Christmas in July Sale Event on Etsy & Amazon!

Posted in Amazon, animals, bead embroidery, beads, beadwork, etsy by The Lone Beader

Dear friends, I am back to working on my Russian bead painting. Here is the latest progress – I have finished beading a large tree. The tree was created by first sewing together a felt foundation with several holes in it. I used a combination of bead embroidery and freeform peyote stitch to create a leafy texture which can be seen through when you move them around. Below is a sneak peak of what it might look like in the finished piece. This portion of the beadwork (tree + cathedral) measures approx. 12″x 15″. If you would like to see more photos of the progress of this piece, please visit this Facebook photo album.

Also, I am running a Christmas in July Sale Event on Etsy and Amazon Handmade. Save 25% on every purchase in my shop now thru July 23, 2017. This sale is my biggest sale ever as it also includes made-order-items and custom orders, as well! No coupon code needed! Please click the image above to visit my Etsy shop. Thanks for looking and have a safe and happy Fourth of July! 🙂

9Jun2017

Pink Beaded Pomeranian Pet Portrait

Posted in Amazon, animals, bead embroidery, dogs, etsy, pet portrait by The Lone Beader

Dear friends, a new bead- embroidered pet portrait is now available for sale on Etsy – a pink Pomeranian! Or perhaps it looks like an American Eskimo dog to you?

A customer suggested this color to me awhile back and I liked the idea because I’m sure there is someone out there who has dyed their Pomeranian’s hair pink.. Whether you like that idea or not, I think it looks great in beads! I used tiny Japanese glass seed beads and layered beaded fringe to create this dog’s texture. I like it so much that I have added this color option for anyone who would like a pink Pomeranian pin pendant or earrings! It would definitely be a conversation piece! Please check my Etsy and Amazon shops for more details. Thanks for looking!

24May2017

Beaded Pomeranian Pendant & Memorial Day Sale on Etsy!

Posted in animals, bead embroidery, dogs, etsy, necklaces by The Lone Beader

Dear friends, I hope you have been enjoying the warmer weather! Today just a quick post to share with you my latest item – a tiny beaded Pomeranian necklace. Or perhaps it looks like an American Eskimo dog? This pendant hangs on an 18″ Italian sterling silver 1.3mm diamond cut bead chain and it is ready to ship. Please click the image to view more details on Etsy. Also, check out more tiny beaded dog pendants HERE.

Also, this weekend only, you can save 20% on all ready-to-ship beaded dog jewelry, beading patterns, and kits. No coupon code needed! Sale starts now & runs through May 29, 2017! All items purchased during this sale will ship out after Memorial Day Weekend. Thanks for looking & enjoy the sun! 🙂

22Apr2017

Tiny Beaded Italian Spinone Pendant & Earrings

Posted in bead embroidery by The Lone Beader

Dear friends, long time no post! I have been busy filling Amazon & Etsy orders recently. And I have also added a new tiny beaded dog pendant & matching earrings to my Etsy inventory – an Italian Spinone!

It seems this dog breed is becoming more popular, because I have been making a lot of the lately! I made this tiny pendant the same way as the dog pin, but I attached a tiny sterling silver bail at the top. This piece hangs from an 18″ sterling silver 1.3mm diamond cut bead chain with lobster claw clasp.

Then, I made matching beaded Italian Spinone earrings. Earrings are more difficult and time consuming to make as great effort is made to make each dog look similar. Once the beadwork is complete, I stitched a sterling silver eye pin to the back, then backed each piece with Ultrasuede. Each earring hangs from a sterling silver ear wire which features a tiny black Onyx bead.

If you are interested in custom beaded Italian Spinone jewelry, I also offer Orange Roan and White as color options. Please send me an email using the Contact form above or message me through Etsy, Amazon, or Facebook. Thank you for your interest in my beadwork! 🙂

10Mar2017

Custom Beaded Clydesdale Horse Pin

Posted in animals, bead embroidery, beads, beadwork, etsy, horses by The Lone Beader

Dear friends, I would like to share with you the progress of my latest custom order. This is a new animal pin for me, one of which has been on my list for awhile now.. A beaded horse – in this case a majestic Anheuser-Busch bred Clydesdale horse:) This animal is much larger than the usual dogs & cats that I create, so the size of the pin must be larger as well, otherwise the details will be lost. So, I worked on a drawing based on the photo below and resized it to about 3″ x 3″.. This is usually a good size for a large brooch.

Next, I created a paper template which I used to cut out several layers of felt. The first layer is a stiff beading foundation, and the top layers or shapes were cut from felt. I can use any felt that I have on hand, either acrylic or wool. I stitched the layers of felt to the stiff stuff to create my overall foundation.

Next, I began by stitching a special 2mm glass eye onto the horse’s face, then I began beading. I always start with the animal’s face and work from there. In this case, I worked on the face, then legs as I outlined the horse’s body with Japanese size 15 seed beads.

Following those lines, I continued doing bead embroidery by simply filling in the rest of the legs and body. I used several different colors of seed beads to achieve the shading I wanted. Once the first layer of beadwork was complete, I began the second layer. I added tiny beaded fringe on the horse’s mane and legs. I also added some more lines to accentuate the animal’s features. Lastly, I stitched many long beaded fringes for the tail. I sort of stitched these together at the top so they sit right, but that was easier said than done.

This piece required a bit more time and patience than usual, but I think the results are worth the effort. I am really proud of how this piece turned out! What do you think? If you are an equestrian and are interested in a custom beaded horse pin or framed mini pet portrait, please use the Contact form above or message me through Etsy! I appreciate your interest in my beadwork! 🙂

23Feb2017

Beadwork at Casa de los Venados

Posted in animals, art history, crafts, Mexico, travel by The Lone Beader

Dear friends, long time no post! I have been off exploring the Yucatán and I have so much to share with you. This was my 4th trip to Mexico which officially makes it the country I have traveled the most. After visiting Mérida for a few nights (an amazing city!), my compañero and I took a bus to Valladolid. This is a small city in the center of the Yucatán, but it is very important to Mexico’s history. It is also very warm there as it is completely surrounded by jungle.

We arrived in Valladolid just in time to visit Casa de los Venados (House of the Deer). This is a private home which contains the largest museum quality collection of Mexican folk art in the country. There are more than 3,000+ pieces in this collection. The owners are kind enough to open their home every morning for a free tour (donations welcome!).

I had read a lot about this collection of folk art and I was very happy to have the opportunity to visit! This 18,000 square foot home is really a palace complete with beautiful open spaces, fountains, gardens, and a swimming pool.

I was amazed at the amount of art which was displayed in every room (there is even an entire room dedicated to Frida Kahlo). It is really a grand example of how one can make art appreciation a part of their daily lives. Of course, I was on the lookout for beadwork and I did find several pieces of Huichol bead art. Last year, I wrote a blog post about this art form which you can read HERE.

Folk art acknowledges the importance of what is sacred as a unique expression of a people’s perception of the universe. These works of art are primarily handcrafted for utilitarian or decorative purposes. A folk artist might be self-taught, or learn from other folk artists to create their own authentic works of art. This is different from ‘fine art’ which is generally taught and legitimized in academies.

At Casa de los Venados, the goal is to share with the community and teach that folk art is indeed something which the Mexican people should view with pride. They now conduct organized school tours to teach children about the art and handicrafts of their country. This is wonderful because in many cases the local children might never make it to a big city to view fine artworks. They now have the opportunity to learn about and appreciate the art that is all around them.

If you take a trip to Valladolid, definitely make time to visit Casa de los Venados as well as other historical sites around the city. Take lots of photos and keep an eye out for the Catrinas! :O

21Jan2017

Tiny Beaded Pitbull Pendant & New Italian Spinone Brooch

Posted in Amazon, dogs, etsy by The Lone Beader

Dear friends, the New Year has already been busy! I have been receiving Etsy and Amazon orders ever since the holidays so I haven’t had time to blog! Here is what I have been working on..

The first is a new design – a tiny beaded Pitbull pendant. I actually made 2 of these, a brindle and a gray and white one. These bead-embroidered pendants are very small – they measure less than 1″ and they hang from an 18″ sterling silver 1.3mm diamond cut bead chain with lobster claw clasp. They also feature a tiny sterling silver heart charm.

Above, you can see how these look when worn. Of course, matching earrings can always be made upon request:) This design is listed as made to order on Etsy and Amazon Handmade.

And recently, I received my first international order through Amazon – an Orange Roan Italian Spinone brooch! I used nearly 10 different colors of seed beads for this piece, mainly a combination of whites, topaz, and gold. I have listed this as a new color choice in my online shops.

This piece has made its way across the pond! Hope it arrives safely. If you are interested in a custom beaded pin or pendant, please send me a message! Also I would like to note that all Ready to Ship items purchased after January 30 will not ship out until the week of February 13, and processing times for made to order items will be adjusted accordingly.. I will be off on another adventure searching for beads:)