The Bead Art of Colleen O'rourke

The Bead Art of Colleen O'rourke expresses her thoughts and feelings in images of everyday life. Her pieces are a pleasing mix of beads and colors in various patterns, applied two and three dimensionally. Her vase entitled "Darkness" is an excellent example of her three dimensional work. To see more of this talented artist's work, click on the title above. Enjoy!


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View the Bead Dreams Finalists Online!

The Bead Dreams finalists were posted yesterday on the new Bead and Button website. To see some amazing work, click on the title above. Here is a listing of the artists who placed in that competition:

Best-In-Show: Church of the Intercession - Nicole Schlinger
Runner-Up Best-In-Show: Fairy Wreath - Barbara Caraway

Handmade Beads or Buttons:
1st Place - Mermaid & Sea Creature Beads - Joan Miller
2nd Place - We are watching you - Wayne Robbins
3rd Place - Sweet Pea Blossom Beads -Barbara Caraway

Polymer Clay
1st Place - Perfect Union: Floral and Faux - Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg
2nd Place - Tulip Field - Julie Picarello
3rd Place - Ikebaba hairstick and stand (artist's website) - Marlee Page
3rd Place tie - Fragments - Janice Abarbanel

Seed Bead wearable
1st Place - Riotous Red Garden Necklace - Sheila Carlson
2nd Place - Million Dollar Baby - Sherry Serafini
3rd Place - Memory of Miyoko -Naomi Sakuma
3rd Place tie - Frozen Dragon's Breath - Tatiana Van Iten

Finished Jewelry
1st Place - Fairy Wreath - Barbara Caraway
2nd Place - Opulent Spring -Diane Hyde
3rd Place - Words that Kill/Words that Heal - Kathy Goswick

Nonwearable
1st Place - Church of the Intercession -Nicole Schlinger
2nd Place - Engine Co. 6 -Diana L. Grygo
3rd Place - Japanesque - Sachiko Takasaki
3rd Place tie - American Traveler - Patricia Kraemer

People's Choice Award: The Collector - Kim VanAntwerp-Poenisch

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PS: Jeweled Elegance

PS: While you're enjoying the beautiful beadwork online, check out Jeweled Elegance's new blog. I've included a link to a wonderful recipe she's posted - Moroccan Mint Tea and Lavender Cookies - which you can view by clicking on the title above. Enjoy!

Bead Pattern Central

Bead Pattern Central has a new look! The website features bead weaving patterns by well-known artists such as Julia Pretl, Laura McCabe, and Ann Benson. Whether you like bead weaving or bead embroidery or crochet, this website has something for everyone. Be sure to check it out by clicking on the title above. The patterns are stunning & the site is truly a 'class act' - so nice to see!


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Art Clay World Winners Announced

Have you noticed that Bead and Button's website got a face lift? It's so nice to see!

Addie Kidd of B&B was a judge for Art Clay World's annual precious metal clay design contest. To read about the contest judging, simply click on the title above and you'll be redirected to her blog. For those of you who are interested in finding out who the winners are, you can view them HERE. The finalists are all very talented.

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Keely Barham's Beadwork

What fabulously talented artist doesn't work with beads?

For a wonderful treat, check out Keely Barham's website. Not only does she work in mixed media, but she does beadwork as well. I love the photographic images under glass - what a great idea. And her ceramic face cabs are wonderfully creative - especially the one with the tongue sticking out. I love it! Don't forget to check out her wrist quilts too. And once you're done being inspired by her work, check out the work of her students. Have fun!!!


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Sharmini Wirasekara

Another beautiful beadweaving artist, Sharmini Wirasekara creates beaded robe sculptures. Her pieces are on exhibit at the mostlyglass.com website. Her current area of interest is the cultural history of Mexico and their textiles, and the patterns in her robes are exquisite. Click on the title above or robe at right to see more of this artist's beautiful work.

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Valerie Hector Bead Kits

Valerie Hector now has Bead Kits available for purchase online. They include some of her unusual and beautiful techniques. Click on the title above to view the kits. Enjoy!

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Louise is having fun with color!

Louise Hill has launched a new blog which focuses on beautiful art and the colors the artist uses. It's a great idea for coming up with color combinations for beadwork. Check out her new blog by clicking on the title above (or image right)!

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Pearls from the Past

This pearl necklace, currently listed on eBay, is a beautiful view into the past. The collar is woven using a netting technique. What is particularly interesting to me is the edging which uses a style of weaving called "Scallop stitch" and was first described by Valerie Hector & Alice Scherer in their Summer 1998 article "South African Double-Faced Stitches" in Beadwork magazine. The article described Xhosa collar construction (the Xhosa are a group of indigenous people from South Africa).

The pearl collar is of either European or American origin and suggests construction of this style of collar may be a result of cross-cultural influences. To see this beautiful collar up close please click on the title above!


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