Let's Meet & Bead December 2

 This year flew by with all the events on the world stage and our own beading happenings at LB o J'zazz was full and varied.  The last month of the year and  the last Meet & Bead for 2011 as we gear up for lots of events, exhibitions, classes, collaborations and projects in the new year. 

Homemade hot chocolate, spiced cider will welcome you as we join for a relaxed evening with like minded people.  You can bring projects you would like to complete, peruse our beading magazines and books, show and tell your latest creations or just sit back and enjoy the company.  We look forward to your presence. 

Date:  Friday December 2, 2011
Time:  6:00 PM- 9:00 PM
Venue:  Jabriya Block 9 Street 6 House 13 (Side Basement Entrance)

Soda Pop Bling | Totemic Flights At Gallery Tilal November 29

This Tuesday November 29 there will be a Bejeweled Exhibition at Gallery Tilal featuring four participants.  I am really looking forward to welcoming you to LB o J'zazz's first local participation at a gallery level which is the ideal medium for our select artisanal work as each piece is unique and is never repeated.  Soda Pop Bling is a quirky collection playing on elements we see everyday that have been modified to a more elevated status.
In addition, Totemic Flights is a new body of work that comprises a sub grouping  within the Kindred Spirits Project.  Iconic symbols such as the totem and cross have been some of many attempts of man to connect the physicality of the body to a cosmological connection with the skies.  The vertical reaching attempts are evident in this collection of man reaching to the heavens and the cosmos.

Fareed Abdal will also be introducing a stunning select collection of new pieces of body adornment in the form of bangles that are a continuation of his play and discoveries of the letter forms and letters in the Arabic language.  These will be available by order.  The 28 Faces Of The Beloved Rings Collection will also be available by special order.

Date:  Tuesday November 29- Thursday December 1
Time:  10:30 AM- 2:00 PM
  5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Gallery Tilal at Tilal Mall Shuwaikh

Another Reason To Celebrate: KNET Awaits You

After another round of running after paper work and other tedious yet necessary tasks we are proud and relieved to announce that yes LB o J'zazzers we are now able to accept your KNET payments!  Hope this makes your shopping more enjoyable and easier.  Until then, happy beading. 

Holiday Cheer at the AWL Charity Bazaar This Friday November 18

LB o J'zazz and Decopatch along with our friends will be exhibiting at the upcoming AWL (American Women's League) Annual Charity Bazaar we will be located with our fellow entrepreneurs in the BPW Zone.  This is a one day event so make sure to head on over to Salmiya at the Salwa Al-Sabah Hall at the Marina on Gulf Road.  Come early as parking fills up like crazy!

We will have our Decopatch Gift Sets, Papers and creative molds to cover along with Gift Certificates for Classes and for the shop and some one of  a kind jewelry by Bettina and myself.  You can also replenish on your bead stashes to use for embellishing and decorations during the holiday and giving season. You will also get to pre-order a custom ring from our ever popular yet unique 28 Faces Of The Beloved Rings by Fareed Abdal. 

Event:  Annual Charity Bazaar
Venue:  Salwa Al Sabah Hall - BPW section
Time:  10:30 AM- 9:00 PM

Beading Time and Eid Al Adha Holidays Store Hours

Miyuki Seed Beads Size 6/0

Ten days, yes, ten days of potential uninterrupted beading time!  As many people are out of the country, Kuwait seems less frenetic and the traffic is manageable and after the first few days of family visits, I will be dedicating most of my time cleaning up my studio and working on new pieces for an upcoming exhibition and creating new samples for upcoming classes.
This is also a great time to head to the shop, peruse and discover all the new goodies on show to feed the need to bead.  We will be closed tomorrow for the first day of Eid and then Monday November 7th we will resume our regular shop hours:

9:30AM-1:00 PM and 5:00PM-9:30PM 

Shaab el Bahry Block 8 

Ibn el Khatib Street 

Aziziya Complex

Tel:  2261-0686

Happy Eid Al Adha holidays and wishing you all good times with family and loved ones plus some quality beading time. 

November's Here With Some Cool Weather Cheer So Let's Meet & Bead

A melange of talents and crafted pieces from Reem Al Hajri and Iqbal Al Rahmani

Finally, some cool weather has graced our presence after an extended summer season that just lingered.  So, now is the time to bring back some favorite beverages such as my homemade Cinnamon Spiced Cider, Hot Karkade and other refreshments as we congregate, reconnect over all that is handmade with special attention to beaded adornment and crafts.
Our first event of the month as we welcome you before the Eid Holidays, so join us for another relaxed and laid back evening of mingling, looking at other folks' creations and having a good laugh or two.

Reem Al Hajri's Funky Bangles that everyone just had to have!

Date:  Friday November 4
Time:  6 PM- 9:30 PM
Venue:  The LB o J'zazz Beading Zone
Jabriya Block 9 Street 6 House 13 (Side Basement Entrance)

For more information you can call us at 2261-0686 or send us an email at info@lbojzazz.com.

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.