Amy Caswell

‘Tis the season for bead shows and craft fairs and trunk shows and backyard crafty gatherings. Everyone needs gifts. Crafty types need to sell people those gifts. So here’s a trunk show being held in the Ventura County area of Southern California. Newberry Park to be exact. Creative Castle to be even more precise. There will be six handmade glass bead makers, and for reasons of complete disclosure, I am one of them. If you live near Thousand Oaks, stop by and buy beads by Amy Caswell, Bernadette Fuentes, Jackie Mixon, Cathy McNassor, Debbie Sanders and myself. The show is from 10-5 this Saturday, November 14th.

Jackie Mixon

Now if you happen to be further south, say the San Diego area, you can visit The Whole Bead Show. It’s being held November 13-15. Check out their site for more details. At that show there’s a fine variety of beads, vintage, handmade, and many many more. The Whole Bead Show is a traveling bead show that makes it’s way across the country through the course of the year, even Hawaii. If it comes to your area you should check it out. They usually offer jewelry classes too. Check them out. As I said, ’tis the season. Shop Handmade!!

Glasscapes by Mingo and Asho

Glasscapes by Mingo and Asho is one of the many exhibitors at Babe – Bay Area Bead Extravaganza. They make blown beads among other glass goodies but this is what they’re most known for. And on a side note, I love these guys. Super people as well as talented glass artists! And that’s what Babe is filled with. Glass isn’t the only type of bead you can find here but some of the best bead makers come out to this show. It’s held in Oakland, November 14-15, 2009 and if you’re in the Bay Area part of California I think you should go. Think of the holidays! You can do all your Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza shopping in one place. Also you can take classes. How fun is that?

Leah Fairbanks

Some of the other fabulous glass bead artists that will be attending are…JC Herrell, Leah Fairbanks (a goddess by the way!), Lisa Kan, Karen Nan Designs (fused glass), Jujee Beads…and so many more. Check out the exhibitor list!

JC Herrell

Kristina Logan bead

I was directed today to You Tube by Bullseye glass via Facebook today. Bullseye had posted a link to a video, put together by Corning Museum of Glass, showing Rudi Gritch doing some cool fusing. You can see the glass that he has draped over some rods slump down to meet the other glass he set up…oh just go watch the video. Very cool. Or should I say hot stuff!

More Kristina Logan beads

And while you’re on You Tube checking out the video you may be tempted to check out some others in the Corning Masters Series. I watched a video by Kristina Logan, a certified glass goddess and queen of dots, as well as the first president of the Society of Glass Bead Makers (now it’s the International Society of Glass Bead Makers). And you can keep viewing videos about fusing or bead making or slumping or more bead making…what did we do before the internets?

I love the use of wire inclusions in her beads that really give a feeling of looking into the ocean or perhaps a tidepool. And then a lovely starfish will adorn the outside of the bead. Excellent use of color and composition. She works out of her home studio in British Columbia and has been making glass beads since 2006. Her work has recently appeared in Bead Trends and Belle Armoire. Go Stephanie!! Nice work, great beads.

As I was trolling around Facebook I came upon a cool glass beaded curtain and I felt I had to share it…it’s on the Art Bead Scene blog posted by Heather Powers. It’s a tutorial and besides glass beads they use Soft Flex which is my favorite beading material. I use Soft Flex for one of the projects in my macramé book. We can thank Sara of Soft Flex for hipping us to the tutorial. Thanks Sara! Check out her blog too.

So this isn’t just a blog about a curtain…it’s a tutorial on how to put it together. Even better! I love beaded curtains. I macraméd one with my beads in it…but that’s a whole other story. So check this out and if you make something cool from it let me know.

Silver glass is all the rage these days in glass beadmaking.  From the picture above you might understand why.  The glass is very expensive due to its high silver content that gives the glass its color.  It also can be a little tricky to work.  Lori Whitney gives some tips and tricks for working this beautiful glass.  I hope it helps you to find more success in your beadmaking!

Lampworker Marcy Lamberson highlights the butterfly beads of Robert Simmons on her blog.  Robert is the Director of Bead Donations for Beads of Courage, an organization that provides arts in medicine to children and families coping with serious illness.

In the Beads of Courage program butterfly beads are especially important since they are given to a mother or family when a child loses their battle with cancer.

In Marcie’s post you will find links to Robert’s tutorial for making these beautiful beads as well as pictures of him in action.

It’s easy to win a copy of this wonderful eTutorial by Kerri Fuhr.  Just surf on over the the Lori Greenberg Bead Blog, read the review and leave a comment.  Be sure to bookmark the site while you’re there because there are regular giveaways and lots of other great info being shared.

If any of you read Watch Me Create, the team blog that I manage and write for, it is no surprise to you that I love hearing about artist’s creative processes.  Ranking right up there at the top of my favorite things are pictures of designing in sketch books.  So you can imagine my delight when I came across Lucinda Storms’ blog post at Belvedere Beads.

If you visit Lucinda’s blog you will also find some of her paintings and other projects she has been working on.

This find speaks to me!  I absolutely love earthtone colors and this set of glass beads has a richness that you can’t deny.  Graciebeads is the artist and you will see more of her creations at her web site too.  Gorgeous browns, ambers and other earthy jeweltones!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you know that cupcakes are the years hottest dessert trend.  Don’t have a sweet tooth?  Well, now you can wear them too.  Check out these great glass cupcake beads by Laura Sparling.

Laura was highlighted on the All Things Cupcake blog this week. Who knew that glass confections could make your mouth water?  Keep cooking that glass!

This looks like a nice solution to me, with spacer beads instead of delicas though.  Learn how to make your own delica sample book at A Beading Blog today.