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Courting My Beading Muse . . .

I think about beads and jewelry a lot.  Maybe not constantly, but almost.  So when my muse is with me, I must court her so she stays and provides me with inspiration.  Here are some results . . .

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My Muse Has a NAME!

4/9/2013

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Meet ANNIE, my muse.  I photographed her on a sunny February day on our deck just up from the woods.  She's sporting a tank, a my husband's tooled leather belt , a big silver buckle that my dad used to wear, and lots of new "cowgirl"-style jewelry.  She's looks pretty good, right?

It all started with my "need" for a figure like hers to be the stage for the new western-themed jewelry I had in my head.  Once she arrived, Annie seemed the right name (just enough sass), but she needed some clothing.  Well, lo and behold, I found the perfect garment on Junk Gypsies website:  "Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History"--one of my favorite sayings.  

Well, ever since I partnered up with Annie, my full-size (although headless and legless) jewelry model, I have found a wealth of jewelry ideas that just keep coming.

See what's new below.  


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SUEDE:::a softly western style . . .

This is "Palomino"--a set made with handmade lampwork beads (Blue Heeler and others), Czech glass, and pewter.

I made it in several colors (soft desert tones), and some of them are now "living" in two Oregon galleries till they get adopted by someone who loves them.  There are some on the website.  I'll make more.

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ROCKIN' COWGIRL:::a little more bold . . . 

Annie will be wearing a whole neck-full of these babies.  Some will be long like this, some short, some heavily turquoise, some glass, some will feature vintage cowgirl pendants or western wear pendants.  But at shows she will be front and center loaded down, because "more is better."

Each necklace will have a pair of earrings that coordinate with the necklace (not much matchy-matchy) so they will be easy to wear with several other necklaces.

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BY THE BOOK:::book chain, lays flat like a moveable cuff . . .

This is a variation of my Glass Charm Bracelets, first introduced in 2012, but still a favorite.  I make them all the time.  Each one has a Swarovski "Wild Heart" charm to indicate their classy degree of innate wildness.

I have several of these, and my new idea is to colorize the chain and use coordinating (or not!) dangles.

This one has been showing up on Pinterest a lot lately.  Love that!

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BEACH VACATION:::"Posy Patch"

I just finished my first collection of these last weekend.  This one actually sold once it was seen on Facebook.  Each piece I made is OOAK (one of a kind), so it won't be repeated.  But lots of colors are available, and I'll make more.

Lovely frosted sea glass (man-made) is combined with lots of goodies from my stash--tagua nut, Lucite, and Czech glass, for sure.



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BEACH VACATION:::"Tawny Gold" necklace

Love working with the sea glass.  It mixes well with other materials, plus it GLOWS from within.  

Check out the bottle-rim pendant.  Looks like a piece of bottle that just washed up on the shore.  I use sea glass that is man-made, and it looks beautiful.

Annie is calling my name again from the studio where she stands in front of the fireplace.  While she continues to do that, I will respond.  Today I'll be making BEACH VACATION earrings.  I have a dozen ideas.  Way to go, Annie!
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Destash 2013

2/25/2013

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DESTASHING:  The "art" of finally letting go of treasured baubles and stuff.

I love destashing.  It gives me another chance to discover things I thought I'd lost, to reorganize, and to get ready to find new homes for those little babies I've been hoarding for way too long.  I loved them in the beginning, but today my styles have changed just enough that I don't use the same beads and findings.  But somebody can!  And I have way too much stuff!  (Is there such a thing where beads are concerned?)

I do most of my shopping on-line at favorite "stores."  Thus I have accumulated some items that perhaps were not what I thought they would be.  Have you ever bought way too many of the perfect bead and when it arrived it was NOT the chartreuse you thought, but lime green?  In the destash basket.  How about those clasps that are way cheaper when you buy a dozen, but you only ever used eight?  The orange daggers that "came in" sets of five strands, but you only need three? In the destash basket.  Or the chrome seed beads that are perfect for spacers, but you had no idea how much a quarter kilo amounted to?   In the destash basket.  

I do several DeStash Events throughout the year, so I periodically update my DS baskets and trays.  Right now I'm getting ready for a bead retreat where 75 women gather to bead, take classes, learn from each other by watching and informal chats, and eat.  Lots of the latter.  But many of us bring things to "liquidate", shall I say, so if we sell something we often bring home other people's treasures too.

The energy is AMAZING for that weekend.  I always take bead projects and spread out my tools, beads, findings, and light, but I get so distracted.   I make a few things but I find myself wandering around the room several times per day to see what is being designed, invented, tweaked, auditioned, mulled over.  Mostly the latter.  And see what other people are liquidating. . . I wouldn't want my stash to get too small, after all.

Here are a couple of the baskets and trays that are in the "think I'll take that" stage.  Do you see those lime green beads?  And the daggers?
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Right now this is sorted by type of bead: daggers (my current favorite). But I have hundreds and don't need all of them. I'll share.
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I have done color "stories" here by gathering the same bead colors together. When you want to work with emerald glass, you want to see all the options, right?
It's been a couple of days, and I think I have sorted all I can.  I packed up a couple of plastic totes with towels and placemats between the trays. There are paper plate "shopping carts" for those who need the beads I'm movin' on out.  I found some polymer clay buttons and charms I did a while back.  They're still fun so I had to save a few.  (I might knit.  Someday.)
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Here's my stuff ready to be packed in the car tomorrow. Can't wait to see what treasures I bring home from the other destashers!
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Some New Ink!

2/14/2013

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My new issue of Stringing magazine for Spring 2013 arrived this week.  I've been submitting pieces for publication since 2009, and I was anxious to see what was new.  Well, it's my "Maria" bracelet made with tagua nut.  It's a "no-metal" bracelet for those who cannot wear metals because even the toggle clasp is made with tagua, a sustainable material from Ecuador (and other Central and South American countries.) It's also commonly called vegetable ivory and is widely used in colorful jewelry.  

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Cover of the Spring 2013 issue. It was cropped to remove my address label (not a pretty addition).
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Here is page 25 in the magazine.

"High Voltage" is the theme for these bracelets.

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Smooth tagua nut pebbles, nuggets, slices, and even the clasp.  Can you spot the only glass bead there?

Tagua nut is one of my most favorite stringing materials.  I love the way it works with glass, especially lamp work beads, and metals. Many colors are saturated, and the texture is smooooooth! Plus it's lightweight, perfect for the longer earrings. .  

 I have several bracelets in the Mixed GlassWear section of the website where you can see where I've used those together.  Also fun are the tagua bangles in those hazy, not quite pastel hues that I'm just loving lately.  Here are a couple of those to see what I mean plus a pair of clip earrings.
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RAIN FOREST: The lovely apple green triangle at the top is tagua nut. I've included lamp work, Czech, and vintage glass on this bracelet. Love those greens!
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REDS! Double-drilled tagua nut flats are gathered into a bangle that stretches. Red faceted glass separates the flats, and a large dangle of "dragon feathers" is featured on the side. A fun one to wear. And it's also without metal except for the jump ring.
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Although these are pretty long, they are very light. Perfect for summer.
I am scheduled to have a necklace published in the summer issue, and I'm working on pieces to submit for the fall issue.  So when they "debut", I'll let you know.
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The Band Practice Collection

2/11/2013

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Round 2 of Suze's jewelry redesign project was delivered today.  She was delighted!  We're calling it the Band Practice Collection because of how it came about.  For several years, Suze taught music lessons in her studio to a group of ladies in their golden years who wanted to learn something new or brush up on old skills. Due to health and other issues, it came to be that all the ladies needed to meet at one home, and Suze delivered the lessons to them.  Over the years, they formed a "group" and called their sessions "Band Practice."  Her payment was a sum of money that they insisted she use for herself only...no bills, no gifts to anyone, just something special for herself.  She saved it up, and this jewelry redesign is what she chose.

She will be at the Spirit of the West Cowboy Gathering in Ellensburg WA February 14-17, and some of the new pieces are for this event.  She is performing and wanted new stage eye-catchers.  So I delivered.  We'll start with her favorite.
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BEFORE:  A typical 60s necklace of an assortment of plastic beads.  
Not very inspiring.  


But Suze always liked my Winged Peace necklace featured in Stringing magazine, so...

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AFTER:
"Western Winged Peace", a custom version of that necklace.  I added bone, ceramic, resin, tagua nut, chain, and a fabuous rusted pendant.    

The yellow beads became earrings with added bone and tagua.



Here are a few more redesigns.  Each uses mainly the beads in the original, but I add glass, metal, or findings from my own stash to "make it right" and to put my own style on it.  Sometimes it needs to be longer (or shorter), or chunkier (or slimmer), or more symmetrical (or a bit crazy).  It all depends on what the beads in the original tell me.  

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BEFORE: It's a 3-strand necklace of various gemstone chips. The stringing material was fishing line, not good for jewelry.
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MIDWAY: The exploded necklace. I separated all the chips and findings so I knew how much I had to work with. I decided to group similar chips together instead of mixing them up.
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AFTER: The finished necklace is about 38" long, plenty to double. I added a sterling toggle clasp, size 13 charlottes between the chips for flexibility, and a gather of coral chips where the cross attaches in the center. Earrings complete the look.
Here is a necklace that just needed to be lengthened into a rosary-style.  So I added quite a bit of glass and some coral.  Suze wanted more red and liked the two colors of turquoise in the original piece.
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BEFORE: Lots of shapes and styles of magnasite beads and some turquoise. The clasp is nice, but there is no flexibility.
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AFTER: This is a very symmetrical rosary-style necklace, about 38" long. I mixed brass and silver and put brown iris charlottes and little silver balls between the beads.
Here is a necklace that needed to be tamed a bit.  It's hard to tell it's the same set of beads!  The blackened copper filigree pendant is fabulous.
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BEFORE: We had cut it up some to check out the shells. So here are the parts. There are two types of plastic beads, some chain, and the shells. The copper chain was an extra.
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AFTER: I grouped similar types of beads by size, larger (from the front) to smaller. Spreading out the shells with smaller beads makes them easier to appreciate. The chain was eliminated except for an extender to make the piece more "layerable."
You can see Suze's style and color palette preferences in the necklaces above.  The next project is a real change of pace.  The crystal links had languished in a jewelry box for far too long.  They had been part of a necklace years ago, and Suze wanted it updated into pieces she could wear.
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BEFORE: A lovely strand of Swarovski crystals in jewel tones and all linked with sterling jump rings. Too short for a comfortable necklace.
I'm sure the ladies from Band Practice would be happy with Suze's gift to herself.
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AFTER: Now it's a 2-strand bracelet with a sterling silver toggle and some dangles from the extra crystals. The mis-matched earrings were a hit with Suze!
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Updating Suze's Collection:  Round 1

2/2/2013

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In October 2010 I met with a friend who wanted me to update her vintage collection of inherited jewelry, gifts, and her own purchases over the years.  She didn't wear it anymore, or never had in some cases, but she wanted to honor the memory of some pieces handed down from dear relatives.  So we met to brainstorm, and in the end she gave me a box of jewelry, some intact and some just remnants, and a list of projects that I completed by the end of the year.  

Suze Spencer Marshall is an award-winning musician, entertainer, music teacher, and record producer in Vancouver, WA whose western musical roots go way back to the 30s and 40s.   We first met at her house where she showed me fabulous collections of her stage wear: vintage western shirts and boots, lovely velvet jackets, and beaded garments from the early 20th century.  With these in mind, and knowing that she wanted what would look fabulous on stage, we planned the remakes.

Here are a few before and after pictures of what was done:
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BEFORE:  Black satiny glass and a wonderful cross that belonged to a loved one just begged to be redone.

Suze wanted it long to layer with other pieces.

Originally it was stiff and too short to wear easily.  Luckily all the original pieces were usable.

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AFTER:      I added more black glass and sterling silver findings and lengthened it to about 36" plus an extender for some versatility.

Small silver balls between the black beads make it supple.  

She wears this one a lot and gets raves!

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BEFORE:  Moonglow 1950s beads worn by mom probably

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AFTER:

Suze wanted a set for travel and personal wear.  There were plenty of beads for a 3-piece set.

So I added clear glass, a lovely beige-y color, and copper findings, her favorite.

Again, small beads between the bigger ones makes this work.

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AFTER:

The necklace is about 23" long and works alone or layered, one of Suze's favorite looks.  This would look great with a longer copper chain with a pendant.

Copper bead caps, toggle, and counter-balance in the back are featured.  

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BEFORE:

A very classic design, perfectly fine, but not what Suze wanted.

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AFTER:

With the addition of a brown turquoise and sterling silver, this necklace is updated.

The bears are wired dangles, and the necklace is shorter.

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AFTER:

There were plenty of fetish bears and other beads to finish the set.  I added sterling silver and a few turquoise beads.

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BEFORE:  

Very traditional, nice turquoise and silver.

Suze wanted it shorter and more RED!

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AFTER:

Red coral is added, but the other beads and silver are kept.  

But making it shorter gave Suze a bracelet and earrings.

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BEFORE:

Long necklace of pearlized glass beads, German glass, and old-style bead caps.  

And one  clip earring.

Needs work.

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AFTER:

I grouped similar beads together and arranged the colors in a way that flows.  

Matte gold-finish findings work well.

Two earrings on vermeil wires.

Those are five of the original remodels I did for Suze.  There were more, some with white glass pearls and very traditional, some with black nailheads in a netted design, some with glass chips that just needed more room between the beads so they could move.  All were fun.  As I work on Round 2, I'll show you the process.
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My Muse Needs a Name

2/1/2013

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The Muses Urania and Calliope
So here we have classic muses and modern fairies. I think my muse is more the latter---spritely, joyous, full of energy.  And of course, I may have to have three of them to keep me busy. 
And also, of course, they are GOOD fairies, or sprites, or muses. 

However, I think my muse needs a real name.  "Muse" is just so impersonal.  So, what shall it be?  Something Shakespearean, something poetic, something modern?  Something that denotes creativity, energy, passion? Something symbolic? I shall ponder this...
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Three Spirits Filled With Joy
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My Studio Work Space

1/28/2013

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Just this week I "remodeled" my work space.  (I've really been into the new looks, updates, fresh starts this year so far--no guarantees on how long this phase will last, however.)  But this is where I work.

Organization and efficient storage are the keys to my being able to work creatively. It will always nag at me if I have a chore to complete before I sit down to have fun.  And beading is way beyond fun for me.  It's when my muse sits nearby, maybe on my shoulder, and gives me artistic encouragement and inspiration.  Hence, the remodel . . . and on to courting the muse!

First a little history:  My studio is a big room in our basement that used to be the rec room when the kids were little and played down there.  Years went by and the room became a store room for furniture, athletic equipment, you know, an easy place to stash whatever. Then one day I thought that I wanted to move from a small spare bedroom upstairs to this luxurious space that wasn't being utilized to its full potential.  It's big (about 18 x 30 feet), carpeted, and completely comfortable, and I am really appreciative of it. So I carried all my beading stuff down the stairs piece by piece (and of course did a thorough purging of the accumulated goods to better homes.) The arrangement has gone through several redos over the years, but I'm really happy with it now.  We plan to move the pool table out later (right now it's a staging area) and put in a large wooden dining-style table (now living in the garage) for display, work, bead retreats, and classes.  It's always something . . . 

The photo at the top shows where the magic happens, so to speak.  There are two six-foot tables, one under the windows and one to the right forming a corner.  The table you see is the actual workspace; the other table holds stuff.  The cool thing is my storage on the table.  I ordered two shelf units from Amazon (the kind that are used in schools as mailboxes or paper storage).  I assembled them, put them on the table, and proceeded to fill up the 72 cubbies.  Since most of my beads and findings are stored in plastic divided boxes, the fit is perfect!  And . . . everything I use all the time is with reach.  My husband is going to build one for the other table that is a more custom size.  I'm sure I can find things to fill up those cubbies too.  

But the best thing is that I'm no longer working in a one-foot-square space.  In the past I've always somehow ended up doing that by surrounding myself with beads, boxes, books, tools, articles, etc. until I have almost no room left to work.  So, right now at least, I have the whole length of the table to work on a project.  No guarantees, but for this week, it's working!

The photo to the left above is my tool table.  It's a steel garage or workshop metal shelf from Costco, so it's beefy.  I have three of these altogether.  The other two are for other purposes.  But this one is where I keep my hammers, mandrels, bench blocks, stamps, cutting tools, dapping tools--anything that really requires some pounding.  The shelf below is storage for tools used less often.  The wooden section on top is a leftover from my mishmash of earlier storage shelves.  It's about four feet long and about nine inches wide.  It's perfect for the little things that need to be corralled or they fall off or get lost.  I have the stamps, hole punches, scale, dapping blocks, glues and other solutions there.  And it's open underneath so that tools with longer handles can be tucked there and still be found easily.

Those are my two main work areas.  I sometimes go downstairs and just look at it.  Do you ever do that?  I'll do the same thing after I've made a piece that I really, really like.  Just make a trip to look at it.  It's somehow satisfying.



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    About Me . . . 

    I am a beader. 
    I love it. . . all parts of it:  planning projects, buying beads, accumulating tools, reading articles, organizing my studio, auditioning designs, researching other artists, and hopefully inspiring myself to continue courting the beading muse. 

    I have been designing handmade beaded jewelry since about 1995, 
    and always my focus has been on What Women Buy for Themselves  (although I have LOTS of customers who are men too!)

    All pieces are designed and made by me in my studio here in Camas, Washington.
    Czech glass in bold colors is my main "fabric."  In addition, copper, brass, vintage German glass, handmade lamp work beads, and copper and silver wirework are mixed with metals, gemstones, pearls and found objects in one-of-a-kind designs.

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    Beach Vacation...new For 2013
    By The Book...new For 2013
    Destashing
    De-stashing
    My Studio Work Space
    Published Work
    Remodeling Vintage Jewelry
    Storage & Organization
    Suede...new For 2013

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    Published Work
    in Stringing magazine

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    TURQUOISE & TAGUA: Winter 2009
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    CORAL CONFLUENCE: Fall 2010
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    WINGED PEACE: Spring 2012
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    SERENDIPITY: Summer 2012
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    MARIA: Tagua Nut Bracelet Spring 2013
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    SADDLES & SAGE: Gemstones and Glass Necklace Summer 2013

    Blogs I Read . . .

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