Inspired Beaders: The Thembalethu Beaders

Today my guest is Adam Jordan, co-founder of the Thembalethu Beaders project of South Africa. Supported by gorgeous beadwork designs, and founded by Thuli Dumakude, their mission is to “Increase global awareness about the economic, education, health and political inequities undermining the magnitude of women and children and produce sustainable, dignified and liberating opportunities for women and children.”

Inspirational Beading: How did the Thembalethu Beaders project begin?

Adam: Thembalethu Beaders was born in the pursuit of a meaningful contribution towards the rising levels of unemployment in the rural communities. We further recognise that training and education would serve no meaningful purpose unless it is linked to job creation – and to ensure the success of any such initiative, it is imperative that all of this becomes self sustainable.

Inspirational Beading: What are the most popular materials or colors for the beaders to use?

Adam: Most popular materials are loose glass beads, and the popular colors are [green, red, yellow, blue, orange, white, and black].

Inspirational Beading: How has the project affected the community so far? What’s on the horizon?

Adam: The concept of Thembalethu is based on a holistic approach and a new philosophy towards people, training, development, empowerment and business. Thembalethu believes that an innovative and creative approach to the numerous challenges we are facing in South Africa, will unleash great opportunities for those rural women with the ability to rid themselves of the limiting beliefs of the past.

The result is an income generating community of rural women. These ladies, who generally meet in groups for their beading activities, are able to talk to each other and in this way, are developing solutions around the various issues on HIV and AIDS which impact on them. Several of these include AIDS orphans resulting in children raising children [and] grandmothers left to feed and care for their grandchildren.

You can learn more about the project, and see many more designs at ThembalethuBeaders.org.

Mortira

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Inspired Beader: Anika Jaumann

Today I want to introduce you to an amazingly talented beader. Anika Jaumann’s elegant beadwork designs are a delight to behold!

Inspirational Beading: When did you first get started with beading?

Anika: As a kid, I used to string bracelets and necklaces out of wooden beads and wore them in kindergarten – I put them secretly on after my mom was gone, because she didn’t want me to do so. When I was eleven, I discovered glass seed beads and strung some bracelets, but this didn’t turn into a regular activity until in 2010 when I decided (out of the blue, actually), I really needed a pair of strawberry earrings. But the metallic ones you could buy on the internet didn’t match the vision I had in mind until I stumbled across a picture of beaded ones. So I went into the next craft store, bought some seed beads and wire and was immediately sucked into my new passion and, I’ll admit it, addiction. After half a year of happily “fumbling around” and diving through colors, shapes and textures, I sat down and taught myself off-loom weaving techniques and later, bead embroidery. All of this very soon lead to my own designs. It all felt like a very natural process, actually. I was and am still astonished at what one is able to do with only a few beads, some thread, a needle, and the gift of imagination.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite thing about jewelry making?

Anika: There is a lot of pressure on women and their looks these days, and sometimes I feel the fashion industry doesn’t really help us to come at peace with our body and individuality, but rather forces things on us that don’t fit all. I’m not able to make clothes by myself, but still like to look pretty and feel good when looking in the mirror, but my choice of clothing is limited by the current trends I can’t influence. By making my own jewelry, I can still make a fashion statement, but I’ve got much more freedom to decide what I want to say through my jewelry and how people judge me by my looks. Also, I’ve always loved colors, the different shades, the emotions they convey, how shades change when combined. Beads and other materials I use for jewelry making provide me with the exact thing I’ve been subconsciously looking for when I decorated my apartment, made little colorful books out of self-written poems, or purposely combined unflattering shades within my clothes: A medium that has no limitations in the aspect of color, but rather opened my eyes to what can be done with thousands of different shades and how they’re altered by astonishing bead finishes.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first piece? Where is it today?

Anika: This was actually the pair of strawberry earrings I mentioned above. They were made with seed beads and wire, so naturally after a while they fell apart. I replicated them multiple times because I liked them so much, and every pair got better than the one before that. I think the fourth version was finally a 3D-piece. Throughout the first year, I made a lot of “practice pieces“, some with really nice color palettes, some with – well, not so nice. As my skills and knowledge about design and color improved, the pieces got more elaborate, and one by one I could identify the poor decisions I sometimes made in my first pieces and understood why one bracelet or the other just hadn’t worked out. As a part of growing and looking forward, I’ve now torn so many pieces apart I can’t even count them anymore. Sometimes this process hurts, but it also makes me very humble and thoughtful, and I think this helps me to become a better designer.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you look for your favorite inspiration?

Anika: There are three sources of inspiration. First is my stash. I don’t think it’s very huge, but it’s very well sorted by temperature of color, then saturation. This helps me to create the warm, sometimes autumnly palettes I love to work with, while also having some cool shades as accents to throw in. The diversity in shapes and sizes of beads serve as inspiration to me as well, so they aren’t sorted at all.

Second source is the work of other bead designers. Jamie Cloud Eakin’s work is stunning, as well Irina Chikineva’s. I’ve been following “Inspirational Beading“ since my very first beginnings, and I think Mortira really serves her mission of inspiring other beaders with her wonderful pictures and well-written posts. I don’t look at pieces by other designers and try to duplicate them, but rather ask myself: What is it in this piece that grabs my attention? What kind of technique did the designer use, how did she/he use color, materials, finishes? What makes this piece a "Wow"-piece?

Third comes my mind. I’m always trying to get input through books about beading, color and design, pictures by other beaders, my stash, scrolling through online bead stores or visiting actual stores – with all of that combined, ideas come naturally. I don’t try to force them but let my subconsciousness do the work for me. In this way, I feel more connected to myself and can explore my own style in a more honest way rather than trying too hard to reach a certain “level“ or message that I admire in others, but is not my own.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite kind of design to make?

Anika: Romantic feminity, with many tiny beads, rich textures, butterflies and flowers, definitely speaks a lot to me. On the other hand, I don’t like to work with the “typical” rose, cream, baby blue or lavender palettes but rather apricots, warm coral rose, honey yellows, gold, terracotta, light copper, olive and so on, so my combinations sometimes may seem a little unusual in regards of style versus color choice. And it’s exactly this contrast that feels right to me. Embellishment is my favorite part of the process. In this step, I get the opportunity to enhance the message the basic piece is already telling. I love the care it takes to balance this emphasizing aspect versus the risk of overpowering the rest of the piece. Concerning the kind of jewelry, I somehow make a lot of earrings, simply because I love wearing them. But the design choices are limited here, because of size, shape, and weight, so I’m currently working on necklaces as well.

Inspiraitonal Beading: What’s the most interesting or unique thing about your design process?

Anika: The most dominant aspect of my design process is the constant change. I always try to control certain aspects of it, as I’ve got the feeling the resulting designs will be better this way, but this just works for a short period of time until everything organizes itself in a chaotic, somehow organic way. My latest method to work with went as follows: I first pick a color palette consisting of different shades, partly with help of my knowledge of color theory, partly listening to the feeling the colors awake in me. I then decide upon the technique and design. With bead embroidery, I usually start with the center pieces, with a vague vision in mind that develops throughout the process. Sometimes I take notes, sometimes not. I’m really awful at drawing, so I don’t really use sketches a lot.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite color to work with?

Anika: I’ve always been drawn to warm colors, mostly the ones that are less saturated, with no preference for light or dark. My favorite neutrals to work with are terracotta, light copper, all shades of gold, bronze, sometimes beige, sometimes amber, sometimes a cool sand. With colors, I prefer shades of honey, vanilla, warm, muted orange, hyacinth, coral pinks and reds, turquoise, blue greens, light olive, blueish violets, sometimes muted rose tones, sometimes cyan, sometimes flashing yellow. I love working with opaque and metallic finishes, accentuated by matte, aurora borealis, ceylon finishes or big stunning transparent glass beads. I used to throw many colors in one palette, but lately discovered the great effect that many neutrals create when combined with just one or two colors. I always strive for slight contrast on the light-dark dimension, but still watch out for wearability.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have any favorite materials or beads?

Anika: Nearly every type of bead or material can speak to me if it comes in my favorite colors or shapes - I prefer round shapes or rounded edges rather than sharp, geometric elements. As a vegan I try to avoid beads made out of bones, teeth or freshwater pearls, shells and corals. Since last year, I’ve started making my own cabochons and beads out of polymer clay, and am currently improving my skills on caning and appliqué techniques. Self-made cabochons give me the opportunity to work with exactly the shade that I want – with color being so important to me, I consider this a huge advantage. I think not just the expensive materials like crystals, semi-precious stones or Swarovski elements are nice to work with, but also “cheap“ ones like polymers or acrylic if they are well made. Also, I lately stumbled across Greek artist Igor Spirin and his wonderful hand-painted wooden jewelry and boxes. I asked him for cabochons, and the ones he made for me are so beautiful I haven’t used them yet because they make me so humble every time I look at them!

Inspirational Beading: What is the most exciting design in your stash right now? What makes it special?

Anika: My latest design is a bead embroidered butterfly necklace, and it is really special to me. When I started bead embroidery two years ago, I always had a butterfly in mind, but didn’t think I would be able to figure out a pattern with good contrast, movement, focal points and rhythm. When I started this butterfly, I was really scared and had to step far out of my comfort zone. But, just as my other designs, it just evolved under my hands in a way I could have never imagined in my mind before. I was and still am astonished by the result and am already kicking in the start hole for many more of them.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have plans for any new designs in the coming year?

Anika: Definitely! I always have visions about my upcoming work. As I mentioned above, there will be more butterflies and probably flowers, big embroidery necklaces, and – this excites me the most – embroidered purses. I myself can’t sew, but I always wanted to embellish a purse with an embroidered piece. I’ve been looking for a purse forever, but they were either too cheap or too expensive or not vegan. But a friend of mine developed her sewing skills and is in the process of making a clutch for me to work with. I am super excited for that! Thus, I’ll be working on my embroidery skills regarding technique, use of color and pattern. Also, I’ve written my first tutorial some time ago, and I want to focus on that as well. I need to get my hands on a nice software for clear graphics and good layout.

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Anika: Basically everyone admiring aesthetic and artful things as much as I do! May it be beginner, advanced or professional beaders, artists of other fields, jewelry lovers – everybody with a sense for the beauty we as humans are able to create is welcome. I’ll give my best to inspire people to get their own projects done, be bold to try something new, discover the endless possibilities of color and design, and not be afraid to make a statement with the jewelry they’re wearing. And, most of all, showing your femininity isn’t a weak thing to do – as femininity is so often the center of optical attention, don’t be afraid to be observed and criticized for being too “girlish“, but rather scream it in the face of your opposite “Yes, I am a woman“ by wearing the most interesting, unique and striking jewelry.

You can see more of Anika’s fabulous beadwork on Instagram and Facebook.

Mortira

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Inspired Bead Maker: The Big Purple Barn

As one of humanity’s earliest inventions, the bead is one of those essential things that connect us all together. Creating beads is a skill that often flourishes in unexpected places. Some of the most talented lampwork artists got their start suddenly, leaving their day jobs to fire up a torch practically overnight. Other artists find their way to bead making and exploring the many possibilities of color and glass by way of another medium. Today’s guest, Harvey Haines of The Big Purple Barn, is an artist, sculptor, and flameworker with a flair for salvaged materials.

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get started with bead making?

Harvey: It was five years ago, I first hit the torch a little while after stumbling on a lampworking demonstration. Steelwork has always been a passion of mine and playing with glass looked like some magic version of welding played back at one-tenth speed. Entrancing, beautiful. Seeing it gave me one of those ‘I should do that’ feelings, the variety that tend to get me into trouble. Two or three months later I had a make-shift glass studio taking over half of my little workshop.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first bead? Where is it today?

Harvey: Normally I am a leap-before-looking kind of guy, but lampworking can be a bit dangerous for the uninitiated. After some searching I found a hippy named Andrew who would let me into his studio and together we took an hour long scratch at the surface of lampworking. Those first few beads are still hanging around, I like to pull them out now and again to see how my work has changed.

Salvage Glass Spacer Beads

Inspirational Beading: Where do you look for inspiration? How does it translate in your designs?

Harvey: Antique tools and hardware; just about any old hunk of metal. Paintings by Dennis Hopper and Chien Fei Chiang, photographs by Stephen Wilkes, sculptures by Rodin. Cars like the 1950 and ’51 Studebakers or the ill-fated Tucker Torpedo. Movies made by Sergio Leone - ‘Duck, You Sucker!” is my current favorite. Rita Hayworth. The material itself is the greatest driving force behind anything that I do, whether I’m using glass or steel. I can take inspiration from any of my favorite places, but that ends up being reimagined through the lens of the medium. Glass is a seductive, sensual thing. It flows and curves in so many wonderfully confusing ways, you just can’t help falling for the stuff once you see the way it plays in the heat. I watch the glass, follow its flow, and make it into whatever it wants to be.

Salvage Glass Lentil Beads

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite bead style or shape to create?

Harvey: Lentil beads may be a bit simple, but I appreciate their powers of display. A lentil lets the glass stretch its legs and show off more than it could in a spacer, without being as weighty as one of my extra-large focal beads. Aside from that, I don’t use molds or presses which means it takes a lot of extra time and love to make a nice lentil. Maybe I ought not to say it, but I’m proud of every good lentil that makes its way out of my kiln.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite color or combination to work with?

Harvey: My Verdigris and Antique Arctic glasses are tied for favorite color. Verdigris isn’t showy, but it has a great coppery-green hue and the glass is sourced from broken 1940s telegraph pole insulators. Antique Arctic is a particularly icy oceanic blue, so vibrant and pure. That one is made out of glassware from the 1950s, the color just screams of mid-century Americana.

Antique Arctic Glass and Inclusion Glass Beads

Inspirational Beading: What is the most exciting design in your repertoire right now? What makes it special?

Harvey: Sticking to beads, I’d say my Inclusion Glass pieces are undoubtedly the most exciting. In addition to experimenting with recycled glass, I enjoy playing around with different additives, such as seashells. Many of the Inclusion bead ingredients are kept as trade secrets and the beads are always done in limited runs. Some of the ingredients are post-consumer recycled material, like the glass, and others are leftover antique odds and ends. You never know what’s coming!

Inspirational Beading: What is the most rewarding moment in your design process?

Harvey: I think this changes from project to project, but right now I’m going to say that the most rewarding aspect of my work is knowing that a person enjoys what I’ve made. One of the best parts of being a ‘maker’ is having the ability to give, or to help others give, unique, personal, and meaningful gifts. You can’t beat it, really.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have any plans for new bead styles or themes in the works?

Harvey: Mixed-color recycled beads are sort of my white-whale. On account of various scientific mumbo jumbo, mixing different types of glasses will cause the finished piece to crack. Keep in mind that all of my recycled glasses were made by different manufacturers across the past eight or nine decades; they are rarely compatible. Still, I’ve had some promising successes, and I should be offering multi-color pieces quite soon!

Salvage Steel Desk Organizer

Inspirational Beading: What are some of your other creations?

Harvey: My first big commission was from Red Wing Shoes in Minnesota. They hired me to make a shelf of some sort so they could display a few pairs of used workbooks in their headquarters. I ended up building the shelf out of around 100 antique wrenches, it weighed a ton! Another fun project was done as part of an Earth Day celebration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I gathered all sorts of discarded nonsense from across the campus and made a series of sculptures, one of which remains on permanent display at the school. The best piece was a working potter’s wheel made out of computers, some AV equipment, bicycle parts, and an antique mixer. Somehow I managed to make a handful of decent little pots, as well as an incredible mess.

Salvage Steel Valet Dish

In my Etsy shop you’ll find a variety of products aside from beads. Depending on when you look there will be glass items such as marbles, worry stones, and Honey Stones. Right now you’ll see a new addition - Fossilized shark’s teeth encased in glass from Coca-Cola bottles. There are also a few steel products peppered across the shop. I enjoy making nuclear-grade desk organizers and valet dishes. They’re heavy, nearly indestructible, and personalized with Braille lettering that is drilled into the surface of the steel.

Automotive Glass Worry Stones

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Harvey: Maybe it sounds a little corny, but I’ve got to say I’d like to inspire the youngest generation. What I’d like is for kids to have more access and encouragement to find a craft that means something to them. The world would be a better place if more people had a comfortable outlet to share what happens inside their heads. The heart and mind are stimulated by the work, whatever it may be, and it helps people to connect in beautiful ways. As with so many things, this all begins with the kids: that’s why I love doing live demonstrations and teaching young’uns how to make beads. If you’ve got a particular talent, pass it on to as many little humans as you can, that is the most enduring and important artwork that you’ll ever make.

You can see more of Harvey’s designs at The Big Purple Barn on Etsy, and check out The Big Purple Barn website for a gallery of awesome sculptures and designs.

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading and Harvey Haines

Inspired Beader: Diana Coe

It’s truly wonderful what can happen when beads speak, and artists listen. Today my guest is Diana Coe of Beadwork & Coe. This UK-based artists creates a gorgeous variety of jewelry designs using beadwork and bead embroidery to showcase a wonderful palette of colors and pretty motifs.

Inspirational Beading: When did you first get started with beading?

Diana: I started beading in 2007 after my son was born. Just staying home was new for me and I had always been creative in some shape or form. So I went into the local craft supply shop to see what's out there.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite thing about jewelry making?

Diana: It's not just jewellery, but in general beads. Jewellery started it as that's what beads are usually connected to, but increasingly I try to venture into other areas too. It's important for me though that my pieces are "practical".

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first piece? Where is it today?

Diana: I've still got it. It is a necklace and bracelet set, made with brick stitch tubes in rainbow colours with matte golden metal beads strung in between.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you look for your greatest inspiration?

Diana: Honestly, I don't know. It just hits sometimes ... But one source of inspiration/direction for a new piece are definitely the monthly challenges of the Etsy Beadweavers, a group of bead artists with shops on Etsy were I am a member and leader. The themes for those challenges are always chosen by previous winners and can range from "Our Solar System" to "Game of Thrones" ­ it really makes the creativity work overtime.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite kind of design to make?

Diana: What can I say? The unusual ones I guess. I hate designs that use the same component over and over again, the repetition just drives me insane. In 2009 (I think) I started a bracelet made of Daisies, because it looked so cute. But after 4 or 5 I put it away and it's still not progressed any further.

Inspirational Beading: What’s the most interesting or unique thing about your design process?

Diana: For my bigger pieces I usually start with a focal that "speaks" to me and then I go through my stash to find bits, bobs and beads that go with the overall feel I would like to achieve. Rarely do I make a drawing or anything, because I never stick to it anyway. Sometimes I lay out my larger components and take photos of different combinations as it's so easy these days, but that's it really. I just start stitching.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite color to work with?

Diana: All shades of metal, more silver than gold, are my first choice and then I quite like to add a splash of colour. In general I always go for interesting texture though.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have any favorite materials or beads?

Diana: I love all the small beads, particularly Delicas. They just work so well for my style.

Inspirational Beading: What is the most exciting design in your shop right now? What makes it special?

Diana: You can't expect me to answer that and not be bias, please. I love all my babies! OK, let’s go with the winner of the Innovation Prize at an exhibition I was part of last year, it made me very proud.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have plans for any new designs in the coming year?

Diana: This will hopefully be the year when I conquer my fear of fish leather. It's so beautiful, but a bit intimidating ... I came up with a cuff design that uses it last year and I am still trying to get hold of some of my supplies.

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Diana: I always hope to show that beadwork is not all fringe and flowers. They seem to be the first things people think of when I say what I do and that is such a shame. There are a few designers that work in a more contemporary style, but there is room for improvement. Minimalists, technical minds and mathematicians to the beads.

You can see more of Diana’s gorgeous designs in her Etsy shop, or on her website Beadwork & Coe.

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading and Diana Coe

Inspired Bead Maker: Serena Smith Lampwork

Whatever new innovations in beads come our way, nothing quite beats the beauty of a handmade lampwork bead to inspire amazing creations. The colors, shapes, and patterns of unique flameworked glass go so perfectly with our favorite techniques and materials. One of my favorite lampwork artists of late is Serena Smith, whose floral creations are a delight to behold.

Inspirational Beading: How did you first get started with lampwork?

Serena: In 1991 I was working my first "real job" after college in Seattle, at a company called TSI that sold jewelry and lapidary supplies. I found out through them about the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle where they were doing all kinds of art classes, including glass. I took the bead making class and not long after I turned my bedroom in my 1 bedroom apartment into a studio and moved into the living room, bought an oxy/propane set up and supplies from Frantz, and started making beads. Not long after that I returned to school to get a degree in glass art from the Rhode Island School of Design. At that time, lampwork was not given much respect in the art world and the department didn't even have a lampworking torch - other than mine. With my degree I learned about all different kinds of glass working, some of which I still do today, but lampwork is my first love.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first bead? Where is it today?

Serena: Not my first bead, but I do remember the first demo the instructors did on sculpting beads. Most of the class was about how to make a round bead with dots on it. But they demo'd a pudgy little bug thing and warned us that sculpted beads were pretty much guaranteed to break so the demo was just a throw away idea. This was back before annealing kilns were on the market, didn't even know about fiber blanket, we used vermiculite in a can and flame annealing was considered a myth by a lot of people. But, once I saw the potential in sculpting glass that was pretty much it for me, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I used vermiculite for years and did in fact have a lot of luck with flame annealing. I still make a version of my first sculpted bead designed after the Venus of Willendorf sculpture.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you look for inspiration? How does it translate in your designs?

Serena: I have a lot of books with flower pictures in them, but I think I get most of my inspiration just from nature in general, as well as the glass colors they make now. I work in my garden and grow flowers. I also go for long walks, and especially when the flowers are blooming I get inspired to get into the shop and try to create some new bloom or color I've never noticed before. That's how the japonica style flower came to me. I saw bushes in a parking lot that had masses of wee flowers and I took a close look to see these lovely vase shaped blossoms I'd never seen before. I looked them up when I got home to find the name (japonica pieris) and started working with the shape. I don't always try to be faithful to the original flower, as you can see in some of my fantasmagorical Lady Slippers.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite color or combination to work with?

Serena: Always, pinks make me happy even though I think my favorite color in general is turquoise blue (I have a terrible time with high metal content opaque turquoise glass). These days there are so many more glass colors to work with, some fantastic pinks from Bullseye glass and not just the ruby pink from Moretti that used to turn brown. It's amazing to me to think back to when all we had was Moretti (Effetre) to now when we have so many manufacturers and some really incredibly beautiful colors to work with. I think one of my favorite new colors these days is from Bullseye, an opalescent blue purple color which is fantastic over petal pink.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite bead style or shape to create?

Serena: That's a tough one. I don't think I do as far as making them, what I like is to be able to have a variety of things to work on so I make things in small batches. It's not fair to the pretty beads I make to feel irritated because I had to work all day making the exact same thing so I try to avoid doing that. Regardless, I am always cheered when I open the kiln and see a beautiful bouquet of flower beads in a rainbow of colors. What could possibly be better than that? As far as shape, I think my favorite flower to look at right now is the tulip. Simple but lovely.

Inspirational Beading: What is the most rewarding moment in your design process?

Serena: I think it must be that "aha" moment when I finally know how to do it, whatever "it" is. Getting the color right, or just figuring out how to create a shape. There is a certain amount of frustration when you first start out something new and you can't "see" or "feel" it, and when it settles down into your hands and they just start making it happen, it is a really good feeling. I've learned not to let those moments of frustration deter me from believing that I can really, truly, figure it out. And the only way to fail is to quit.

Inspirational Beading: What is the most exciting design in your shop right now? What makes it special?

Serena: I have been making a lot of Lady Slippers this month and it has been fun. I designed them a while ago but sort of let them go and hadn't made any in several years when I looked back through some of my history and realized how long it had been, and how special they were! They are a real joy to make, each one comes out different and I am playing with different colors and details and combinations that really makes it fun. I love the moment I open the kiln! Sometimes on my walk from the studio into the house I forget what I'm doing and just stand in the yard looking at each one and smiling.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have any plans for new bead styles or themes in the works?

Serena: I've always been interested in different forms of glass work so I do casting, fusing, pate de verre, etc. always looking for ways to incorporate lampwork. What I have been working on this last 6 months or so is how to make cast beads, and also fused components like cabochons. The cabochons often include a lampworked element, like the heart in this cabochon, and just recently I've made just a couple of lampwork blobs that I want to put in the kiln and fuse and just see what happens. I might try fusing some holes into the cabochons to make them into beads. Not sure yet, just expanding my horizons!

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Serena: Definitely jewelry makers! But, speaking as a person who likes to try just about every craft, I really would like to reach people who work in areas I might not know anything about, and who might never have considered that their work could include lampwork or glass components. For instance, I also do needle felting and have incorporated my beads into those projects. People think of beads as just for jewelry but they are so versatile and useful and add a wonderful element to any kind of creation.

You can see more of Serena’s gorgeous lampwork beads at the 2016 Best Bead Show in Tucson, Arizona, on her website Serena Smith Lampwork, and on Etsy at Serena Smith and 4GlassCabochons. Follow along on Facebook to see her latest creations and inspirations!

Mortira

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Copyright 2016 Inspirational Beading and Serena Smith

Inspired Artist: Glass by Lyuba

Working with glass is one of the best things about beading. The versatility of shape, color, and transparency allows us to create with some of the most beautiful materials available – from tiny seed beads to gorgeous cabochons. To showcase the beauty of glass and all that it can do, I invited glass painting artist Lyuba of zmeyssHandMade to share some of her favorite inspirations. Her Etsy shop, based in Ukraine, is filled with pretty hand painted glasswares that are a delight to see.

Inspirational Beading: When did you first get started with glass painting?

Lyuba: It was approximately 5 years ago. I quit from full day job and have time to create something new. In art store I saw stained-glass paints. Example of painting was wonderful, so nothing can't stop me, even thing that I can't draw ;) At home I took glass and make special holder for brushes.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite thing about your art?

Lyuba: I really like my cats set. This two pieces are parts of one whole. Black and white cats was creating for couple that like spend time together, like hot mulled wine and enjoying life. For creating this set I was inspiring with "Black cat, white cat" Kusturicas film. It was so strange and wonderful... Different world and traditions make me laugh.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first piece? Where is it today?

Lyuba: Yes, I have this glass till now as a brushes holder. I took faceted glass and draw different line in which facet. There is multicolor stripes, dots and another geometrical patterns. It was transparent paints, but they afraid water. My nephews wanted draw too... first paints was end very quickly.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you look for your favorite inspiration?

Lyuba: Inspiration is around us. In small human-made things, in streets and squares. I live in Kyiv, it's a big city. We have many different beautiful things around. Old streets, river Dnipro, parks and churches. But some time I take inspiration from humans around. With my painting I want bring some positive mood into life. We should be happy and can reach this with small simple things.

Inspirational Beading: What is your favorite kind of design to make?

Lyuba: My favorite design is palm trees! They calmly and remind about summer, sea and vacations. I believe that live was gone from the sea. This palm trees always gone by couple. With this design I start trying draw by hands. It was so difficult...
This cup was first sold in my etsy store. Lady bought it for moms birthday.

Inspirational Beading: What’s the most interesting or unique thing about your design process?

Lyuba: It's not cup, but have stained-glass view too. I love create butterfly decor from free bottles. They always one of a kind even I want repeat. Unique design and bright colors perfect for nursery or another place. They united transparent parts and opaque. Compared true stained-glass my butterflies can't be broken after get a spill and have low weight. They can fasten by sucker or two sizes tape. The butterflies get flying with every gust of wind when use in nursery mobile or as free flying decor.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite color to work with?

Lyuba: Of course. My favorite colors are green and yellow. There is colors of spring, time when all world wake up after winter and get start new life. The Earth go at new circle and sun warm up all around.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have any other favorite materials?

Lyuba: Sure! I like work with wire, acrylic paints, paraffin, beads, natural fibers and alabaster. More exiting unify all this things in one creation! Sometimes it looks strange. First my creations by hands was letter tags from alabaster. I have two days before New Year night, two nephews that can't read and ten presents for them. Alabaster and acrylic paints save me, children was happy. Next year same tags was create from wire and beads, after from wire and yarn. I believe, anyone can do anything... if want it.

Inspirational Beading: What is the most exciting design in your shop right now? What makes it special?

Lyuba: This is cup with multicolor houses and nursery mobile with glowing in the dark butterflies. City cup fresh and bright. Specially for European architecture lovers. Small colorful houses, multicolor windows inspiring to wonder new story. Mobile will perfect for new born baby nursery. Low light bring magic. Painting absolutely save for health and glowing long time.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have plans for any new designs in the coming year?

Lyuba: Certainly, I plan create some lunch plates, convivial glasses and cups for child. Have some drawings for family cups set. Want try create some painted jars for wedding decoration, it would be with glitter and stones. May be some things glowing in the dark and cake candles. But with my full day job I haven't so many time as want...

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Lyuba: Everyone! Talent create us successful but without work and dream we can reach our goals. If we didn't try - we can't know might or not. So just try, just do. This is my opinion and inspiration. No need begin new life from Monday or dream about perfect creation. Do it now. Do not fight, just enjoy.

You can see more of Lyuba’s work in her Etsy store zmeyssHandMade.

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Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading

Inspired Artist: Percee

As beaders, we’re all quite adept at stretching and surpassing the norms of jewelry design. Our methods couldn’t be more different from the classical jewelry of the past. So it’s incredibly exciting to see an artist that takes these unique jewelry ideas even further with unexpected materials and styles. Today’s guest is Pera of Percee, an amazing shop where embroidery and polymer clay combine for gorgeous jewelry designs.

Inspirational Beading: When did you first get started with fabric and embroidery?

Pera: As a child, I've learned some embroidery basics from my mother. And shortly after that, I completely forgot about it and wasn't interested in it until pretty recently, about five years ago. First I started to make greeting cards with embroidered paper on them. And some day I spontaneously begun to embroider on little pieces of felt and some scrap fabric which I found in my home. And with that little pieces of embroidered fabric I was making bookmarks and then one day I just started to make brooches and necklaces.

Inspirational Beading: Have you always been drawn to jewelry design as well?

Pera:Not explicitly. I see a jewelry design as a way to make my drawings and my doodles an object with some purpose. I love to look and admire at various types of jewelry, but I rarely wear it. I don't know why, I love to wear it, but always somewhat forget to put it on.

Inspirational Beading: Do you remember your first wearable piece? Where is it today?

Pera:Yes, I remember. I remember that I was painting with acrylic paint and then just by coincidence I started to paint a tiny tree on a piece of dark grey felt. I don't know how, but I ended up making a brooch. That was 5 years ago and that was my first brooch and my first piece of jewelry. I was wearing it for about two years on my coat and now it is in my jewelry box.

Inspirational Beading: What kinds of beads and materials do you like to use the most?

Pera:I love handmade beads. I love to make them out of the clay or polymer clay. And I love irregular and organic shapes. Also, I just love round beads, I adore circles.
When making jewelry, I use small glass beads and wooden beads too.
And my favorite fabrics are cotton and linen.

Inspirational Beading: Where do you look for your favorite inspiration?

Pera:An inspiration can be almost anything, I don’t have that special something, I think. All the different shapes and colors. And birds and flowers. Mostly I just look at the ideas in my mind taking shapes and becoming clearer and clearer.
And I always carry with me a little sketchbook to write down various ideas and I just love to draw. So every time that I find myself waiting in various waiting rooms, I draw and often a parts of my drawings become motifs on my jewelry.

Inspirational Beading: What’s the most interesting or unique thing about your design process?

Pera:I think that my design process is not much different than any others. But it is interesting and unique to me because I enjoy it so much. And most of the time I don't know how would my final piece look like and that is what's interesting to me.

Inspirational Beading: Do you have a favorite color to work with?

Pera:My favorite color is yellow and I must control myself to not use it too often. I remember when I was a little girl, almost all of my clothes were yellow. So, me and yellow have a special relationship all my life.

Inspirational Beading: What are some of your other favorite materials?

Pera:I love to work with clay and making ceramics is something that I'm learning right now. I hope that I will be able to incorporate it in my jewelry soon.

Inspirational Beading: What is the most exciting design in your shop right now? What makes it special?

Pera:I think that it's a fabric bird necklace. I love birds so much. I love to look at their colors, their feathers and their eyes so much. And that necklace also has tassels, and I adore tassels.

Inspirational Beading: Who do you hope to inspire with your work?

Pera:I would be happy to manage to inspire just anybody. I think that would be a great success.

You can see more of Pera’s gorgeous jewelry at Percee on Etsy and on Facebook. For the latest designs and inspirations, follow along on Pinterest and Instagram.

Copyright 2015 Inspirational Beading and Percee
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