In their two locations they hold many classes for all ages in Clay, Metal, Glass and Fiber.  This season hold in store very interesting classes and workshops in metal topics such as: Structural Bead Weaving, Fold Forming and Natural Forms in Metal, Colors on Metal, Handmade Felt and Metal in Jewelry and Alternative Materials in Jewelry to name a few, aside from more basics such as Beginning Metal Design and Enameling.

So I was very glad to run across this tutorial on My Mama Made It.  There are easy to follow instructions and good photos as well. Who knew that getting this look could be so easy. Plus My Mama Made It also includes styling ideas as well for how to wear this corsage.   So eat your heart out pricey London Designers!

Definitely a A+ for ingenuity and a great use for left over fabric bits that you can’t bare to toss.  I personally have tons that could be turned into a necklace like this.

I loved the draped necklaces, but there are styles for lots of tastes.

This book discusses using hand and machine embroidery techniques to create pieces of jewelry.  It comes with projects for the reader to create and discusses topics such as how to figure out the amount of beads needed, fabric choices, layering sheers and incorporating found objects.

The cover necklace is quite elegant and if it is an indicator of the projects included in the book, it should be a great read.

How did you start doing jewelry (or bead making) as a business?  
Until recently, Feisty Elle, produced handmade women’s brooches, bobby pins, hair clips, and badges made from felt and cotton fabric. I was obsessed with felting before it became popular, and taught myself both wetfelting and needlefelting. However, I became frustrated over how many womanhours I would put into a single piece and how low I would have to price it be able to sell or move it. Talk about depressing and not profitable! I’ve now begun to phase out of producing handfelted work and begun to introduce more laser-cut industrial wool felt into my work, which finally gets to answering your question! When I first started designing laser-cut accessories, I designed brooches and hairclips, and just for fun, I made a smaller version of a dahlia brooch design to fit onto a bobby pin. A friend of mine saw this small design said she’d love the design instead as earrings. And here I am, designing felt and bamboo earrings!

Do you remember the first piece of jewelry you ever made?
Yeah! You’re taking me back, Barbe! It was in this arts and crafts class in fifth grade where we made paper beads and strung them into long necklaces.

You are stuck on a desert island for a year and can only take 5 things to make jewelry with-what would you take?
One, I need my CS4 design software; I’d feel naked without it. Two, and this is totally cheating, but I’d love to bring a lasercutter with me. Three, that means I’d need some sort of solar-powered generator to run the lasercutter and my laptop. Four, a year’s supply of bamboo ply and felt in every imaginable color. And five, dark chocolate because it’s delicious and keeps me going.

What would you like to work with/or what skill would you like to learn that you haven’t yet?
I would love to work with a 3D printer.

What do you do when you aren’t making jewelry?
I’m most likely either working on the biz side of Feisty Elle, reading design books, reading too many blogs, eating out too often when I should be cooking at home, and scribbling new jewelry design ideas in my sketchbook.

Thanks for the interview Leslie! And if you are in San Francisco, Leslie will be selling her feisty accessories at Renegade Craft Fair Sat & Sun July 18th & 18th at Ft. Mason.

Today’s Artist Mini-Interview is wth my new friend Deryn Mentock.  Deryn is an extremely talented mixed media artist and her work is outstanding, as you can tell by the teaser photo.

How did you start doing jewelry (or bead making) as a business? 
I finally decided that I needed to find a way to pay for my passion!  Much more than that though, I found a personal, spiritual voice, expressed through my jewelry.  It’s important to me to share that.

Do you remember the first piece of jewelry you ever made?
Probably, the first piece of jewelry I ever attempted to make was a beaded headband, created on a beading loom when I was in Camp Fire girls.  I think I got about one inch completed.  Needless to say, that type of beading isn’t my thing!  I also remember a lovely, colorful telephone wire ring made in CFG.  I wish I had that ring today!
 
You are stuck on a desert island for a year and can only take 5 things to make jewelry with-what would you take?
Well, I’d have to have an endless supply of wire, of course.  Also, pliers, nippers, a hammer and…sheesh, I can’t decide on the fifth thing…can I have a laptop with internet? One of my favorite tv shows is Gilligan’s Island so I know a lot about island survival.  I could probably use a rock as a bench block, make  beading thread from palm fibers and beads from rocks and shells then I’d…oh, do I have to be stuck on a desert island???
 
What would you like to work with/or what skill would you like to learn that you haven’t yet?
I’d like to learn lampwork bead making.  That would open up a whole world of new supplies, equipment, tools…possibilities.
 
What do you do when you aren’t making jewelry?
I love creating collage, artist’s books and artist trading cards.  But, when I’m not doing any of that, my favorite thing is camping with my guys.
 
All about Deryn:

Deryn Mentock has been passionate about art, especially jewelry design, for as long as she can remember.  Her designs mingle unique, worn and well-loved finds, religious pieces and faceted, semi-precious stones as well as one-of-a-kind handmade elements, combined in unexpected ways. She prefers the look and feel of vintage, unusual and found objects and delights in blending these treasures into her work.  Each composition, infused with color and texture, reveals an intuitive message of faith conveyed through the artist’s hands.
 
She enjoys teaching nationally and is a design team member for Susan Lenart Kazmer’s “Objects and Elements.”  Her artwork has been featured in several books including “Mixed Emulsions” by Angela Cartwright, “Exhibition 36” by Susan Tuttle  and, most recently, “Collaborative Art Journals and Shared Visions in Mixed Media” by LK Ludwig.  You can also find her work in many articles and publications, including Step by Step Wire Jewelry, Belle Armoire Jewelry, Belle Armoire, Art Doll Quarterly, Stampington’s Gallery, Correspondence Art and Stampington’s book Artist Trading Cards. 

You can see more of  Deryn’s work at her blog; http://somethingsublime.typepad.com and her online store; http://mocknet.etsy.com.   She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Creative Souls.

Thank you so much Deryn for the interview!

 Art Jewelers Susan Lenart Kazmer and her business partner Linda Larsen ; owners of Objects and Elements webstore,  have been busy the last few months.  They’ve been updating the store with all kinds of unique goodies you won’t find anywhere else  like Ancient Roman Glass beads,  antique African   Dougan, unique bezel settings and cast bronze Ammonites . 

I’m a big fan of ICE resin  and it’s what I use in my jewelry work.  You can buy that online at the Objects & Elements store  .  There is also lots of unique  bezels,  fibers,  resin molds and tools for your art jewelry making needs.

In addition to searching out great jewelrymaking supplies, they have just revealed a new blog and a new Objects and Elements Design Team. 

The Objects and Elements blog has just gone live and will soon have lots of content such as  jewelry by Susan Lenart Kazmer and Linda Larsen, design team jewelry inspirations, updates on new store items,  guest artist features, reader challenges and more. You don’t want to miss out on any of the fun, so be sure to add the RSS feed to your blog links or add to bloglines or Google Reader

I am extremely happy to announce that I am on the Objects and Elements Design team. The other Design Team members are:  Jen Cushman, Deryn Mentock, Kristen Robinson, and Jane Salley .  In the coming weeks, you’ll be able to see the design teams creations on the new Objects and Elements Blog.  The team wil be creating some lovely projects using the amazing supplies from the Objects & Elements store, along with various found objects, beads, wire, etc… to inspire you to create your own unique jewelry.

If you are unfamiliar with Susan and her work, please check out her amazing  jewelry work, check out her blog , get her book “Making Connection” or  look at her workshop schedule  to take a class with her.

She hasn’t chosen winners for any of the weeks so far so anyone can still leave a comment on the blogposts  to enter to win a free copy of the book.

The blog links are: Fabric Scrap Bracelet, Shredded Junk Mail Ping Pong Ball Necklace, Fabric Necklace,  and Wear Your Collection Bracelet

So hurry on over to her blog, leave comments and fingers crossed for you!

Started by charming Amber Dawn, International Charm day is a day to make, wear,enjoy, share, buy and giveaway charms. Check out the International Charm Day blog for a TON of charm inspiration,tutorials,  links to blogs having charm giveaways and lots more!

Some of the swaps and giveaways you could participate in are:

Julee Herrmann (recently interviewed on CraftGossip!)is hosting a charm swap on her blog,

Life Goes On is giving away 2 charms to lucky commenters.

Tracy from Magic Lantern Musings in Canada is giving away a very colorful charm to one lucky blog reader.

 

Don’t miss out on your chance to be a STAR!!!

The deadline is soon approaching for Bead Star jewelry competition, last day to enter is May 1, 2009. The grand prize is an all-expense paid trip for two to Bead Fest Santa Fe 2010 and $1000 shopping spree from Fire Mountain Gems!!! Who WOULDN’t want to enter with a prize like this!!!

Check out the fun YouTube.com video slideshow of the 2008 winners. Its the first time they’ve been shown outside of the magazine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAfXtM8ej0g

The editors of Bead Star, Stringing, and Beadwork magazines will select the top 20 finalists among submissions in each of nine design element categories:Crystals, Seed Beads, Glass, Pearls, Stones, Metals, Plastics, Designs Under $25, and Designs with a Heart.   Then enthusiasts around the world will be able to log on to BeadStar.com May 15-30, 2009, and cast their votes for their
favorite designs among the finalists.  Check out the Bead Star website for full details and how to enter. Best of luck to you all!

And if you don’t have a loom=fear not, I found a tutorial to make one of those too! Crafty Daisies has a really easy tutorial on making a loom and you can make them any size you like!

Flower looms are great for using those last little bits of expensive yarns you don’t want to throw away, as well as regular yarn. I’ve also used thin strips of fabric and tulle, raffia, ribbon and cord to make them. Have fun with it!