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Creative Sparks: Just make something!

By Anne Marie March 15, 2023 March 14, 2023 0

Creative sparks are just one part of the overall artistic experience. They are the kindling that lights the fire. But you need to put in the time, and hard work into keep the flame lit. Imagination, learning, patience, time, repetition, and hard work are all critical to the artistic process. I lurked in the Beaded Art Doll Facebook group, for years, before ever making my first doll. Experienced in intuitive bead embroidery on flat surfaces, but not confident enough to try 3-D, I felt guilty, but still watched, wallowed, and absorbed! My creative sparks smoldered for years, then blasted into …

A Bead Muse Muses

Creative Solutions to the Challenges of an Artistic Slump!

By Anne Marie November 9, 2022 November 8, 2022 0

Do you know any creative solutions to the challenges of an artistic slump? Would you be interested in sharing them? There’s nothing to be ashamed of, we all go through it! I’m just digging myself out of one now, so I have a few ideas to share with you. Don’t get tied all up in knots about it, as it’s something that will pass in time. Take advantage of the downtime, then rev up your engine with something that you want to do. It doesn’t matter what, just do it! After obsessing about it for a while, I frequently decide …

A Bead Muse Muses

Jewelry Trends for Winter 2022 – and more!

By Anne Marie October 26, 2022 October 25, 2022 0

I’ve just been reading about Jewelry Trends for Winter 2022, and I admit that I find this time of year quite interesting. Changing seasons = changes in direction, but sometimes the changes are quite radical. Runway fashion is always extreme, but if you look hard enough, you will be able to spot realistic trends, then interpret them into your own jewelry. The Zoe Report indicates a trend to going big, or going home!! Some of those stacked bracelets, will be incredibly hard to wear comfortably, but what if you stacked just a couple? Silver is back (not that I ever stopped …

A Bead Muse Muses

Reaching Back: Far back!

By Anne Marie September 28, 2022 September 27, 2022 2

This is the time of year, that I find myself reaching back, far back, to some of my earlier days of arting. I’ve been creating for a very long time, and it’s a good thing that I’ve always been good at maintaining my photo files. Actually, that was until I had a fatal computer crash, but that was a long time ago, and most of my photos were also saved on another device. Let that be a lesson to us all, backup, backup, backup! Do you want to know how much creating I’ve been doing this week? Not a heck …

A Bead Muse Muses

Wee Bits of Beady Goodness!

By Anne Marie August 24, 2022 August 23, 2022 0

My focus this week, is on wee bits of beady goodness! I’ll start with that, then slide into some other beauties. You know that I can’t stick to just thing, don’t you? Tiny little landscapes, lovingly embraced by metal bezels. Once upon a time, I taught this course, and who knows, I might be persuaded to teach it again. My family of tiny landscapes! Individual shots. Although I would categorize my Embellished Orb (in progress) as larger than “wee”, it’s very bead intensive, and I’m using all sizes of beads (including 15/0’s), buttons, and other goodies. It’s coming close to …

A Bead Muse Muses

A Concrete Solution: Is needed to cement your ideas!

By Anne Marie August 17, 2022 August 16, 2022 0

A concrete solution is a capital idea! I’m afraid that I’ve been slacking off during the summer, so it’s definitely time to cement my fall plans! Let’s start this blog post off with some jewelry that I made out of Artist’s Concrete (purchased at BeadFX, of course). I absolutely love this stuff, because it has a clean industrial look, no smell, and is very easy to work with. I have taught classes for this in the past, and the necklaces in the first photo (and the directions for making them), were published in the Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine in 2019. …

A Bead Muse Muses

Working with Natural Elements!

By Anne Marie July 13, 2022 July 12, 2022 0

Working with natural elements is one of my passions! I forage for free stuff, let my mind roam like crazy, then try to figure out what to do with it all. Sticks, and stones are among my favourites, but for the purposes of this blog post, I will focus on the “stones” part (at least in the first part of the post). I’ll talk about my “sticks” at some time in the future. Years ago, I participated in an international mail swap where we were instructed to stitch, and embellish a fabric covering for a stone, large enough to become …

A Bead Muse Muses

My Life in a Box!

By Anne Marie June 22, 2022 June 21, 2022 0

You might think that I’m a very out-of-the box person, but let me assure you, that my creative life lives in a series of boxes. Of course, I’m not talking about supplies, because that’s an entirely different blog post, which I will get to eventually. I’m terrible at dates, so I could not tell you how old some of these boxes are. Let’s just say that they started around 2007, because that’s as good a date as any. There’s a lot to be said for writing dates on your projects, but I’m bad at that as well, except for some …

A Bead Muse Muses

Rainy Evening Musings – Pondering the possibilities!

By Anne Marie May 4, 2022 May 3, 2022 0

Aren’t rainy evening musings just the best? I get to sit in front of my computer, with the window open, listening to the sound of both heavy rain, and the traffic. It’s very relaxing, and rain softens that which could often be thought of as an irritation. Instead, it’s just white noise to dream, and ponder by! Last Saturday was exciting, because BeadFX held a Trunk Show, to benefit Ukraine. Not to brag, but yours truly snagged some serious loot! It was a blast! There was a definite party atmosphere happening, people were enjoying both the friendly atmosphere, and camaraderie. …

A Bead Muse Muses

What’s a Girl Supposed to Do?

By Anne Marie April 13, 2022 April 12, 2022 0

What’s a Girl Supposed to Do? BeadFX Blog Post – 04/13/22 – Anne Marie Desaulniers What’s a girl supposed to do, when she knows that she should be either beading or stitching, but she’d rather just read a book? My inspiration is definitely lacking, despite my steady progress on the 100 Day Project. I guess it’s just a mild case of the blues, but sometimes creative types just need to rest their brains. I’m definitely in a resting phase, but I know that I will eventually come out of it more energized. A little spring in my step would help, …