|
SPOTLIGHT ON ... ARTICLE
July 2010
Art with Heart
Written by:
Lina M. Gomez
I never knew there were beaders. I always assumed that beaded jewelry was mass produced through the direction of different designers. I have always considered myself a crafty person growing up but it wasn't until 3 years ago, my perception changed. I have figured out a way to include beads to my world. It all began when a close friend decided to give my daughter a beginner's beading class for her birthday...she was 12.
When I got there to drop her off, I was told that because of her young age, an adult had to be with her so I figured what the heck...I might as well take the class and four hours later, I was pulled into the world of beads. After that first class, I was hooked and immediately signed up for another class which was weaving. This was my first bracelet. It didn't look that great to me but I impressed that I was able to even do it and before I knew it, I had made another one using Swarovski pearls instead of Swarovski crystals.
I then decided I would take a components class which was introduction to wirework. I learned to make rosary turns, eye pins, head pins, loops, different wraps and how to twist and turn wire. I also learned to wrap stones and create bails using wire. I thought to myself that this was more gratifying than weaving because it was quick but after making several pieces, I found that my fingers tend to hurt quite a bit afterwards so I figured I would stick to the beginnings unless there was something I really wanted to make.
 |
 |
I started browsing the internet and found that there were hundreds of thousands of patterns to create pieces with and began downloading them. I saw that most, if not all of the instructions were actually pretty easy to read and follow. Being that I have a knack for following directions, I started teaching myself techniques such as peyote, herringbone, RAW, etc and decided, I would never take a class again. 3 years later after practice, patience and observation, I have been able to look at just about any piece and recreate it and changing it to add a more of me. I am more into elegant and Renaissance pieces than the more modern pieces. I am also very much drawn to Kumihimo, a Japanese braiding technique made of cord used by the Samurai to decorate their armor and their horses. Because of the simplicity of the technique, the possibilities in your creations are endless. If you look at these two bracelets, the technique is exactly the same but by adding different stones or beads, they take on a totally different look.
 |
 |
I find that I am always looking at jewelry at stores on television shows and on other people and draw inspiration from that and have taken that inspiration into teaching others and helping others through Art With Heart.
Art with Heart is a beading for charity competition where 10% of the proceeds of all kits sold go to various charities including The American Heart Association, Make A Wish Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation, St. Jude's Research and the American Diabetes Association and many others. All donations are made in the name of Beads-n-Blessings, our sponsors and all our participants.
Thinking of all the tragedies in the world today, especially with our children, and wanting to help out, with the blessings of a lot of my beading friends and family, I came up with an idea to help those in need in Art with Heart, Beading for Charity. However, I wanted this competition to be interesting for all beaders from beginners to the most experienced. Because I am a part of many beading forums and reading all the different posts about competitions, I found that many have entered contests but have felt frustrated and intimidated by the types of pieces that were chosen as winners and feeling that they would never win. Keeping their interests in mind, I decided to combine our love of making that "everyday" piece, to those artistic pieces and helping those in need. Art with Heart was created for that purpose. I wanted a contest that not only defined the type of jewelry that I make and wear, but that also included the many different types of beaders who string or weave or wire wrap to those who loom. I envisioned seeing these pieces being worn by everyday people but being made with a purpose.
 |
 |
Thanks to the help and donations of prizes of all my sponsors including the Soft Flex Company, and three very special people...you know who you are, Art with Heart Cycle 1 was a huge success. We started with 25 kits and with one mention by my sponsors and my special people, over 40 kits were sold in one day bringing more than 800 hits to Beads-n-Blessings , the home of Art with Heart. $105.00 was donated to St. Jude Research Hospital. Some of our sponsors even sold out of listed items of the kit included on our website. Our first cycle of competition ends June 4 and BNB will be posting pictures of all pieces for viewer votes and we are now taking pre-orders for Cycle 2 of Art with Heart. We are hoping to double the amount for our next charity and hope that soon, we will be able to send them thousands of dollars and not hundreds. A little goes a long way and with a little help, I know we can make a difference. |
