The favorite tool - Bead press

By N Valentine Studio

This is one of my most used tools in studio, turns out it's made by one of my most favorite people! The Jim Moore bead press is what I use to cap and core all my beads.

I also use the bracelet and ring mandrel for riveting all my beads to my rings and bracelets. The dapping balls make doming beads caps a breeze! This tool has so many different uses, well made and simple to use!

This tool was what helped me come up with the design for my Keepsake Beads. It makes it so easy to cap and core beads I can fill a hollow bead with any keepsake and flare with core without having any problems.


Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on ArtFire.

Blog Carnival - February 2011

It's time for another round of the Starving Artists Team blog carnival.  For February, we decided to talk about names.  This month's topic:  "Tell us the story behind your business name" had many people reminiscing about a challenging time for their business.

To discover the story about the business name of some team members, please follow the links below.

Galadryl Design

O'Refined

Island Girl

Bead Sophisticate

Paintin By Faith

Northern Girl Jewelry

The FamiLee Jewels

J3 Jewelry

BeadSire

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists Team.  The SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on ArtFire.

Name Game: "What's in a Name" Revisited

Last Saturday's post contained examples of Starving Jewelry Artist members business names. Each member had a definite need: choose a name that best fit who they were and what they did. On the forum, Starving Jewelry Artists a new member recently asked about how we chose our names. All answers had one unique point: make yourself different from others. And yes, that's what happens.
Now, ask yourself: how do I choose a name that describes either me or what I do, or better yet, both. And then what?
So, here's what I did: personally, I preferred a name with an image. Okay, what image? I had one of my cats in my lap at the time. I love cats, like
Cat's Wire obviously does. Okay, that name's taken. Soooo, how about:

Laughing Cat...taken
Sleeping Cat...taken
Dancing Cat....taken
Quiet Cat......taken
Cold Cat.......taken
Kold Cat.......taken
Astral Cat.....taken
Rose 'n' Cat...taken
Cat and Roses..taken

Well, you get the idea: lots of people really really like cats. Even Screaming Cat was taken but it didn't feel right to me. And neither did Dancing with Cats mostly because I look nothing like Kevin Costner. Finally: Dead Cat Designs Yup, taken but really really weird site.

So, moving on to some of nature's beautiful images:
Shaking Leaf Designs...taken
Shaking Leaves.........taken
Fallen Leaf............taken
Autumn Leaves..........taken
Birch Leaf.............taken
Autumn Leaves..........taken

Or: Birch Tree Designs...taken
Autumn Ridge....taken
Sleeping Rose...taken (Makes me think of a Disney cartoon. Not good.)
Sleeping Flower...taken
Flaming Flower...taken
Red Flower......taken
Brown Flower....taken
Quiet Tree....taken (That's okay, I'm not a quiet person.)
Sleeping Tree...taken
Spirit of the Earth...taken (I really liked this one.)
High Tree....taken
Dancing Tree...taken
Dead Earth Designs...FREE!!!!!(But honestly, would you buy from this site?)

Well, you get the idea. I even tried a variation on my name: Crusin' Susan.
Yup, taken, as well as it was someone's name...

Now, this is only one of the many steps you need to take. You need to buy the domain name quickly so when you get a site customers find you, not someone who makes odd things, really odd.

And here's how my cats felt about my problem. You can see how concerned they were.


Written by a member of the this team (currently experiencing an identity crisis...)Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry Team, the SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and on ArtFire.

February Design Challenge

This post is written by BonLou of FamiLee Jewels

Each month members of the Starving Artists Team are invited to stretch their skills and their imaginations by participating in a specific challenge.

February's quest was to make something that you love, that represents love to you.

Are you a romantic?

Maybe you don't like hearts and flowers?

What would you wear to represent your feelings?

Whether you are traditional or have a totally unique perspective we want to see it.

The diversity of the responses in this group continues to amaze me. Our designs are so unique. Each piece represents the artist who made it in an identifiable way, depicts the common theme, and complements the others as a whole body of work.

Angela aka Beady Eyes has been experimenting with new wire techniques including needle lace. Her romantic and girly Needle Lace Heart is an amazing example of that skill. I think she’s got it!

Caron’s offering is a beautiful heart shaped stone that has yet to be identified. She has embellished the stone heart with wire wrapping and an assortment of tiny beads in complimentary colors. It’s name? Hidden Love of course!

Dawn made asymmetrical hearts out of copper wire and bright red beads. The bold hearts and striking color combination on these earrings and necklace scream Rock Star. For someone that doesn’t like hearts you really rose to the challenge Dawn. Did you paint these red beads?

My entry from The FamiLee Jewels is a collage necklace called Love Forevermore. I am just not a hearts and flowers kind of girl. The necklace charms include a clock hand with a piece of a love letter captured on it with resin, a black crystal, a Forevermore token and a tiny brass envelope containing a letter with the word love etched on it.

Our Island Girl, Lynne made a necklace out of her own red lampwork hearts connected by soldered silver heart links. She challenged herself to solder all those fine wire links and did it!



Thank you to everyone that played along and entered into the spirit of the challenge.

Please consider joining us for March’s Challenge when we all go looking for a pot of gold

Focus on Focals

Today on the SATeam blog, we focus on the latest handmade focal beads from our talented lampwork artists. Each one is its own work of art! Click on the links below the images for more information about the individual beads:

Flamboyant - handmade lampwork focal bead by beadupastorm

Winter Apple Tree by islandgirl

Aqua, pink and orange handmade lampwork glass bead - Tropical Flowers by MyPrecious

Las Croabas Hnadmade Lampwork Glass Focal Bead by melissabeads

Lampwork Focal Bead Pendant - Magic Moments by NValentineStudio

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry Team, the SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on ArtFire.

Teenage girls

This may come as a shock to you. I'm not a teenager anymore. However I still remember those times quite well. An unexpected zit on your chin, a bad hair day, a glitter comb in your jeans pocket, lip gloss in all colors, scents and with different taste, giggling at sleepovers with your best friend ... and no cell phone. Ok, so the life of a teenager today is a little different from mine then.
There are things that haven't changed, though.

Glossy girl lip shine by Nikki Makes Scents

Apart from lip gloss teenagers still like to wear jewelry and they do like hoops. How about this large pair? I bet all her friends would be jealous of the girl wearing these.

Rock crystal and sterling silver hoop earrings "Lucid" by Shiny Adornments

Matters of the heart are important for a teenager. "Marsha said that Steve said that Jim told him he liked Amanda, but Amanda told me that she is in love with Ben's big brother. No wonder, he is so DREAMY! Like totally, you know."
Let's give them some heart with this impressive pendant. Can't get much better than this!

Triple heart pendant by Colla Jewelry

I almost forgot some very important teenage jewelry style. Teenage girls want attention and this incredible bling ring is sure to get it. Pink and black, flower and sparkly? A great combination.

Crystal flower fashion ring by The Family Jewels

Now we have something for the ears, the neck and the finger, but there's more - these great hair sticks, actually a whole set of them!

Swirls hair sticks set of 3 in copper by Twining Vine Designs

Can you imagine a teenage girl getting all of this for her birthday? Before going to bed she would write into her new journal, chewing on her pencil every, now and then ...
"Dear diary, I had a wonderful day. I just wonder why Mom gave me such a strange look, almost as if she was a little jealous. Old people, who can understand them? Now let me tell you about Jeff. He wore the coolest jeans today! I wish he'd ask me out to the movies."

Art Nouveau decorated journal by Into The Dawn Designs

I'm not a Mom, but maybe sometimes I am just that tiny teeny bit jealous? ;-)

By Cat's Wire

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on ArtFire.

Interview with the artist - Karla Aron from enRouge

By N Valentine Studio

Featured artist - Karla Aron from enRouge, Fort Collins

The first thing that attracted me to Karla's work was the birds, the sweet little bird pairs. They seem so magical to me. The Mama & Me ones are my absolute favorites.


Then I fell in love with this print! Love Makes Everything Better is so simple and sweet.


I found myself repeating that phrase over and over while I wandered through my day. Have a look at her Etsy after you have read this non-SATeam interview, you won't be disappointed.

How long have you been working in your medium?
I started drawing and painting about 5 years ago. My dad was a graphics artist, but it never occurred to me to consider making art until relatively recently. I spent all my college and grad school years in music ... studying to be a concert pianist. The thought of trying to become an artist was such a lofty idea to me. I am still a little uncomfortable referring to myself as an artist, but I surely do love making art. It's like another voice for me altogether that I can go to to either try to say something, or to try to hear something speaking back to me.

What drew you to this medium?
I like the illusion of two-dimensional drawing and painting. I like how paintings let me in to look around and get lost ... to create my own world there. I may not even be seeing what the artist intended, or why he or she painted it, but it doesn't matter if I can find my own narrative there.
I suppose initially (and it's still true for me) I was drawn to painting and drawing for self-expression. All I've ever wanted to do is try to express what it is that I'm feeling or perceiving ... I have a need to try to connect with people that way. Sometimes it works best to try to realize it in a painting, and sometimes it feels better to me to write a song.

What is your favorite thing about your art?
The feeling of permanence ... I'm coming from a perspective of being a performing musician, where you practice for hours on end, give a recital, and then it's all over and done. All you have left is a memory and a feeling, which over time wanes in your mind. So, I just love that I can make a painting and have it near me to see again and again. I like that I have something tangible. I can move it around the house, put it in a show, or take it on a roadtrip if I want. I also like that I can see where my head was at the time I was painting it.

What's your favorite piece?
Hanging in our living room above the fireplace is probably my favorite painting - it's a cellist painting from a series of six cellists that I painted about two years ago. I sold all but one, "Forte".

What's the hardest piece you've ever made?
I have a big 5 foot painting of a jazz bass player and combo that took a lot of re-working. I stretched my own canvas which was really hard and time-consuming, then I set out to paint that huge thing with no real plan of where I was headed.

What's the one favorite tool you cannot live without?
My Bob Ross palette knife. I make every painting with it.

What's your favorite thing about your workspace or studio?
Well ... I'm afraid I've got studio issues these days. My husband and I recently relocated, and this new house has plenty of room and fairly good light in the downstairs area, but I just don't feel inclined to paint there partly because it's cold. So, I've been working upstairs in the kitchen. I like it up here because we have big vaulted ceilings, windows and lots of light. And it's warm!

What is your other craft?
Music is my only other real craft ... I'm working on my jazz playing right now with dreams of playing in a nice jazz lounge.

Who or what inspires you?
I'm inspired by Rebecca Rebouche ... by her work and the way she seems to be, which I base on her blog. She's got Deep South New Orleans roots, which is different from my Arkansas, Ozark Mountain, kind of upbringing, yet there's something that resonates with me so strongly. Looking at her work reminds me of my grandma's quilts, and what it's like to eat cornbread dunked in milk on a hot muggy evening in Arkansas. I have a good deal of Southern homesickness now and then and keep trying to find a way to express that in a painting. Rebecca does it beautifully.

What's your favorite inspirational saying?
"I am a thriving artist." Marisa Haedike of Creative Thursday has started perpetuating this philosophy on her blog and in some of her artwork on Etsy. I find myself saying it under my breath as a mantra.

What's one thing you've never done you always wanted to do?
Right now what I really want to do is make a music video using one of my songs. I think that putting film together with music can be so powerful, and I've wanted to try it for a long time. I'm in awe of anyone who can put those elements together. So, I'm just going to go for it and see what happens!

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on ArtFire.

Labradorite

Aurora Borealis seen from the North Pole

Inuit legend tells us that long ago the Northern Lights were trapped inside the rocks off the coast of Labrador.  One day they were found by an Inuit warrior who used his spear to free them.  Sadly, not all the Northern Lights could be freed.  It is because some of them remained imprisoned in the rock that we have labradorite today.



Slab of labradorite - photo by Kluka

The rainbow coloured reflections seen in labradorite, known as labradorescence or schiller, do indeed resemble the beauty of the Northern Lights. It is therefore not surprising that shortly after its discovery in 1770 by Moravian missionaries on Paul Island in Labrador, Canada, labradorite became a popular stone for use in jewelry in France and England.


Labradorite cabochons


The stone remains popular today. Labradorite shows at its best when it is able to move to catch the light, which transforms the dark grey stone into a fiery, iridescent thing of beauty. For this reason, pieces that move, such as drop earrings and rings are often preferred to more static pieces, like necklaces or pins.

Labradorite has many internal layers and cracks, so care must be taken with the stone. It can break in two if it receives a blow or if too much pressure is applied to it. It can also easily chip or become scuffed, so it should be stored properly when not in use. Ultrasonic and steam cleaning are not recommended for this gemstone.

Here are some examples of labradorite used in jewelry, brought to you by members of the Starving Artists Team.

Oxidized Sterling Silver Labradorite Necklace by Shiny Adornments

Sterling Silver and Labradorite Necklace by LA Valley Girly

Argentium Silver Labradorite Earrings by popnicute

Labradorite and Fine Silver Wire Crochet Pendant by Cat's Wire



Labradorite Bracelet by Ava Designs



Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry Team, the SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on ArtFire.

What's in a Name?

No, I haven't seen "Gnomeo and Juliet". But from Shakespear's original "Romeo and Juliet" Juliet wonders "Romeo, Romeo, why for are thou Romeo?...." I always thought she was asking if he was somewhere down below her high balcony. Actually she was only asking why did he have to belong to the one family her family had "issues" with. Ah, the Montagues and the Capulets. She finally decided that a "Rose by any other name would smell as sweet".
So, currently having done a name search for my small jewelry business, I have found that getting an appropriate name is very hard. It was hard work given the thousands and thousands of internet business out there. So let's take a look at some of the names of Starving Artists Team members to illustrate both "conservative" and "unusual" (nothing wrong with unusual, I wish I had been able to think of some of these).

Bead Origami Has an oriental flavor with the "origami", the Japanese art of folding paper.


Angie's Jewelry Designs Fairly straight forward, Angie makes jewelry.



Cat's Wire She works with wire and really really loves cats!



Shiny Adornments I'd adorn myself with any shiny thing in this shop!


You know who makes Marie Cristine Handcrafted Jewelry.



Here's a lovely imagery: Twining Vine Designs. This pendant could twine around me any day.


And, finally: JewelryArtbyDawn.


As you can see, choosing a business name is an art by itself. Each shop name is as unique as the jewelry in it.

Pearls from the South Seas

Large, satiny, colorful pearls come from the warm South Seas.



Pearl farmers, mainly in Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines, employ the gold-lipped and silver-lipped pinctada maxima oyster to create these gorgeous gems. Because Indonesian farmers use smaller hatchery-bred oysters, instead of collecting adults from the wild, their pearls tend toward the smaller end of production. These oysters are generally 12-15cm in size.



Each oyster is implanted with only one nucleus and left for one and a half to three years before harvesting. They can be implanted up to four times. Since these are the largest oyster used in pearl production, they yield the largest pearls measuring anywhere from 8 to 18mm in diameter with 10 to 15mm being the typical range. 25-40% of the yield is spherical.



Because of the size, price, and rarity, matched strands are extremely rare and costly. More often, these are used as solitaires in pendants and rings and come in a stunning range of colors.

Once Upon…The Wings of the Wind

My fantasy these days, after a very cold and snowy season, are of flying, soaring, gliding….through lush green pastures bursting with tender new growth, over rushing water falls draining winter’s snows from the mountains, above glimmering lakes full of new life…tadpoles, ducklings, minnows. Obviously, I don’t have wings but I’m in a hot air balloon, taking in the wonderful sights of an exciting new season…dare I say it…”Spring”….Up, up and away…on the wings of the wind.

The talented jewelry designers of the Starving Artist Team have helped to fuel these fantasies with beautifully handcrafted “winged” necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pendants, etc.

Enjoy….

AMDesignsbyAngela

TheFamiLeeJewels

PaintinbyFaith

popnicute

Shiny Adornments

MC Stoneworks

TJR Jewellery

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry Team, the SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on ArtFire.

Earring Tutorials

Continuing with the theme of earring supplies, today on the Supplies feature we will take a look at a sampling of the many earring tutorials offered by the talented writer members of the Starving Jewelry Artists Team. Click on the links below the images for more information about the individual tutorials:

Tutorial - Round N Round Earrings by Danagonia

Tutorial - Fancy Fan Earrings by JewlieBeads

Tutorial - Light Clusters Beaded Beads by beadorigami

Tutorial - Fused Hoops Earrings by MarieCristine

Tutorial - Clip-on Earrings by DianneKargBaron

Tutorial - Dancing Fan Earrings by gwenbeads

What's your favorite style of earrings?

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Starving Artists jewelry Team, the SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com and here on ArtFire.