Beads and Taxes...

Well....
Tax deadline passed! Time to get down to business. I am gearing up for the next contest! I haven't had much time to bead lately with taxes and running a website. I always love it when things get calm again and I can take time to plan out a project and to bead! Somehow life just seems empty if I don't have time to bead. Beading is my time to relax and be calm.

I have been spending a lot of time thinking about where to go next with my beading. I would like to start a full fledged business! I am in the research stage. Unfortunately, the economic situation is not good for starting a jewelry business. I am doing the research and will set up a plan, but the reality is that it will have to wait. I sell my jewelry to friends and co-workers(I do a lot of custom work!) and I sell it on Ruby Lane. This will have to be it for now! Back to basics,time to bead!

I have also bee thinking about putting together a comprehensive list of beading contests. I have had a little trouble finding contests and I would like to help other beaders that might be having the same problem. I will keep you up-dated in future posts. I think that beading contests help to get you noticed and help to build confidence in your work! I am going to enter as many as I can!

Thanks for reading!

Beading Contest Blurry....

Hello fellow beader's!

Wow! I haven't been able to post for a few days because I was preparing my entry for the Fire Mountain Beading Contest. The deadline is Tuesday, April 15th and as is often the case with me, I was rushing around at the last minute to get it all done! Well...,project completed, materials list made, pictures taken and entry package mailed, here I am to post again!
I don't know why I always seem to wait until the last minute with things like this! I really could do without last minute stress!

This is actually my first beading contest and I am nervous and excited all at the same time! I have been buying beading supplies from Fire Mountain for three years now, but until now I have not entered their contest. It isn't that I thought my jewelry wasn't good enough or anything like that, I just wasn't really motivated to do it until I started bead embroidery. I am not sure why this makes a difference , but when I finished my first bead embroidery necklace, I was hooked and decided to enter the contest. The pictures of my first necklace are posted here (in the works). I was unable to enter that one in the Fire Mountain contest because most of the supplies came from other places. I am going to enter that piece in a different contest. The one I made for this contest will be posted after the contest for everyone to see! I am very proud of the necklace and am hopeful that someone will take notice and like it too!

Right now, I am going to take a small break and work on some simple projects before I start another big one. I like to work on projects that take less time and that I know I can sell to friends and on my web site. (Check out my Ruby Lane shop for my latest pieces) This beading is relaxing and projects are completed quickly. The bead embroidery pieces are a much longer adventure! I love working on these pieces too, but there is much less instant gratification! These pieces are true art for me!

I am going to spend some time planning out my next big project, and getting ready for the next contest. Keep an eye out for more posts about my journey into the beading contest world!

Thanks for reading!

KC

Vintage Bead Bracelet

I love this bracelet! This is another of my first attempts at bead embroidery. I love this technique!
I really like working with the needle. It's like painting with beads. There is so much you can do!

This bracelet is made with a beautiful vintage glass button. I have found that buttons make excellent focals for bead embroidery. I used Delica and Czech glass seed beads, and bugles. The embroidery is done on blue microsuede and it is backed with the same. I used an aluminum bracelet blank as the base. The button is held in place with glue and a beaded bezel.

This was a really fun project. I just started with the button and let the rest flow from there. I love vines and flowers and this theme worked well with the design on the button! I generally like to start with a focal and work the rest of the piece with the focal in mind. This bracelet is the perfect example of this.

Thanks for reading!

KC

Okay, I'm new to blogging....

Well, here I am again, playing with the blog! I have been beading for a while now, but I am completely new to blogging! You will notice changes, as I play with different ideas and set ups! I find this very interesting and I actually enjoy it! Bear with me while this blog changes and evolves!

I want to let other beaders know that you really have to explore the internet to find the best deals and the prettiest beads. Don't get stuck in a rut of only buying from one or two places. You will find that you may need a whole list of sites in order to find everything you need. One site may have a large selection of 11/0 seed beads, but not many 15/0's, one may have great findings, but now seed beads,etc. I have found this to be true and I spend a lot of time combing the web for new and interesting sites to get my supplies. I am going to put reviews of some of my favorites in this blog to save fellow beaders some time. Check back to read my reviews and feel free to ask any questions you may have!

I have two more of my favorite site to talk about is this post. The first one is Beadwrangler . This website is run by a woman named Lydia from Florida. The site has a large selection of seed beads,glass beads,needles and threads. I love the her wonderful seed bead mixes and her large selection of colors. I am impressed with the large selection of 15/0 seed beads that I have had a hard time finding elsewhere. I also like that she has matching colors in 6,8,11and 15/0 seed beads. This site is also where I get my favorite thread,Silamide. Silamide is a pre-waxed nylon thread. It comes in many colors and it is very strong. I used to use Nymo, but I find that I get much better results with Silamide. It doesn't fray like Nymo and there is a much larger selection of colors. Lydia sells the individual colors or you can get a set of all 26 colors for a good price! Another thing that is cool on this site is that Lydia has matched up threads with beads! You can see which threads she recommends for the bead mixes . This feature is a great help! Beadwrangler is a wonderful site! The service is friendly and the shipping is super fast! Be sure to check out this great site!(Link at the bottom)

The other site I would like to tell you about is Shipwreck Beads. This is a great site for finding beads a great prices. I use with site for most of my Czech glass seed beads because the price is right. They have a large selection, and some hard to find items. They also have True-Cut seed beads that I really love! These seed beads are faceted and give a lovely shimmer to my pieces. Shipwreck also has a great selection of other types of beads and findings. They have a great selection of base metal clasps that are unusual! This is a fun site and I use them frequently. Again, great customer service and fast shipping!

Be sure to check out these sites! They have a lot to offer! Browse through, I am sure you will find something that you like! Remember to compare prices. All of the sites I have mentioned have some good prices, and some prices that are a little higher. I don't mind paying a little more for something if it is hard to find. Check around and you will find the best beads and best deals!

Thanks for reading!

KC

Recommendations....

One of the first things I would recommend to someone wanting to begin beading is to explore the internet! There are so many interesting and informative sites to help! One of the first sites I used was Fire Mountain. Their web site not only has a beautiful selection of beads,findings and supplies for beading, they also have a number of other features that are a big help. The gallery of designs provides a great deal of inspiration. They have an instruction section that gives tutorials, instructions for projects, beading tips and an "Ask the Experts" section where you can ask those burning questions you have about beading! Their "Virtual Beadboard is a fun tool where you can create your pieces right on the computer! The site also has the "EncycloBeadia" with definitions of beading terms and a section on the latest in fashion trends so that you can create your jewerly to match! The site is wonderful and I go to it often! Check it out and I am sure that it will inspire you too!
Another site that I used a lot when I first started beading was About.com. They have all sorts of information relevant to beading. I started out using this site to learn different techniques. They have a large number of patterns that you can try. It is a great way to begin beading and once you learn the techniques, you can begin to create your own patterns and designs.

There are many more sites that I use regularly and I will talk more about them in future posts.
I have added links to Fire Mountain and About.com to the blog if you want to check them out! Enjoy!

K.C.

Musings...

I was thinking about how it all began....

When I was a little girl, about 8 or 9 years old, my grandmother taught me two of the skills that I now use in my work. Embroidery and beading. She taught me how to do embroidery and we would sit together and embroider pillow cases and dresser scarfs with beautiful flowers, vines and butterflies! I loved working with the needle and the colorful threads. I loved making something beautiful! The other thing that my grandmother taught me was simple bead weaving. We would string together tiny pearls and bugle beads to make bracelets. Both activities lead me into a life long love of crafting. I have done everything from knitting,crochet,cross stitch and quilting to rubber stamping and now, jewelry making. I have always been told how creative I am and I love being able to use this creativity to make beautiful things for others to enjoy.

BEADS! My main joy in life! I love beads. I love the way they look and feel! I love just having them, even if I don't use them! I am a confirmed bead hoarder! I have beads everywhere! This started when my friend Sharonanne showed me a Fire Mountain bead catalog! I couldn't stop leafing through and choosing beads I had to have! Gemstone beads, Czech fire-polished beads, silver beads, wooden beads, ceramic beads and seed beads. More beads than I had ever seen! I wanted them all! I still can't wait to get my orders and I love adding to my collection! I love holding a hank of seed beads and feeling them in my hand. I love the varied of colors and textures of beads. I love choosing beads that go well together, matching colors and themes! Can you tell that I am obsessed? I suppose that you almost have to be obsessed, if you are to be any good at jewelry design. You have to have passion for what you create or no one else will! I guess it is like any art form, you have to let it flow from inside of you. Your emotions pore out into your work!
I can't work on a piece if it doesn't speak to me. It has to feel right to my hands and my eyes. I all has to flow together or the piece gets put aside. I usually get back to these pieces at some point when they do feel right! Sometimes I just have to start over. It is most certainly a process!
And I do love the process!
Feel free to share your thought or ideas with me! I love to hear how others feel about beading! We all learn from each other!

K.C.

Another day, another bead...

Another day in the life of a beading addict...

I am frantically working on a few projects that I will be entering in beading contests. I have to meet the deadline of April 15th for a few of the pieces! They are coming together and I am almost done. I find that the finishing touches of a piece are the most fun! It's really great to see the finished piece after all the work that goes into them!

I have a tendency to start a project, then get ideas for new projects! I usually have a bunch of things in the works at the same time! Here are some pictures of a project that is now finished and ready to be entered!

OK... So here we go....

Well, now I have a "blog" and have no idea what to post! I was told that I needed to promote myself in a blog, so I guess this is a step in the right direction!

As I said, I am an avid beader, which is actually an understatement according to people who know me! I am obsessed! I bead as much as I can and when I am not beading, I am thinking about beading! Almost all of my extra (and sometimes not so extra) cash is spent on beads and supplies for creating my jewelry.

I started out about three years ago with simple bead stringing when a friend from work showed me a "Fire Mountain" catalog. I was hooked! I made some simple necklaces, bracelets and anklets and promptly sold them to people at work. I found some wonderful bead weaving patterns and these necklaces were a hit too!(see pictures). I even tried to do some metal fabrication and wire wrapping, but I found total joy when I started bead embroidery! I fell in love with the beautiful pieces by Sherrie Serafini and Heidi Kummli; and I had to learn how to do it!
Bead embroidery gives me full expression for my creative side and allows me to use my past sewing and embroidery skills along with all the beautiful beads! I just love it! Each piece that I do evolves on it's own. I set out with a basic idea and the work just flows from there. The finished pieces just never seem to be exactly what I planned, but end up as they should be! I haven't put in any pictures of the new pieces because I am entering them in some contests. I will update when I can!

Thanks for reading!

K.C.