Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 29, 2011, 7:47 pm
I think I’ve finally broken out of my single strand bead bracelet mode. Seriously, that was where my natural tendencies leaned, but I got to where I wanted to stretch and enhance what I was doing. A single strand can be quite lovely when well designed, but I was getting into seriously repetitive t...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 28, 2011, 7:40 pm
Source: etsy.com via Marley on Pinterest Source: thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com via HH on Pinterest . Stacked or wrapped bracelets are all the rage right now. And I can see why, they are just so gosh darn pretty. I’ve seen many examples like these gorgeous photos via Pinterest (my new obsessio...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 27, 2011, 1:02 pm
Do you do them or do you say – no way. Some people have found jewelry repair to bring in a nice little income on the side. Other people think repairs are the devil and won’t touch them. I do them sometimes. If I made the piece and something happens to it, I will fix it. Even if the issue wasnâ€...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 26, 2011, 8:44 pm
This is what I received from my partner Amanda and did she do right be me? I’m saying – yes she did! I’ve been seeing filigree components like the one she sent but have never used one. I’ve also never used anything like the burgundy patina textured piece either. So it will definitely be a c...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 24, 2011, 6:50 pm
The Ring a Day challenge was simply an amazing, heroic feat pulled off by a group of jewelry artists. I admire each and every person who participated. I followed a few of the blogs, like Thomasin Durgin’s, but it really was too much to follow them all. Over 16,000 photos of rings were blogged abou...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 23, 2011, 9:09 pm
I’ve been wanting to make these earrings for a while now. Basically because I wanted to use the finding. I just thought it was so pretty. But no beads wanted to cooperate with it. Goes that way sometimes. So I added the pink crystal briolette and a bit of chain behind it. And then went looking fo...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 22, 2011, 7:53 pm
I’ve always liked incorporating buttons into my jewelry and I think it can be done no matter what style of jewelry you make – well, almost. Right now, I am still in my dark metal phase and found a way to make buttons work with the dark metal tones. The pair above started when I made the little b...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 21, 2011, 4:58 pm
Her name is Amanda Cargill Austin and she’s from Oregon. Without Bead Soup, we never would have known each other. It’s nice to have a way to connect with another jewelry designer. Amanda has a lovely blog called Sea Shore Glass. She also has a fabulous shop on Etsy and was featured in Bead Trend...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 18, 2011, 9:28 pm
This is the first coin I ever cut out. When I took a class that showed me how to use a jeweler’s saw, one of the assistants showed a coin he had cut out and I was just in awe. I mean cutting a straight line was a challenge in those days. It took a few years before I gave it a try. I got this coin ...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 17, 2011, 5:57 pm
From what I have learned about marketing, one of the the first steps is being ready. Not ready to quit your day job or ready to sell a zillion widgets. But having a site that is ready to receive the traffic your marketing efforts will try to drive in. This means having a product that meets a need or...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 15, 2011, 6:04 pm
I’m delighted to review Margot Potter’s new book – New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry. Don’t we all love learning new techniques and exploring new ways to do things? Even more exciting – I’ve got a copy to give to one of you. Margot explores the use of traditional metal wire combin...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 13, 2011, 7:46 am
This is the first jewelry challenge and blog hop I have ever hosted. I’m excited about it and pleased to have some super sweet jewelry designers and bloggers join me. My inspiration was this mermaid image of a woman curled up in a seashell. I think it is just gorgeous. I love the softness of the i...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 10, 2011, 6:35 pm
I do not want to have a ka-tillion projects going on at any one time, but I usually do. I tell myself as soon as I clear the table of the ones that are out, that I’ll work in an orderly fashion on one at a time. And what happens is this. I’ll go to work on the piece and I’ll see something and ...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 9, 2011, 8:02 pm
I love how the Internet can bring us together. I recently ordered escutcheons and vintage pen nibs from Latvia. I’ve received an order of Burmese Coins from Austria and metal gears from Australia. Really, aren’t we all just creative people looking for that perfect item for our next project?
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 8, 2011, 6:31 pm
I’ve been thinking a lot about my business, the statistics around my websites, and lag and lead indicators. There was a period of time when I did not look at Google analytics or any other statistics. I guess I didn’t want to be disappointed by what I saw or did not see. But I got past that and r...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 7, 2011, 9:01 pm
These are steel links I’ve been making. My fingers are all dark from the soot. I love doing it. Taking wire from a spool from the hardware store and turning it into jewelry. A nail brush and some soap and I’m all cleaned up. Here’s this week’s beady links. Click. Read. Bead. A Bead A Day ...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 6, 2011, 2:17 pm
Lark Crafts 500 series books have been breathtaking compilations. This book presents the best of the 500 series in jewelry. The book is visually stunning from its embossed cover to page after page of provocative work. And while all of that artistry is enough to feed the creative spirit, the thoughtf...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 4, 2011, 8:17 pm
This year has been good, but a little crazy making too. I took a lot of classes and I’m excited by everything I learned. And I want to do it all. Right now. All of it. I’ve been scurrying, racing, in overdrive trying to do this. Intellectually I’ve been telling myself I can’t do everything. ...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 3, 2011, 7:08 pm
Here’s what happened. I always get an email when someone leaves a comment and another email when the comment is approved. I don’t know why I need the second email since I know I approved it. Well for some reason, I’ve only gotten a few of these emails the past few months. Then all of a sudden ...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Aug 1, 2011, 6:19 pm
Few words cause more fear in the heart of beaders than these. Guess you can tell it was the red bead box that had the issue. I’ll get them all sorted out. It happens.
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 31, 2011, 7:20 pm
I don’t know if I’ve ever made a cuff bracelet before. This may be the first. Plus I used some fabric I’ve had a long time but could not figure out what to do with it. I have a girlfriend who owns an interior design business. When companies discontinue fabric, she throws out the sample book. I...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 30, 2011, 1:55 pm
Do I really need to say anything? This photograph and all the others from Maggie’s book speak so strongly for themselves, they barely need my words. I have been fortunate enough to see some of Maggie’s work in person. I don’t know where she lives now, but for a period of time she lived in my a...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 29, 2011, 7:20 pm
I rarely find cool stuff. Where I work is the kind of place that if a leaf falls from a tree five guys are on it with leaf blowers before it hits the ground. So, not much luck there. On my last day at Penland I was cleaning up and went to put some metal pieces in the scrap bin. And this is what I f...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 14, 2011, 8:18 pm
The leak has been found and wouldn’t you know, it was behind the cabinet where I store my beads. A whole room to pick from and the leak picks that spot. Go figure. I empty the cabinet and I swear it looks like I have way more bead boxes and stuff than when its stored in the cabinet. Stuff is every...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 13, 2011, 8:46 pm
A local store that has carried my jewelry for some years now was robbed. Criminals came down through a vent or something on the roof and entered the store. They took lots of jewelry including every piece of jewelry I had in the store. An entire showcase of my stuff. Fortunately they were caught by t...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 11, 2011, 7:54 pm
Want a little earring fun? Try these chandelier earrings made using bead caps. Here’s what you’ll need: 18 bead caps with holes along the bottom. They need to have an even number of holes. These bead caps came from Beadaholique and have eight holes along the bottom. 18 3mm or 4mm beads for your...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 10, 2011, 6:57 pm
Forever Ago Bracelet + Antiquity Redefined Earrings Enjoy these bead blogger links: Art Bead Scene Take the June monthly challenge blog tour. Beads & Books Michelle is hosting a Mostly Metal Design Challenge with 3 different kits of materials: Filigree Fun, Gunmetal Love, and Antique Brass Roma...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 9, 2011, 2:41 pm
The pieces used in these Center of the Earth earrings are cross sections of stalactites from Uruguay. I got them at the Tucson gem shows. I wasn’t quite sure what I would do with them but they were so unique I couldn’t leave them behind. They were double-sided taped to strips of paper and sold b...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 6, 2011, 7:45 pm
This is just part of the chaos. I’ve been in a creative spurt which causes me to start pulling stuff out which makes for chaos. But in a good way. Here’s the rundown from upper left moving clockwise. Bezel wire – it’s been a while since I made once because I’ve been focusing on so much ot...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 4, 2011, 3:34 pm
It’s been a nice 4th of July weekend. We grilled out last night – beef burgers, turkey burgers, hot dogs, shrimp, corn on the cob, pineapple and cold beer. It was relaxed and just plain nice. We cooked a lot so everyone could have a bag of leftovers for a couple of meals this week. I have turkey...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 3, 2011, 4:52 pm
Sticky Lemon Drop Earrings – I cut copper circles, domed and enameled them for these earrings. The enamel color is really a green-yellow but used sparingly it looks lemony. I like how they look with these darkened brass hoops. The enamel pieces reminded me of hard lemon candy. The entire combinati...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jul 2, 2011, 11:46 am
Source: timetogetpaid.tumblr.com via Charlene on Pinterest Source: dwellings.tumblr.com via Charlene on Pinterest Source: ffffound.com via Charlene on Pinterest Join me in a jewelry challenge in celebration of summer. Find or take a photo that inspires you. Draw from your memories of summers pas...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 29, 2011, 7:54 pm
As soon as I saw the earring posts that I used for these blue banded agate earrings, I had to have them. I loved how they had two segments and loved the design on them. It wasn’t until they arrived that I realized how very close together the holes for dangles were at the bottom. I was thinking 3 o...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 27, 2011, 7:15 pm
I love them. Especially when they aren’t faceted evenly and have rough edges and look, really look like they came from the earth and not the gem store. Like these. A strand of garnets and a strand of aquamarine. Big and bold and chunky and I can’t wait to cut the strands apart and design.
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 25, 2011, 10:50 am
Getting color onto metal is one of those things that many people, including me, want to do. I remember years ago when these metal paint pens hit the market. Everyone was using them with brass stampings. They weren’t cheap and there were problems with them drying out despite that ball thing that ro...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 24, 2011, 8:09 pm
I mean. Hello. Just plain hello. These are stupid sweet. Kat Cole was the studio assistant in my class at Penland. She was awesome and helpful in the class. I think it was the first or second day when we were all gathered and talking and I noticed her earrings. They were buildings made from tin. An...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 23, 2011, 4:42 pm
My friend, blogger, jewelry designer, artist, and all around great guy Andrew is having a virtual yard sale and I wanted to help get the word out. Plus he’s having a super giveaway in conjunction with the yard sale. You can read all about it here. He’s got lots of fabulous beads and jewelry sup...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 22, 2011, 6:08 pm
Here’s some of the madness that is currently on my work table. Starting in the upper left: Four strands of beads pulled to go with an enamel pendant I made. I am loving the color combination even though the orange is a tad bright. I’m hoping when the strand is cut and it is interspersed with ot...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 20, 2011, 7:32 pm
The focal point for this necklace is a pink geode from Uruguay. Geodes are wonderful surprises, crystals found inside rocks. Who knows how many rocks someone had to open to find one geode? I hadn’t used geodes before and found that they weren’t really different from rocks, shells and other irreg...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 19, 2011, 8:54 pm
I love being part of such a creative, sharing community. Beads rock. Click. Read. Bead. Beading Arts Cyndi’s favorite wire guru, Paul Bishop, shares a wonderful tutorial with Cyndi’s readers! A Bead A Day Earrings make great gifts in a hurry for yourself and friends! Lisa shares a few newly ...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 18, 2011, 8:54 pm
I’ve never been anywhere close to hot on Etsy. It’s where I have my jewelry supplies shop and I enjoy participating in the community of people on Etsy. But never any hotness. Until today. This is how it started. A crafter from the Netherlands put up a post asking people what they would like to...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 18, 2011, 1:35 pm
At the end of each session, Penland hosts an auction to support their work study program. It’s an excellent program that allows students to attend who otherwise could not afford it. They pay a greatly reduced fee for the class, room and board and in exchange have jobs they do while at Penland. The...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 15, 2011, 7:33 pm
I am making progress with my goal to create 24 enamel pendants in 2011. This is the second pendant. I know it’s mid-June and maybe I should have 12 done by now. I don’t. I’m happy to have two posted so far. Recently I’ve been doing a lot more enameling so there is hope that I’ll reach my g...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 14, 2011, 7:31 pm
This is the pendant I made in Janice Berkebile’s Grapevine Pendant class. It’s taken me a while to get it photographed and as I look at it I’m a little amazed that I actually made it. I really took the class to learn how to do the type of wire work that was used to make the bead-filled pod. Th...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 13, 2011, 6:04 pm
I owe this to Deryn Mentock who posted a while back about the importance of buying good quality tools. One of the tools she mentioned was the Knew Concepts red saw frame. I left a comment on the post stating that I hadn’t tried the red saw frame but I did know the importance of buying good quality...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 11, 2011, 12:59 pm
Sea Turtle and Sari Ribbon Necklace + Tribal Gypsy Earrings Pink Geode and Tourmaline Necklace + Pink Sea Glass Earrings Jewelry by Charlene Sevier. Clothing by Anthropologie.
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 9, 2011, 10:11 pm
I have been in a period of artistic and technical growth. It is an uneasy place at times. But that is where I’ve been. Am. I feel the work moving and shifting and I don’t know where I’m headed exactly. I make things and I question them. I have ideas that I need to explore more fully and I’m ...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 9, 2011, 7:24 am
I was thrilled to see my amber brown and aqua puffed heart in this lovely collection from xoxopapergems. Kelly, the shop owner makes lovely coiled beads by hand from various papers she collects. She also makes fiber wrapped bangle bracelets. Thank you Kelly for selecting my pendant and giving me a c...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 7, 2011, 9:01 am
I am loving etching and this is my first attempt at an actual piece of jewelry. In fact, I’m wearing them as I type this. I love the fact that I can etch any image that is very strong black and white. Gray scale does not work as well. It can be any image – my handwriting, drawing, doodles, clip ...
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Charlene S. posted an article on The Bead Dreamer - Jun 5, 2011, 8:28 pm
Enjoy June. Enjoy summer. Click. Read. Bead. Lorelei’s Blog: Inside the Studio Summer is just days away. Come on over to check out the latest installtion from the Earthenwood Design Team. Beading Arts Wire tutorials and resources galore on Beading Arts this week! About.com Jewelry Making The...
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