Beadbloggers...Friday?

The rest of the Campbell elves and I are headed off for a much-needed California vacation today, but before we go I wanted to wish you all a very happy Christmas. I hope today finds you at peace and surrounded by love.

Since I hope to be walking on a beach on Sunday (far away from the 2 feet of snow we've received in Minnesota this last week!) I'll fill you in now on what the Beadbloggers have been up to. Enjoy!

A Bead A Day
There is still plenty of time to make some New Year's Eve jewelry! Lisa shares an eye catching bracelet using velvety hearts and chandelier-like egyptian crystals.

About.com Jewelry Making
Yellow facted CZ fan pendants become gorgeous earrings with just a little chain.

Art Bead Scene
It's the ABS annual 12 days of Christmas free projects. Twelve days of last minute holiday gifts!

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Eco Friendly Gift Wrap

Beading Arts
Sweet, simple, and silly! Make a barrette that will delight a young girl in your life.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi makes huge resin baubles from an ice tray.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Cindy shares her favorite things this week. You might be surprised to find out what they are!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie makes a chunky, funky necklace with some unusual wooden chain and findings

Jean Campbell
Jean shares a free sparkly necklace project, just in time to whip up for your New Year's Evening wear

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei goes back in time to remind fellow Etsy sellers about Heart-o-Matic!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean offers a project called Supercool which features a great focal by Dustin Tabor!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shares some whimsical lampwork artistry by Debi Cogwell.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Using a drilled resin piece from Lynn Davis and some filigree, Andrew creates a necklace paying homage to the faeryworld sanctuaries.

A Little New Year's Ice

While watching the flakes fly yesterday I put together an icy-looking necklace for my mother-in-law, Joan. She loved it! It's sparkly enough that I think it'll be a perfect addition to her New Year's ensemble, but it's understated enough that she could wear it every day.


It's a fun, quick project to do, so I thought I'd share how to do it as my holiday gift to you. Here's how it's done:

Supplies
3 crystal 5x10mm bezelled crystal navettes (Swarovski #13-304)(you can actually use any 2-holed bead that's roughly the same size...)
26 light sapphire 4mm crystal bicones (Swarovski #5301)
1' of sterling silver 22-gauge wire
2 sterling silver 2" head pins
2 sterling silver 5mm jump rings
1 sterling silver 10mm toggle clasp
16" of sterling silver long and short chain
Wire cutters
Bead stopper
Round-nose pliers
Chain-nose pliers


1) Cut 2" of wire and form a double simple loop at one end. String one bicone and pass through a hole on one of the navettes. String another bicone and form another double simple loop.


Repeat to add a wire and bicones to the navette's second hole. Repeat this entire step to wire all 3 navettes. Set them aside.


2) Use the head pin to string 1 bicone; pass through the bottom right loop of one navette. String another bicone and pass through the upper right loop of the same navette.


3) Repeat Step 2 to connect all the navettes. String one bicone.


4) Place a bead stopper at the end of the head pin holding the right side of the navettes. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 to connect the left side of the navettes.


5) Snug the beads on the left side of the navettes, trim the head pin to 3/8", and use round-nose pliers to form a simple loop.


6) Remove the bead stopper and repeat Step 5 for the other head pin. Set the pendant aside.

7) Cut the chain into two 8" pieces.


8) Gently open one of the simple loops on the pendant, attach an end link of one of the chains, and close the loop. Repeat to add the other chain length to the other side of the pendant.

9) Use jump rings to attach the clasp to the other end of the chains.

Happy holidays!

Beadbloggers Sunday

It's been a crazy busy week at Studio Campbell, but I knocked down a few more April/May Beadwork technical edits and crossed four more pieces off my list for The Book...just 6 more to go before Christmas. I'm starting to believe that I may just actually be able to get this thing done without spontaneously combusting like a Spinal Tap drummer.


Detail from the piece I finished just this very second for The Book. (Sorry--can't show the whole thing yet--publisher's rules!)

Got a package from Marcia DeCoster the other day that included a ton of postcards for Beading by the Bay, and it made me realize I needed to mention it here again!


This retreat--which will be held March 12-14, 2010--is going to be THE best bead retreat of the year. First off, I can't think of anywhere else I'd like to be other than San Francisco, my favorite city in the whole wide world. Throw beads and beaders in the mix and you've got a party. But the best part of the weekend are the teachers. I really consider Marcia and Maggie right up at the top of the heap in the bead community. They both make such smart, interesting, wearable designs, and each project teaches an innovative new way to use a stitch or combine materials. I'm honored, of course, that they asked me to come along. Must be for my scintillating charisma and contagious laughter. All kidding aside, I'm pretty dang pumped to share the piece I designed especially for this retreat, Lilium. It represents a new design direction for me that's more sculptural and layered...


Interested in attending the retreat? Come on, you should! Hey, why not ask for this as a holiday gift...way better than another iGadget, right? And you can register by clicking right here. Easy peasy! It would be great to hang out with you in San Francisco...there's a trolley car with our name on it, and I'll arm wrestle you over who gets to ring the bell...

Alright, back to business. I've got some beading to do!

While I'm slaving away, deepening the circles under my eyes, and sprouting new gray hairs, why don't you take a peek at what my beadblogging buds have been up to this week?

A Bead A Day
If you find yourself in need of a quick holiday gift, don't overlook memory wire! With this simple design, you can make one for all your friends.

About.com Jewelry Making
Thinking of making some beaded ornament covers? Then you'll need to know the size bulb to use too.

Art Bead Scene
It's the first day of Art Bead Scene's annual Twelve Days of Free Projects!

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe gets all steamy over the new Steampunk Style book!

Beading Arts
Cyndi shares a new tutorial featuring one of Earthenwood Studio's fabulous new pendants!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi wonders if anyone else is working on Spring.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Inspired by Grandma's necklace, Cindy creates an edgey look with CZ's.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie shows a sneak peek of a pair of earrings she made for the upcoming book Steampunk Style by Jean Campbell

Jean Campbell
Jean shares 3 easy tips for making holiday gift production a little less stressful.

Katie's Beading Blog
Katie's making tons of earrings this season. Here are a few fun ideas for your own last-minute gifts!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei is saying Thank you and Merry Christmas by giving away a gift certificate to artbeads.com!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
When you check out this ornament kit which is available for you to make, it will REALLY put you in the spirit!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Each representing a different spectrum of lampwork glass, Andrew shares the new additions to his bead collection from two different artists.

My Neighbors Bake

We moved to Minnesota from Colorado about 8 1/2 years ago now. It's a neighborhood built in the 1960s, and there are lots of original owners still populating the houses. We were happy to find out that there were a few folks more our age, though, so I was so delighted when during the holidays that year the group of "young" neighbors invited me to a holiday-themed baking party. "Oh, yeah, just bring some dough and we'll bake your cookies at my house," Tracy told me...

I pictured a raucous group of suburban moms, using baking as an excuse to get together, drink a little wine, have a few laughs, and get in the holiday spirit. I even brought the then-3-year-old Emma along with me to join in the fun.

What we walked into was quite possibly the most surreal scene I'd ever encountered. It was dead silent for one. And there was much flurrying in robotic precision. It smelled great, and there were cookies everywhere, but these people actually got together to bake. Just bake.


It was like an elven Stepford Wives cookie factory located in Twin Peaks. These ladies had on oven mitts, hair nets, aprons, and Tracy even had out a ruler to perfectly measure her chocolate chip shortcake bars. Emma, even at 3 years old, knew something was amiss. We didn't last long.


The next year they invited me back. By then we all knew each other a little better, so I told them that "party" wasn't really quite the right word for what I'd witnessed the year prior.


I told them I'd come and watch, as a cultural anthropologist would, but that I wouldn't be bringing any dough. Ever since, I've mainly been the one to bring in a little extra holiday cheer, provide a few laughs, and generally be another warm body. And I think maybe I've rubbed off on them a little bit over the years, because this year they busted out the wine at a somewhat early hour.




Even though our basic differences are strikingly obvious, I have fully embraced my neighbors. Over the years these girls have become my confidants, my Mighty Mice, my beacons. Baking hats and rolling pins aside, I feel incredibly grateful to have them in my life. Another reason that I'm a lucky girl...I love you guys!

Holiday Gift-Giving Jewelry Factory Tips

Every year I promise myself I’ll be better, and every year I do the same thing: I put off gift-making until just a couple weeks before the holidays. My studio turns into a nutmeg and peppermint storm as I whirl into a tailspin, the perfect caricature of an grumpy elf on too much caffeinated maple syrup.


I emerge with a handful of neatly-wrapped gifts, set them under the tree, and promptly collapse on the couch until someone dribbles spoonfuls of Hot Toddy and a few Russian tea cakes into my gaping mouth, turning me back into a happy elf.

I’ll say, though, each year I get a little better at staving off the mayhem. For instance, this year I’ll employ another resident elf (Emma) to help me on the production line. It’ll be fun! We can sing “Santa’s Elves” and eat copious amounts of red and green M&Ms…


Having a helper is one good idea for getting lots of jewelry made all at once, but I have a few other ideas, too:

Choose a standard design
Instead of reinventing the wheel for each and every gift you make, choose one or two basic designs. A simple one-stranded bracelet or chain and crystal earrings, for instance.


Make changes in the design
Once you choose a design, you can personalize it by making small changes. For instance, if I chose my Sassy Sisters Bracelet for my gifting project, I could easily change the found objects and seed beads to make the bracelets look very different from one another. That way, when Suzy, Molly, and Mary open up their gifts all at the same time, they might not even notice I made them production-line style.


You could also just change the metal color in a project. See how my Bling Bracelet looks drastically different in gold...


vs. silver?


(Do you like this blingy bangle? I'm teaching this class and others at the J.O.G.S. show in Tucson on February 2...come take the class! Oh, this post is full of uncharacteristic shameless promotion today!)

Set up a production line
You don’t want to be impersonal about holiday gift-giving, but you have to be practical since time is of the essence at this time of year. So, if you’ve got warm bodies around to help you make jewelry, use them! Kids, husbands, friends, neighbors, co-workers. I know that when I get my elf factory going this week, I’ll have Emma turning colored copper wire into coils while I rivet found objects. This will cut my production time at least in half, and she’ll get some of her gifts finished, too. That means more time for both of us to cozy up under the tree.


What other tips for cutting down on jewelry-production stress at this time of year do you have? How do you avoid becoming an angry elf?

Superior Scribbler Award

Hey--look at the cool award I just received from Sig Wynne-Evans! Sig does whimsical, creative beadwork and writes a really fun blog that, well...doesn't dice words. My kind of girl! Check her blog at Beadedbear's Nonsense and Complete Waste of Time. This feels like a definite honor to receive an award like this from such a talented person. Thank you so much, Sig!

Now I have the traditional responsibility of following the rules ascribed to the recipient of this award. They are as follows:

* Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy friends.

* Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & name of the blog from whom he/she has received the award.

* Each Superior Scribbler must display the award on his/her blog and link to This post which explains The award.

*Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List.

That way, we'll be able to keep up to date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor.

* Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

And now, it's my turn to pass on the award to 5 other bloggers. Oh, this is too hard to pick--there are so many good ones out there, but here are a handful I enjoy:

Jean Yates

Andrew Thornton

Kate McKinnon

Marcia DeCoster

Kathleen Kimball-Baker

Hurray! Who doesn't love an award?

Beadblogger Sunday

These are toothpicks. I'm using them to keep my eyes open.


I knew this month was going to be difficult, but I didn't count on it being quite so challenging. I sleep about 4-5 hours a night, get up and write instructions, do my magazine editing work, then spend the rest of the day designing, beading, schlepping kids, slinging hash, and staving off complete and utter garbage house syndrome. I've definitely bit off more than I can chew, and am currently quite frayed around the edges...

But the reality is my work is incredibly enriching. I feel so filled up that I get to do what I get to do everyday. My favorite work project right now is The Book (will be released a year from now). I've got quite a bit more designing and writing to do for it before we leave for the holidays. It's due January 1, so I really need to crank. I don't think I've ever beaded so much so quickly in my entire life. My hands are even starting to cramp... but I really feel good about the results so far. I hope readers will like the results, too.

Here's the design on my work bench today. I'd been going round and round with it, but had a wonderful construction epiphany yesterday afternoon. Now I feel I can plow forward and get this sucker done today.


I don't think my current mania is much different than lots of you who read this have experienced. Oh, mine might be a bit more intense this week than other people's, but it seems to me that many of us artists do a intricate life dance to juggle work, family, and creative expression. Seems like it'll be a lifetime for me to figure out how to do it gracefully.

Want to read more about what other creative people are doing? Check out these links for the Beadbloggers:

A Bead A Day
The sun shines brightly on A Bead A Day when happy yellow cubic zirconia's are used in a simple necklace design.

About.com Jewelry Making
Give a beaded jewelry gift that gives twice.

Art Bead Scene
Be Inspired! Think about creating jewelry that tells a story.

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Artbeads Crystalized Elements!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi is selling jewelery in a show for the first time and is trying not to "jinx" her favorites!

Cindy Gimbrone aka The Lampwork Diva
Meet the newest addition to the Through the Looking Glass Nugget Charm Family - Alice Blue!

Jean Campbell
Jean discusses how Steampunk jewelry design fits into a larger "Poetic Couture"

Jewelry & Beading
Cyndi is sharing a series of Gift Guides for handmade jewelry lovers!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Taking ya back to the Open House 2008! Now stay tuned for pics for Open House 2009 on Dec. 5!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
The ever breathtaking beadmaker Kim Miles pulls out all the stops for the Holidays and gift giving. But that is not all! If you have the "secret word" on the secret day" every week, you get a fab discount!

Poetic Couture

You know there's a lot of talk about Steampunk jewelry these days, but jewelry artists have been working in this style for at least 20 years now.

Grouping of found-object art by Bob Ebendorf.

In my upcoming book, Steampunk Style Jewelry, I describe the trend as "Mad Max meets Jane Austen", which I think an appropriate pairing of images for getting a handle on what this thing is all about. When you envision that pair of images, you'll realize you've seen jewelry in that style for years.

Jean Campbell, Uncle Julie Says Goodnight, 2008.

For example, when I met my friend and great influence Bob Ebendorf in the early 1990s, he was finding most of the materials for his unique works in the back alleys of Santa Monica and in the tide wash-ups on Venice Beach. He'd create grand necklaces of squirrel paws and tail lights; simple rings with rusty washers and concrete with a single pearl set in; pendants made from broken vodka bottle glass and vintage photos.

Robert Ebendorf, Fragments (brooch), 2006.

I don't feel that when Bob started experimenting with found objects in his jewelry-making he was working directly from the same science-fiction bent that Steampunk comes from, but the stew... the collective artistic consciousness from which he picked his materials...the stuff floating around in creative people's heads at the time...definitely included the works of the sci-fi writers like K. W. Jeter and James Blaylock.

K.W. Jeter, Morlock Night, 1979.

When I think about it ,I feel that Bob's early work with found objects was probably more directly informed by the assemblage work of artists like Joseph Cornell. Cornell's work exemplifies beautifully the drive by artists in the mid-20th century to incorporate the flotsam and jetsam of our everyday lives into our aesthetic sense. Artists like Cornell used that stuff as they would paint--it was just another rich material to create works of art.

Joseph Cornell, Cassiopeia 1.

When Bob and other jewelry designers like Thomas Mann, Richard Salley, and Keith LoBue started using that same detrius to create wearable art, the "found object jewelry" aesthetic took on a life of its own. We might call it "Steampunk" now, but I think it might be more aptly named "Poetic Couture".

Keith Lo Bue, Mesmerism, 2008.

It's interesting to see how the groundbreaking work of found-object jewelry artists like these, scrounging through the human condition for materials and bringing their fruits back to their studios to create beauty, eventually informs high fashion. My friend Jan Calligan just sent me this link. Jewelry designer Lorenz Baumer has created this piece for Louis Vitton using white and yellow diamonds, sapphires, spinel, and garnets.

Lorenz Baumer Necklace for Louis Vitton.

Do you see the direct influence of Poetic Couture on this necklace design? How 20..30..40 years later, after the Poetic Couture found its roots, it has made its way to the Paris fashion houses? There's no denying its found-object feel and very direct reference to cogs and gears.

What stuff on your work bench right now is informed by Poetic Couture? Maybe you're using words in your pieces? Or adding resin to photos or drilling holes in stuff you've found on the street? Know that you're part of a smoothly rolling trend, not a fad. You're part of a line of craft poets.