Monthly Beadditudes with Dara

Beading With Heart: New Ways to Create Jewelry Using Heart!
If using hearts in your jewelry design doesn’t make your ticker go pitter pat, maybe its because you think hearts can’t be hip, modern and edgy. Oh, but they can. We’ve moved beyond the chubby, puffy hearts of the 80’s and symmetrical hearts of the 90’s.
 
Tuff Stuff
This edgy little heart pendant is a contradiction in textures, and it couldn’t be better! Made by Athena’s Armoury, this  heart has a core of red felt and an exterior of sterling jumprings in a pattern called hana gusari. Seems to be a metaphor for how tender your heart is on the inside...and the lengths we go to protect it on the outside. I can see this as a pendant or charm from a silver chain, or as a center piece for a bracelet. Such potential. 
 
Gears of love
If this doesn’t grab you, then check your pulse. What a crafty little assemblage of gears and wheels this heart has. I adore how simple the design is, with a flavor of the times. K from Kuriosities loves to pile metals on top of metals, and this Steampunk flavored design is right up that alley. This is about as far from the puffy heart as you can get!
 
Fiber hearts
Meeting Meg Hannan from Rag Sky Art Studio a few years ago made an instant impression on me. The hearts that were on display at her booth happily surprised me and I learned that thinking out of the box is a great thing. Created from fibers and fabrics, these hearts are slices of loveliness that are irresistible. Look closely at them and you’ll find hidden treasure… beads, metallic threads, yarn, and more! Just beautiful.
 
Quirky hearts
Riverpath Studio and Artworks has incorporated shifty little hearts into their designs. Small piles of textured metals are stacked up and whimsically formed into pendants and earrings that will warm your… you know… heart! Multi-metal contrast and texture, texture, texture. A recipe for sure success.
 
Precision wire wrapped hearts
Zelda’s Bead Kit Co. has created a stunner of a heart, with uniform silver coils and a symmetrical design. I love the theme of the hearts, where its tender and sweet and soft… created in a design made from cold, hard, industrial wire! A marriage of contradiction that works beautifully. This piece is nice since the heart shape is sort of secondary to a marvelous design.
 
White hearts
Since we’re talking about hearts, I wanted to mention that white hearts are fantastic to work with. Ever heard of them? White hearts have been around for centuries. The center of the bead is an opaque white color, and the outside of the bead is red. There were times when other colors were used, but red seems to be the most common color. We have some of these beauties if you’d like to own them for yourself. I have to warn you that they’re beautiful and you’ll fall in love with them. They’re irresistible!
 
Love in February
If you’re not the heart type, then why not work in February’s birthstone– the lovely and yummy amethyst! Some believe that amethyst is a stone of healing. Some are just hypnotized by the gorgeous shade of purple! This stone looks amazing against skin tone and is so beautiful with sterling, turquoise or teal. Just my beady  opinion!
 
“My therapist said to open up my heart and discover any interests or hobbies that may brighten my days. So I looked deep into my heart and what do you know? It was full of beads. Now all my designs have a heart in them somewhere.”  ~ Chloe Edgerley, bead designer and artist.
 
Resources worth checking into!
http://kuriosities.com/    
http://zeldasbeadkits.com/
http://www.etsy.com/listing/46607149/miss-melissas-way-heart-pendant-or-pin
http://www.etsy.com/listing/9041149/chain-maille-heart-keepsake