There's Still Time to Read . . . and Win!

I hope you're enjoying the fall Stringing blog carnival.  Have you visited all 24 jewelry designer pages?  See the complete designer list on Tuesday's post.  I've really enjoyed the stories—childhood trauma, misbehaving beads that did not resemble their passport photos, folktales, treasured beads, good deals from the local craft store, favorite colors, poetry, memories of a beautiful fall day . . . inspiration is everywhere!

You still have time to enter the giveaway.  (Last day to enter is Monday, August 23, 2010 at noon Mountain Time.)  It's easy to enter—just leave a comment on one of the designer's posts.  Or leave a comment on several posts, for additional chances to win.  You could win a set of handmade beads, a goodie pack full of filigree & gemstones, or a copy of the fall issue of Stringing.

But Wait, There's More . . .

Kristin of Artisan Clay blogged about creating a bead that was used by Jenn Judd Velasquez in her Stringing design.  I loved seeing how Kristin makes the finishes she uses for her "Smoke Fire" beads.  If you're lucky enough to be at Bead Fest in Philadelphia this weekend, check out her booth.  She's also running a special sale in her Etsy shop especially for visitors to the carnival.

Let the Fun Begin!

Welcome to the first ever Stringing blog carnival!  Since 2007, when I published my first design in Stringing, I'd wondered how other designers came up with their ideas, named their projects, and found (or crafted) the materials they used.  So I invited designers to tell the story behind their designs in the fall issue of Stringing magazine which goes on sale today.  If that weren't enough fun, I'm also hosting a giveaway—scroll down to the bottom to find out how to win a prize that will jump start your own fall jewelry creations!

Note: I'm personally running this blog carnival and the giveaway.  This is not an official Interweave-sponsored event.  If you have complaints, suggestions, or comments about the blog carnival or giveaway, please post them here or send me an email.  (A link to my contact info is at the top of this page.) Thanks!

Prizes

Thanks to our generous donors, we have three great prizes to give away to three lucky folks!  Prizes will be drawn and awarded randomly.

	A handcrafted ceramic pendant and a few coordinating beads by Gaea Cannaday.
	A "goodie pack" from Rings & Things: an copper and gunmetal filigree, assorted gemstones, a brass round bezel, chain, a ruler, and glass skull beads.
	A copy of the fall 2010 issue of Stringing from Interweave.  Just under 60 inspiring jewelry designs for fall, tips on how to host a jewelry-making party for your friends, and Etsy selling tips from well-loved and talented designer, Lorelei Eurto.

Have fun reading everyone's stories and admiring the beautiful jewelry! 

Sometimes I'm inspired by something that doesn't exist.

My Autumn After Dark necklace in the fall issue of Stringing is a great example.  I've always seen announcements from magazines looking for party-worthy jewelry for their December/January or winter issues.  For fall, however, most of the jewelry designs published seem more earthy and office-appropriate.

When I sat down to design for the fall issue, I wondered what kind of autumn necklace would be appropriate for a night out—a party, a fancy dinner, a club?

Crystals seemed an obvious choice for evening wear.  Who doesn't want to sparkle at night?  In my stash, I had two large leaf-shaped crystal pendants that I'd purchased online several years ago, intending to create earrings.  When they arrived, the pendants were larger than I expected and didn't work well as earrings.  When I started thinking about necklace designs, I decided these crystals would make perfect ends for a lariat.

I added more crystals in fall-inspired colors, along with two types of gunmetal chain.  Copper chain would have been the more obvious choice—it's a great metal for fall—but I felt the gunmetal chain gave the necklace an edgier, more "nightclub" feel.

Please leave a comment by August 23, 2010 to enter the giveaway. Official Rules.

One of the best parts of my job as manager of You’ve Got to be Beading! is sorting all the new items as they come into the shop. We all love to ooh and aah over the shiny new beads as they get pulled out of the boxes. So when I saw the copper stardust beads I just knew I would have to create something with them. I especially love the elegance of the stardust disc beads. Their graduated sizes seemed to line up so easily. Rather then sticking to just one metal, I love the look you get when pairing gold and copper together, so of course, I added the gold stardust beads, gold links and chain. Initially, I thought I would have an asymmetrical necklace with the stardust beads on one side and the large round links on the other, but after working with them, I decided the seed bead strands balanced out the necklace beautifully. I love stringing multiple strands of seed beads in different sizes, it’s such an easy way to add texture and depth to a necklace. I designed the Sunburst Necklace months ago, before the heat of summer had begun. But the colors reminded me of the bronze glow you get after a sun filled day at the beach. It just seems like the perfect necklace to wear as the summer winds down.

Please leave a comment by August 23, 2010 to enter the giveaway. Official Rules.

Smoke and Cognac

The Smoke and Cognac necklace taught me two things.  

Thing #1:
When I was brand new to beading, I bought a baggie full of wooden beads in assorted shapes and sizes at a local bead store. Included in the baggie were some giant, clunky wooden tubes that, in my opinion, were totally void of any meaningful aesthetic value. I imagined a necklace made of the long tubes strung together, like some mutant macaroni necklace made by a class for the partially sighted and spacially impaired. I hated them. Beads poised dramatically over the trash can, I hesitated, then reconsidered. What could it hurt to save these crappy tubes? Just. In. Case.

Flash forward several years.

I am working on a geometric design with connected components. I need a cross-piece to anchor the focal elements. Something large and substantial. Something organic. And there they were. Exactly what I needed.

Lesson learned: Do not throw out beads, even though you think they are totally hideous and you are positive you will never use them.

Thing #2
See matte black agate stone donuts on web. Get big idea. Purchase immediately.
Run to mailbox several times a day until package arrives, then rip it open like a 5 year old on Christmas morning. Feel heart sink as you discover the agate is NOT solid black as pictured, but stripy brown, tan and cream. Throw beads aside in disgust.

Flash forward to afore mentioned project.

I need a visually interesting focal element. Something with multiple colors and some pattern. Something I can connect to other stuff. And there they were. Exactly what I needed.

Lesson learned: Beads that are not what you hoped for are not necessarily a bad thing.

Mixed Metaphor

The Mixed Metaphor necklace is an artistic statement on world peace. Strong individual beads of different colors, sizes, and materials, each with their own unique personality, living in harmony together in one unified necklace.

OK, that is totally a lie. I just made that up in my head five seconds ago. But you bought it, didn’t you!? Admit it. You were ready to symbolically join hands with jewelry designers around the globe and sing a collective chorus of “Kumbaya.” The truth is much less dramatic. I wanted to create a very simple strung piece with multiple large beads and focal elements. Something that was interesting to look at from every perspective, and would be fun to wear without being over the top. But if you would rather go for the “world peace” thing, be my guest.

Please leave a comment by August 23, 2010 to enter the giveaway. Official Rules.