Bead & Jewellery Magazine Blog

Bead and Jewellery Issue 75

Issue 75 of Bead and Jewellery Magazine is about to hit the newsstands! To whet your appetite, here is Katie's editorial, along with a few project photos from this issue...

I am so excited to be bringing you an issue that is very close to my heart. This is a magical time of year when it is possible to get back in touch with the excitement of childhood, so I thought I would celebrate that with an issue dedicated to Fairy-tales and children’s literature. It turns out I am not the only one who found this idea exciting. As you will see, the designers have had a great time creating beautiful jewellery for this issue. I am thrilled at the breadth of children’s stories that we have covered here. In case you fear you are about to be treated to too much whimsy, never fear – the inspiration may be childhood memories, but the projects are beautiful and sophisticated! It just goes to show that inspiration can come from anywhere.

Inspiring projects

We are very pleased that the lovely, talented Tracey Spurgin is working with us to bring you some PMC. Her Fairy Glen charm is so beautiful and will surely inspire you to try out, or get back to this medium. We also have wirework from Lynda Pearce who found inspiration in both Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel. Hortense Thompson demonstrates that even the wicked characters can wear stunning jewellery, with her Lady Tremaine Bangle. I was also inspired by the dark side of fairy-tales: my Mirror, Mirror on the Wall necklace brings Snow White to life. Carol Passaro brings you a fabulous Amulet purse inspired by the Little Mermaid, while Dessislava Vaughan has a beautiful bead-woven necklace, ‘Magic Kiss’. The modern movie industry has also been bringing children’s stories into our lives and Zoltan Kisjuhasz has taken inspiration from ‘Frozen’, while Erika Sandor turns to Tolkien. Margherita Fusco has gone back a little to create a lovely pendant inspired by the Emerald City. Swedish designer, Anna Lindell, brings us a pretty bracelet inspired by Pippi Longstocking. I know these projects have been bringing back my childhood memories, so I hope they will tap into yours as well.

Regular features

As if all that were not enough, we also have our regular features for you to enjoy. There is another inspirational motif to fire your imagination, plus reviews of four great new books. We had the pleasure of meeting the incredibly talented Dessislava Vaughan as well. Lynda Pearce shares the start of her design journey in ‘Where it all began’. We consider the importance of clasps as an element of design, and Tips Tricks and Techniques looks at drawing beading diagrams. So it just remains for me to wish you all happy beading!

You can subscribe to the magazine here, or download individual issues here.

Bead and Jewellery Issue 74

The Winter Sparkle Special is currently on sale. Enjoy a preview of the editorial to find out what is inside.

Welcome to the 2016 Winter Sparkle special! For me, the dark dull days of winter are always brightened by the prospect of Christmas. Although the build up to the festivities seems to get earlier and earlier, and a little more excessive each year, it takes nothing away from that special opportunity to get together with friends and family. Whether you’re partying your way through the season, or wanting to show loved ones how much you value them, I hope you will find something in this issue to help. If nothing else, it’s a great excuse to spend those winter evenings all cosy and warm inside with a pile of beads!

Projects to Inspire

I have tried to pull together a selection of projects that will make great Christmas decorations or stunning jewellery for the party season. In some cases, they could be used either way. Nealay Patel’s gorgeous Vintage Poinsettia Pendant looks lovely on your favourite chain, but could be used as a stunning tree decoration as well. Kleshna has designed a clever, but simple five-pointed star that you can run up in no time for jewellery or decorations. If you enjoy the tradition of an Advent Candle, then you will certainly need Anna Lindell’s beautiful candle ornament. I have been struggling to translate a snowflake idea into beads for a couple of years now: finally, I think I have succeeded with a design that works, so prepare yourself for some stunning snowflake decorations! If you want to celebrate someone very special in your life, then Rachel Hyde’s beautiful Christmas Card design is the perfect way to show them how much you care. The Winter Sparkle special wouldn’t be complete without a fabulous bauble from Spellbound beads, so we have a brand new design for you.

If parties are more your thing, then we have some fabulous crystal jewellery on offer. Donna Sanders has beaded a beautiful necklace. Erika Sandor brings you a bracelet that could also be turned into a pair of earrings, and Hortense Thompson has a wonderful sparkling bangle design.

Bead News

We also have our regular book reviews, a special design corner that will help you make your beaded Christmas wish list, and interviews with a beading group and the wonderful Spoilt Rotten Beads. If you follow beading competitions, then we are celebrating the efforts of our regular designers in the Battle of the Beadsmith – I get to work with such a talented and dedicated team of people here! If you want to try a new beading skill, then Tips, Tricks and Techniques this issue is all about bead crochet. So I hope you find plenty to enjoy in the Winter Sparkle Special – happy beading!

You can subscribe to the magazine here, or download individual issues here.

 

Bead and Jewellery Issue 73

Welcome to another ‘show preview’ edition of Bead and Jewellery Magazine. It is amazing how fast the shows come around and suddenly our October show is almost upon us! As ever, the show will be giving you lots of amazing beads and bargains, plus a fabulous array of workshops, a chance to meet some top designers from the bead and jewellery world, and, of course, the demonstration area.

Inspiration

So, in this issue I want to whet your appetite for the fun that is ahead. We are thrilled that Kleshna, who is becoming a Big Bead Show regular, has written a very special Tips, Tricks and Techniques along with a project for you to make using her brilliant Bangle Weaver tool. If you are conscious of the approach of Autumn, then why not celebrate the season with Donna Sander’s beautiful leaf pendant? Neena Shilvock also has some fabulous polymer clay petals that make a beautiful, very tactile necklace. We have also featured some of the new beads in some simple, but effective projects, so you can get prepared to indulge in some new bead purchases at the show. Anna Lindell is back with a fabulous tiger pendant inspired by her ‘Tigerguld’ brand. Hortense Thompson has another clever bangle – an oval design created to mimic the natural wrist shape. I thought I would make something different for me. I rarely make earrings and I have no idea why this is: I had a great time designing the waterfall earrings for this issue, so I’m obviously going to have to try my hand at more earrings in the future!

Favourites

We also have projects from favourite shops like Riverside Beads, who are very popular show attendees, and another beautiful design in our Trendsetters series, from Stefanie Deddo Evans. Of course the book reviews will give you some new ideas to try and our regular features, ‘Design’ and ‘Inspirational Motifs’ will hopefully persuade you to try something new. Jenny Argyle has created a lovely Kumihimo project and also shares her bead beginnings in ‘Where It All Began’.

We have recently said goodbye to our US editor, Brita Moore. She has done a fabulous job on BeadMe and, more recently, alongside me on Bead and Jewellery. This issue features her last interview with the fabulous US bead artist Corey Stein, so I hope you will enjoy that. We all want to thank Brita for her wonderful work with us and to wish her every success for the future.

So, get yourself ready for Big Bead Show fun. We look forward to seeing you all there!

You can subscribe to the magazine here, or download individual issues here.

Bead and Jewellery Issue 72

Bead and Jewellery issue 72 is currently out, so here's Katie's editorial to give you a quick peek into what you'll be getting in this 'Inspired by art' issue:

"Last summer the magazine celebrated travel, so this year, as I was thinking about how to theme this summer’s issue, I started thinking about things that we might do on our travels, or even at home. It may be because I live in the UK and we’re not known for our brilliantly hot and sunny summers, but I thought about an afternoon spent in an art gallery. I was also thinking about the way in which different arts and crafts inform and inspire one another. So, with these thoughts in mind, I gave our designers a brief to create a project ‘Inspired by Art’. I hope you will agree with me when I say that this has been a fabulous theme. We have jewellery that is perfect for accessorising your summer wardrobe, but which has also demonstrated how fertile art movements, artists and works of art can be as a source of design inspiration.

If you love your traditional seed beads, then you will love reading this issue’s designer profile: Stefano Di Marco turns his seed beads into mosaics that are real works of art. You can have your own fun with seed beads with a lovely pendant necklace from Nicole Stanley or a challenging geometric cuff from Hortense Thompson. Bead embroidery is always a brilliant way to turn beads into works of art, so I am bringing you a special guest ‘Tips, Tricks and Techniques’ to help you start designing your own Bead Embroidery. If you need a bit of courage to work up to that, then I have two lovely cuffs that you can try. Liz McClurg shows you a very simple way to incorporate small amounts of bead embroidery into summer jewellery, while Marcia Balonis has an Art Deco idea that you will just love. If you want to continue trying some of the newer shapes in the seed beads, then I will be bringing you some ideas for DiamondDuos in Design and I found that Chilli beads are perfect for working in a Rococo theme. Riverside Beads have incorporated Pip beads into a pretty, but simple summer design and Justine Gage has used Superduos in a bracelet inspired by the work of Bridget Reilly. Beadsmith Squaddie, Erika Sandor and Starman Trendsetter, Sue Charette-Hood have been inspired by the Art Deco and Miriam Haskell’s 1950s jewellery. Rachel Hyde brings you the perfect beachwear Macrame jewellery and Debbie Hodoyer has a set of jewellery to switch to for those long summer evenings. So, whether you are taking your beads on your travels or enjoying the long, light evenings in your own garden or backyard, I hope this issue will fill your beading time with fun."

Happy beading!

You can subscribe to the magazine here, or download individual issues here.

 

 

Bead and Jewellery Issue 71

Issue 71 of Bead and Jewellery should be reaching you about now if you live in the UK and very soon if you are an overseas subscriber, so we wanted to give you a little taste of what is coming up in this special 'Inspired by Nature' issue. Over to our editor, Katie Dean, for her editorial preview:

Welcome to a special issue of projects inspired by nature. Whichever designer you talk to, one of the most common inspirations seems to be nature. Whether it is her rich array of colours that provide colour palettes for us to use, or the flowers, scenery and creatures that we love to try and replicate in beads, nature has a lot to offer. So I thought that all this fertile inspiration would lead to a fun and interesting issue of the magazine. We love to bring you great projects from great designers and they have all excelled themselves in this issue. The imagination and creativity that has been prompted by the theme of nature is fantastic, so it is a real pleasure to bring all these beautiful projects to you.

Project Inspiration

If you are a bead-weaving traditionalist, then you will certainly enjoy making my floral wrist corsage. I am a big fan of mix and match, so this versatile bracelet offers alternatives for any occasion or colour palette, plus feminine pearls or Swarovksi sparkle - the choice is yours.

The fabulous colours of the female Hummingbird have inspired Zvia Ben Ami, while Hortense Thompson brings a floral trellis to life on a beaded cuff. Debora Hodoyer has been dreaming of clouds and Jenny Argyle has used leftover beads and Shibori ribbon to create a beautiful leaf.

If you like to try your hand at something a little bit different, then Mary Lyons has taken a piece of nature – an egg shell – and used it to create a mock faberge egg pendant, that looks as beautiful and opulent as the real thing. Rachel Hyde shows you how to turn your nature photos into gorgeous jewellery, so you can capture your own nature memories for posterity.

Special features and old favourites

In addition to all these fabulous projects, we are bringing you a nature-inspired motif, so see what you can do with it. We also interview a wonderful US designer who has been using beads to connect with her Native American heritage. Plus we have a fun Kumihimo experiment and a celebration of one of the UK’s oldest bead shops. You can read reviews of the latest books and learn some tips and tricks for one of the less commonly used bead-weaving techniques.

I hope this issue will leave you itching to get out and enjoy the natural world and all that it has to offer in beading inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erratum

On another note, one of the e-subscribers very kindly got in touch to point out that the materials list was missing from Debbie Hodoyer's beautiful 'Cloud 9 Bracelet' project. If you are wanting to make this lovely bracelet and have been struggling with the materials, here is the complete list. We are very sorry for the original omission!

You will need

• 16 4mm Round beads in Opaque blue turquoise (A)
• 16 5x7mm Pip beads in Opaque lustre green (B)
• 96 2.5x5mm Superduo beads in Pastel lavender (C)
• 48 4mm Fire polished beads in Transparent lustre amethyst (D)
• 2g size 11 seed beads in Opaque frosted turquoise (E)
• 1g size 15 seed beads in Opaque pastel frosted plumeria (F)
• 6 5x5mm Tila beads in Matte opaque turquoise AB TL-0413FR (G)
• Beading thread size D or braided thread 0.12mm (6 Lbs)
• Beading needle size 10 and 12 during the connection between components.
• One 8mm magnetic ball clasp
• Two or four 4mm open jump rings
• Flat nose pliers
• Scissors

Happy beading!

You can subscribe to the magazine here, or download individual issues here.

Bead and Jewellery Issue 70

Issue 70 of Bead and Jewellery Magazine is currently on sale. The issue had a theme of 'Something Old, Something New'. To whet your appetite, here is the editorial from Katie Dean.

Traditionally this i ssue of Bead and Jewellery has been a Spring special, sometimes with a wedding theme. I like tradition, but I thought it would be good to give this one a new twist this year. So I’ve challenged our designers to create work with the theme of ‘Something Old, Something New’ in mind. I hope you will agree with me that the results are stunning. As you will see, some have taken inspiration from the traditional wedding rhyme from which this phrase comes. Neena Shilvock shows you how to create Polymer Clay roses and turn them into a beautiful tiara. Rachel Hyde uses wirework to create a different collection of hair accessories in which you can also preserve old pieces of jewellery that have a special meaning to you. In another twist on the theme, you will find several projects that combine ideas of old and new in different ways. Carmi Cimicata from John Bead, takes some simple jewellery making techniques and applies them to a fun new product. My own project takes inspiration from a traditional daisy chain technique, but gives an added twist by using some of the new seed beads to mix things up. We have had a few requests for some projects using Chilli beads, so Zoltan Kisjuhasz will be showing you how to use these wonderful new beads to make a traditional floral inspired pendant. We are also bringing you an interview with Cath Thomas and a very special feature in which she shares some fabulous tips and tricks for working in one of the beading world’s newest techniques: Diamond Weave. We will be looking at Honeycomb beads and how to use them in beading designs, plus bringing you a fabulous project from Karen Jones to get you started. If all that excitement still leaves you wanting more, then you can read about the cutting edge new Kumihimo Disk designed by Pru McCrae. Of course, we will also be including our regular features, your letters, book reviews, this issue’s Inspirational Motif and a look at the bead beginnings of another featured designer from the UK, Justine Gage. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy what I hope will be an inspirational issue.

You can subscribe to the magazine here, or download individual issues here.

Bead and Jewellery Magazine Issue 69

  We are very excited to announce that issue 69 is about to launch. This issue is a big one for various reasons: the magazine has a fantastic new look, so your projects are going to be even easier to follow with larger, clearer step-by-step diagrams, fantastic photos and a clean look. The issue still has all your favourites: fabulous projects, a fascinating interview with US designer Beth Stone, an insight into the Starman Trendsetters, book reviews and your letters. Read on to see what our editor, Katie Dean has to say about this issue...

Hopefully Spring is starting to feel as though it’s around the corner and with that comes the Spring Big Bead Show here in the UK. It is a chance to get your bead fix if you don’t happen to live near a bead shop. So I wanted to whet your appetite in this issue. Spring is also a time of new beginnings, so what better time than to welcome some new readers to Bead and Jewellery Magazine. This issue will be the first to appear on newsstands in the USA and we are very excited to be sharing our take on the beading world with all you lovely new readers. To celebrate this milestone for the magazine, we have been busy giving the pages a new look to better showcase the beautiful work of our designers and contributors. I also want to introduce Brita Moore. You may know her name as she has previously worked as editor of our sister magazine, BeadMe. Brita is now working alongside me as the USA editor, so hopefully you will enjoy her stories about the US beading scene. For me, the great thing about beading is being part of a worldwide community, so I am very pleased that this magazine is spreading its wings to reach out to even more beaders around the world and I am looking forward to getting to know you all. So, after that welcome, I think it is time to get back to the delights that await you in this issue!

 

I don’t know about you, but when I want a quick bead fix, I like to turn to a project that is made from components as it is something I can pick up and put down, so I can still get a bit of beading done even when life is busy. So, in this issue I’m bringing you two more projects from our Great British Bead Off winners: the ‘Zing and Sparkle’ beaded bead from Sian Nolan and Sylvia Fairhurst’s beautiful Crystal bead with its unusual pear drop shape. I thought I would also join the party with a beaded bead built in three dimensions that will really tax your beading skills – it’s worth the effort though! I also have some more component-based jewellery from Starman Trendsetters designer Akiko Nomura, with her beautiful Primrose bracelet.

If you want to find out more about the Trendsetters team, then I am continuing my little series on designer groups in the beading industry with a look at the Trendsetters. We are also travelling across to the Continent to hear about the beading scene in Sweden, and in the other direction to meet talented US designer Beth Stone. I also have Kumihimo from Pru Mcrae, Soutache from Dorothy Wood and plenty more inspiration for using all the beads and materials that will be on offer at the show. So, whether you bead big or bead small, like needle and thread or other tools, I hope you will find plenty to inspire your beadwork in this issue.

You can subscribe to the magazine here, or download individual issues here.

 

Bead and Jewellery Magazine Issue 68

Issue 68 of Bead and Jewellery Magazine is out now and it's celebrating love! If you haven't already got your hands on a copy, then here's a bit more about what you can find in the issue, from editor Katie Dean...

I’m hoping it’s time to start looking forward to early spring, to the first bulbs coming through in the garden and to the season of love. If you find that image a little hard to imagine at the moment, just close your eyes and pretend! This issue of Bead and Jewellery has been ‘Inspired by Love’, but I have challenged the designers to get creative and not restrict their ideas to projects for Valentine’s, although you will find some appropriate ideas for the season in here. As ever, the fabulous designers who work with us have come up trumps. We have the first three Editor’s Choice Award winners from the Great British Bead Off: three projects that I personally love. Design Corner has taken a special journey to explore some ideas for designing jewellery to match clothes that you love, with an inspiring idea from Rachel Hyde. I’m going to be showing you how to match a traditional, loveable basic beading technique to an equally loveable new bead. In Tips, Tricks and Techniques you will be learning how to create a very simple curve with a floral bangle project.

We have a gorgeous Love Knot braid from Kelanash Designs and special projects from Vicky Roberts and Hortense Thompson that you are really going to love. Then there is the beadwork inspired by passion: Elizabeth Newbon tells us how she fell in love with Tanzania and the Maasai jewellery, with a project to share that love. Donna Sanders shows you how to turn a tile that you love into a stunning cuff bracelet and Riverside Beads are sharing their Breast Cancer Awareness project. We also have interviews with the hugely talented designer, Sigi Contreras, and a look at an amazing labour of love from a bride and her bead group. So, I hope this feast of love will warm you if the winter days are feeling a little hard to bear!

You can subscribe to the magazine here, or download individual issues here.

               

Bead Magazine

Bead and Jewellery magazine has had a re-design. We have responded to readers requests and brought you a fresh new look with plenty of added features. www.beadmagazine.co.uk