Bead Class - Leather Wrap Bracelet

I had a great time at Bead Haven (if you're ever in Hampton, Va I suggest you check it out) this past Sunday learning how to make a leather wrap bracelet. It is a skill I'd been wanting to learn for a while so I was thrilled when I saw the class come up. Had a nice small class with a great instructor. I look forward to making many more and I'm trying to figure out how to make it more masculine to make one for J. We'll see how that goes.

Bead Soup Blog Party - Jewelry Swap Challenge

Bead Soup Blog Party -- Jewelry Swap Challenge

 

I didn't participate in this challenge but the ladies who did came up with some beautiful creations! I encourage you to take a look at the pieces they created.

Lori Anderson  

Erin Prais-Hintz                  

Jen Velasquez                 

Johanna Rhodes              

Laurel Steven                   

Loretta Carstensen          

Mallory Hoffman              

Marianna Boylan             

Norma Turvey                   

Sharon Misuraco              

Stacey Curry                    

Tyne Bodenburg              

Limiting Design Skills

As a creative person I'm drawn to many different things. I like sewing accessories and beading jewelry. But I'd like to expand to PMC (Precious Metal Clay). I think it would be a fun addition to my jewelry and to my purses. I'm thinking charms for zipper pulls, etc. I also want to learn some more skills in wirework. I like learning new things.

Over the weekend though my brother and I were talking about my business and he said that I needed to narrow it to a few purse styles and a few jewelry styles. Because if you do too much you won't be good at any of it. But if you narrow it down you can be great. I listened but I admit a part of me was disheartened because I myself like variety. I have a lot of purse patterns and jewelry designs in mind. But perhaps he's right in the beginning I should limit my selection.

I admit as an artist it is easy to have many projects started but not as many finished. I am famous for that. So I guess his suggestion makes sense.

What do you think? Should artists limit themselves to a few designs, a few mediums, a few styles, etc or can we do a number of things? What about you what do you do?

And the Winner Is...(part 2)

And the winner of the beads is....Chitown Meg!!! Meg I'll get in touch with you to get your address and get those out to you. Congratulations!!!

It's not too late to enter my final giveaway!

I'll have a post coming about my wonderful bead swap goodies that I got from Stacy!! Wonderful beads that are stunning and look to be a lot of fun!!

Giveaway # 3 - An mncollins designs creation

So two giveaways in one day...whoo hoo!! For this giveaway you have a choice...if you win you can pick a handmade purse or a handmade spiral focal piece. 

• You can enter one or all three of the giveaways.
• Please post a comment on the post for the giveaway you would like to enter. 
• For an extra entry blog (or tweet or Facebook) about this giveaway (please post another comment).
• For another extra entry follow my blog or let me know if you already do (please post another comment).
• You will have one week to enter for each drawing.
• To be fair...you can only win one of the giveaways.

Option # 1

This purse is made with a black batik fabric that has white star bursts. It is machine quilted, has hard plastic purse handles and a magnetic snap closure. It is lined with a red batik. It has four pockets inside.

Option #2

 A Dutch spiral focal piece in blues, greens and purple. It is made with seed beads, #8 sized beads and teardrop beads. It is a very solid piece that will hold up to normal wear. The beads are all colorfast. It is beautiful on a silver necklace or you could easily work it into other beaded jewelry.

Deadline to enter this giveaway is next Friday, September 3rd. Good luck!!

Giveaway # 2 - Beads

********Giveaway is Closed********

Ok so I had planned on getting this out yesterday but my camera and I are battling...and sadly I think it is winning. More specifically I think it is dying. But I digress...on to the fun stuff. The beads...

• You can enter one or all three of the giveaways.
• Please post a comment on the post for the giveaway you would like to enter. 
• For an extra entry blog (or tweet or Facebook) about this giveaway (please post another comment).
• For another extra entry follow my blog or let me know if you already do (please post another comment).
• You will have one week to enter for each drawing.
• To be fair...you can only win one of the giveaways.

It is a collection of lamp worked beads in greens and blues. There are 15 lamp worked beads total. The green ones have flowers and leaves on them and the blue ones have dots. They are fun and beautiful beads. I'm also including a turquoise focal bead and four red beads that my brother bought me in NY. I love them they are stunning beads. I think the lamp worked beads would be a beautiful spring bracelet or necklace. And the turquoise and red beads would make a stunning necklace.

Because of the delay in posting I'm extending the deadline on this giveaway.

The deadline for this giveaway is Thursday, September 2nd. Good luck!!

Bikes, Blood, & Birthdays

You may be asking yourself what do these have in common....they were all involved in my weekend.

Friday - We rode the bike over to Bayside to watch Ghostrider on  their lawn. It was fun! We like that movie and watching it out in the open was a lot of fun and we had a nice evening for it. We did determine that drivers on the interstate (most of them) don't pay enough attention to bikers. They didn't realize we needed space too.

Saturday - We woke up and took care of  then I made breakfast. Then we took the bike back over to Bayside for their 12th anniversary. They had three ways to help the community...you could give hair to locks of love, you could donate food to the Food Bank, or you could give blood to the Red Cross. We decided to give blood...but J was too close to the last time he gave so he couldn't. I gave and had the worst experience with them finding a vein that I have ever had in my whole life. It took three people digging (literally) to find a vein. And then they commented it was slow...gee maybe because you stressed the vein. But I gave my pint. We ate some lunch and headed home.

A dear friend of ours was throwing a birthday party for her Mom so we went to that for a while Saturday afternoon. It was a lot of fun we saw people we hadn't seen in a while. And got to celebrate with her Mom. When I got home I realized I was quite sunburned on my back and shoulders.

Sunday - We had a relaxing morning. Then we went grocery shopping. Then we came home and fixed lunch. We spent the evening watching John Wayne movies...J loves them. I sewed a couple things. One of which didn't work according to plan. I'm not sure what happened so I'm going to have to revamp that one a bit. I don't know if I'll tear it apart and start over or if I'll just leave it and cut out new fabric. We'll see. I hate ripping things out.

So how was your weekend?

P.S. There will be three giveaways this week...a fabric one, a bead one, and a finished project one. I'll have pictures and entry options up tomorrow for the fabric one, Wednesday for the bead one, and Thursday for the finished project one. I haven't decided if I'll draw all together or if they'll be separate.

Bead and Sewing Porn is coming

I promise I will get some pictures up of the beads I bought at the bead show and the purses I'm working on. The weather hasn't been cooperative for me to get pictures. I'll try and get them taken this weekend.

Personal vs. Public

I enjoy writing my blog. I enjoy sharing my life with those who read it. I've had a rather personal thing hit my life this month and I've been trying to digest it enough to put it in words. It will come. And when it does I will share. In the meantime this is why I've been sort of quiet but I plan on breaking that this week. Then yesterday I woke up with a migraine. But thanks to better living through chemistry...I'm doing better today. So I promise to be more present this week. Here are a few highlights I may cover...

• My trip to the Intergalactic Bead Show
• My upcoming trip to a motorcycle Drive-in movie
• The purses I'm sewing
• The baby quilt I'm finishing
• A give-a-way
• My bead swap

Not just One but Two Fun Filled Give-Aways!!

I'm working on a few give-aways myself but I haven't figured it out yet. Probably a little destashing of fabric and beads and another something. But not to despair because you have other opportunities for fun cool bead give-aways...

Elisabeth over at Beads for Busy Gals is Paying it Forward and giving away this fun collection of goodies. It looks like a nice mixture of colors and beads. The glass heart grabs my attention. So head on over and get yourself entered. And you should look around her blog and her etsy site too because she makes really beautiful jewelry.

Want to make these lovely earrings? Well Lori over at Pretty Things (also the genius behind Lori Anderson Designs) is also having a fun give-away of Lucite beads to make her Secret Garden earrings. Check out Bead Style magazine for the tutorial. To sign up for this give-away head over to Pretty Things and leave a comment. Simple enough.

 Both of these would be a nice addition to any collection!

Exciting Bead Happenings

Jen Valasquez of Jen Judd Rocks! is coming to Hampton, Virginia! Our local Bead Haven is having an open house in her honor on Saturday, August 21st from 11 AM - 2 PM. This is exciting news!!

And the weekend before that August 14th & 15th the Intergalactic Bead and Jewelry Show is coming to Virginia Beach, Virginia! I've never been a large bead show. This seems exciting and dangerous all in one. I have it marked on my calendar...if you're in the area let me know and we can meet up.

In September the first annual Art Bliss Workshop is happening September 24th-26th. This sounds exciting and fun and originally I had thought about going since my friend Elisabeth offered to let me stay with her but that is the weekend before J leaves for Japan so I'd like to spend it with him. But I'll be ready for next year... 

In November the Bead Mercantile Show is coming to Williamsburg November 20th-21st. I've been to this show a couple times and there is always a good selection of supplies and beads. They also offer classes too.

So lots of exciting things coming up. What about you what are you looking forward to the rest of this summer and this fall?

Green Bead Giveaway!!

In honor of her bead designs being published Jen over at Jen Judd Rocks is having a giveaway of green beads. And she has so much to giveaway she is actually doing two giveaways! So check out  Jen Judd Rocks for the details of her fantastic giveaway in honor of her designs being published! Congratulations to Jen!