Ever since one of her friends wore a couple of her barrettes in a People magazine spread, Jackie Guerra's jewelry has been in demand among trendsetters all over the world. Her designs are now carried in boutiques worldwide and are snapped up by celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Marie Osmond and Law and Order's Elisabeth Rohm. Crafts expert Debbie Stapely shows a variety of organizers and tools that will help you in your beading projects: - This style of organizer not only holds your beading supplies but also allows you to design a piece before actually putting it together (figure A).
- A simple plastic box with compartments can help you keep your beads and wire in order (figure B).
- Even cookie trays will serve to keep everything in its place (figure C). And you get to eat the cookies first!
- Small glass jars or plastic bags are probably just lying around the house, waiting to be used (figure D).
- Beading tools such as pliers, wire-cutters and tweezers are invaluable assets for any beading project (figure E). You can even buy a special tool that helps you straighten out bent wire!
Web extra: More on jewelry making with Jackie Guerra Q: Were crafts a big part of your life growing up?
A: Arts and crafts were such a big part of my life. My mother was unbelievably crafty. She literally would make her own wrapping paper. When I think of my first childhood memories, it's always sitting at the kitchen table, making like a snowman. Q: Did you have a favorite craft as a child?
A: I think my favorite thing to make was cards. I know everybody makes cards, but my mom taught us to make cards that were more like gifts. Q: What was your first craft creation as an adult?
A: The first thing that I ever made were beaded earrings. In college I wanted to travel around Europe for the summer and my parents told me that I could do it if I could pay for it. I started making earrings and selling them at swap meets. I made $1,500, and when you're 19, $1,500 might as well have been like 6.8 bazillion dollars! I was able to go and I made earrings throughout Europe and sold them to people on the trains and metros. Q: When did you really start selling your jewelry?
A: Well, Ricki Lake is a friend of mine, and she was wearing a pair of barrettes that I had made for her at a photo shoot for People magazine about Todd Oldham. She wore my barrettes and his clothes, and I literally got contacted from all over the world, it was amazing. Thanks, Ricki! Q: Why wear jewelry?
A: Jewelry is such a personal thing. You put it on your body and it's such an expression of yourself. Everybody wears pants and a shirt, skirt and a blouse, jacket, whatever, it's all very predictable. But when you put jewelry on, it is so personal and so defining. Q: What is your favorite part of jewelry making?
A: I love to go shopping for the stones and the crystals, or have a travelling friend get me something really funky from like, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or the mountains of Guatemala. Q: Do you make jewelry on the set?
A: I'm always on the set making something. I'm one of those people that everyone on the set makes fun of. If I'm not joking around with the crew, I am sitting there with my crystals. I'll be on the set and I'll find like, electrical wires that the grips have left behind, and I'm like, that could be a really cool earring!
RESOURCES :
The Best Little Beading Book
Model: 0964595702
Author: Wendy Simpson Conner
Interstellar Publishing Company
La Mesa, CA 91943
Phone: 619-292-8191
Fax: 619-292-0373
Email: interstlr@aol.com
Beads: A Book of Ideas and Instructions
Model: 1570540276
Author: Laura Torres
Beautiful Beads/How to Create Beautiful, Original Gifts and Jewelry for Every Occasion
Model: 080198629X
Author: Alexandra Kidd
(August, 1994)
Chilton Book Company
Westchester, PA 19380
Phone: 610-738-9280
Fax: 610-738-9354
Jazzy Jewelry: Power Beads, Crystals and More! (Kids Can Series)
Model: 1885593473
Author: Diane Baker
(2000)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Williamson Publishing Company
Charlotte, VT 05445
Email: info@williamsonbooks.com
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