Joy!!! And lots of photos....

I am so massively happy and excited and just over the moon - I am in Marcia DeCoster's new book, Marcia DeCoster Presents!!  This is a huge honor, and I am floored to be in this book with some of my favorite bead artists EVER - including Marcia herself!  It is an amazing feeling to be in this book with so many of my friends - and I can't believe I am friends with many of the most incredible bead artists around.  This is a part of the book's premise - that the internet has allowed such artists the chance to connect and become close through social media, and to form relationships and partnerships in ways that would never have been possible without the computer era.  The online beading community is huge, varied, beautiful, inspiring and uplifting.

This isn't a project style book, but rather a compendium of interviews with artists from all over the world, who are sharing their inspirations and techniques and tips about their work.  From cover to cover, it is FULL of nothing but gorgeous; the artists themselves are gorgeous, their work is gorgeous, Marcia's thoughtful presentation of each artist and their work is gorgeous...  beginning with the cover of the book itself:

The inside just gets better.  And one of the absolute best things about it - my late friend, Linda Jones, is a featured artist.  I can't begin to say how wonderful this is to me.  That Linda's work will be seen in a wider format than ever, and that she has the chance, even now, to inspire and bring out the artist in each person her work touches... priceless.  Because Linda's work was and is incredible, not only for her sense of color, but for her bold, exciting style, and her love of the medium.  Linda started out with polymer clay as a medium to express herself, and moved into beadwork gradually at first... and then it just overwhelmed her passion for clay.  She tried so many different types of media with the beadwork, and brought her own unique art to each one.  Near the end of her life, she had begun exploring painted lace combined with beads and Huichol style beadwork, and was making masks with it; she considered beading her radiation treatment mask as well.  Linda meant more to me than words can really express.  She was my second mom, my best friend, my inspiration and my rock - she helped me in every way possible, always, including giving me a gentle kick in the butt sometimes when I needed it.  When I received my copy of Marcia DeCoster Presents, I cried a lot, lot, lot, lot - and am a little now as I type.  Seeing Linda's work in print means so much to me - and her words mean even more.  Thank you so VERY much, Marcia, for including Linda here - and for including ME here!!!

Linda Jones - Radiance

Linda Jones - Serendipity

Linda Jones - Handpainted Lace and Bead earrings

Linda Jones - Untitled Mask

It was so fascinating and absorbing, to sit down with my tea and read each of the segments in the book.  I was amazed by some of the pieces I saw - no matter how well I knew the artist, I found a new piece that I hadn't seen before, or had an insight into the person and their work that I hadn't had before.   I was thrilled to be introduced to some artists that I had never met (online or otherwise) and immediately set out to see more of their work, and to find them if I could on Facebook or the web - one of the reasons that this blog post is a little overdue - you can get lost in the web when you're looking at beadwork, oh yes!!

Here's a taster - just SOME of the work of the lovely people in the book - and if this doesn't inspire you to run out and buy the book, I don't know what would!!  (Below the name of the artist and the title of the work you will find a link to their website, blog, or shop. )

Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

http://jewelrytales.com

Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Isabella Lam - Joy

http://www.isabella-lam.com/Beading-Tutorials_c16.htm 

Kinga Nichols - See No Evil Cuff

http://crimsonfrogdesigns.blogspot.com/

Ann Braginsky - New Age Valkyrie

http://annbraginsky.com/

Beki Haley - Ancient Seas

http://www.whimbeads.com

Betty Stephan - Guardians

http://www.bettystephan.com 

Edgar Lopez design for 2012 Battle of the Beadsmith

https://www.facebook.com/edgar.lopezdisenos2   

Edgar Lopez

Heather Collin - Faerie Lights

http://www.etsy.com/shop/heathercollin

Heather Kingsley-Heath - Spinning Wave Pendant

heatherworks.co.uk 

Helena Lang-Tim - Maharani

http://www.manek-manek.com

Kerrie Slade - The Fairy Doorway

http://kerrieslade.co.uk  

Kerrie Slade - The Fairy Doorway

Miriam Shimon - Alexandrina

http://www.miriamshimon.etsy.com 

Melissa Ingram - Tequila Sunrise

http://www.aussiebeader.com

Zoya Guitana - My French Garden Necklace

http://mylovelybeads.com 

Petra Tismer - Rose Bracelet and friend

http://www.das-perlament.de/ 

Sian Nolan - Spike Bracelet 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SianNolan

Patrizia Tager - Crowning Glory

http://www.TrizDesigns.com 

Susan Blessinger - Impending Bloom

Marsha Weist-Hines - Poseidon's Garden

http://www.hauteicebeadwork.etsy.com  

Martina Nagele - Encrusted Kepler Star

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mariposa8000

Patrick Duggan - Tribute to Art Deco

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/8215174

Marcia DeCoster - La Navette

http://www.marciadecoster.com 

Marcia DeCoster - Robbin's Nest

Me, Regalia Earrings

There now, don't you want to see more??  :)  Grab yourself a copy, you won't regret it.  And thank you again, Marcia - this is a dream come true for me.   

There should be something new in the way of tutorials coming soon, too...  ;)