Category: Beadwork

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Slow Art

beaded gemstone layering necklaces

Someone recently asked me if I still do beadwork. The question surprised me a bit, because I feel like I have *always* done beadwork! (FWIW, I started beading in the 1980’s). 

But a look at my social media made me realize that I haven’t shared any intricate beadwork for a while. Most of the jewelry that I made during the pandemic was either leather jewelry or simpler strung gemstone jewelry (like the layering necklaces shown here).

While I do enjoy making and wearing the simpler stuff, it made me realize how much I miss the slow, meditative process of bead weaving and bead embroidery. My studio time will be limited for the next few months … so perhaps I will use what little creative time I do have to circle back on my beadwork for a bit!

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Healing Heart

Here’s a happy customer, wearing the “Healing Heart” druzy amethyst necklace that I shared a few weeks back. It features a gorgeous amethyst cluster heart, similar to (but smaller than) the larger palm sized stones that I posted the other day.

Sometimes a piece of jewelry goes to the exact right person – as if it was made just for them, and I didn’t even know it. It’s an honor when that happens, as is the case here. 

Thank you, my friend. Wear it in joy and good health!

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A Blast From the Past

Cleared out an old file cabinet over the weekend, and found these old scans (yes, scans!) of my barrettes and bags from the mid – late 90’s! It tickled me to notice how much my style has changed over time, as well as what’s remained constant. I’m still working in beads, leather and gemstones. And I’m still in love with color and nature.

It’s been ages since I’ve done those fringed buckskin bags and bead embroidered animals. I’ve been thinking about how to circle back on both styles, so it was great timing to find these pics now. I’d love to recycle some of these elements in to my current style.

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Rainbows and Moonbeams to Close Out the Year

lunar phase earrings

I’ve just added a small collection of jewelry items. Many of them feature rainbows or moon phase motifs, so I’m calling it my “Rainbows and Moonbeams” collection. Though to be fair, there are a handful of pieces that don’t really fall into either category.

In any case, there’s a limited selection of new jewelry pieces to choose from, click here to see them all! 

This will be my last shop update for the year, and my last shipping date for 2019 will be 12/23 (meaning that you should have your order in by 12/22 if you hope for me to get it out in the mail the next day). After that, I’ll be doing a bit of traveling to spend the holidays with family. The shops will remain open while I’m on the road, but if you order after 12/22, it will not ship until I return in early January of 2020.

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Featured in Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine spring issue!

beaded leather luna moth necklace

So happy to share that my work is featured in the Spring issue of  Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine, hitting the stands today!

I’m still waiting on my copy, so I’ll share better photos when it arrives. In the meantime, here’s a photo of a beaded leather luna moth necklace that was included in the article. This one features a boulder opal cab with brilliant fire, along with Nevada turquoise, moonstone, Moss agate and charoite.

Many thanks to Stampington & Company for this wonderful opportunity!

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Vintage Photos from My Vending Days

Thought I’d share these “vintage” photos from vending days gone by: The first photo is from the Chumash Pow Wow in Ojai, CA, circa 1994. We’d just finished breaking down our vendor booth. By that stage in my life, I’d already been vending at art shows and festivals for about 7 years!

The woman on the left was a sweet friend from England, who used to import my work so that she could sell it in her stall at the Glastonbury Festival! (Does that event still exist?). The babe in my arms is now 26 years old, and in grad school.

The second photo shows some beaded leather bags that I made around that same era. As you can see, my style has changed a bit in the 25 yrs since these pictures were taken. Some things remain constant: my material choices (beads, leather, natural gemstones), a love of color and natural themes, skilled craftsmanship, and passion for my work and the people who inspire me to create.

handcrafted beaded buckskin bags circa 1994

This path has not always been easy, but I love it all the same. I’m grateful for all the lessons behind me, and hopeful for many years ahead. Some of you have been with me through this whole journey (thank you, I love you!) and some are just joining now (thanks, you rock!).

Please know that I genuinely appreciate every bit of support and encouragement along the way. May it come back to you tenfold  ❤

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Full Worm Moon

beaded triple moon pendant
beaded triple moon pendant

This piece seemed to fly off my needle last night. Not at all what I intended for this cab, but it seemed to have its own ideas as to what it should be!

The next morning, I read on the Farmer’s Almanac site that the March full moon was traditionally known as the “Full Worm Moon” and it heralds the end of winter and the onset of spring. It’s been a hard winter, so I’m celebrating the idea of spring and change

The Almanac explains:

As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.

Made with : Bali carved bone triple moon, titanium quartz points, shimmering blue kyanite, rutilated quartz and vintage Swarovski.

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Artchain Day 3

Artchain day 3 (I’m still doing it, just not consecutively 😉 ) I was nominated to post an item of artwork a day for 5 days, and to nominate others…

I’m choosing my “Snow Queen” headdress, because I think it illustrates something important about the creative process: You have to be willing to experiment, take risks and make mistakes.

This piece began as a mask, around 2004. I was going for a “north wind” theme, but the overall shape wasn’t right so I chucked it in the reject pile. Once a year or so, I’d pull it back out and fiddle with it some more. No matter what I tried, it just didn’t fit nicely. It also looked more like an octopus than a cloud spirit, so it kept going back to the reject pile.

In 2012, I decided to give it one more shot. When I realized that there was no way this thing was going to become a cloud, I decided to hack it in half, and turn the top half into a headpiece (the other half is still with me, waiting to become a crown). This piece has been very popular, and I’m often asked to recreate it, or to riff off of the original design… but it’s worth noting that it started out as a “mistake” that I rescued from the reject pile.

Ice Queen headdress © 2012 Andrea Adams
Ice Queen headdress © 2012 Andrea Adams

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Peacock Moth Mask v6

© 2014 Andrea Adams

This is the 6th version in this series of masks since 2009. Each one is a bit different, but they’re all made from the same pattern. This one is a gorgeous electric blue, accented with peacock, parrot and pheasant feathers in shades of blue, green and bronze. At the forehead is a shimmering green beetle wing, set in a bezel of glass seed beads.