A step into the past…

   Spring cleaning has started early for my husband’s parents who will be moving into a retirement home shortly. Every other weekend for the last month or so our Passat station wagon has come home with boyhood treasures, a pair of stilts, tools, hat rack, telescope, tons of record albums and a few vintage items that would be a Steampunk artist’s goldmine! Pocket watches, eye glasses, real working skeleton keys and a true vintage 1908 Remington typewriter. PauI’s grandfather had owned and operated a general store in a small South Carolina town and most of the “antiques” were from his store. The mercantile had been in existence so long that he talked about deliveries being made in a horse drawn cart. My main interest in these old items was the typewriter. Knowing that the keys were a valuable jewelry component I had planned  to take the keys off of it. I had envisioned an old and ugly piece of broken machinery that no one knew what to do with but didn’t have heart to throw away. Little did I know what a true treasure that this metal keyed piece of history would deliver.

Click, click, click, ding came from the garage. My youngest, the computer whiz kid, was pecking away at this ancient typewriter. “Mom, this is so COOL, it even dings when you get to the end of  the paper!” So much for  my visions of altered art jewels. Later that afternoon Sarah proudly announced that she had typed me a letter and wanted me to read it. “Dear Mom, Your Etsy shop is really awesome. I hope that you get super famous all over the world really soon. Even if you don’t you are still really  totally awesome at what you do. I love you soooo much. You are the coolest mom in the whole entire universe. Your loving daughter, Sarah.”  Needless to say the typewriter will stay, in tact, and has found a prominent place amongst the other treasures in this families past and present.

What’s in a charm?

When I was a little girl one of the first pieces of special jewelry that I received as a gift was a charm bracelet. It only had a few charms on it. One of those charms was a mustard seed incased in a little glass bubble. Another was a charm my mother had as a teen engraved with her initials. Charms were attached throughout the years when graduations, travels or new friendships happened. Charm bracelets were like scrapbooks in my day and if you were lucky enough over the years you would have collected lots of special shiny silver or gold trinkets that were a celebration of where you had been and what you had become. What I loved most about wearing a charm bracelet was not the little trophies and trinkets but the unique “tinkling” sound that the charms made whenever you lifted your hand. It was an angelic sound to me kind of what you might imagine tinkerbell sounded like flitting through the air…you know, magical!

 

 

 

I’ve seen a lot of charm bracelets recently and I’m happy to see them make a come back into the accessory scene. There are lots of new and interesting materials and themes to these recent designs. Some of them have so many charms attached to them I just can’t even imagine the amount of time it took to attach all of them much less decide which ones go where. I thought long and hard about creating a “Beadliotheque” version and set out to find what materials would make a signature charm bracelet and I think I ended up with the right ingredients. The best surprise of all was in the lightness of the brass was the sweetest, most angelic, high pitched, “tinkling” sound I’ve ever heard! I think the fairies would be pleased. You can find these charm bracelets listed on my www.Beadliotheque.etsy.com site.

Patriotic Dreams

In just a few days we will have a new president. It is going to be a historical and emotional moment with all of the world watching. One word was used frequently during the recent campaign, like a much needed thread to hold worn pieces of fabric together. That was the word HOPE. The first part of the mending process has been realized and the next stitch is to come. It is going to take an enormous amount of effort from the ground up to find solutions to our current problems but where there is hope there is strength. We have a new opportunity upon us and I hope that we all will take a moment to reflect on where we have been historically and where we are headed.

I have a renewed sense of pride in the red, white and blue. I have been collecting “patriotic” beads, lampwork, charms and even a patriotic button for a toggle.  I wanted to make an entire bracelet from all of these colorful treasures. It took a few years before I had accumulated enough baubles to create the “perfect commemorative piece” but here it is in all of it’s glory! It is my “piece of pride” for my president, my country and the hope that “WE the PEOPLE…”, will find more peace, more economic assurance, health and well being for everyone in the near future.    

My Little Hippie

My oldest daughter recently told a merchant in a vintage shop that she thought she was a hippie in a former life. She feels that way because she is drawn to all of the old symbols from the sixties. These symbols have become revitalized recently but with a new passion by the offspring of the “children of the sixties”. These sensitive youths seem to be able to embrace the issues and actually empower themselves through education, technology and daily practices like recycling in order to create viable solutions and positive change. This is my way of celebrating “my little hippie” and all of those children that have similar dreams and ambitions for the future!

What better way to start this fun collection off but with the universal peace symbol! A beautiful ceramic focal by Beadfreaky was the inspiration for this bracelet. Green is definitely the color of peace, calm, and quiet and  to continue that mindset a big retro,”sweet pea” green, glass bead. Brass compliments any color of green keenly so the metallic connection links all of the beadwork and finishes the accessory with a hand forged swirl toggle clasp by Solivio. The symbol of peace is rejuvenated into a contemporary piece of casual jewelry that is fun to wear. You can see this wonderful bracelet, Peace Comes in Green and more at http://Beadliotheque.artfire.com .

Beadliotheque joins the Artfire site

In the expanding world of handmade goods there have been some new sites to pop up. One of those sites is called Artfire. You can find Beadliotheque there with a studio full of different items to choose from than the Etsy site. There are many similarities to Etsy, the navigating through the individual studios and choice of menu items is  almost identical. There is a tool for choosing your favorite items or studios, you can contact the individual artists and actually recommend a bid for the item that you are interested in and payment is through Paypal. So try it out and see if you like this new shopping experience. To find Beadliotheque just click here  http://Beadliotheque.artfire.com and you will arrive in the new studio, enjoy!

New Treasuries Page!

Beadliotheque has a new page of Treasuries! Check it out by clicking the Treasuries tab at the top of the sidebar on the right!

Etsy Shop Feature by DLPom

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2008

Etsy Shop Feature: Beadliotheque
This is the first in a series of features on fellow EtsyBead Team members.

 

 

 

 

It is sometimes easy to diminish the “art factor” when it comes to designing beaded jewelry…but after you read and see the lovely creations by Kelly of Beadliotheque, I’m sure you will agree there is much art involved here! I asked Kelly to answer a few questions about her work and her life:

Q1: You have a unique style to your jewelry. Where do you get your inspiration?

A1: My inspiration comes from the materials I typically gravitate to. It might be an extraordinary piece of lampwork, a fancy gemstone, an unusuaI ceramic button, a carved bone bead, etc. But there is always something unique about one element in each piece that I do that started the “creative juices” flowing. I work very diligently to challenge myself to put “unlikely to get along” materials in a complimentary situation. That means that I have to look at the materials and find common ground among them.

 

 

 

 

Typically for me it’s color, that’s the starting place where I am most comfortable and confident and it’s where I have the most fun! Next is the choice of shape of the components. I tend to create mostly bracelets at the moment because it is more difficult to find “great combinations” of elements in a shorter piece. Working out the mechanics of the closure is also challenging but very satisfying when I have a finished product. Last is the overall pattern. I ask myself a lot of questions. Does the bracelet, necklace, or brooch have enough interest from the beginning to the end of the piece? Have I created the very strongest and boldest relationships among the various components? Would I take great pride in owning this particular piece of jewelry? If I answer “no” to any of these questions it’s back to the drawing board.

It takes a lot of trial and effort until it comes together and you have that “magical moment” when you feel that all the elements have come together and you have created a harmonized, unique piece that someone else will also find beautiful!

Q2: Is Etsy your full-time job? What other things do you enjoy?

A2: My etsy shops are my full time work. I also have a destash shop, Beadlstyx, which is full of left over beads that I tend to accumulate in no time at all! This shop directly supports Beadliotheque in purchasing new supplies and keeping the bead cycle alive and well.

 

 

 

 

I have a big case of Etsyitis. I love my etsy friends and the warmth of the artistic community. It’s a virtual village of constant inspiration and unique commerce like no where else! I shop, research, convo, laugh, cry and when I’m lucky enough I’m sometimes able to have show and tell with my extended family and friends. I send them emails when I’m picked for a treasury or win a contest! It’s such a positive environment that it becomes addictive in the best way!

I am also a “swim Mom” and anyone that has a year round swimmer in their family knows how much time and effort is involved in pool side support.

Q3: What is your favorite jewelry piece from your Etsy shop and why?

A3: Currently in my shop I have two favorite pieces one is “Sunshine and Cupcakes”. I absolutely love the lampwork by CharlestonBeadworks and “Twylight” with the most precious button toggle by Moonsie. Each of these bracelets have such a “child like” exploration of color and materials. They were both so much fun to make and l love the way they both turned out from beginning to end. Each of the artists whose work I used are lovely Etsy friends and I love being able to use and promote products made by other Etsy artists.

Tribal Rainbow is my “prodigy piece” because it made the FRONT PAGE of Etsy! One of the biggest highlights of my Etsy career!

 

 

Q4: Favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite vacation destination?

A4: If I have to choose ONE favorite color it would have to be RED and all of its cousins, especially purple and orange.

My favorite food is DEEP DISH PIZZA!

Our family goes on an annual beach trip to Holden Beach, NC every year! We book the same house because the rear of the house faces the marsh and the intercoastal waterway to the ocean and from the front of the house it’s just a short walk to the beach. It is located at the end of the island on a culdesac street so it’s very quiet and peaceful.

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Kelly. Please take a moment to leave a comment here and visit her shop!

New Etsy Shop!

I started a new etsy shop called Beadlstyx. It is my destash bead shop for Beadliotheque. So if you are interested in beads, check it out!

www.beadlstyx.etsy.com

Welcome to my gallery and visual studio space …

In the Beginning…

This is the new space for thoughts and ideas. A visual journal. I arrived on Etsy only a week ago and now I’m not only a bead artisan but also a shop keeper, blog keeper, holder of multiple email addresses and my postal person is my new best friend. Life has changed it seems overnight. I’ve gone from a person who loathed computers to now being on a first name basis with our families eMac and fighting to get my own time on it! I stepped across the threshold of the twenty first century kicking and screaming but there nonetheless.I will be posting some more experimental and “over the top work” on my blog. The journeys of Matilda, the antique dress form that appears and disappears throughout the household scaring different family members. The adventures of Sam our “hearing impaired” cat who does the most remarkable things! Odds and ends of things worthwhile to share and maybe even a few serious comments about….yes, ArT!!! See you soon,Kelly