SteamPunk

Hi everyone, if you follow my blog you know how much I love Steampunk art. Several months ago I discovered a wonderful Steampunk artist, Daniel Proulx. Her style, technique, and workmanship is some of the finest I have seen. I am sure you will agree once you have visited her blog and etsy store. CatherinetteRings.etsy.com Stop by to visit Daneil and be sure to tell her that Nicole from Beadwright sent you.

Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

Beading Bracelets

Here it is Monday again. I am not sure where the days go or why they go by so quickly. However, for me if I didn't have art and the art of beading I think I would be board out of my mind. The last few weeks I have been creating large pieces for several galleries. To break away from these pieces I have been making bracelets. They are fast and easy to make and takes me out of the standing position for the larger bead pieces. So here are the two latest bracelets. The Peyote bracelet is what call my "ugly" bracelet. You know, you find beads that look great together, then as you bead you say, "What was I thinking?" I must also say though, that my "ugly" bracelet has become my most favorite and I get a lot of ohhhs n aahhhss over it. The second is a combination of flatwork, netting and Peyote. Very fast and fun to make. Hope you enjoy seeing them.

Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

Color

When I teach a beading, or art some one always asks the question, " Where do you get your color combinations?" I go through my spiel of color and color combinations. Then I tell them when ever color is a blank or you are being challenged with it. Go out side. Simply step out your back door, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and then look around you. Colors will come to you in every shade and value. Even when I lived in the deep snow covered mountains of North ID there was color in all of that white. So does where you live effect the colors in your art? It certainly does. For me living on the Oregon cost for the past year my color pallet has changed dramatically. Here is a sample. "Sea Mist Bracelet" sold the day I finished it.

Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

Comment Contest Win Free BEADS

I should remind everyone that my comment contest is on going every month. Simply make a comment in any or all posts and your name goes into our cyber hat. At the end of the month one name is pulled to win free beads. Now here is the fun part the beads are a secrete. You don't know what you will receive until you open the package!!! I promise you will be happy with what you win. However, you can't win unless you make a comment. The more comments the better change to win. So take a minute to say hello.

Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

Rivoli in the wild

For those of you who know me even a little bit, you know two things, 1) that I love being out in the wilds and 2) right now Swarovski Rivoli is my favorite stone to work with. So here is a piece that incorporates what I love, in beads of course. A very large 30mm Rivoli crystal AB surrounded by Czech glass and my Curls n Swirls to add the right touch. The back has a wire hanger and then beaded to finish if off. This hangs in one of my work areas.

Remember this is Crystal month in my etsy store and I have great deals on Rivolis!
http://beadwright.etsy.com

Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

Copyright and the Law

As promised I will be posting information on copyright and ethics. There are many publications on copyright and in the online forums the views on this subject differ widely. The fact remains, that copyright is the law! Over the past 6 months I have come to find that some just don't get it or they just don't care. However, for those of us who design we should be aware that this law is to protect us. Copyright covers all art and designs. US Code Title 17 is a vast amount of text that covers every aspect of your original designs. It states that at the time of completion, published for the public or not your work is copyrighted. This must be an original design. With the millions of people now beading there are going to be ideas coming to more than one person. There are two ways to handle this. Keep a journal just for your original designs. Date the start of the project, how you put it together, and when it was finished. Take photos during the making of the item and at it's completion. Well anyone can write this up at any time and put any date on it, right? Sure they can, however, photos are timed stamped and there is your proof. The copyright codes also explain a "poor mans" copyright. Most of us have heard of this. When your project is completed write all the important information with photos and mail it to yourself. Do not open it. Keep a record and store it away. Filing for a copyright from the US government is an easy process that will cost about $15.00. Now stay with me because the history of copyright protects you without having to file a thing. Copyright began as the Licensing Act of 1662 by Charles II of England. By 1787 the United States added The Copyright Clause to the Constitution. Mainly for science and useful arts. This guaranteed authors and inventors a period of time that they could profit from the work they were doing. In 1886 Bern Convention was established. This enabled recognition of copyright among sovereign nations. Under the Bern Convention all works of art are copyrighted and do not have to be registered in other countries that signed into the convention. The US and Latin American countries, in 1910, entered into the Buenos Aires Convention. This required a copyright notice, such as, ( All Rights Reserved) marked on works. 1952 saw The Universal Copyright Convention drafted and was ratified by nations such as the Soviet Union. In 1995 the strict regulations of the Bern Convention were Incorporated into the World Trade Organizations. This gave the Bern Convention nearly world wide application. 2002 brought about the WIPO Copyright Treaty that placed wider restrictions on use of technology and copy works to the countries that ratified it. Copyright Law is pretty much standardized world wide so when I design a new piece, photograph it and post it on my blog or website it is mine! It is against the law to copy it in any way, shape, or form. For how long you ask? For the duration of my life and 70 years past my death. It is against Copyright Law to create, teach, sell, reproduce in any manner or form through old or new technologies works other than your own, without the expressed written permission of the author. You can not legally reproduce a piece from a magazine, book, Internet, or from a class and sell it! You must have the written permission from the artist. It does not COUNT that you told the buyer who the designer is. It is against Copyright Law. You can not take a class and then turn around and teach that piece in your own class. You must have written permission from the instructor. It is against Copyright Law. You can not buy a piece of art, reproduce it and sell it in your B&M or online store with out the permission from the artists. It is against Copyright Law. It only takes a minute to write an email to ask permission. It is the right thing to do, it is the ethical thing to do and it is the Law!

If you are not sure of what is right in our world of beading then it is probably wrong. Don't do it!

Be considerate, Bead with Honor and Integrity.

Next time I will describe what you can do with copyrighted art such as articles in magazines, books and from what you learn in classes. In addition, I will show artists how to let your copyright wishes be known.



If you want to stand for right-ness and show others that you do be sure to get a Copyright tote bag. All proceeds go to the education of our art and copyright.


click on the tote bag
Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

New Treasury

It is aways nice to be in an etsy treasury. It is even nicer when the others in the treasury are your friends and amazing artists. Check this out.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=19898

Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

Gem Faire Finds

I have to say that if you have an opportunity to attend Gem Faire don't miss out on it! I go every time it is close by my area and I have never been disappointed. The vendors are fantastic and the prices are better than you can imagine. My friends and I arrived just before the doors opened and hit the spots we knew we wanted first. Then up and down each isle to see what was available and running into bead friends from around the coast. One lady from our bead group actually had a back pack on that was so heavy I told her she needed to take it out to the car and come back. Hey, when one is in an environment of the Gem Faire you can loose all your senses.

Here are a just a few of my finds. I love Coral, and crystals.

Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

Gem Faire Shopping

Hi all. Today my best friends and I are heading over to Eugene OR. to attend the Gem Faire. What a great way to spend a day, yeah? I will bring back photos for you and I know lots of beads.
I have to go bead shopping now!
Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright

Thank the gods

I don't normally talk politics, however, thank the gods and the American people for voting correctly this time. Obama has a lot on his plate after the last 8 years of Bush. It will take longer than that to get us back on track. I hope that Obama is the man that will stand up and stand strong and be our president!

Bead with Honor and Integrity
Nicole/Beadwright