KRDesigns11

Rose, Mauve, Amethyst AB and Gray

2012-01-27T22:33:00.000-08:00

I really have enjoyed creating items in Vintage Rose, Mauve Pearls, Czech Amethyst AB, and light pearlized gray and wanted to use the items for jury photos. My husband convinced me that they are not artsy enough and the colors are too subtle to photograph well. I determined he had a point, (he is sometimes right) and will use the photos of the Noreena Jasper items for the juries. I determined I didn't have enough items in those colors, so will need to add to the collection. In the meantime, please enjoy what the juries will miss!

These items are or will be listed in my etsy shop. I am playing with a couple new projects and working on bead embroideries featuring porcelain jasper and a stone with purple, white and grey/black, both purchased from tradewinds studio on etsy.

Indoor Show Jury Photos

2012-01-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

I have selected items in cream/ivory/eggshell in a range of prices for my applications to shows held indoors. These items can be created in any color, but I thought I would bring light colored items which would show up better in darker, indoor situations. I'm not sure how much light will be available in the space, assuming I am accepted.

Art Fair Jury Photos

2011-12-31T22:13:00.000-08:00

Applications for Art Fair season are due well before most people expect. The larger ones that are run by professional promoters are due in January in my area, with a few run by Art Leagues etc. accepted in the spring months. Amdur Productions has a January 3 deadline, so the holidays are a busy time to create new work, photograph the chosen items and then describe them using the specified number of keystrokes. I want to try to get into the best events that suit me, where my ideal customer will likely be.

I wanted to create items that appear to be in a collection, so I chose beads in a color family. Since I was inspired by Noreena Jasper which has grays, maroon reds and orange golds, I collected beads in those colors. I also try to create items which have a variety of price points to appeal to all pocketbooks, which can be a challenge in this economy. The jury will be viewing items in winter which my customers will see in the summer to early fall, so I chose neutral darker colors over pastels which may not appeal to the jury. There is no metal on any of the items.

My lowest price point is an all seed bead bracelet made in ladder stitch which is embellished with seed beads with a toggle closure.

My second item is a bracelet in tubular right angle weave which is embellished with Czech glass rounds, again with a toggle closure.

Using a Noreena Jasper bead as a pendant, I created a necklace with a spiral weave chain and toggle closure, using free form brick stitch around the jasper bead, attaching the pendant to the chain with loops of seed beads and ending with an asymmetrical fringe.

Using the Noreena Jasper, I created a bracelet around a large flat bead in free form brick stitch with a button and loop closure. It has lots of embellishment.

In case you are wondering where the Swarovski is, the maroon pearls are made by Swarovski and the button is Swarovski crystal.

Since I display my jewelry in shadow box cases by color, I will be adding earrings, more bracelets, and maybe a necklace or pins to the collection before show time. The jasper red has fire energy and is grounding. It is mined in western Australia.

Statistics and Shop Views

2011-11-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

I set up google analytics early in my etsy shop history, but despite being an analytical person, I found only confusion and not answers on how to increase sales.

A relatively new feature (mid July as far as I can tell) at etsy.com for shopkeepers is etsy stats. It is a fairly straightforward listing for the current date and "yesterday" (there are other time period choices as well) by hour the number of shop views, listing views,and additions to the shop such as renewals or new items. It also lists where the views are coming from, key words used, and items by name of what was viewed. I have two other applications which gather this data which I am keeping until 12/31/11 because of the history going back to when I opened my shop.

I have been tracking the time of day my viewers are likely to be looking at my shop. I am somewhat surprised at what they are looking at which is mostly my unique designs with high price points. The key words used also tell me that my viewers are knowledgeable about beadweaving because they use technical search terms. When I talk to visitors at my Art Fairs, I use technical language such as stitch names which causes confusion and I need to explain what I mean. This makes me wonder if most of my viewers on etsy really are potential customers. I started my etsy shop by joining the etsy beadweavers team where I made some friends who do the same/similar things that I do but none are customers and I am not theirs either. I have not been a member of this team for at least 6 months.

I set up a facebook page as well as my personal page. I have transferred all of my promotions to KRDesigns11 on FB so as not to spam family and friends on my personal page. I have been having a SEASON OF GIVING promotion on my facebook KRDesigns11 page which is not being viewed. So my reality is not the same as the movie Field of Dreams because I built the page, but they are not coming.... Just sharing my personal observations so you, dear reader, can learn from my mistakes. I do have one loyal friend who almost without exception, likes my entries; I do the same for her as a way of returning the favor and encouraging her to keep on trying.

I plan to focus more efforts on learning about Google ad words. I know that I need to bring people in from outside etsy to purchase my items. I will also be creating more elaborate peyote pattern bracelets, dutch spiral necklaces and listing more of my cellini spiral bracelets which are a great source of repetitive stress and boredom to me to create (they take at least 16 hours of one bead at a time). A lot of my Swarovski crystal and pearl items were made for the Illinois Artisan Shop market which has changed significantly under new shop management and the economic situation in Chicago and Illinois government.

I also plan to do in process progress photos of my designs. Sorry there are no pictures in this one, but I'm off to take some cellini spiral ones and my current project photos for next time.

Team Support - All for a Few

2011-11-13T21:15:00.000-08:00

I am a former member of the etsy beadweavers team. Tonight I removed the link to the Etsy Beadweavers blog which facilitated voting in their monthly challenges. After an absence of a few months, I visited at the beginning of the voting (the 9th) only to find someone had 45% of the vote--they currently have about a third of the votes--while most of the entries have only a few or no votes. While the entry with the most votes may be the best one based on a tiny thumbnail photo, it doesn't seem fair to the other entries whose creators did their best and spent hours on their entries. Google searches on those beaders will reveal their name with a "0" votes entry, probably for every month they entered. This result does not help the career or ego of the majority of the members.

I plan to add to my favorite links list. I also have a facebook business page, KRDesigns11, which has room for more "liked" pages. Let me know if you would like to be considered for some free publicity.

Personal Service

2011-10-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

Learning about myself has revealed that I like personal service when I purchase things and I want to give this to my customers. I don't mean to be best friends or trade personal stories, although sometimes issues with how something fits/wears can get personal.

In trying to figure out why consignment shop relationships and on line sales leave me missing something, I determined that I want to feel that my customer has purchased the best item I can create for them.

It can go beyond the fit of a bracelet to a flattering color that works with the woman's characteristics, mostly coloring. I know I appreciate when someone tells me I am wearing my colors, and they change as we age or dye our hair, or lose weight. Well, not so much as we would like on the weight loss. Growing up, the girls in my era all wore black because it was slimming and never wore white because it made us look fat.

Fashion changes the shade of a color we love to one that may not work well for us. I'm thinking of the pink that is in the stores today called "makeup". It is a very pale, beige pink that so washes out on a northern hemisphere Caucasian.

Today I am sharing photos of earrings created for the Southern Illinois Artisan Shop. I hope the women near Whittington, Illinois will like them. I wish I knew some of them personally, at least to know what they look like, their favorite style of dress. I want to meet my ideal customer.

EARRINGS!!! HOLIDAY GLAM!!!

2011-10-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

My last post had no pictures, so I promised pics on my next post. Now I'm promising to post more frequently.

The photos are of earrings on consignment through the Illinois Artisan Program. They are made with gold filled or sterling silver, Swarovski crystals and pearls, cobalt blue Czech glass round beads, copper, hematite stone beads, and love, passion, patience and holiday cheer! We all deserve Happy Holidays! Let the parties begin.

Outdoor Art Fairs

2011-10-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

This year I was fortunate to have been accepted by juries from three different organizations which all ran well organized Art Fairs. My area experienced the fourth rainiest summer, so half of my events were significantly impacted; the excessive heat only caused me to withdraw from an indoor event in mid July, as my events were at the end of the season.

My favorite Art Fair was run by a local Art League--all volunteer--and has become a tradition for over 50 years. The patrons were well educated, interested, had above average incomes, and understood the need to purchase from the artists to allow the continued creation of art. I would love to return next year and I am already thinking of what I will create for my jury photos because invitations to participate are by jury decision every year.

When I choose locations for next year's Art Fair applications, I will consider the financial health of the facility where the event is held, the statistics on local resident's income, home value and unemployment, ease of loading/unloading by being able to drive up to my space or needing to dolly everything in/out, the number of accepted artists, and the values of the women who would be attending. I have met women who leave their wallets at home or those who confuse their husband's by not purchasing a desired item. Sacrificing for others by not treating themselves is more common than I thought. In this economy, most will not purchase Christmas presents in the summer. It is also hard to highlight items a person might like if they are not present. Not wanting to touch items (try on for size) or allow me to assist them is a sure sign I won't likely make a sale.

Most of my sales were of conservative designs in conservative, neutral colors. They were planned purchases of jewelry to wear with something or something they had been looking for. When I analyzed customer's home address versus location of the show, I found they frequently did not live nearby. The reputation/advertising of the show is important.

A thumbs up to using Square, a tiny device that attaches to a smart phone (I used my husband's android phone) to process credit cards with a swipe and deposit the funds in your bank account (on Tuesday from a weekend show). www.squareup.com for details. If you want contact information from customers, you need to record it manually; the system does not record any personal customer data. The only cost is 2.75% of the amount; no annual, monthly or per transaction fee if you swipe their card. Even the device is free.

I have other comments I could make about the lessons I learned but decided it was bad enough I experienced them. Live and learn. I will say that doing outdoor Art Fairs is a hard way to earn money.

Applications for Art Fairs are due right after January 1, 2012. I will share my jury photos in a future blog post and start to list the events I will be participating in spring.

I am currently planning items for the holidays, and feel like celebrating so they will be GLAM items with hopefully lower price points. I have decided to use metals, at least as accents. However, my Muse tends to guide me to more elaborate projects.

Photos of My Art Fair Booth

2011-09-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I took photos of my booth at Art Fair on the Square. My booth faced east, it was a beautiful sunny day with a breeze. Since the show opened at 11 am, I decided to take photos around 10 a.m. This gave me an area of bright light in front and some shadows. My bridal white case was relocated so that it did not appear to be a case of glare. Additions this year are the three photos of my work hanging across the back wall and using plate hangers to stand up the trays on the table. My new mirror on the grid wall produced reflections of my jewelry in two shots, the man across the streets stool, and the photographer! Other obstacles were familiar to me from last year's photos. I found taking pictures after the show left the booth too dark, and this show ended at 6 pm which made for a very long day since I was out of bed at 4 am and we had a 1.5 hour drive to/from home.

Featured in Pretty in Pink

2011-08-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

My pink ring is featured in the weekly Great Finds blog. Please visit and check out Pretty in Pink and take advantage of the voting to support your favorite handmade item. There are quite a few to look at. You can get to the site by clicking on the badge at the top of this post. Enjoy!

2011-08-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

PROMOTION

2011-08-20T16:20:00.001-07:00

I joined a group on Facebook to help me promote my bead work. I quickly found that I have a lot to learn about groups that really are into promotion.

My first lesson was that it takes time, regularly scheduled time. The group I joined has at least three events a week. Some are just for daylight hours on one day. I need to allow at least two hours early in the morning for that one. These require creating themed treasuries from members shops. It sounds like great fun, but during Art Fair time, I just couldn't fit it in. I am going to make an extra effort to participate the next two weeks, since making treasuries is FUN!

Some activities are on going for a week, but your work may not fit what is being featured. Others, you can just post a new listing and find new people. Never any lack of new posts to read. Problem I have is finding my friends posts that are a few hours old...

I was contacted that one of my items was chosen for a themed week long voting event on a members blog. My job is to promote it and hope people will vote for my creation. So here I am, blogging to ask you to check out this blog. It is pure promotion as far as I can see, but that's not a bad thing. There are a variety of items, the pictures are large enough to see, there isn't much that's flashing at you, and you just might find someone who does something you want. Also, you can purchase an ad on the site for just $5 a month, which seems very reasonable since these events are every week. I paid a lot more money per view at my very rainy Art Fair in my muddy on a decline booth.

The member has also placed my items in a few treasuries, so she might be someone you would like to get to know if you have a shop. As treasuries go, hers are well above average in creativity and beauty. Remember this group's purpose is promotion, so they want to be on the FRONT PAGE. This group is not just for beadweavers either.

Thanks for clicking on the badge at the top of this post. And since I'm asking for favors, please "LIKE" my facebook page, "KRDesigns11". I only need a few more to get a separate url for it. Thanks! You can find out who is promoting me on this page because I've posted my treasuries here.

KRDesigns11 has a Facebook Page

2011-07-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

I set up a Facebook page for my beadweaving jewelry business. The photo above is of the bracelet I used as my avatar on the page. I have been posting new and renewed listings on Etsy (only one per day) and will post that I have a new blog post, too. I have allowed people to write on my page, so you can comment without the review system that I have here on blogspot.

So I'm asking you to visit my page and "LIKE" it if you do. I need to have 25 people "LIKE" my page before it gets its own URL. I'd post a link here, but since it doesn't have its own URL, it won't work. Maybe searching for "KRDesigns11" would be easiest; the category is "Artist". www.facebook.com/pages/KRDesigns11/180040212060403

Unfinished Objects

2011-07-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

My bead embroidery project of making pins and earrings is going slowly. I found I needed to order supplies a few times -- and the process is full of starts and stops which I don't find satisfying. The price point for the pins will be higher than I hoped because most of the cabs cost me more than I usually spend on crystals for my bracelets. I only thought it should take less time than making a bracelet would make it cost less. I need to get organized so that the process is more efficient.

I did make two pins before I started researching using my personal library of books to learn how the pros bead with cabochons. I will include photos here, but know that the beading techniques are mine, and not those used in the books. I attached one row to the backing material and then beaded into those beads rather than the backing material. The pins are small with only a few rows of beadwork, so they appear to be adequately supported.

I determined I would do earrings going "by the book". First I didn't have the right size/color beads. Received the beads, finished the beadwork, looked for the ultra suede, realized I didn't have an appropriate color (no dark blue or black)so I waited for another order. (Order arrived out of stock of one color ultra suede and with the wrong color beads for the edging on the lapis earrings, so there is an order from another vendor in process. There will be two pairs of lapis earrings, which I'd need to order gold tone pin backs if they were to be pins.

While waiting for supplies, I beaded a herringbone rope (20 hours without the clasp) for a polymer clay bead as the pendant. I was pleased with the rope and felt a sense of accomplishment. After designing the bail/connection, redoing it twice and still not finding the right colors, I realized the rope is pastel summer shades while the pendant bead is fall shades. So I'm thinking I need a fall colored rope but don't feel like another 20 hours to create it right now. I put pictures of this on Facebook.

Wednesday night I put together a flat spiral bracelet with luster peridot green Czech glass beads and felt like I accomplished something. I used light lime metallic size 13 charlottes as some of the connector beads which gave a nice sparkle to the glass. It was just something I put together from what I had on hand. So easy!

I went back to the cabochon project Thursday, but discovered the method didn't work for the cab with a high dome, so will use the stack method if I have the right beads! I did complete a pair of earrings with blue lace agate cabs as I have lots of white beads and had light blue ultra suede on hand anticipating doing bead embroidery someday.

Friday I finished an oval pair of lapis earrings using hematite colored beads since I haven't received the color I wanted. I used pliers to pull the needle through on the edging, so I will try to figure out something different when I work on the round lapis earrings. This was not fun!

I will be taking a break from bead embroidery to relax with beading I enjoy and to prepare for an Art Spree in two weeks.

I do not wonder why I have unfinished objects.

Bead Embroidery

2011-06-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

In the comments on my last post, I mentioned the possibility of photographing my beaded cabochon work. I created these when I was finding my way as to how I wanted to express myself with beadwork and have not actively pursued selling them. They are not on etsy, flickr or facebook. The first one uses the stacked cage method from Larkin Jean Van Horn's book Beading on Fabric. The cab is made by Robert Jennik of Knot Just Beads near Milwaukee, Wisconsin (he is a vendor at the Bead & Button Show and also in Naperville, IL at the Suburban Bead Encounter). I wish I had purchased more of his work because he has not brought more to Naperville that I have seen, and the round shape was so easy to bead and the colors are versatile.

The next cabochon is an agate I purchased from another beader who was wire wrapping stones her friend inherited. I carefully chose 3 from the large sack she was rapidly wire wrapping while we watched in amazement how easily she accomplished it. I really like the picture nature made in the stone. The cab is captured using the Gourd on the Ground (peyote) method which is the most common method I've seen. You can see that I embellished these in my favorite lacy style.

This last cab is a vintage Swarovski crystal round in emerald which is captured using the Lace Cage method. This was my first and only cuff bead embroidered and glued to a metal form. Besides using too much glue on the ultrasuede (messy), I would not use crystals that stick out from the other beadwork except near the cab. I used size 15 charlottes (no longer being made)for some of the beadwork. Tiny!

I used all three methods of capturing the cab which I found useful based on the shape of the cab. The other book I owned when I created these items is Beaded Embellishment by Amy C. Clarke & Robin Atkins. Both are excellent books with lots of inspirational photos; both books are artists who create in fabric rather than jewelry makers. In the past year, I have acquired The Art of Bead Embroidery by Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini and Beading with Cabochons by Jamie Cloud Eakin. When I started looking at the details in these books, I realized each contradicted the others, so I set them aside to explore what works for me. I will share that in my next post.

I have two pins that are about halfway completed...waiting for gluing...and a dozen or so more for earrings and pins. I have a lot of beads, but seldom the ones I need. My goal for making pins and earrings is to get lower price point items in my inventory.

Expressing My Values in Daily Life

2011-06-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have the personal belief that the random books I pick up to read have personal messages for me in my current life. Lately, I've been reading about self sabotage by valuing others more than myself leading to less time and resources spent on my creative activities because of doing for others. Last night another source helped me realize that my Christian upbringing emphasizing doing for others, being Christ like, and the values I was taught as a child encourage this.

Spending time with an authority figure from my childhood often leaves me stuck in regards to my creative work. As an adult, I realize that although I do not want to live my life this way or pass these values on to the next generation, it still effects my daily life. So I need to learn to live my values, those that say personal expression is important, that I am important.

The Chapter in Marry Your Muse by Jan Phillips titled Mom's Advice has an Action of writing five distractions from your life that keep you from attaining a more peaceful state of being. It suggests that if the distractions were eliminated, you would have more time to do the things you truly desire. It asks what truly prevents me from doing what I want to do. I know that I will be going through the motions at first in order to change this value in my daily life actions. But this is a change I want to create.

Recently I have been accummulating things needed to do bead embroidery, but have not been able to actually start it. I want to paint the Lacy's Stiff Stuff so I don't have the possibility of the white background showing through. So I am going to glue some cabochons on unpainted and paint another sheet in a dark blue/green which are the colors of most of my cabs. Then I will be one step closer to actually doing the bead embroidery that I want to do.

Recently Completed Projects

2011-06-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

I have attended a couple of Art Fairs that I was not invited to participate in. One that I was on the wait list for, I'm doubly glad I did not participate in (rain and my customer doesn't shop there) and the other is one where a lot of the artists repeat year after year, and there was no art jewelry, just strung items. I have to keep reminding myself that I cannot price beadweaving at strung jewelry prices. So I've decided to make some strung pieces that will be priced competitively with those artists items along with my beadwoven pieces. In mid August, I am doing a talk about my art and will focus on explaining what goes into my highest priced items. Sorry I don't put photos of these on the internet but the heading for my blog is part of one of my favorites.

I used lavender pink fresh water head drilled pearls in a flat spiral bracelet with Swarovski victorian rose crystals and firepolished amethyst ab beads.

Liked the colors so much I did my first tubular right angle weave necklace which took a while since I knotted each embellishing bead. I've made cuff bracelets embellished completely with Swarovski crystals (more than 500), so it's not my longest project. The colors are ones I like to wear; the colors seem to get softer as I get older and grayer.

I have ideas for rings in these colors, so I will get back to making them soon.

Another project was an eggshell/ivory colored dutch spiral necklace; I finished the strung part very early this morning. I like the 4.2 mm gold filled roundels between the beads. Cluster earrings with cream pearls and crystal golden shadow need some pearls on order. I ordered Swarovski light gold pearls and really like them, too, but decided to use the roundels and not add the golden yellow in the pearls. Another project?

Thanks for the inspiration on how to cut and paste my pictures throughout my blog! Right click is my friend!

Returning to my Blog?

2011-05-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

I have been absent from my beadweaving blog because I did not want to write about my personal feelings regarding my father's passing. I realize that if I want to continue with my beadweaving business, I need to write about my beading passion to let you know my activities.

I added a list of my Art Fairs & Shows which seems to have removed my followers, so I'll have to figure out how to get that back or add a new gadget to do that. Computers can be challenging to understand.

I watched the PBS program, Craft in America, Messages, which was broadcast on Tuesday night. It is available in video and book forms (there are 2 previous programs which are also available from the past two years) from http://www.craftinamerica.org/

This year's program featured a bead artist who confirmed that beaders are collectors/hoarders of their beady goodies. I am certainly in that category. I have accumulated several favorite semiprecious stones, either as pendants or as cabochons. I also have several lampwork artist's treasures and some clay items. As I have some time before my next selling event, I plan to create using these items in my jewelry. I love variety, so I will be using Swarovski crystals and pearls in my work, but not featuring them unless someone requests an item.

Since blogs are best with pictures, here are some of my newer creations that are not necessarily on etsy yet. New cluster earrings with crystals and pearls, cubic zirconia earrings, double drilled rose quartz bracelet, beadwoven embellished flower ring, and a turquoise pendant necklace were created in April and May. Another computer challenge I have is to learn how to have the pictures be somewhere other than at the beginning of the posting. Please give me a hint if you know the technique.

Role of Music

2011-01-09T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have been working on applications for Art Fairs, and put a picture of my booth on facebook. I purchased the tent in September 2010 and used it for one fair before winter set in, so it needs work. I have used shadow box frames to pin my jewelry for display which has a magnetic closure on the front, which created some interest in where they were available. They are available at Hobby Lobby.

Hobby Lobby is a great story/role model for on line entrepreneurs such as Etsy sellers. It was started in the family's living area with a small amount of money, quite a while ago as the founder is now a great grandfather. It is a family business, actually several family businesses, because the product in the stores (over 400 Hobby Lobby stores in 39 states) is made by their own companies. Gives them great control over the quality of the product which is in my opinion, good value. You can also order on line. They are based in Oklahoma and have used some of the best sales promotion features of JoAnn and Walmart, etc. Whole categories of items are on sale at 30 - 50% off frequently, and there is always a 40% off one item with the coupon available in the store. Big difference is that the stores are closed on Sundays as it is a Christian business.

When I visited my local store yesterday to purchase a couple more shadow box frames at 50% off, I noticed the upbeat music which repeated itself fairly often, but it didn't bother me. I had a discussion with my hair stylist earlier about the importance of music in the shop. In Hobby Lobby I realized that the music was familiar but not the usual arrangement. When I found the words to the song were in my head, that I knew the "song", I realized that the music was praising God, because the song was "How Great Thou Art". If you are unfamiliar with it, the song has strong emotional connections. We hear so much noise in the world, this was so pleasant, reaching back to my childhood upbringing, that it was in my head the rest of the day. I even woke up "hearing" it. Of course, I bought more than I might have and spent extra time just looking. I have a couple ideas using items I saw in their store. Just from music that was soothing to me, so I could relax in the store. A positive shopping experience.

As an artist/designer, I use music as I work. I will be paying more attention to what I play both while I work and at Art Fairs. To learn more about Hobby Lobby, follow the link:

http://www.hobbylobby.com/our_company/our_company.cfm

Please share in the comments section the music you like to listen to as you work.

New Year, New Lifestyle Changes

2011-01-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

I've taken time away for the holiday and to review my business since its inception and my life over the last decade. I decided that I've exhausted myself trying to do things that just are not working, and I've lost some of the things that I used to love. This is not stress or depression, but burn out where I am no longer motivated to act because it seems hopeless and I'm helpless. Part of the "cure" is self care.

I found myself with a gift card to Borders Books store as a result of a return of a gift book. I knew my local store was sadly depleted of jewelry making books, but didn't realize they also had a poor selection of art and art history books I've used for creative inspiration. I've been criticizing myself for not doing marketing and found a book called The Designer's Guide to Marketing and Pricing....hardly a holiday gift but more about that another time. So I searched my former favorite topic areas and found Fried Why You Burn Out and How to Revive by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. and knew this was a great book for me. I had collected quite a few of her books because they seemed to resonate with me and Fried described my feelings very well. You can find out more about her work at http://www.joanborysenko.com/ or www.facebook.com/pages/Boulder-CO/Joan-Borysenko/211406562428

So today, as part of my self care, I decided I would finally make the chocolate mousse from Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet. I searched for recipes (mainly desserts because that is what I miss the most...Christmas in my childhood home equals COOKIES) that cater to my food sensitivities and allergies, but did not make any during the holidays because I put my own needs last. Before you write me off as a chocoholic beadweaver wanting a super sugar high, let me tell you it uses avocados, dates, agave syrup and raw cacao powder NOT butter, cream and eggs! It whips up in my Cuisinart quicker than I can clean up the work bowl.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE: Soak 1/4 cup pitted medjool dates (yummy) in water for 10 to 30 minutes to soften. Drain and place in a food processor fitted with the S blade along with 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional) and process until smooth. Add 3/4 cup mashed avocados (1 1/2 avocados) and 1/4 cup plus 2T unsweetened cocoa and process until creamy, scrapping the sides of the bowl occassionally. Add 1/4 cup water and process briefly. Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 2 weeks in the freezer. Serve chilled or at room temperature ( thaw frozen about 15 minutes before serving) Yields 1 cup, 2 servings...I made a double batch and put one in the freezer!

Please check out Jennifer Cornbleet at http://www.learnrawfood.com/ or her book on your favorite site or at your library. She has good recipes for all meals of the day designed for 1 or 2 servings made healthy with raw foods...no cooking! She talks about tools you use so it's great for novice "cooks".

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Taking a Break

2010-12-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

I am considering taking a break from writing this blog. The topics that are running through my mind are not ones that I consider of value to my readers who have come to expect beading related topics, but rather more appropriate for a personal journal. I will continue to create, bead, and keep up my etsy shop.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.

Etsy BeadWeavers: Voting for the December Challenge Simon & Garfunkel "Songs of Inspiration"

2010-12-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

Etsy BeadWeavers: Voting for the December Challenge Simon & Garfunkel "Songs of Inspiration"

I'm trying to learn other ways to link to sites. I would like to post the picture grid here, but I've only succeeded in taking you to the site at the bottom of the entry so if you scroll up to the top you can see to vote IF you click on the lower title above. Another computer thing I need to work on.

Please visit and vote for your favorite entry.

I was in college when Simon and Garfunkel became popular, so I know most all the songs from way back. If you have a favorite tune, please share it with us in the comments.

I'll get back to writing soon; I put my photography equipment away when I cleaned for Thanksgiving--mistake to put it away, not to clean.

New Pictures

2010-11-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

The top photo is a bracelet I created for the July Secret Garden Challenge of the Etsy Beadweaver's Team. I was running out of beads for the base of the bracelet and had difficulty finding a new supply. So I put it aside for a while. Then I realized I didn't have a gold filled three strand clasp. After that the Muse abandoned me. I knew I wanted a lacy edge but only had delica beads and I usually use smaller charlottes or size 15 seed beads. After a time I settled on using the delica beads, but wanted smaller 24 kt gold plate tiny seeds; I went into shock at their price! Got the best price available (almost $20 for a little tube of beads) and proceeded to finish it, not realizing I made a pattern with the transparent pink and blue beads! Guess the Muse had her own plan!

The other two bracelets are my traditional right angle weave bracelets done in Swarovski white pearls which I always pair with silver. One has Swarovski crystal ab bicones with the pearls.

These bracelets need the black background, and I will be making a better prop to pose them on. Still working on the lighting, too. There are some light sapphire bracelets and a peach bracelet and earrings that are at the photo editing stage. Light sapphire is one of the "colors" for December birthdays, so they will be added to my shop soon.

I've got a Black Friday Etsy special on some of my items going on at least thru Monday. Other specials will follow.

Coupons, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Free shipping SALES

2010-11-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

Etsy is rolling out new features including coupon codes. In gratitude for my life I have created a 10% off coupon for my blog readers. It is "thanks10". Valid through Thanksgiving Day on sales in the U.S. The discount is on everything listed in my shop. http://www.krdesigns11.etsy.com/

I've been distracted with trying to come up with inexpensive items for my art spree and the etsy black friday/cyper monday/ free shipping/ coupon mania. I didn't think artists put their work "on sale" but "for sale". I truly try to reasonably price my work appropriately without a cushion for crazy sales or to take advantage of the buying public. The money from sales goes toward buying more supplies so I can create more items. It's not part of big corporate profits or values that go up and down mysteriously like the stock market. The debt that I incur to finance my business, is my personal debt. My work is very labor intensive. I do my best to create something that will be useful for a long time.

I've been reading an interesting book called Cheap, The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell. I'm only on page 75, so I'm not writing a book review. The "C" has a slash through it to make it look like a cent sign. It was available at my local Borders. It has a large section of Notes. I'll randomly quote one comment citing source for something in the initial Notes to Readers. "with cheap stuff we may have forgotten we own: Acccording to the Self-Storage Association, a Virginia-based trade group with more than six thousand members, one in ten United States households rented self-storage units in 2007, up from one in seventeen in 1995. Nearly sixty thousand storage facilities in the U.S. satisfy that demand, annually generating $20.1 billion in revenue." That's $20 BILLION a year!

I really hope you save your money to buy something you really will cherish and love to own. I really don't want to and won't make something that you will put in a self-storage unit and forget that you own.

I'm working in white and light colors which need photo retakes. More pictures soon, I promise.

Lapis Blue

2010-11-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

The change from daylight savings time in the fall always makes me a little blue which inspired me to list this cuff bracelet and earrings in my etsy shop and to share them here. I will be adding more blue items in my shop.

I love lapis blue, cobalt blue, sapphire blue, any shade of blue. I think it is the favorite color of most people. These items are bead woven in right angle weave, with the earrings in circular right angle weave. It was quite a trick to get the beads on both sides of the base; I bent and broke more than a few needles. I just needed to make the base a little larger and then fill in with tiny seed beads to hide the spaces between the beads. The cuff has size 15 charlotte lacy edging on it, my favorite part to do. I wish I made it smaller -- it fits a 7.5 inch wrist, not mine! Somewhere there is a woman who is the perfect fit for this cuff bracelet. Are you that person?

Where Women Create

2010-11-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce my readers to Debbie Egizio who is a mixed media artist and was a classmate in a collage class at my local community college more than a decade ago. She is younger than I am and has explored many different avenues, some of which I am envious. She worked in a local shop which was filled with silk flowers and designs, and at this time of year would have the most wonderfully decorated Christmas trees...a most magical place. A lot of it really wasn't my style, and I couldn't afford to purchase much, but I would go there and get lost in my day dreams. I miss that store.

Before I knew what blogging was, her newsletter told of having a page of her work in Artful Blogging, so I went to the bookstore to see it. Her latest newsletter tells of being featured in Where Women Create. http://www.stampington.com/wherewomencreate/ in the current, Nov/Dec/Jan 2011 issue. This magazine I purchased. There are 8 pages to her article; lots of photos. Looking is a way to spark your creativity, no matter what your craft interests are. You may wish to explore the where women create blog. They support handmade!

There are sneak peek previews to the article on Debbie's sites. To better acquaint you with Debbie, you can visit her website http://www.thebeatofmyart.com/ and, of course, her blog http://www.debbieegizio.blogspot.com/ She is currently teaching at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. If you're in the Chicago area, you may be able to see her in person at one of her shows.

Beading Contest

2010-11-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

I entered my Purple Orchid Woven Free Form Choker in a beading contest for using Swarovski pearls sponsored by Bello Modo.

I order a lot of my items from them because they have the best shipping time and it's free. They have Sunday specials when you sign up for their newsletter (usually once a week plus Sunday). Their prices are competitive. I order small quantities when I run out of something needed to finish an item. They introduce items, crafty things, too, and are always getting something new. Check them out at http://www.bellomodo.com/

The contest is at http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/71235/voteable_entries/10000911

Please vote. You may want to enter their next contest!

Do I Create or Worry If It Will Sell?

2010-10-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

It has been almost two weeks since I've posted here. I've been making items for consignment, always with the lowest possible price in my mind so that the shops will be able to sell it. It feels like production work.

You can view the inventory I left on consignment at the Chicago Illinois Artisan Shop on my flickr site. http://www.flickr.com/KRDesigns11 It is in a set which is with other sets on the right hand side as you arrive on the page. If you click on the slide show, it won't take very long to see 15 images. The items I made are well constructed and beautiful, but far from the price points needed to be an impulse purchase or gift for most women, especially in today's economy. I have been given the gift to be able to make these bracelets, yet they are no longer satisfying something inside me.

I long to create a truly one of a kind piece...the EBW Challenge is due soonish and the Muse has yet to visit me with an inkling of inspiration for it. Oh, I can see the colors...there is dark green, emerald? It's a vintage European Christmas item....

Last Christmas I asked for and received a book on micro macrame because I want to explore it further; I purchased parts to practice the techniques, but I've yet to sit down and try it. I have green ivy leaves and red round crystals for holly berries to make a micro macrame bracelet that I purchased last year...so those UFOs are haunting me, too. Speaking of UFOs, I want to set up a tray with them, displayed so that I can see them several times a day. Where do I start?

So the question of what do I offer for sale for holiday gifts goes on the back burner. The UFOs will be worked on as I can. My priority will be to learn more about micro macrame. That means I need to find the things I set aside for this activity, so cleaning my work space hopefully will clear my mind. Maybe I will find the beads for the EBW Challenge item!

Crystal Silver Night - Swarovski New Color

2010-10-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

This is a bracelet created from Swarovski's new color, Crystal Silver Night. The crystals are connected with jet black size 13 charlottes. This silvery gray color does not have the fire of aurora borealis, but the bead does have one side more crystal clear and one side opaque. As all things Swarovski, the beads are beautiful.

I also wanted to remind you that it is time to vote in the Etsy Beadweavers monthly challenge. With a theme of "Autumn Falling of Leaves", there are more entries than last month's very popular one on Bollywood. Next month, we are to select a holiday and create something for that occasion--should be popular also.

You can either use the link I have on my blog or go to http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com and vote for your choice. The thumbnails are small, so if you click on the number/creator names listed below the mosaic photo, you will be taken to the etsy shop to view the entire write up and multiple photos. My entry is in the lower right hand corner. Enjoy!

Patience

2010-10-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

I like to randomly select and open my books and read until I know I found the message for me right now. Today's book was The Vein of Gold, A Journey to Your Creative Heart by Julia Cameron who is the author of the Artist's Way and many other items in my possession. The chapter was "The Paydirt in Pay-tience" in the Kingdom of Attitude section. I have read this chapter so many times, if it were possible, the ink would be off the page and written in my brain!

It's about our results oriented society, of wanting to have the big sale or show to prove that we are artists. The goal of perfection in art versus the process where we work at a level, then it becomes hard, then if we continue our work is on a different level. We must learn to have patience with our imperfections. The author writes of artists whose work is only sporadically accepted by the public and admits that some of her best work was not sold while some of her worst was.

So I remember my last show where I sold little and what I did sell was 4 years old, from when I first started beading, was not the type of work (strung not beadwoven) I'd like to say I do, and realize I'm experiencing something similar to those the author was writing about. I continued my process with a beadwoven peyote cuff bracelet I entered into the Etsy Beadweavers October challenge, listed and promoted it on Facebook. I was asked where I purchased the clasp, went to that website and found "THE way I should have attached it to the bracelet" instead of the inferior, less than perfect way, I did attach it. (The website is of a well known beadweaver/author.) So the perfectionist reared it's ugly head once again.

This was the perfect way to remind me to be patient with myself. My customer did get pretty items at a good price, and the newest item is acceptable--it was an assortment of tiny beads, a needle and thread before I spent 17 hours making it be what it is, which is a small miracle. So if I didn't write this, no one would know my process. I learned, and now have ANOTHER way to attach the clasp next time I make a beadwoven peyote cuff bracelet, if I decide to try it.

Remind Me of What I Loved

2010-10-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome new followers! I've been mentally composing posts, but not writing them--sorry! I'm trying to make items for consignment shops for fall, when my heart wants to hang on to summer. Here are a couple that won't be on Etsy any time soon, but if they have your name on them, contact me and I'll be happy to arrange their availability for purchase.

In the past, I read a lot of books by Caroline Myss, even attended a couple of workshops held locally when I could afford them. Now I'm getting her free emails. One I remember being helpful was on the topic of "Remind Me of What I Loved".

We usually love simple things, sharing ordinary parts of our lives, people who were there for us. Personally, I often find myself dwelling on things I can't change, things that are not positives for anyone. She wrote much more eloquently than I, to remember those things in the past that we loved. When I do that, my body feels so much more relaxed and peaceful. Something simple like my aunt letting me hold the bouquet of lilacs she cut to bring into the house when I was about four years old. She also told me I was "a pain in the neck". So which one do you think I loved? I can still smell those lilacs!

Care to share your loved memories?

Life

2010-09-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

I'm preparing for the art spree in downtown Chicago the end of this week and an art fair in Barrington, Illinois. I've upgraded my flickr account to pro, so there are more pictures of my latest, non-etsy listed, creations. I planned to write another book review about Julia Cameron's work. I seem to be affected by learning of the sudden death of a man in the prime of life. It's not a personal loss to me, but a reminder to live every moment of life to it's fullest. So I hope you will log out and do what you love!

What Matters Is The Newness

2010-09-05T11:06:00.001-07:00

I intend this post to be a book review of Marry Your Muse by Jan Phillips published by Quest Books. I am encouraging you to purchase the book ($13.50 or less at amazon) if this post strikes a chord with you. I have had this book on my shelf for years (actually mostly in the stack of books I look at frequently), picking it up to read at random a section, chapter, or page; I've probably read the entire book many times. I like the quotes in the margins and the photographs. I have a framed copy of the Artist's Creed above my work table. Today, I am drawn to

"I believe that what truly matters in the making of art is
not what the final piece looks like or sounds like,
not what it is worth or not worth, but what newness gets added
to the universe in the process of the piece itself becoming."

I share the concerns of my Etsy Beadweaver Team members who have verbalized concern about lack of sales and being "blocked". Jan Phillips writes in a letter to the Muse,

"I am often troubled
at the beginning
about what the ending will be.
I am troubled
about what will become of a piece,
who will want it, if it will
ever be seen or heard.
I do not want to keep creating
that which sees no light of day,
that which finds no ear to hear,
nor heart to hold.
Of what use are these works
if others do not share them?
What is their worth if they go nowhere?
Is it that I am not good enough?.......
Where shall I go with the gifts of my soul?"

Jan Phillips continues, writing a response to us, the "Dear Child"

"When you set out in your work,
set out to find something new
and concern yourself
only with this discovery.
As you create, give thought
to that which is before you
and only that.
You cannot know the reach of your work,
nor its weight or worth,
so there shall be no arrogance about it,
nor any doubt.
What matters is not what you make
but that you take the tools in your hand,
listen to the voice that calls,
and give shape to whatever is awaiting form.

Look inside and see what moves you,
what makes you cry
for sadness or joy,
and respond to that,
letting your response flow
without judgment or worry.

In the giving of yourself to this work,
give bravely and with honest passion
and what will come will be a gift,
not only for yourself
but for those in your midst
who have hungered for this work."

More Endive, Rose dust and Purple Orchid

2010-09-02T21:59:00.001-07:00

I've listed two days in a row! Two more items in my series. I have a bracelet ready for the camera, another just started, pearl beaded beads and more peace jasper waiting for a bead order. These items are less exciting but more affordable (under $200).

Peace Jasper Items in Endive, Rose Dust and Purple Orchid

2010-09-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today I listed the freeform brick stitch bracelet with a peace jasper round stone as the focal point that I wrote about in my last post. I also listed the Peace Jasper Teardrop spiral weave necklace and a coordinating pair of earrings which are pictured here. I will list more items in these colors. I need to order clasps, so not all items in this series will be listed together. Hope you enjoy them; remember to click to magnify.

Freeform Peace Jasper Woven Bracelet

2010-08-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

This is two posts in a row of new fall items, neither are listed in my etsy shop yet. This one features Endive, Rose Dust and Purple Orchid with peace jasper. The green in the stone is more green than endive so I added a small amount of green opaque size 14 seed beads in the mix. I have more peace jasper to create a necklace with a teardrop stone; so far the "chain" is spiral weave in delica beads. The other beads I have will be more of a strung bracelet and necklace with bead weaving. Earrings with beaded beads and crystals are planned also. Don't forget to click and click to get the photos magnified to see the details. When I take the photos, I make sure the largest magnification is still clear and true to color. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Cherries

2010-08-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

I feel like a new font tonight. The photos are my most recent in the Margie Deeb Fall Winter Color Report series. It utilizes Lipstick Red, Chocolate Truffle and Rose Dust. The delica beads are ab (aurora borealis) finished and reflect a rainbow of colors. This had an unexpected effect. It reminds me of Brach's Chocolate Covered Cherries which I ate in my childhood. I did crave chocolate when I worked with the beads. These items are not yet listed in my Etsy shop, so if you are interested, please contact me...a comment would work. Don't forget to click and click to enlarge the photos.

Peaches and Cream

2010-08-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

I put aside my project that I photographed last time. Today's mail brought 3 colors of 8 mm Swarovski bicone beads and a few tubes of size 15 seed beads in fall colors. I now have a transparent rosaline to embellish that project with. But instead of working to complete that bracelet, I started a new one with lipstick red, chocolate truffle, and rose dust in a 50-40-10 ratio. It is a two strand flat spiral weave similar to two of the bracelets photographed here. Yes, it reminded me of chocolate covered cherries and it was the color combination that called to me most from Margie Deeb's 2010 Fall Color Report. As I worked on it, I knew I had to order more beads; the big question is just how many. The color combination will be wonderful for Valentine's Day, too. I will share photos here because I can't decide which consignment shop I will place it in.

This week I completed two of the pictured bracelets and made beaded bead earrings for the three flat spiral bracelets. The embellished ladder stitch bracelet is made from the size 11 seed beads used to connect the flat spiral bracelets plus size 8 delica beads in cream. All will soon be listed in my shop (more pictures are also on flickr) displayed together. I want to see which one is more popular. When I started my shop, I had a lot of ladder bracelets which no one seemed to be interested in except the ruby red two which are renewed in my shop. I'm also experimenting with pricing as a set with earrings. I'd like to make a series of bracelets in a color palate in a couple of styles for my lower and mid price points. Any feedback on your preferences would be appreciated.

If you haven't been on etsy recently, the listing item pictures are larger and four across and 6 rows on a page.

EBW Challenge Voting, Latest Project

2010-08-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

The voting on the Etsy Beadweaver's blog is in process with a record turnout for the vote with almost 700 votes so far. It continues until Sunday midnight. The leading entry is by bead4me; this entry not only uses a lot of Swarovski crystals but is woven in 24k gold beads which are expensive to use. There are about 50 entries with the votes distributed among the entries instead of a couple of run away winners. I even have a record high of 7 votes for 1%; my personal best in ebw challenges. The link to vote is to the right; remember to click on the names below the mosaic to get the details of the entries. The mosaic is just to entice you to look further. Enjoy!

The photos are in process of my current project. I purchased some Peace Jasper, wrapped thread around and through the round coin bead that is the focal point and have worked out in brick stitch in a free form pattern of a variety of beads. The colors are from another of Margie Deeb's Fall Winter Color Report palates using Endive, Rose dust and Purple Orchid. The bracelet needs the second strap lengthened, a clasp created and the picot fringe added. I'm thinking I'll order size 15 seed beads in a color other than the green I started to use for the picots, so it may be a week or more before the bracelet is completed.

New Purple Orchid Jewelry

2010-08-06T21:47:00.001-07:00

I'm rewarding my blog followers with my first photos of my latest creations. The camera battery needed to be recharged before I could finish.

The detail photo is of the necklace beadwork. I combined right angle weave and peyote plus my lacy edging. The bracelet detail is similar, but not the same.

The color combination is from Margie Deeb's Fall Color Report. They are Purple Orchid, Rose Dust and Oyster Gray in approximately a 50-30-20 ratio.

New Listings

2010-08-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

The photos are of recent listings in my etsy shop. If you want to see more pictures, you can also go to my flickr site which is listed under my favorite sites on the right side of my blog.

It is time for the August Etsy Beadweaver's Challenge entries to be listed; the voting starts on the 9th. I'll remind you to vote when it's time. The team has had lots of new members and there are more entries this month. Harder to choose your favorite. My entry is simple this month; it's the cream pearl, crystal ab with gold charlottes bracelet shown here. The theme is Silver and Gold. Next month, it's Bollywood. Help! I have no idea what the person who selected that topic was thinking of, so I'll probably create something I want to make and say it's for that theme. Everyone knows I won't win and I've not known anyone to be disqualified for not creating on topic. I need to google Bollywood.

I'm still working on the necklace/bracelet set in Margie Deeb's purple shade fall colors (one of too many palates to try them all). The bracelet was pronounced finished this afternoon, but the necklace needs some work yet. I will include it in my next batch of pictures. I know why I don't normally make sets--it seems to take forever doing the same/similar thing.

August

2010-08-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

I listed this bracelet and pair of earrings today as a set. I cut the price of the combined two items by $10 and eliminated a shipping fee on the earrings. This is a Swarovski Night Blue Pearl bracelet that is connected with tiny hematite charlotte beads. The earrings have a Swarovski hematite crystal bicone, a sterling silver round bead, and a night blue pearl. This bracelet is a little larger than average, fitting an 8 inch wrist. There is another night blue pearl bracelet with faceted crystal rounds that's a 7 in my shop. I like to make similar items in different sizes; kind of how a painter does a series on a theme.

I started on the bracelet in the new fall colors since my rosaline pearls are in the mail. I picked up some tiny beads for embellishment at my local bead shop that are close in color and match in finish in case the Muse tells me to add more embellishment. I need to photograph them in process for you.

I loaded more photos on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/KRDesigns11 including the Night Blue Pearl items and Platinum Pearl ones. They are in a set called Right Angle Weave.

I had the most views in my shop in the month of July since I started in February. The end of the month was slow or I would have had a phenomenal month, view wise. Is that a word? Spell check wanted it as two words. What would I do without spell check?

Look for the EBW challenge entries soon.

Flickr account for KRDesigns11

2010-07-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have been working on my flickr account. It seems to be a monumental task to photo edit pictures of my beaded jewelry. My eyes hurt! I have listed over 100 items on etsy, but now I want my work on flickr and also facebook. Oh, and I have approximately 400 items worthy of photographs. The excel spreadsheet inventory listing is also not up to date, but it does have columns for date photographed and location of item. And should I be working on my booth in case I'm called to be in my wait listed shows? Some times I think I'm in the business of everything but making jewelry!

My current emphasis has been to have sets of photos for the three locations I currently have items on consignment at. The Southern Illinois Artisan Shop has white pearl and light sapphire bracelets and earrings with one navy blue pearl necklace. They sold the lavender pearl bracelet! I had to photo edit those pictures and then fill in the flickr information which is completed.

The second set I worked on is better than half complete which is items at TLD Designs Center & Gallery, Westmont, Illinois. These items span the entire time, some from before I knew I needed to leave a trail of what date I took the picture. While working on these items, I decided it would be more fun to have a couple views of each item, so I'm not finished yet, but it's looking good, at least to me.

The Chicago Illinois Artisan Shop is the third location which changed work recently. All but one of these items was on etsy, so I have photos for all except one pair of earrings. I haven't taken pictures of every thing I've made jewelrywise yet.

So I am inviting you to check on my progress with my flickr account. If you view each set as a slide show, it shouldn't take much time.

Pictures

2010-07-22T21:36:00.001-07:00

A few recent pictures. Angel earrings for Christmas in July. Lavender pearl earrings to match the single strand flat spiral bracelet; that's provence lavender crystal, too. Ruby with white pearl beaded bead earrings to match a necklace and bracelet in flat spiral weave that I may list in my shop later this fall.

Beads arrived today with the Margie Deeb colors. The maroon pearls definitely look chocolate. I worked on a dutch spiral necklace in white. The spiral portion is about 7.5 inches with white pearl seed beaded tubular peyote stitch for the remainder of the 20 inch necklace. I will add it to the bridal white section of my shop soon.

Update, Christmas in July

2010-07-20T18:11:00.001-07:00

It has been a week since I have written a blog post. I spent two days in the Thompson Center in Chicago trying to sell my work at an Art Spree for Illinois Artisans. I spent the weekend relaxing afterward, removing items from my shop that are now in the Museum Shop in the Thompson Center, and organizing returns from that shop so I can list them on etsy. I am in process of setting up my Art Fair display in part of my home, so people will be able to see my work here, by appointment. Also I continued to work on Christmas in July with 20 items in that sale. So far, no one appears to have searched for "Christmas in July" in my shop...they are etsy tags, not search engine tags, that will help people find those items. Prices return to regular August 1.

If there is an item you would like that has become inactive on etsy, please contact me because it may be available for purchase. My work at the Artisan Shop is on consignment. I have been thinking about creating a flickr album of my work there.

Today I made earrings to coordinate with my necklaces and bracelets. It is easy to see which items I don't have earrings for when I am trying to sell, having items set out in front of me. At least this time I wasn't missing a desired color.

Speaking of color, I downloaded Margie Deeb's Fall Color Report and ordered beads in the new colors. I'm certain I'll like the purple ones, but there is a jonquil/peridot, chocolate, red lipstick, and others to look forward to working with. Usually I have already created items to go on consignment by the time the color report is available.

I have a new location for my work on consignment. It is TLD Designs Center and Gallery, Westmont, Illinois. Tammy Deck likes the cellini spiral bangle bracelets and has two of them in the assortment of items I left with her. I will set up a flickr album for those items, too.

New Treasury & Art Spree

2010-07-13T08:09:00.001-07:00

I am participating in an Illinois Artisan Art Spree at the Thompson Center (State of Illinois building)in downtown Chicago Thursday and Friday. This is sponsored by the Illinois State Museum Society. Admission to the Museum is free as is the Art Spree. If you are in the area mid day, the artists will be in the Atrium Lobby, and we would love to have you stop and look at our Accessories show. The artists will be demonstrating. If you miss the spree, the Museum Shop is on the second floor, up the escalator (no security check in required), open week days, and has some of my work.

I now have some of my work at TLD Designs Center and Gallery in Westmont, Illinois. The collection includes two of my Cellini Spiral Bangle Bracelets, 3 Coins of Purple Fluorite Bracelet and Earrings and Cinderella, a blues/purples free form peyote bracelet(photos used for Art Fair application juries). You can find more information and directions to the gallery at http://www.tlddesigns.com

My lime lariat is in a new treasury. http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3b703108386d914939fa16

Thanks to the person who looked at every item in my shop today. This is the second time every one of my items was clicked on.

Latest Cellini Spiral Bangle Bracelet

2010-07-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

I completed the cellini spiral bangle late this afternoon and also the beadwork for the earrings. I photographed them so you can see them before I take them for consignment at an artist friend's gallery. I also photographed the earrings for the cobalt blue and gold bracelet. If you click on each photo, you can click again to see it magnified to appreciate the details.

I went back to using nymo b thread instead of the One G by Toho and was much happier with the results. Now I need to organize for the art spree next week. I have lots of little things to finish.

Don't forget to vote for your favorite entry in Secret Garden at www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com Anyone can vote.

Etsy Beadweavers Team Challenge Voting Now

2010-07-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Please go to www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com to pick your favorite entry in the current monthly challenge, Secret Gardens and vote for it. The list below the grid of pictures has links to each entrants etsy shop so you can check out all the details. Voting is from July 9 thru July 15.

My entry is my cobalt blue and gold free form bracelet. I would appreciate your vote, but want you to vote for your favorite and there are many worthy choices. So have fun.

I have been working on a cellini spiral bangle which has not been working out as well as the others I've made. On a favorable recommendation, I tried Toho's One G thread. While it has many admirable qualities, I don't think it is strong enough as I've had the thread break a couple of times and not where I knotted. It doesn't fray unless it breaks and is much thinner making it easier to thread the needle. It is supposed to be as strong as fireline. If anyone has comments on One G thread or knows what I'm doing wrong, please comment to let me know. I switched to my old favorite, nymo so I can complete the bangle.

Supplies to complete things have arrived in the mail this week. I'm not sure how much I can work on because I need to prepare for the Art Spree next week.

Happy Fourth of July

2010-07-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

I have been working on the Cellini spiral bangle bracelet and have almost 6 repeats completed. It will take at least 12 repeats before I can connect it. That's 16 beads times 16 for one repeat times at least 12 or 3072+ one at a time beads. If I worked on it continuously, that would take me at least 16 hours, at more than 3 beads per minute. My body could never take the repetitive stress of beading the same stitch that many times in a row, so it takes a while to complete. No sweat shop labor here! I'm a tough task master, but beading is FUN for me.

Some people mistake the stitch for bead crochet, but I could complete about 16 bracelets (slight exaggeration) in bead crochet in the same amount of time if I didn't get bored doing it. Crochet stitches require tiny movements in the hands. The needle thread movement in the Cellini spiral requires your arm extend the length of the thread you are working with (LONG)--sort of like practicing your tennis swing--plus the pattern in bead crochet is usually 3 same size beads which is much simpler than 16 beads in various sizes in the same order. Maybe I should create a bead crochet bracelet as part of my demonstrating what I do at the Art Sprees. I have one coming up July 15 and 16 at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago.

I ran out of beads for my July challenge entry and so did my supplier, even if they could get them here from Wednesday in time for me to finish by Monday's deadline. They are being shipped now since I called 9 shops to locate some. Also the button for the closure for my latest free form brick stitch bracelet should be in my mail box on Tuesday.

I've taken a little break from beading to work on Facebook, read magazines, and live life.

New Listing

2010-06-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

I listed this bracelet in my etsy shop this afternoon. I'm not sure my shop feed is listing updates on my blog so the link is
www.etsy.com/listing/50536135
I had the link working and then it didn't. I find more errors on blogspot than I'd like.

I rearranged my shop to feature red, white and blue for the 4th of July US Independence Day celebration. The pearls follow that at the bottom of page one.

I'm going to run out of the background color beads for my challenge project. Doubt I could get them in time if I order on line again. I always order two tubes, but this time I didn't because I've been having lots of left overs lately. I like the pattern enough to not want to change it. I suppose I could make a very small bracelet as I have 3 inches woven with less than half the tube remaining. I will shop locally by phone.

No progress on the cellini spiral.

Status Update

2010-06-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm being drawn away from beading by my family. I did shop for seed beads at my local bead store--the one with the Venetian beads--to correct my poor choices of colors I ordered on line.

I started my latest cellini spiral bangle bracelet which I will probably place on consignment at TLDDesigns.com gallery in Westmont, Illinois. I will put a picture of it here. The colors I chose are sapphire blue transparent in two sizes, purple in two sizes with a lighter purple in size 15, a metallic rainbow green/blue in size 8, green blue and blue topaz transparent in size 11, and turquoise transparent charlottes in size 13 and 15 for a total of 16 beads in each spiral--some are repeated. The colors were inspired by a collage by JoAnn Deck which you can see if you follow the link to her blog on my blog. The TLD Design center & gallery is also a link on my blog.

I'm hoping working alternately on finishing up items with the spiral will lower the monotony of the repeats on the spiral bracelet. It has taken me two full days worth of beading to complete one in the past. I'm finishing a Swarovski bronze pearl, ceylon topaz crystal flat spiral bracelet currently. It has the same colors as the keshi pearl edged bracelet at www.etsy.com/listing/49536225 I also have to figure out something to enter in the EBW Team challenge Secret Garden.

New Listing, Christmas in July, Cobalt Bracelet Status

2010-06-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

I finally listed the second Swarovski white pearl with crystals bracelet. I did a lot of updating and renewing items in my shop. I've added url addresses in my descriptions so that it is easier for shoppers to compare items and to look at coordinating items.

I have decided to participate in the Christmas in July promotion that will run July 15 through 25th I think. Any ideas of what you would like to see? It doesn't have to be Christmas items. It is too soon for me to do that, although I have been thinking about items to make for my 3 day mid December art spree at the Thompson Center in Chicago. I'd like to do something less costly, but all of my things are so dear! Maybe some small ornaments for a 12 inch size evergreen; something like I would have as a decoration in my home. I have collected Waterford crystal ornaments. This would be smaller, but I could make one new each year. Watch for the prototype pictures here. Would you like a drawing for a free ornament? I have angel earrings--I could list those for July 15.

The freeform cobalt and other blues with gold brick stitch around a Venetian bead bracelet will be showcased on my blog and not listed on etsy, as I'm thinking of placing it on consignment. All it needs is a tiny cobalt blue button. I'll probably take photos without the button as it is functional as a closure, not part of the decoration. I happily found a source for pressed glass buttons in many colors, including cobalt.

I am slowly progressisng on Facebook, so if you want to be my friend, let me know.

Future Direction of My Etsy Shop

2010-06-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

These are previews of the photos I will use when I list the second bridal white bracelet. It has the same number of beads as the one I already listed, but there are 4 rows of pearls instead of three, and three rows of crystals instead of four; The round shape takes up slightly more space, so the to be listed bracelet is about .5 inch longer. Beading trivia!

I decided not to renew or add earrings to my etsy shop unless they are earrings that are likely to draw attention and clicks. My earring promotion in the month of April seems to have not produced enough interest in earrings. I will continue to make earrings, especially the beaded bead or beaded around a cabochon type and, of course, on request. The Illinois Artisan shops sell my earrings, and, of course, they are popular at Art Fairs.

I've also noticed people search on Swarovski, crystals, bracelets, beads, cellini spiral but not ebw, ebw team, however the challenge ebwc is useful for a few days a month on one item before it is removed to prepare for the next month. My most viewed items are my challenge entries, and they continue to draw views.

I started to bead around a rectangular sapphire blue and gold venetian bead to make a brick stitch bracelet. I have two matching round beads I bought for earrings that I guess I'll be making beaded beads for. Too soon for pictures. This type of bracelet has been popular at Art Fairs as well as on etsy as it by it's nature is a one of a kind item.

Today I also spent a little time signing up for Facebook. If you want to be my friend, just let me know.

New Listing

2010-06-19T18:16:00.001-07:00

I listed the lavender beaded bead and pearl earrings that match the lavender Swarovski pearl woven bracelet I made a couple months ago. I am always behind on making the earrings. I have a bag of the left over beads with about half a dozen that I am aware need matching earrings. I've decided to try to only make bead woven earrings. As I write that I realize the two pair I made for my White Spiral Necklace are not bead woven. So I'll add another earring to the list of those I need to create.

I have been thinking about adding another site for my jewelry, but I do not want to add another one like etsy. I am looking into my own website. Anyone with helpful comments, please let me know. The downfall for me is the etsy community, as much as I enjoy it, is mostly an amateur group. I need to find business people to relate to. I would also like another source of income besides the jewelry. Perhaps if I become proficient at setting up websites I could do that. Or I love the photography, so that could be another revenue source. I'm just talking out loud now. I could teach bead weaving, but my creativity just sort of happens which I don't know how to tell someone to do in 7 easy steps. Then I have yet to join Facebook and work on my flickr account. So? Where to begin? Baby steps....

New Listings and projects

2010-06-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight I listed two pairs of earrings which coordinate with my White Spiral Necklace Rolling Snowballs. This was my entry to the EBW June Challenge. I also unsuccessfully entered the necklace in an exhibition at the Illinois State Fair. The plus side is that someone can purchase the necklace now that I do not have to have it on display at the fair.

I have two bracelets that I made of the same crystal and pearl beads which I will be adding to the bridal white section of my shop shortly. I also have earrings to match the lavender pearl bracelet ready for listing. I'm told it's not a good idea to list a lot of items at the same time, so you have to wait.

Today I worked on a red, white and blue bracelet. I need to order more white pearls to complete it. I also have a bronze pearl and ceylon topaz crystal bracelet to order beads to complete. My last order for parts to complete things has been shipped.

I finished a 6 mm night blue pearl and dark blue indigo faceted round and 4 mm night blue pearl bracelet; I made beaded beads for the earrings, too. I am thinking the bracelet is too dark, being all dark blue, but maybe in the fall I'll find it works for me.

I've been thinking about starting another cellini spiral bangle bracelet because the two that I have listed are frequently viewed.

New Listing and Treasury

2010-06-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

My lime lariat was included in a green beadweavers treasury on The Crimson Moon blog at http://thecrimsonmoon.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/etsy-ennead-green-etsy-beadweavers/
I've not been able to get links to copy properly on blogger for a couple of weeks now. Sorry. If anyone knows what I'm not doing correctly, please let me know. Does it have something to do with the pop up?

I listed my light creamrose pearl bracelet tonight. I reversed the positions of the 6 mm and 4 mm beads so this one has the 6 mm beads in the middle. I have done this with the same size beads with pearls and crystals and liked it both ways. I'm not sure I will make another one this way unless I make a more dramatic pattern with the beads, which could be fun too.

New Listing

2010-06-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

I listed my Swarovski and Pearl Bronze Bracelet tonight. I love the iridescence and irregularity of the keshi pearls woven along the edges. I don't usually like beige things, but the colors seem quite pleasant to me. The Ceylon topaz crystals are in the middle with bronze pearls on either side. The connector beads are cream, eggshell and a crystal ab with gold inside tiny seed beads in three sizes. It has the chevrons in cream and like all my flat spiral bracelets is reversible. I previewed this bracelet in my photos yesterday.

I completed a Swarovski Light Cream Rose Pearl Bracelet this afternoon and will photograph it for my next listing. I'm learning the subtle nuances of white, cream, cream rose, light cream rose, etc. to help in the bridal white section in my shop. I'm featuring pearls to honor all the June birthdays!

The end of voting on the Etsy Beadweavers Blog for the June challenge is almost over with bead4me the front runner with 23% of the vote. Be sure to check out this stunning bead work. http://www.etsy.com/listing/48781443/ooak-lava-flow-sculptural-beadwork I think she won two months ago and was able to choose the theme. Her efforts on the challenges are always outstanding.

Sneak Peek Photos of New Bracelets

2010-06-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

These are both flat spiral weave bracelets. The blue and white one has Swarovski air blue opal crystals and is similar to a necklace I made last year which has white vintage seed beads which I ran out of so the bracelet has a modern square white bead.

The one I finished today has bronze Swarovski pearls and bronze keishi pearls--really interesting colors because they are pearls not glass--and ceylon topaz Swarovski crystal bicones. There are also 3 seed beads, size 11 cream, size 13 vanilla, and size 14 gold inside clear ab. The black background is black leatherette--no more magnified lint. I took the photo so it should be in focus magnified as much as you can, so click away on that skinny bracelet!

Activity

2010-06-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have been absent for personal reasons and hope to be able to get back to photography tonight.

I finished an air blue opal three strand flat spiral weave bracelet and am in the process of a bronze and ceylon topaz with keishi pearls two strand bracelet similar to the pink bracelet I used for art fair entries.

Speaking of art fairs, my last application came back a wait list, so that's three wait lists in August & September. My next event is an Art Spree in downtown Chicago as an Illinois Artisan in mid July. I would love to see someone I know visit among the thousands who walk the atrium lobby of the Thompson Center. The "strangers" who stop generally become friendly after pausing to look at my jewelry!

New listings

2010-06-09T00:13:00.001-07:00

I added a necklace and earrings to coordinate with the white pearl and aquamarine crystal bracelet and earrings recently listed.

I still cannot get the link for the treasuries to work. Ho Hum!

My white photographs are stuck in lint on the black velvet. May be tomorrow night I will try again. I received a tall easel type necklace holder which is black leatherette so that may solve some of my problems there.

New Items for Bridal White Section of My Shop

2010-06-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to link to a treasury east that I made since June 3. Something is broken. It may be on etsy's part because I can't find the treasury main and west locations which were to be phased out once Treasury east was no longer beta. Any rate, Happy Saturday!

I made two pair of earrings and am almost finished with a second bracelet to coordinate with the Rolling Snowballs necklace. I find it hard to see the difference between crystal ab and crystal moonlight, so I look for the blue cast to the ab. If I sign off, I may be able to photograph them tonight, so I'll have something to list and post tomorrow.

Treasury East with June Challenge Entries

2010-06-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

I created a Treasury East tonight with entries to the Etsy Beadweaver's June Challenge, Phenomenon. There are more than 16 entries so be sure to go to the team's blog on June 9 (I'll remind you to vote) to see the remaining entries. As always, there are difficult choices. Next month's theme is Secret Garden which should be delightful as some members have the ability to create realistic flowers from beads...I am in awe.

June

2010-05-31T22:07:00.000-07:00

I created a Treasury west on etsy tonight which means it will be gone on Thursday. It is called Peacefulness and is beadweaving in shades of blue.

I'm working on a flat spiral air blue opal bracelet to coordinate with a necklace I made last year and ran out of the vintage white beads I used. The substitute bead has similar finish and color.

Please visit the treasury at www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=100125

June Etsy Beadweaver's Challenge Entry

2010-05-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a more playful theme for the Phenomenon challenge. This necklace is called Rolling Snowballs. The stitch, dutch spiral, reminds me of rolling a snow ball, stopping to pack it together and then rolling some more. The spiral is an increasing number of white iris charlotte beads that are loose, with several other beads that are connected in peyote style. The top portion of the necklace is strung white Swarovski pearls and crystal moonlight and crystal ab Swarovski crystals in rounds and bicone shapes. This necklace is 24 inches long. It is white and crystal ab. I'm thinking of doing a bridal and special occasion section in my etsy shop. Taking the pictures was somewhat of a challenge with white and depth of field to get the entire necklace in focus; the skinny one is taken almost vertical while the other is flat focusing on the center front of the necklace. The skinny one is most in focus for the entire necklace. When I photographed it on white, I had some shadows which were cooler than the necklace!

Treasuries

2010-05-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

I created my first treasury on etsy today. I didn't read any instructions, and my only known error was in not realizing the far right hand column was for alternate entries. I thought that was the best place to put an item. But I was able to edit and now I have 4 more entries (alternates) for my next treasury. I understand how creating them can be addictive. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=99853

My tanzanite bracelet was included in a treasury called Crystal Candy created by Peter Sewell. It has artists I was not familiar with, but their work is well worth a look or twelve!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=133163

I have also started to list pictures on flickr using KRDesigns11 as my id. It needs work as well as tlc.

My June beadweavers challenge has a name: Rolling Snowballs. I'm entering the necklace to be juried for an exhibition for Illinois artists at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield in August which required a name. The crystals and pearls I ordered arrived today, so I can complete it. I ordered parts last Thursday from Bello Modo which arrived Saturday and Artbeads which arrived today. I received my Bello Modo order before Artbeads shipped. This happens regularly.

I wanted to use the gulf oil spill as my phenomenon subject, but I decided the colors I would have used would have been more depressing on an already depressing subject. Rolling Snowballs is a little playful and light hearted and reflects the spiralling of the beads. It brings back happy memories of my childhood and cooler weather during our early heat wave in the midwest.

Roller coaster ride

2010-05-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to recover from an online marketing class I took after a poorly attended weekend art show. The obvious writer's block attack came on immediately because I was told I needed to put something of value in my blog. So after the unexpected results from the Art Fair, my self esteem was not up for thinking I had anything of value to write about. I often feel like I am a yo yo or riding a roller coaster, emotionally, with being an artist.

I completed part of my June challenge entry for the Etsy Beadweavers. It is whites and a dutch spiral chain about 14 inches long. I found some lovely size 11 charlottes (seed beads with a facet) in white iris for the strung loose part. I would normally explain the rest of the beading process, but I was visualizing the glazed eyes of my readers so I'll stop for now. Value? No. Before I finish the project, I will take a picture and post it here.

2010-05-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I learned my jewelry was featured in two Treasuries on Etsy. A Treasury is a pictorial listing of items on a theme chosen by the creator. People view the Treasury, can click on the items to learn more by going to the listing in the etsy shop; if you sign in, you can also comment on the Treasury. The most popular Treasuries are featured on the Etsy Blog.

Shop owners enjoy making these collage like collections, and it is a way to showcase one of their own items, too. I want to learn how so I can do one and return the favor to those who have selected my items for their Treasuries.

The first Treasury is "Pinkish" and the second is "Call Me Pretty" in purple/blues. Enjoy clicking and commenting.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bf182124d168eef6bf108ea
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bf13c374d168eefba0d02ea

Art Fair

2010-05-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

Sorry I am absent from the blog page due to work on the Burr Ridge, Illinois, Art Fair. If you can attend and want more information, please leave a comment and I'll post their website.

Peridot Earrings

2010-05-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

I found the peridot earrings that match the bracelet I listed recently in a group of earrings that match other items I've made. Logical and ordered, but I didn't think that way. I knew I'd find them eventually. I photographed until I needed to recharge the battery on the camera again. I've started loading the shadow box cases for the art fair this weekend and worked on customizing the two new ones so I'll have six 16 x 20 cases plus three smaller ones. I organize them by color, so blue, purple, brown, black, pink, and green.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T23:21:00.000-07:00

I took the day off. New etsy listing and post on Monday. Main Showcase Tuesday to feature my EBW Challenge entry. Go to http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ and vote for your favorite entry in the embedded colors in insects challenge.

Mother's Day

2010-05-08T15:26:00.001-07:00

I want to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day. This includes everyone who does nurturing which I believe we all do in some way. My view activity on my etsy shop seems low, so I'm hoping that people are spending time with their families instead of on the computer.

I promised pictures. I shot until the camera battery was exhausted--it wasn't fully charged--but I have only edited one of them which is of a freeform peyote bracelet in peridot and amethyst, one of my artsy bracelets. I know that I cannot repeat this bracelet, so anyone who might be thinking of breaking my copyright can have a eyeful! I often create doodle drawings freehand on the base of my freeform bracelets. I even used different size beads and left holes, so this one is sort of tame. It helps with the repetitive pattern to break up the monotony of about 6+ hours of beading.

Voting starts Sunday, May 9 on the EBW May Challenge http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

Business of Art Fairs

2010-05-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today I did some of the business things needed for the Burr Ridge Crafte Fest next weekend. I compared paypal and propay for telephone service for processing credit cards. I like the idea of the card readers, but you must be connected on line in order to get immediate approval. The propay rep assured me I'd be finished in about a minute on the phone with only a 4 digit access code. The percentage of sale and per transaction fee are higher than paypal, but the monthly fee is better at propay if you need service for more than 2 months a year. Either one is far better than what I had before.

I learned about propay from randomcreative who is an etsy beaderweaver and blogger who faithfully posts on the EBW forum weekly post. My newest follower is also an etsy blogger and she has an art fair this weekend. So everybody in Oklahoma, visit her at her show and BUY something from her. Storybeader has an etsy shop with some jewelry and handmade books. I have made a few books with handmade paper and always felt they were too good to actually write in partly because of how I was brought up and partly because I knew how much work went into making it. I would list her etsy shop url but since I don't know her and don't have her permission, I won't.

Picture taking tonight, so photos tomorrow.

Star Agate, My Beader's Muse IV Entry

2010-05-06T22:52:00.001-07:00

May 6 was the Big Reveal day for the Use the Muse IV contest. So now I can show you my entry. I struggled to create something using the Muse. This contest is one in which you pay a fee and receive a kit of components with the only requirement being that you use the muse and not reveal it until the contest promoter does.

This is the second contest I have entered in and both times the muse did not seem to suit my style of jewelry. Since I have joined the etsy beadweavers where we have monthly themed challenges that produce high quality items, I will probably not enter this contest again. But we can still enjoy the results. Check out http://www.usethemuse.com

Sorry the top two photos are dark. You can always check it out on my shop www.etsy.com/listing/46360370

Etsy Beadweavers Challenge - Damsel Fly

2010-05-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

These are the first photos of my challenge entry. The listing www.etsy.com/listing/46262081 has 5 photos and instructions on how to view the others in the challenge and vote. That doesn't start until Mother's Day, so I'll remind you in a few days.

You can see that I did not use the cute butterfly glass button I located in my stash. It is not practical as a closure because the shape is butterfly shape and the ultimate judge (my husband) didn't like the colors as it matched too well. I was happy to add some peridot stone tiny round beads to the center even though the beads are not uniform in size.

I'm going to bed early tonight, since I have been working late, late, late recently and my brain is a little fried from lack of sleep. I have an east window which wakes me when the sun shines which it has been doing gloriously recently. Not only do I have the scent of lilies of the valley outside my window, but now the Miss Kim lilacs are about to bloom. Early--June is their usual show time.

There is activity on http://www.usethemuse.com/ so maybe the big reveal is tomorrow.

Welcome new follower. Feel free to comment and check out my other followers who are listed above on the right or are etsy sellers.

Gone Beading

2010-05-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

Taking a day off from blogging to complete EBW Challenge for May due tomorrow.

Pictures tomorrow!

Swarovski Fire Opal - Jonquil Beaded Bead Bracelet

2010-05-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is the item I listed in my shop today. Except for the use of gold filled accents it matches a pair of earrings in my shop. I could probably change the sterling silver for gold filled and then it would be a set. It will bother me, so consider it changed.

Tonight I took pictures of moderate priced bracelets. The peridot earrings have not been photographed, but I was able to locate the bracelet in yesterday's post so my excel spreadsheet is working for me. I have too many pairs of earrings left to photograph. Hoping to sell them at my Art Fair on May 15 & 16.

I have been looking for the perfect button for my EBW challenge entry. I have been cleaning in the vicinity of where it should be and where I think I may have put it. I have the bracelet base finished and need to create the embellishment. I've seen some of the entries already and mine will not be the most spectacular entry in the competition. I prefer to capture the feeling and colors of the damselfly not create a replica of a damselfly attached to a necklace. Some day I may want to bead miniature items, but not at this point in my life.

The next month's challenge topic is phenomenon. I've been thinking of a black iris colored creation to look like an oil slick for the unnatural disaster in the gulf. The creator of the topic was thinking of the volcano eruption, so I'm not alone in thinking disaster phenomenon. Any ideas for a positive phenomenon?

Pictures of a Peridot Crystal Bracelet

2010-05-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

I promised pictures, so you have four views of the same bracelet. It is peridot Swarovski crystals in two sizes connected with a random mix of blues, purples, and limey green tiny seed beads. It has three strands that connect to each other forming a chevron (v) shape. This is the same stitch as the peaches and cream bracelets I wrote about last week, except those were two strands, and I varied the beads on each side of the core bead to make a symmetrical bracelet rather than three of the same on each side of the core beads. I have earrings I made to coordinate but will have to locate them. They are the same style as the violet ab ones in my shop.

I have an excel spreadsheet for my inventory of completed items. I will be able to tell if I have taken a photo yet and when; also I will have an idea of where physically the earrings are located. I think I have not yet photographed them. I still have a lot of photos to do.

So enjoy the photos, the week ahead, and right now. I plan to add items to my shop that can coordinate with the earrings I listed in April even though I didn't make the earrings for any specific bracelet or necklace.

Thursday should be the BIG REVEAL for the Use the Muse IV contest.

Last Day of Earring Promotion!

2010-05-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today I have been on the computer watching the activity in my etsy shop due to the Mother's Day Showcase. It's going about the same as last Sunday, with lots of views on the featured item, but still views in other areas. I learned how to change the featured item without having it be sold, so I've featured 4 items. The cream pearl and crystal ab bracelet did not show up well, so I changed that almost right away. My work is also in a treasury which had one new view last I checked. It is a ruby red bracelet that I listed in February before I joined the etsy beadweavers.

In two weeks, I will be in an art show in Burr Ridge, Illinois, for the whole weekend. I am looking forward to it. It's nice to get feed back in person. I'm hoping for some sales because it costs money to participate besides spending your entire weekend (and your spouse's) outdoors no matter what the weather. I also spend a lot of time preparing for the show. I can't just display everything! So if you will be in the vicinity of Burr Ridge, Illinois on May 15 and 16, please comment, and I will post the directions and details. There are 75 artists in a variety of media, so it should be a good show.

Pictures tomorrow, I promise!

Mother's Day Showcase & Earrings Promotion

2010-04-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

The photos are of additions to my shop today. The left side is my final pair of earrings in the April promotion. Since I have a Mother's Day Showcase slot, I decided to keep the prices promotional for one more day.

The right side is a cream pearl and crystal ab bicone bead bracelet in right angle weave. I use gold with cream. It is a classic bracelet style I enjoy making that's under $200 and have sold through the Illinois Artisan shop in Chicago. It can be made with any beads; these are Swarovski.

I worked on my challenge item for the Etsy Beadweavers Team today. The theme is colors imbeded in insects. I chose the damselfly. Materials include different finishes on the delicas and two turquoise, orange and lime green colors. Like I'm ready for the islands. So far it is a combination of a couple of stitches and free form. It will be listed on Wednesday.

The Big Reveal for the Use the Muse contest is Thursday, May 6 according to Artbeads.

Earrings Promotion

2010-04-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

This is the pair of earrings I listed in my shop today for my earring promotion.

I made a lot of these earrings in anticipation of sales at Art Fairs. My first Art Fair, I had only a few earrings and they matched the pieces of jewelry I was trying to sell. I have found that people generally look at the more expensive items and skip the earrings, unless that is what they truly want to buy.

I have a fair number of earrings that have beaded beads on them which I haven't listed because I can't offer them at low prices. I enjoy making the beaded beads and am thinking about only making earrings with beadweaving on them in the future. They would be unique and original which is something my earring promotion ones are less likely to be. I don't make more than one pair of each style. I like variety. But because they are created with beads that are readily available, it is possible someone else would like the same combination I did, which I hope happens because then I have a customer.

Earrings Promotion, Peach Bracelet, Flowers

2010-04-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

I finished the peach bracelet I wrote about yesterday. You can see how similar yet different the two bracelets are. If you want to see the detail, click on the photo.

These are today's earrings for my shop promotion. I may leave the lower prices until Sunday, since I have another Mother's Day Showcase slot on May 1, Saturday and don't want the items inactive then.

I picked the first of many lily of the valley flowers today. They bring up sweet childhood memories and have a short bloom period. They grow on the northeast side of my house where I can't see them, so I put them in a special little Waterford crystal vase that is perfect for violets and lily of the valley. I also have blue and pink columbine blooming on that side of the house that remind me of Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park.

Earring Promotion and Peaches and Cream Bracelet

2010-04-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Today's earring has three shades of purple with crystal ab. I love the large faceted Swarovski round beads, guess that's because I like crystal things.

I spent time creating a new bracelet in peaches and creams with an accent of dark copper. I have a bracelet in these colors at the Illinois Artisan Shop in Chicago. I found the photos I took in February and added one above. It has taken me almost two months to make something else in the series. Sometimes I like to order a lot of beads and make several items from them; usually I end up ordering more beads to finish because I try not to over order. This version has light peach crystals where the photo has cream pearls and vice versa. I used tiny size 13 cream charlottes instead of shiny copper beads and the other connecting beads are different. The stitch is the same. The in process bracelet's coloring is very soft. The photo bracelet is predominantly cream and the in process is peach. The next bracelet will be in a different stitch. I'll take a photo when the in process bracelet is complete.

Earrings Promotion & Showcase Results

2010-04-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Another day, another pair of earrings listed and blogged about. These are simple and sweet; they are only 3/4 inch long which is petite for dangle earrings. Some day I'll learn how to make the glued on to a post kind, but until then there are dangles.

My Mother's Day Showcase slot yesterday yielded some interesting results to me. For those of you who need to know the results to the bottom line, there were no sales, so you can consider it a failure. However, I had lots of views, especially on the one item featured--175 views. The other items in tiny pictures after you click on the featured item received only 2 or 3 views each. Overall I had almost twice as many views as my previous all time highest number of views which was on the first day of voting on my first EBW Challenge entry, April 9. I still had my normal number of daily views besides the showcase items. I'm still learning about hearts, but I received only 1, so either people didn't like what they saw or they don't understand how to use them either. I think they are like bookmarks--heart a shop and you can find it back again.

My feelings on the showcase experiment depend on what the goal was. If it was to make money now, I failed. If it was to have my work seen by people, I did quite well for me. I don't know how many could find me back again if they wanted to do so, so it might be just like a massage...feels good now, but I'll need to repeat it again soon. The cost per view was 8 cents, ($15 total) which is far less than other sites I've priced. I could have gone to a movie and had lots of popcorn. So I hope the viewers enjoyed what they saw, which is why I create things. Compared to other ways I have tried to promote my work, such as setting up a table in the lobby of the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago and talking to anyone who was passing by and stopped to look, this was easy but not very personal. My first day doing that also resulted in no sales. I guess I know why I was an accountant--you can quantify things when you analyze results.

I have another showcase slot on Saturday. I want to list the number of views on each item, not just the showcase featured ones, so that I can see what people looked at that day. I know I picked a good color (rose pink like today's earrings) item to feature because it stood out; some of the white and clear items were hard to see. The featured item in my shop had good views, but not on the earrings; next time I won't feature in my shop what I feature in the showcase.

Bead Dreams Finalists, Earring Promotion and Showcase

2010-04-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

The earrings for the day seem ordinary after all I've seen today, But the promo must go on. My Mother's Day Showcase experiment is yielding lots of views for the featured bracelet. Thanks for the views.

Please view Dryad on http://www.NEDbeads.com to see a finalist entry in Bead Dreams. For my non beading readers, this is exquisite bead embroidery. The artist also has an etsy shop and a blog with the same name if you care to check them out as well. Her latest blog post is about someone else with photos of more gorgeous bead weaving.

Two of the EBW Team members are also finalists in Bead Dreams, and each necklace is stunning in its own way.

Earrings Promotion and Mothers Day Showcase

2010-04-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

I listed these earrings for my April earring promotion. They are Swarovski crystals in dark blue indigo and crystal silver shade.

I just visited the Mothers Day Showcase with my rose Swarovski crystal bracelet featured now. To get to the Showcase, from etsy's main page on the top right you have choices in boxes, click the one that says Mothers Day to see the 36 items listed. This is my first showcase, and my first venture in paid advertising. Experimenting a little. If I like the results, I'll try to get a showcase slot for the voting on the next EBW team challenge, May 9 thru 15; one entry has been received already! I have to start mine.

I need to concentrate on beading, so will not be listing more items in the shop for a while. It will have to remain with the colors currently in the shop. If you are interested in something special, contact me through my etsy shop.

The earring promotion ends at the end of the month, so I will continue to add the earrings until then. The prices will be adjusted back to their normal range on May 1. And I promise to not blog about earrings.

Earrings Promotion, New Listings

2010-04-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

I listed another pair of blue earrings today. I have a dark blue indigo colored pair for tomorrow. Today's have 2 Czech glass beads plus a Swarovski Comet Argent Light bicone crystal. I really like the CAL beads because they are crystal on the bottom and a silver coating on the top, at least that is the way I orient them. I used these beads on my April EBW Challenge.

One of the EBW team members learned her entry to Bead Dreams made it to the finals. Congratulations to her. You can find her shop www.nemeton.etsy.com/ or pick up beading magazines and look for Lynn Davy--she has published 50 articles. She sells instructions on her site as well plus groupings of beads for when you need a little inspiration. A very talented bead weaver.

I've concluded I won't be able to list enough items in my shop to have a representation of my work in all colors in time for my Mother's Day Showcases on Sunday and next Saturday (not tomorrow). I've added a lot of pink items, but am missing blues and greens.

I signed up for the free newsletter for Craft MBA after reading with interest the week of articles on growing your business. I found this from an etsy posting which linked to her blog.

Blue Earrings and Earth Day

2010-04-22T22:52:00.001-07:00

Today's earrings are Swarovski blue pearl, blue ab crystal, and crystal ab roundel with bead caps surrounding the blue ab crystal.

I created a new green bracelet with different embellishment. It is in right angle weave, but just one strand. The beads are white with green and are vintage Czech rounds. They remind me of marbles, before the cats eyes.

Pink, Pearls and Earrings

2010-04-21T18:45:00.001-07:00

The earrings to the left are today's addition to my earring promotion in my shop. I have decided to add pink to my shop, so the bracelet above is right angle weave of Swarovski Rosaline pink and mauve pearls with rose quartz round beads woven in a pattern. I also listed a matching single strand right angle weave 20" necklace. Last spring I made a number of Rosaline pink pearl items.

My habit is to purchase a quantity of beads and then wait for inspiration as to what to make with them. The pearls usually were right angle weave although the cream pearl necklace I strung with pinks, mauve, and gold filled saucer spacers inspired by a Baroque cathedral ceiling. See my February posts for a discussion and pictures of items in right angle weave.

I made the beaded beads for the earrings to coordinate with Dancing with the Sky. I still need to make earrings for the Swarovski lavender pearl bracelets. I need to purchase more ear wires. I do not wear earrings and wonder which style of attachment people like.

Please comment if you have a preference for ear wires, studs, other so I can add them to my shop.

Earrings and Pink

2010-04-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

I've decided to rearrange my shop and add pink to the mostly purple items. Now I realize I have only Dancing with the Sky in the blue shades. So before my Mother's Day Showcases, I need to add some variety.

The earrings of the day are on the left. I decided to add a bracelet which has rose crystals as well as the rosaline pink pearls so it coordinates. The bracelet above is small, fitting a 6.25 inch wrist. I need to plan my shop arrangement since previously I was just interested in adding to my shop so it was large enough.

I finished another bracelet today using pacific opal crystals. I will be working on new items for my show mid May.

If there are any colors you would like to see, use the comments and I'll see what I have that might appeal to you.

Rosaline pink pearl Earrings

2010-04-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

I found three pair of earrings featuring Swarovski rosaline pink pearls that I will list as part of my earrings promotion in my shop. I do have some other items that coordinate and will check to see what else I can list. It's a pale pink with pink quartz and Swarovski mauve pearl which looks more grayish to me, but is not gray. Enjoy! I have an early appointment tomorrow, so this is short.

Dutch Spiral Necklace and Earrings

2010-04-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Earrings of the day are Swarovski green and purple flower earrings. They look spring/summer to me.

I added the dutch spiral necklace which has Swarovski black diamond ab bicones as well as the delica beads which are miyuki 107 transparent grey iris which are similar to the black diamond color. This is my creative heart shaped display for necklaces. If you want to learn more, the listing should be above under my blog banner.

Dutch spiral is similar to peyote stitch except some of the beads increase and decrease (the delicas) and do not connect to the previous row. Counting is important so that it drapes well. Also the beads used vary in size starting with an 8 (I used a double delica columnar shape bead) which is a great place to hide knots and several size 10 and then the delica beads. Use uniform size of beads for the ones that increase and decrease to get a beautiful spiral curve. You always know which bead to pick up because it is the same as the one you are coming out of from the previous row.

I have used a variety of stitches to finish off the spiral, but find the strung crystals and silver to be preferable. You really can't see the sides and back of a necklace, so spending extra time beadweaving there just makes the necklace more costly. Besides the crystals are lovely. This stitch is a lot faster than the cellini spiral.

Earrings and Art Fairs

2010-04-17T18:50:00.001-07:00

These are my latest earrings in my special promotion. They have Swarovski hematite crystal bicones and black pearls, sterling silver 8 mm round beads and Bali silver roundel beads. Great for a grey suit or dress--business, too. Maybe even a teacher gift.

This morning I learned that I have been invited to participate in the inaugural spring art and crafte fair at an upscale shopping center in Burr Ridge, Illinois on May 15 and 16. There will be approximately 75 artists, a nice number for variety but not so many that visitors are tempted to walk by because the show has 175 tents and is four blocks long.

The mail this afternoon informed me that another show a friend had suggested I apply for, despite cashing my separate check for the booth fee, decided not to invite me. It's unusual for a venue to cash a booth fee check and not invite the artist--more work for them to write a check back to the artist. I have been to this show a number of years ago and did not think my customer would shop there, but it's always fun to do a show with a friend.

I'm back to beading choosing one of my favorite Swarovski colors (oh, all right, they are all my favorite colors!) pacific blue opal. I tried to design with some amazonite but the style bracelet had too many times through the stone bead to work, so it is two sizes of crystal bicones. I've made this style before, but with smaller beads. I have some lovely mixed greens and turquoise charlottes and a green turquoise seed bead to connect the bicones. Proofreading this I realized I could make dangles from a choker with the amazonite.

The stitch I am using is a flat spiral where there is a core bead and many smaller beads loop around to connect the beads with a loop on each side of the core bead. I enjoy creating different combinations in this stitch. A spiralling version is the first stitch I learned. There is a Swarovski lavender pearl bracelet in my shop in flat spiral stitch. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43270725

Earrings & Life

2010-04-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

Today's earrings are Swarovski black pearl. To me, this color is a lovely charcoal and if you want a true black like their jet black crystals, you need to order mystic black pearls. Both are basic neutral colors. I reordered the mystic black pearls when I saw the color of the black pearls.

Life selling jewelry is teaching me some new lessons. Some of them are ones we would rather not have, but today I was lucky as I didn't learn this one the hard way. I received a convo on etsy from someone who wanted me to accept a cashier's check and to use their shipping company. I found the person registered today so I googled the name and found a reference to a forum post about scams. I learned to notify etsy at abuse@etsy.com. While I received their auto reply, someone must read them to prioritize them and I received a prompt reply. So etsy was on top of the situation and had closed down the operation. I thanked the person who initiated the post because I would not have known how to contact etsy. There are written procedures--I just need to search etsy help. The details are to be confidential, but am glad to report that etsy handled the situation well. I'm also liking the changes to listing items and the new treasury east with the wider screen--it loaded my comment in one second!

Taxes and Earrings

2010-04-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day to vote for the April challenge. http://www.etsy_beadweavers.blogspot.com/ My entry was Dancing with the Sky. Please vote for your choice; it's hard to pick just one entry!

I am a great procrastinator and always owe money on my tax return, so I file late. I under estimated the amount of time it would take for me to prepare my records from my business, so I skipped a listing and an entry here. So I have listed two very bright earrings today--orange in carnelian and indigo dark blue plus a pair with fire opal and jonquil. Wonder if subconsciously I wanted to light a fire under the Chicago Bears. Not a sports watching fan, so I doubt it. Lots of high schools have blue and orange for their school colors, so if there is a graduation or birthday gift on your list these earrings may be the solution. I'm really fond of the fire opal color and today I was the one who needed the fire lit under me as I'm tired from little sleep and all that number crunching yesterday into today. And I used to be a CPA!

I forgot to mention that I received a check in the mail from the Illinois Museum Society for the sale of a pair of earrings at the Illinois Artisan Shop in southern Illinois. They were Swarovski white pearl with light blue sapphire crystals. I sent them a collection of blue and white items plus a lavender set for spring. I thought of setting up a bridal section in my shop after I sent them.

Swarovski Peridot Green Earrings

2010-04-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

I listed these earrings mid afternoon today trying to make up for my late late night post yesterday. Curious about etsy searches, under handmade I searched for Swarovski crystals and found more than a hundred thousand entries. So I tried peridot earrings and found my earrings at the bottom of the first page..this was a few hours after they were listed. Tonight I tried green earrings and found mine at the bottom of page 19, there were 627 green earrings listed since mid afternoon, say in 9 hours. Wonder how many of them sell? They were all different, too. Some looked like red, blue and necklaces, but for some reason were in green earrings.

My conclusion is that you do need to list often in order to have people see your items. You also need to use appropriate descriptions but more creative--not far out though or no one will see them. So are my earrings asparagus green? and would you search for asparagus when you wanted earrings? Peridot was not in my vocabulary before Swarovski and my jewelry making.
Asparagus search yielded 317 listings, including super hero capes made by wildasparagus. I didn't know people sold vegetable seeds on etsy. Have you ever seen an asparagus pebble? It's on etsy.

Think I could use my time better? Valid research to me. But honestly I'm still procrastinating doing my business schedule C for my 1040. I've been using my credit card--got a strange look for a $2.19 expenditure at the post office today; if I paid cash, I would not get the deduction as the receipt would probably get lost. So I've categorized my expenses from the credit card bills. Sales I've worked on as they were made, plus I have my checkbook. It's the mileage calculation and those little receipts I have yet to do.

I am glad I procrastinated. We always seem to owe, but this year my quick and dirty calculation was close to $1,000 more and on lower income due to furlough days and pay cuts. There is a new deduction I would have overlooked; file Schedule M and get a tax credit of $800 for a married couple. I can sleep better knowing I don't owe as much as I've thought since last January. Sorry I was blaming my husband's employer for withholding a lot less this year; it was the President who had the withholding adjusted so we would spend it...I guess it helped make up for the loss of income this year.

Use the Muse

2010-04-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

I submitted my creation for Use the Muse IV late Monday night, just in time. I had difficulty connecting with the Muse. When I attached an agate cabochon to the Muse, I felt better about it. My husband likes the completed piece, doesn't understand my issues. So I met the deadline, did what I said I would do and maybe it will sell when I can finally list it. I can't show you a complete picture until the BIG REVEAL which won't be for at least another month. Don't worry, it's dark colors, brown, dark copper, black, grey, perfect for fall/winter. I can tell you it is a bead woven right angle weave choker with picot trim at the top. There are dangles of black onyx roundels, wooden beads, Miyuki drops and delicas, and charlottes. Plus of course the Muse and the peyote stitch agate cabochon.

The picture is my earring listing for April 12. You can learn more about it by clicking on the description above under my blog banner.

Voting is continuing for the April challenge, Light as a Breeze. http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ for voting. My entry is Dancing with the Stars, number 30. Feel free to vote your choice there are so many lovely ones. There is a commanding lead for one with Japanese flowers (26% of the vote). The woman who suggested the theme (by winning two months ago) is next with 11%. My beads for the May challenge arrived today--turquoise, orange and lime--theme is colors embedded in insects.

I want to welcome JoAnn Deck to my blog. JoAnn won second place in the current show at the Plainfield, Illinois Art League. Congratulations! If you like flowers, collage, and color, click on her name in the list of people I follow located in the right hand column of the blog.

Earrings

2010-04-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

I need your help. Please tell me how long you like your earrings to dangle from the loop on the ear wire? Please comment on my blog.

What length do you think is appropriate for your mother?

I will be in the Mother's Day showcase on etsy and want to be sure I'm listing the length of earring you would want.

Any special colors for mom?

I don't have pierced ears, so I'm at a disadvantage. I really need your help. So please comment on this blog.

I just had my first customer for my earrings promotion. The earrings I listed late last night were sold to a bride for her mother to wear for her wedding. Actually she wanted the colors of jet black and black diamond ab but wanted only 1 inch earrings. It was easier for her to purchase the listed earrings with a note to seller than to wait until I made her earrings, photographed them, and listed them. So if you had your heart set on those earrings, I will relist them later. I will also list a bead woven in dutch spiral weave necklace with those colors. Now you know why I need your comments.

The earrings at the top of this post are today's entry in the special promotion in my shop.

Kite flying

2010-04-10T22:07:00.001-07:00

This is my tenth pair of earrings in my April earring promotion. I decided to list another pair of Swarovski black diamond ab earrings--this pair has sterling silver bead caps plus jet black Swarovski crystals. To go to my shop, click the title under the blog banner. Someone hearted a pair of earrings in the promotion -- thank you!

Life happened again today. It was a lovely spring day today in Chicago with a sunny high of 76 degrees. (average is 56) The breeze was just right for kite flying. That was something I could never get to work as a child--the rags for the tail were probably too heavy plus we didn't have the open treeless spaces that are perfect for flying kites. Kites were made of paper then (1950's) which tore easily and the rags were cotton. The tulips are starting to bloom--this is early for us. Feel free to comment on your kite flying experiences or how beautiful your tulips are.

The voting continues for the EBW April Challenge contest. Click on the top item under the blog banner to get to my etsy shop; the earrings and my entry, Dancing with the Sky, are featured in my shop. I have all the info in the description. I realized today I haven't made earrings to go with the cuff--I have to complete my Use the Muse entry and do my income taxes first. Life.

Earrings

2010-04-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

I did some photo editing tonight as I was running out of images to post for the April earring promotion. I think these are lovely for spring and summer as they are light in color--crystals are Swarovski black diamond ab and the corrugated round sterling silver bead seems to resist tarnish nicely. I'm liking the black diamond ab color, so next time I order beads, I'll have to make something with them. Maybe I should add the three strand flat spiral bracelet to my shop, but I think it has black charlottes connecting the crystals.

Today is the first day of voting for the etsy beadweavers April challenge. http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ My entry is number 30, Dancing with the Sky. Scroll beneath the group photo to find the listing by number where you can click on the item and go to the shop to see and read the details. This is my first time participating, so I am just happy to have created a lovely bracelet in time to enter. Voting continues thru April 15, so you have time--anyone can vote. Being from the Chicago suburbs I'm not sure if you can vote more than once

I have also worked on my Use the Muse entry which is due Monday. I'm not liking the components in the kit and think I have only used size 15 black seed beads from it so far. The Muse is required. The style is different for me--a choker with dangles from it.