One Bead at a time....Bead weaving with a twist..

I have always loved things that sparkle and glitter so it seemed quite natural that glass beads, old jewelry with its rhinestones and bits of sparkle have fascinated me since I can remember.  I think my first major Sparkles were the glass and crystal bead necklaces my dad would bring home (I was about 6 years old) from the Carnival he worked at.  He had a guess your weight booth...and you would get either a necklace or a piece of chalk ware either which I would gladly love to have today.  I still have a few crystal beads left over from one such necklace.  As a matter of fact those necklaces and the metal butterfly pins he brought home were my first retail business.  I got a old shopping cart a few days later and hung the necklaces from the push handle and had the butterflies in the seat and some penny candy in a box .  I would push it around and sell to the neighbors and the kids.  Lasted a couple of days till one of the kids mothers got mad because I was selling "Junk" to her kid and candy for twice what it cost.  Well heck I was the only one allowed to walk to the five and dime...carrying cost and my first entrepreneurial adventure.  All because of beads.

Now 49 years later I have worked Art Shows most of my life selling my creative works and have spent the last 14 plus years in which I opened the first free teaching bead store and classes on a walk in basis and loved teaching people that yes Indeed they can make it themselves.  Kinda shot myself in the foot tho...because then everybody could string jewelry or wrap sea glass...so I concentrated on the one thing most do not want to do because it is too time consuming.

Bead Weaving  Off Loom style or as its called Peyote Stitch.  A bead stitch that is done one bead at a time...there are so many size beads one the size of a grain of sand...to huge bead babies...but I use a size that is called 6 aught.  I love it because it creates pieces with texture and design that you can see and appreciate.
The beads come in all styles and finishes , opaque, transparent, silver-lined , color-lined, matte finish, and more.   I now use an expensive beading thread that allows me to create pieces that can be worn every day without fear of them coming apart, and should for a reason beyond my control that happens I will gladly repair it or replace it.

So many people love the look but are just not sure about how it will hold up because they have bought made in China stuff that fell apart a minute after they bought it.   My Bead Art is all made by me in America one bead at a time.   I am a Fairy Godmother would I fib to you.

All of my jewelry has no metal unless mentioned...I believe everyone should be able to accessorize and feel as beautiful as they are....so if you have friends , family or yourself who cannot wear mass market jewelry contact me today.  Small bracelets and anklets  start at $24.00.  All fastened with buttons , many antique and vintage.  Earrings start at $15.00 and are available to be made in your choice of colors.  Do you have a loose treasure laying around let me create it into a piece of Art you can wear and enjoy.

So take a look at the pictures ,,,there are early pieces here that I did in the last 20 years and recent, which I am concentrating on Art pieces you can and should wear every day or almost.

Demonstrating Bead Weaving at Frisco Native American Museum

one of my early pieces  2002 no pattern

Tubular Peyote Amulet Bag for sale $125.00

My first big piece with tiny beads that I had collected as a child ...a seascape with semi-precious stone animals 

Vintage Glass  beads and Rare Stone necklace  $65.00

Make lemonade ...

stain glass dreamin'    Sold

close up of stain glass dreamin"

Beauty in a broken shell ...I have always loved shell pieces and of course now that I live at the beach I have many beautiful pieces or fragments of the life at the beach, I was inspired by a book called "Beauty in a Broken Shell" and it works.   Wear a piece of paradise every day even when you are not here.

This piece is called "reaching for the moon" and happily lives on a young lady's neck in Tennessee

details of one of my fun bracelets - Sold

Sold

Sold

Sold

Dragon Bracelet the fire comes out of his mouth and is the clasp
one of a kind  $225.00

simple but pretty (sold)

Freedom (sold)

a new design I just created ...this is any anklet done in oranges and turquoise

 All of my jewelry has no metal unless mentioned...I believe everyone should be able to accessorize and feel as beautiful as they are....so if you have friends , family or yourself who cannot wear mass market jewelry contact me today.  Small bracelets and anklets like this one start at $16.00.  All fastened with buttons , many antique and vintage.

RAW Stitch bracelet wood button no metal  lasts forever "thread"Bracelets like this start at $16.00 I can custom make any color combination or theme.

Another Amulet Bag
This one I gave away to a little girl at Manteo Farmers Market that fell in love with it...I knew she would love it and appreciate forever ,,,,I hope she is

Benedict Quilt block earrings  $12.00 a pair

Hair clips available in all sizes $12.00 a set

one of my  shell necklaces  a beautiful gray tone lightening whelk
I hand pick the shells on Hatteras Island, NC

I love making sharing what I know ...yesterday was beadweaving

Yesterday I was invited to provide a special event for the Frisco Native American Museum in Frisco , North Carolina.  If you find yourself on Hatteras Island this is a must visit for everyone.  It is one of the most unique collections of Native American Art, tools, and everyday items as well as the important history and stories behind it all.

I was fortunate enough to entertain and teach some visitors children and one school teacher from Great Bridge, Virginia.  A family whom part of had flown in from Nebraska to make family memories on the Outer Banks.  One young lady visiting from Alaska...and many others . 

I taught them how to do a bead woven pendant...that was used for both earrings and a choker pendant for the guys.  Everyone did wonderfully well...even the 8 year .  

Bead weaving program Frisco Native American Museum

Another Great point of view about understanding artists

This is a wonderful article on how to talk and not talk to artists at shows...it is a very informational read....


http://theyearoflivingfabulously.com/2013/07/05/how-to-talk-to-artists-at-art-festivals-the-dos-and-donts-warning-youve-probably-been-guilty-of-at-least-one-of-the-donts/

Support Your Local Artists ...or those in areas you visit.

A lot of people love to go to Art Shows and there are those of us who love to be there to meet you, share our artwork and  enjoy our imaginative offerings enough to take some home.

Also many of  you will walk up and down the aisles of art shows , enjoying the art work, some of you make comments like "oh I could make that" or wow that is really awesome never thought to use an ironing board that way ...or appreciate the intricate time consuming designs of bead work, pottery , paintings and more.

I want to enlighten you as to why you should buy local art especially if you are a visitor to our fair paradise called the Outer Banks.

Reason number 1:  Our area where we have chosen to live is unlike the metropolitan areas where you come from, where sales and traffic is brisk and continousos every day of the year.  We have a season that if we are lucky to not have hurricanes, noreasters and a ton of other life interuptions can be 4 to 5 months long which leaves us 7 to 8 months every year to earn a living.  Many years once you all go home things slow way down and many of us travel to markets outside the area to sell our Art. Buy art while you are here.

Reason number 2:  Art is a soul soothing object you can hang in your home or sit on your credenza or wear that will remind you of the special glorious time you had visiting our beautiful beaches.  Every time you glance at your art you fell in love with, you will remember the love you feel for the Outer Banks and the beautiful beaches, sunsets, ocean waves crashing on our beaches and more.  

Reason number 3:  It is beneficial to our local economy to be able to sponsor a variety of Art Shows year round , establishing a opportunity for our local artists to establish a career selling their art.

Reason number 4:   I think this is the most important reason to buy local art, Supporting local artists who are your fellow human beings who have taken a leap of faith to do what they love and use their God given talents to paint, make pottery, make jewelry, sew quilts , take photographs and more.  It is not easy being Artists , but we find so many times we just don't have a chance but to be creative.  But eventually unless we find a outlet for other people to buy and appreciate our art , we end up with either a room stuffed full of the love of what we do,  and have to stop or we are forced to give it away.  Which is not fair because it all costs money to create.

Reason number 5: Price ...we as artists do not just sit there and go wow that is a great piece I think I will charge X number of dollars for it. No just like everything there is a system for determining the price, just like a dentist has a set system for pulling teeth and what to charge. 

We take into account cost of supplies, the hours of creating the design , then making the design , finishing it , photographing it , marketing it and finally selling it .  Especially with the cost of fuel these days , traveling to art shows has added a greater expense...and art show fees are higher than ever.  on the average a artist will "Give" away $200.00 worth of art , art made and sold just to cover expenses for every show they work just to keep doing what they love.  (Many artists have one or two "Real" jobs besides their art, to pay bills).
But we still love what we do and are willing to suffer the sacrifices to create.

SO next art show you go to ...think and remember what you have read...and be adventurous and buy ART from local artists ....