Thank you isn't enough...

Just a note to say we made through the hurricane without any problems.

12 hrs. without power was the worst and then the game of pick-up sticks the next day!

Also, Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you...

to the sweet ladies who have taken little pieces of my creative journey off my shelves and made them theirs, I can't thank you enough.

I reached 500 sales yesterday and my offer still stands...

If you purchase a piece of jewelry in my shop, I will refund you 25% of the purchase price.

This offer is only valid for the next four customers and only until September 5th (whichever comes first).

Thank you so much, from the bottom (and top) of my heart.

Transformation, Transition and Peace

As I write this, my world is holding its breath.

Anticipation hangs in the air like a palpable cloud and the raw force of wind and atmosphere stands poised to barrell through my front door.  

via lewfoster

The trees know it, their roots push deep gripping the packed clay, white-knuckled against driving winds and pelting rain.

The sea knows also, she swells to make room for surging tides and waves that will slam into loose sand pulling everything into her abyss.

The people know as well, water, food, power all well-stocked and ready for days on their own.

 

Irene.

Did you know the name means Peace?

Peace - "freedom from any strife or dissention"

It is a true description of my mind in preparation for her arrival.

via Pinterest

You see, it started this summer with the addition of a new set of skills.

Learning how to create with flame and stone.

The manipulation of metal into shape and form.

And once again my mind is filled to the brim with ideas, shapes, and possibilities. 

This summer also brought growth.

Of a little boy on a bike and a little girl with a crayon, and the realization that I am needed to usher in more growth.

The healing of a woman who is my rock and her slow and steady march toward whole.

And as summer has begun to crawl into autumn, the change has become as palpable as Irene's arrival and I am fully aware of the need for more change and transformation.

The need to move from a path that I've been walking to a different path, one slightly more narrow, but much more rewarding.

There are books to be read and games to be played.

Languages to be spoken and bikes to be ridden.

Papers to write and proof-read and homes to be cared for.

There are letters to be drawn carefully, first as sticks and then as swirls.

There are colors to be learned and tests to be taken.

There are dogs to walk and entire planets to be discovered.

And I? I am needed...needed for all of this...and more than that, wanted as well.

via Pinterest

So as the world closes its doors to August and opens its windows to September I do the same.

You won't see me around here much anymore.

I'm leaving the keyboard for something more real, something with deeper substance and the precious time that I have will be jealously guarded and used in creation.

I have felt the desire to create again, this time with fire and flash of flame and with the stolen moments that I have I want to be free to do so.
To pour out my heart into my hands and watch it become silver and stone.

My little beads that have taken this journey with me for three years are becoming less and less the star of the show and though they still stand as little reminders of what I can do when determined, they have become a stepping stone left behind in a path of learning.

My shop will remain open until September 5th and the pieces of my heart stocked on its little shelves will still be there for you if you'd like them, but they will be the last.
On September 5th, everything will dissappear with the exception of the tutorials (I still believe firmly in knowledge shared) and my offerings of beaded things will be no more.

I'm sure little pieces will find their way to the shop in the future, but it will not be beads.
My heart is being pulled in a different more firm direction, and I must follow.

I still have commitments to keep and my embroidery class will still go on as planned, but I'm re-evaluating my time spent and where it should be spent and making decisions accordingly.

Thank you for your support in the past and even now.
It has truly been an honor to create for those of you who have trusted in my ability to teach and have wanted my offerings as part of a collection of adornments that could have come from any number of talented artists.

I'm off now to move porch furniture and tie down a trampoline and wait for the waves of wind to wash over my city and my home.
May your autumn begin and continue as mine has, with a wave of peace.

New Tutorial!

Finally put the finishing touches on my

Arc Pendant Tutorial!

It includes the materials list for the Teal version, and a new garnet version that I created just for the tutorial.

You can find the tutorial here.

I've also added it to my listing for my Pendant Tutorial Bundle, so you can buy two pendants and get the third absolutely free!

That listing is here.

Happy Beading y'all!

On its way...

Tomorrow, there will be a new tutorial in the shop.

A pendant this time, in the most beautiful upside down romanesque arch.

In a new colorway to complement the first two.

On its own, or part of a team.

However you'd like it.

Stay tuned.

Class is in session...

My online class, Embroidery Made Easy is in full swing and already I'm enjoying it!

I've got three wonderful students this round and they are so eager to learn and have definitely brought their own goals and aspirations to the class.

It's been a joy to see their interest and enthusiasm and I'm looking forward to seeing their finished products.

via Pinterest

The class project is a pendant, but by the end of the course, they'll have all the tools they need to create one of a kind pieces of embroidered jewelry just bursting with color and originality.

So far, I've got my three students for round two, and I've got one open space for round three.

I'm not giving any specific dates for start times because I'm waiting to see if the class really does take the planned one week or if we need to stretch a little to fit all the information in.

If you'd like to be a part of the class in the future, please contact me via e-mail: abney_m(at)yahoo.com.

Send me your full name and e-mail address that you'd like to use for the class and I'll let you know what round your in.

If you'd like more information, please click here.

Also, hopefully you'll see some new work from me next week. I've been battling some neck and shoulder issues so I've been taking it slow. Looking forward to creating again when my body is ready.

Enjoy your weekend!

My Bead Soup Partner

This round, I was paired up with Patty of Cabari Beads.

I was delighted to find that she does some of the coolest things with copper and lampwork beads.  

These little lampwork hearts are just the cutest!

I've already sent my beads out to her. (I hope they make it there!)

I can't wait to see what she does with my little collection of goodies.

I was also very inspired with all of the copper I've been working with lately and it really influenced my color palette.

(Of course, I forgot to take a picture!)

I hope everyone is getting their soups and the creative wheels are churnin'!

Have a great Monday!

Sign-ups are here!

Okay, today is the day!

If you're interested in my online bead embroidery workshop/tutorial, today is the day to sign up!

I'll need you to send an e-mail to

abney_m(at)yahoo.com

with the title

"Embroidery Sign-Ups"

be sure to include your full name and the e-mail address you would like me to use to contact you.

Sign-ups will remain open until the end of the day tomorrow.

After I have received all the sign-ups, I will contact you with more information.

Thank you guys!

If you'd like to know more, please click here.

I used to be anti-cab...

I still am if your intent is to do bead embroidery around it.

I can't stress enough how much I like a well-cut bead for an embroidery focal....

however....

if it's going to be set in stone...

I'll take a cab.

These are amethyst drusy.

They're itty bitty droplet sizes that will become a ring for my little sis with a February birthday.

Banded agate in a perfect dome that reminds me of the ocean hitting the sand.

It's also destined for the finger of another little sis and will probably be worn all fall.

This Crazy Lace Agate was purchased in answer to a request for pink from the third little sis.

(They are all forever at a loss for pink...I seem to be the only one in the family with no true love for the color!)

This little sis doesn't wear rings or bracelets, so it will inevitably become a necklace.

This?

Picasso Jasper.

Mine and gorgeous.

It will be a necklace definitely, I'm just waiting on it to get here.

These days I'm feeling not quite so anti-cab...

I do believe it's the possibilities...

Now...if I can only find the time!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Changes...

I've been spending a lot more time outside in the little work shed, late at night, with the deer that I can hear rustling the leaves in the trees out back, and the creepy crawlies that find their way into my workspace under doors and through little holes.

My seed beads sit quietly neglected indoors while I'm away pounding, sawing, hammering, heating...

On Saturday night, it all came together perfectly, and I completed my first ring made with stone and copper and earth elements.

It was just a practice stone so it's a little knicked and banded and a tad irregular, but it's not the quality of the materials that makes this so important...

It's the feeling of accomplishment and pride in watching it all come together, and being able to do it on my own.

And no, it's not silver and yes, I wore it all day and ended up with a little tinge of brussel sprout green around my finger...

but it's okay, because I made the brussel sprout green ring and will probably make three or four more before I decide to go in for the kill and buy silver. (or I'll wait too long and it'll be $60 an ounce)

Either way, I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to learn something new and I can't wait to see what else lies in wait to be created from my hands.

In the meantime, my sisters and I have been on a little cab shopping spree, so you will see a little more metal and stone around here and probably a tad less seedies (but, shhh, don't tell them that!)

Fusion Beads Sale!

Today only, Fusion Beads has put its little faceted 7x5mm teardrops, drilled top to bottom, on sale!

(These are just a few of the colors I think are amazing!)

So if you have my Shooting Stars Tutorial...

or my Bollywood Bling Ring Tutorial...

then take the opportunity to save some money on buying supplies!

You will need:

25 teardrops to make the bracelet as is (5 per star if you'd like to create components)

or

4 teardrops for the bollywood ring.



If you'd like either of these tutorials and don't already have them, my shop will be back open tomorrow morning, but I wanted to give you the heads up on the sale as it ends tomorrow at 4pm Pacific Time!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Studio Saturday: Found

I am amazed by artists who work with found materials.

Craftsmen who can see an object not for what it is, but for what it should be.

Antique documents create patterns trapped in silver by PinkCrowStudio

I think that that little piece of "found" is so lucky to be given new life and a new chance...

Tree nuts from Costa Rican rainforests frame the butterfly in Kokeliko's belt buckle

to become something more than just the pages of a book, or the gears of a machine...

The frame? An antique cake mold...from Sanctumornamentum

but to be worn and loved and take on a meaning that is so much deeper than their intended purpose...

You must read ReactionDesign's reason for filling this vessel with batteries.

to be saved from a landfill long after they've been used up...

Part of a motherboard...via Bitterfruitjewelry

and to become a small part of a whole that's creative and imaginative and brings an unconventional smile to an unconventional face.

A puppy dog to hold your jewelry by Reclaim2Fame

What's your little piece of "found"?

The Modernization of an Art Form

I've mentioned before how I find it disturbing when I hear other beaders say that beadweaving is no longer "in" as an art form, and that no one wants to purchase beadwoven work and it's impossible to sell beadwoven jewelry.

I don't think that the problem is the art form itself.

I mean, isn't that like saying that knitting is just too old an art form and no one will ever want knitted pieces? (The magazine aisle in my Barnes and Noble says otherwise).

I'm sure the Greeks also told Michaelangelo when he started working on David...."Hey Mike! Sculpture is sooo yesterday!".

Well, it didn't stop him and it shouldn't stop you either no matter what your art form.

It's just another part of the challenge.

Can I take an ancient technique (sewing, knitting, mosaic, metalsmithing, etc...) and create something modern, fresh?

I believe you can.

These pendants, I'm calling them Arch Pendants were created using the pattern for my La Catedral Bangle. The pattern was definitely tweaked somewhat to create the arch, but for the most part it's the same pattern.

A modern shape from an ancient technique that most definitely is not out of style.

And just for good measure, I created another bangle.

This one in shimmery copper.

That makes three of these that I currently have in my possession.

I've got plans to make more.

The beadweaving is so therapeutic with these and repetitive.

The structure is sturdy as well and they feel very architectural when worn.

I've listed the pendants in my shop, in Teal and Copper.

Also, the Copper Bangle is in there along with the Tutorial in case you're one of those artists who's all hung up on creating things using ancient techniques that you can only find in dusty books amongst other ancient writings.

Embroidery Made Easy: UPDATED INFORMATION

First of all, thanks everyone for your sweet comments on my piece Friday!

I'm glad you liked the design and as for how I riveted...

The good old fashioned way...little tubes of copper, a drill, and a center punch. (It's the way I was taught, so it's the only way I know how!)

Okay, I promised you all the information for the online course about bead embroidery that I've been working up, and here's the rundown of all the information:

This online tutorial is unlike any tutorial that I've done before. It's very similar to an e-course with lessons, videos, written explanations, photos, and all the knowledge about bead embroidery that I've accumulated and discovered over the past three years in a blog format.

It's a bead embroidery workshop that you'll do from the comfort of your own home, using your own materials and creativity to create easy, wearable pieces of embroidery that can be completed in one to two hours.

Here's what you'll find in this course:

- Information on materials...beads, focals, thread, foundation...that you'll use to create your pieces. Along with websites to help you find your materials easily.

- Step by step instructions on the stitches you'll need to create your pieces, including two stitches that I've developed on my own which combine beadweaving with bead embroidery.

- Photos and videos taken by me to illustrate the techniques that I use in my own embroidery.

- Interaction with me and the other students in the class through postings so that you can ask and answer questions. I've changed the format a little to give you more time to explore the techniques on your own, and required a little less interaction so that you have time to create.

- Specific instructions to create the class project: The Sound of the Sea Pendant

- Information on expanding your knowledge to create embroidered pieces that can be worn as bracelets, rings, and even headbands.

WHO:

- I am capping the number of students in the class to 3 so that I don't feel overwhelmed with the number of students and it will be first come first serve.

- If you don't get in the first time, don't worry, I'll offer it again for those that missed out.

WHEN:

*I'm moving the start date because my dad is popping in for a visit and we'll be busy vacationing with him! So.. 

- The official start date for the class is August 10th. August 19th.

- Sign-ups will start on August 12th so that you'll have a week to gather materials and prep for the class.

- The class should take no longer than one week to finish.

WHERE:

- The class will be hosted on Blogger. You will need an account with Blogspot.

Note: You do not have to have a blog, just an account through blogger so that you can comment and access the material.

- You will also need an account on YouTube as the videos will be accessible only if you have an account. (Because YouTube is owned by Google, if you have a Google ID, you should be able to access both Blogger and YouTube)

PRICE:

*This is also where I've made a significant change!

- The price will be up to you.

The truth is, I understand that right now, it's economically difficult for everyone, but creativity doesn't bow to the economy and I understand the desire to learn something new and to grow in your creative reach.
I've also been so blessed by your support in the past and I wanted to extend that back to you, so for this online tutorial, you'll be able to pay what you can at this time.

I've really thought long and hard about it this weekend and decided that this was what I wanted to do.
After you've signed up and reserved your spot, I'll give you more information on how to pay.

Thank you all for your support up to this point, and I can't wait to share what I have learned with you and watch you creating your own beautiful pieces of bead embroidery.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.