Denise Yezbak Moore

Shoot For The Stars! I hope everyone enjoyed my interview with this year's Bead Star Erin Strother .  Did you like the photo of Erin vacuuming with her trophy and sash?  I have to tell you, I am surrounded by fabulous women named "Erin".  My other extraordinary, inspiring friend is Erin Prais-Hintz .  She won 1st place in the Under $25 category.  Erin is an incredible designer so it was no surprise that she won the category.  What is really amazing is that the design was a collaboration between mother and her 3rd grade daughter.  Please visit Erin Prais-Hintz blog to read the heart touching story.  Leave a comment congratulating the "Tiny Dancer!" Erin Prais-Hintz and her "Tiny Dancer" Below are my designs that won prizes this year in Bead Star .  I would like to thank everyone who voted in the contest.  The magazine is packed full of beautiful designs.  Melanie Stafford did an amazing job on this issue.     ...

Georgian Mourning Jewelry Each week I pick an interesting piece of antique jewelry from Adin Fine Antique Jewelry to share with you.  This week I am featuring this precious and highly emotional Georgian mourning ring.   Circa 1792- Retail Value $4,532 Georgian Period spans between 1714 and 1837.  During this time there was great political upheaval during the reigns of four English Kings named George.  Mourning jewelry was common during this period.  People often made jewelry with a lock of hair from a loved one.  We have seen the names and dates on tombstones but they rarely move us.  This little ring is not the most impressive piece at first  glance but turn it over.  Read the engraving and suddenly you are transported to a tragic moment 200 years ago…the inscription in the ring reads:  W.A. aged 4 Yrs died 6 July 1792 G.R.A. aged 4 Mo's died 12 Dec 1792   Then take a look at the top of the ring again a...

Erin Strother 2010 Bead Star Grand Prize Winner   In June of 2009 I meet one of my BBB (Best Beading Buddies) Erin Strother on the message boards of Beading Daily in a Bead Star forum.  On her post, she said, “Looking at all the incredible finalists, I’m worried none of my pieces will make it.” This marks the beginning of a beadiful friendship.  We chat through phone calls and emails sharing our triumphs and tragedies.  Not a week goes by that we do not connect.  I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that Erin is the 2010 Bead Star.  No one deserves this honor more than she.   When I found out she won, I asked her if she would grant me an exclusive interview for my blog.  I hope you enjoy interview. How did you start beading/making jewelry?   I was looking through a big name jewelry catalog, and I really wanted some of the pieces, but they were soooo expensive. Most of what I liked were really simple designs, like a strand of face...

Tips - How To Date Earrings   Adin Fine Antique Jewelry Circa 1830 - Retail Value $2,564 When dating a pair of vintage or antique earrings, the first clue that you will look at are the earring findings.  These findings can be dated and will indicate when the earrings were made.   Please note that antique wires can break.  There are many pieces that have been updated/repaired.  The earrings can actually be older than the finding portrays.  If you have a similar situation you will need to refer to the motifs, materials and embellishments to date the piece.  Please look at ear clips below as an example.  The entire earring should be taken into account when dating a piece.   F ish hook or Sheppard Crook earring findings are the earliest type of ear wire.   Adin Fine Antique Jewelry - Fish Hook Circa 1750 - Retail Value $4,799 Kidney wires are very popular today and have been traced back to the 1870's.  Adin Fine Antique...

An Affaire To Remember Heartsabustin just found out that she is going to be in the Spring 2011 issue of Jewelry Affaire Magazine.  To celebrate, she featured myself and some of the other talented ladies who have appeared in the magazine's past issues.  She also included a few of her personal favorites from Etsy.   If you get a chance check out her treasury "An Affaire To Remember." Are you ready for Christmas?  I still have a few loose ends to wrap up (Ha, wrap up).

Hurry Down the Chimney Tonight I love primitive folk art.  Vintage or  recently crafted, I find the rudimentary elements of a piece extremely charming.      These four Jolly fellas were created by me about 10 years ago.    One day when I was antique shopping I came across four vintage Santa chocolate molds.  I decided to buy the molds and use them to create my Santa's.  The molds are a perfect for Paper Mache' Clay.     The clay takes about one week to dry.  After the drying period they are painted, antiqued and sprayed with matte varnished to seal the pieces.  I then brushed white glue in specific areas and added the Icy Flake Diamond Dust. Have you ever created any special holiday decorations?  If so, what have you crafted?  I would love to read all about it. 

Wire-crafted jewelry is truly an art.  The Phoenicians are the first civilization credited with creating jewelry from wire some 5000 years ago.  There are many examples of wire jewelry in ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt.  Pieces have been found in the tombs of the Pharaohs.  Very few special tools are required to turn wire into a piece of jewelry you would be proud to wear or sell.  The artist bends, twists, and cuts the wire to create a beautiful piece of jewelry that is literally held together by a "string" of wire.  I prefer to use wire in my jewelry designs because is is sturdy:  There is little fear of breakage and the pieces never have to be restrung.  When I design on of these pieces, I feel as if I am creating heirloom jewelry for the future.     Belle Armoire Jewelry Winter 2011 My second set of stepped out photos.       I am really excited about Jodi Bombardier new book Weave, Wrap, Coil: Creating Artisa...

Art Clay Silver Birdhouses My flight to create birdhouses started a couple of years ago when I took an introductory class into Art Clay Silver .  I played around with it for a few months, then I lost interest.  Over Christmas break 2009, while making gingerbread houses with my children, I wondered if I could take this technique and create a birdhouse out of ACS.  Winter turned into spring, and I ended up wandering through a bead shop in Palm Springs, California.  As fate would have it, gleaming in the case was a tiny ACS birdhouse.  "Who made this fabulous creation?" I had asked the clerk.  She told me that the owner had bought the piece at a bead show back East, but she didn't know the artist's name.  After examining the piece, I knew I had to try out my "gingerbread theory."  Here is my salute to that unknown artist living somewhere on the East Coast.  She/he inspired me to create my own line of ACS bird houses.  Thank you whoever you...

Go To Cindy Wimmer's Blog Enter To Win The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Bead Box Here is an excerpt from Cindy's Blog For those of you that may be stopping and by and the “traveling bead box” is something foreign, I’d love to share with you a link to the original post !  It was fun to go back and see how this traveling phenomenon all began.  Beginning with a studio destash, Heather Powers set this creative Give Away in motion.  Heather boxed up all sorts of beads and placed them in a small flat-rate box, ready to travel around the U.S.  The box has grown and now warrants a medium flat rate box.   When the Sister received the box, she simply selected beads and then replaced them with beads from her own stash that were of comparable value. I was happy to join the Sisterhood as the 11th bead box recipient.  Here’s a look at where the box has been so far (thank you, Becky for compiling this): 1. ? The Founding Sister  ? Heather Power...

  A Jewelry Accord 50+ Innovative Styles Using Leather, Lace, Ribbon & Cords   I am thrilled to announce that I have been selected as one of the contributors to Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegel's new book "A Jewelry Accord".   Two other wonderful and talented ladies join me.  They are Mary Jane Dodd and Tracy Statler .  The book is due out Spring 2012. We have a fabulous new blog dedicated to this  journey  called "Jewelry Accord" .  Please take a look at the new blog and be sure to follow us.  Below is the video announce that Lorelei and Erin made on the blog this morning. ABOUT THE BOOK: Title: A Jewelry Accord: 50+ Innovative Styles Using Leather, Lace, Ribbon; Cords A fundamental jewelry-making instruction book with a focus on the use of alternative materials in beaded jewelry such as, leather cord, suede lace, waxed linen cord, cotton cord, silk cord, ribbons and other cords. This book teaches how to incorpor...

Joolz    My December 2010 submission for Bead Trends Magazine is a vintage style set called "Joolz".  The set includes a necklace, bracelet and earrings featuring Vintaj Natural Brass .   Surprisingly, this set is not named after anyone in particular.  I picked the name "Joolz" because of the rich gem tone colors.   Bead Trends magazine is published monthly.  They have a fabulous on-line edition of the magazine if you cannot locate the publication in your area.      I would love to hear comments about the color combo.  Do you like it?  Is it too startling?  Let me know what you think.