Ode to Pearls and Gemstones

The Bead Shop in 2008 

Going through old files at year-end, I came across some charming photos of 

The Bead Shop in Palo Alto taken in 2008. I look back with great memories of everything, including the rich and varied assortment of beads; the depth and variety available just 8 years ago is amazing. I think now about how difficult it is today to source real gems and stones and I long for the days when they were still relatively easy to get. 

A look inside the old shop...

Less than ten years ago, I would tell my pearl knotting students to buy pearls as the market was drying up. Really large and luscious pearls from China back then were amazing and a great value. Not so today. Every size is getting difficult to source and amazing pearls in peacock blue and bronze are virtually not being made. 

I can see why the market is moving to glass. It just makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint; glass beads are made from renewable resources, readily available and can be duplicated again and again. Beads from the earth and the oceans and lakes are another thing altogether and it has become a serious consideration in 

what we can source and use in projects.

Our next project to publish in January

So, my first project for the new year is an ode to freshwater pearls. It will publish early in January. It uses my very favorite bead....pearls. What will the next project be? 

Probably something in glass. I hope you like this one...

Stay tuned and happy new year! ~janice

How to Knot Beads and Rock your World...

Knotting a mala or a strand of pearls is within reach. Of all the techniques I have taught over my 30+ years of teaching, pearl knotting is the biggest hurdle for so many. I'm not sure why; I sometimes think it dates back to when we were children playing with our grandmother's jewelry and we came across her knotted pearl necklace. Somehow those knots between each bead seemed so special. And it is, but it isn't difficult. In Learning to Knot a Mala, you can easily learn this technique. It just requires a pair of knotting tweezers and a forgiving thread like Fine-Weight C-Lon. There is some magic to the technique...it happens when you separate the two threads and pull them gently but firmly and the knot slips up next to the bead. That's when eyes would go wide in class; when non-believers would look to me with a new sense of self..."I can knot!" 

I hope you'll try it. The handout is absolutely free. You can locate it at:  http://www.beadshop.com/pages/how-to-knot-a-mala. I'd love to hear how you did and what you knotted. Grandma's Pearls? Stones? Glass? Anything!

Beading is a journey to joy....

At this stage of life, I am learning that happiness is not a destination but a journey. Similar to how it feels stringing beads...finding joy is made up of little snippets of happiness strung together.

Every year at Thanksgiving my family shares what we are grateful for. This year I feel very fortunate for so many reasons: I live in a beautiful place. I love my work and I am so thankful for so many wonderful and special friends, co-workers and family. 

I also want you to know how grateful I am for your support. As a valued customer, fellow artist and jewelry maker, I am overwhelmed by your kind words, thoughtful calls and emails. You are all so patient when we are out of stock or if we ship the wrong item or even leave something out. We always strive for perfect and when we don't hit the mark, you are the best customers ever. You are amazing! So, a big thanks to each of you for allowing us to be part of your journey. I hope we bring you joy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo janice

http://www.beadshop.com/pages/honeycomb-weave

Weave a Honeycomb

Just recently, The Beadsmith introduced its newest 2-hole Czech bead, Honeycomb, in 33 colors. With its signature 6 sides, this bead mimics a beehive pattern. And with two holes, it begs to be woven. When I went to research patterns and designs using this bead, there isn't much out there yet because it's so new. But what was really missing are ladder bracelet designs with them.  And, as we are still the home of wrap bracelets (at least for the time being!), I thought, "Why not?"

It actually became a challenge to ladder Honeycomb beads. It took hours of experimentation to finally arrive at a way to graduate up to enough beads to make a wide, luscious cuff. I went through so many tries until I arrived at the final results.

What makes this project different from previous ladder designs is the manner of weaving using a needle and thread. It is much more like bead weaving than laddering; beads are added only from the right side and the needle and KO weave in a figure 8 or Infinity Stitch. I also added a new style of beginning and ending the macramé. It's a bit of a surprise to start with a longer tail that acts as a macramé cord.  I want to thank Karen Marshall for originally bringing the Infinity Stitch to me as a way to ladder, Savanna Hall for helping with samples and handout editing and Grace Noland for her wonderful photography for all 70 steps. Thank you! I hope you enjoy. ~ janice

Twins, a new project about color

I always like to create a project that is inspired by color; it makes me feel like I'm painting with beads. In our November project, Twins, I looked at two things that are the same but not identical....like two leaves in Autumn or Two Night Skies. In each case, they are related but different. I asked myself...what would it look like to combine them? I am really excited about the results.

Twins is a new, 4 Wrap Ladder project intended for all levels. It uses two techniques: Laddering and Macramé. At the halfway point after Wrap 2, the ingredients change...they are related but vary enough to create a new feeling. In Two Autumns, the stone is Red Creek Jasper and with so much variation, it really looks like leaves turning color.

I hope you enjoy the project and find a sample that inspires you to create. And I'd love to see what you make. Please share your samples with us. You can email photos to info@beadshop.com. And happy beading!

xoxo janice

Having a Creative Day
Earlier this fall, we took time from our rushed schedule of posting projects, filling orders and answering phone calls and spent the afternoon silk painting. I have found getting creative in a different arena can open doorways to new thinking. It's also just fun to do team events that involve something fun and artistic. 

So, in mid-September we asked Joy Lily to come teach us how to silk paint. She is a local Bay Area artist I met in a Zentangling class she taught at the Palo Alto Art Center. I thought a class at the office would be just the thing to help us untangle any knots we had from working so hard. It was great! We had the best time and the results were very satisfying. I don't think any of us are giving up our careers just yet, but it was fun. Here is a video Joy Lily has posted about silk painting. You might find this as fun as we did.

Happy 103 Birthday to Great Grandpa Bob!

Grandpa Bob with Janice, Andrea and Ashley

October 14 is a very special day in our family. It’s my father’s birthday and this year he turns 103. Born in 1912, he has seen the world change dramatically…and as an engineer working full-time until he was 87, he has lived a full life…and still is!

My dad, Robert Teichner, has gone from being “Dad” to “Grandpa” to “Great Grandpa Bob” to our newest addition, Eli who turns three shortly. The two are 100 years apart in age. It’s hard for me to imagine the span of years from 1912 to today. So much has happened in the last one hundred years... 

And looking back at my own childhood, I chuckle at how different my two parents 

Great Grandpa Bob with Eli on the Patio

were and yet their combined personalities and values raised me to be the person I am today.

I want to say, “Thank you, Great Grandpa Bob on your 103rd birthday… for being such a good father and role model for me. I learned gratitude and that life is always worth living at every age and stage.”

xoxo

janice