Amethyst gem in jewelry
Artists of Freelance Artisans
Featured artist - Paul Evans
International Women's Day
Artwork by Natalia Bessonova
Step by step - Violet Flowers
March upcoming events
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February, 2009
From MyLovelyBeads.com TeamWe have already left Valentine's Day behind us, and we are looking forward to Spring! In this issue of MyLovelyBeads.com newsletter: info@mylovelybeads.com.Best regards,
MyLovelyBeads.com Team |
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Amethyst gem in jewelryIn our February, 2008 issue we told you the legend on February birthstone amethyst. Various shades of the color purple (especially deep purple) serve as a symbol for royalty. Amethyst has been known since ancient time to adorn the crowns, rings, collars, bracelets, necklaces, hairpieces, earrings, staffs, thrones and other items belonging to powerful monarchs. Its calming qualities have enabled it to be related to the soothing effects it has over those who suffer from addictions. As a stone of great healing and meditative powers, amethyst is a purifier and dictator of energies of the mind body and spirit. When buying a piece of amethyst jewelry, look at the color and the clarity of the gemstone. A high quality amethyst is colorful, bright, and transparent. They are available in many shapes and sizes. Amethysts are relatively hard stones, but always protect them from scratches and hits. Clean amethysts with warm, soapy water and a soft brush or an ultrasonic cleaner. Amethyst can become paler if it is out in the sun or under heat. Keep amethyst jewelry in a fabric-lined box and to keep other pieces from scratching it. With these tips, your amethyst should last you for many years.
Jewelry in amethyst by Albina Polyanskaya
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Artists of Freelance ArtisansSince ancient times jewelry has been worn adorning people. Women love to wear jewelry, which is a known fact around the globe. Woman and jewelry are made for each other. Various jewelry pieces allow every woman to create a new image and change it from time to time emphasizing her individuality and singularity, after what; actually, a human being has been straining all his life long. Jewelry is a key image element and can say a lot about your personality. We judge a person first by his look, so the jewelry helps us to figure out the initial impression about a person, and thus, essentially affect our mental picture about him in general. "A good dress is a card of invitation" or "Clothes count for first impressions" - and first impressions are half the battle! Avant-garde jewelry, and handcrafted seed beaded jewelry beyond dispute belongs to that category, makes woman forget any standards and open up opportunities for brave experiments with her outfit. The classical jewelry never goes out of style. The classics let a woman look smart and elegant in the every day life. As for the high life parties, people usually visit to "shine", women wearing ingenious and extraordinary jewelry around their neck immediately "stand out in the herd". Individually designed, shiny and sparkly seed beaded necklaces, bracelets and other accessories with crystals and gemstones are attention grabber. A woman drawing lots of attention starts getting more beautiful. And when a woman feels like a beauty, the surrounding is getting more colorful and brighter, the sounds - more melodic and the men - more gallant! In the light of my foreword I'd like you to initiate into creative beadwork of the "Freelance Artisans", a group of talented Russian jewelry designers working with seed beads and gemstones, Galina Grebenschikova, Svetlana Serebryakova, Galina Borovaya, Olga Vetrova, Natalia Berezovskaya and Galina Barel, who have recently started a non-profit partnership to promote haute couture beaded jewelry, form delicate taste, style and fashion trend at Russian beaded jewelry market. The second important goal of their partnership is to create a collection of exclusive jewelry for the customers of all sorts and ages, as well. Why did they call themselves "Freelance Artisans"? Svetlana Serebryakova, an executive secretary of the fellowship answers this question as follows: "Because creativeness is always meant to be free and independent. If you stop the outflow of a stream, soon the last turns into a musty-muddy pond. When yoke turns down other work to make an artist available. Seed beads are wonderful material; nicely matching stones, leather, metal, shells... we can put much more items into the list. Beadwork doesn't know limits and allows any forms and shapes. That's why, we are creating, experimenting and perpetrating." Galina Grebenschikova doesn't agree when people call her a beadworker. "It's not quite true!" she develops her thought further. "In fact, we just use seed beads as wonderful material for bezeling gemstone cabochons, mother-of-pearls, pearls, and amber, wood and bone cabs. Sometimes there are only a few seed beads used in our jewelry pieces." "Freelance Artisans" make jewelry using different beading techniques and stitches, but free form is dominating. If there is no known suitable method to reach the goal, they just invent something new on their own. |
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Featured artist
Paul Phillip Evans, a fashion designer and an art embroiderer, was born in Lima, Peru. His grandparents were Australian and Spanish and moved to Peru in the early twenties. Since he was very little he was attracted to art and design. He says, that he still remembers drawing spaceships and diamonds at the age of seven. After Paul had finished high school, his mother supported his taste for arts, so he started attending an art school where he learned the basics of fine arts. Some time later Paul moved to another art school looking for something new and was there to learn to draw the human body which definitely led him to design clothes. At that time, when fashion design was actually new in Paul's country, he started fashion studies at the very first fashion school in Peru. In his quest for style, Paul decided it was time to leave for a new more fashionable destination. So, in the early nineties he traveled to France where he discovered the richness and fabulosity of Haute Couture. Paul worked for a while in a fashion trend house in Paris but a little time later he discovered embroidery. A new world appeared in front of Paul's eyes; a world of crystal beads, silk ribbons and gold threads. This encounter once more changed his path in fashion, taking him to Lesage Art Embroidery School; a light gray and cream white velveted "ambiance" where Paul spent much of his time for almost a year. Not being satisfied, he started attending a professional school devoted to several artisanal disciplines where he continued learning even more techniques and rudiments of this ancestral and noble art.
The full article on fashion design and art embroidery by Paul Phillip Evans
If you don't see the video please click here: Paul Phillip Evans - Madrid
Email: paulphillipevans@gmail.com
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International Women's Day
In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavor, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner. The day is an official holiday in Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Georgia, Italy, Israel, Laos, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia, and is observed by men giving the women in their lives - mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters, colleagues, etc., flowers and small gifts. In some countries (such as Romania) it is also observed as an equivalent of Mother's Day, where children also give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers. Today many events are held by women's groups around the world (some that even close off libraries to men). The global women's organization Aurora hosts a free worldwide register of IWD local events so that women and the media can locate local activity. Many governments and organizations around the world support IWD. For example, HSBC hosts a range of IWD activity including co-hosting of the United Kingdom's flagship IWD event with women's group Aurora. Global interest in IWD shows a steady increase. Happy holiday, dear friends! |
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Beading from a hobby to craft to art
Natalia Bessonova features beadwork as art. She believes, that beading itself can be a really nice hobby for everyone, who wants to create something with his hands materializing fantasies generated in his mind to bring abstraction nuances into a three-dimensional substance. Where is that precise border between craft and art? She is not good at disputing this question. One thing she knows exactly, these borders are crossed when a beadworker gives his best shot for visualization of his imagination, when she or he creates not just a pendant or a necklace, but puts some idea into effect. Beading affects all ages. Natalia has tried it herself. She first started beading, when she was over forty. The decision to quit the job after an operation to to recharge energies resulted looking for a hobby able to take up her every spare moment. She used to paint after having done a 2-year course of graphic arts. People said she did it rather well. So she got a new opportunity to reanimate her creative life style. She is making beaded jewelry like those she has always worn, which emphasize age elegance and youth vivacity, which reflect woman's individual taste. But she'd like to try something else besides beaded neck pieces. She comes from Zaraisk, an ancient town located near Moscow. Zaraisk is famous for its back-to-basics lifestyle and non-lush, but exceptionally lyrical landscape typical of the middle belt of Russia. Although Natalia has lived in Moscow more than 40 years, the fellowship of the Nature is an important integral part of life for all her family. She adores birch trees. Her favourite flowers are chamomiles, she is never tired to create with beads and insert into her necklaces. Distinctive Russian culture and nature are Natalia's inspiration recourses waking up her rich imagination. Natalia is full of hope that her hobby is slowly turning into art. Nowadays a hobbyist - later a master! It is possible to reach only developing beading skills slowly, continuously and regularly. From project to project Natalia is discovering new methods and techniques getting inspiration from beading books and magazines and reputable masters, as well.
Beadwork gallery by Natalia Bessonova
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Step by step - Violet FlowersThe birth month flower of February is violet, and some people guess: is the rose the traditional flower of Valentine's Day, or is it the violet? As the legend of St. Valentine goes, this Christian priest used the ink made from crushed violet blossoms that grew outside his prison cell to write notes of love and friendship. He wrote these words on violet leaves. These notes were delivered via the elegant bird of love, the dove. Violets were once the most popular flower on Valentine's Day; however, roses are an enduring symbol of deep love. Violets represent faithfulness and "I return your love", it is thought that to dream of violets predicts advancement in life. As love needs clean, clear air to flourish, so does the violet. Some interesting facts on violets: this flower shows its esteem as the state floral emblem of Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Illinois and New Jersey; during the Napoleonic era when Napoleon was exiled to Elba he used a code name of Caporal Violette. To continue our talk about violets, we would like to suggest to those who does some beadwork the tutorial of Victoria Katamashvili:
How to make Violet Flowers
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Upcoming events
March 13, 14, 15, 2009 Juried Fine Art & Craft Festivals since 1976. Find the unique handcrafted artwork of thousands of American Artists! Decorative creations for home & garden, exceptional fine art & designer crafts! |
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