Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Blu Mudd Design Team Victorian Challenge Contest VOTERS NEEDED

Hi All,
So I am a part of this amazing design team called The Blu Mudd Design Team headed by the lovely and talented ceramic artist Moriah Betterly. Each month Moriah creates a kit with her choice of components and each team member that wants to participate gets a kit. This challenge was Victorian black and white using a silhouette pendant , a flower connector, and three scroll beads. Each artist on the team is amazing. We all worked hard on this challenge. One of my all time favorite jewelry themes is the Victorian, Gothic, and Steampunk. It's my niche an so when this challenge was presented to me I was like hmm what I can do to make this a challenge a challenge and to push me further than what I have done with this theme so far? I added copper metal into my design which adds texture and depth and a steampunkish look but doesnt take away from the softness of the ceramic pieces nor the black an white czech crystals I used. I also had an artist friend make me a hand forged copper toggle clasp which ads to the piece itself.

Please if your reading this post stop by an vote yes my entry is in there and I appreciate each vote however I am asking you to vote for those pieces that you like.

Before I post the link Moriah Betterlys amazing ceramic pieces incluing ornaments, mugs, jewelry components an much more can be found at www.blumudd.com

My artist friend Heidi Aherns Williams who made the hand forged copper toggle clasp I used in my design can be found here  https://www.facebook.com/AztecaDesignsBoutique


You can see my entry and many more by visiting here

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.895605793784951.1073741895.272858342726369&type=1


thank you everyone!!!

The Beadwenchs Designs :)

So as requested here are just some of my designs some are new and available for sale and some are older designs that have found their homes

My designs all have a piece of my heart and soul in them, they each tell a story and represent an emotion or feeling that i've had or may still have.

Art in itself is a beautiful and wonderous thing it can open your eyes to an entirely new world, it can find in you emotions, it can make you smile, laugh, and sometimes even cry, art can bring back a memory you hold dear . Art in any form yes even the odd art is beautiful just knowing that a person just like you and I have made something using their hands their heart and their soul well you can appreciate that in its glory. There is a passion in art there is a reality in its creativeness and in its process.  Next time you see something even if its not your "thing" take a step outside of the box for just a moment and ask yourself what does that art say to you? The best feeling in the world as an artist and for me as a jewelry designer is in asking the creator what inspired their piece? What emotion did they feel? What story does their art tell? Its amazing the answers you get it truly does make you look at life just a bit differently. It also introduces you to some amazing people i cant even begin to tell you what this journey has brought to my life. Its an amazing learning curve, but in all honesty its the people wether a fellow artist or someone who has just stopped by to chat, that to me is an amazing gift all brought to me because we all have a common bond yep you got it its ART!!

To see more of my work feel free to visit me anytime
www.facebook.com/afairmaidenjewelrybybetonylee

Why I do what I do!!!

HI all!! So welcome to my first ever BLOG!! Its something ive been pondering doing for awhile.

Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself. My real name is Betony (sounds like betknee)!! I am currently in my mid 30s :) I have been making jewelry steady for the last 6 years and now that all my wittle chickens are in school I pursue this full time to help support my family. I have a list of medical issues that result in my not being able to work a regular job. I was an ophthalmic technician for 8 years it was a demanding job but I loved working with people it opened my eyes to a whole different world . I still very much enjoy working with people Im a social butterfly though I dont get out much these days but I am a mom to three amazing kiddies and a wife to a hard working hubby. I have two furkids a kitty named Samhain aka Sammie she thinks she is Cleopatra, I also have a black labrador retriever named Winston who is my shadow. We live in the very busy city of brotherly love.

I always loved jewelry and watching people handcraft jewelry. I like the odd and the unique the loud and boisterous it fits my personality. I always played around with wire and beads but could never figure out how to put it all together and well youtube wasnt around back then haha. However 6 years later I am still learning new techniques and trying new things but now i know how to put those pieces together!!!

The biggest question I run into is" What inspires me?"  Well to answer that would take awhile however life inspires me, people inspire me, emotions inspire me, nature inspires me, there isnt one thing in a whole that i get inspiration from it is all of these things. From the very simplest to the very dark and dreary.

Why am I creating a blog? The jewelry world is so big and always overflowing we all start at different levels this blog is being created because often times I see people get discouraged and Im here to say HEY YOU ITS OKAY!!! we all have been discouraged, but guess what!!! there is an entire community of people in the jewelry world that are here to help just holler we are here. There is so much useful information and videos however that can be overwhelming and not always self explanatory so HERE I AM!!! There is sooooo much advice to be put out there however I'll start with this because I feel that its the most important ready???

THERE IS NOT RIGHT OR WRONG IN THE ART OF CREATING JEWELRY

whew there that's it the most important thing you need to know. Also its okay to mess up its okay to be different its okay to ask questions its okay to feel frustrated cause we have all been there even the most talented artists out there will tell you that when they started they too felt the same way.


Another Question I got recently was why is my blog is called the BEADWENCH??  Haha well truth is I am a part of an amazing group of moderators on a budget lampwork group on facebook, there are 8 of us and out of those eight 6 of them are lampies (artisan made glass lampwork bead makers) as well as undercover jewelry artists and one of us is a collector and then there is me just the jewelry artist. I admit that I have a teensy weensy small little bead addiction from czech beads to artisan made lampwork trust me I was dubbed a worse name than beadwench and well beadwench stuck plus it rocks and its memorable!!! Right?? Right??

Besides you can grab your cuppa and sit in your jammies and I can still make you giggle and well if you have smiled or rolled your eyes or even laughed out loud then my daily giggle for the day is accomplished.

Here at The Beadwenchs Blog there is no judgement there is no silly question to be asked just ask.

I have so many wonderful ideas in store for this blog so I hope you'll come back daily.