Customer Reviews

Beaded Jewelry with Found Objects: Incorporate Anything from Buttons to Shells

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Short Version: I love this book! Buy it and expand your mind. You do need
to know a few basic stitches, but it shows you all kinds of cool variations
on those stitches to make your work "pop."

Long Version: I'll admit it: I have a soft spot in my heart for the people
at Krause. Years ago, I was their technical contact for their first
computerized typesetting and book layout machines. When the people I worked with at Krause found out I had a dream of owning an antique Buick, they sent me all the books they produced on Antique Cars, Antique Buicks, the History of the Buick, and Maintaining a Classic Car. At that time that the books
came, the dream of owning such a car was like the dream many people have of
winning the lottery: fun, but unlikely.

I devoured those books, and learned to recognize and appreciate the
distinctive Krause publishing style. The books are all about as long and wide as a sheet of typing paper, and range from a few pages to big phone book types. They're all glue bound with a nice, full color cover. The books that Krause publishes are invariably of terrific quality, presented in a practical and
affordable package.

This book was no disappointment. It assumed that I had some skill with
common beading stitches, but reviewed them briefly, anyway. Then it drives
right onto the projects - a beautiful lariat made with a glass drawer pull as
the focal, a multistrand firepolished necklace using a copper plumbing joint
as the foundation for a focal bead, and many variations. The projects have
enough detail that an advanced beginner would feel comfortable with most of
them, and are different enough that a proficient beader would enjoy spending
time making cool items with unrecognizable materials.

My favorite is the Peyote bracelet embellished with automobile
fuses. The fuses are cheap and easy to find, and look terrific on the
finished bracelet, and no one will ever guess where you got those cool components. The strangest one, IMO, is made of lurid green rubber worm fishing lures. To make up for the worms, on the following pages there are beautiful, inexpensive pieces made with metal fishing lures.

It will get you used to looking for odd objects here and there and thinking,
"So, how do I make jewelry out of this?" Right now, I'm eyeing a bunch of
dead keyboards, and wondering if I could bead bezels around the keys and make a name bracelet. If my dog held still long enough, I could probably bead her, too.

The gallery is the best part of the book, IMO. I love to drool over the eye
candy, and mentally picture when I would make the pieces, and what changes
I'd make. (Can't ever leave well enough alone.)

It's a great book, written in a much more down to Earth style than "The Art
and Elegance of Beadweaving." This book made me feel like a friend was
telling me how to make some cool new pieces with stuff hanging around the
house. I'm so glad that the nice people at Krause printed this treasure,
which I think will be around for a long, long time.

Enjoy!

"If you can find it, you can bead it" is the statement made on the back cover of this book, and judging by the multitude of creative ideas author Carole Rodgers displays, it's so true. Such everyday items as beach glass, fishing lures, game pieces, bottles, hardware store items, and stones take on new life in these jewelry projects. The book features more than 30 innovative ideas for necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and brooches. It is extensively illustrated with 225 how-to illustrations and 100 full-color photos. The exhaustive overview of beading techniques makes this book invaluable to beginners, and the inspirational gallery pieces from 12 other artists appeal to seasoned beaders who simply have to see it to do it. Well done!

Ms. Rodgers provides the confident beader with a wealth of projects to stimulate creativity. The photos are top notch and the directions and suggestions are most helpful.

I passed by this book a few times but I needed a bead book fix so I ordered and I'm happy I did. The designs are imaginative and there is a wealth of techniques to try. They are explained well with excellent diagrams. Lots of eye candy to boot.

I see lots of craft books - so I can say with assurance that this one is among the best. It gave me lots of ideas to help me get going on projects of my own. I use this book for tips on techniques also - but I really LOVE it for all the inspiration it provides. Ms Rodgers surely knows her stuff!

This book is a keeper. The projects are delightful and instructions are clear. With Carole's pointers in mind, there are so many places to look other than bead shops for findings and inspiration. In addition, the book describes new ways of using old stitches that leave the reader with ideas of her own to pursue. Included are pictures of what other bead artists have done using the instructions from this book as a springboard for their ideas. "Beaded Jewelry with Found Objects" is a treasure for anyone who loves beading, and just looking through it is fun. Warning: looking through this book will leave you twitching to start a new beady project ... okay, okay, it'll leave you twitching to start A LOT of new beady projects.

I found this book by accident while searching for beadwork books on Amazon.com and I'm soooooo glad I did! It includes many techniques for incorporating a variety of things into your beadwork and rather than offering only one design solution it gives lots of options. For example, I especially appreciated the inclusion of techniques for incorporating cabochons and larger found objects such as rocks and slabs without using the technique of gluing the object to a backing and couching around it but rather using beadwork exclusively to capture the object. Lots of eye-candy and interesting suggestions. This turned out to be a better all-around book of techniques than I expected it to be and I know I will refer to it often. It does have lots of projects in it if you want to just follow along and more or less copy them, but it also gives different techniques for straps, focals, etc. so you can mix and match them. I wish more beading books were like this one -- it really helps to expand a beader's design options!

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the projects on beading around freeform crystals and seaglass. The beaded eyeglass and small bottles were also great. There are a few other quirky beaded items, but the rest of the book is useless. I should say I am an advanced beader, so the many projects on beading around a simple bezel don't interest me. So, if you're a mid to advanced beader, there isn't that much new.

I was very pleased to find this book! Basic instructions for right angle weave that are easy to follow, Ladder Stitch, Even Number Flat Peyote, Vertical Netting (or Lattice Weave,) Back Stitching and Couching.
Good Chapter for Straps, Necklaces and Fringe WITH PICTURE INSTRUCTIONS. Lots of ideas for odd ball beads and not beads that you can use in your beadwork.

It has a Wonderful Chapter (4) on Beading cabochons with some fresh Unique ideas for beaded straps and the stones. One is done with a Amethyst crystal wedge. Very clear instructions. She has some pictures of beaded brooches made with doughnuts and disks embellished with with beads that start in the center and work their way to the edges that I find inspiring. SHe even beaded a Magnifying Glass Necklace!

I really like this book a lot. It shows you the various stitches and the pictures are in laymans terms and the projects turn out great. I have always wondered what I was going to do with my Mahjongg tiles. This book has sparked my imagination. Now I have new ideas for them.