Hi, painting friends!  Actually, I should say “painting & more” friends, because we painters are often into so much more these days – crafts and creative activities that lure us away from our brushes and paints, sometimes just out of curiosity and other times out of a need to create something entirely different.

One of my newest guilty little pleasures is my attraction to crystals and beads, especially those made by Swarovski. I haven’t found a suitable way to incorporate them into my painting yet (with the exception of a handpainted greeting card embellished with a few crystals that I sent to a beloved friend over the holidays) but I do love seeing them used by crafters and jewelry artists, even quilters!

When I was cruising through the crafts & hobbies section of Amazon.com I found a new book called “Creating Crystal Jewelry with Swarovski” by Laura McCabe, published by Creative Publishing International.  It’s fresh out as of February 2008, and shows you how to create necklaces, bracelets and rings using simple techniques and many different colors and shapes of Swarovski’s cut crystal beads. Check it out and let us know what you think.