Boho Chic Cuff: RAW* Class This Saturday November 5

Size 6/0 Czech and a myriad of layers in RAW*

When we scheduled the class last month, most of those who had been eagerly awaiting to take it were unable to attend so I promised to do a repeat for many reasons the first being this is one of the most rewarding projects that has come out from my hands and is just rich and multi-layered with subtle details.  The second is that you asked for it again....
This technique is one of the most versatile modes of off loom weaving that allows you to create beautiful fabric like pieces or to have a more sculptural output.  With a few design modifications that Bettina suggested and a breakthrough in reinterpreting the closure in macrame you will be rewarded with a stunning cuff that will be a conversation piece without a doubt.

The recipe: beautiful beads, thread and your talent!

Beginning with creating the base employing Size 6/0 Czech beads from our new arrivals combined with Size 11/0 as the first layer.  Layers and additional embellishing will create a unique and assymetrical piece as the actual structure of the weave is explored.  A macrame knotting technique that I mastered as a fourth grader back in the day and will be revived and combined for a simple but delicate and functional closure. 


Date:  Saturday November 5, 2011
Time:  9:30 AM- 1:30 PM
Venue:  Jabriya Block 9 Street 6 House 13 (Side Basement Entrance)
Technique:  RAW* ( Right Angle Weave) and Macrame
Level:  Intermediate*

*You should be proficient in RAW* or have taken any of these classes:  Moorish Mashrabiya Earrings, Mucha's Flowers Bracelet, Byzantine Queen Earrings or Dancing Crystals Choker. 

For more information on class materials, tools required and fees please send an email to info@lbojzazz.com or call our Shaab el Bahry store at 2261-0686.

Saturday Specials @ LB o J'zazz Shaab

LB o J'zazz on our first Venetian Nights

Tomorrow we are going to slow things down by not running a class as it seems that many of us need to catch up on projects and complete purchases for that special missing item.  So, Chaminda and I are going to be available all of tomorrow in shifts to accommodate your beading, wirework and stringing needs.  Hopefully, Bettina may just pop in as it is her last day in town before heading back up North to Dublin.  I will be there in the morning and then from 4 on until our closing time. 

Crazy for Czech Crystals

As it is a Saturday Special, Bettina and I have made a pre-selection of  our favorite Czech Bicone Crystals in 5mm and 6mm.  So, when you come to the shop this Saturday October 22, for every KD10 that is spent towards jewelry making products such as Findings, Crystals, Pearls, Glass Beads, Seed Beads, Tools, Craft Wire and Soft Flex Beading Wires you can select a package of 48 bicones in these two sizes as a gift from the LB o J'zazz family.  This is a great way to make your purchases go further so don't miss it!  Hope to see you then.

Madha'ad Celebration: Right Angle Weave Class Saturday October 15

Madha'ad Celebration In Celadon

In the past year in particular, my explorations in  Right Angle Weave have been taking quite a bit of my beading time and seems to have opened a lot of  fresh ideas and new interpretations.  This approach was pioneered by the Right Angle Weave Master Marcia DeCoster and her techniques allow one to discover the beauty of beads as if it was the first time every time one picks up a needle, thread and some seed beads. 
Researching the local jewelry here in Kuwait led me to look at new expressions of traditional designs such as this Madha'ad which connotes bangle in the local Kuwaiti dialect.  I grew up here in the 70's and have vivid memories of my late paternal grandmother baking bread and seeing the flash of her gold Madhaa'ad and hearing the jangle as she prepared the dough. 
The bangles would usually be in gold and were in a rigid form and sometimes would be inlaid with natural pearls or gemstones taking many of the design elements from India, Persia and the East African Coast. 
By creating a fabric like mesh in RAW* and then applying it to an armature or rigid form allowed the beads to be presented in a more sculptural and dimensional visual.  The kits will be available in five vivid and vibrant colorways to celebrate the history and culture of adornment that graced the wrists of most women here in Kuwait.

Date:  October 15, 2011 Saturday
Time:  9:30 AM- 1:30 AM
Venue:  LB o J'zazz Beading Zone
Jabriya Block 9 Street 6 House 13 (Side Basement Entrance)
Technique:  RAW* (Right Angle Weave)
Level:  Intermediate - you need to be proficient in the technique or have taken either Moorish Mashrabiya Earrings, Mucha's Flowers Bracelet, Byzantine Queen Earrings, Dancing Crystals Choker or Boho Chic Cuff.

To reserve and select your kit, simply pre-register at the shop in Shaab el Bahry.  For more information on tools required, materials in kit and class fees just send us an email to info@lbojzazz or call us at the shop at 2261-0686.

Boho Chic Cuff: RAW* Class This Saturday October 8

This is a class I've been meaning to offer and share for the past  four months as our LB o J'zazzers have been gaining more experience in Right Angle Weave.  This technique is one of the most versatile modes of off loom weaving that allows you to create beautiful fabric like pieces or to have a more sculptural output.  With a few design modifications that Bettina suggested and a breakthrough in reinterpreting the closure in macrame you will be rewarded with a stunning cuff and will be a conversation piece without a doubt.

Beginning with creating the base employing Size 6/0 Czech beads from our new arrivals combined with Size 11/0 as the first layer.  Layers and additional embellishing will create a unique and assymetrical piece as the actual structure of the weave is explored.  A macrame knotting technique that I mastered as a fourth grader will be revived and combined for a simple but delicate and functional closure. 


Date:  Saturday October 8, 2011
Time:  9:30 AM- 1:30 PM
Venue:  Jabriya Block 9 Street 6 House 13 (Side Basement Entrance)
Technique:  RAW* ( Right Angle Weave) and Macrame
Level:  Intermediate*

*You should be proficient in RAW* or have taken any of these classes:  Moorish Mashrabiya Earrings, Mucha's Flowers Bracelet, Byzantine Queen Earrings or Dancing Crystals Choker. 

For more information on class materials, tools required and fees please send an email to info@lbojzazz.com or call our Shaab el Bahry store at 2261-0686.

Friday October 7th Is Just Around The Corner; So Let's Just Meet & Bead

New Ideas | Debates| Sharing

Finally our evenings are a bit more pleasant.  Whenever the weather cools down it seems that our energy levels rise up a few notches.  More beading projects than usual, more purchases of a few more hanks and tubes of beads for the new pieces we are dreaming of creating of course!  Last Meet & Bead we had several newbies in our midst and it truly added to the ideas and inspiration pot so to speak. 
This Meet and Bead we will be introducing a special commissioned collection of pendants that both Bettina and I have been working on getting to you for the past few months.  This collection is such a treat and will define your work in a very special way.   

Reem Al Hajri | ARAM Jewelry Bangles In RAW*

This Friday we will be having our gathering, so bring your projects, if you feel like showing and telling that's fine too.  For those of you who are curious and would like to connect and learn more about handmade and may have never even seen a bead in action, welcome and feel free to bring along friends and guests. 

Date:  October 7, 2011
Time:  6:00PM- 9:30PM
Venue:  Jabriya Block 9 Street 6 House 13 (Side Basement Entrance)

Braided Bracelet Class: This Tuesday October 4

Soft Flex Metallics In A Beautiful Braided Bracelet

This simple yet age old design of braiding continues to be appealing to this day.  In this bracelet, I wanted to emulate the look of metal work without the effort or cost.  By using Soft Flex Beading Wire in the Metallics range in the heaviest weights this was easily achieved.  The Metallics are enhanced by a color mixing technique that was created to enhance the metallic sheen subtly. 
The final look works well for both ladies and gents, but you will also learn how to add links and findings for a dressier look with Crystal Briolettes and special bails. Ending with special closures to secure the braided piece and a simple Vintaj closure.

Date:  Tuesday October 4, 2011
Time:  6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Jabriya Block 9 Street 6
House 13 (Side Basement Entrance)
Technique:  Stringing
Level: Beginners / Foundational


Tools Required:  Beading Mat, Flush or Side Cutters, Chain Nose Pliers, Flat Nose Pliers

For more information on class fees and any other details just send us an email to info@lbojzazz.com or call at 2261-0686.

Craft Talk, Ideation and Great NimNim Creations

I have to say, all of our Meet and Bead evenings are enjoyable, and whenever one is coming up the family knows well in advance that the first Friday of each month is solely dedicated to preparations during the day leading up as we welcome new faces, regulars and guests in to the LB o J'zazz Beading Zone for several hours sharing creations, ideas, talking about inspiration perhaps over a cup of tea, homemade lemonade or one of my homemade hearty soups.
However, our last gathering in September was even more special, in that many new visitors joined and really added new ideas, dimensions and gave insightful feedback upon seeing the various work of the group.  It makes one feel optimistic when you meet other like minded individuals who take pleasure in simply creating with their hands.  One of our new guests Amina when asked when she started working with paper and color she answered:" Ever since I could remember as a young child in grade school."  

Some of Amina's latest handmade cards

She provides a wide range of paper art solutions through her business called STELLA.  Her designs are vibrant and lively and she's really responsive to hearing requests and is opened to new ideas.  I was able to select from what she shared with us and can't wait to see what else she will be making in the future. 
We had several new faces grace the Zone, a master diver Tareq  who is creating his own visions and was keen on receiving design and form feedback along with sharing how he came about his concept and his passion for nature and diving. Along with those who just enjoyed the company of craft makers and the conversations that came along with it.
Here is some more beautifully handcrafted objects that were shared last night.  Reem Al Hajri of  https://www.facebook.com/ARAMQ8  excels and is delving in off loom weaving.  She seems to enjoy Dutch Spiral, Spiral Stitch, Ndebele, Brick Stitch and Peyote as can be seen in some samples of her work. I got two of the rings.  They look like insects getting ready to alight and float away.  I like how my  'Seen'  from the "28 Faces Of The Beloved Collection" by Fareed Abdal contrasts the shape of the ring.

Heather Collin Design Implemented by ARAM

Luscious pearls dance and play in Reem's Spiral Stitch Lariat

So much was going on and the highlight of the evening was when a few guests came a bit later and we started talking about what it meant and how do we actually feel when working with our hands and beading or crafting.  We delved in the historical aspects along with the therapeutic aspects that physiologically seem to change  and noticeably improve our state of well being.  Anytime, an idea came about, someone would find another interesting object to admire and wonder how and why it was made. So, as much as Nerissa enjoys wirework, re-purposing and Vintage Jewelry designing she also works on what she calls Canvas and what I call Affirmation Word Arts as she shared some of her visions and pieces.

Nerissa's Whimsical Pieces

So as we tend to our daily, weekly, monthly and annual To-Do Lists and life chores so to speak, take a step back for a second to discover so much of creative ideas and people that surround us and create feasts for our senses.