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In 2002 Interweave’s founder, Linda Ligon, and I sat in a hotel lobby in New York to discuss starting a new magazine that solely concerned stringing beads. It was a completely revolutionary idea at the time and, quite frankly, I thought it was a bit nuts; beadweavers like me often viewed stringing as our community’s wallflower cousin. She said she wanted a magazine that stretched people’s creativity, helping them explore new materials to expand their vision of what stringing could be. Her general edict was, “Make it beautiful, make it colorful, and I don’t want to see page after page of ‘bumps on a string.’ What I want is page after page of gorgeous pieces that you might find at a museum shop or gallery. No ‘safe’ jewelry in this one.” ...

A few short years ago I decided to quit my day job and attend culinary school. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly on a whim, but I had finally decided to follow my passion and learn the art of creating beautiful cakes and pastries. Although I learned how important it is to work neatly and to mise en place my ingredients ahead of time, by far the biggest—and most challenging—lesson I learned is what Chef Elizabeth called the Ta-Da moment. ...

Like you, I’ve taken classes of all sorts over the years. Most teachers use memory techniques to help you remember lists or a process. For instance, my piano teacher used the acronym (E)very (G)ood (B)oy (D)oes (F)ine so I could remember the lines of the treble clef; in 10th grade typing class I learned the pangram “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog;” when my daughter learned to tie her shoes we sang SpongeBob’s Loop Dee Loop song; and in college the ne’er-do-wells who tore me away from my studies taught me “Over the lips and through the gums, watch out stomach here it comes.”...

If you're going to rate pesky problems in wire work, this one rates pretty high. Yes, wire warts are just what you think: those nasty little marks on the wire made with your pliers. After putting your best creative and technical skills into your design, it is so frustrating to see those unwanted and unintended marks! What can you do about it? ...

Some days (OK, most days) you amaze me! In the Reader Showcase area of the forums, I was blown away by Australian member Huan Pham who created the beautiful wireworked seahorse pictured here. Isn't it amazing? View the larger photo in the forums if you want to be impressed by his precise wirewrapping skills!...

Along with simple loops, the spiral was the first wire technique I learned. In fact, my mom still wears a pair of earrings that I created back then with 8mm black rounds and a silver spiral dangle. (I try not to cringe when I see them--my technique has greatly improved since then!)...

What makes a piece of jewelry a "winter" design? Is it jewelry type? I hardly ever create bracelets for winter because I know they'll just be buried under miles of sweaters and jackets. ...