, Seed Bead Fusion, treats beaders to 18 designs to stitch, wire, and string. Not only is Ms. Nelson-Smith's famous Ootheca Cuff included, but each design includes her signature intricate, colorful style...

Ah, heck. I can't do this straight! Here's the deal. Rachel wrote an incredible book, and I got to edit it. The projects in this thing are killer. I actually didn't know Rachel's work (or Rachel, for that matter) before I got the editing job, so when I opened the box to look at everything all those months ago, I yelped! I was so excited to see such mathematical beauty in each piece. Not only that, but Rachel's colorways are sophisticated--sometimes eye-popping, sometimes soothing.

Okay, so I realized we had some great work there. But then, as I delved into the manuscript itself, I discovered that Rachel got pretty darn obsessive about taking step-by-step photography, too. There were hundreds of photos! So many, in fact, that it would actually be possible to do stop-motion photography on some of the pieces. Not only that, she drew really clear figures as well.

Now I've edited a lot of beadweaving books, but nothing with this kind of visual back-up. I just knew we had to break tradition and use as many of those great photos as we could. So Rachel and I worked it out so that each project in the book not only includes Rachel's illustrations, but also a dozen or more step-by-step photos. You wouldn't think that it would be that helpful for off-loom beadwork, right? But Rachel's macro lens makes that beading thread look like rope.

Another great thing about this book is that Rachel showcases several different ways to incorporate beadwork with wire and wirework with beads. It's like a beading-technique jambalaya. I know I learned a lot while editing the book, and so will you, no matter what your technical expertise. Oh, and p.s.: Don't be afraid of this one if you're just a beginner--there are several projects within that are geared toward you, but no one will ever know how easy they were to make when you put on your finished pieces!

Okay, so we had great work, step-by-step photos, illustrations, and a wonderful concept. That's half the battle. But then the magical thing happened: Interweave's designer, stylist, and photographer mixed and melded their talents to create a sensational-looking book. I can tell you from experience, it just doesn't always happen that way--you can have the best content in the world and someone in-house falls flat so that you get a sub-par visual product. This book is definitely not the case--it's just gorgeous.

So yes, love the book. Proud to have been a part of it. Well done, Rachel! Well done, Interweave! Thank you for letting me do my thing.

Vacillator

Here's a secret: I've been spending the last few days vacillating... Do I take the time it will require to prepare multiple submissions to this big beading thing with the extreme possibility that they will all be rejected, just like last year? Do I go for it or ignore it? The negative me says, "Just forget about it and move on. Get back to work. You have a deadline to make." The positive me says, "Of course, Silly! You won't know what will happen unless you try."

I don't think I'm the only vacillator in our creative crowd. We are all called on to balance so many things--work, art, family--and we have to manage our time in smart ways. So it gets complicated when you start listening to the guy with horns on one shoulder and the guy with wings on the other. Do you do this to yourself, too? Who ends up playing referee?

While I wallow in indecision, why not take a peek to see what my less-vacillating blogging buddies were up to this week?

A Bead A Day
The new Swarovski Air Blue crystals are perfect for summertime jewelry making. Lisa has used them to represent a "happy day" in this ring and necklace set.

About.com Jewelry Making
Rock clubs rock, literally, when you are looking for inexpensive, local jwelry making classes.

Art Bead Scene
Tired of your liver of sulfur going bad? Check out this - Patina Gel!

Beading Arts
The second part of Cyndi's tutorial on using CopprClay to create a necklace.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi introduces a vintage walnut to rhinestsones.

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva
Cindy takes on heavy metal in the studio. No, you won't need to cover your ears - just your hands!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie takes some time to show off a few new resin and brass collage pendants!

Katie's Beading Blog
Take a sneak peek at Katie's newest beading book!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei makes a fun Owl swap with a blog friend.

Snap out of it , Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean is wowed by Denise Peck's recent earring book, 101 Step by Step Wire Earrings! Get it and make some for YOURSELF!

Strands of Beads
Melissa curls up with a few good books from Rings & Things

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
After cleaning the studio, Andrew finds (and finishes) a long-lost PMC Floral Link Bracelet.

Ska Nails

I wish I would have thought of this when I was flitting to The Specials in the late 70s. I guess it takes a generation to think up such details...


We started with a base of white nail polish and used a toothpick to paint on the black squares. I guess all that fine hand/eye coordination for beading is paying off for the mom thing. I was a major hero after this one, and all her friends want to do it, too!

P.S. Got the nail polish at Whole Foods, so it's human/earth friendly--comes off with rubbing alcohol. Cool, eh?

GF Rhubarb/Strawberry Pie

Okay, this is hands-down the most delicious gluten-free item I've concocted to date, so I wanted to share it with all you non-wheat eaters out there! It's definitely not low-calorie and contains lots of sugar and eggs, but if you need a treat and you're eating GF, give it a try! Here's how I made it:

Start with Pamela's pie crust. Here's a link.

Spread the dough over the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie plate.

Combine:

2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup Pamela's mix or other GF all-purpose flour
2 beaten eggs
Squeeze of lemon
1/2 t cinnamon

Mix thoroughly and pour into the pie crust. Bake at 425 for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let sit in the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let completely cool. Dee-lish!

Chicagoland!

I had a great trip to Studio Beads in Chicago. Those ladies really know their beading! For example, I've taught Pacifica a few times where one person finished their bracelet in class, but this time three or more folks did! Must be something in the water.



Anyway, it was a great series of classes and I ended up having a couple fun adventures, too. I have to admit, I love being away for a few days--no dishes or cat to attend to... No 11:00 curfew waiting in the driveways of my kid's friend's houses...the never-ending cooking and dishes. I was happy to come home after six days, but boy, did I enjoy all that freedom and simple things that get overlooked in a busy life, like all those fresh pillows on a nice, firm bed with no butt divots.



On Thursday night, my friend Rachel Cotugno (shown here--love that shirt, Rachel!), who is currently fascinated with all things India, brought me out for window-shopping and dinner at Tiffin on Devon Avenue.



What a treat! And the jewelry-shop gawking is phenomenal--so many ideas racing in my head now. Rachel got me hyped on Bollywood last year, so it was especially fun to do this with her. She encouraged me to buy this outfit for myself--I would have never picked this color, but it looks good on me! That's precisely the reason you go shopping with friends. It's a classic Indian/Pakistani cut that I think is called salwar kameez. The tunic's V-neck is perfect for displaying beadwork and the tunic's bottom is flowing enough to be effective as tookis camo. I wore it to teach on Friday, and it was so comfortable! I think I need to go back and get six more for each day of the week...



I'm always amazed at the generosity of my friends...and even people who I hardly know! Case in point: One of my students this weekend, Rose Hanley, gifted me this wonderful necklace. I guess this style is all the rage with the kids in Chicago. They're done with pleather cord and Conso. Rose made hers with Toho cubes, but I think you could do them with any type of bead. When I showed the kids at home they loved it. It's a perfect unisex design that can be worn as a necklace or wrapped a few times around the wrist.



See how it's done? You just lash the beads to the doubled pleather to make a strand. Very clever...very hip.



I had dinner with Studio Beads owner Donna Zaidenberg and Bodacious Beads owner Judith Schwab on Sunday night. Who says bead shops can't get along? Anyway, these two women are incredible--funny, real, and talented--and make me feel so at home. Judith gave me Nora Ephron's Crazy Salad, a collection of essays I read in my hotel room. This is a must-read for any woman blogger with a sense of humor. Tickled my funny bone at least!

Ended my trip with a wonderful evening at the home of a new friend, Nada Milutinovic. She and Rachel make a tasty beverage! It was so nice to decompress on the back porch of her lovely home...

Thanks to everyone who was so nice to me in Chicago, mentioned here or not. The warm hospitality of old and new friends means so much to me.

Quote of the Week

Overhead in the front seat of my car:

"I think when I grow up I'd like to either run for office or become a competitive eating champion."

What I do

It's often difficult to explain to people what I do for a living. "A beating editor?" No, beading. "Ooohhh. Well what does a beading editor do?"

From now on I'm going to send people to this link on Watch Me Create. Kerry Bogert describes what I do in exquisite detail, down to showing the actual edits. I love it! Thank you, Kerry.



I spent yesterday putting together class materials for my new class, Veve Cuff. I'm so excited to teach it on Thursday at Studio Beads in Chicago! It's a bead embroidery class, but we'll be doing a little cultural exploring as well... And if you're in town, check out my other classes, too: Peyote Buttons, Madras, and Pacifica). Should be a fun weekend! I really look forward to the trip--this is a fantastic group of women. (Actually, most groups of women I know are pretty fantastic!)

Beadblogger's Sunday

Here are this week's highlights from my bead-blogging buddies:

A Bead A Day
Lisa’s “Swarovski Summer Picnic” project is progressing. The only thing missing are the crystally butterflies!!

About.com Jewelry Making
School's out for summer, but is it really? Nope, not when you can take one of these free jewelry making e-courses.

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge painting for July is the Lascaux Cave Paintings. Get your stash of beads out in ivory, red and brown to match the color palette of these ancient drawings.

Beading Arts
Wonderful wonderful wonderful new CopprClay! Cyndi is so excited about this new material that she can't stop playing with it!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi attempts to create a necklace after a resin pouring disaster.

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva
Cindy shows off some new chain and realizes one should never shop for jeans on her lunch hour.

Humblebeads
Check out the 2009 Bead Cruise design contest winners!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei has busted out of the studio and into the Museum of Art for a trunk show.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews a different, colorful, and inspiring book called Glass, by Marlene Blessing and Jamie Hogsett

Strands of Beads
Melissa talks about where to find reliable information on copyrights - the U.S. Copyright Office, of course!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Challenging himself with a smaller scale, Andrew tackles doll jewelry. Check out five new designs with dolls in mind!

Drawing Dilemma

I've been drawing my little heart out since I got back from Cleveland. I wrote a Beading Daily post that required illustrations and also have been working on handouts for my classes at Studio Beads in Chicago next week.

I rely on all those years of art school to do my drawings. My technique is to draw the beads HUGE, then reduce them on the sheets to consolidate the color and line. They turn out okay, but one of these days I'm going to need to learn computer graphics--they're just so much more clean, clear, and printable.

I updated my status on Facebook yesterday, asking if anyone had recommendations for computer graphic drawing programs, and I received all kinds of great ideas. Here's what my friends suggested--I thought you might benefit, too:

"I use Corel Draw, but if I had to do it again I'd use Adobe Illustrator, although it's expensive. I was able to buy an educators version of Corel on Amazon very inexpensively, not sure if that is available for Illustrator. I can manage simple shapes with Word or with Powerpoint, but you miss some of the important functionality like rotating around a center, blending along a path and step and repeat, very handy. Perhaps there should be a course on drawing beads...."

"I know only Photoshop, it's good for me."

"Check your other photo-editing software, most of them have extensive drawing ability. I have tried a few. Let me know if you'd like a list with comments."

"Adobe Illustrator for drawing, Photoshop for images. My 2 cents: don't mess around with the cheaper stuff."

"I tend to use photos for my class handouts, but Illustrator works well for diagrams, though it has a learning curve. If you qualify for an educators discount, that may make it more affordable."

"I agree on Illustrator. It looks scary to a beginner but is worth the effort to learn. Adobe offers tons of free tutorials, the user base is huge so lots of people you can beg help from. If you do classes for a local high school or community college, you may be able to get the software from them for free."

"No. You don't have to, I just bought a software CD called Line Form from Apple, that is so good, you could do anything what you want!! I love it!!"

"...Photoshop for raster, Illustrator for vector, and at your level of knowledge don't mess with anything else. You'll just have to shift later. They are expensive, but least expensive if bought as part of one of the Creative Suites (which would give you other software you'd find essential, too). They are not easy programs. They are ... SOOO worthwhile. I like Lynda.com tutorials, and you can access a lot of the intro lessons for free while you decide whether to sign up (month by month, if you want)or not."

"Try this website. It's a little complicated but it works. Hope this helps."

This last one--inkscape--looks pretty promising (and free!). I may just give it a whirl to see if I can do it. If the meantime, the good old pen and pencil drawings will have to do!

Behind the Scenes at Beads, Baubles, and Jewels

Had a great trip to Cleveland to do three segments on Beads, Baubles, and Jewels this week. It was a quick in-and-out after spending a couple days gathering, preparing, and practicing. I'm proud to say that I'm finally getting the hang of this thing. No fainting (yes, that happened once)and no shaking (has happened every time!).

One of the nicest things about this PBS show is the production staff, Kathy Stull and Katherine Lamancusa. They provide such an upbeat, comfortable atmosphere. And I just adore the host, Katina Forte, who is a Minneapolis girl like me.



Here's Katina and me on set. Check out that makeup job on the girl you might not recognize on the left! Karen, the makeup artist is truly a master...better than Botox because you can just wash it off...



Leslie Rogalski, Marcia DeCoster, and Marlene Blessing were in the Green Room on Wednesday. Leslie did a million segments--she's like the Energizer bunny, I swear. It was wonderful, as always, to see my buddy Marcia; we could blah blah blah the day away! And she's so smart...I always learn from her. Of course it's always great to see Marlene--since we've worked so much together over the years via email, face to face is a treat.



Here's a view of my mess in the Green Room. We set everything we're going to bring on set onto these big silver trays. Since I was just a talking head this time (no how-tos), I brought lots and lots and LOTS of junk. (Packed it and all my costume changes in a carry-on--yea me!)



Oh, here's Marlene with Kathy and Katherine at dinner, where everyone was letting their hair down a little...just a little, though, since most of us had to get up early the next morning.



On the set, setting up my segment on Resin Beads. (Thank you thank you Judy for all your help with this!) This was my last segment, and after it was done Kathy came in and said, "That was your best one...it really flowed and you were very relaxed." Never thought I'd hear those words.



The best part of going to do this show is meeting all the other artists, and this time was no exception. Here's a snap of me and Kerry Bogert (who details her trip so vividly on her blog this week). I've been editing her fabulous book Totally Twisted, and we'd never met in person. She is an absolute sweetheart! She even let me borrow some of her work for my Beading for Boys segment. She did a great job, and this was her first time on camera...



Here's a cool artist I'd never met before--Diane Hawkey. She makes wonderfully whimsical ceramic beads and is pretty dang funny.



When you're in the Green Room you can watch what's going on in the television studio. Here Kerry, Mark from Rio Grande (another cool, talented guy!), and Kathy's daughter are watching Melanie Brooks from Earthenwood Studio do her Steampunk segment. Melanie is so dang talented. She'd never been on television before either, and she was so smooth, so natural.



Ah...a nice crew, eh?

Quote of the Week

Overheard in the Greenroom at Beechwood Studios in Cleveland:

"Eww, that's me and I'm on T.V.!"

Getting ready for BBJ

I'm all packed and ready to fly to Cleveland in the morning to do three segments for Beads, Baubles, and Jewels. Why am I not in bed?

I'm filing my nails. Am I really filing my nails right now? It's a bit of a hopeless endeavor--there's really not a whole lot of hope for these workin' hands. I know they will still be veiny and wrinkly and have nicks and hangnails tomorrow. But at least my nails will look pretty good for those close-ups that will inevitably happen...Boy, this is the first time in a long time that I'll be using nail polish for actually polishing nails!

In my rushing around to get ready today I took a break and stamped and colored these dominoes. What do you think? I could have done a million more, they were so fun!

Do you do that, too? You know...on a day you've got a million things on your to-do list, you escape to do something completely unrelated that seemingly doesn't help you get to the finish line? But maybe, just maybe it's those unrelated things that help us get ready? I know my mind certainly needed a creative break...

New Necklace!

Well, it's official--I'm heading to Tucson in February 2010 to teach! Woohoo! I love going to Tucson, not only because it's a great time of year to get out of Minnesota, but also because it's like a family reunion--I get to see all my beading buddies.

I'll be teaching two classes at the Create-Your-Style Crystallized Swarovski Elements and three classes at the J.O.G.S. International Exhibit. Neither of the venues have their schedules up yet, so you're the first to know.

I developed a brand-new class for Swarovski that marries my love of sparkle with my Steampunkiness. I'm calling it Le Temps. What do you think? I'm excited about this class because it incorporates all sorts of beginning metalwork techniques and the result is pretty dang cool. Now to search down enough pocketwatch faces so I can give them to the students...anyone have a great source?

Beadblogger's Sunday

Here's what my beadbloggy friends have been up to this week:

A Bead A Day
Do you love Swarovski Crystals? Inspired by talented jewelry designer, Lillian Chen, Lisa creates a Swarovski “sculpture” ring.

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene gets creative with the "Best of ABS."

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Sometimes you need to have a jewelry makeover.

Beading Arts
Cyndi reports on her experiences with firing and finishing CopprClay pieces. This stuff rocks!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi tries Ice Resin and upcycles a greeting card into a necklace.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy learns to make murrini and deals with mud.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Even without a lot of time on her hands, Melanie finishes a clockwork themed bracelet using Swarovski faceted rings from ArtBeads.com

Humblebeads
Bead & Button stash and Heather's inspired creations are highlighted today.

Katie's Beading Blog
Check out Katie's wire-wrapped dragonfly!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Instead of continuing on with the tried and true techniques of jewelry design, Lorelei is finally ready to take the leap and try something new.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean gets her cool stash from Use the Muse II, and muses about it

Strands of Beads
Melissa wants to know what outrageous materials are in your beading stash?

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Stop by and say hello to Andrew in Charlotte, NC this weekend. Check out his new designs and some delicious new metal clay coins!

Quote of the Week

Overheard at a restaurant this week from the center of a group of middle-aged moms:

"I'll have what they're having...is it Chardonnay?... Oh, screw it. I'll have a Gray Goose martini, up, three blue cheese olives, no ice."

Of Forewords and Self

I'm spending late nights this week going through the pages for my upcoming Steampunk Style Jewelry book--due out in January from Creative Publishing international.

Going through these large-format color-laser pages is both exciting and grueling with a new book. Exciting because it's...well...going to be a new book and this one is particularly wonderful. Grueling because this is the process where I fine-tooth comb each page to make sure the designer didn't cut anything out, place things incorrectly, or cause strange computer glitches to happen...like turn every "c" that comes after an "s" into a "k". (I've diskovered quite a few of those...I'll need to diskuss it with the publisher.)

My treat this week: The executive editor of this book, Deb Cannarella (a queen, mind you), arranged for the talented and prolific author Paul Di Filippo to write the foreword for the book. Mr. Filippo wrote The Steampunk Trilogy and is considered one of the seminal writers in the Steampunk literature movement. We're talking big leagues, people!

Anyway, after the giddy squeeing (just learned this new word from Joann in the UK--isn't it a good one?) settled down, the self-doubt settled in. I became unusually nervous when I heard through the grapevine that Mr. DF was looking through the manuscript. He's not a crafter, I thought. Would he like or hate it? Did I get it right? Were the materials I gathered true to the heart of Steampunk? The cold slithery feelings of insufficiency were crawling up my back. (Why do I do that to myself? Why do any of us do that to ourselves?)

To cure the feeling I:
1) ate some chocolate,

2) looked at his website and found that he IS a crafter, engaging in one of my absolute loves--mail art,

3) read his essay. It's a great essay--worth the price of admission. And yes, he likes the book! All is good.

DOY and BBJ

I was just visiting Marcia DeCoster's newly designed website--have you seen it yet? She's done such a lovely job--one of the nicest, most navigatable (is that a word?) bead sites I've seen.




Anyway, I see that Marcia gave a sneak peek of her final Designer of the Year project for Beadwork magazine, so I thought I should follow suit! My project includes some very cool resin donut slices from Judy Thomsky at Natural Touch Beads. The resulting necklace is Cher-riffic! Easily the most over-the-top piece I've ever made, but actually looks quite stunning when worn. It's one of those designs ripe with possibilities.

Judy has been such a livesaver lately--right now she's letting me borrow a bunch of her work for one of my segments on Beads, Baubles, and Jewels next week in Cleveland. I'm doing one on "Using Resin Beads as Armatures for your Beadwork"--inspired by my DOY piece, of course. I have a few other pieces that I'll be able to show as examples, but nothing like this! Here's a shot of just a few she sent (I love that belt!):



I'll also be doing a segment on "Beading for People with Metal Allergies" and another one on "Beading for Boys". Slowly gathering eye candy for those two--I hope I'm prepared by the time I leave Wednesday morning! I finally broke down and took the time to get a hair cut yesterday...now to figure out what to wear and see if I can clean up these hands and nails for close-ups... argh, the details!