Bead Cruise 2013

We had such a great time on our 2012 event that we started right away to finalize our plans for our 2013 sailing!  Early bird registration has already begun for our past cruisers and open registration begin on April 30th.

We'll set sail on March 2nd for a seven night cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas.  Our journey will start in New Orleans next year with a bead field trip the day before the cruise.  We'll set sail to tropical beaches in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica.

Visit our website for complete details. http://www.beadcruise.com/

Our 2013 instructors include:

Our classes will cover wirework, polymer clay, beadweaving, macrame, metalsmithing and photography - there are classes for all skill levels and in many cases you'll walk out of the class wearing your new piece of jewelry!

Make plans now to join us for 2013!

The Queen's Ball

Our cocktail party this year is in a medieval inspired disco called the Dungeon. We decided to have some fun with that and dress up a little! Wear a crown, tiara, fascinator or mask to the Queen's Ball. We will have cocktails, music and prizes at this royal event. You might even end up being the Duchess of Filigree or the Countess of Crystal.

Everyone traveling in our Bead Cruise group is invited to this event.

(Photo by John Havel)

There will be prizes for those who wear a crown, fascinator or masquerade ball style mask!

Here are some examples to get you inspired for this fun evening.

Wired Up:

Titania's Blessing Fairy Queen Crown by Angelyques Trinkets.

Black Swan Tiara by Merritt Gade.

Sea Inspired:

Starfish Headband by Smitten For You.

A Black Galleon Ship Fascinator by Professor Maelstromme

Masquerade Masks

Black and Silver Metallic Mask by The Crafty Chemist

Venetian Masquerade Mask by Feather Light Design.

You can go as simple or as fantastical as you'd like. 

I will be giving out prizes for the most creatively crowned/masks guests!

Featured Sponsor: Tesori Trovati

Tesori Trovati means Treasures Found in Italian and that is just what Erin Prais-Hintz offers in her line of Simple Truths pendants.  Each design is handcrafted, delicately colored and matched up with just the perfect saying, phrase or word to inspire the wearer.

We are proud to have Tersori Trovati as one of our new sponsors this year!

Visit Erin's Etsy shop to her line of pendants and jewelry.  Be sure to stop by her beautiful and thoughtful blog.

Featured Sponsor: Captured Moments

We have a few new sponsors this year on the Bead Cruise for our swag bags.  I'm happy to introduce you to Captured Moments.  Cindy creates wonderful cuff bracelet components - they make designing a bold bracelet a breeze.  Just add chain and some accent beads!

Be sure to check out Captured Moments on Etsy to see her vast collection of unique pendants, beads, cuffs and bezels.  Cindy also offers a free Resin Jewelry tutorial.

Bead Cruise 2012 Registration Opens May 30th

Bead Cruise 2012 will be sailing to the beautiful Eastern Caribbean on March 3, 2012 aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's incredible Navigator of the Seas!
With the creative cast of instructors we have, you won't want to miss a single beading event. Come enjoy the fabulous workshops of Tracy Stanley, Heather Powers, Kerry Bogert, Jill Wiseman, and Beverly Herman for a beading event you'll never forget. The classes are going to be fabulous - click here for details..

Bead Cruise definitely has it all ... top-notch beading events and instructors, a fabulous cruise line and ship, and an amazing itinerary!

Relax and unwind as you travel to the beautiful Eastern Caribbean, ahhhh. We are so excited that for the first time we are doing an 8 night cruise, with stops in St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Puerto Rico, and Royal Caribbean's private paradise in Haiti - you are going to LOVE this itinerary! Only unpack once, enjoy all the shipboard amenities, visit exciting ports of call, eat an unlimited supply of delicious cuisine, and bead to your little beading heart's content!

With such an exciting schedule and itinerary for Bead Cruise 2012, we're sure to sell out quickly this year. General registration will open on Monday, May 30th at noon Eastern Time - so mark your calendars now and make plans to join us for Bead Cruise 2012. Visit http://www.beadcruise.com/ for all the details and we'll see you onboard!

Bead Cruise 2011 Program

View the Bead Cruise 2011 Program from our last cruise.  This is a booklet that I create for our participants each year.  This issue includes 7 free jewelry projects and bead resources!  Click on it to browse through the pages, download or print.

Featured Sponsor: Artisan Clay

Kristie Roeder is the talented beadmaker behind Artisan Clay.  Her ceramic work combines glazes and glass to create pools of crystal colors and uses elements of the earthy clay to juxtapose the texture and colors of her work. The result is work that looks like it's a treasure found from a long forgotten civilization.

** A little bit about the process**

All of Kristie's work is made in the same methods as functional pottery. Every piece is formed, trimmed, dried, fired, glazed, and fired again before it then can be made into jewelry.  She also use a potter’s wheel to throw some of her round and donut pendants.

 

For some of her pieces, she fuses recycled or stained glass to create pools of color.  Kristie's color palettes range from tropical ocean blues, to fiery reds and yellows to subdued greens and purples.  Her work glows with bright pops of color in crackled glass finishes.

I had the pleasure of working with Kristie's amazing pieces for a Bead Soup Party blog swap.  You can see more design examples using Artisan Clay pendants here.

You can find Kristie's work on her website or her Etsy shop.  Be sure to stop by her blog to see a peek into the artist's creative process.

Thanks Kristie for being one of our amazing sponsors!