Margie’s Muse
by Margie Deeb

THE ELEMENTS:
The Air Palette

Excerpted from The Beader’s Color Palette (Watson Guptill, June 2008)

Air symbolizes the winds of change and forces of transcendence. In the Tarot and ancient magic, air is represented by a sword, and speaks to us of freedom, wisdom and power.

The color palettes for air range from breeze-like pastel wisps to muted storm-gray rhapsodies. Continued

Aspirations

The Case of the
Mysterious Irish Bead

by Jeanette Shanigan

The Mound of the Hostages, as seen from NE, is a small passage grave. Just one of the many burial mounds found in Tara.

Sometimes in our fervor to collect beads and make things of them, we forget about their importance in world history. For example, take the case of the beaded necklace found in a Middle Bronze Age (1500-1200 BC) burial mound in Tara, Ireland. Tara is considered by the Irish to be a burial site of ancient kings. In 1955 during an archeological dig, the skeleton of a teenage boy was uncovered; around the neck was a necklace of amber, jet, and faience beads. The amber and jet beads were not surprising, as both were available and traded widely in Northern Europe. But the faience beads were a wonder, as this type of bead is usually associated with Egypt. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that the Irish faience beads were identical in manufacture and design to the faience beads found in King Tut’s tomb (1341-1323 BC)! . Continued.

Design

The Elements of Design:
Finding Your Style
by Lynn M. Dean

“Make me a necklace just like that one,” by sister implored. “Only, I don’t like pearls and make it simpler- maybe with smaller beads- and not so long.”

It was hard for me to make that necklace for her. I had to break out of my comfort zone to include the smaller elements that she wanted. But in the end, I thought I’d succeeded in making a necklace that she would like, even if I didn’t. Continued

About Style

About Style
By Ann Turner

Looking At Fashion
Right Now the Eyes Have It

Eyewear is a hot accessory in today’s fashion scene. In other eras, people looked upon eyewear as more of a medical necessity. However, the days when eyeglasses ere seen as a fashion disaster are gone for now.

Now, many frame designs are seen as stylish, colorful and bold. Continued

Quick and Easy

Flat Double-Herribone Tulip Bookmark
By Jeanette Shanigan

Spring arrives in March, but here in Alaska, it’s usually a couple more months before we see flowers in the gardens and wild areas. But in the meantime, here’s a floral bookmark that’s handy for all the springtime gift-giving occasions, such as Mother’s Day, May Day, graduations, and bridal events.

Not Just For Kids

Don’t Worry, Bee Happy!
By Ann Tuner

I have made this project with my students as far back as I remember. The great thing about it is that they never come out the same from one year to the next. This spring, we are going to make bee and dragonfly bar pins for Mothers’ Day. This project is really simple. My daughter and I first made the bees with wire wings, when she was about 7 years old. I did the wirework and she strung the beads. Grandmas, Great Grandmas, Aunts and Teacher were all presented with these cuties before Julia got tired of making them. Continued

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