Kinga Nichols was born in 1980, in Hungary. At 19, she packed up her life in a backpack and moved to the US where she has been residing since, albeit not at the same place. She currently lives in Boulder, Colorado with her boyfriend and furbabies Samantha Regina Nichols and Marley. Samantha Regina is not only her muse but her model as well. Many of Kinga's best known pieces were popularized by the canine model.
One way or another Kinga has been always making things, which started turning into a career when she was painting murals at the time she lived in New York. The murals were fun, but she did not feel like painting was her calling. Eventually she picked up a bead and Button magazine in 2007, found a bead embroidery project, and slowly but surely the obsession took over.
After that first project, she started creating her own designs and quickly found her own distinctive voice that allowed her to translate her imaginings into beadwork. Kinga is always brainstorming, and her imagination provides an endless supply of fanciful ideas that she translates into bead embroidery.
Her work first got noticed in the first Battle of the Beadsmith, quickly followed by her being a BeadDreams finalist in 2013 and getting 3rd place in the same competition in the Swarovski category in 2014, and a book feature in Marcia Decoster Presents, 2014. In 2015 she won first place in the crystal category in BeadDreams. She has done a number of instructional bead embroidery videos for Interweave publishing in 2016 and 2017, and has been featured in magazines in the US and Europe.
In 2013 she started teaching and she hopes to continue this as her chosen profession for a long time to come, not only passing on beady knowledge, but perhaps her unique way of looking at the world as a magical place filled with endless possibilities.
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/crimsonfrog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kinganichols/
Blog: http://crimsonfrogdesigns.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kinga.nichols/
Sherry Serafini
An Angel Gets Its Wings
One of my favorite movies is “It’s a Wonderful Life”, so the line “every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings”, for me naturally became my art works title. And I also believe we all do have angels around us!
Bugle beads, cup chain, seed beads and cabs come into play as you travel along this bead embroidered journey. Chains and crystals hang from the bottom of your angel and a leather cord positioned at the wing points complete the design.
One more colorway coming! Click the images to enlarge!
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We're looking forward to Zooming with you!
Kinga Bledsoe (née Nichols)
The Carolingian
The Carolingian was created so you can be the Medieval Queen you always wanted to be. Or at least the center of any gathering you choose to grace with your noble presence. Or Queen of the couch. Really, your choice, Queen.
As a project, this is suitable for all but beginner skill levels. Even advanced bead embroidery Queens will find new tips and tricks here. This large scale statement necklace is definitely going to take time and patience beyond the scope of our time in class together, but is so worth the effort. For those of you who have participated in the previous two years of VBDR; this is so far my biggest, most elaborate piece designed for this event.
This is by design: I wanted to tempt you all with something extraordinary this year. Something ancient, yet modern looking too, and also something that's a bit like a competition piece, a true knockout. A little extra.
The focal in the center of the necklace is by Cynthia Thornton of Green Girls Studios. The 6 focals on the side of the necklace are by Melody Cross. The vintage stingray print leather in the center of the necklace is truly special, adding a wonderful texture. The backing of this necklace is velvet. The silk cord complimenting the bead embroidery is made in Europe and the glow of the 24k lined seed beads adds such a special touch to the necklace. This first colorway is the most luxurious and most expensive of the three that will be available for the retreat. Because of the vintage leathers used, this project in this colorway is truly exclusive to the retreat and if I ever decide to release the project to the general public (which may or may not happen at least 6 months after the retreat), it will not ever be available in these colors. All the more reasons for you to spend the weekend with Sherry, Kata and I.
Kit cost: $165
(Out of the 2 other colorways at least one will be less than this by about $30)
You can read detailed descriptions on each colorway on Kinga's blog
You can also click each image below to enlarge.
Your 2023 Beaders Dream Retreat
Virtual Class Lineup......
My name is Katalin Budainé Nagy, alias BéKata.
I live in Budapest, Hungary. I have always loved all kinds of creativity, in my younger years I was sewing, drawing and painting for years. I graduated as an interior designer in my early thirties, where I studied art history, chromatics, drawing and furniture history amongst other subjects. I enjoyed those years very much, these studies developed my creativity and designing skills. I turned to jewelry making 15 years ago, at first I worked with wire, but that was not for me. Then I started beadweaving, but it was not satisfying enough either, I felt I could not fly high enough. So I decided to try bead embroidery… When I saw the American and Russian ladies’ artworks, I felt I had arrived in my own creative world… I am continuously learning new techniques, looking for new materials, tools, I love mixed media, and my new love is polymer clay. It is huge fun to combine these two techniques, the result is always a completely unique piece of art. I have been teaching bead embroidery in Hungary for 4 years, in the biggest beadshop of Budapest.
My personal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/budaikata
My jewelry Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bekatajewels/
My Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/budaikata?ref=si_shop
My blog: http://bekataekszer.blogspot.com/
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Katalin Budainé Nagy
Frozen, Moulin Rouge & Sleeping Beauty
I am a huge fan of films, cartoons and musicals. That is why I was inspired by films while designing and creating the VBDR 2023 projects. Good news, that there is no bezelling at all in these projects, and there is no coping with ball chains, but there are some new techniques and materials!
You will use several gemstone chips (pink tourmaline, peridot, white opal, moonstone, natural shell, amazonite etc.).
Of course there will be an alternative if you do not want to use mink fur or feathers. Moulin Rouge, Frozen and Sleeping beauty:
I hope you will enjoy them whichever you chose.
Click images to enlarge.
Unusual objects and shapes become part of a new story as Sherry stitches beads and gemstones, one at a time, to a felt like base. Most pieces are born spontaneously as the beads and Sherry’s imagination dictate the design. She seldom works from sketches. Sherry finds this meditative form of art to be a rich counterpoint to a society full of instant gratification. Some pieces take a year to complete. Each is unique.
Sherry was raised in a military family, moving every few years. She credits that nomadic lifestyle with giving her an adventurous and uninhibited approach to her work.
Sherry was voted one of the top 10 instructors in the United States by Bead & Button magazine. She lectures and teaches throughout the U.S. and has won numerous awards for excellence in design, including Saul Bell Outstanding Jewelry Design Award, Bead International 2006, Kennedy Best of Pennsylvania and Kennedy Best of Nationally. She has been published and has written articles for several well-known magazines. Her work has been featured on the covers of trade magazines and catalogs and is the co-author of the Art of Bead Embroidery with artist and dear friend Heidi Kummli and Sensational Bead Embroidery by Sherry Serafini
Sherry’s beaded art is known internationally and is owned and worn by Grammy winner Melissa Etheridge, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, and singer Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. Her beadwork has been seen at fashion week in Milan.
Instragram: sherryserafini@instagram
Email: sherryserafini@gmail.com
Website: www.serafinibeadedjewelry.com