TONI MCCARTHY DESIGNS
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Meet ANNIE, my muse.  I photographed her on a sunny February day on our deck just up from the woods.  She's sporting a tank, a my husband's tooled leather belt , a big silver buckle that my dad used to wear, and lots of new "cowgirl"-style jewelry.  She's looks pretty good, right?

It all started with my "need" for a figure like hers to be the stage for the new western-themed jewelry I had in my head.  Once she arrived, Annie seemed the right name (just enough sass), but she needed some clothing.  Well, lo and behold, I found the perfect garment on Junk Gypsies website:  "Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History"--one of my favorite sayings.  

Well, ever since I partnered up with Annie, my full-size (although headless and legless) jewelry model, I have found a wealth of jewelry ideas that just keep coming.

This is one of my FIRST BLOG POSTS from 2013. Several of my original posts are available below.  Enjoy them.  Things have changed, and I will add and update things soon.

Courting My Beading Muse

I think about beads, metals, and jewelry a lot.  
Maybe not constantly, but almost.  
So when my muse is with me, I must court her so she stays
and provides me with inspiration.  

My Studio Work Space (first published 2013)

2/10/2020

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Just this week I "remodeled" my work space.  (I've really been into the new looks, updates, fresh starts this year so far--no guarantees on how long this phase will last, however.)  But this is where I work.

Organization and efficient storage are the keys to my being able to work creatively. It will always nag at me if I have a chore to complete before I sit down to have fun.  And beading is way beyond fun for me.  It's when my muse sits nearby, maybe on my shoulder, and gives me artistic encouragement and inspiration.  Hence, the remodel . . . and on to courting the muse!

First a little history:  My studio is a big room in our basement that used to be the rec room when the kids were little and played down there.  Years went by and the room became a store room for furniture, athletic equipment, you know, an easy place to stash whatever. Then one day I thought that I wanted to move from a small spare bedroom upstairs to this luxurious space that wasn't being utilized to its full potential.  It's big (about 18 x 30 feet), carpeted, and completely comfortable, and I am really appreciative of it. So I carried all my beading stuff down the stairs piece by piece (and of course did a thorough purging of the accumulated goods to better homes.) The arrangement has gone through several redos over the years, but I'm really happy with it now.  We plan to move the pool table out later (right now it's a staging area) and put in a large wooden dining-style table (now living in the garage) for display, work, bead retreats, and classes.  It's always something . . . 

The photo on the right shows where the magic happens, so to speak.  There are two six-foot tables, one under the windows and one to the right forming a corner.  The table you see is the actual workspace; the other table holds stuff.  The cool thing is my storage on the table.  I ordered two shelf units from Amazon (the kind that are used in schools as mailboxes or paper storage).  I assembled them, put them on the table, and proceeded to fill up the 72 cubbies.  Since most of my beads and findings are stored in plastic divided boxes, the fit is perfect!  And . . . everything I use all the time is with reach.  My husband is going to build one for the other table that is a more custom size.  I'm sure I can find things to fill up those cubbies too.  

But the best thing is that I'm no longer working in a one-foot-square space.  In the past I've always somehow ended up doing that by surrounding myself with beads, boxes, books, tools, articles, etc. until I have almost no room left to work.  So, right now at least, I have the whole length of the table to work on a project.  No guarantees, but for this week, it's working!

The photo to the left above is my tool table.  It's a steel garage or workshop metal shelf from Costco, so it's beefy.  I have three of these altogether.  The other two are for other purposes.  But this one is where I keep my hammers, mandrels, bench blocks, stamps, cutting tools, dapping tools--anything that really requires some pounding.  The shelf below is storage for tools used less often.  The wooden section on top is a leftover from my mishmash of earlier storage shelves.  It's about four feet long and about nine inches wide.  It's perfect for the little things that need to be corralled or they fall off or get lost.  I have the stamps, hole punches, scale, dapping blocks, glues and other solutions there.  And it's open underneath so that tools with longer handles can be tucked there and still be found easily.

Those are my two main work areas.  I sometimes go downstairs and just look at it.  Do you ever do that?  I'll do the same thing after I've made a piece that I really, really like.  Just make a trip to look at it.  It's somehow satisfying.

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    About Me . . . 
    I am a beader, a designer, and a maker. And . . .

    I love it. . . all parts of it: planning projects; buying beads and metal; accumulating tools; reading everything;  organizing my studio; auditioning designs; researching other artists; collaborating in creative groups; working on my website and social media; and hopefully inspiring myself to continue courting my beading muse. 

    I have been designing and making handmade jewelry since about 1995,  and always my focus has been on What Women Buy for Themselves  (although I have LOTS of customers who are men too!)

    My two "styles" are BOHO (mainly glass/gemstone beads in chunky designs) and MOJO (metal, chains, clays, and more in neutral designs). However, my styles have evolved throughout the years.


    All pieces are designed and made by me in my studio here in Camas, Washington.
    Czech glass in bold colors is one of my main "fabrics."  In addition, metals play a huge part in my designs.  Copper, brass, silver, gemstones, pearls, vintage glass, handmade lamp work beads, and wirework are mixed with metals, gemstones, pearls and found objects in one-of-a-kind designs.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some or all of the links in my blog posts are affiliate links.  This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission and we are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.  As always, our heart is to encourage you to use what you already have and, when we suggest products, we only share supplies that we use and endorse.  

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A Toni McCarthy Production

What Women Buy For Themselves . . . since 1995
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dba Beads & Threads

www.tonimccarthy.com
Camas, Washington USA
  • Home
  • Necklaces
  • Earrings
  • Bracelets
  • My Muses
  • How I Do Things/Events/Contact
    • Events & Galleries
    • Contact
  • BLOG: Courting My Beading Muse
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