Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Interview with November 2016 Challenge Winner Évi Csizmadia Lajosné of Vicus

Évi Csizmadia Lajosné of Vicus is the winner of both the public and team votes for the November 2016 Challenge 'November Guest'






What initially attracted you to beads as a medium?
Several years ago, I was about 8-9 years old when I began to explore the world of beads.

And, more specifically, how was your imagination drawn to bead weaving?
At the time, cross stitch embroideries were being made. It was a favorite magazine subject, where I saw at first bead jewelry making. I really liked one design and thought that I could make it. The first attempt was very well done and then on I liked the world of beads.

What was your route to becoming an artist?
I began simpler pieces, I always made jewelry that was complex and time-consuming. I learned on the Internet, bought samples, attended forums. I was looking for beaded groups on the Internet. I learned a lot, including new techniques.



Tell us a bit about your favorite techniques.
A new technique suddenly appeared in the bead embroidery magazine I read. I loved it, I knew right away that this is my thing. Hatvani Annie was the first one who displayed embroidered bead jewelry. His knowledge about using more about the bead embroidery spoke to me.
Using the Internet has opened the world of beading to me. I recognized all over the world various bead artists. I saw fantastic jewelry. Both inspired me to create my jewelry that is similar, but according to their my own plans.

Do you design the piece before starting? If not, what prep work do you do?

A small piece of jewelry does not always need a plan in advance. For a ring, pendant or something less, in the central part, I choose and find out on the fly how to include more beads. The bracelets and necklaces are planned more in advance, drawn on paper.

What currently inspires you?

I enjoy the diversity of new beads which have coming out lately. I love to try them. They offer a lot of new possibilities. But my big love is Swarovski stones and gemstones. I make a lot of jewelry that combines the two.


Who have been your major influences, and why?
Nowadays there are Russian artists with pieces that have a great impact on me.
I love it when my jewelry can be worn either in formal settings or on weekdays as well. I love the elegant, unique jewelry, or what was once seen that unique. I love it when the owner of the jewelry turns even more beautiful thanks to my pieces

What is your favorite thing about working with beads?

Not so long ago since I made pattern samples. A request was made at first by a beading magazine. There are also simpler designs that even beginners can feel free to make, but I make more complicated, more complex samples. The ease of patterns and beauty of the jewelry are equally important.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

February2017 "Colors of Love" Challenge





February's theme will be "Colors of Love" Valentine’s Day is known around the world as a celebration of love. Traditionally it is associated with romantic love and the color red. But there are many types of love and many associated feelings. February’s challenge is to express love using other colors and limiting the use of red to a secondary or accent color. 

Make sure to have your entry listed in your Etsy shop by February 5, 2017 23:59 EST. Please refer to the Challenge Rules for details on what is allowed in Challenge entries and don't forget to include EBWC in the title and tags of your entry.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

November 2016 Challenge Results



Congratulations to Évi Csizmadia Lajosné who won both the team and public vote with her stunning Foggy Colors Collar!

 
Team Vote:
1st place: Évi Csizmadia Lajosné - Vicus
2nd place: Jacquie Champion - AngelqueCreations
3rd place: Agnieszka Klepajczuk - Rudasbeading
Public Vote:
1st place: Évi Csizmadia Lajosné - Vicus
2nd place: Jacquie Champion - AngelqueCreations
3rd place: Zvia Ben-Ami - zviagil

Monday, November 7, 2016

November 2016 Challenge Entries for "November Guest"

Here are the entries for this month's "November Guest" challenge!  VOTING WILL BE OPEN FROM NOVEMBER 9TH UNTIL NOVEMBER 15.  Please choose your favorite entry from the images or links below, then select your choice in the blog poll that will appear on the right sidebar during the days that voting is open.


Click on the image mosaic or links below to learn more about each entry and see larger, detailed images of each piece. 




PLEASE VOTE ONLY ONCE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ENTRY.
Image Map










Thursday, November 3, 2016

Shop Feature! Erika Sándor The StoryTelling Jeweller



Meet Erika Sándor a top-notch jewelry designer, writer, and teacher living in Amsterdam.
She opened her Etsy shop "The Storytelling Jeweller" in 2015. This unique shop features beading tutorials and kits that are fresh, fun, and creative. Erika is a world traveler and her adventurous spirit, beading expertise, and passion for teaching helps her transform experiences into beaded and written memories.
Her designs challenge the most experienced beaders to use their skills in ways that expand their creativity, at the same time beginners are invited to push themselves, grow their beading skills and to simply have fun!



Erika offers professional, beautifully detailed tutorials and kits. When you purchase one of her tutorials you will receive easy-to-understand instructions and clear illustrations that are available via instant download.



 Erika is never more than an email away to answer questions or assist you in finding materials for your project. She also encourages you with”virtual” open arms and thinks of you not as a customer, but as a friend and fellow beader, so she does everything she can to ensure you are successful. As an added bonus she tells a short story with some of her tutorials, which gives you a bit of history, insight into her life, or an interesting fact that she decided to share. Erika also makes teaching licenses available for purchase.

Interview with Erika

How long have you been beading and how did you get started? 

I was beading all my life I suppose, but I got serious about it during the last year of my university studies. It was in 2008/2009. I was under a lot of pressure when preparing for my double major and writing my thesis, and beadwork was a perfect way to ease the stress. Funny, but when I passed the last exam, I already knew that I did not want to be a teacher or an art historian. A friend and I decided to open the first bead shop in Slovakia. After two years I went solo and managed the shop for 4 more years.
I loved the project a lot, but last year I decided to sell the business and turn to jewellery making as a full time job. Currently I am living in Amsterdam. I write tutorials and soon I will start to teach beadwork again!

What moved you to become an Etsy seller and then a member of the Etsy Beadweavers?

Etsy is a great place to offer our handmade goods, and the Etsy Beadweavers Team is the perfect place to exchange ideas, learn and grow together!

What other ways do you market your kits and tutorials?

I blog and show off my work at: https://www.thestorytellingjeweller.com
Recently I started a series of articles on the theme “How to take better pictures about jewellery” and I have a regular series: “Face to Face”, where I introduce designers, jewellery makers, and creatives. If you like the idea and would like to get featured, don’t hesitate and contact me at: Erika@thestorytellingjeweller.com!
I have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellingtutorials/ and an Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/thestorytellingjeweller/. I look forward to seeing you there!

Have you made use of the EBW Instagram page?

Yes, I love Criss’s idea and really appreciate her work with it!

Why do you call yourself “The Storytelling Jeweller” come from?

The world is so beautiful around us! I enjoy travelling to new places, getting to know people, reading and learning about everything around me. Then I transform the impressions into beaded and written memories. The beaded memories are available as finished jewellery and beadweaving tutorials in my two Etsy shops, and the written one are waiting for you on my blog at: https://www.thestorytellingjeweller.com

How would you describe the type of jewelry your designs produce?


I make two different kinds of jewels. I like to call the result of my bead embroidery “character jewellery”. They are more than fancy accessories. Most of the time they are bold and colourful, sometimes incorporating surprising objects – coins, stones and even a coffee spoon in my latest big necklace, the “Safekeeper” made for the Battle of the Beadsmith competition. The Storytelling Jewellery is for women who are not afraid to talk about their thoughts and world view. Who cherish life, are optimistic and have a respect for themselves and those around them, too.







The beadwoven pieces, which are turned into tutorials are experiments with shapes and colours. Besides the classic shapes I like to use the new two (or more) holed beads, too. When I wear them, people are often surprised to learn that they are not made of readymade components, but of tiny beads. I like to challenge myself while designing, and then challenge my students and learn together.

What is your design process when creating/writing a tutorial?
My creative process in a nutshell is the following:

MAKE A MESS
There’s no fun without bending rusty, good old conventions and a bit of chaos, and there’s no creativity neither. In my case it comes with three messy bead mats, half a dozen notebooks for sketches and a handful of pink, red and turquoise pens to fill the pages.




PLAY
Developing a flash into something legit and reasonable requires questions, experiments and mistakes. The fear of feeding the “UFO-box” containing UnFinished Objects can nurture and kill ideas, too. Playfulness eliminates the worry about it.

PUSH UNTIL PERFECT

Looking for the perfect place for every tiny bead and redrawing the tutorials until they are the easiest to understand. In the meanwhile, I am grateful for every question and suggestion, and try to learn something new every day.
Your love of detail is evident in all of your tutorials, how would you encourage someone who may be intimidated by the intricacy of your designs to challenge themselves?
I intend to make the tutorials as easy to follow as possible. I work in a professional vector graphic program to draw the diagrams, and my friend Zuzi proofreads them to make sure they are easily understandable.



However, it can of course happen that somebody encounters a problem. I always do my best to help the beader in need. At first I try to explain it better in an email with photos, then in a video. In case of further trouble, it’s possible to schedule a Skype-call to bead and work on the pattern together. If nothing, not even a one-on-one session works, then I offer a full refund for the tutorial. But that was never necessary so far ☺


What has been the most difficult part of offering tutorials and kits in your Etsy shop and what has been the most rewarding?

The most difficult part was (and still is) to improve my time management – I think that’s the key to success besides determination and motivation.
The most rewarding part is to see the tutorials come alive. It’s great when I get to see the finished pieces. Each one is different, even if it was made from the same pattern – marked by the beader’s favourite colours, beloved combinations etc. I encourage beaders to show me the result of their work, and I am happy and proud to share them on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/thestorytellingtutorials.


What tips or advice can you share?

Be consistent and be professional! Try to learn, improve, better your skills constantly. And not only your beadwork, but also your skills and knowledge regarding marketing, taking pictures, writing engaging texts etc. Hard work will pay off after all. Good luck and have a nice, creative day!

Get a behind-the-scenes look at Erika, and see some of her finished pieces such as the “Safekeeper” which is an amazing mix of found objects, unusual objects and beautiful beading. by visiting her website and blog at: https://www.thestorytellingjeweller.com

Erika Sándor is excited about the journey of life and she invites you with open arms to join her as she tells her story through beautifully crafted pieces of art. It’s true she is the storytelling jeweller, but she is also the sharing and caring jeweller!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Interview with September Challenge Winner Nina Savova of NinaSavovaArt

Nina Savova is the winner of the September Challenge 'Our Wonderful World'. We asked her to tell us a bit about herself.

See all the beautiful original submissions!

Check out Nina's Shop



Hello Ms. Savova,

Congratulations on your winning entry for the September challenge, Ledenica Cave. It is a beautiful vision of Our Wonderful World.


Where in Bulgaria are you from, and is that where you currently live?
Is there a someplace you would like to visit or even live some day?


I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.
There are many beautiful places in the world, but I'm fine at home.

Do you have a background in the arts?
What type of work do you do for a living?


I was an expert in telecommunications, but now I'm retired.

How long have you been working with beads?
What is your favorite technique?


I have worked with beads since 2011.
I love all bead techniques.



Your piece, Ledenika Cave, is lovely. I see it is inspired by a famous place in Bulgaria. The center stone evokes images of a pool of water deep in a cave. Can you tell us a little more about the place, and perhaps more about the materials in your necklace?

Ledenika Cave is just one of the many beautiful places in Bulgaria. Come and see them!
The semiprecious stone in the necklace is agate. Agate is my favorite stone; it is always different and always beautiful.

Are there any beaders you admire?
Which artists or bead workers do you feel have had an influence on your beadwork?


I have learned from all the known masters. I try to have my own style. I would like people to recognize me when they see my work, but it is slow. I hope I have time for that.

-Interview by Patti Parker

Monday, October 24, 2016

January 2017 "Rising Star"


January 2017 will be our 5th "Rising Star" Challenge.  Only new members and members who have not won a Challenge (Team or Blog winner) in the past 3 years are welcome to submit an entry for this Challenge.  A list of Challenge Winners from January 2014 to date is included below.


Note to team members:
There is no theme so let your imagination run free and show us your best, your signature style if you wish, or something you would simply love to do for the fun of it. Make sure to have your entry listed in your Etsy shop by January 5, 201
6 23:59 EST. Please refer to the Challenge Rules for details on what is allowed in Challenge entries and don't forget to include EBWC in the title and tags of your entry.

List of Challenge Winners 2014-2016

2016

Nov 2016 - "November Guest"
TBA

Oct 2016- "Shades of Shadows"
Team Winner/s: Milda Snaige of NetootiaJewelry
Public Winner/s: Milda Snaige of NetootiaJewelry

Sep 2016 - "Our Wonderful World"
Team Winner/s: Nina Savova of NinaSavovaArt and Angel McIlwain of PaintedTreeStudio
Public Winner/s: BlissWorksStudio
 
Aug 2016 -"Rainbows"
Team Winner/s: Ann of Francescas Fancy
Public Winner/s: Daiva Karsokienė of Daidija

Jul 2016 - "Mythical, Mystical and Magical Creatures"
Team Winner/s: Svetoslava Todorova of LuckyDesignCrafts
Public Winner/s: Svetoslava Todorova of LuckyDesignCrafts

Jun 2016 - "Cats"
Team Winner/s: SunShine Sturtz of OfYourLove
Public Winner/s: SunShine Sturtz of OfYourLove

May 2016 - "Four Elements"
Team Winner/s: SunShine Sturtz of OfYourLove
Public Winner/s:SunShine Sturtz of OfYourLove

Apr 2016- "Pompeii"
Team Winner/s: Sabina Vladimirova from SabinaJewel
Public Winner/s:Sabina Vladimirova from SabinaJewel

Mar 2016- "Masquerade"
Team Winner/s: Sabina Vladimirova from SabinaJewel
Public Winner/s:Sabina Vladimirova from SabinaJewel
 
Feb 2016 - "The Solar System"
Team Winner/s: Cira Troilo of CiraDesign
Public Winner/s: Sabina Vladimirova of SabinaJewel

Jan 2016 - “Rising Star” Special Challenge
Team Winner/s:  Anna Cohen of AnnaCohen
Public Winner/s: Anna Cohen of AnnaCohen


2015

Nov 2015 - "Landscape"
Team Winner/s:  Lisa Savoy – savoystudio
Public Winner/s: AngelqueCreations

Oct 2015 - "Abstract Painting"
Team Winner/s: Sarah Cryer – SarahCryerBeadwork
Public Winner/s: Sharayah Sheldon - 4uidzne

Sep 2015 - "Black, White, and One"
Team Winner/s: Lisa Savoy – savoystudio
Public Winner/s: Sharayah Sheldon - 4uidzne

Aug 2015 - "Lost Civilizations"
Team Winner/s: Laurie Moravec – WearableArtByLaurie
Public Winner/s: Sharayah Sheldon - 4uidzne

Jul 2015 - "Architecture"
Team Winner/s: Kris Empting-Obenland – KrisDesignFSP
Public Winner/s: Kris Empting-Obenland – KrisDesignFSP

Jun 2015 - “Game Of Thrones”
Team Winner/s: Edita Kricenaite – RebelSoulEK
Public Winner/s: Edita Kricenaite – RebelSoulEK

May 2015 - “Inspired By Chihuly”
Team Winner/s: Chris Maj - beadn4fun, Sarah Cryer - SarahCryerBeadwork and Hannah Rosner – HannahRachel
Public Winner/s: Edita Kricenaite – RebelSoulEK

Apr 2015 - “Hardware”
Team Winner/s: Edita Kricenaite – RebelSoulEK
Public Winner/s: Edita Kricenaite – RebelSoulEK

Mar 2015 - “Spring Migration”
Team Winner/s: Karen Parker – WizardIslandDesigns
Public Winner/s: Karen Parker – WizardIslandDesigns

Feb 2015 - “Let The Show Begin!”
Team Winner/s: Kris Empting-Obenland – KrisDesignFSP
Public Winner/s: Kris Empting-Obenland - KrisDesignFSP & Mariya Zhalnina – BeadCatcher 
Jan 2015 - “Rising Star” Special Challenge
Team Winner/s: Diana Coe - BeadworkAndCoe & Joanne Zammit – JoanneZammit
Public Winner/s: Ileana Munteanu – enchantedbeads


2014

Dec 2014 - “Warm and Fuzzy”
Team Winner/s: Chris Maj - beadn4fun
Public Winner/s: Chris Maj - beadn4fun

Nov 2014 “The Perfect Present”
Team Winner/s: Sandra Scholte - TrinketsBeadwork & Angie Mézes – RedTulipDesign
Public Winner/s: Shine Shurtz – OfYourLove

Oct 2014 - “Owl Totem”
Team Winner/s: Shine Shurtz – OfYourLove
Public Winner/s: Raven Pena – tatooedraven

Sep 2014 - “Your Favorite Children’s Book”
Team Winner/s: Marsha Wiest-Hines – HauteIceBeadwork
Public Winner/s: Albena Petkova – BenitaStyleBG

Aug 2014 - “Scotland The Brave”
Team Winner/s: Mariya Zhalnina – BeadCatcher
Public Winner/s: Mariya Zhalnina – BeadCatcher

Jul 2014 - “The Most Colorful Animals”
Team Winner/s: Shine Shurtz – OfYourLove
Public Winner/s: Shine Shurtz – OfYourLove

Jun 2014 - “Steampunk Style”
Team Winner/s: Dayna Miles – DaynaMilesDesigns
Public Winner/s: Cath Thomas – SamohtaC

May 2014 - “How Unusual!”
Team Winner/s: Ewa Machnik - Maewa Design
Public Winner/s: Ewa Machnik - Maewa Design & Raven Pena – tatooedraven

Apr 2014 - “Inspired By Kandinsky”
Team Winner/s: Chris Maj - beadn4fun
Public Winner/s: Laura Leupke – TheVerdantEdge

Mar 2014 - “Am I Blue?”
Team Winner/s: Évi Csizmadia Lajosné - Vicus & Dani Deli from dDeli
Public Winner/s: Raven Pena – tatooedraven

Feb 2014 - “Warmth”
Team Winner/s: Karen Parker – WizardIslandDesigns
Public Winner/s: Évi Csizmadia Lajosné – Vicus
Jan 2014 - “Rising Star” Special Challenge 
Team Winner/s: Cira Troilo – mysweetcrochet
Public Winner/s: Laurie Moravec – WearableArtByLaurie

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

October "Shades of Shadows" 2016 Challenge Winners

Congratulations to all the October Challenge winners and to all who entered, there were many beautiful and unique pieces created for this challenge.
Milda Snaige of NetootiaJewelry won both the Team and Public vote!
 


TEAM VOTE RESULTS:
 
Black Spider Web bracelet – NetootiaJewelry - 9 votes

Pumpkins and Cats Cuff – EsmerldasStudio – 5 votes
 
Black Bat Necklace – ExclusiveCraft – 5 votes




PUBLIC VOTE RESULTS:

Black Spider Web bracelet - NeetootiaJewelry - 30 votes (31% of votes)

Shades of Autumn Leaves The Shadow of Spring - BestofBetsDesigns - 20 votes (20% of votes)
 
Black Bat Necklace -ExclusiveCraft - 17 votes (17% of votes)


Well done to the winners and all who participated and thanks to everyone who voted!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

October 2016 Challenge Entries for "Shades of Shadows"

Here are the entries for this month's "Shades of Shadows" challenge!  VOTING WILL BE OPEN FROM OCTOBER 9TH UNTIL OCTOBER 15.  Please choose your favorite entry from the images or links below, then select your choice in the blog poll that will appear on the right sidebar during the days that voting is open.


Click on the image mosaic or links below to learn more about each entry and see larger, detailed images of each piece. 





PLEASE VOTE ONLY ONCE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ENTRY.
 












Image Map

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

November 2016 Challenge Theme: 'November Guest'

The Challenge Theme shared by last month's challenge winners Nina and Angel is“November Guest”.

 Inspired by the poem “My November Guest” by Robert Frost, this month’s challenge is about the colors and feel of the end of fall and the coming of winter. Imagine the dark beauty of the autumn rain and the bare tree. Think of the plain soft colors and quietness of the earth as it starts its winter rest. Please click on this link to read the entire poem.

http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2005/10/31

Sunday, September 18, 2016

September 'Our Wonderful World' 2016 Challenge Winners

Congratulations to the 1st place winners of the team vote, Nina Savova and Angel McIlwain , and 1st place winner of the public vote BlissWorksStudio.







TEAM VOTE RESULTS:

Ledenica Cave - NinaSavovaArt – 11 votes (20.4%)
&
Treasures from the Sea – PaintedTreeStudio – 11 votes (20.4%)

Tribute to Jane Goodall – SamohtaC – 10 votes (18.5%)
 
Beaded Purse Evening Bag - beadn4fun – 5 votes (9.3%)
_
_
PUBLIC VOTE RESULTS:
 
Wildwood – BlissWorksStudio – 92 votes (37.6%)
_
Maria Necklace – LuckyDesignCrafts - 56 votes (22.9%)
_
Ledenica Cave– NinaSavovaArt – 28 votes (11.4%)


Well done to the winners and all who participated and thanks to everyone who voted!

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

September 2016 Challenge Entries for "Our Wonderful World"

Here are the entries for this month's "Our Wonderful World" challenge!  VOTING WILL BE OPEN FROM SEPTEMBER 9TH UNTIL SEPTEMBER 15.  Please choose your favorite entry from the images or links below, then select your choice in the blog poll that will appear on the right sidebar during the days that voting is open.


Click on the image mosaic or links below to learn more about each entry and see larger, detailed images of each piece. 





PLEASE VOTE ONLY ONCE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ENTRY.
Image Map