Craft & Hobby Association Mega Show 2015 part 2
Time for my Craft & Hobby Association Mega Show 2015 recap, part 2! My last Post about this year’s winter Craft and Hobby Association Mega Show was mostly about Amazing Casting Products/Alumilite Corp., my samples and demos at the CHA. This post will be about some of the new products, booth designs and awesome artists at CHA!
I made sure to drop by the Linpeng International Inc./Fiona Accessories booth to visit with Fiona and Jimmy and to see their new beads for 2015. They had a wonderful selection of new tear drop crystal beads in all kinds of wonderful colors I had to order.
Along with the new mixed color strands of hand painted beads Fiona and Jimmy were happy to show some of their new Bohemian pendants and beading accessories. They buy beads from manufacturers from around the world so you can find a wide variety of beads from China, Japan, India, Czech, countries in Africa and more in their booth.
Linpeng beading supplies can be found at many craft and hobby stores, Fiona Accessories finished jewelry can be found at chain gift shops in the US and you can order their beads online.
Cousin Corporation of America had a stunning Fairy Tale themed booth display, which had a very Once Upon a Time feel to it. Cousin is starting new environmentally friendly improvements through recycling, conservation and sustainability. Their booth decor had elements acquired from thrift stores and upcycled art turned totally glamorous.
This lovely chain dress overlay had a wonderful temple dancer feel to it and I think with a soft cut black dress underneath it would be perfect for a Renaissance Fair!
Cousin’s new mixed bead hanks next to another one of their lovely necklace and fabric displays.
This bib necklace on display had a wonderful Southwestern riverbed feel. I loved the use of warm color tones with the cool color of turquoise.
Spellbinders had a huge and rather multifaceted booth, with loads of displays and make n takes. The display that stopped me in my tracks was the opulent display in their booth by A Gilded Life.
Spellbinders and A Gilded Life now have a licensed line of dies, bezels, pendants, jewelry findings and trims sold online and at art and craft stores. Photos do not do their work justice!
Midwest Design Imports, a whole distributor of boas, artificial birds & butterflies, craft items, and more, had a wonderful selection of fairy, woodland characters and glass minis in their booth. However what caught my eye was their very humorous and full of character line of artificial owls of all sizes. I think those adorable owls will be perfect for Autumn-themed craft classes and displays! A rather cool aspect about Midwest Design Imports is all the feathers they sell are byproducts of other industries, and would have otherwise been discarded.
I had to meet up with the talented Suzann Sladcik Wilson, book author and CEO of Beadphoria, Inc.. Cheerful and happy to talk about jewelry projects and ideas, Suzann was looking great in the The CHA Designers in Action Showcase event. Tiffany Windsor of Cool2Craft, on her way to the Showcase, decided to photobomb us, making it all the more fun!
Suzann had a lovely display of her soldering book, jewelry and upcycled necklace folding cards.
On the other side of her jewelry display Suzann’s first book and other beautiful beaded creations.
A new booth this year that I found the last day of CHA was Bead Fairy TV, owned and operated by Jolene Star (AKA the Bead Fairy). Specializing in bead tutorials, online classes, beading kits and more.
I just had to walk into her booth; the colors, beads and just positive feeling was addicting. Do check out her beading 101 videos on YouTube; they are fun, funky and bound to get you beading. You might also know Jolene her from her store Bazaar Star Beadery in New Jersey.
Spinrite Yarns otherwise known as Yarnspirations made a huge booth display showcasing yarn and amazing artistic talent. “Yarnia” as they called it was inspired by the theatrical versions of the The Chronicles of Narnia. The first yarn creation to greet you was Jadis, the White Witch in her battle gown.
Next was the Pevensie boys in their armor.
The White Witch in her snow gown with wolf companions.
Last but not least Mr. Tumnus, the faun and Lucy Pevensie at the lamp post.
There was so much more that I didn’t photograph but in the next few months I will be receiving my orders and trying out new crafting goodness with all the new products!
Until Next Time, Safe Travels!
Got a Monster Eye on You! Halloween Jewelry DIY
Oh my goodness, it is already October! Things are flying by so quick with all of the work we are doing on our house! With most of the house packed up it was hard to do any arts and crafts. I was going stir crazy with everything I needed being packed up. Finally with more rooms being finished I could start unpacking and I was able to sneak out some beads and supplies to make a few Halloween inspired projects.My first one is a simple and ghoulish Halloween jewelry project using a bracelet and earrings set from Fiona Accessories. I rather love their line of Halloween Jewelry Fiona Accessories carries, full of the classic colors and themes, with hand painted elements.
One of the pieces they carry is BR-2027 Painted Halloween Bracelet, with fun little green monster eye beads that got me thinking of turning it into a new jewelry set. Now not only does it have the awesome eyeball beads it also has very delicate hand painted beads of a pumpkin, witch’s hat and a ghost. I cut apart the bracelet and was careful to keep those beads for another project, they are just too cute.
Supplies:
Fiona Accessories BR-2027 Painted Halloween Bracelet
Needle and Flat head Nose Pliers
Silver tone jewelry eyepins and nailpins(21 gauge), chain, jewelry clasp and jumprings
Orange crystal beads
Black Seed Beads
Spreading out my supplies on the table I separated the beads by shape and color. Using six eye pins I threaded on black seed beads, six nail pins I threaded on orange crystal beads and on two eyepins the eyeball beads.
Carefully I snipped off the excess wire, and using round nose pliers I rolled the end of the wire into a loop. I repeated this with all of the jewelry wire with crystal, seed and eyeball beads on them. I opened up a jumpring with the flat nose pliers and put the jumpring through one of the crystal beads, now on a wire and the seed beads, on a wire. When I closed the jumpring with the pliers the bead became a beautiful dangle on the black seed bead length of wire. I repeated this for two more and attached them to one of the eyeball beads, creating little black “tentacles” growing out of the eyeball bead. I repeated this for the second earring.
Once I assembled both earrings I slightly bent the jewelry wire the seed beads were on to give them to look of moving tentacles. As cute as they were I wanted to make a matching necklace.
I placed the rest of the eyeball, black glass, seed, crystal and silver beads down to get an idea for the necklace layout. Using more silver eye pins I threaded on the beads, snipped off the excess wire, and using round nose pliers I rolled the end of the wire into a loop. I connected each piece to the next with more jumprings, linking all of the pieces together and added a jewelry clasp at the end to finish off the necklace.
Now I have a fun and freaky monster jewelry set! What might you make with your favorite Halloween themed beads? 🙂
Until next time, safe travels!
Ancient and Contemporary Inspired Artistry