"When one door closes, another opens;
but we often look so long and so regretfully
upon the closed door that we do not see
the one which has opened for us." 
— Alexander Graham Bell

I've been thinking about the "one door closes, another opens" saying.  As you may have heard, Bead Trends will cease publication in July.  I had several projects published in that magazine, including the Pearl Posies necklace, the Southwest Style pin, beaded keychains, bird earrings, beaded napkin rings, and these Acorn Earrings.  I enjoyed the magazine's beautiful photographs and easy submission process.  I'm sad for the staff who are now out of work and for the many beaders who found their first published work in this magazine.  (They seemed to be exceptionally welcoming to new designers.)

The same week I heard about Bead Trends, the new acquisitions editor at Interweave tweeted about welcoming book proposals from jewelry makers.  I also heard about a new jewelry design contest sponsored by Beadalon.  And while browsing Barnes & Noble that same week, I learned about an upcoming Mixed Media Jewelry Swap hosted by Cloth Paper Scissors. 

Yes, none of them is the exact same as a beading/jewelry magazine, but they are all good opportunities to stretch your creativity in a new way. This is why I love Alexander Graham Bell's quote.  If you're looking for that exact mahogany door with the 3/4 arch and beveled glass windows that you lost, you're going to be disappointed.  Try opening that knotty alder wood door with the bronze doorknob or the oak double doors with the stained glass.  You never know where they might lead.

About the photo: I created this fairy door a couple of years ago in an adult ceramic class.  It's about 5-6 inches tall.  The teacher showed the class some examples as "good kid projects." Naturally, that's exactly what I chose to do, while the college kids all made "grown-up" projects such as serving platters and vases.  A friend sent me this article at Messy Nessy Chic with lots of photos of fairy doors.  (You'll want to see the one at Google!)

Quote Source:  BrainyQuote.

A brand new beading magazine debuted this week!  It's called Bead-It Today and features trendy, quick, and budget-friendly projects.  The magazine sells for $3.99.  You can follow the magazine on Facebook to keep up with the latest happenings.

First Impressions

The first issue (June 2013) has a young, hip vibe and is geared towards new jewelry makers.  They're probably not obsessed (yet) with beading, but want to make things for themselves or their friends.  They might read InStyle or follow celebrity fashions, but have budgets closer $20 than $200.

I enjoyed the "Fashion Watch" column, which included some trends that I knew about (tassels) and some that I didn't (the color gray).  Some projects included step-by-step photos or illustrations, which is especially important in a beginner magazine. 

Most jewelry magazines focus on necklace, bracelets, and earrings.  I liked that this magazine included a non-jewelry project, bobby pins and barrettes.  Handmade hair accessories are quite popular (more than 500,000 listings on Etsy!) and can use some of the same techniques as jewelry making.

The materials surprised me.  You might expect a budget-friendly magazine to only feature items from the craft store or thrift shop, but some projects include handmade art beads.  You can still design something affordable with art beads if you are clever about the other materials you pair with them.

My Necklace

I'm pleased to have a necklace project in the inaugural issue.  My easy Tweet Tweet necklace uses turquoise chips,  curved tube beads, and a bird pendant.  Birds are still very popular in jewelry and gemstone chips are the most affordable shape to use in jewelry.  Gemstone chips are easy to find; most craft stores feature a wide selection of them and fewer options for other bead shapes.

I'm excited to see how this magazine evolves over time.  If you've seen it, I'd love to know what you think.

How often do you remake one of your jewelry pieces?  One recent necklace made me think that I should do that more often.  Sometimes while in the creation process I cannot see the small changes  needed to take a necklace from okay to wow!

Pearl Posies Necklace

Before

I liked the color combination of aqua, mint green, and peridot in this early version of my Pearl Posies Necklace. I also liked the little scallops formed by the pearls.  It reminded me of those round Peter Pan collars on little girls' dresses.

But there were things that bothered me about the design, too, such as the strand of brass round chain.  I liked the chain, but I didn't love it.  For one thing, the large chain seemed to take up too much real estate.  My eye kept being drawn to the chain, rather than the scallops of peridot pearls.  The round chain link shape also seemed wrong with the soft ovals of the pearls.

The second problem was more important because it made the necklace unwearable.  I had chosen a brass magnetic bar clasp, which I liked for its sleek, unobtrusive look.  But the clasp kept sticking to the chain and made it impossible for the necklace to hang properly.

After

Sometimes I find that it's best for me to put a necklace or bracelet away for a few weeks or months before attempting a redesign. That way, I'm looking at it with completely fresh eyes, almost as if it was created by someone else. 

When I looked at this necklace again about a month later, I could see that substituting pearls for the chain and adding a toggle clasp was all I needed to do to make this necklace work.  The pearls add a softer touch to the necklace and the toggle clasp works with the old-fashioned feel of the piece.

This do-over was a great reminder that you don't always need to start completely over when a design isn't working.  Sometimes you just need to make a few minor changes. 

Find the complete instructions for this necklace in the February 2013 issue of Bead Trends.  All materials are from Michaels.

Have you redesigned any jewelry lately?  Is there any jewelry sitting in your "do over" pile?

I received my copy of Handcrafted Jewelry this week.  I have a project in this issue:  Jack & Jill Earrings made with . . . you guessed it . . . playing jacks from the toy store.  This is my first time in this magazine!

If you look closely at the photo, you can see that I not only covered the buttons in fabric, but I also embroidered little details on them.  I also made a blue version of these earrings for the magazine.

There are some intriguing mixed media jewelry techniques in this issue.  You'll see projects created with popular techniques like resin and polymer clay, but you'll also see some new techniques. 

If you go to a book store and flip through the magazine, don't just look at the pretty pictures.  Read the captions or project introductions.  The technique you think might have been used may or may not be the one!  For example, there's a Forget Me Knot Necklace by Chloe Chatenever that looks like a couple of cords tied in an infinity knot.  It's not until I looked at the project instructions that I realized that she had made the individual strands of cord by wrapping twine with crochet thread.  Wow!  Talk about handmade! 

The only downside to this magazine is I have no time to experiment with new techniques right now.  Good thing magazines don't expire!