Ancient Worlds Modern Beads Preview

We have just under a month until the official release date of Ancient Worlds Modern Beads– although some readers have received their copies already, and the response has been great so far! Thank you so much to everyone who has given the book a chance. It’s very exciting to know that readers will soon be able to learn the techniques and draw a little inspiration from my own favorite sources.

As promised, I’ve created a slideshow preview of every design featured. There are 30 projects in all – necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings all inspired by the ancient world. The video will give you chance to view all of the finished designs and some of the techniques covered in the book. I’ve only included the main designs – most projects also include examples of variations on color, materials, or style. In other words, there is a lot of jewelry squeezed into these pages!

For the most part, the projects are showcased in the video by the same order you'll find them in for each chapter of the book. Each civilization has its own section, with 10 projects for different skill levels - from beginner to advanced. In writing Ancient Worlds Modern Beads, I did my very best to provide the same attention to detail that Inspirational Beading readers have come to expect for both basic techniques and complete projects. Each chapter is also sprinkled with extra tips for getting the best results, creating variations, or finding the best materials for a design.

The inspirations are quite varied, though most projects are modelled after real ancient jewelry from Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Several pieces draw on the icons of ancient deities like Juno and Demeter, while others invoke the things we admire about the classical world. Many of my favorite designs are covered, including those that many Inspirational Beading readers have requested in the past such as the chevron collar, herringbone coil bracelet, and chevron lariat.

Nile Necklace Project



Amphora Cuff Project

Which project are you most interested in? Are there any techniques not covered that you’d like to see in a future tutorial or book? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Barron's Educational Series and The Met Museum
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Book News and Assorted Updates

This week I received some advanced copies of Ancient Worlds Modern Beads, and I couldn’t be more excited. The official release date is just a few short months away, and I’m looking forward to being able to search book shops for copies. It’s been an incredible journey and a dream come true! Thank you again to all of you for your support over the past few years while it all came together.

I put off taking a good look through the pages of Ancient Worlds Modern Beads– I was hoping a little distance from the last editing session would help me to see it through a reader’s eyes. It’s a bit tough, since I’ve got all of the featured pieces sitting right here with me – what a strange thing to be able to see them both together! I hope that the projects help to inspire many more.

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to find the right balance of work, family, and beading. We’re right in the middle of summer vacation, so almost any free time I’ve got has been going to fun outings, or just plain old sleeping in. I hope that once school gets going again, I can hammer out a much better schedule that will include lots of beadwork and related goodness.

After weeks of head scratching, I’ve finally solved the shop dilemma that’s been keeping me from finding homes for new jewelry designs. ArtFire has made some major changes this year, including placing ads on listing pages and offering an ad-free account with a commission. I had hoped to start a brand new shop, but I have no idea when I’ll have the time to commit to such an endeavor. Once ArtFire announced that they would accept PayPal – aka shop profits – as payment for fees, I decided I would just go ahead and continue using the site until I can migrate to something else. This works out nicely, since I have a lot of business cards to go through before I can change my links!

I’ve committed myself to adding a few new designs to my shops each week if I can find the time, and I’ll have to pull my socks up to really get things done. My workspace has become a bit of a disaster area again – it’s just so hard to spend time filing beads when I can be weaving with them instead.

How are you juggling hobbies and summer activities right now?

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Introducing: Ancient Worlds Modern Beads

The time has finally come to reveal the secret project that I’ve been working on for the past two years. There have been many bead teasers along the way, and I’ve dropped a few hints about the purpose behind the exciting designs that have passed through my workspace. At last I can say that it’s all been for the production of my first beading book: Ancient Worlds, Modern Beads.

I am very excited to present this collection of projects, all inspired by Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Some of my all-time favorite designs are included with step-by-step instructions, along with oft-requested tutorials that will finally be available in full detail. There are lots of collars, bracelets, necklaces and rings to make using seed beads, glass, and natural beads. I’ve also bent my metal rules just a bit to include 4 earring projects that coordinate with many of the other pieces in the book. It was a tough decision to make, but ultimately I wanted to create the best selection of projects possible - and there were just too many great earring inspirations to pass up!

There are 30 projects in all – ten from each civilization. The projects are inspired by the culture, mythology, art and jewelry of the time. Many pieces recreate the look of actual ancient artifacts, while others capture an essence of each region and its legacy. The Egyptian projects were some of my favorites to create, of course. Greece and Rome offer up some pretty amazing inspirations of their own, and I can't wait to share them! It was incredibly fun to design each piece, and I hope that readers will love to recreate them as well. The book also includes some gorgeous handmade backgrounds, with textiles by Elaine Partington and glass by Matthew Durran.

Amarna Earring Project Inspired by Ancient Egyptian Relics

Ancient Worlds, Modern Beads will be published later this year by Barron's Educational Series. It is available now for pre-order from Indigo and Amazon.The official cover has not yet been revealed, and there are plenty of details still to come. I’m planning to release a full preview of all of the projects for you closer to release time. Meanwhile, I want to thank the creative team at Quarto for helping get this book off the ground, and for all of their hard work on bringing it together.

Juno Pendant Project Inspired by Roman Medallion Jewelry

I also want to extend some very special thanks to every Inspirational Beading reader for your patience and support during these two hectic years. Being able to share my projects with you – if only as teasers – and reading your wonderful comments kept me going whenever I felt I couldn’t bead another stitch. Thank you for joining me here every week, and here’s to many more creative journeys!

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