Sunday, February 27, 2011

Week Four: Susan Feldkamp

Susan Feldkamp of Mesa, Arizona, will be receiving The Best Little Bead Box in the next day or two.
 

Occupation (either bead-related or non-bead related) Unemployed but beading my heart out.

Website: None at this time

Blog: None at this time but will be making a new one soon

Facebook Fan Page: need to get one

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
15+ years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project? 
I’ve heard of it before but never got the chance to sign up and enjoy reading about it.

Have beads changed your life?  How? 
Yes. They’ve taken me to many places and have given me the opportunity to make a large number of wonderful friends. Without my beadwork, I’d probably be in the crazy house by now.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker? 
Advanced

How did you get started working with beads? 
In the early seventies, I started making Daisy Chain necklaces and it has been an obsession ever since.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?

I’d be a large flamework bead in purple with lots of cubic zurconia. Because I work best when put to the fire and have loved purple and sparklies most of my life.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why? 
Seed beads, because they are so versatile.

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
Keep doing what you love, you have a natural talent for bead work.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~ Pablo Picasso

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received?
A beaded Santa doll.

What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else?
Each piece I’ve given away has been my best and I am happy people love what I do with BEADS.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
Yes. I love doing mixed media work, collages, knitting, crocheting, sewing, any type of art that uses my hands and creativity.

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Expanding, Shiny, Colorful.


Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Best Little Bead Box Visits New Jersey !!

The Best Little Bead Box arrived on my doorstep while I was out, so I didn't get to attack the mail lady (lucky her!).
As soon as I got home & saw it on the counter, I decided to clear my nightly schedule and DIG IN !!



But first, pour a nice glass of wine.
And of course, enlist help of friend that helps me do EVERYTHING around the house.



Meet DaVinci - he's my furbaby, office buddy, and foot warmer at night. He follows us around the house like a dog, gets into things he shouldn't (more on that later), but loves us more than I've ever witnessed a cat want to be around a human.
He's an 11lb, almost 2 year old, Siberian breed. Otherwise known as, "creator of all fuzz fuzz floating around the house."
This picture was taken before his mishap....(more to come...)


The box was packed nicely with a treasure trove of goodies! Each little bubble or zippy bag full of beading fun.
As a bead shop owner, I certainly have had my hands into tons of beads over the years. Yet, there are a few things that I am always a sucker for..... handmade and gemstones !! I am drawn to the unique, one-of-a-kind, or out of the ordinary beads.
Recently, I've had some sort of love affair with porcelain & stoneware pieces. (Lisa Peters Art and Marsha Neal Studio can attest to this!) However, there is some artisan work that I have had yet to see in person. Well, Best Little Bead Box Round 2 cured me of that !!!

I have to admit, I dove into the porcelain/stoneware/raku pieces and pulled them all out into the "maybe" pile. It took all I could muster up to put some back ! ha haaa!! But alas, in the good faith of sharing, many were placed back in to be enjoyed. (it was SO hard to pick my favorites...they were ALL favorites)

Here are the pendants / focals that I've chosen from the stash:




The next few things that caught my eye are unique! I think Lori Anderson & I have similar taste!! I managed to choose several of the items that she'd included when the box visited her.
I've selected some hanks of czech seed beads, some gemstones, a strand of pearls, a couple of handmade lampwork leaf beads, a shell pendant, a silk bead by Kristal Wick, some crystal spacers, and some beads that appear to be some form of wood (square with green sides):



Last but not least, I kept digging and found even more cool stuff !! I really liked the lucite that Kelli Burns had donated, and while I felt bad taking the whole bag, Kelli had requested that these stay together - so together they stayed !! (and it makes sense - I imagine I'll end up using the beautiful assortment in one project! Great idea Kelli!!)
There was a nice hank of luster green leaves included, so I pulled a couple strands from that (perfect for fringe). There are a few gemstone focals I couldn't resist, a small assortment of champagne coated Swarovski crystals and a few random glass and gemstone beads:



Now - onto what was placed back into the box.
An assortment of fun seed beads was added, including Farfalle (or peanut shaped) beads & Miyuki's Long Magatamas:



A wide variety of czech glass & crafted lamp beads:





Charms by TierraCast



An assortment of craft wire from Parawire



A generous contribution from Marsha Neal Studio - when Marsha found out I was participating, she was all too happy to help!



Lots of fun gemstones, all kinds of shapes & colors !! A lil bag of pearls and some metal beads




And since I had sticky fingers with the artisan crafted porcelain / stoneware pieces, I can only hope that the next participants enjoy handcrafted as well.

This batch of handmade lampwork beads was made by a very good friend of mine, glass artist, Jennifer Pagliarini



This next batch of lampwork beads was made by me, Amy Blevins, of Bead & Glass Boutique
There are a bunch to choose from, so don't be shy. I just hope they are enjoyed as much as I enjoyed making them specially for this project !



Last but not least, some books published by Kalmbach





Now...I have to tell the short version of the week's happenings while the box was visiting. For those readers that are friends on Facebook, you already know the story of the Kitty that got into the Lilies in my Valentine's Day bouquet. Lilies are one of the most toxic plants that a cat can get into.
A complete accident (as the flowers had been sequestered from kitty), he managed to get his nose into them. We spent 3 very long days praying he would be OK. Numerous trips to and from the vet, transporting him to overnight emergency care, and back in the morning.
As a long hair kitty, the vet had to shave parts of his legs to keep the IV in, flushing his system.
The good news is DaVinci is now OK. But we were really scared for a good 4 days this week. As I said, he's my furry-child and I wouldn't know what to do without him.
Ironically, as the Best Little Bead Box arrived and the Courage Tiger was staying for a visit, DaVinci welcomed him upon being unloaded from the box. He brushed against him and stayed close while I sorted the box.
I couldn't think of a better little guy for the Courage Tiger to share a photo with. DaVinci's visiting buddy.....full of courage.
My little buddy was so exhausted the day he got to come home from the vet, he just crashed out under a blanket "tent" we made for him.



Here's DaVinci this morning, saying his goodbye to his new friend



And seeing the 21 pound package off to its next destination



I am crazy for a couple of things in life: my kitty baby, my fiancee, and beads.
Yes - I "heart" my little kitty guy like a child, and not shy about admitting it....
So during a week where life was turned a bit upside down by fur-baby's incident, there was the box...full of joy, happiness, and solace.
It brought a peaceful calm to the end of a stressful week.

I couldn't think of a better way to share with my new beading friends. Thanks so much for having me participate in this wonderful project!
Kudos to our coordinators, Carol Dean Sharpe and Jennifer VanBenschoten !!


.

Another box???

The Best Little Bead Box is on its way from Amy's home in Maryland to our fourth beader (whose identity we will reveal this weekend). Joining it this afternoon, is a second, considerably smaller box from Carol Dean's home in New Mexico.

Back in December the talented and generous Vladislav Ivanov of Golem Design Studio in Bulgaria mailed off a package of his beads to Carol Dean, some of which were for a joint project of theirs but the rest were designated for The Best Little Bead Box. With severe weather in Europe at the time, we expected the usual 2-week trip to take up to 4 weeks. Never did we dream it would take more than two months for the package to reach its destination!

It arrived yesterday afternoon. Half of the treasure is being held back for Round Three.  Because we had promised our Round Two beaders that they would not have to do without because of weather delays, this is what went out today:





All of our donors are amazing, and we are deeply grateful to them for their generosity.  There is, however, something extra special about those "foreigners" (Vlad from Bulgaria, Triz from Israel, Marjorie from The Netherlands) who would donate to a project for United States beaders to benefit a United States cause. Thank you!!!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Week Three - Amy Blevins

Amy Blevins of Pitman, New Jersey, will have The Best Little Bead Box to "play" with in the coming week.


Occupation:
Financial Advisor (yes, I still have a full-time career) AND Bead Shop owner

Website: 
www.BeadAndGlass.com

Blog:
http://fastfuriousbeader.blogspot.com/

Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pitman-NJ/Bead-Glass-Boutique/61978214939

Facebook Personal Page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1285971285

 


How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker?
7-8 years

Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project?
This is a wonderful project, for an amazing cause. I’ve watched the first round with awe and excitement for each participant’s post.

Have beads changed your life? How?
Yes. Oh gosh…
Well, it all started with a beaded bookmark & a need for stress relief.
Migrating into massive amounts of stringing, crimping, and wire-wrapped loops.
Followed shortly thereafter by buying in bulk & selling online.
Dove into lampwork glass bead making.
Leading to today’s venture – a full blown brick and mortar retail bead store, allowing me to enhance others’ lives by teaching customers their own beading stress relief techniques.
So, all in all, I’d say “yes,” its kind of changed things a little bit.
Have loved every waking minute of it.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker?
Advanced

How did you get started working with beads?
My full time career is in a high-stress executive position. I used to do a lot of fictional reading to take my mind off my rough days.
EBay provided not only a place to find used books but also unique bookmarks.
During one perusing adventure, I located a beaded bookmark (sometimes referred to a book thong). One trip to a local big-box craft store was all it took! Bead-love inception.

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why?
Lampwork Glass
Glass always has been and always will be, even though it can change its format.
My life is a constant evolution of change and ventures. Its just fitting.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why? Seed beads - versatility

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend?
Take your time, it doesn’t need to be perfect and there’s no prize for first done.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it.
“Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks”

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else? The best beading gift I ever received was from a generous fellow eBay friend. She had been making lampwork beads on a hot head for quite some time. When she upgraded to a dual fuel torch, she so very kindly sent me her hot head and the attachments necessary to get me started.
I have since graduated into my own dual fuel torches, but will never forget the enthusiasm and good-hearted gesture she shared with me.

The best gift I’ve shared with someone… I’ve had a very great customer of mine stand in front of me in tears, thanking me for being ‘there.’ She was referring to opening the retail Boutique. Apparently when she found us, she had been struggling with something very important in her life. She admitted that we (the shop, the staff, and our friendship) was her saving grace. She spent a lot of time shopping, beading, and sharing ideas with all of us. Two and a half years later, she was pulling me aside, telling me how important we are in her life, thanking me for everyday we have had our doors open to give her a place to escape.
While this is a business for me, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize that beading isn’t just about profits, its about sharing.

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they?
Not anymore…

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?
Diverse
Like old friends – always there when you need them (ok, that's more than three words...)
Out-of-control

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Bead Box is Set To Leave Maryland!

The Beads of Courage Tiger came to visit the Eastern Shore of Maryland this week, and he got to hang out with my Valentine's Day present, a vintage pink typewriter.  I heard him typing away on it late into the night (I wonder who he was writing letters to?).


The box was filled to bursting -- I mean, literally bursting.  I don't know what the post office is doing these days with packages, but luckily, nothing was lost or broken (kudos to the ladies before me for their awesome bubble wrapping skills!).  Here's what my excited eyes viewed upon first opening the Best Little Bead Box:


I wasn't kidding when I said it was full!

I spent an hour going through all the goodies.  There was EVERYTHING in there, from seed beads to handmade lampwork to gemstones to handmade ceramic.  A feast of beady goodness.  I finally ended up choosing these:


There's a ceramic pendant, ceramic button, and ceramic earring pair, some jasper, some pewter, and a little bit of silver.  The rest is Czech glass and lucite that I plan to use for kid's bracelets.  All of those bright, cheerful beads came at JUST the right time, because I was tapped out of my "kid stash".  Oh, and I nabbed a couple of packs of seed beads just because they were pretty.

Here's what I put back in:


Lots of glass (Czech and otherwise), TierraCast clasps and links, dyed chalcedony briolettes, Swarovski squaredelles in black and sapphire, three sets of vintage copper and enamel connectors, some vintage jewelry that can be taken apart for other projects, copper tape for soldering projects, and a mix of handmade artisan lampwork and ceramic....


Ceramic by Dot Winchell and Earthenwood Designs, a silk bead by Kristal Wick, and lampwork glass from Dawn White....

 

... and more handmade lampwork glass.  The heart is by Red Hot Sal and the disks (embellished by me) were made by Jennifer Cook, but for the life of me I can't remember who made that boro twist.  Eek.

The box will be on its way tomorrow, packed in a fresh new box, ready for more adventures.  I can't wait to see what comes out and goes into it next!


 Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off.  She's also a contributor to Art Bead Scene.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Week Two - Lori Anderson

Lori Anderson of Easton, Maryland, will be receiving The Best Little Bead Box early next week.
Occupation:
full-time jewelry designer

Website: 
www.lorianderson.net

Blog: 
www.PrettyThingsBlog.com

Facebook Fan Page: 
www.facebook.com/limamike and http://www.facebook.com/#!/LoriAndersonDesigns

How long have you been a beader/jewelry maker? 
 About 6 years

 
Why do you want to participate in the Best Little Bead Box project? 
I love anything that has to do with beads!

Have beads changed your life? How? 
It’s helped me reach out to others (I run the Bead Soup Blog Party), it’s given me a way to give back to the community (I teach classes for free at schools, etc) and I can cheer myself up by looking at my stash!

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or advanced beader/jewelry maker? 
advanced

How did you get started working with beads? 
I was on bed rest while pregnant, and a friend brought me some beads to keep me company. The rest is history. I have a longer story about the journey here. http://www.lorianderson.net/about

If you were a bead, what kind would you be? Why? 
A funky lampwork bead – because a roll the funky way.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one kind of bead with you, what would it be and why? 
Something smooth and large, that I could rub when I freaked out on a five-minute basis – I don’t do well alone with a Starbucks!

What is the best advice you've ever received from a bead artist, teacher or beading friend? 
Don’t try to be anyone else.

Do you have a particular quote that you think reflects your personal philosophies? If yes, please share it. 

"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'" -- Yoda

What was the best beady gift that you have ever received? What was the best beady gift that you ever gave to someone else? Best received? 

A set of Corina happy beads from Corina herself right before I had major surgery. Best I gave? I like to sneakily give beads to people who admire things – unexpected prezzies in the mail box are fun!

Aside from beading, do you do any other crafts? What are they? 
I knit, I decorate the house and for others, and I read, read, read (and review books).

What three words would best describe your current bead stash?

Overwhelming, Stygian, and needs-to-be-shared. (Does that last count as one word?)

Please include a photograph of your very best piece of beadwork, if you have one available. 
Uh. I’m hard on myself, so can I share a few?



Saturday, February 5, 2011

A Brief Stay in Santa Fe

(Written by Suzanne Cooper, posted by Carol Dean)


The Courage Tiger wanted to stay in Santa Fe a little longer. I wanted the Best Little Bead Box to stay a long time! 
 
There were so many beautiful beads I had a hard time choosing. I picked some Toyo square beads to use in fringe. I've been using Jasper cabs in bead embroidery lately and realized I didn't have many choices of browns or greens. I chose the bag of blister pearls and beads to go with them.


I noticed that there were almost no leaf beads in the box so I fixed that! I have no idea how many leaves I added but it's probably a cup overflowing. I added a box of tiny ladybugs and a whole flock of larger ladybugs. A herd of stone bear fetish beads jumped in the box. There is a tube of 8o Delicas in silver lined and matte black. I added several strands of glass and stone beads.