The Jewel School Insider with Julie Evans, Jewel School Buyer
The big, red heart day on February 14 is almost here and Jewel School is inviting all jewelry makers to open up their hearts and make a difference for children with serious medical needs. This is a story of strength, hope and honor for children through Arts in Medicine where beads are providing tangible signs of progress for children undergoing difficult recoveries.
Beads of Courage is a non-profit organization in over 100 hospitals around the country and it provides beads to children as symbols of accomplishments. A child gets a bead to symbolize a blood transfusion, a chemo treatment, or any of the many procedures cancer requires.
The beads are special sign of courage, and children collect them in a necklace that can be quite long. Chloe’s necklace, shared with us by Beads of Courage, is very beautiful in many ways.
During the month of February while the Jewel School shows are on the air, customers may opt to contribute $1.00 to Beads of Courage when placing an order. All of the money, 100%, will go to Beads of Courage to help purchase more beads for the program. It’s pretty simple but it means so much. Click on the link to read more about Beads of Courage. It is a wonderful story that began with one woman, an oncology nurse, that saw a way to tap into the emotional needs of children. Here at Jewel School we believe in Beads of Courage and hope you will join us in supporting this worthwhile cause.
February is also the American Heart Association’s Heart Health Month for Women. Go Red for Women day is February 3, 2012. Heart disease kills more women in the U. S. than anything else. The AHA invites every woman to practice the five ways to Love Your Heart:
• Be Active
• Eat Smart
• Evaluate your Risk
• Listen to Your Heart
• Know the Facts
To learn more, visit GoRedForWomen.org .
Jackie Truity, the super talented Art Clay™ expert, will be in Knoxville, TN at the Jewelry Television headquarters in February for a three day Art Clay Level One Certification course. This is a person-to-person experience with Jackie in one of the JTV campus buildings. Attendees will take home seven technique-rich projects including: working with cork clay, applying overlay paste to porcelain, using organic forms, creating and sizing rings, handling the syringe type, and achieving a mirror finish. This pihoto of Jackie in her familiar denim shirt is from our October 2011 Jewel School workshop as she works in minute detail with her students. The class size is limited and participants will have an amazing hands-on experience with Art Clay. The dates are February 21-23 and the cost, which includes all the necessary supplies for the class, is $500. If you want to know more about this unprecendented Jewel School event, email us at customerevents@jtv.com and we’ll send you more information.
Check out the guest schedule for February Jewel School shows below. Read-on for a dose of inspiration from customer Mary Darnell, a highly motivated student of jewelry making. Her current designs feature Chainmaille necklaces and bracelets. We’ve included Christiane Ross’s Double Bubbles Chainmaille project if you are ready to have some fun with jump rings!
We’re off to Tucson for the mega bead buying bonanza of the year! All the new colors, trends, and products are on display and for buyers it is a cornucopia of jewelry making delights. I’ve already packed my comfortable shoes and a hat for the Arizona sunshine.
Happy Valentine’s Day to All from Jewel School,
Julie Evans
Jewel School Buyer
Jewel School Guests for February 2012
February 5 & 6 - Barbara Carleton is bringing her jewelry designer software that helps keep track of inventory, sales, customers, and other aspects of jewelry making. Joining Barbara in the same show is Cindy Lichfield, the creator of the Cloud Dome, a personal portable photo studio in a bag. Cindy will show you how to take professional quality digital photos without complicated lighting.
February 9 - Fernando is paying us a visit with spring fashion ideas. Fernando Dasilva is a member of the Beadalon Design Team.
February 12 & 13 - Two fan favorites return to Jewel School. Julianna Hudgins, the Fire Behind the Wire, has some exciting new Ergo pliers. Anne Dilker is coming back with a Kumihimo kit and new color cord kits, toggles, clasp kits, and s-lon color kits.
February 19 & 20 -Jackie Truity and Katie Baum are bringing more Art Clay techniques. This mother-daughter team is always fun to watch!
February 23 -Stephanie Eddy arrives on Thursday with her Guide to Viking Knit Book and some bound projects.
February 26 & 27 -Our favorite diehard rock hound, Dale Armstrong, is bringing new line of tools and a new wire wrapping kit. Anie Piliguian, the investor of the Jool Tool polishing and finishing machine, is back and we always enjoy her visit.
Jewel School January Project
The project this month comes from Jewel School's very own Christiane Ross--the "Double Bubbles" Chainmaille necklace. If you attended the customer workshop in October you may have made this necklace in Christiane’s class. Have fun with it!
Download Instructions to Make Double Bubbles necklace by Christiane Ross
Jewel School Customer Spotlight
Mary Darnell from Ohio is in the customer spotlight with her inspiring Chainmaille designs.
The Blue Jean Lady or BJ, as she is known among friends, says jewelry making is something she tried years ago but it never got off the ground.
She revived her interest last year with a creative boost from Jewel School. Mary explains she is highly motivated. “I have been teaching myself to work with all sorts of tools and materials after watching Jewel School and I buy almost all of the kits. I love trying everything, and find inspiration in color and the tools!” (Self-motivation and a good eye for form don’t stop with jewelry design when it comes to Mary. On her website, she has a gallery of life-like oil and chalk pastels commissioned by grieving pet owners wishing to commemorate their best friends.)
Chainmaille and spirals show up in many of Mary’s favorite piece of jewelry. “I am getting a professional jump ring maker so I can make all my pieces look very neat and clean." We asked if she has any solid advice for anyone working in Chainmaille, and she replied, “I have found that when working with jump rings for making Chainmaille pieces, it is best to keep a soft hand on the tools when closing the rings. That way no pressure marks are left on the rings and they seem to go into shape easier. Preparing my rings in advance is helpful, too. I don't have to stop and open or close more as needed. Of course, it may not always work out that way because I end up adding crystals or beads and then I need more rings. When the creative juices start flowing, designs start changing, too. That is the fun part!”
This Chainmaille bracelet (left) created by Mary features color variation in a very classic look that will add polish to professional attire or pose as an eye catcher for T-shirt and jeans.
Venturing out into the marketplace in small steps, Mary is gathering confidence as a seller. “I sell my work to friends for the most part. I am having my first jewelry party on February 10, a day before my birthday.” Her son, a computer programmer for a California company, is helping Mary set up a website with a gallery of her designs that are up for sale. He also designed Mom’s immortal-pets site.
Mary Darnell is a perfect example of the creative women and men that have joined the Jewel School in the last year. Although she was practically an artist from birth, Mary says we all have the creative gene and it only needs activation. An artist’s inquisitive spirit is the driving passion behind her jewelry making projects. “All you need to do is pick up a bright colored stone or piece of wire and say ‘That would look beautiful as a wire rose, or a ring or whatever your mind’s eye sees it to be. Don't be afraid to create!!! It is very rewarding knowing your hands did that. Page through books or magazines and see what other people are doing. JUST DO IT! Books can be very inspiring! Making jewelry is easy. You just have to get started. Begin a piece today!"
Mary, keep up the creativity! You are an inspiration to us all.
Until next month,
The Jewel School Team
