I am a lifelong learner and my interests span a huge range of topics from various artistic techniques to many of the sciences, and, now, as an artist entrepreneur, into some fields of business. Last week, I discussed my foray into developing bead bezels for some of my old Swarovski jewels. The last picture was of six Rivolis encased in delicate open weave netting. I have since used three of these stones in a large piece for decorating one’s hair. The piece is at once a Bubbe Pin™ and a jhumar and I have entered it in the Etsy Beadweavers September Challenge. In working the piece I learned more about Indian hair jewelry, about what weaves will do what I want, about how engineering is also part of being an artist (at least it is for me) and how I can still amaze myself when a work comes out so well that my heart beats faster with excitement.

Below is a picture of the work and of course a link so that you can visit the Etsy Beadweaver’s blog between the 9th and 15th of September and see both my entry and all the others and, please, vote for your favorite.

The Bubbe Pin™ Story

It has become almost a universal problem: how to keep a yarmulke (kippah) or small headscarf from sliding off the head. For many years the best solution has come from grandmothers, (“bubbe” is Yiddish for grandmother) handing out cheap metal or plastic covered bobby pins. No style, just plain functionality.

My Bubbe Pins™ add that missing element and you don’t have to be Jewish to wear them! They range from one of a kind ornate works that are reminiscent of Indian jhumar to very simple, yet elegant, limited edition designs suitable for both men and women.

So now for the pictures! Here are a few of the possibilities. Look for more colors and designs soon – or contact me and tell me what you want. These are perfect gifts for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and are the perfect addition for High Holy Day dress.

My niece modeling my Bubbe Pin™

My latest are small vintage Swarovski faceted jewels, rectangluar and Rivolis. Some of these are extremely rare and I don’t have too many of them, so I want them to be displayed perfectly in every piece where I use them. I used one of the especially rare rectangular jewels (Swarovski Article 4523) in the piece I showed off in my previous post, eXtemporaneous After Midnight. It took me some time to develop the open weave netting to fit in such a way as to show off as much of the faceted table as possible. Here are a pair of stones showing two versions that I worked through.

The jewel on the left shows more of the top flat table though both are viable designs that hold well. These jewels are 16 millimeters by 12 millimeters so I’ve used equally tiny seed beads (15/0) for a certain amount of subtlety.

Next are some Rivolis which measure 12 millimeters in diameter. The open weave of mainly bead netting works especially well although this bezel actually uses three different techniques. The first set of stitches is Right Angle Weave, then I work the back in Peyote and the front in netting. I have a tutorial in the works (which means I’ve taken pictures and now have to write up the technique and make some drawings). Shown below are six rivolis which are now ready for my newest piece (which I hope to have finished in time for the Etsy Beadweavers’ September Challenge – but more on that later).

As always once I’ve worked out a design detail, I am both proud of these and excited at the idea of taking them further. I have some very tiny teardrop stones I’m thinking of tackling next.

There are so many ways to bead weave bezels and I like to think I’ve added to that collection. I like the idea of being able to utilize different techniques to achieve whatever look and style fits whatever design I can come up with. How about you? do you have a favorite look for bezeled stones and jewels?

You also get a chance to see the opulence of the pallev of this sari (which I will be wearing for my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah).

What kinds of topics do you like to read about on an artist’s blog?

Do you prefer many small pictures or fewer larger ones? Or none at all?

Are you interested in uplifting stories? Articles about technique? About inspiration?

Would you be put off if I wrote about my other passion (astrophysics)?

What would it take to entice you to interact, that is to say, leave a comment (or two) here at my blog?

Thank you!

Google asks, “Are you feeling lucky?” I typed in “raindrops” and hit enter. The first site on the list is a game. The fifth listing is a US government site featuring an article discussing the reasons raindrops are different sizes. You knew that they came in different sizes, didn’t you? The tiny droplets of a drizzle. The fat projectiles of a raging storm.

The sixth listing is a tutorial for creating raindrops (pictorially, I assume) in Photoshop. I use PhotoImpact for my digital art and have drawn not raindrops but the effect of rain on an open sea during a heavy storm. It was for the PhotoImpact Workshop I’m working through, but even for a first attempt at using some of the effects, it’s darn good. I like it.

In my mind there is a fishing trawler just out of the picture. To the right. Do you see its lights?

That’s what good art does. It makes you see beyond the edge using only your own imagination.

Of course I said yes and as soon as they arrived I marveled at their beauty and then started bead weaving. These findings come in six finishes (antiqued brass plate, antiqued copper plate, gold plate, silver plate, black gunmetal, and white metal) and they sent me a few of each. I’m still playing but I have devised a nice method (and a variation) for weaving a very versatile pad cover using a combination of Peyote and 3-bead netting.

My first finished piece is the pad cover under a Russian style flower with a Czech druk bead at the center.

I’ve even created a tutorial which I am offering free with every subscription to my monthly newsletter. I’ve set up the program to start up the download dialogue, but if you have any problems, please let me know.

Now we can have ornate and opulent hair accessories that slide right in one’s locks.

If your gown was understated, (for example, a white suite, or short dress) the easiest thing to do is dye it some rich dark or bright color so totally diametrical to wedding colors that no one would ever suspect its origins. If it has a train, that can be removed and used to create a bolero or over the shoulder throw. Or the skirt can be re-cut and re-hemmed to a shorter length. If it has beads or pearls or stones or sequins, those can be removed and used to create one of a kind jewelry for you – or for gifts or heirlooms.

A simple freshwater pearl necklace such as Sweet Serenade in my etsy shop, is one small example of the use of pearls and beads.

It’s all about imagination!

This Week’s Theme is Time

Bathtime – Bas-relief carved soaps from neatTreats on Etsy.

Bedtime – Patchwork quilt from QuiltLover’s shop on Etsy.

Tea Time – Chai tea kit from cookoutsidethebox’s shop on Etsy.

This year, I am promoting an idea for a gift that incorporates both new and old. Over the years almost every woman accumulates jewelry she has loved but no longer wears. Perhaps the jewelry is broken; perhaps it is not her style any more; perhaps it is a keepsake from an earlier generation. Or perhaps it is a single piece that she wants shared between daughters or sisters or cousins or very close friends. Rather than doing any of this, the poor piece of jewelry sits in a box or a baggie seen and admired by no one. Maybe even gathering dust. Now is the best time to transform that all but forgotten jewelry into a wearable art treasure that will become a desired heirloom.

To see more about this process, visit my Ripplecast, to see a short video on the topic which shows before and after pictures of a piece that was transformed. Or visit my webpage, Reinvent an Old Piece of Jewelry to read about the process and see a few examples of work I’ve already completed.

If you don’t have a piece of your own, you can still have a link to the past by choosing one of the vintage pieces from my own transformation collection. The piece pictured below is a one of a kind Transformed Treasure utilizing a vintage brooch that was missing its rhinestones and pin-back. I replaced the all clear stones with both crystal and blue stones, added the chain and dangles and created a new one of a kind work of art. The blue dangle and closure beads are also vintage from the Czech Republic. I am offering this one piece at a special Mothers Day price of $85.00. It comes ready for giving wrapped in tissue and tucked into a silver satin gift bag and with a Certificate of Authenticity complete with care instructions.

Transformed to Treasure

Brooch Transformed to Pendant