About Me ...

Hello, my name is Stella Brown and my love of beading and crafting things goes back to my early childhood.

I remember my grandmother making Christmas ornaments from plastic beads and safety pins. They sparkled when the Christmas tree lights blinked, and I thought they were the most beautiful ornaments ever made. She made snowmen, Santa's, Christmas trees and sparkling angels out of daisy shaped and trefoil acrylic beads. She taught me how to make them and that started my love of beading.

From there I got into seed beads and weaving with seed beads. The Native American beaded headbands and belts caught my attention when I was in high school, so I got some books and taught myself how to weave on a bead loom. Which then launched me into a variety of fiber arts like embroidery, weaving and macramé. All of which I incorporated beads into.

 

My mother taught me how to make macramé plant pendants and I put large wooden pony beads in key focal points. She also taught me needlepoint and cross stitch and soon I was putting beads on my needlepoint canvas. My sister taught me to think outside the box when it came to creating fiber, fabric or beaded items. She used those media and many more to create beautiful works of art that usually performed a menial function. I grew up looking here for inspiration and guidance in my crafts.

A knight from a Hallmark knife set box that I did in punch needle embroidery when I was in high school.

I dabbled in string beads when I was a kid, but it wasn't until I joined a junior high rock club that I learned the art of making jewelry. We polished and cut and re-polished stones, made simple settings and glued the stones into them. I learned how to work with sheet metal and how to make gold rings in that afterschool club. It was a brief introduction to the lapidary arts that opened up a whole world to me.

More recently I enjoy making jewelry out of wire and using that wire with a bunch of different items from glass marbles and polished stones to seashells and sea-glass. I love the delicate nature of filigree style wire jewelry and the complexity of Viking Wire Knit. I began researching different types of jewelry made throughout Europe and the Middle East in history and taught classes on Byzantine style necklaces and Viking jewelry in the Society for Creative Anachronism. I have also learned some of my skills from taking classes such as soap stone casting and enameling in the SCA and now I feel it is time to pass along what I have learned to you.

This site should grow as I continue to grow my craft and explore new ways and established ways to create beautiful jewelry. I invite you to share my journey and share your stories and projects as we walk this path together.