Plans Diverted

Well, the plan today was to show you what I've been working on earlier this week, but in case you don't live on the east coast of the U.S., I just want you to click here and you'll see why for the past few days there has been no outside picture taking.

So....instead, while locked up in my house trying to decide if I should use the canoe or the snorkel to get where I'm going, I decided to create a little treasury to give you guys some inspiration for this week's Tuscan color challenge. If you'd like a closer look, you can see it here. 

Oh, and if you're lucky enough to see the sun today, tell it I said Hi and please come back. Thank you, Marcie.

Artists Answer: Erin Siegel

This week we're visiting with one of my favorite jewelry designers. A couple of years ago when I first started beading, Erin was kind enough to feature me on her blog. She was the first to do so, and since then I have followed her faithfully and she's never dissapointed yet!

I hope you enjoy what Erin has to say about being published and selling your work and that you get a little more inspired seeing her amazing jewelry.

 How did you start doing what you do?
I've always enjoyed the arts from a young age. I've tried various crafty things in the past such as painting, thread embroidery, candle and soap making and ceramics to name a few. In my twenties, I started attending a number of art shows and craft fairs. I found myself constantly drawn to the jewelry vendors and when I walked away from any show I had always purchased an item of jewelry. This pattern actually went on for several years before I finally got the hint that maybe I had a passion for handmade jewelry and maybe I should give beading a try for myself! Duh! :p That was over 6 years ago. I've been beading and making jewelry ever since then. I still go to a lot of shows and I STILL buy jewelry all the time! LOL! I can't help it!

 What are your tips for selling your jewelry either in person or online?
Well, I have sold my jewelry at local shows and fairs and I also have some experience selling online in the past, but more than that I've been a long time customer of artisan items. I'd like to share my perspective from that point of view and tell you what I like to see when I go shopping. Now, some of this might seem really simple and common sense type stuff, but I've experienced some professional artists not doing some of this basic stuff so I think it's important.

#1 At shows: A beautiful booth and display makes a great first impression. It lets the customer know you are professional and you know what you are doing.

Online: A nice banner and Great photos of your jewelry or handmade items!

#2 At shows: Greet your customer when they come into your booth and be friendly! A simple "Hello" and a smile will suffice. You'd be surprised at how many people don't do this!!!

#3 At shows: Don't talk too much at first! Give your customer a chance to take in your work and have a look around.

#4 At shows: Have all of your items clearly marked with a price.

#5 At shows: If a customer seems interested in a piece, then at that point proceed to tell them more about it. How you made it, what the materials are, etc.

Online: Detailed descriptions of EACH individual item. Try to avoid vague, general descriptions and don't put the same description on all your items!

#6 At shows: Do have some type of card that tells a little bit about you and/or your work.

Online: Completely fill out your profile page with info. about you and your work, your customers want to have some connection with who you are, since they can't see you in person. Also, fill out your policies page the best you can as well.

#7 Online: After a sale, send the buyer a thank you email or convo.

#8 At shows and Online: Keep the packaging simple but attractive and include a thank you note.

 Have you done wholesale?


No, I haven't done any wholesale. I sell my jewelry on consignment at a local gallery shop in my hometown, The Riverwalk Bead Shop and Gallery , where I also teach a series of beading classes and private jewelry sessions.

 Do you have any tips for anyone seeking to get published?


Well, I've only had my jewelry designs published a few times so far, I'm currently working on more of that now. My tips would be #1 Try to establish your own unique style and submit pieces that are different from what you've seen and #2 Follow the publishers guidelines to a T. If you do those two things you shouldn't have any problem at all getting published.

How do you market your work?

I market my work mostly online through my Blog, Facebook and Flickr sites.

Thank you so much Erin! I really hope you learned something from Erin, and I think I'm gonna print out her 8 points for selling and make myself a little checklist. If you want to keep up with what Erin is doing, you can stalk her here: (Oh, and she's expecting a little one, so if you wanna drop by and wish her congrats, I'm sure she wouldn't mind!)

Blog: www.erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/erinsiegel

Margie and Me - #157 Tuscany

 Okay, I've had my eye on this color palette for a while and I'm finally getting the umph to try it out. Two colors waaay outside my comfort zone: pink and orange, and this week we're going pink, well, sorta. I can't get the proportions to show correctly like they do in Margie's color palette, but you can imagine...

A strong concentration on greens as the dominant background color... 

 With some lovely terracottas and light browns adding the accents.

 I'm excited, I do hope you'll play along and drop me a note to let me know so I'll be sure an include your Tuscan creation. Oh, and speaking of amazing creations, I've got one to show you from last week's challenge. Lisa Fuller, my new Etsy Beadweaver's Teammate, posted on her blog her lovely pendant that she used with the inspiration from the Sudan. I do hope you'll check out her blog to see some more pics.

Alright, enjoy the week and good luck with the challenge!



Margie and Me - The Sudan Part 2

When I chose the Sudan last week, I thought that this would be an easy challenge. Boy, was I wrong. I must have tried four different designs before settling on these little pins. I've used 6mm picture jasper rounds with some faceted glass beads and some matte seeds in the challenge colors. These are so easy to wear and since I chopped of the hair last week, I've been wearing a lot of bobby pins! Desert Safari Bead Embroidered Pins are listed in my shop.

 Also, my bead buddy Shirley Moore sent me a picture last night of her challenge bracelet. Those beadwoven spirals are awesome! Thanks Shirley! If you played, leave me a comment, and I'll update this post with a link to your creation!

Okay, here's the new stuff for this week. First up is another bead embroidered pendant, this time with some amazing Picasso Jasper teardrops. This one has the bail on the back so it hangs on the cord and kind of floats. Jasper Blooms is in the shop.

I also listed my Autumn Turquoise pendant, which has one gorgeous oval turquoise bead for the center with smaller turquoise rounds surrounding it. The colors are so bright and really inviting.

 This next necklace was really a result of me just playing around with these four gorgeous charoite rounds. The purple and lavender tones in these beads were so intense. I created this little pendant and then added some faceted dangles and really dainty chain. This is a one of a kind design, and I probably won't be able to replicate it, so once it's gone, it's gone! (I hardly ever doing things this dainty, but I really like it!) Lavender Quatrefoil is also in my shop.

Also, I love the metalwork rings that I see on Etsy (a la Rosy Revolver), so I wanted to see if I could replicate that feel with beads and stones. To that end, I created Stoned Bead Embroidered Ring and wore it all day yesterday (and fell promptly in love). You'll see more of these in the future.

The second bead embroidered ring I call Metallurgy. It's all copper and brass and shiny!

Okay, this last one I've been working on for a couple of weeks. I used some faceted teardrops and brassy seed beads to make each individual star and then wove them together to create this bracelet.

The stars are 3-D. I'm really beginning to feel the more that I work with beads that I need to explore the structural nature of what can be done with beads so I feel that going 3D is the next step up and I've been working to that end on create pieces with substance.

The clasp is also original. Do you see the toggle portion? It's a herringbone clasp with only 3 stacks of beads! It just sorta came to me and worked out so well. I'm definitely going to be making another one of these, probably in silver so stay tuned. I do need a name though, so any suggestions?

Alright, I hope you enjoy your Saturday! I know I plan on going shopping with the sisses...

Friday - The Day Before Saturday

Which is basically all it is. I'm so looking forward to tomorrow. I've actually had more than one person say that they wanted to participate in my Margie and Me challenge this week! So I'm crossing my fingers that you'll have more to look at tomorrow than just me (well, my piece anyway)...

Okay, just to wrap up from Wednesday, thanks soooo much guys for your input about artists and copying and I'm so glad that my advice for anyone searching for their inspiration helped you guys. It always seems like the conversation stops short when I read, "Be creative!" and "Be original" with no explanation on HOW to do this thing.

Oh, and here are some of the things that people said that really helped me to think deeper with this topic:
Patricia mentioned how important tutorials have been in teaching her techniques, and Lois brought up a good point by saying that buying an inexpensive tutorial is waaaay cheaper than actually driving/flying to a class to learn a technique. I also agree with her in that a good tutorial should explain the project enough that it does not need anyone else to do so.

I also loved what Cindy from Bead Origami said about the time involved to reverse-engineer something as a copier instead of just buying the tutorial.

Finally, I was just really overwhelmed by your responses. Thank you.

Okay, finally, I'm putting in a picture of one of the most impressive uses of RAW that I've seen in a while. (this one, no one will be reverse-engineering) It's from the winner of the Beads Perles contest "Jewelry of the Future".

It's an amazing bracelet from an Hungarian beader. Just look at this! Incredible. You can see more of her amazing jewelry here: http://zsuzskagyongy.blogspot.com/

Creative Musings - The Confession

If you'd like to cue Usher at this point you can, because I've got a confession.

It all started in 2007 when I began this little beading journey. I was addicted to Flickr. I couldn't get enough of what beady goodness people were posting and the things that people were creating, and so I clicked and clicked and clicked....and copied. Yeah, I said copied.

If it looked simple like it came from basic peyote or herringbone, it wasn't long before I had tried my hand and whipped up an exact design that I was extremely proud of but had had no creative hand in designing.

Beaded Earrings Tutorial Wind Dancer

by Jewelry Tales

I've been thinking a lot about the beginnings of my journey lately, mostly in thanks to this post from Jess and Marlene Blessing's article on copyright in the current issue of Beadwork. And may I say, it has come full circle.
Two weeks ago I received an Etsy convo from a person asking me oddly specific questions about one of my bracelets that I currently sell as a tutorial. She wanted to know how to construct my bracelet without actually purchasing the tutorial. Trust me, I know exactly what she was thinking, I spent the first 2-3 months of this journey thinking the exact same thing and asking the exact same question as I tried to recreate the masterpieces I saw before me.

Jeweled Orb Pendant
by Silver Perch Designs

She veiled it all by saying with each convo, "I'm thinking about purchasing the pattern." (trust me...not the case) After about three back-and-forth convos of me giving extremely vague non-answers and her asking extremely specific nosey questions, I finally laid it down...."It's in the tutorial. Buy the tutorial!"

What happened?

I never heard from her again.

Feathers Bracelet

by Smadar's Treasure

Now, my guess is that she figured it out and is now walking around somewhere wearing a bracelet that looks exactly like my Fire and Ice Cuff (maybe a little wonky because she didn't have all the directions). I know because I've been there.

And as mad as it made me to have these convos with her and to walk away dissapointed that someone was copying me, I cannot judge her, and I cannot point my finger (there are four pointing back at me).

But, it reminds me every day how important it is that we as designers and creators respect those that have come before us and shown us the potential in a tiny little bead.

Disco Ball Beaded Bead

by Bead Origami

And so, on the point of originality, I will not re-hash what has already been said (visit this post by Jess). The call to "be original" to "create your own design" and "follow your own inspiration" is in every blog post and article about copyright, but I know that what I needed when I began beading was not the call to be original, but someone to tell me how to find what makes me original, to tell me how to add to a conversation already full of a million voices.

Fire and Ice Cuffs

My First Tutorial

So, I will tell you what I did to find my path to my own creativity and originality.  It changed the way that I create and I have never looked back since.

1. Find your colors. Are you bright and primary? Soft and pastel? Dark and brooding? Or deep and intense? I don't create much in orange because it does not inspire me, no matter how "in" Pantone says that it is.

2. Find your style. Are you sleek and modern? Frilly and romantic? Traditional and elegant? I won't create anything that I won't wear, because it just wouldn't be me.

3. Find your shape. Do you like ovals, circles, squares, triangles? If you look at most of my work, the soft curves of circles and ovals take center stage, I don't know why, they just do. I can pull out a diamond or two, but for some reason, don't like triangles. I would suggest taking your favorite beading magazing, marking the pages of the projects you like the most, and then look at the themes common to all these projects. Why do you like the ones that you like?

4. Find your stitch. For a beadweaver, this is the most important. If you begin to learn how to do your stitch inside and out, then you can begin to play with it in different forms (think Marcia DeCoster and right angle weave). Would you believe that every tutorial in my shop is my own variation on the beginnings of circular peyote? No joke.

I hope this helps, and I hope that it sparks creativity in you. These are things that I wish someone would have told me in the beginning. I have long since destroyed the copies that I made and instead focused my energy on creating something new. I hope that you'll remember that and be inspired to do the same. 

Finally, I'd like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, each and every one of you who has purchased a tutorial from me and supported my creativity with your hard-earned dollars. I hope you learn something about yourself as you work through one of my projects and I hope that it inspires you because it encourages me to keep on creating for you.

Oh, and because it's Wednesday....I created a treasury with the colors of the Sudan for this week's Margie and Me challenge.

Margie and Me - #128 The Sudan

I definitely wanted to revisit cultures today. Last week was difficult for me because I'm really not inspired by nature as much as culture and travel.

So, this week, I chose another place, the Sudan. This is Africa's largest country and probably the one racked by the most pain. But, before the war and hate began there was an ancient civilization that left its mark on the Sudan.

I couldn't really find a photo that had all of the deep browns, blacks and chalky oranges that Margie called for, so I gathered a few pictures together and some color swatches.

The first is a photo of the ruins left by the ancient Cush people of Sudan.

The deep red mud color of this mosque is also part of Margie's palette.

Behind it all, Margie has a deep brown that is the depth of the land. The dress of these little boys is almost perfect for this challenge.

I pulled some colors that you could use.

These four colors are almost the exact palette that Margie has in her book. She stresses using matte finishes for a chalky finish that reflects the earth and the desert of Sudan.

Okay, last but not least, did you see what Elisabeth did for the Slipper Orchid challenge? She made this awesome wire-wrapped necklace. The little swirls are perfect and the color change of the purples is spot on.

Also, Ababeads created a version of my Fire and Ice Cuff and did an awesome job I might add! You can see her design here on her Flickr account. I hope you'll check it out. I know first hand how hard that bracelet is to put together and she gets a lot of credit for doing it soooo fast!

Okay, I hope you'll play along with us this week and use the Sudan as your inspiration to create something amazing. As for me, I know it's gonna be difficult, orange is not quite my thing....

Enjoy your Monday and don't forget to watch the season premiere of Castle tonight... :)

Margie and Me - The Slipper Orchid Part 2

Each week when I start to approach my Margie and Me project I think about past projects...size, shape, profile...and this week as I looked at the orchid, I thought that my Ishtar Ring would be perfect to kind of mimic the shape of the orchid.

So, I took the colors of the orchid and translated them into an Ishtar Ring. I wanted to mimic the way the orchid has that progression from dark in the center to light on the outer rim. I tried to work in the curry yellow, and every time, I just was not crazy with the result.

I probably won't list this one, but if you're just dying for an orchid ring...you know where to find me. :)

Okay, now's the part where I give y'all a huge thanks for how you guys responded to my destashing efforts. I sent out 3 packages of goodies yesterday! And I ain't done yet....here's the latest...well, at least what I could get listed for today.

Some Red Glass Bicone Beads...

Some Amazonite Cylinders...

Some Little Square Rainbow Ruby Seed Beads...

A Sterling Silver Clasp from Israel...

Size 6 Czech Seed Beads in burn-your-corneas red. (Yes, I know, what am I doing selling seed beads? Well, this is one time in my life when I happen to think that size 6 is just too big.)

Some Oil Slick Cube Beads...

Some Topaz Silver-Lined seed beads (Size 6 again)

Whew! Okay...that's all I'm gonna list for now.

But, I have one more thing to show you. I promised you a tutorial and here it is! I no longer have a butt, why? Because I worked it off last night finishing the tutorial for my Perfect Geometry Cuff.

I really can't stress to you how much fun this is to make, but also how easy. All you need are three different colors of seed beads! If you'd like to check it out, it's listed here.

I think that this would make a great Christmas present for a teenager if you've got one who's a little picky. Just figure out her favorite colors and get to beading.

Alright, I'm outta here. I hope you enjoy your weekend, and I'll see you guys on Monday with a new Margie and Me! 

I'm sure you've already heard, but Jess is giving away a necklace...

You should try to win it here. But, don't worry 'cuz if you forget to enter, I'll throw your name in the hat for you. (yeah right!)

Goal #2 Part 2

Got the last of today's destash stuff up this afternoon. Here's what we've got...

Blue Quartz Lentil Beads

Amethyst Rondelles

Steampunk Skeleton Key

Strand of multi-colored gemstones. (Agate..my guess..)

Some multi-strand end caps in a silver color...

A half pound bag of random beads...

There's a snowman head in there. :)

A mix of Swarovski Bicones...

These little open beaded circles. At one point, I was gonna create something amazing with them, and then it didn't pan out, and instead of cutting them up, I thought I might offer them to you guys. I think they would make some cool earrings or maybe connectors in a bracelet or something, or maybe a charm, I dunno...use your imagination!

Finally, some gunmetal earwires.

Whew, I'm nowhere near done...there's more tomorrow. Also, in case you missed it, I put some other stuff in this morning, just check the post right before this one. Some things have sold, so you'll just have to see if what you want is there and some people have reserved some things, so they are no longer in the shop.