Bead Cruise 2016 Recap

On Monday, I arrived home after a week of fun on the 2016 bead cruise, hosted by Heather Powers.

Cruise ships in port in St. Maarten

This was my third time attending and this year my husband, Colin came along with me.  He also took all three of Heather Power's  polymer classes!

Coco Cay

Day 1 was boarding the ship and the welcome party at night.  Day 2 was our stop in Coco Cay in the Bahamas.  This was a nice, restful beach day.  I explored and found conch shells, sea urchins and lots of little fish.  

Tango by Beki Haley

Day 3 was our half-day classes.  I chose Tango by Beki Haley.  I struggled with right angle weave at first but Beki is a great teacher and got me on the right track.  I haven't finished the pendant yet but I'm pretty sure I will get this one done!  We also had part 1 of Heather's Van Gogh Sunflowers workshop in the afternoon (more on that below). 

St. Thomas

Day 4 was spent in St. Thomas.  Colin and I were originally going to spend the day at Coki Beach but we caught colds on the airplane and didn't feel up to it.  We decided to take a bus tour of the island instead.  We got to experience some fabulous views, go shopping and I still got to dip my feet in the turquoise water at Coki Beach.  

St. Maarten

Day 5 we docked in St. Maarten.  We walked towards town, found a small local art gallery and then shopped some more.  We lasted a couple hours before the heat got to us and we returned to the ship. After a shower, we spent several hours enjoying the view from the lounge on the ship.  Also, food. There was lots of eating involved...it's a cruise afterall!   

Van Gogh Sunflowers Class

Day 6 was the second part of Heather's Van Gogh Sunflowers class.   This class involved the most intricate polymer canework I've ever done.  It was a bit frustrating for me but it makes me appreciate Heather's work that much more.  You can see a few of the beads Colin and I created in the lower, left hand photo.

Tropical Bon Bon class

Day 7 was the final day and Colin and I signed up for an optional class.  I had so much fun in Heather's Tropical Bon Bon class!  I can see myself making more of these, including them as cabochons!  We had some free time after class and then went to the farewell party.  

Misc. scenes from the trip

On Sunday, we headed back to the hotel in Orlando and enjoyed the pool and some dinner with other cruisers who were flying home on Monday.  It was a nice way to end the trip.  

I just love everything about the bead cruise; the people, the workshops, the ports...  I highly recommend you give the bead cruise a try!  There are still a few spaces left for Bead Cruise 2017!  Click here for all the details and to register for the best bead vacation you will ever take!  You won't regret it!

A big thanks to Heather, all the instructors, sponsors and fellow beaders who made 2016 a wonderful experience!  I look forward to Bead Cruise 2017!

When Inspiration Strikes...

When inspiration strikes, it apparently happens all at once!

Haiti, Bead Cruise 2015

I've been in a creative drought for quite some time but apparently with Bead Cruise 2016 creeping up on me, the inspiration faerie has decided to return.

Left: Chunky tropical necklace  Right: Batik factory, St. Kitts

It seems that with the need to have some tropical accessories, I suddenly found myself inspired again! It all started with that big, chunky polymer focal from ArtyBecca. It reminded me of my trip to St. Kitts last year and the beautiful batik factory. Thanks to my recent studio upgrade, I was able to easily locate lots of beads that would coordinate nicely. 

Left: Driftwood necklace  Right: Bermuda

Back in July, I took a trip to Bermuda with my husband to celebrate our anniversary.  As I was going through my bead collection I came upon this strand of painted driftwood from Nature Scavenger and they reminded me of the gorgeous beaches in Bermuda.  Turns out, they matched perfectly with some wood chain I had from Priscilla Beads.  A little wire and some waxed linen and BOOM, another tropical necklace complete!

Wood and bone necklace

The final of the cruise-inspired pieces came about on its own.  As I was sorting through my collection choosing beads for the other necklaces, I pulled some of these beads out and made a pile. After playing around and moving beads here and there, the full necklace came together.

Beach Treasure Necklace

I'm very excited about this necklace!  Back in November when I was attending the bead retreat with Jenny and Sue, I found this green sea pebble while beachcombing.   Jenny took it home with her and then set it in a fabulous copper bezel.  I paired it with some prehnite nuggets, czech glass and a drilled river stone.

Purple and green bowlerite pendant

It isn't just simple, beaded jewelry inspiration that is back!  I've also been working on bead embroidery again!  One of the promises I made to myself this year was to buy less beads and use more of what I already have.  I selected this bowlerite (bowling ball) cabochon by David Rowland and used all beads I had in my stash.  In fact, the silver and large purple beads came from the 2015 Bead Cruise goody bags!

As soon as I finished this pendant, I started selecting cabochons and beads for my next several projects.

Greenman Pendant/Brooch

This is my most recently finished piece.  The polymer cabochon is from Jenny.  I sewed a pinback with attached bail on to the back to make it a more versatile piece.  

Seashell pendant in progress

Here's what I'm currently working on.  This is my first time using a real shell (found on a prior cruise) in my bead embroidery.  I'm hoping to put shell or coral fringe around the outside as I've never done that before.  Lots of learning going on!

Now I just need to get myself back in the ceramic studio and start making beads again.  Baby steps.

Have you been struck by the inspiration faerie recently?

Sea Urchin Cabochons: How They're Made!

I've created so many stoneware sea urchin cabochons lately because they were in high demand when I returned from the bead cruise.  They had been featured in Beverly Herman's "Star of the Sea" workshop and the ladies had asked for more.  So I thought I'd share an inside peek at how these pieces are made...

Fresh Block of Stoneware

All urchin cabochons start their life from a block of brown stoneware.

Wedged Stoneware

I cut a piece of clay from the block and wedge it for proper consistency and to remove air pockets.

Slab

The clay is then rolled into a slab.  I use a simple wooden rolling pin for this.

Greenware 

I cut the cabochons from the slab and then smooth the edges.  They are then set aside for awhile.

Mold Made from Antique Button

Another piece of clay is cut and wedged then I remove a small piece and roll it into a ball.  The small decorative urchin element is created from a mold I made of an antique button.

Molded Stoneware

The little ball of clay is pressed into the mold, removed and then set aside.

Scored Stoneware

I then score the decorative urchin and the cabochon, apply a bit of slip and join the two pieces together.

Greenware Cabochons

The cabochons are then left to dry for a couple of days.

Bisque Cabochons with Oxide Applied

Once the cabochons are completely dry, they are put into my small kiln and bisque fired.  I unload them the next day and apply an oxide to the decorative urchin element.  The oxide is applied by brushing it on and then wiping the excess with a wet sponge.

Glazed Cabochons

After the oxide is applied, each piece is glazed.  I typically apply 2-3 layers of glaze.

Finished Sea Urchin Cabochons

Once I have enough work to fill the kiln, I load all the pieces and fire to Cone 6.  The pieces are unloaded the next day and then inspected for any flaws.  I then spend a day photographing, editing and writing drafts for my shop.

And there you have it!  That's what it takes to make a sea urchin cabochon!

Happy Beading!

Bead Cruise Workshops: Recap

Last Sunday I flew back in from Florida after a 10 day trip on the bead cruise.  This was my second year attending and I had an amazing time!

Fashionably matching the tiles in Puerto Rico with my maxi dress.

This trip included stops at 3 bead stores (1 in Florida, 2 in Puerto Rico), 3 workshops, 4 ports and countless parties.

I was honored to have my beads featured in two of the workshops on the cruise.  The first was for Beverly Herman's Star of the Sea class.  

Photo by Beverly Herman

The Star of the Sea necklace featured my stoneware cabochons.  Techniques in this workshop included bead embroidery, peyote and herringbone stitches.

Making the decorative starfish

I have a pretty good handle on basic bead embroidery but bead weaving...bead weaving and I have a history of not getting along very well.  This little starfish took me FOREVER.  Thank goodness Beverly is a very patient teacher!  I only managed to get this starfish and the base bead embroidery done during this workshop.

It didn't help that this workshop was held in a room with an amazing view of the ocean.  LOL!

Working hard on their necklaces

I had also signed up for Tracy Stanley's Byzantine chain bracelet class.  I taught myself Byzantine weave last summer so I ended up assisting some of the other students in class.

Erin Siegel working on her Byzantine weave.

Norma making her chain.

The third workshop was Erin Siegel's Tribal Inspired Beaded Bracelet.

Photo by Erin Siegel

This workshop involved knotting waxed linen and included my ceramic buttons as the clasp!

Selecting the right button for each kit

Here I am working diligently on my bracelet.  Waxed linen is so easy to work with. 

I ended up buying some knotting tweezers from Erin and they were well worth it.  They really get the knot right up against the last bead.

My completed bracelet

Sarajo and Kathleen sat behind me in class and we had a blast.  Speaking of Sarajo, she was the lucky winner of the massive AJE door prize on the cruise!  Congrats Sarajo!  Enjoy playing with all those beads!

I actually made another variation of this bracelet over the weekend.  I have plans to make more in different colors.

Overall, the cruise was fantastic.  I did have some sea sickness here and there but I didn't let it ruin the trip for me.  If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going on it.  You'll learn new techniques, make new friends, enjoy tropical locales and just have a great time.  

If you'd like to see more photos from my trip, make sure to check out my blog later this week.  I'll be posting a recap with lots of photo highlights.  

Happy Beading!

On My Table: Bead Embroidery

In just a few more weeks I'll be embarking on the bead cruise.  This will be my second time attending this fun event!  Each year there is a themed party and Queen of Hearts/Alice in Wonderland is the 2015 theme.  I wanted to make a necklace for my party outfit and I selected bead embroidery as the medium.

After digging through my stash of beads and mixed-media stuff, I found a Mad Hatter cabochon I had purchased years ago.  You know those things you buy at the moment but have no idea what you'll do with them?  Yeah, that was one of those purchases.  

There was a slight issue I had to fix though before I got started.  The back of the cabochon was hollow because it was made as a pin without the pinback. I needed a nice flat back so that I could glue a solid base to the beading foundation. I found some leftover epoxy clay and mixed a bit of it up to solve this problem.

After I put the epoxy clay in, I scored a few lines with a piece of wire.  This was just to give the glue some extra grip once the piece was attached to the beading foundation.

After the epoxy clay cured and the piece was glued to the foundation, I sewed on my base row using silver-lined red seed beads.

To make this small piece pop, I selected "galvanized starlight" seed beads for the bezel row.  

The opaque black seed beads I chose for the next row, hid some of the base rows red beads...

My original plan was to use size 8/0 galvanized starlight beads for the basic edge, but then I found these 8/0 flame red beads instead.  They helped bring more red back to the piece after the base row became somewhat hidden.  

And this is where I currently am with the pendant.  I still need to add fringe and a bail.  I already have some czech daggers selected for the fringe.   I've been working on this little by little each night after completing a days work in the studio.

If you'd like to give bead embroidery a try, I highly recommend the following:

Beading with Cabochons by Jaime Cloud Eakin-excellent book with all the info you need to get started.  Detailed instructions and VERY easy to follow

Beadaholique-great retail site that features free video tutorials. They have an entire section of videos dedicated to bead embroidery

Happy Beading!