Art Jewelry magazine Editors' Blog : Bead&Button Show

Show-and-Tell Treasures from the 2009 Bead&Button Show

Jill Erickson — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:46:00 GMT

Yes, we're all back in the office now, cranking away on the September issue of AJ (and even getting to work on the November issue!). Our week of B&B Show excitement is behind us. Now we've got treasures on our desks that tempt us to find time to work in the studio.

It's tough to keep to your budget when you roam the B&B exhibit show floor. Every aisle is dazzling, every booth beckons. Although I stuck to the short list of tools I planned to purchase, I did splurge on artist-made components and a few antique goodies. All in that spirit of stimulating the economy, of course. ;)

Here are a few show-and-tell photos:

One-of-a-kind items from Gary B. Wilson, my go-to lapidary-dude for all things fossilized and repurposed.

Spectacular Raku beads and a funky "eye" from Lisa Peters. I adore her experimental spirit with ceramic glazes.

Sterling silver lost-wax cast ornamental skulls by Anne Choi.

Antique typewriter keys from Bronwen Heilman, aka "Ghost Cow Glassworks," and antique horseshoe-shaped findings from Bead Paradise.

Thanks for indulging my tendency to show off my B&B show finds. Let us know if you were able to make it to the show and what kinds of treasures you found! Cheers, Jill ;)

I'm taking my first class at the 2009 Bead&Button Show: Fusing a silver bangle taught by Janice Berkebile

Kristin Sutter — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:34:00 GMT

So, here's my confession: I've never taken a class at the Bead&Button Show. Appalling, I know. Especially since there are great teachers from all over the world teaching more than 500 classes, all within a 15-minute drive of my home. Considering that some of you fly across the globe to attend the show, my failure to seize the opportunity is shameful — I know, I know.

For those of you who are new to Art Jewelry magazine and wonder what a bead show has to do with the media we write about — metals, wire, metal clay, polymer clay, enamel, resin, chain mail, etc. — here's the skinny: The Bead&Button Show may have started for beaders, but it's grown so large (370 vendors, more than 500 classes) that there are now many classes for anyone interested in Art Jewelry-type media. To search the list of classes, click here. Yes, there's still time to register!

Why haven't I taken a class before? Because while many of you were elbow deep in potter's clay or oil paints in your youth (or in metals, like these lucky kids), I was elbow deep in books and journals (the lined ones, not the blank-paged ones). I've identified for years on our staff as the non-maker, the litmus test for whether instructions make sense. Because if they make sense to me, they'll likely make sense to a beginner. Or to someone who is spatially gifted enough to intuitively understand, say, why you'll end up with a lentil shape rather than a sphere if you don't dap each half of a metal bead enough. (I learned about that one in the project "Fahrenheit 650: the temperature at which keum-boo fuses," right.)

But the time has come for me to learn a thing or two about what the rest of you already know from experience. So, this year I'm taking "Fusing — The Dewdrop Bangle, left," taught by Janice Berkebile. I'm going to learn how to fuse silver wire, shape it into a bangle, and embellish it with wire wrapping and balled-up wire. This particular class is sold out, but you can click here to check out the other classes Berkebile is teaching.

What classes are you taking? Let me know by adding a comment below! Or click here to visit the Bead&Button Show forum to discuss there!

I hope to see you in June!

—Kristin

Bead & Button Show in USA Today

Hazel Wheaton — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:18:00 GMT

Everyone at the Kalmbach Publishing Co. jewelry titles (that is, Art Jewelry, Bead & Button, and BeadStyle magazines), had cause for celebration this week, upon learning that USA Today had singled out our Bead & Button Show as one of 10 great destinations for hands-on craft in the United States. There are other great destinations and events in the list, of course, covering general craft, scrapbooking, quilting, and knitting, but when it came to jewelry, USA Today had this to say: "No event in the country celebrates jewelrymaking better than this annual show ... Anyone with a passion for jewelry, fashion or art should experience it." Of course, we knew it was a great show, but it's always nice to have a major national newspaper take notice!

Photo: Beth Spelman

The Bead & Button show runs May 31-June 7 in Milwaukee; this year, there are more than 550 classes on the schedule — there's still plenty of time to register!

Video interview with Robert Dancik: jeweler, sculptor, and originator of Faux Bone

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:54:00 GMT

At the 2008 Bead&Button Show in June, Senior Editor/Online Linda Augsburg was able to catch a few minutes with Robert Dancik to talk to him about how he got started making jewelry, where he's taking the craft, and how he uses Faux Bone. To watch the video, click here. If you're interested in learning how you can incorporate Faux Bone into your work, check out Robert's article, "Chart Your Own Mixed-Media Odyssey," page 28, in the September 2008 issue of Art Jewelry. The article will teach you how to make this bangle:

If this project inspires you to make a piece of jewelry, we'd love to see what you've come up with! Just post it in the Show Us Your Work thread in the Art Jewelry forum.

If you'll be at the Bead&Button Show to check out the great deals on tools and gems, stop by the silent auction to bid on an item, and vote for your favorite entry in the Bead Dreams Display

Katie Streeter — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:52:00 GMT

The Bead&Button Show started this week, and Art Jewelry's editors have been in and out of the office all week, working on stories for the magazine, attending workshops, and teaching workshops. I'm not a beader, but there are plenty of things for non-beaders to see and do at the show.

I'm looking forward to working at the Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer Silent Auction booth. We auction off finished jewelry (made of metal clay, wire, glass, beads, and more), kits, books, and other fun jewelry-related items. If you're going to be at the show and are interested in participating in the silent auction, please check out the silent auction guidelines. The money raised is donated to the Medical College of Wisconsin Breast Cancer Research Foundation. If you're at the show on Friday or Saturday, please come and visit me (and bid on some cool stuff).

You'll also want to check out the entries in the Bead Dreams contest, which is run by our sister publication Bead&Button. Even those of us who don't bead enjoy seeing the creative things people have done with beads. There's also a section in the contest for polymer clay pieces. Each year, ribbons are awarded to the winners of the Bead Dreams contest. But they also give an award to the People's Choice winner. If you're at the show on Friday or Saturday, please vote for your favorite contest entry. You'll find the ballots near the Bead Dreams display in the 3rd floor lobby area. Votes must be in by 4 p.m. on Saturday.

See you at the show!

––Katie

Winners of Bead&Button Show Admission Tickets

Katie Streeter — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:07:00 GMT

The Bead&Button Show is quickly approaching, and in honor of the event, we decided to give away admission tickets to the Bead&Button Show Bead Marketplace (if you missed Hazel's original post, check it out here). To be entered in the drawing, you had to comment on Hazel's post on April 22. We accepted comments until noon yesterday, and held the drawing shortly after. We got so many responses that we decided to give a pair of tickets to three responders instead of only one.

Hazel had the pleasure of drawing the names, and our winners are Sistert, Everydayjewelry, and Concoidalweaver. Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who left a comment. We enjoyed reading them all.

––Katie

Win free tickets to the 2008 Bead&Button Show!

Hazel Wheaton — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:17:00 GMT

Spring is just around the corner, which in our office building, means one thing — it's nearly time for the Big Show! I'm talking about the Bead&Button Show, which hits like clockwork every June (this year, it's June 1-8). A full year's worth of work by our Events Marketing staff is reaching something like fever pitch, as the dedicated team enters the final stretch of preparations. Here at Art Jewelry, we want to do our part. Various members of the staff will be taking classes, teaching classes, or both; plus, we'll be on the show floor giving demonstrations of jewelry-making techniques and taking questions from our readers.

The thing to remember is that despite the name, the Bead&Button Show encompasses a whole lot more than beads and buttons. The show has diversified and grown past its early years, and the fastest-growing segment of classes is in wire- and metal-working. If you work with wire, metal, or metal clay, you'll find lots on offer.

Whether you’ve attended the show before or not, we want to make it easier for you to come and check out the gems and beads and jewelry-making tools. Post a response to this blog entry, and your username will be entered in a drawing for two free tickets to the Show. If you’re a registered user to our site, you don’t need to supply your contact information — if you’ve won, we’ll ping you with a private message. If you're not a registered user — well, we'd like to you register, but you don't have to. Just be sure to include your e-mail address so that we can contact you. The contest will be open for two weeks, meaning that on Tuesday, May 6, we'll select the lucky winner. Good luck, and I hope to see you at the show!

[UPDATE]: We've gotten a great flood of responses already! I did receive a couple of e-mails that required clarification, however, so I wanted to make it clear that the offer is for free admission tickets to the show itself. We aren't offering airfare or hotel accommodations. I dearly wish we could!

Are you attending the Bead&Button Show? Here's what Art Jewelry's editors will be doing at the show this year.

Katie Streeter — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:43:00 GMT

I associate many things with spring –– daffodils, spring cleaning, gardening –– but for the past few years, spring, for me, has also meant the Bead&Button Show. Although the show carries the name of our sister publication Bead&Button, Art Jewelry also has a hand in the show. Although it's still over a month away, we're already looking forward to it.

At this year's show, I'll be helping with the Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer Silent Auctions again. We had a great time raising money for the Medical College of Wisconsin last year, and we hope to raise even more this year. Jill will be teaching fundamentals in techniques classes in polymer clay. Addie will be a teacher's assistant in Tim McCreight's master class. And Hazel and Kristin will be walking the show floor to check out the exhibitors. If you attend the show, look for the Art Jewelry demonstration area. We'll be showing cool jewelry-making techniques that you can try out at home. And if you spot any of us at the show, please say hello (we'll be wearing shirts that say "Art Jewelry")!

––Katie

A haircut for a good cause

Katie Streeter — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:10:00 GMT

A few years ago, I got my hair cut, and I donated the hair to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children. When I recently decided that my hair was taking too much time and effort to maintain, I knew I wanted to donate my hair again. I sought out a salon that collects donations for Locks of Love and had just over 10 inches of hair cut (I’m getting prepped for the cut in the photo to the left). I'm thrilled with my haircut (right), and I hope that I've helped to make a child with hair loss happy. If you're planning to cut 10 or more inches of hair, consider donating it to Locks of Love or another organization.

If you're interested in donating to a good cause that doesn’t involve cutting 10 inches of your hair, consider donating an item (a piece of jewelry you've made, a book, a jewelry-making kit, etc.) to the Bead&Button Show Breast Cancer Auctions. Four silent auctions and one live auction take place at the show every year, and the proceeds are donated to the Medical College of Wisconsin Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Last year the auctions brought in more than $20,000 for cancer research! Check out the Bead&Button Show Web site for more information on donating.

––Katie

2008 Bead&Button Show

Jill Erickson — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:07:00 GMT

In one week (January 15), online registration opens for classes offered at the 2008 Bead&Button Show held here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from June 1-8. New this year is a series of Fundamentals in Techniques workshops. These 3-day intensives give beginners an opportunity to learn a new technique or work with a new medium. I'm pleased to report that I'll be teaching Fundamentals in Polymer Clay. Fire Mountain Gems has underwritten the entire kit cost for this workshop. My goal is to ensure that each student comes away from the class with the confidence to use all the great tools and supplies provided in the kit, and become comfortable with techniques such as making a Skinner blend, simple caning, making image transfers, and pushing the clay to explore mokume gane and mica shift effects. Plenty of hands-on time assures that students will also learn how to incorporate jewelry findings in their pieces. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the students. Their wonderful energy and individual, creative expression always make teaching a very fun exchange.

To view the full listing of OVER 500 (!!!) workshops and classes offered at this year's show, visit http://www.beadandbuttonshow.com/bnbshow/default.aspx. To check out the latest buzz about the show, visit the show forums at http://cs.beadandbuttonshow.com/bnbshowcs/forums/. If you're planning on coming to town for the show, be sure to send us an email -- it would be great to hook up and meet you in person!