June

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pictures tomorrow!

Swarovski Fire Opal - Jonquil Beaded Bead Bracelet

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

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!

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!