B.O.T.B 2013

The Battle of the Beadsmith 2013 contest is well underway.  Round 1 battles have been fought and the survivors have moved on to Round 2.  Whew!  My Crystal Volcano necklace is a survivor.

 



Each round, participants are randomly paired, and then voting takes place.  The participants and specially invited judges, as well as the public are invited to vote for the piece they feel should move on to the next round.

There are three groups (A, B and C) and in Round 2, there are 16 pairings in each group.  Participants come from many different countries all around the world.  And what better way to introduce them than on Facebook.  If you'd like to see all of the wonderful creations, click HERE.  It will take you to the Group page and if you are not a member of the group, just request to become a member.  Then click on the "PHOTOS" button at the top of the page and you will see all of the beautiful and creative entries.

While the name uses the term "Battle" it is not the bloody and ferocious type.  It's a fun-loving, creative, worldwide expression of Bead Art.  It's just that only one Beading Queen can reign at the end.  Come join in the fun!

At Long Last!

Finally, the day has arrived!  Almost all of the gorgeous 2012 Battle of the Beadsmith entries have been posted and I must say - they are breathtaking!

You can see all of the entries in the group page on facebook.  Click on this url:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/edit/a.2468982920008.2109259.1115392815/#!/groups/274053372682035/photos/

My entry was held up being posted until almost the end because my competitor's entry was not received and they are unsure if the e-mail was lost or not.  I have no misgivings about being a finalist, but I did have a lot of fun making my piece.  It features cabochons created by Vladislov Ivanov and Kremena Ivanova, married owners of Golem Design Studio.

I had so much fun creating this necklace.  I love the zentangle nature of the cabs and knew I needed to keep the beadwork simple because of all the design and motion going on in the cabs.  I'm also excited that the artists who create these amazing cabs are making smaller sized cabs - providing jewelry designers with even more creative possibilities.

Golem Design Studio also has an Etsy shop.

The Battle is Getting Fierce!

The Beadsmith is beginning to post the "Battle" pieces on their group page on facebook.  I cannot share the beautiful pieces, but you can see all of them here:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/274053372682035/photos/#!/groups/274053372682035/photos/

There will be 40 groups of photos.  Each group will show the amazing and creative beadwork of two of the 80 talented beadweaving artists from around the world.  After they are all posted and we have time to pick our jaws up off the floor, then the judging will begin.

Out of the 80 entries, only 40 will remain after the first round.  These 40 will again be paired up with another "battle warrior" and the 2nd round of judging will begin.

Who will be the winner of the battle?  Stay tuned!!

Battle of the Beadsmith Update

Since returning from Bead & Button in Milwaukee and from visiting my family in South Dakota, I've been working on my Battle of the Beadsmith (BOTB) piece.  I thought I'd share some sneak preview pictures to show my progress.

Here's a close up of some of my focal beads:

Oh, gee, is it blurry?  Sorry about that. 

Ha Ha!  You do know that I can't show you anything before the big reveal of all the entries, right?!   Stay tuned for future progress pictures.  ;D

Pieces from 80 bead artists from around the world will be sent to The Beadsmith (sponsor of this big event) on or before July 10.  Many have finished their pieces, but I'm still working on mine.

If you would like to meet the artists and see some extraordinary examples of their beadwork, click here.  The actual contest entries will not be shown until after July 10.

Elegant Elements Clasps - Part II

Meeting Steven Weiss from The Beadsmith has been one of the most memorable and fun events in my life.  He organized a wonderful group of beaders to receive two of the Elegant Elements Clasps which The Beadsmith distributes to beading stores throughout the world.  What was created with the clasps was totally up to each beader.  The creations are beginning to be collected in a wonderful album on facebook which you can view HERE. 

I previously blogged about the freeform bracelet (Enticement) I created with one of the gold plated Elegant Elements clasps, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about the second one.  Here is a picture of the beautiful clasp.  It is rhodium plated with Swarovski crystals - pure bling!

And here are some pictures of the necklace I created.  I used the beautiful clasp as the focal.  The beaded beads were created with crystal, silver and black seed beads using Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW).  I call it Destiny, a very fitting name I believe!

Because it has such special meaning to me, this one will not be for sale.

There are more exciting creations being added to the facebook album by some incredible beaders, so don't forget to check back often.  And if you are interested in the Elegant Elements clasps, you can contact The Beadsmith to find a store near you that carries them.

Around the Next Corner

You just never know what lies around the next corner. 

One day you send in some pictures to a Beadsmith Kumihimo challenge on Facebook and the next day you are speaking on the phone to Steven who is a sales rep for Beadsmith.  Never in a million years would I have expected to find that around a "Kumihimo corner."  What a pleasant surprise it was!

Not only did I meet an interesting person in the beading industry, but I was given the opportunity to receive two gorgeous Elegant Elements clasps!  My first introduction to these clasps was from one of my German beading friends a few years ago who said they were Helby clasps. I have lusted after them ever since.  

Steven sent me a link to a pdf file containing their beautiful clasps.  The first clasp I chose is a slender 5 strand gold clasp that I planned to use on a freeform bracelet.

Before the clasp arrived, I had almost completed the freeform bracelet.  Since the clasp was 30mm long, I created a bracelet to fit that size and I think the simple but elegant clasp suits it perfectly.

I used 24k gold and silver plated Delicas, seed beads and fire polished beads, bronze colored beads, and miscellaneous accent beads in those same colors.



I call my bracelet "Enticement" and it will soon be for sale in my Etsy shop.

The 2nd clasp I chose is a dazzling 2 strand silver and crystal clasp which I plan to use on a necklace.  It's a beautiful clasp and I hope I will do it justice with my beadwork.

I am very thankful to Beadsmith for this opportunity to work with their beautiful clasps.  Click this link to visit their website and find out more about the products they offer.  Their products can be found in a local beadstore near you.

Calling all Kumihimo Lovers

Beadsmith is sponsoring an event on facebook titled "Beadsmith is looking for the best Kumihimo braiders in the land..."

They are looking for photos to be sent to them at kumihimo@beadsmith.com displaying your best Kumihimo work in either of two categories:

     Beaded Kumihimo (braid must be at least 50% beads)
     "Naked" Kumihimo (braid must feature a large focal bead)

You can read more about the great opportunity and the prizes offered by going to the event page on facebook.

I shared 4 of my Kumihimo necklaces with them.  This first necklace features a  cabochon by Artisan Clay.

This necklace features a porcelain sliding pendant by Amazing Porcelain Fantasies.

This necklace was created around a stoneware cabochon by Lisa Peters Art.

This necklace features a polymer clay focal bead and clasp by Mikki Ferrugiaro.

I created these necklaces on a Marudai, but they can be created on a Kumihimo disk as well.  You can purchase Beadsmith's Kumihimo products at most local bead shops.  There is also a link on the facebook event page to get more information about where Beadsmith products can be purchased.