I am SUPER excited to have my work published in the 2016 Summer issue of Jewelry Stringing Magazine. I have three pieces in there including a gorgeous vivid yellow and green bracelet featuring Javanese glass beads and paper beads. You can find these and more FABULOUS pieces on my websites.
http://www.creationsbytonimbrundage.com http://www.creationsbytoni.etsy.com. Also, click the links below to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Be sure to click FOLLOW and follow my blog!
A collection of primitive meets boho style beaded jewelry pieces. These pieces are the beginning stages of my new collection with more to come. This collection will contiue to evolve as I explore new clay beads. Next on my list are the sunflower yellow clay beads. Be sure to visit my website http://www.creationsbytonimbrundage.com or stop by my Etsy store http://www.creationsbytoni.etsy.com.
I’m always searching for unusual beads preferably handmade. Why handmade? Handmade beads are unique. During one of my recent searches for handmade beads, I was drawn to a bright glowing light highlighting a strand of beads…ok not really but that’s how it felt. It was love at first sight. The beads were from an Etsy shop… AtHomeInTaos, owner Georgia Neumann. She creates handmade stoneware clay beads. Once on the website, the beads mesmerized me. They were perfectly imperfect…no two beads were the same. The beads were…
Rustic…
Earthy…
Primitive….
Most importantly handmade…
The second thing that caught my eye was the shop announcement. How can you not love a shop whose shop announcement start out stating…
“Welcome to At Home In Taos…..jumped out of the box a long time ago……dancing with clay…Rules……not a good idea……DANCE!” I immediately visualized the shop owner as a soulful free spirit creating without boundaries.
She goes on to say…“I find that symmetrical can be somewhat monotonous. I delight in tweaking the pottery in some organic way.” Ahhh the feels! It inspired me to create something…anything…just create!
Each bead looks as if it came from an ancient civilization with depth and feeling of artistic richness. The sepia bead colors are that of a sunset in Taos with harmonious shades of turquoise, rust, sunflower yellow, ruddy reddish brown and pale pink.
The beads are captivating….primitive with a fearless boldness that allows me to tap into another creative psyche. The focus is not on creating a perfect piece but on creating a perfectly imperfect piece of jewelry. By pairing these stoneware clay beads with natural and organic beads such as paper beads, wood and bone beads, it will allow me to design my own interpretation of ethnic and rustic styles.
My goal has been to design jewelry so that my customers can discover a look that is YOU-niquely their own. The unique and primitive stoneware clay beads from At Home In Taos will allow me to create without boundaries combining beads that will harmonized well with other beads while each bead is still upholding its own distinctiveness. I am anxious to order more African sand cast beads from my favorite store, Happy Mango Beads (yes I had to give a shout out to my fave bead store) and pair them with clay beads. Combining beads from these two stores is going to be a match made in heaven. I am excited about embarking on this new creative adventure and becoming a regular customer of At Home In Taos.
Be sure to stop by my website http://www.creationsbytonimbrundage or visit my Etsy store http://www.creationsbytoni.etsy.com to view more YOU-nique pieces!
When choosing beads, I search for beads that are different…unique in color, designs and shapes. I want to inspire my customers to step outside of the box and be different. I love using African Sand Cast and African Trade beads in my designs.
Handcrafted in Ghana, Africa sand cast beads (‘recycled glass’) beads were crafted by pulverizing old, discarded glass (bottles, windshields, etc.), adding colorant and then pouring the powder into crude clay molds. The stem of a local plant is added, this burns away during firing, leaving a hole for stringing. The beads are fired in a primitive, wood-burning earthen oven. Many beads are hand painted with traditional designs and then strung on raffia.
African trade beads were sometimes called “slave beads”. These beads were popularly used as a currency to exchange for goods, services and slaves during the trade in West African countries. Trade beads can also convey identity and cultural significance–for example, if a woman is married or a man is a warrior or an elder. Trade beads also signify a person’s rank determined by the quality, quantity and style of jewelry worn, which created a high demand for trade beads in Africa.
These exotic and unusual beads display a rustic and earthy look. Their distinctive colors enhances their beauty and character. When layered as multi-strand, these pieces can add an eye-catching statement look. For a stunning combination, I blend sand cast beads and trade beads with bone and wood beads for an awesome tribal feel. The sand cast and trade bead collection can be worn casual with jeans and a tank. Or, dress it up with a cute maxi dress or a black dress. These pieces are versatile and can be worn year round. When wearing a piece made by Creations By Toni, you can guarantee that you will be wearing a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art.
Trade bead color meanings
Blue beads are thought to enhance fertility.
Red beads are reserved for ceremonies like tribal festivals, funerals, circumcisions of young boys and harvest dances.
Black implies age and wisdom.
Yellow means high rank, and gold indicates a long life.
Large and colorful beads symbolizes wealth and social status.
(courtesy of Happy Mango Beads and Wikipedia)
Experience unique handcrafted jewelry designed by Creations By Toni. Each piece is handmade with fresh looks of color, style and fun. The sole purpose of Creations By Toni is to design QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE handmade jewelry so that each individual that wears it can discover a look that is YOU-niquely their own.
Richly colored, exquisitely designed the collection includes statement necklaces, bangles, bracelets, and earrings. Many are adorned with handcrafted beads from around the world such Peru, Nepal, Indonesia, China, Ghana, and rainforest of Ecuador. I strive to make sure my beads are eco friendly by using beads such as African sandcast, paper beads and recycled beads. These beads are recycled glass and sandcast beads from Africa and Indonesia that are crafted using old, discarded and broken glass such as bottles, windshields, mirrors, etc. I also use beads made from environmentally friendly, and sustainable resources such as seed and nut, wood, bone and lava beads.
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