Featured Designer - Me!

Look at what I made!!!!

Never before have I had the courage to try my hand at seed beads, but at the Bead Parlor I just couldn't resist. While I was there for my Trunk Show, Carol Butler gave me an excellent private lesson and I am hooked. The bracelet is made using size 8/0 copper seed beads and one of my tree pendants - both available at the Bead Parlor. If you can't get to the Bead Parlor you can get the beads here, and the pendant here.


My next adventure into using metal seed beads will probably include some small crystals for texture and yet another one of my pendants with 4 holes. Stay tuned...............

Also, a quick note to show off new pendants available at Ornamentea.com:



Thanks for stopping by,

Elaine

Back Home in North Carolina

As you may know I was at the Bead Parlor this last weekend in Bloomington Illinois. Wow, I had forgotten just how much colder it is in central Illinois than here in central NC. In beautiful downtown Bloomington you need to repark your car every 90 minutes to avoid a parking ticket. My first trip outside I figured I'd just dash about - not bothering to put my coat on - opps! I defiantly had my coat zipped up tightly on my next trip out.

It was a great trip - I had the opportunity to meet many people who shop at and teach classes at The Bead Parlor. Everyone is super friendly and has enough enthusiasm about beading that one can't help but catch the fever! If you have never been there, get your coat and get going!

Here are a couple of pictures of my Trunk Show set up using Shelley's wonderful wooden props:



And here is a picture of the display Shelley has of my beads at all times at the Bead Parlor. I just love the way the wood and clay beads go together - I'm in love with that look.


Early in the day on Friday the very talented Carol Butler whipped together these earrings, using my flat bead circles and Vintaj findings found right there at The Bead Parlor. It was fun for me to watch Carol's creation evolve. She experimented with different jump rings and crystals and the result is stunning!


Also, this necklace is on display. Once again, I am loving the mix of metal and clay.



Stay tuned - I'll soon post pictures of a bracelet I made while there featuring these metal seed beads. Thanks for stopping by and say Hi to everyone at The Bead Parlor on your next trip.

Featured Designer - Lorelei

At Lorelei's blog Inside the Studio today you can get a glimpse of glory! Her new bracelet, One Tree Hill, features on of my tree pendants. It is lovely - Thank you Lorelei for giving that tree such a beautiful place to live.

If you'd like to see additional trees, peace pendants and more, stop by The Bead Parlor in Bloomington, IL this Friday and Saturday. This is my first out-of-state adventure for a trunk show and I am a bit nervous. In the landscape and on the soil of Illinois is where I grew up, the place where I learned to love clay. As a way to say thanks, I feel a need to present an extra beautiful spread of beads and pendants. Here is a sampling of what I have to offer:



Hope to see you there!

Featured Designer - Chelsea Girl Designs

Julie, of Chelsea Girl Designs, sent me these lovely pictures that I really want to share with you. I love the way Julie compliments the shape of my beads and pendants with accents from other components. Soooooo, here is some morning eye candy for you:










If you are interested in purchasing any of these beauties, or would like to commission your own idea, please contact Julie at: ChelseaGirlUSA "at" aol.com Remember to use the @ symbol in place of the word "at". (Just trying to keep her spam level down.)

Thanks for looking!

- Elaine

A trunk show in Bloomington, IL !!!!!

Hip Hip Hooray!!! It is finally going to happen!!!! I have dreamed of having a trunk show in this lovely bead store along the renovated streets of Bloomington, IL for quite a while now. Shelley Nybakke, owner of The Bead Parlor, offered this opportunity to me long ago, but I am only now able to work it into my schedule. As many of you may know, I was born and raised in rural Illinois not to far from Bloomington so this is really a special trip for me. To get to meet Shelley's customers, who have been long time supporters of Elaine Ray beads, will be great fun and I'll get to soak in the essence of another fine bead shop.

Date: Friday November 21st, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday November 22nd, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Where: The Bead Parlor
318 N Main St
Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 827 - 7708

Here is a sampling of what I'll bring with me - if you'd like more ideas, browse previous posts here on the blog. Feel free to post comments indicating what type of beads and pendants you'd like me to bring along with me to The Bead Parlor. Hope to see you there!

- Elaine Ray

Featured Designer - Monkeyshines

Woot Woot! Take a look at this steamy piece of jewelry by Jen of Monkeyshines.........



Jen has a complete line of Steampunk jewelry - so if you are doing some shopping for the techies or lovers of all things mechanical in your life, take a look here to get some fantastic pieces.

Jen also carries creates jewelry of many other themes - one that tugs at my heart is her Mother's Pendant. So true and so wonderful.........



If you would like to try your own hand at using an Elaine Ray bezel - here is your chance. They are now available in store at Ornamentea in Raleigh, NC, at the Bead Parlor in Bloomington, IL. and online with Ornamentea. Give one a try and send me a picture - I'd love to have you as my next Featured Designer!

Thanks again to Jen,
Elaine

Its a Dark and Stormy Night

This month at the Art Bead Scene you have a chance to win big! This month's challenge is A Dark and Stormy Night and the prize is a beautiful tree pendant from Gabriel Studios, which is paired with theses beads by me! Take a look here at the rules and regs then be sure to enter by October 31st.

If you are looking for inspiration for some stormy designs visit one of the great bead shops listed on the right hand side of this blog or with complete self promotion I present you with these suggestions from my line offered by Ornamentea:

How about this Bronzy Old Heart to set the mood for that stormy ride?

Or this Textured Toggle - a good way to stay connected even if the power goes out!

If your looking for a bit more color, try these Hour Glass Drops. Time to get moving - go out there and get creative!

I've been checking the entries - there are some beauties! Hope to see you there!

- Elaine

Its a Meet Up!

Jen, from Monkeyshines, is organizing a Raleigh Jewelry Making Meetup for Saturday, October 4th. It will happen at Ornamentea (during my trunk show) at 11:00 a.m. They then plan to head across the street to check out the Purple Armchair, then go out to lunch. This is soooo exciting for me. I am honored that Jen organized this to give us all a chance to meet and say Hello - Thanks Jen!

Trunk Show October 3rd and 4th!

Good news: Ornamentea has added a class on Friday, October 3rd, the first night of my trunk show. Cynthia will be teaching Working with Waxed Linen. The class is just $10 and they will provide the waxed linen. Above you can see an example the Cynthia made in the past with a tree pendant and several assorted beads. You can learn a few knots, come shop at my trunk show, and then do a little "ta da" and show me your finished project!

Hope to see you there!

- Elaine

Featured Designer: Lorelei

Take a look at Lorelei's blog Inside the Studio today. Lorelei treats us with new, beautiful pieces and as always - she makes me look sooooo good. Then click on to Lorelei's etsy shop and get a head start on your holiday shopping. I bet there is someone you love who needs a new piece of art to wear. They'd look great donning one of these with all the lovely fall colors.

Thanks Lorelei!

Bead Box

Now you can buy Elaine Ray beads and pendants at the Bead Box in Boone, North Carolina. The Bead Box sits right in the heart of historic downtown Boone at 585 W. King St. and has been a vital part of that area since 1995. In 2005 "Greatful Grounds" was added so now you can shop for beads and get a great cup of coffee to give you all the inspiration needed to create a personalized piece of art. What more could you ask for while visiting the beautiful mountains of eastern North Carolina?!?

A Trunk Show!

I'd like to invite you to my Trunk Show at Ornamentea in Raleigh, NC on Friday October 3rd and Saturday October 4th. This is always a great time for me to get out of my garage and meet people. There is always so much creative energy bouncing around ... I enjoy trying to catch it all and bring that energy home to put into new projects.

Especially dear to my heart is when people wear or bring in finished pieces of jewelry to show me. There is soooo much talent out there, it just makes my heart go aflutter.

If you have any pictures of pieces you'd like to share with the on-line world, send me a picture to: Elaineraybeads at gmail with your name (and web link if you have one) and I'll post them all here as I move along to show day.

Thanks!

- Elaine Ray

I leave you with one of my favorite pictures. It demonstrates the beautiful difference that can be achieved by applying the same glaze to two different clays.

New item: Hourglass drops

Summer is flying by here in North Carolina and already it feels like we need to at least start to get ready for the next school year. I've been busy in the clay as you can see here on Cynthia's Shiny Little Things Blog.

Here is a peek at new items soon to be available at Ornamentea.com :

Can't you just see the sand flowing through the hourglass? Sometimes I wish I could stop the sand and make time stand still and sometimes I wish I could tap on the side of the glass and make that moment go on to the next a little bit faster.

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Get out there and get some sun - remember, the vitamin D is good for your bones!

- Elaine

Bead and Button show 2008

I'm going to be at the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!!!!! Well, not me actually - but some of my beads and pendants will be there! Shelley Nybakke, owner of the Bead Parlor in Bloomington, Illinois, has a beautiful variety of beads, pendants and toggles in her booth, right along side of her lovely heavy metal seed beads. In my opinion, the organic look of the metal along with my clay and glazes would be a stunning combination. I can't wait to see pictures of her booth.....



Make sure and visit Shelley in booth # 938 - she is super friendly and a great beading resource. Have a great time in Milwaukee and good bead shopping to all of you!



- Elaine

Simply Beads

It is a great month for me on the news stand - this time my beads are having a swimmingly good time on the cover of Simply Beads. Heather Powers of Humble Beads designed a lovely necklace named "Siren's Song" that is featured right here on the cover:




Can you see my beads? They are the rockish shaped cubes. You can see a close up of the beads and even purchase a few here: Rusty Blue Steel, 7 mm.

Thank you Heather for this great opportunity! I'm proud to be part of your beautiful project....

- Elaine

Beads 2008

I'm one the cover of Beads 2008! Yea!!!! - I am sooo excited. Ornamentea submitted the heart connectors - so I want to give them a big THANKS! Can you see them - right there above the word "events", which is appropriate since this is quite an event for me!




Check out page 17 for another view of the heart connectors along with a pair of ceramic cones. These are featured on the page for "organic" looks - couldn't fit me better! Then as an added surprise, on page 68 Elizabeth Murry's "Secrets Revealed" incorporates 3 almond beads and a charm made with my very own hands.

Can you tell I am thrilled! Thank you soooo much Elizabeth - if you find your way to this blog please leave me a comment or some way I can contact you to pass a personal thanks on to you!

Here are some ideas to try with the Heart Connectors:

Above and below: Linky Love as featured at the Art Bead Scene.

Earrings with made as a collaboration with Cindy Gimbrone and Beverly Herman:

A pair of Swinging Earrings as seen at the Art Bead Scene:

My first magazine submission as seen in Stringing:

You can find the Heart Connectors at Ornamentea.com or check with the bead stores listed at the upper right hand side of this blog for availability.

Thanks again to everyone out there that helps to make my creations look so good - I couldn't keep in the business without you.....

- Elaine

Featured Designer: Ishita Ghosh

Ishita Ghosh was featured at The Art Bead Scene last month - take a look at these beautiful earring she has made. I love the way the accent beads highlight the color of the clay at the top of the cones. This is one of my favorite glazes - Golden Earth Cascade. What a perfect way to celebrate Earth Day!



Thanks for stopping by,

Elaine

Beads by Blanche

Hi - Some great news:

Beads by Blanche in Bergenfield, NJ has just started to carry Elaine Ray beads and pendants. I'm excited to have moved into another state! They are located at 106 North Washington Avenue in Bergenfield. If you are in the area, make sure to stop by and take a look. Here is some of what you may see:



Thanks for stopping by,

Elaine

Collaboration Day!

Ta Da! Finally, you get to take a look!

Here are the final results of my collaboration with The Lampwork Diva (aka Cindy Gimbrone) and Beverly Herman who creates "Accents for your Attire".

This was a great challenge for me.... because there were so many wonderful beads to work with, it was difficult for me to give each bead the spotlight it deserved. So after many, many design attempts I decided to create a set, spreading out the visual impact. Enjoy this bit of eye candy and remember to stop by Cindy's and Beverly's blogs to see their creations from this fun collaboration.





If you have a link to any collaborations you participated in, please leave a link with your comment. Thanks!

Beading Collaboration Sneak Peek....

I have been working on a collaboration with lampwork bead artist Cindy Gimbrone and jewelry designer Beverly Herman. Today I give you a sneak peek - tomorrow the whole thing.


Make sure to stop back by tomorrow - I'll see you then!

- Elaine

Studio Saturdays at the Art Bead Scene

I'm on today for Studio Saturday at ABS. Come on over and take a look at some of my new collar pieces. Leave a comment on that post and be entered to win this:


You don't need your own blog to enter, just leave a comment with your name, then check back next Saturday at The Art Bead Scene to see if you have won. Good luck and Thanks for stopping by!

What's New

I'm busy getting ready for my Trunk Show at Ornamentea on March 6th and 7th. Here is a sneak preview of some of the new items:

I'll have a variety of these type of collars, some with 3 pieces all the way up to ones with 7 pieces. This stunning bracelet made by Ndidi was my inspiration for the collars. Clicking on this picture will take you to another page. Then click on the same photo again for even more awe inspiring visuals.

Next, take a look at the pieces below, still in their greenware stage. They were made and designed by a great friend: Jane MacGregor Hamilton Mormino (I just call her Jane). Jane has been spending one afternoon a week with me in my chilly garage, playing in the clay. If has been great fun - and quite productive - to discuss design ideas. Look for these a variation of these steampunk looking portholes at the trunk show also. They will be dressed in dark brown clay with bright brass buttons.

Looking forward to seeing you there!