Beyond Beadery presents...
Instructors
TBD
Sherry Serafini
www.serafinibeadedjewelry.com
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, People’s Choice Bead Dreams, Runner Up Best in Show Bead Dreams, 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 by the artists who commission her.
Nancy Cain
https://nancycain.com/
hand·craft:
1. Skill and facility with the hands.
2. A craft or occupation requiring skilled use of the hands.
3. An object that is crafted by skilled hands
Beading is my handcraft. It is a way of thinking and living. It is a process that is deeply satisfying.
I have always been fascinated with handcrafts, whether it was clay, paper, buttons, fabric or simply found objects. I studied art in college and worked as a graphic artist for 16 years all the while exploring various handcraft techniques.
One day in 1988 or 1989 I was smitten with a beaded watch band. The cost of the watch was prohibitive as I was newly married. Intrigued with these beads, I searched out a local bead store to investigate. The venture into the bead store was the beginning of my journey.
I found my artistic niche in beads. I enjoy delving into beads mentally and physically depending on the circumstances. My favorite stitch is peyote and over the years I have only added two other stitches, netting then herringbone. I like to call these three stitches ‘sister-stitches’ since they transition from one stitch to the other effortlessly.
I feel that the beads alone give me the most inspiration. If you understand the physics (mechanics and technicality) of the stitch, then you can create whatever your heart desires. Knowing what each bead size, shape and finish will do and how they react with each other, plus how the beads respond to thread weight and use then the sky is the limit for designing! Nature is also phenomenal source of inspiration. I have created beetles, bees, dragonflies and now a sea urchin pendant. The challenge of creating something from life with seed beads is something that keeps me moving forward with my bead creations.
You'll Never Bead the Same!
September 24 - 27, 2026
Kinga Bledsoe
http://crimsonfrogdesigns.blogspot.com/
Kinga Bledsoe was born in Hungary and at 19, she packed up her life in a backpack and moved to the US. Her artistic career started when she was living and painting in New York. She picked up a Bead and Button magazine in 2007, found a bead embroidery project, and then slowly but surely the obsession took over. After that first project, she started creating her own designs and quickly found her own distinctive visual voice. Kinga started her company, Crimson Frog Designs in 2015, and has been teaching her designs worldwide ever since. Her greatest joy is planting little seeds of creativity in minds and hearts wherever she goes; encouraging others to embrace their own creative voice is her calling.