The Bead Soup Blog Party has inspired me to get to know my partner’s artistic side. Deb is an open, friendly person. Please enjoy getting to know her a little bit more.
1.How did you first discover your love of beads and jewelry design?
- My first beads were pop beads, plastic with a tip on one side and matching hole on the other they snapped together to make a take – apart necklace or bracelet. I think they were yellow. i was 7 or 8 at the time. When my kids were little we made friendly plastic and shrink art jewelery. I still have some of those crafty pieces hanging around to remind me of how far I’ve come. and now both those products are making the rounds again. Most recently I expanded my repertoire when i started working at my local (now defunct) bead store. I was there from the time they opened till they closed 5 years later. so I have a lot of beads. LOL
2. What is your favourite medium to work with?
- Artistic wire. I can make so many of my own clasps and links and chains and cab wraps and bead caps and dangles and now I make and sell a lot of Trees of Life with Swarovski crystals and my wire initials and names were a hit at the holiday season.
3. Do you make beads?
- Not often, if I do they are wire messy beads, or silver clay , and a few paper beads as well . I have made some polymer clay beads but they were really simple and plain and didn’t inspire me. BUT I have seen some amazing beads these days on the Internet that are truly phenomenal, so it’s just a matter of time. I have all the supplies and tools . My fave designer there is Julie Picarello.
4. Who have been some of your biggest influences when designing jewellery?
- Kerry Bogart (kabs creative concepts) got me hooked on the possibilities of wire; Susan Lenart Kasmer with her industrial chic; and Brenda Schweder who makes hardware steel wire jewelery and is the creator of NOW THATS A JIG. I have one of her books and her wire flowers are amazing. With my background in Interior Design I draw from a lot of sources for inspiration without specifically knowing who I am inspired by at the time.
5. Why did you join the Bead Blog Party?
- My first one was last year. I don’t recall how I heard about it but likely from one of the blogs I follow. It sounded like fun and a way to challenge myself to create with unusual/different supplies.
6. What is your favourite thing about the blog party?
- Looking at all the jewellery that every one makes. seeing the raw soup ingredients and then the finished products always amazes me as to how each interprets the use of the supplies, usually in ways I wouldn’t have thought of.
7. What advice would you give someone just starting out in jewelry design?
- Take some basic courses – in person is best but if not available do on-line classes with reputable teachers; Craftsy andBeaducation are two I’ve used (Not YouTube. I find it extremely annoying when a presenter spends more time talking about why they are making this video for me (ha) and it’s 8 minutes before they get to the point of showing anything of interest, and crying babies and barking dogs and mewling cats and loud music are NOT inspiring to me at all. Sorry I had to rant a bit about YouTube- it has it’s place but not as education tool; entertainment, maybe). Once you have learned the basic techniques, crimping, wire wrapping , simple loops etc, then follow your heart and do what you love. There are so many jewelery makers out there that you cannot be all things to all people so choose a medium, a technique, or a style and run with it . I didn’t do this and I still struggle with finding my voice. I want to dabble in it all.
Frugal MacDougall 