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.

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!

Sponsor Interview: Marsha Neal

Marsha Neal Studio, LLC is the name of my company (Marsha Neal technically does not exist anymore - she got married...). I have been working with clay since 1997 when I took an elective ceramics class while going for my undergraduate degree in Entomology (bugs). I loved working with clay so much that I went on to receive my MA in ceramics in 2001.

I started concentrating on making porcelain pendants & beads around 2002 and quit my job in 2004 to pursue making beads and traveling around the country to sell them. By 2006 I was really feeling burnt out from traveling and making beads, and my husband Dave and I were at a point of wanting to try to start a family. So I gave up traveling. It was a good decision too because in January of 2007 my mom was diagnosed with a very rare form of Leukemia, which she fought as long as she could, but passed away in September 2007. I had my daughter Chloe in December 2007 and my son Riley in December 2009.

Right now my life is undergoing a major restructuring physically and mentally. Things are not the same as they were when I left them 4-5 years ago. Outside of family responsibilities (I love being a mom), Etsy and Blogging have become a huge focus in my life. Marsha Neal Studio, LLC is involved in a number of ongoing copyright infringement lawsuits with my porcelain pendants (copies are being made in China and distributed through online websites as well as brick and mortar establishments - ugh!).

How do drawing and gardening work their way into your designs?

I applied and was accepted to the 2011 Master Gardener program here in New Castle Co. Delaware where I hope to be able to enhance my foundation in gardening and nature & wildlife conservation. I cannot take myself away from the concept of Ecological Gardening & all that it encompasses - and spreading the word about it in ways that people can apply simple things to everyday life to make things a tad better for the environment immediately around them. I have a feeling a lot of this will be coming out in my blog over this next growing season.

This year I am also taking an online drawing lab course to learn some basics of drawing (another thing I wanted to do, but never had the chance formally). So with this drawing and gardening, I hope to see a lot of new imagery appearing in my clay work. Maybe in the form of new textures, maybe just new designs that I can use with my line of decal drawings.

How do you balance production work, creative time and being a mom?

My kids go to school (preschool) full time and they thrive there. They are both very socially friendly kids & have lots of friends & great teachers. When they are at home with us, we spend as much time as possible with them doing stuff that helps them grow as kind, caring, fun individuals. We laugh a lot! And I am not afraid to let them know when I make a mistake or when I need a time out. We take time to learn from mistakes, accidents, to think how our actions make other people feel and to make better decisions. Everything is a learning experience at this age (1 and 3 years old). I found that I function better as a person when I have time to get things done for myself - which is mainly for "Marsha Neal Studio". Being an artist means that I live my life with my art in mind constantly. I get very cranky and irritable if I don't have my "alone" time in the studio. So the kids going to school allows me to focus on me. I love being a mom - but without school - I would be completely miserable and I think it would show through them.

What is the best mistake you've ever made?

I think that it is important as a bead maker to understand how the pieces you are going to make are going to be used. Even if my attempts at jewelry making are feeble and really bad sometimes, I continue on. I love sitting to make jewelry with a bunch of inexpensive wire so I can try out designs and then cut them apart if I feel it is a failure. Sometimes I keep the failures as a reminder of a turning point. I embrace mistakes and look for "cool" things to happen as I am experimenting. I laugh a lot at some things I've tried and imagine someone wearing. Oh, and I realize too - I need a mirror in the area I am creating jewelry. Nothing like having to constantly run up & down the basement steps to see how something is looking (or attempt to take a picture with the phone camera and actually see what the piece looks like).

If you were stranded on a tropical island and could create all day, what would you spend that time making?

With all the flurry of constant activity, if I actually had a moment to myself to sit on a tropical beach and take along a beading project - it would have to be some sort of bead and macramé project. All of the beads would have to be pre-strung on the string, inside a baggie so I could pick it up or put it down whenever I wanted. Something very hands on without a lot of excess supplies to get sand in. My sketch book with black ink gel pen & iPhone would also be in my beach bag, easily accessible so I could absorb all the warmth that a new environment would offer and sketch out ideas and take photos of cool textures and color inspirations (as well as photos of memories of hanging out with a bunch of other beady friends... I love my beady friends!). Maybe Chloe and I will get to go on a bead cruise in a few years when she is a little older...

Find Marsha online:

http://www.marshanealstudio.com/

http://www.marshanealstudio.blogspot.com/

http://www.marshanealstudio.etsy.com/

http://www.marshasgardenblog.blogspot.com/

Photos by Marsha Neal Minutella

Featured Sponsor: Mary Harding

Talented ceramic bead artist Mary Harding has been a sponsor of the Bead Cruise for several years offering a collection of awesome door prizes for a few lucky winners.  This year, all our participants will be winners - Mary is donating an item this year for each bag! 

"Mary Harding McCallion makes ceramic clay of the earth beads, pendants, and vessel pendants. Her beads are both slip cast and hand built. Each bead is individually decorated with stampings, multiple stainings, firings and glazing often resulting in an ancient or primitive look. More recently she has begun to use impressions from wildflowers and plants that blossom in the summer in the pastures of Northern New York.

To see more of Mary's work visit her website and blog.

Featured Sponsor: Artbeads

If you haven't shopped with Artbeads.com, I want to encourage you check out this awesome online shop.  And if you have shopped with them, you know they offer great deals, interesting finds and super fast shipping.

I love the Artbeads website and all the inspiration they offer to their customers. In the Learning Center you'll find trends, color palettes, projects, business resources and more. The also have a lively blog and facebook community.  Be sure to visit the Fashion Trends section featuring visual inspiration for what's current in the industry.   

Enjoy 10% off your next purchase from ArtBeads.com

Coupon Code: ZZ-MEMBER

Expires: 7/31/2011

Featured Sponsor: Genea Beads

This week's sponsor is Genea Beads.  Bead artist Genea Crivello-Knable offers lampwork beads and soldered components in fun and colorful designs.  Genea  is a mixed media artist who designs jewelry along with creating her unique beads.

Genea's beads are featured in the Spring issue of Stringing magazine.  To see more ideas using her beads, visit her Etsy shop.

"My passion is working glass with fire and creating mixed-media pieces.I love using bright colors, texture, shape, and many different mediums all combined together to create pieces that enhance all of the senses. I love creating pieces that are asymmetrical and intricate so there is a treasure to be discovered in every inch of my work. I use my handmade beads, soldered charms, leather, fibers, metal, rubber and other elements to create my jewelry." - Genea

Get to Know Genea:

Visit her website.

Stop by her blog.

Sponsor of the Week: Sue Beads

1. How long have you been making beads and is this your full-time job?

As of right now, yes, this is my full-time job. I learned to make beads about 6 years ago at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and have been selling them for about 5 years now. I started on ebay. I don't sell there anymore, but I sell on my web site (http://www.suebeads.com/) and on etsy (http://www.suebeads.etsy.com/). I also have a blog (http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com/) where you can see my new creations!

2. What are some of your inspirations when you create?

I tend to make earthy-type beads, but I have been known to be inspired by flowers, jewelry I see in catalogs, and dreams I have! Other artists also inspire me to go outside my comfort zone at times!

3. Do you have any tips for buying handmade glass beads?

Buying lampwork beads from china means you will not get kiln-annealed beads. These beads will eventually crack and/or explode. They are cheaper than artisan beads, but you get what you pay for! Buying beads from artisans who tell you they kiln-anneal their beads will mean you get genuine hand-made beads that have been properly heat treated in a kiln. You also want to make sure your dimples (the holes in the beads) are not sharp or pointy, they should be smooth. You should check your beads to make sure they are not wonky - that they are even all around and do not look pregnant on one end!

4. What is your favorite vacation spot and do you take beads to play with when you go on vacation?

Any island that is warmer than here is my favorite place! I do not usually take beads along, because all I want to do is read and lay in the sun and drink fruity drinks! If I brought beads, they would distract me from my main pursuits!

(Photo credit: all images from SueBeads)

Sponsor of the Week: Vintaj

We are proud to have Vintaj as a Bead Cruise sponsor for 2011.  Vintaj is the source for natural brass findings, filigree and embellishments.  They also have a beautiful collection of Arte Metal findings in a black metal finish.  They have charms and pendants for any project or theme you can think up. 

Check out this cute project they have on their site - perfect for a cruise, don't you think?

Oceans Bracelet Project

Whimbeads

We would like to welcome aboard our new bead cruise vendor. Beki and Shawn Haley of Whimbeads . I couldn't be more excited as I have shopped with them online and at other venues. For more information on store hours and location click here.

Whimbeads takes pride in there quality and selection of beads. They specialize in certain areas such as Japanese seed beads, Austrian Crystal & Czech glass.

I am swooning with anticipation of the thrill of shopping on board with them. There is still time to join us as we take our beads to high seas.

Visit www.beadcruise.com for more information.

Sponsor of the Week: Hint

We love our Bead Cruise sponsors and invite you to check out one of our favorite online shops each week.  First up is Hint.  Hint is an Etsy shop featuring fine silver charms by Beth Hemmila.  Each one is a tiny treasure!

These two autumn inspired ones are my favorite.  Hint has many different symbols including animals, birds, flowers, trees and more - each one tells a different story. 

Hint:
Etsy Shop
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