This spring I won 2008 Annual Jury for Torpedo Factory Artist and became a member of this well known in Washington Metropolitan Area (and not only) Artist Association. Since June I have shared Studio 5 at the Torpedo Factory Art Center ( Torpedo Factory ).


Nancy Reinke, an artist and printmaker, has been working in Studio 5 for about 30 years, and it looks like a museum. What a cozy place!


I've got not so much room for my jewelry display, but that is my first public-open place, and I feel comfortable here.


In the studio I can work and sell my jewelry, that is what I need.


I'm so impressed and happy! Seems, I love the whole world!

First day in Studio 5

People say that the Bead & Button Show is the most popular bead show in the whole world. And they are right! Students and exhibiters from more than 30 countries came this year to the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a full week of beading, jewelry making, shopping, and talking about beads.

The main event of course was the Bead Dreams exhibit. Works of all finalists were on display in the show’s lobby area. The winners in six categories received award ribbons and the outstanding piece among category winners received a Beast in Show trophy

There were two additional displays this year. One was the Japanese exhibit which presented the top award-winning pieces from the beadwork and jewelry contest held in the Hakone Open-Air Museum. The other one was the Out of the Box exhibit of glass beads.

Bead Dreams 2008 pictures

I made the necklace Autumn Splendor last late fall, when Joan Jensen from TazWood Creations suggested me to try her wood cabochons in my designs. A burl is a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch. Burls yield a very peculiar and highly figured wood. Because the number of trees that produce burl wood is quite low, the wood is scarce. These hand turned by Joan Jensen cherry burl wood cabochons have subtle inlays of turquoise in the burl's natural void.


I was so amazed by these beautiful cabochons, that immediately started designing my "autumny" necklace.


Then I beaded around the cabochons...


...and after that blended two sizes of wooden round beads, six colors of seed beads in three different sizes, as well as bugle beads and dyed cultured pearls. A brass toggle clasp was the perfect closure to this beadwork.


Beautiful TazWood cabochons and Autumn Splendor are shown together in the current issue of Beadwork magazine. The necklace was a finalist in the Wearable Expressions 2008 international contest and was being exhibited by Wearable Expressions in California. Here is the slide show of creating my necklace, and closeups:

Autumn Splendor

The story of the Poppy Field necklace began a few months ago. I wanted to create something springy/summery and bright, even hot. I had a dream to design a collection with beaded flowers, I love poppies and decided to start with beaded poppies. I didn't have the exact plan of my design, I was just thinking on my future creature, and started making poppy petals and putting them together. At that time I didn't have any idea how many of them I would need.


Then I created a lot of green leaves of different shades.


First of all, I decided to check out my color combinations and some design decisions on a bracelet. I woven a base from bugle beads using peyote stitch, and embroidered it with a poppy flower, leaves, small light green teardrop beads, and accent beads.


Next day the bracelet was sold out and a friend of mine asked me to create for her matching earrings and a small necklace with "poppy field" centerpiece, that I created keeping in my mind the bracelet design, just adding fringes made using coral technique.


I had almost all elements of my future necklace ready to put together, but I decided to add poppy buds, and I made them wrapping some of the petals. Here is the full slide show of creating my necklace:

Poppy Field

At the very end of April the winners of "Your Designs Rock!" 2008 Jewelry Design Contest were announced. I'm happy to tell you, that the second year in a row I won the First Place in Glass category (necklace "Mermaid's Garden").


Besides, my another necklace "Egyptian Nights" won Honorable Mention Award in Gemstones and Pearls category. Thank you, Rings and Things!