Commitment

Tomorrow morning a mother will walk into her little girl's room and nudge her gently until she hops out of bed. The little girl will put on her shoes and dress, slide on her princess backpack, and board the school bus. She'll turn in her homework and smile when her teachers says, "Good job!", knowing she's committed to doing her best.

Silver France Crown Charm
Hint

A few years from now that same girl, a little older, will roll out of bed, throw on some jeans and flip-flops and tote a slightly heavier backpack to class. She'll deliver her presentation on the latest theory of education and smile when she gets an A, committed to helping every child learn.

Handmade Miniature Book Pendant
Peaseblossomstudio

A few years after that the girl, now a woman, will wake up with her alarm and sip coffee while putting on black pants and comfortable shoes. She'll pick up a canvas tote bag full of graded papers and head to her classroom, committed to changing the world, one student at a time.

Lady in Profile Cameo
AUNALIAArtisanMetal

Even further down the road, the woman will wake up rubbing her swollen belly and listen to her husband sip coffee while getting ready for work. She'll get up and pour a bowl of cereal and skip the coffee, committed to making sure she has a healthy baby.

Porcelain Artichoke Baby
Bumblebead

Nine months later, the new mother will wake to the sound of a crying little girl. She'll pick up the baby, not much heavier than her first princess backpack and rock her gently back to sleep.

Bring You My Love Pendant
Gaea

She'll look into the little girl's eyes and realize that she's come full circle and that this is the greatest commitment she'll ever make. The commitment to teach another what commitment really means, how it affects everyone around you, and that it can change the world...one commitment at a time.

Margie and Me - Lady of the Lake

Okay, this post has a lot going on...
Margie and Me:
This week I've chosen #18 Lady of the Lake. Margie says "This array of clear greens, both warm and cool, casts a mesmerizing spell especially when embellished with accents of silver." I think this picture is a perfect representation of what Margie was trying to capture.

Persian Rugs Tutorial:
Yay! It's done! After much hard work, Persian Rugs Tutorial is finally available in my shop, and to celebrate, I'm listing it at the introductory price of $12 and taking $3 off the other tutorials in my shop which means that you can get a great price on Fire and Ice Cuffs and also on Royal Ring.

I also created a new colorway of the bracelet just to celebrate. It's a lighter more springy version of the bracelet using aventurine instead of the lime green jade.

Quantity vs. Creativity:
Okay, finally, I'd like to thank everyone who commented on my post about Quantity vs. Creativity. It seemed like everyone agreed that doing what is in your heart should be the ultimate goal of an artist, but it was also interesting to hear from a couple of the artists who create components for other artists.
I was especially caught by what Shannon LeVart of MissFickleMedia said about the nature of what she does. As an artist who creates to help others create, her job is to follow the trends and keep up with what is hip and in right now. She also had a great point. This is not the job that provides for my family, and as such, I haven't had to worry about creating to fit into a trend or a current niche. I am able to create what I like or want without the added pressure of thinking about providing for my family with my creativity.

It's given me a lot of thought lately and I'm glad I was able to see it from another perspective. I still think the best summation comes from LeAnn, "...go with what speaks to you."

So...What speaks to you?

Margie and Me - Degas' Dancers Part 2

These week's Margie and Me challenge was a real um..well..challenge. Mostly because I just never could get inspired by the color palette, and I also didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to it. I had to make an unexpected trip out of town and I was busy selling two of my stone pendants! Jasper Flower and River Rocks just made one lucky buyer's neck that much more beautiful!

Here's what I was able to come up with. It's a beaded ring and I tried to recreate the frilly look of the girls' dresses. These colors are difficult to work with without it looking too much like I-just-had-a-baby jewelry.

I'm definitely going to keep this color scheme tucked under my hat and will probably revisit it later. I don't feel like I did Degas justice and I know I've got something better in me.

I was also in two treasuries this week that were made by someone other than beadweavers!

The first is a super-cute travel treasury featuring my Road Less Traveled Pendant you can see it here.

The second is a blue-green treasury with some super-intense blues and greens. (wow, that was repetitive) This one features my Layers of Blue Bracelet and it's here.

I'd also like to take a minute to thank you guys who commented on my Quantity vs. Creativity post. It was so enlightening to hear points of view from people all across the jewelry creating spectrum. I definitely plan on addressing this more tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Finally, Persian Rugs Tutorial will be available Monday if I do my job right and thanks to all who have made my tutorials such a huge success! I'm so honored that you like my designs! Have a great weekend!

Look what my friends did!

My Color Swirls Tutorial came out in Beadwork Magazine for Jun/July and I've had such a great time seeing how other people have translated the design. Here are two of my blog buddies that created their own version:
The first is by Lois Moon my bead soup partner. She did a great ocean colorway in some bright blues. I like the way she varied the colors from wheel to wheel.

The second comes from Mari of Mis Amores. She did the Pomegranate version and it looks great!


Go grab your copy of the magazine and make your own!!
If you're not a seed beader, but want a version of the Color Swirls Bracelet, I've got Icy Turbulence in my shop right now (and it's on sale!). I could also make it in some different colors if you'd like :).
Okay, two more cool things:
1. My "Internationally Intriguing" treasury was feature on this blog. And for those of you who guessed James Bond....you weren't too far off!
2. I'm going to start a new tutorial at the end of this month, what would you rather see, Persian Rugs or Baldacchino? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Guessing Game

I had a little fun creating a treasury last night, here's the screen shot. Can you guess what the theme was? Click here to see if you're right!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Oh yeah, and P.S. Denise Yezbak Moore is giving away enough beads to bury a small animal. Check it out at her blog and sign up to win! Thanks, Denise!

Margie and Me - Degas' Dancers

If you're lookin' for Bead Soup, keep on a scrollin', it's after this post!

***************************

But, for me and my regulars it's Margie and Me time! I skipped out on last week because I needed to work on my Bead Soup, and now that that's done, we're back to regularly scheduled programming.

I chose this week to pick palette #86, Degas' Dancers. Margie describes it as "gentle, soft, and muted except a minute and powerful sharp accent of deep brown." I chose it because of the interaction of the palest pinks and peaches with little punches of blue. I think it'll be a great palette to work with, and I'll show you on Saturday what I was able to come up with.

I also got inspired to play around with some vintage 20-gauge brass wire that I picked up at my local bead store. I created these bangles that I call Fairy Circles.

The first is made with tiny garnet gemstones and faceted amethyst glass rondelles.

Fairy Circle in Garnet

The second is in some beautiful forest tones with a punch of purple. It's created with faceted moss agate and faceted czech rounds. The sparkle on these bracelets is very fairy-esque. Both are listed in my Etsy shop.

Fairy Circle in Forest

Phoenix Rising - Bead Soup

I'm not gonna lie, this bundle of ingredients had me stumped. My partner sent the most amazing things and I sat there looking at them hanging from my corkboard for days. I kept looking at the wings and I couldn't get the imagery of a bird out of my mind.

So, I used that idea and came up with a design I call Phoenix Rising. The myth of the Phoenix is a bird that at end of its life cycle burns itself and its nest. From this pile of ashes arises a new phoenix and the bird is reborn.

I used the copper daggers that Lois sent me to capture a blue stone and hung it from the wings.

The chain is a twist of two strands of chain that I used incorporating the pearls, faceted beads and blue stones that my partner gave me, and also some turquoise silk ribbon that I purchased.

This was an amazing group of beads and I really must thank my partner for sending such a wonderful collection. I'm so excited to see what she created. If you'd like to see her soup, please visit her blog here.

Thanks for stopping by, and here is the list of people servin' up their goodies today:

1. Jen, Jen Judd Rocks
2. Kella, Me, But a Little More In Depth

3. Emanda, Artemisia Studio

4. Marie, Skye Jewels

5. Loretta, Designs by Loretta

6. Stacy, Sissy and Jack's

7. Joanna, Filcowe

8. Diane, Diane Hawkey

9. Marianna, Pretty Shiny Things

10. Anna, The Laughing Raven

11. Lois, Que Onda Q'town? (my partner!)

12. Jayne, Mama's Got to Doodle

Quantity vs. Creativity

Those of you selling your jewelry online know what I mean when I say that it's a buyer's market. I've been perusing Etsy a lot (even though my fiance says is kills my creativity, he's right ya' know) and I've noticed a lot of shops with a lot of work in them, I'm talking 9 or 10 pages of listings. Some jewelry, and some pottery, handbags, etc...

But what I've noticed is that most of the items all seem to be exactly the same (the wrapped briolette comes to mind). Now, I'm not talking about one person doing the same thing in a variety of colors, but I'm talking about the same design spanning many different designers. I do understand the concept of creating a brand and marketing yourself along a specific vein, but I always had this idea when I opened my Etsy shop that I wanted to really do one of a kind. That someone who purchased something from me could be sure that no one anywhere would own the same thing.

And then it dawned on me as I was perusing one of those fashion mags at the grocery store. I don't know if we can do one-of-a-kind. I wonder if we've become such an I-wanna-look-like-her culture that we gravitate immediately to what is trendy and not necessarily what speaks to us as art.

And so I struggle with wanting to make things that I know will sell, or to make things that to me look like art. Art that a person can wear and be proud of wearing while saying..."Yep, it's one of a kind." So, what do I do? Do I go with quantity and pack my shop with 9 pages of the latest trends, or do I stick with creativity and only create things that I'm totally proud to put out there and say it's mine?

I have to refer to a wiser woman on this one who told me at the beginning of this endeavor that if for one moment I started bowing to trends and creating to get sales that I should stop. I agree with her completely, and I make sure that I'm telling myself that everyday.

If it's a question of quantity vs. creativity...I'm stickin' with creativity.

In a Bead Stouper

Here's my sneak peek from my amazing Bead Soup paaatnuh (I have to say that word like I'm in a Clint Eastwood flick). Lois Moon gave me the most amazing group of beads in the most amazing color palette! I can only hope that I can do her beads justice. These kinds of beads are all new territory for me, mostly because they are large enough to be seen with the naked eye!

What's more, my partner's a Spanish teacher! How much of a cool pairing was that! You can see what I sent her here. I'm looking forward to what we're gonna work up.

Also, do you remember the story that I wrote to go with my Home is Where the Heart Is Pendant. Well, someone bought the pendant yesterday! I was so excited. Way more so for that person. I really, really like these pendants. They are so much fun to make, and so unique. I hope she likes it, it's going into the mail today, with copy of the story just for good measure.

Alright, today, someone very special in my life is having a birthday so I'm off to celebrate!

New Tutorial and a Sale!!

I've just completed a new tutorial! My Royal Ring Tutorial is now available in my shop. I worked all day yesterday and got it finished. The tutorial includes both colorways for making the ring in green or in the Rococo colors.

And to celebrate my new tutorial, I'm taking $3 off the price of my current tutorial Fire and Ice Cuffs. The sale price is only good for 24 hours, so get it while you can!

Margie and Me

I'm gonna put off Margie and Me, at least for this week. My Dad is in town and my grandparents are soon to follow....plus....I haven't started my Bead Soup piece! (My partner would be sooo disappointed!)

I am working on a tutorial for my Royalty Ring, and my goal is to have it done today...yes, today.
Enjoy Monday, as much as one can, and me and Margie will be back next week to resume your regularly scheduled programming.

Margie and Me - Gale Force - Part 2

If you remember, last week, I chose Gale Force as my challenge palette from Margie's book. This was probably the most difficult color palette I've worked with yet. I'm not sure why. Black, gray, desaturated blue, it seemed so easy.

Boy, was I wrong. After racking my brain, I finally decided to go with the idea of a tornado and I created some of these little beaded beads which have this beautiful cyclone shape. I used all sorts of blacks, transparent grays, some silver and that gorgeous desaturated blue that Margie was talking about. I used to live in Tornado Alley and we would have one tornado after the other during the spring. That was definitely behind my decision to line them up on a bracelet one after the other!

Also, I've placed some new work in the shop today, and I'll be taking some old stuff out tomorrow. First up is Paper Flower Ring. It's a tiny flower made from itty bitty cuts of paper sealed in resin.

The second is a beadwoven pendant called The Shield. It's a mix of AB metallic and gunmetal gray seed beads with hematite rounds.

Third, is a little glamour. Purple Sparkly Wheels is a modern take on an old beadweaving design. These necklaces with the little wheels lined side by side are in right now, and this is my version of the trend.

Last but not least, I listed my Royalty Ring in Roccoco. It's a glamourous mix of metallic bronze, soft pink, and shiny peach.

Finally, remember today is the last day for my SALE!! I will be getting rid of all my Sale listings tomorrow, including my beaded beads! Please stop by and grab what you like.

Have a great weekend!

Dad's home and I made more jewelry.

Okay, I know at least one of those is news. We're picking him up tonight at the airport. We told him to bring a jacket because although it's hovering around 90 here in Wilmington, he's used to a cool Abu Dhabi 110. :)

I'm doing a shop update slowly but surely because I've got a lot to do today.

I listed Royal Ring in Green today. (Not the tutorial, but the ring.) I make these to order, so it'll fit perfectly. You can see it here.

I also listed this bracelet inspired by my Bead Star entry. I call it Layers of Blue and it's feminine but chunky, and oh-so-summery.

And don't forget my SALE!!!! It ends tomorrow!!! And I tell you people, once this stuff is gone, it is gone! No take-backs and no-changies! I gotta make room for some more stuff.
Enjoy your Friday!
This is just one of the items on sale: Red Windows Bracelet

Wednesday Wrap-Up

Here's what I've been doing this week. First of all, I dumped some stuff in my SALE section of my shop. I've got beaded beads, rings, bracelets, pendants, all kinds of goodness and some really low prices. I know I've got three summer birthdays to plan for around here, and I'm sure you've got a couple too. It's the last chance for these little guys, and I'll be moving them out of the store on Saturday, so if you like 'em, get 'em now.

Also, I made myself a twisted herringbone necklace in some cool greens with a shiny shimmery AB finish. Looks very lizard-like.
Maybe I should call it Jurassic. I'm still working on the best way to cap these necklaces. I bought bead caps that I didn't like, but I'm still not sure about the loose wire wrapping that I decided to go with. I'm gonna have to play around with it.

Finally, I made another version of my French Royalty Ring (can you tell I'm currently obsessed with this green color?) I'm planning on making this one into a tutorial, but it's not an easy task. So, I'm shooting to have it done by the end of June.

Okay, finally....

Today is the last day to vote for BEAD STAR my entries are at the top of my blog, please vote!
It's also time to vote for El Reto over at Beads Perles blog. The challenge last month was to create a bracelet with a unique peyote pattern, there are some very neat entries, I hope you'll check it out.
Last thing to vote for (feels like November, huh?) is the Etsy Beadweaver's monthly challenge. I entered my Nautilus Necklace, but there are some definite beauties.

Thanks for stickin' around, enjoy your hump day and good luck to all my Bead Star buddies!

Margie and Me - Gale Force and a SALE

We had some torrential rain the first part of last week that pretty much lasted for two days straight, so when I started thinking about this week's challenge and I came across #7 Gale Force in Margie's book, I thought it would be perfect.

She calls this palette a "tempest of stormy grays" that's perfect for a black dress. She also recommends throwing in a desaturated windy blue to reflect an actual stormy sky.
I think it's gorgeous. It's really my kind of colors.
Let me know if you wanna play along, and I will happily count you in!

Okay, finally, I've put all my beaded beads on sale. They are in the SALE section of my shop and are marked down to move, move, move. I really want to update the look of my shop and so I'm gonna move the beaded beads out. There just doesn't seem to be that much of an interest.

This doesn't mean that I won't still make beads. It just means that you're gonna have to contact me about doing a custom order of beads for you if you'd like. I'll probably add them to a Flickr group so you can see what I've done in the past. But, for now, please check out the ones that I've got on SALE in my shop.

Happy Monday!

Margie and Me - Woven is Me - Part 2

I know I said I was gonna give myself until Sunday, but I got this finished, so I figured I might as well go ahead and post it. This week's inspiration was Margie's color palette entitled "Woven is Me" and her inspiration was the beautiful colors in the persian rugs.

Using the picture of the rug that I gave you guys last week, I really wanted to use the shape and pattern as inspiration for this challenge. I decided to go a little more muted with my colors than Margie had, but I still included those great olivey greens and the splash of blue with just the hint of corally pink.

I call it Persian Rugs because I really feel like it looks like four persian rugs all sewn together.

I've also been playing around with ring designs lately. This is the first. Very rich, very royal. sparkly beads and faceted glass with a Marquis shape reminiscient of a French princess.

And then there's this one, kind of bright and very summery. Almost like Panetone was brought in to update Guinevere's wardrobe.

Beaded rings are so much fun to create. I can usually make a good one in about an hour and I get so many compliments when I wear them out. They're very unique and you're definitely not going to see someone else wearing your ring.

Alright, enjoy your weekend and I'll post the new Margie and me challenge on Monday!