Guilty!

Okay, I admit it.  I’m an enabler.  What better way to share your love in a guilty pleasure than to get your friends hooked, right?  That way, the guilt can be a collective effort.  Chocolate is a good one.  So is a really great bottle of Cabernet.  But beads are altogether another story!  Suddenly you have a shared interest other than tossing back margaritas and nachos, while complaining about the latest thing your kids, dog, or significant other did.  All women can relate.  It’s a necessary part of being a woman, but even that gets old!  Of course you could combine the nacho & margie swilling with beading and knock out two necessary and useful activities at the same time.  Now there’s a concept!

When you’ve got the urge to bead with friends and want to explore a new technique, have a Chicks & Hens event!  My slogan, “Have Tools, Will Travel” means I bring everything including the materials, tools and design of choice.  I did a Sea Anemone Ring C & H event and all the ladies went home with gorgeous rings and learned how to wire work.  It was a first for all of them.  Babies got nursed, rings got made, champagne was slurped and everyone was happy.  If you’re interested, give me a jingle.  Chicks & Hens events are fun, fun, fun!

Eye Candy!

  

I love to post work from my students.  The ring pictured above is from Cathy Burton.  The best testament to my teaching ability is the work my students accomplish.  The Sea Anemone Ring class is no exception.  Class was held on February 16th with a full slate of very eager ladies in attendance.  Every ring looked different due to all the colors each student selected and we ended up with a room of eye candy for the fingers.  After all was said and done, pretty much everyone left with a very pretty ring on their finger with the pledge that they were going to make more.  This particular ring design is addicting after you've done a few.  Once you master the wrapping technique (it's a good way to master it because you do it 45 times!) you'll want to make one in every color of the rainbow.  The first one I ever made (circa 2009), I used small fresh water pearls in addition to Swarovski crystals.  Hence, it became the Sea Anemone ring because it looked like I could have plucked it out of a tide pool.  Here, Cathy used Sterling Silver for the ring armature along with gorgeous Bronze Shade, Verde, and Crystal Copper Swarovski.  If you know Cathy, it looked like she was born wearing it.  It's so her!  Great job, Cath!  It's important to note that the ring design is not my original design.  The original design came from the very talented Irina Miech.  She gave me permission to teach the ring back in '09, but I've redesigned it a bit and added more structure.  Look for the class this summer at the Pasadena Bead and Design Show in July.



A Real Basket Case!

Ever have one of those days?  You know what I'm talking about.  When you think you are going to have a melt down of epic proportion?  I have an instant cure.  Just say two words.  BASKET WEAVING.  It's purported to be a very therapeutic activity.  And guess what?  You can do it in wire and make a pretty cool ring.  Nothing beats sitting down with a pile of beads, or in this case, a bead and some wire.  Ring Pop! is my last class offering of the first quarter at Brea Bead Works.  The ring showcases an awesome lamp work bead (we all have a stash of those) and some cool wire moves that make an architectural wire structure to hold that bead in place.  Except, the bead does something really amazing.  It spins.  So, if you have a bead that has different design aspects to it, you can spin it into place and showcase that gorgeous orb.  Ring Pop! is being held on Monday, March 26th from 6 to 9 p.m. at BBW.  If you've been wanting to learn basket weave, then this class is for you.  And if you can't make it to this class, I've got some new designs coming up in the next few months.  Hope to see you there!