August Crafter - Rachel Nelson-Smith

It is my great pleasure to introduce our August Crafter - Beadmaster Rachel Nelson-Smith, who is also the person behind my fanatic over seed beads weaving.

I used to live very close to downtown San Mateo in the Bay Area and there is a beads store called Beading Frenzy which I frequent regularly. On one of those visits, the shop was promoting a course on Basic Peyote Cuff. I did not know what peyote stitch is then as I did mostly stringing and wire-works. However, Rachel's stunning cuff convinced me to sign up for the class. One class led to another and the rest is history.

Rachel is a very talented master beadweaver and has a distinctive style to her works. Here is an extract from her biography "...work is infused with her unique combination of fabrication techniques. With a wealth of knowledge and fearless adventure, needle and tools shape bold and vibrant works alive with enormous energy and dynamism. Finding inspiration in surrounding nature, pure color, and beads themselves, Rachel creates pieces reflecting the world she sees around her." (read about her full bio)

Rachel teaches extensively throughout the country and at national beads show like the Bead & Button in US. Her choice of materials makes her works so vibrant. Not forgetting the designs are unique but yet practical and sophisticated at the same time. I have been fortunate to learn from Rachel as she is always so gracious in sharing her knowledge.

Rachel has had her projects published in several beading periodicals and come this September, she will have her first book, entitled 'Seed Bead Fusion' published! It contains 18 gorgeous projects with detailed directions, designing insights, and etc. A preview of the projects are available at her homepage. It has my favourite Ootheca Cuff project which I am sure anyone will fall in love with it. (Read more about the book from Ms Jean Campbell's review)

To Rachel : Heartiest congratulations on the launch of your book and thank you for the wonderful beading experiences I had with you.

Photos are courtesy of Rachel Nelson.

Cellini Spiral

Here are some projects completed by myself and students using the Cellini Spiral technique. The 30 Aug class is almost full (1 seat left) , if you have not registered for it, you may do so either online or in-person at Beads Cage.

Gold Hues Cellini Spiral with Aventurine Fused Glass Pendant

Cellini Spiral Bangle

Partial Cellini Spiral Necklace by Christine Lim

Full Cellini Spiral Necklace by Wendy Lo

Cellini Spiral Bangle by Phyllis Koh

Swarovski Crystal Rivolis

Recently, I received enquiries on the availability of the Swarovski Crystal Rivolis Teardrop 18mm by 13mm which we brought in earlier on. I am sorry to inform that those were a one-time-off sale so while stocks last. If they become available again, we would be glad to inform you.

New Classes

Beady Girl will be commencing her series of classes from 30 August onwards. Students can expect a wide variety of bead weaving techniques, including the old favourites and brand-new projects.

Beginning on 30 August is our 'Cellini Spiral Bracelet' class. Cellini Spiral is a modified version of the tubular peyote stitch. It uses different sized seed beads to create a beautiful spiral design in either a bracelet or necklace. Students will also learn the variations of closures and ideas to embellish the piece. This class is an intermediate one and is suitable for those who already know the basic peyote stitch.

Date/Day: 30 August, Sunday

Time: 3pm - 5pm

Location: Beads Cage at Centrepoint

Registration: Online or in person at Beads Cage

*Only 1 seat left!

We Are Back!

Beadygirl homepage and email accounts are now in operation. We thank you for your kind patience during its maintenance period.

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Thanks to Lis of Simple Arts Planet for providing this valuable information.

July Crafter - The Laughing House

I chanced upon 'The Laughing House' while surfing the Etsy site one day. 'The Laughing House' carries a range of beautiful purses, like organiser clutch, tool bags, bible/journal covers, camera cases, wristlets, accordian purses and etc. As a bag lover, I couldn't resist not looking at them and gave myself a reason to buy my first organiser clutch wristlet. I said it is the first, because subsequently, I made 3 more purchases!

The second purchase was a 3-in-1 Organiser Clutch Purse that Winniel (the owner) has customised with my own material. I have this beautiful paisely printed cloth which I bought from US and I thought it will be perfect to turn it into a clutch purse for my beading tools. The third purchase was also a customised work. I have requested Winniel to make me a larger sized purse to store Marcus's diapering necessities. Winniel gave me alot of constructive suggestions and I am very happy with the final result. The fourth purchase was a gift for my friend who has been a really great supporter of Beady Girl. I got her a 3-in-1 Organiser Clutch Purse as well which is multi-functional.

'The Laughing House' is a local business, run by Winniel and the woman behind the great works is her beloved Mom. It is a perfect mother and daughter partnership where Winniel does the marketing and business aspects, and her Mom produces the masterpieces. Winniel has a great eye for beautiful fabrics and this is part of the reason why her bags are so sought after. Mom's workmanship is superb and I have to emphasize that the purses are really very well-made in my opinion.

Besides having a good product, Winniel also wins her customers over with her great personality. She is an extremely friendly and helpful lady, and it is always a great joy corresponding with her. After several conversations with her, we found out we are actually schoolmates from high school!

So, if you are looking for one-of-a-kind handcrafted purses, do check out 'The Laughing House'! I know I will definitely be back for more!

Handcrafted Gifts

Last week, I received an envelope packed with many lovely gifts from my Californian friend, Jennifer (of JeynReyn & LoveMeDo). She has made Marcus a bunny teether and two butt wipes, and included a pair of booties and an infant toy.

At first glance, I didn't realise the bunny teether was handmade by Jenn because it looks like it came from a novelty boutique item. She has used a very sweet pastel blue material to make the bunny and an organic wood ring for the teether. It is very thoughtful of her to have everything stitched with thread so as not to cause any hazard (e.g. buttons) to the young infant.

I love the cloth butt wipes as well. They are great for keeping the delicate skin dry.

Not forgetting the other two gifts; the booties are a cutie pair and the infant toy will be a great companion during Marcus's car ride.

Jenn, thank you very much for these gifts made with great love!

Get Organised!

I found this A5 clear file folder at Popular Bookstore (Bukit Timah Plaza branch) which is a perfect solution to store Beady Girl's instruction manuals. Each file contains 30 sleeves and refills can also be purchased at the bookshop.

New Product - DesignaSeal

In my April post on 'Extending the Life of Your Seed Beads', I blog about the DesignaSeal that is recommended to protect the colour coating on the seed beads. These 3 fl oz (89 ml) bottles are now available for sale by Beady Girl!

I have tried it for the first time on my 'Tiles of Sapphire' cuff. I find the application mess-free and dries to touch in a short period of time. The water base clear gloss varnish does make the surface look brighter and fresher. Clean up is also easy with just using water. Although I can't guarantee the efficacy of this product, but the fact that there is an extra layer of coating is enough to convince me that the seed beads are "protected".

Each bottle is retailing at S$13 and only 5 bottles available at the moment. You will have to purchase a soft brush (a small paint brush) for the application on your own.

Project - Tiles of Sapphire

The making of this cuff was very much inspired by a bracelet (see picture on right) which I bought from Target 3 years ago. The original bracelet is wire-worked with different green tones of acrylic tiles and enclosed with a toggle clasp. The richness of the green tones is what attracted me to buy it then and till today it remains as one of my favourites amongst my collection.

For the 'Tiles of Sapphire' cuff, I have used glass cabochons as the "tiles" and bead embroidered the whole piece. The uniqueness of this cuff is that the clasp is actually hidden so that when it is clasped, the cuff looks like a complete piece.

The 6 glass cabochons (turquoise, powder blue and blue) have been specially fused by Ms Arden from Creative Escape. The cabochons are then stitched with sapphire blue and metallic silver seed beads. The juxtaposition of the deep blue sapphire seed beads and metallic silver seed beads makes this cuff a truly unique piece.

This project will be introduced as part of our 'The Art of Bead Embroidery' series when class commences again.