Introducing.....Mandi Ainsworth

Mandi is the only new Maven I have actually met in person. We met at Bead & Button in Milwaukee earlier this year and after spending some time talking to Mandi I felt she was in just the right place in her beading career to be a Maven so I invited her to join us.  I'm impressed that Mandi is already doing things like "Bead Circle" and obviously is not just a beader, designer and teacher but also an organizer, one who gives back to and cares about the bead community.

Mandi Ainsworth

What did you do before beading? And what brought beading into your life?

My grandma passed down her bead loom to me when I was 12 years old. Once I found beads, I lost interest in all other crafts. I began selling my work at an early age as well.

One summer, I decided to make some bead money by selling my strung seed bead jewelry. I lived by the lake, and the busiest day is the fourth of July. There was a little store that everyone would buy ice at on their way to the boat ramp, and the owner agreed to let me sell my jewelry in front of his store. With the date set and the agreement made, I started beading up a storm.

The big day came, and I laid out my jewelry on the walkway in front of the store. My sign read bracelets $1, necklaces $2, and leather keychains $5. I ended up making $76 that day, and I felt so rich! That was the day I knew I wanted to become a bead artist.

After graduating from Texas A&M, I lasted about a year in the corporate world before I quit to work part-time at a day job and part-time on my business. 

What is your comfort zone?

Projects where there is no set pattern, such as freeform peyote, bead embroidery, and intuitive beading.

What aspect of beading do you find most challenging?

Choosing colorways for my kits. I love color, and it’s hard to narrow it down sometimes and choose what people will like.

What would you most like to bead if you had the time and supplies?

Instead of yarn bombing, I would totally crystal bomb a tree or street light with all different sizes, shapes, and colors of Swarovski Elements using RAW. Something that would make people stop and smile.

Who, if anyone, has influenced your style of beading?

The late Melanie Doerman was a wonderful influence on me. I love the way she incorporated found objects and used mixed media supplies in her beadwork, and that is something I love to do as well. I feel blessed that I was able to take some classes from her.

If you could only use one bead weaving stitch which one would you choose and why?

If I only had peyote stitch and a copy of Contemporary Geometric Beadwork, I think I would be set for life!

Do you have a favorite place to buy beads and supplies?

I would like to give a shout out to my local bead stores for being awesome sources of support and encouragement. They offer to carry the supplies I use in my designs and classes, and will stay open late when I find that I’m out of One G! Val owner of Artful Bead in Carrollton, Lori owner of Wildbeads in Arlington, and Gerry owner of Bead Crazee in Tyler. Thank you, ladies!

I also love Beyond Beadery, Whimbeads, and York Beads!

What Mandi says about herself:

I’m a right-handed, Leo born in the year of the boar. I love coffee, sticky notes, and dancing in my studio when I take a break from beading. I live in Dallas, TX with my husband Cody and our lab mix Ruby.

My partner in crime is the fabulous bead artist, Ralonda Patterson. We travel to events together, bounce ideas off each other, and we are working on a collaboration we can teach together. I feel so grateful to have her in my life!

My favorite quote right now: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

I wrote a cool eBook about how I create my beaded pens. You can download it for free by subscribing to my email newsletter at www.beadcircle.com

Introducing....... Twyla Harbick

Now this designer is rather special to me because having Twyla as a Maven completes a circle.  Twyla not only followed the Bead Maven's blog but also entered our last contest, Maven Meld, taking second place. I was so delighted when she answered my call for designers and it was an easy 'yes'.  It's great to see how she's grown as a designer in the last couple of years and I think everyone will enjoy getting to know......

Twyla Harbick

2nd Place Winner, Maven Meld 2011

What did you do before beading?

Before I took up beading full time, I worked part-time as a Bookkeeper for a Roofers Union.

What brought beading into my life?

One fine summer day a friend and I went to explore a new local beading store that had recently opened in our community, aptly named "The Bead Addiction", and they had a sign in the window that read; Beading Classes - Sign up Inside. I looked at my friend and said, "We could take a beading class together!" ...and my bead addiction was born. :)

What is your comfort zone?

My comfort zone centers around making pretty, feminine, and wearable jewelry using mostly Delica's, and smaller seed beads such as 15's. The smaller, the better I say. :) In my opinion, there is just something about smaller beads that tends toward feminism.

What aspect of beading do you find most challenging?

Is this a trick question? All of it! No, but seriously, I would probably say the most challenging aspect for me is in the creating of a new design. It is one thing to come up with an idea, but to transfer that idea onto paper or translate it into a reality with beads is often quite another thing. Some people are just naturally gifted that way. For myself, the process can be at times a 

little daunting.

What would you most likely bead if you had the time and the supplies?

I have always wanted to try my hand at bead embroidery and it would most likely involve some sort of mermaid motif.

Who if anyone, has influenced your style of beading?

Where do I begin? There are numerous talented, wonderful designers out there to choose from and I can't help but think that in some ways I am influenced by all of them...but if I had to choose just one or two, I would say probably Kelly Wiese and Lisa Kahn would be at the top of my list. I think both of these designers have a feminine and romantic style of beading that I am very drawn to.

If you could only use one bead weaving stitch which one would you choose and why? 

Well, this is a really tough question for me, because I have several go to stitches I really like; peyote, herringbone and RAW, to mention a few.... but to have to only pick one, I think it would have to be RAW.  For me, I think its probably a little more versatile than the other stitches and one is able to do so many different things with it. You can use it to make a smooth fabric base or you can embellish and create beaded layers which give way to many different textures and shapes depending on the size and style of beads that you choose.

Do you have a favorite place to buy beads and supplies?

I would always encourage anyone to buy from their local bead stores if at all possible. I personally do a lot of shopping online and buy from several different stores depending on what I am searching for. To name a few:

Artbeads

Fire Mountain Gems

Bello Modo

Fusion Beads

Shipwreck Beads

What Twyla says about herself:

I have been beading for about 3 years and call Springfield, Oregon my home. I am the mother of two grown children, one 9 month old granddaughter, and a wonderful kitty named Fox. 

Beading is my bliss and I enjoy creating new jewelry designs and tutorials for others to bead.  I also like to dabble in polymer clay and to create mixed media designs. I hope someday to have some of my designs and works published.