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!
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