Makers get into spirit of Ohio State jewelry

Mary Ann Tabler goes to work every day in a room decorated in scarlet and gray.

The wallpaper border has an Ohio State University theme, and pictures of Brutus Buckeye and coach Jim Tressel hang on the wall. The Buckeye theme continues to her work, as she makes Buckeye necklaces, bracelets, earrings, zipper pulls, key chains and more.

Tabler, 57, who is a client of the Licking County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities at the shelter workshop, called LICCO, loves what she does. As a devoted Buckeye fan, she was excited when a new company, Spirit Line Products, was created to fulfill the demand for Buckeye jewelry and to offer adults a new job opportunity.

Tabler made bracelets Tuesday by stringing the clay beads onto fishing line, one by one. The tedious and time-consuming job is something to which Tabler looks forward. She can produce up to 40 per day.

"I get frustrated with the little ones, but it's neat we can make money out of it," Tabler said. "My favorite thing to make is the necklaces, as they are easier to make. They go quicker."

Spirit Line Products grew out of the need for work for some of the clients in the product-support department at LICCO when the factory floor was reorganized about a year ago, said Kyle Miller, chief executive officer of LICCO.

As a way to fill downtime, the workshop specialists often come up with ideas to keep the workers occupied.

"Everyone in this building is a Buckeye fan," Miller said. "It started as fun project for the workers to do, and then people started coming in and asking for them. So we started a new business. This is something that our clients can relate to because they actually get to see the finished product rather than just one part of it."

Workshop specialist Vicki Wilkey created the idea of making the Buckeye necklaces. She collected the nuts and drilled them at home so the clients could string them the next day. Soon people were giving donations for the brown and red jewelry. Within a month, the workshop had enough money to buy a drill press.

It snowballed from there, and now the workers are producing jewelry for area high schools, such as Heath and Lakewood, and for causes such as breast-cancer awareness.

The finished products are displayed on professional-looking block O boards and are individually priced, while some of the smaller items, like earrings, are packaged. Several local businesses, including State Farm and The Grill on 21st Street, have sold products for LICCO.

They no longer are using just Buckeye nuts but also are making their own small clay beads, rolled to look like mini-Buckeyes, so they can make bracelets, zipper pulls and earrings. The workers get paid by the piece, whether they are making the clay beads, drilling Buckeyes or stringing a complete necklace.

Wilkey said this business is perfect for the LICCO workshop, 600 Industrial Parkway, Heath, because people with varying levels of productivity can participate in the project. Some people who might not be able to string the beads can roll the clay, or others who are not able to spell out the words beaded into the jewelry can package the finished product.

"Any one item we sell means that Mary Ann (and others) can make more," Wilkey said. "This job is a blessing. Our folks love working back here. They just want to work. You will not find more dedicated workers than the people we employ here."
Source: newarkadvocate

Need jewelry? She'll hammer it out

Fifteen minutes is all it takes artisan and goldsmith Beth Lee Stern to turn a thin piece of sterling silver wire into an intricate bracelet.

Beth Lee Stern of Monticello shapes and polishes a bracelet she made Wednesday at Farm Technology Days. The three-day event, which is expected to draw about 75,000 visitors, concludes today at Plain View Stock Farm near Albany. Times photo: Brenda Steurer

Stern, of Monticello, amazed onlookers Wednesday in the Arts and Crafts Tent at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days with her jewelry making and fine wire work.

In less than 15 minutes of bending, buffing and polishing, Stern handcrafted a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.

Her showcase displays reveal her talent runs far beyond one demonstration. Stern works with all metals and with natural stone. "Everything," she said, "from diamonds to gravel."

One of Stern's favorite pieces is a bracelet featuring a simple stone she found. After cleaning and polishing it, she was surprised to find that it revealed the famous face in "The Scream," an expressionist painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. She fashioned an etched bracelet around the stone to resemble the painting.

"The Scream" bracelet is part of Stern's line of poetry bracelets. Available in various styles, each has a poem engraved along the inside of the band.

As Stern demonstrated her technique for making wire bracelets, she laughed and talked with people, who had gathered at her booth about her life and her craft.

"I love living in Wisconsin," she told them, as she made a tight loop at one end of the wire using a pair of pliers. "I love living in Monticello."

And then, with her bare hands, Stern coaxes the wire into a series of graceful winds and curves and, sometimes, even a "loop d'loop." She holds it up for them to see and smiles. They catch their breath.

Stern's professional career in jewelry making began 25 years ago, when she was in college, when Bodacious Creations carried her line of jewelry. Now she attends events like Farm Technology Days and competitive art shows.

She does no advertising; her notoriety is by word of mouth only.

"I don't want to be always answering the phone and telling people, 'No, I don't size rings; no I don't change watch batteries,'" Stern said.

Her studio is tucked discreetly behind a hair salon in Monticello. Stern said she likes it that way.

"I don't want to be famous," she said. "I want my kids to know who I am. I want to make enough to pay the bills, but nothing to be wealthy."

Her jewelry, however, has been sold, as Stern likes to put it, "from Alaska to Arizona."

With a small hammer, she pounds the new bracelet against an anvil, shaping it into its final form, comfortable for wearing against any wrist. With a small pliers, she bends the other end of the new bracelet into a hook and shows the viewers how she fashioned the clasp. They look amazed.

The mechanism showed simple elegance. It reflected Stern's philosophy about jewelry and life.

"Jewelry should be used to commemorate something in your life," she said. "It's not to be used for anything but good.

"I've never met anyone who died from a lack of jewelry."

Artist returns to lifelong passion of making jewelry

A chain of events and a lot of faith led Melissa Vaughan on her journey into the world of jewelry making.

Vaughan started her journey early in life. As a child, she painted with her mother and worked with wood with her father. These events would create a foundation for her artistic ventures later on.

Approximately 12 years ago, Vaughan, a new mom, and her husband moved to Vail, Colo., so that he could attend culinary school. While in Vail, she discovered a small bead shop.

“I would go and spend time there,” Vaughan said.

After a year in Colorado, the Vaughan family headed back to Yazoo City. Vaughan took a job teaching at a local elementary school. Even after working all day, she would stay up late designing and creating jewelry.

“It just blossomed from there,” Vaughan said.

“It grew until I had to make a choice between the two.”

Vaughan’s first big showing was at the Canton Flea Market. There, she met a sales representative who would market her jewelry in other cities and states.

Suddenly, Vaughan was in business.

“I was no longer a small cottage industry,” Vaughan said. “I was a manufacturer who needed employees. We would ship things out every day. It became something I had to focus on. I had to stay ahead of the game because fashion is always changing.”

Vaughan soon opened her own boutique in Yazoo City. Named after a statement her grandmother would often make her store — What’s Next — showcased jewelry and other art by Vaughan.

Then, four years ago, the Vaughan family made the decision to move to Natchez. The doors to the boutique closed and the Vaughan family started a new journey in a new town. Relying on her faith in God, she trusted him to show her the correct path to follow. Vaughan briefly returned to teaching elementary school at Cathedral before going back to jewelry making.

“Something called me back to jewelry making,” she said.

With the help of her good friend, Betsy Mosby, Vaughan had a trunk show.

“That opened the doors because people already knew about my jewelry,” Vaughan said.

Although she has not opened a store in Natchez, she works out of the studio beside her home.

“I no longer have to worry about creating the amount of jewelry I had to create before,” Vaughan said.

Along with selling jewelry out of her home, she offers a two-week summer bead camp for kids ages 7-14.

“That has been fun because they are so creative,” Vaughan said.

“I try not to influence them in any way. I just show them what to do, give them the beads and let them be creative.”

This past summer her camp hosted 24 kids.

Vaughan relies on her faith in God to show her the way. Her future, she states, is in his hands.

For now, she is content to continue making jewelry from her home.
Source: natchezdemocrat

Jewelry with a heart of gold

Three bighearted kids are working to "help the world" this summer, 25 cents at a time.

Katelyn Lasser, Karissa Fasano and Amanda Higgins have been turning bucketfuls of beads, string and gimp plastic lace into a way to fight the debilitating diseases they've been touched by.

As they craft and sell their handmade jewelry for change, Karissa's sister, who has mild autism, and Katelyn's grandma, who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, are in the girls' hearts.

"We want to make a difference," said 10-year-old Katelyn.

"And help the world," Amanda, 10, chimed in.

The trio are selling bracelets and anklets for $1, key chains for 50 cents, and braids and twists for a quarter, calling their endeavor, Dollars for Donations.

As of yesterday afternoon, they had collected "85 dollars and 40-something cents," some from donations and some from sales, they said.

The venture started as a business idea last month, blossoming when the girls went philanthropic. They wanted to give back, and, "we had a lot of beads and gimp," said Katelyn, a fifth-grader at Stacy Middle School.

"If it's raining or something then we'd make a lot," she said. "We'd sell them the next day if it's sunny."

The girls have been peddling their jewelry around their neighborhoods, and hope to sell their crafts at each others' school events.

Karissa is a cheerleader with Katelyn, who also does tap dancing and chorus and plays basketball. Amanda is in chorus and plays basketball.

At Katelyn's Northbrook Circle home yesterday, the childhood friends were stringing, sorting and showing off their handiwork.

"I'm very proud," said Katelyn's mom, Gina Pasquarello. "It's their project,"

One of the girls' bead pieces has red stars that spell out, "Glamorous."

A key chain, touting "Peace," was made by Amanda out of blue, pink, red and ivory beads and black gimp.

Others designs are feature the word, "Swim," or "Lion," which is made of black and orange beads.

Some are made of gimp and beads. Others are simply colorful string crafted in the friendship or Chinese staircase styles.

"We're going to probably be doing this for a long time," said 11-year-old Karissa, a Stacy sixth-grader and Jillson Circle resident.

Amanda, a fifth-grader at Milford Catholic Elementary School, brings experience from a similar jewelry-making-for-charity endeavor. She donated "a hundred and three dollars and 65 cents, or something," to Children's Hospital.

"It's actually pretty fun making these," said Amanda, who lives on Eben Street.

The three touted their jeweled creations for having myriad uses.

Take the friendship-style piece Amanda was making out of gold, white, baby blue and magenta string. It's a bracelet, she said. "Or an anklet ... or a key chain ... or a bookmark," the three suggested together. A beaded creation could be a Christmas ornament, Katelyn said, or, "Hang it on the menorah," for Hanukkah, Karissa said.

"You can tape it to a card and say, 'Get well soon,' " she said. "You can make it anything you want."

They are still deciding which organizations to donate the proceeds to.
Source: milforddailynews

Handiwork more than tea cozies

Jewelry making often conjures up an image of middle-aged soccer moms selling crocheted frog earrings at the local senior center craft fair. I would know: I've seen it.

But nowadays handiwork is more than just tea cozies and hemp bracelets. It's a stylish way to accessorize yourself without emptying your pocketbook. After all, the price of one pair of earrings will get you enough beads and hardware to make at least three times that for you and anyone you deem worthy to give them to.

And they look fabulous.

So how does one get into the sometimes tricky art of making jewelry? To find out I talked to jewelry designer Tammy Powley (http://www.tammypowley.com/), from Port St. Lucie, Florida. Powley is the author of several books on jewelry design as well as a few popular beading Web logs, which she updates regularly.

She was also the creative consultant for "Jewelry Making and Beading For Dummies," part of the famous "For Dummies" series we all secretly read.

I was intrigued by a series of accessories she had designed based on characters in some of Jane Austen's famous novels.

"I'm a huge Janeite," Powley said, "so I thought it would be fun to create jewelry around her novels and sort of connect her characters' personalities to the jewelry pieces."

Definitely better than crocheted frogs.

So what exactly is the benefit of making your own jewelry? First of all, you don't need to have mastered biochemistry to start it up.

"It's a hobby where anyone can pick up the basics pretty quickly," Powley said. In fact, she has a series of step-by-step "how-tos" on her Web logs — which made my first attempt a lot easier.

Colleen Evans of Prunedale, who works at Avalon Beads in Salinas, said she loves having unique adornments, which is why she makes almost all her own jewelry.

"You can design whatever you want and nobody else has it," Evans said. "I love that no one's going to have it but me."

It's also about the reward of creating something beautiful. If you're like me and can't draw or sew clothing worth a half-penny, jewelry-making is a great way to express your artistic side. Not to mention be able to make jewelry that perfectly matches your bag and shoes. Ultimate accessorizing!

"It's really a way to incorporate your artwork into the everyday, because you can wear it," Powley said. "A painting you hang on the wall and appreciate, but then at some point you have to leave the room."
Source: thecalifornian

Making Necklaces to Change Lifestyles and Preserve Wildlife

In a bid to help poachers lead greener lifestyles, conservation officials in Zambia have turned to a novel trend in jewelry making — snarewear, in which snares once used for poaching are transformed into handmade necklaces, bracelets and other decorative items.

More than 40,000 former poachers have joined a co-op called Community Markets for Conservation, or Comaco, which allows them to exchange snares for training in organic farming, beekeeping, gardening and carpentry, said Dr. Dale Lewis of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The program has collected more than 40,000 snares since 2002 and grossed more than $350,000 last year; the proceeds are shared by the former poachers and Comaco, Dr. Lewis said.

Source: nytimes

Trash turned to treasures: Inmates create jewelry by using discarded items

Discarded items like candy wrappers, potato chip bags and grocery sacks are commonly used by inmates to create jail house jewelry. Pieces of a grocery sack are tied to something in the prisoner’s cell and stretched. The stick from a corny dog is tied to the other end and the stretched plastic is twisted and twisted until it becomes a strong enough strand to braid, knot and weave. Brightly hued bits of packaging from sweets and junk food purchased in the jail commissary are interwoven to add flash and color. For some, it brings to mind the old adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” The quality of the creation depends largely on the skill of the artist. Some have more time to spend on their designs than others.

“I use square knots on mine,” said one inmate who sat waiting in court for a hearing. “Mine are kinda crude but some of these guys can really do amazing things. They spend hours on them.” Time is something inmates at the Miller County Correctional Facility often have plenty of. “They have made me flowers,” said Sheriff Linda Rambo. “I’ve gotten a ring, too.”

Rambo says the inmate who presented her with the flowers fashioned them from trash and gave them their color by meticulously scraping the lead from colored pencils to use as dye. A man in street clothes sitting in court last week had two crosses hanging from his neck. He said they were given to him during a brief stay behind bars. “People are always asking me about them,” said the man, who mentioned the crosses bear special significance because they were created by hand and are one-of-a-kind. Rambo says the crafting of the religious symbols and other items by inmates makes them feel productive in a setting where depression can overcome the mind.

“What else have they got to do,” she said. “I can’t let them wear metal crosses because of security issues.” Many inmates say they “find God” while incarcerated. Feelings of loss, isolation and a need for redemption are likely at the root of the jail residents’ increased spirituality, according to many Websites addressing the subject. “This is going to be so hard on my family, especially my daughter,” said the square-knot cross-wearing inmate. “I just got five years but I’m still positive because of the Lord.”
Source: texarkanagazette

Making jewelry has become popular pastime

Volleyballs and Frisbees may be the go-to accessories for summer on the beach, but Jean Suleski prefers beads, wire and metal fasteners.

Suleski is the owner of Point Pleasant Beach's Bead Dazzle, one of several beading stores that dot the Jersey Shore. Stores like Suleski's, whose shop opened in January, do more than just sell beads — they also offer classes and party packages that allow even beginners to tap into the growing trend of do-it-yourself jewelry.

And here you thought beading was just a rainy day activity.

Suleski, whose store is at 1213 Beaver Dam Road, started out like any beginner five years ago. From the basics — stringing, single-strand necklaces — she moved on to more complicated projects, such as chandelier earrings and chain maille pieces.

Suleski's store passes that knowledge on to new beaders through workshops. The store offers several each month, with titles ranging from Colorful Coil Bracelet to Free-form Hieroglyphic Charm Necklace. Each class costs $35 and lasts three hours.

Classes can be scheduled by stopping at the store or by calling (732) 295-6679. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays to Fridays, and hosts many classes in the evenings. People taking classes can bring their own beads or purchase them from the store at a 20 percent discount.

"Someone who's never even touched a bead or a wire before could definitely (do it)," Suleski said. "It's so much easier if you're actually physically shown how to do this stuff."

Jean Keil's store, Blue Water Beads at 108A Main St. in Manasquan, also offers classes that teach beading design and texture basics. Keil said that a beginner could make a pair of earrings for as little as $2 or $3 and a necklace for as little as $10.

"It really depends on your taste and your budget and what you want to do," she said.

Keil's store is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Classes, which cost about $35 and run three hours, can be scheduled by calling (732) 292-2992. A schedule is available at http://www.blue-water-beads.com/ on the Web.

It's also possible to get started on your own.

Sam Cooper owns the Holmdel-based Bead Giant, a Web site that provides supplies to beaders around the world. Because beading classes can be expensive, Cooper said another good way to get started is through using patterns like those available at http://www.beadgiant.com/ on the Web.

The site used to be mainly a wholesaler, but now it gets 90 percent of its business from individual beaders, Cooper said, noting that many of them even start businesses of their own, selling their finished jewelry at craft shows.

Once beaders learn a pattern, "they can go on from there and put their own spin on it," Cooper added.

Cooper said that thousands of different varieties of beads are available, meaning that every piece of jewelry has the potential to be unique. And that may be part of the hobby's appeal.

"You make something beautiful," Suleski said. "Let's be honest, most women love beautiful, sparkly colors."

Plus, "there's a feel-good factor," Cooper said, noting that beading can be therapeutic.

Not to mention endlessly rejuvenating.

"If you make something and you're not happy with it, you can cut it up and reuse the beads," Cooper said.

Suleski added that another perk of beading is that it can be done anywhere, any time.

"Beading can even be done on the beach," she said.