Welcome to Grand River Beads Blog

Band of Braids

2009-07-23T15:54:00.003-04:00

7/23/2009
I'm trying something a little different......

Herringbone Wire Weave Class

2009-07-23T15:32:00.003-04:00

7/21/2009

A little bit of wire, a few beads, a new way to weave wire and presto! A great bracelet with matching earrings!

Resin Pebble Bracelet Class

2009-07-23T15:22:00.005-04:00

7/19/2009

Kim always gives the students such great tips that they can use on future projects at home as well as making sure everyone leaves with a finished professional quality creation. Nice job ladies!

Woven Bezel Class

2009-07-23T15:01:00.002-04:00

07/18/2009

You just can never have too many woven bezel pendants!!!

Want to learn how to drill beach glass?

2009-07-23T14:56:00.002-04:00

7/18/2009

Join us next time!!!

Dreamweaver Class

2009-07-23T14:48:00.005-04:00

7/14/2009
.....and the weaving continued till late in the night.....thank goodness for Starbucks!

July 4th Gone 2 Seed Workshop

2009-07-23T14:31:00.004-04:00

7/4/2009
It may have been a holiday but this dedicated group of weavers was determined to get in some "bead" time!

How much fun can we cram into one (mini workshops) weekend? Quite a lot actually!!!

2009-07-22T17:11:00.009-04:00

6/26 & 6/27, 2009

Sherman Weekend

2009-06-23T09:35:00.004-04:00

Graduation Party. Check.

Fathers Day Celebration. Check.

Beach Glass with Class

2009-06-22T22:21:00.004-04:00

Ta Da!!!!!

Net Weave Cuff

2009-06-22T21:33:00.005-04:00

Bit of a snafu in this class.....2 of our 4 students discovered they really did not enjoy weaving. That's ok, I'm not much of a fan myself, but we really wanted them to have something from the class, even if it was not the intended project. So Shelley and I each came up with a solution that used the segment they did complete. Sometimes ya just gotta drop back and punt....

Beach Glass Drilling Class

2009-06-22T21:20:00.003-04:00

Want to see our latest drilled and snazzed up beach glass? Here ya go...

Bead Camp

2009-06-16T17:46:00.011-04:00

Everything Old is New Again!

2009-06-14T05:11:00.002-04:00

Spoon Bracelets are back! Get out your 70's memorabilia box and find yours, or join us at GRB and make one! Kits available soon.....

Double Spiral Weave

2009-06-14T05:09:00.002-04:00

Nice work Ladies!!!

Ring Making Party

2009-06-14T05:03:00.006-04:00

What do all 12 year old girls have in common? Why, their love of funky jewelry, of course! And this group was no exception as they wire wrapped the evening away. Check out the snazzy creations!

June BYOBead Therapy Night

2009-06-14T05:00:00.001-04:00

The muse was definitely with us!

Spiral Snail Wrap

2009-06-14T04:55:00.003-04:00

What to do with all those teeny tiny pieces of beach glass? Spiral wrap them and hang them on a chain, they make a great charm bracelet or the sweetest little anklet!

Vines & Tendrils

2009-06-08T21:31:00.006-04:00

I know I'm gonna pay for it tomorrow but today I ignored the "to do" pile on my desk and experimented in the studio. The first cab is boulder opal from Australia and the second one is a piece of carved turquoise. I soldered 16 ga copper wire pieces together (in the back), balled the ends and wrapped them around front to hold the stones in place. A touch of LOS, a pass thru the tumbler and done!

Megans BDay Party

2009-06-07T20:15:00.002-04:00

With everything else going on this week, I developed a doozy of a summer cold so I was sent home for this one. But Miss Gabrielle did a stellar job keeping 9 twelve year old girls entertained and engaged. Nice job on the bracelets gals!

First Weavers Workshop

2009-06-07T19:48:00.003-04:00

Saturday GRB hosted the first of what we hope will be many "Gone 2 Seed" weavers workshops. Two enthusiastic students completed the "Pearl Jam" ring while instructor Shelley wished me to the bottom of the deep blue sea for giving her a project that involved......gasp......wire wrapping! Apologies Shelley, won't happen again!

Jesse is a Officially a High School Graduate!

2009-06-07T19:34:00.002-04:00

Our youngest daughter had her high school commencement Friday and I can honestly say it was one of the nicest ceremonies I have ever attended. During her senior year, Jesse was editor of the high school yearbook, served as statistician for the boys basketball team and studied classical piano at the Beck Center Music Conservatory. This fall she will be attending West Coast Bible College in California where she plans to study secondary math education. We couldn't be any prouder of you Jesse!!!!

First Annual Garage Sale a Huge Sucess!!!

2009-06-07T19:28:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all who participated! We had so many requests that we've decided to do it again......next GRB garage sale will be held September 3-5. See all you bargain shoppers then!

Jesse's Pendant

2009-06-03T11:37:00.003-04:00

My youngest daughter is graduating high school this Friday. She asked me to make a pendant that would match her dress and since she likes simple uncomplicated designs, this is what I came up with. Now will someone please pass me a tissue.....

From Last Saturday's Marathon Weekend of Classes

2009-06-03T11:28:00.004-04:00

These pix were not included with Saturdays classes due to technical difficulties. Note to PMC artists everywhere: do not use PMC plus paper when using it to create a bezel with PMC 3 as the backplate material no matter what Rio tells you!

Marathon Weekend of Classes

2009-05-31T21:53:00.013-04:00

Two days.....7 classes.......23 new student projects......

I want one!

2009-05-28T18:54:00.006-04:00

Evelyn stopped in today to show off her finished bracelet from Saturdays class. I tried to distract her with sparkly beads so she wouldn't notice that I "forgot" to return it after taking the photo, but she wasn't having it. Darn!

Tuesday's Weaving Class

2009-05-28T18:34:00.008-04:00

Our intimate little group created stunning focal pendants using a peyote stitch around a cabochon. One industrious student had even crocheted a matching chain and was just waiting for class to complete her latest project. Check it out!

What a Day!

2009-05-24T16:12:00.011-04:00

Quite a day here yesterday! While the metals class downstairs was busy fabricating rings and earrings, the chain gang upstairs was creating beautiful chain mail bracelets. Here are a few pix...

Mavis informed us that she is part of the witness protection program and therefore we can not show her full face. Don't worry Mavis, your identity is safe with us!

A few of the finished bracelets.....

And now the metals class....

Earrings.......

........and last but not least......rings

Happy Memorial Weekend to all!!

Beach Glass Classes

2009-05-17T19:44:00.011-04:00

We LOVE beach glass here at GRB and coming up with new ways to wrap, stitch, bezel, solder or glue Lake Erie glass is an ongoing creative challenge. Here are a few student projects from this weekends classes for your enjoyment!

Mokume Gane Workshop

2008-09-09T10:15:00.004-04:00

Hi, Jenny here. Wanted to tell you all that I'm very excited to share the Mokume Gane techniques I learned from Julie Picarello in California this summer!

This class is suitable for beginners to advanced polymer clayers, and all materials and tools are included in the class fee. You'll make a series of beads, and I'll take you from start to finish in one 6-hour class. We'll get through the sanding process with one bead, but you'll leave with a packet of sandpapers so that you can finish the rest on your own time.

This is a cool technique, and you'll be amazed by the results you'll get. Sign up soon, class size is limited!

Click here to see the class description and sign up. You can even pay online- how cool is that!

Welcome to Grand River Beads

2008-08-29T11:31:00.000-04:00

Hello! We know you crafty and beady types love insider news, new products, tips and techniques, and lots of photos, so we're here to give it to you! Check back to see what our innovative jewelry instructors are up to, and see some photos of what our class participants have made. Feel free to leave comments, too....we're here to serve your jewelry-making needs!