Fort Worth Bead Market this weekend!

Just a reminder to all of my friends that this weekend is the Fort Worth Bead Market at Amon Carter in Fort Worth. I will have a booth out there along with Donna Johnson of Dancing Light Jewelry. Donna Felkner of CG Beads will also have a booth. We will be selling our lampwork beads and some finished jewelry. I also have loads of those beautiful hand dyed silk cords. They are perfect to hang my new large hole sterling lined beads or maybe some other cool bead you find at the show. Come by and I can hang your bead on a cord a make you an adjustable length necklace. I also have lots of new focal sets sets with matching spacers and new Pandora style silver lined beads. Perfect for that Biagi, Pandora or Troll style bracelet. Your friends will be jealous when you hang these one of a kind, handmade artisan beads on your bracelet.

Please come by my booth to say hello! I hope to see some old faces this weekend.

Patricia
Sacred Art Beads

What an exciting new year!

Last year was a hard one physically for me. All is better and can only get better. I have several new bead shows in Texas this year. Boy have I been cranking out the beads! I was elected Treasurer/ Blogger for the Grapevine Beadmakers' Society and I have a very inspiring part time job as bookkeeper for Wubbers. Any jewelry maker or wire wrapper is familiar with that name. They are really just the best jewelry and wire working tools around. They are based in Southlake Texas at Wired Up Beads. Working with both Patti Bullard and Trudy Jauquet is truly motivating. I always make sure to make their open studio day on Wednesday afternoon. Patti is the most creative person I have ever met and is so generous with her knowledge. I have been making loads of sterling cored, Pandora style beads lately. I love the look and the larger ones make really nice pendants. Yes, my beads are still very organic. I'll post some new pics soon.

Patricia

Been gone awhile.

Hey everyone. I have missed posting, missed posting pics and mostly missed torching. It's been a rough couple of months but I am back on the road to recovery. My beautiful grandson, Cayden, is a little rough to play with. He's a cutie and very sweet but recently had to change babysitters because he was too rough with the little ones. He is not even two but it seems he will be happier with older children. Anyway, while sitting in my lap one day he leaned back and hit me in the face with his hard little head. He gave me a black eye and knocked one of my front teeth loose. Three thousand dollars and an implant and bone graph that will take six months to heal. Here's a pic of my hard headed little cutie.

How can you be mad at such a cute face? That pic is from his swim school graduation. That is something I would recommend to anyone with a pool and small children. He can roll over on his back then swim to the side to get out if he falls in. Please email me if you want the number for his swim teacher. She was wonderful.

Then I had cataract surgery in my right eye. It wasn't too bad and now I don't have to wear contacts anymore. That is great! But, then last month I had a retinal tear in the same eye. That surgery was a huge deal. It has been a painful month of healing. The pain is finally gone and I have another month of healing to get all my vision back. Yesterday was the first day I have been able to drive. My poor dh, Marrk, has been driving me a month to do everything.

Then, geez, I had another tooth break and I had to have a root canal. I need another implant but can't have that surgery yet until my eye heals, hopefully in another month. Things can only get better and Marrk says what doesn't kill me will only make me stronger. My temporary bridge broke yesterday. What the hell, what's one more thing. I'm not crying anymore. I just laughed. So tomorrow I will try to make the long trip to the dentist by myself to get it fixed.

Today I WILL torch. Thanks to everyone that went to the Fort Worth Bead Show to visit us. I couldn't make it because of my health issues but I want to thank my daughters Ryan and Whitney for manning my booth and my friend Donna for helping them.

Patricia

First Show!

Thank you to all my new friends from this last weekend who made my first bead show such a wonderful success! I really appreciate the wonderful feedback on my work and can't tell you all how much that meant to me. I enjoyed meeting and talking beads and jewelry with all of you. Now with my first show behind me I will have time to post more new work on my site for sale. Thanks too to my friend Donna Johnson (www.dancinglightjewelry.com) for her wonderful encouragement and persistance in getting me to try my first show. Please come by to visit us again in November at the Fort Worth Bead Show. Thanks to my new friend, and fantastic bead artist, Ginny Hampton (www.ginnovations.com) for her kind words and encouragement. Also, a BIG thank you to my daughter Ryan for helping me through the pre show jitters and helping out at the show.

Just a reminder!

The Dallas/ Fort Worth Bead Show is this weekend! Come by and visit our booth. I'll be working 2-6 on Friday the 16th. Come by and say hi!

Patricia

Grapevine Renaissance Bead Festival

Number one, geez, I can't believe it's been over a month since I blogged (is that a word?). I am trying to get ready for my first show! It's months away but since I usually sell everything I make I have NO inventory. Well now I do. I have tons of hand dyed silk cords. I have made some of those into adjustable necklaces for focals. I have a bunch of bead sets and a few focals. Also, some Pandora beads! So if you have missed me on Ebay, that's what I have been doing.

Number two! The Dallas/ Fort Worth Bead Renaissance Show is coming up in Grapevine Texas on May 16th-18th and the Grapevine Beadmakers’ will have a booth there all weekend. Our members are from the Dallas/ Forth Worth Metroplex and we would love to meet other lampworkers from the area. Come by and visit to find out a little more about us and get information about upcoming meetings. We will be having a little informal gathering at the restaurant located inside Stacy’s Furniture in Grapevine after the show on Saturday the 17th at 6:30. Here are the links for more information and directions to the restaurant.

The Dallas/ Fort Worth Bead Renaissance Show

Stacy's Furniture - Grapevine

Email me if you have any questions. Come by and say hi. We would love to meet you!

Patricia

So where have I been?

You know where I have been? I did a bead show! It was exhausting and fun. I actually was just helping my friend Donna (Dancing Light Jewelry) with her booth. She makes wonderful fused dicro pendants and cabs. I have had no experience with shows and she was showing me the ropes. I have no idea what happened next. The next thing I knew I was committing to do the Dallas Bead Show in September. I need inventory, I need displays, I need....... You know the list is long, lol. It has been another "growth" experience for me.

I still have some silk cords left guys! Not lots and I am out of a couple of colors. I will be making more soon so check back to my site Sacred Art Beads

Pandora Beads! I will be making Pandora or Troll style beads soon. Well I actually make the unlined beads now. I am working on coring these with sterling silver. Ooooh shiny! Are you looking for something special or maybe a certain color? Email me. Do you want to make your own lampwork Pandora beads. Check my site for 5/32" mandrels. They are perfect for making unlined beads for your bracelet.

Happy Beading!

Patricia

New colors of hand dyed silk cords on my website!

They are finally up and they turned out beatifully! Bright, vibrant colors! See them in the sun?

Here they are Hand Dyed Silk Cords

Silk Cords Are Up!

OK the first batch went up on Etsy and on my website. Do you lnow what happens when you dye the whole spool of cord? You get twenty two yards of beautifully dyed purple silk cord. I hope purple is a popular color, lol. This is rolled silk cord that is about 1/8" wide. I have hand dyed these and cut them to into 36" lengths. There are various hues of purple and some blue highlights thrown in. I think they are beautiful and shiny. At $3.00 each I think they are a bargain too. These are what I use to hang my lampwork pendants on. I use sterling cones and fine silver wire to finish the ends. Just email me if you need some ideas on finishing the ends.

Mmmmm purpley. Satin cords on Sacred Art Beads Website.

Patricia

Valentine's Day Challenge

I belong to a wonderful group called the Grapevine Beadmakers and we get together once a month. Part of the fun of the group is our monthly challenge! We decide on a theme and then we all go home and make some beads. It's amazing how talented everyone is and how diverse in how we interpret the theme. Anyway, once the beads are ooohed and ahhhed over at the the next meeting, we put the whole batch up for sale to benefit the group. We have been on Ebay but thought we'd try Etsy this time. The problem was that there are nine artists participating this time and Etsy maxes out at 5 pictures. So what I have done is split it into two separate listings. I think someone is going to get an amazing deal this time. Our theme was Valentine's Day and there are some really great beads we are selling! You may recognize some of the work or some of the artists. I tell you we are one talented bunch, lol. So is a link to my Etsy store. Check out the group's amazing beads when you get a chance.

Sacred Art Beads on Etsy!

Oh and look for some new things soon! I am hand dying my own silk cord now and plan on getting them up on the site soon. So many colors and so little time......

Patricia

Was it really last year?

Wow. I just came by to post a little and saw it was December 8th when I last posted. I'm still busy with my craft so be sure to stop by the webite and my Ebay sales once in a while. I almost always have beads up on the bay. I have a new finished piece I'm pretty proud of. It's an etched off mandrel heart with sterling heart charm on a hand dyed silk cord all finished with sterling findings. I love it and I'm having a hard time parting with it. I hope to have a few more hearts up by next week.

For you lampworkers out there, new on my site and Ebay, I now have 5/32" stainless steel mandrels. Great for making beads that are silver cored for Pandora or Troll style bracelets!

I've had lots of requests for this size.

Also if you have any finished pieces made with my beads I would love to post them on my site along with any links for your website or other store sites.

And soon to come! I love the look of the hand dyed silk cords I have been using. Unfortunately the girl who made these no longer makes them. I am now dying my own cords and will have them up on my site soon. I may also be including matching silk cords with each focal I sell.

Happy beading!

Patricia

Focal Clearance on Ebay!

Lots of lampwork beads on Ebay! Some starting at 99 cents!

Sacred Art Beads on Ebay

Thanks guys!Patricia

Hi!

Just a note to let you guys know what's going on in my little bead world. I have a couple of really nice sets on Ebay right. One is a hot little set of chili peppers, really cute. The other is a beautiful olive green set. I hope to post new pictures before it ends. I got a new photo set up and I think the detail will show better. Some more focals up on my site.

Something new for me. An online friend has requested that I make some beads for pendants from her late brother's ashes. Weird? I don't think so. It's a beautiful way to remember your loved one. I have heard of doing this before with family's or pet's ashes but this will be my first time. I hope to do the beads justice and I'll try to post pics.

Christmas is just around the corner (OMG! I am NOT ready!) and a few of you are making beads for jewelry as gifts. I hope you got your butt in gear before I did. I'll have another size of mandrels up next week, 5/32". I have a lot of requests for this size because they fit troll bead bracelets. I'll also have more of the large hole mandrels back in stock, 3/8" and 1/2".

Happy Beading!

Patricia

Been a while!

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! Tons of stuff on Ebay right now. I've got some focals and some sets and even some focals starting at 99 cents! I've been on a focal making binge so I have plenty more to put up when I can take pictures. I am waiting for my new photo taking package to get in. There are some wonderful new American glasses with a high silver content out now. The colors are metallic, sparkly and just amazing. The problem is that they are very difficult to photograph. The good news to that is you'll always be pleasantly surprised to find the beads are even prettier in person! Anyway, with my new lights and photo setup the colors should be truer.

I have a very cool set up on Ebay right now, Ristra. I know you've all seen ristras and just never knew what they were called. A ristra is a bunch of chilis strung together to dry. Well I made my own little Ristra with various colored chilis. Here's the link: Ristra.

Happy beading!

Patricia

Kittrell Riffkind Fused Tile Class!

I mentioned a couple weeks ago visiting a wonderful glass gallery in Dallas, Kittrell Riffkind. My daughter, Ryan, and I took a fused tile class last Saturday. It was wonderful! The teacher was nice and taught us so much in those four hours. Ryan picked it up immediately and set to work on her four tile designs. I had fun and was pleased with my tile design but was frustrated cutting the glass. I'm a hot glass girl so I have never cut glass. Most of the other students had experience in stained glass so they didn't have any problems. Me? Well it's a good thing the teacher was there or I'd still be sitting there. I think she cut all but one of my pieces of glass. Ryan did much better and is really anxious to pick up her tiles after they are fired. She may have found her medium.

I found time last weekend to make some beads too. I have a couple of really nice sets going up as soon as the clouds part so I can take pictures. It will nice when my studio is finished and I can have a photo setup permanently set up inside.

Lastly I just wanted to say how much I am looking forward to the Grapevine Beadmakers meeting this Saturday. It seems there are many more local lampworkers joining the group. A gentleman from the Dallas Craft Guild will be visiting and demoing a goddess bead. Look forward to seeing you all again and meeting the new members!

Have a great week!

Patricia

A dream come true. Or the beginning.

I can't believe that I will now have extra two days a week to devote to my art! It is a dream. Pinch me! My employer has agreed to let me work part time, Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays. It's amazing. So please stop by Sacred Art Beads website and check out new additions up for sale and of course my Ebay listings because I ALWAYS have something up on ebay.

One way or another....

Ok I'm sweating it now. It has been my goal, as every other lampworker's I know, to make beads on a full time basis. Keeping items up on Ebay consistantly is a must if you want to keep your following. I have my BeadArtists.org marketplace and my Etsy store too as well as my website. It takes a lot of time plus my full time bookkeeping job does too. I have taken the first steps in applying for a part time job working 3 days a week. I have applied with two companies close to my home and have been called by both. Yea! I'm wanted. I felt it fair to let my current employer know what was happening. They have treated me fairly over the last two and a half years. It seems now that they be willing to keep me part time. Fingers crossed! I should know maybe by Monday but it looks good. I hate moving around. My two previous jobs were 13 years each. I am 49 and have doing the same thing for 30 years. It's time for something new. Plan on seeing MORE of my work out there!

Thanks guys for listening.

Patricia

More focals up on my site!

Just a reminder that I have a few focals up on my website. Focals just $10.00 each and Focal Sets for $15.00. That's a great price because my focals sometimes go as high as $25.00 each on Ebay.

Sacred Art Beads Website

I should have a couple new sets up too this week on Ebay. More Psyche glass. I love that glass!

My Ebay

Happy Beading!

Patricia

New on Ebay!

New on Ebay I have some beads from Double Helix's new glass called Psyche. Reducing it brings out a really nice metallic sheen and a rainbow of blues, greens and purples. There are many new "silver" glasses on the market, most American made but I like these results better then any other glass I have tried. Please check them out at

My Ebay

These auctions are up this Saturday and Sunday. And keep checking my website for new focals at $10.00 each and focal sets for $15.00 being added.

Sacred Art Beads Website

Bye bye.

Patricia

Went to a wonderful glass gallery.

My daughter and I went to a wonderful glass gallery in Dallas called Kitrell-Rifkin. It was near the Galleria shopping center. Large and a huge display of some of the most amazing glass art I have ever seen! Blown glass, fused glass and stained glass. They have drawers and drawers of fantastic jewelry made by local artists. Then we went back to the workshop. It was really nice and the girl working there was so sweet. We bought some rods of Moretti and she made sure to point out all the new colors! People, glass is my addiction, lol! She gave us the class schedule and I am so excited, they have fusing glasses! My daughter and I had just gone to a bead show that morning to visit my bead friend Donna at her booth. Her fused pendants just pop with color! Ryan kept saying "I have got to learn to do that!". Now is our chance. Maybe soon you'll see some fused beads on my website, maybe even some from Ryan. We're taking the fused plate glass so I'll post pics when we are done.

Happy Beading!

Patricia