Art Bead Scene
Marie shows off some creative and innovative uses for some beautiful artisan components

Beading Arts
Cyndi has lists of fabulous suppliers in all sorts of categories for jewelry makers and beaders. Do you have any faves you'd like to add? Maybe even yourself?

Beads & Books
Michelle shares a tip for writing beading project instructions.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi receives two different gifts at CHA that result in one very pretty necklace!

Resin Crafts!
This week Resin Crafts had a big post featuring bezels and components available at Michaels!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews the fabulous Jean Campbell's latest book, Creating Glamorous Jewelry with Swarovski Elements. You are SO going to want this great book! Wow!

You can use lots of different tools for making wire jewelry, many of which can be used for other types of jewelry making such as bead stringing or metalsmithing. However, if you have wanted to try to learn how to make wire jewelry, my article "Get Started Making Wire Jewelry," discusses some of the basic tools and supplies you need to, well, get started!

In my article about ionic jewelry cleaners, entitled "Ionic Jewelry Cleaners: Science or Magic?", I talk about a very handy little gadget that cleans metal jewelry safely and easily. I actually got my ionic cleaner a few years ago and even bought a few and gave them as gifts to my mom and mother-in-law. I don't know about them, but I still use my ionic cleaner pretty regularly.

Recently, I received an email from one of the folks at SpeedBrite, which is the company that manufactures and sells these. Not only has the company updated the small one I have, but it has a number of other models available. So I thought I'd share the link to the SpeedBrite site for those who may not have one of these yet. Stuller and Gesswein are also two dealers who carry the SpeedBrite Ionic Cleaners.

I recently received a really unusual book to review, Enlightened Polymer Clay: Artisan Jewelry Designs Inspired by Nature by Rie Nagumo. Admittedly, I have never been a huge fan of polymer clay. I actually think it is me though, not necessarily the material. I am just polymer clay challenged. Either way, though, I found this book made me start thinking of polymer clay and jewelry designing in a very different way. Here is my full review of this new book recently published by Interweave: Enlightened Polymer Clay: Artisan Jewelry Designs Inspired by Nature.