Olive Luster beads

When I first saw Olive Luster beads were available, I thought "no one will want these". I thought about avocado green appliances and wondered what colors would go good with this shade of green. I could see it being used for leaves, but not much else. I was wrong. I started seeing it available at other bead stores and when I bought some to sell, I quickly sold out. I met a Yakima beader who used this color as the main color for a barrette. Her choice of colors to go with it were beautiful as well. Overall, the effect is stunning. (Click the picture to get a larger image) A friend purchased the barrette for me because I kept commenting on it and going to the other beaders booth to look at it again. I have these beads in size 11/0, true cut, available on my site and I carry them to the powwows I attend. I have most of the bead colors that are in the barrette as well (the red iris is hard to find, so that one is not available in size 11/0). This color is also available in size 13/0, but I currently do not carry this color in this size. So if you have this bead and are looking for a good way to use it, here it is. I also like this color with dusty rose (cheyenne pink, crow pink), eggshell, pale blue, and dark red. *Your next muse*

Eggshell Beads

One of my new favorites is the Eggshell colored bead. It is a cream color, or bone color, with a pearl finish (almost a luster). I really like this as a neutral bead that looks so good with so many other colors. It is a good alternative to white as it is light colored and goes well with almost any other color. I really like this with pink (cheyenne pink, crow pink, or dusty rose). The other colors it looks good with are darker colors like dark red, Montana blue, dark amethyst, and olive luster. One beader I met at the Muckleshoot Powwow used these beads in her feather designs, instead of white. I liked it. In the future I will include pictures of finished beadwork using the "bead of the day". I have these beads available in size 8/0 charlotte cut (true cut), 11/0 charlotte cut (true cut), 13/0 charlotte cut (true cut) and in size 9/0 3-cut. They are also available in 12/0 3-cut, but I don't have these in stock right now. *Your next muse*.

Why Blog?

I was a little skeptical about blogging. It seems so pretentious that I felt I shouldn't do it. In my "free time"-like there is much- I have found myself going to Google and doing searches with various terms to see what appears. I use Native American beadwork, American Indian beadwork, beadwork... etc. I just want to see what is out there and what is genuine. My New Years Resolution is to bead everyday (didn't happen), and to help promote and uphold The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. You can read about this at http://www.doi.gov/iacb/act.html

As an American Indian vendor at powwows, I am highly irritated by the presence of other vendors selling their goods as made by Indians, when in fact it is imported. I won't promote other sites, but if you Google Mayan Beadwork, or Guatemala Beadwork, you will see items that are sold at powwows located along the I-5 Corridor, which is generally Oregon and Washington, I haven't traveled to California for any powwows at the time of this post. My first powwow for 2010 was going to be at the Portland Community College Powwow on January 23, 2010. Our Vendor contract already had the law outlined and I am so proud of them for not letting these misrepresentations be allowed at the powwow.

My goals for this blog are going to be to educate, create open discussions about American Indian Beadwork, the techniques used to create it, tips, tricks, material selection, color selection and photos.