Clinkscales Arts

Last year after reading about the Bead & Button Show and their auction to help fight breast cancer, I came across Jeanette Shanigan’s website and her beaded quilts.  Jeanette asks beaders around the world to donate individual beaded squares based on a theme.  She then sews the squares together to make gorgeous quilts, mounts them in shadow boxes and donates them to be auctioned at the Bead & Button show.  In 2008, these quilts raised nearly $4,400 for breast cancer research.

Being a member of the Etsy BeadWeaver’s team (EBW), I knew we were sitting on a goldmine of talent.  I asked the group if they would like to make squares to be included in Jeanette’s quilts.  I would collect all of the squares and submit them at one time in hopes that they would all be included in one quilt.   Fifteen EBW members stepped up and created 35 squares to be included in a 2009 quilt.  The theme for 2009 is “Bead artists have the heart to take on breast cancer” and I believe the EBW contributors did a magnificent job representing it.

Below is a mosaic I created of all of the EBW squares.  This is not the actual quilt, only a digital version using photos I took of each square.  Please visit the Bead & Button Show website to find out more information about the auctions, which will be held June 6, 2009.   Below the mosaic is a list of contributors and links to their shops.

First row (l to r): Susan Clinkscales, Eddy Downing, Eddy Downing, JoJo Curley, Swanee Hielscher
2nd row: Swanee Hielscher, Swanee Hielscher, Swanee Hielscher, Linda Davis, Smadar Grossman
3rd row: Smadar Grossman, Smadar Grossman, Smadar Grossman, Lisa Savoy, Lisa Savoy
4th row: Lisa Savoy, Jama Watts, Jama Watts, Jama Watts, Kerrie Slade
5th row: Kerrie Slade, Kerrie Slade, Kerrie Slade, Victoria Thompson, Victoria Thompson
6th row: Victoria Thompson, Kim Shaver, Dawn Nelson, Melody Murray, Melody Murray
7th row: Ileana Munteanu, Ginny Bracht, Ginny Bracht, Ginny Bracht, Ginny Bracht

A fellow EBW member, Karen of Hiding Place Beadery, included my Spring Greens Necklace in this gorgeous treasury.  Thank you, Karen!

While wasting time on Etsy yesterday, I found myself with a treasury.  I named it “I have nothing planned!” because I really didn’t.  I went through my favorites and picked out some gorgeous pink items, then did a search for my EBW team members to see what they had been creating in pink.  I think it turned out well.  If you’d like to see it in person, it’s live until Monday, September 22.  But…stay away from that painting by Lavatican - I want it!  (I can’t afford it, but it’s mine nonetheless.)

I have a love of stones and glass and when I find a piece of glass that looks like a magnificent stone, I’m inspired!  I purchased several of these borosilicate glass cabochons from the Etsy seller vadrian about a year ago.  I immediately began creating a bezel for this piece but never finished it…until now.  I had originally planned for this to have a herringbone beaded chain and be suspended from a peyote tab, but once I found the faceted crystal beads, I knew I had a great combination.  A beaded toggle finishes it off.  Fit for a Queen is listed in my shop.

One of my fellow EBW members and extremely talented beadweaver, Kerrie Slade, is using her beading to help support breast cancer research.  She designed the following lapel pin and the pattern is being sold on Beading Daily.  All proceeds from the purchase of the pattern from now until September 30th will be donated to help fight cancer.  Please help support cancer research by purchasing the pattern for $3.  If you do purchase the pattern, please respect Kerrie’s copyright.  She will allow you to make as many as you choose, but they can only be sold for charity, not for personal gain.

Beading Daily is also hosting a contest - The Power of Beading Contest - and you can win one of Kerrie’s fabulous pins.  Here’s a direct quote from the Beading Daily Blog:

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Enter the Power of Beading Contest

Do you have a dramatic ”got to be beading” story of your own?  Or maybe beading helped bring hope and healing to a smaller, more ordinary moment?  I clearly remember a day last summer when I accidentally tore a hole in a favorite skirt.  I was so upset!  And yet, after a little time beading, my anger just faded away.  It was not a dramatic, life-changing moment, but the small act of beading helped me overcome the challenge of keeping life in perspective that day.

How has beading helped you through a challenging time?  Tell us and you could win one of Kerrie Slade’s handcrafted ribbon pins.

There will be two first place winners.  Each winner will receive a handcrafted ribbon pin created and donated by talented designer Kerrie Slade. Kerrie has shared her creations in several issues of Beadwork, most recently the Olive Dangles and Periwinkle Choker projects in the August/September issue on sale now.

The pink ribbon has a 9K gold pin with a heart made of 24K gold cylinder beads. The teal ribbon has a sterling silver pin with a heart made of galvanized silver cylinder beads. Entries will be judged by Kerrie Slade.  Names will be removed from the entries prior to judging.

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So, do some beading for charity, have some fun and help support a cause that has touched so many lives.  Thanks!

I found myself with a treasury last night, and considering that EBW is currently voting on their July Challenge, I knew what I would use to fill my treasury. And I honestly believe that Shakespeare *would* approve. (Or at least his sister would!) This treasury will be active until Monday morning (7/14) and you can vote on the challenge on the EBW blog for three more days. So hurry to both! Leave comments and clicks and vote for your favorite!

Yep, it’s that time of the month again (stole that from Carol Dean!) Voting has begun for the Etsy Beadweavers July Challenge - A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Visit the EBW Blog and choose your favorite. I had a vision in my head of what I wanted to create for it, but it didn’t come to fruition. But, check out the gorgeous entries that other team members came up with:

Happy 4th of July to all Americans out there! Many people spend their holiday at the lake, but we chose to have a garage sale this year. If you’ve never had a garage sale, it’s a LOT of work! We were lucky today, the high was only 91 degrees. J’s mom and sister also had stuff in our sale. I couldn’t have collected all of these lovelies by myself.

Also, I was able to grab a treasury Wednesday night/Thursday morning. I love the artwork on Etsy and include it just about every time I make a treasury. Of course, I also have to include some of the incredible beadwork from the EBW group. This treasury will be active until Saturday night around 7:20 pm (eastern). If you get a chance, stop by, leave me a comment and check out this amazing work.