September Give-Away by Licia Beads!

Win a Licia Beads gift certificate and free shipping! Just post a comment to enter! And let us know what you love from everyone else's too! Feel free to ask if you have questions about the drawing. The contest is open until the end of September.

Want to know a little bit about Licia?

Q. Name? Like I don't know you!

A. Licia (Like Alicia, without the first A)

Q. City, State, Country?

A. Mukilteo, WA USA A little seaside town North of Seattle, complete with lighthouse, ferry crossing and waterfront train. There is even a tiny park with an ancient looking pear tree that has been spared in memory of the woman who kept an orchard long ago.

Q. What is your favorite thing about where you live? What is it like
living there?

A. I have lived in this region my entire life and even when I travel I miss the water the feel of the air that is here. There are many inspiring aspects to this area. We are set between mountain ranges with Puget Sound lapping at our feet. All four seasons are distinct and that lends to a rather short but lush growing season which allows us to make a living designing and building gardens for our other work. In winter the days are short and the nights cold which makes the holidays a perfect time to shift gears a little and concentrate on beads while the plants go dormant for the season.


Q. What kind of jewelry work do you do? Why do you like doing it?

A. I do a wide variety of jewelry work simply because I cannot keep my hands out of the pie and am always excited to learn new things. When I first started (20 years ago) I worked mostly with seed beads and czech glass simply because that was what my birthday income would buy. I was delighted when I got my first custom order from my keyboarding teacher (yes, it was an actual typewriter) which included actual gemstones. Her necklace contained Rose Quartz and Malachite with gold and it was the most expensive thing I had ever had the chance to make. Thru the years my seed bead work developed into weaving, and I started wire wrapping with gemstones and precious metals. Since finding Etsy and realizing that I could make additional income with the massive amounts of beads that I had hoarded away, I have been delighted to share! I have also began teaching individuals in a one on one basis at my home.

I like the repetition of simple work, and hard work, and the mingling details. I like that after a while it becomes something larger than itself and it can contain as much variety as I like. It's wonderfully rewarding to receive compliments and feedback from people who like my work and encourages me to carry on with it despite the sometimes silly things I weave up. I also adore gemstones and the characteristics unique to each one. They all deserve a special setting like the earthly treasures that they are. I picked up wire wrapping about a year before finding Etsy and am awestruck by some of the work that people can create.

Q. What materials do you work with? What colors do you work with most?

A. Well, I seem to have just about everything now, except fire. I don't have the proper space to use torches or other metal designing tools, but everything else I am willing to try at home. I use everything from gold, silver, glass, Lucite, pearls, gemstones and even fiber and paper.

I am a big fan of greens and tend to fill my shop up with them faster than anything else. I also like the less favorite colors like orange and browns. I don't have any particular favorite, and when it comes to gemstone colors I love them all!


Q. Describe your art education. Are you self-taught? How did you learn?

A. I am self taught when it comes to the jewelry making, I have a little education when it comes to pottery. Eventually I would love to build my studio. There are plans for a Japanese Teahouse style pottery studio on the back hill.


Q. What attracted you to making jewelry?

A. I'm not sure I have a definite answer to that. Initially it was snooping on my sister and her friends and wanting to copy them. I suppose I just never stopped. At this point I suppose it is just the need to work with my hands and create something beautiful that expresses something to someone. Being able to make something with my hands that can be cherished or enjoyed for it's qualities is appealing to me. Jewelry that passes thru generations develops it's own history and life and becomes a part of a person. It's a form of self expression, I just must do it.


Q. What was your most exciting piece to make and why? What is your most interesting/disasterous/funny story about making jewelry?

A. My most exciting... I'm not sure I would call it exciting, but it certainly has gathered the most attention. My Toilet Paper jewelry is quite the "hit". People like to be silly and jewelry is not usually the typical way to do that so they are most startled to see it. I have my own and it does gather attention and strange looks. Since they started I entered the Humor themed Beadweavers challenge with a special version of the TP pendant and won. As an added surprise, I sold the necklace and a custom order bracelet to go with it.

In fact, for the holidays this year my mother gifted me some of grandmas (faux) pearls and strung along them was an actual, full sized TP roll. The whole family laughed for a while over that one. I still have it next to my desk... I suppose for emergencies.


And here are 3 of Licia's favorite jewelry pieces!

1. The Curiosity Killed the Toilet Paper Beadweavers Challenge necklace (Challenge winner for June 2009)



2. Beadwoven Swarovski Rivoli based on my own design. I learned how to bead my own settings and really enjoy how they turn out. They make great little pendants, the hardest part is choosing colors to go with the crystal.


3. I also really like wirework because of its ability to let me do just about anything I can dream up. Actually doing it takes a lot of concentration and planning but the detail is more than I can do with any other medium. I like that about it, the greater the detail, the more I like it.