The Handmaidens show

If you are around Raleigh, NC this weekend be sure to check in on The Handmaidens show on Oberlin Road near Cameron Village. This a group of local women who make hip crafts. It will be a great place to pick up a unique graduation gift for just about anyone on your list. Or treat yourself to a gift. The sight of all their handmade, marvelous goodies is worth the trip by itself!

Say Hi to them for me - that will be one big pool of talent there!

- Elaine

Trunk Show

Hi everyone - just a quick reminder that I'll be having a trunk show at Ornamentea this weekend on Friday 10 am - 9 pm and Saturday 10 am - 5 pm. (May 4th and 5th) If you come by, make sure and let me know if you have seen this blog - I'd love to hear from you...

Here is a message from Cynthia's weekly newsletter:

Friday at Ornamentea is First Friday. We’ll have a trunk show by the fabulous Elaine Ray with her handmade ceramic beads AND you can come and make a free pair of beaded bobby pins from 6:00-8:00. You know, we are open every Friday night till 9:00 at Ornamentea but we only have the free projects on First Friday. Every other Friday we usually have few folks hanging out at the work table, drinking boxed wine and beading, but this week we’ll have the free project. See you then.

Saturday at Ornamentea I am teaching a class on Teaching Your Craft. Many artists and craftspeople teach to supplement their income and there are ways to make it easier. Call 834-6260 to register for this class.

Did you catch that part about making a free pair of beaded bobby pins? How cool is that!?!

See you there!

Sherri Mains

Well - it is always fun to search my own name and look at what I found on Flickr.



Aren't these remarkable! I love the way Sherri Mains has used chain to highlight the brown clay color. This is always a great combination. Make sure to take a look at Sherri's etsy shop for more lovely ideas.

For those of you around the Raleigh, NC area, Sherri has items at SuzAnna's Antiques.

Feel free to send me any pictures you have that you'd like to share! Send them to: ElaineRayBeads at gmail.com

New Item!

Cyndi's comment yesterday about the "Tangles with all the angles" was my inspiration for naming this new line of pendants. As they came out of the kiln yesterday I was searching for a name for them - so now I will call them "Angles". Gives me plenty of wiggle room to vary the shapes and angles while at the same time giving them a linguistic attachment to my "Tangle" pieces - which lead me on the path to these.

Thanks Cyndi for your poetic comment!

Fresh from the Kiln

My heart still skips a beat each time I take the first look after firing my kiln. Here is today's offering:





















Many of these are heading out to The Bead Parlor in Bloomington IL. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood!

Featured Designer: Emily Violette

Emily Violette takes an inovative approach to her work. Each piece is a work of art in its own right. I love all how all the strands direct my eye from place to place, leading me on a journey around the whole picture. I bet these pieces look tantalizing from the back also!




Look at the various ways this necklace can be worn. You could change configuration to go with almost any outfit or neck size.






Here Emily used an interesting closure. You may need to enlarge the picture to see the details, but it looks like a great way to display any of your favorite art beads or pendants. Ornamentea has this pendant in their online shop.








Thank you Emily for sharing these beauties with us!

- Elaine

Mark Your Calendar

Mark your calender for May 4th and 5th. I'll be having a trunk show at Ornamentea in Raleigh, NC. One of my favorite pieces that I plan to have plenty of is my Tangle shown here finished with a complimentary cone set:

I'll see you there! - Elaine

Monthly challenge at ABS

Have you seen the first of the Art Bead Scene Challenge!?! Each month we will pick a theme, and then you create finished jewelry or other lovelies such as personal adornments, home decor items or other crafty stuff using art beads. Individual beads do not qualify...they need to be made into something else. We'll pick a winner randomly from the qualifying entries. This month's theme is Taking Flight so let your imagination fly!
Read all the details here: ABS Challenge.

To celebrate this first challenge we are giving away all these beauties. As you can see, my donations are in the upper left corner.

I'll be looking for your entries!