This just in from the Bead Society of Greater New York:

SAVE THE DATE – MARK YOUR CALENDARS

AND SPREAD THE WORD!!!!!!

An invitation from the Bead Society of Greater New York

WORLD OF BEADS VIII:

A 20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE

FRIDAY – SUNDAY

JUNE 19 – 21, 2009

Friday: 12noon – 8pm; Saturday: 10am – 6pm; and Sunday: 10am – 4pm

I am writing on behalf of the Bead Society of Greater New York to invite you and your members to join us at our upcoming World of Beads VIII in New York City (Friday – Sunday, June 19-21, 2009) at the Fashion Institute of Technology – John E. Reeves Great Hall, located at West 28th St. (between 7th and 8th Avenues), NYC.

This three-day juried exhibit is being presented by our Society in honor of our 20th Anniversary! We will feature the unique beadwork of our incredibly talented members spanning the 20 years of our organization’s existence. On display will be over 200 pieces from our previous World of Beads exhibits held at the American Craft Museum from 1992 to 2004 – ranging from beaded jewelry to beaded objects d’art, as well as over 55 newly submitted works. FREE Mini-workshops and beadwork demonstrations will be presented throughout the event. Other activities include vendors, raffles and a children’s beading table.

The Bead Society of Greater New York is delighted to offer a $1 discount on the $5 admission fee to your members upon presentation of a current Membership Card or the attached flier.

Attached is the Event flier which may be distributed to your membership and/or posted on your website. For further information, please visit our website, www.nybead.org

We hope you will be able to join us for this exciting event. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you require any further information or have any questions with regard to this event or the Bead Society of Greater New York, please do not hesitate to contact me by replying to this e-mail.

Best regards,

Hedy Becker

Membership Director

Bead Society of Greater New York

Our very own Board Member, Robin Milne shared her excitement about her  photographs being published in a third magazine article.  Donna Ryan-Kocun is the author of all three projects in Step By Step Wire Jewelry and Robin photographed the projects step by step.  Their 1^st article was in the issue Spring 2008, Colorful Foxtail Necklace and was featured on the cover, the second is on the newsstands now, Fall 2008 Bling, Bling Ring and the third will be Winter 2008 and is also featured on the cover.  Way to go Robin and Donna!

Sometimes you will hear that the Bead Society of New Jersey is giving money to CERF. You may have wondered about it, so here is some basic information.

CERF stands for Craft Emergency Relief Fund. It is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization which is dedicated to providing immediate support to professional craftspeople facing career-threatening emergencies such as fire, theft, illness and natural disaster. CERF was created in 1985 and is the only organization of its kind in the United States.

CERF’s programs include: Interest free loans with flexible pay back dates; booth fee waivers at craft shows; discounts on materials and equipment from craft suppliers; assistance with marketing and promotion; special loan funds available for certain guilds, state-wide craft and media-based organizations; and special loan funds for craftspeople facing particular emergencies such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, homelessness, natural disasters and heart ailments.

CERF is a small fund. Loans are modest and range from $200 to $2,000. Additional funds are available to those who are members of various organizations such as The Glass Art Society, The Society of American Silversmiths, etc. Funds to support CERF come from craftspeople, craft show producers, craft organizations, store and gallery owners, suppliers, collectors, foundations and from the National Endowment for the Arts. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

You can make your donations to CERF by writing to: Craft Emergency Relief Fund, P.O. Box 838, Montepelier, VT 05601-0838. Voice mail 802-229-2306, fax 802-223-6484, or going to their website at http://craftemergency.org/.

Each year the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB) sponsors a number of exhibits. In 2007 they joined with the American Association of Woodturners for a collaborative challenge entitled “Connextions”. Volunteer beadmakers and woodturners were paired together and given several months to come up with a joint piece. Most “couples” made two pieces, one for each participant in the pair to keep. Other entries were for sale.

The submission were part of an exhibit at the Woodturner’s Gallery in Minneapolis, the site of the ISGB’s 2007 annual Gathering (which is an eductional conference). Many of the pieces can be seen here http://picasaweb.google.com/tibshaw/ConneXtionsGallery?authkey=GzxPN8ZE_UI and represent an amazing creative use of both wood and glass.

My partner, Dennis Daudelin of Massachusetts and I complete the “World Peace Bowl”. All of the beads say “peace” – each in a different language. Down the road the group will be sponsoring other collaborative exhibitions. I found this to be a rewarding and challenging undertaking that I will definitely try to do again in the future.

For more info on the ISGB, check out their website, www.isgb.org  Jeri

Mary Alexander sent me this link: http://www.paradise-enow.com/

You can click on “Portfolio” to see some absolutely fabulous beadwork, both in jewelry and sculptural, but what got Mary and I laughing was this codpiece, which I renamed a chastity belt.

This is a windowfront in Heidelberg, Germany, on the famous pedestrian-only shopping area, the Haupstrasse. Do you think she should call her chiropractor?

http://jewelrymaking.allinfoabout.com/features/netcab.html

 A free beading pattern by Anne Helmenstine.  She uses a netting technique to create a beaded bezel around a cabochon to make a ring.   But this technique would be great for a necklace as well.