Margie and Me: SoBe Style

I don't know about y'all, but it's getting hot out there. Down here in my neck of the woods...ahem...coast, it hit about 95 degrees (Farenheit for my international buddies). We spent all day in the pool yesterday enjoying the weather.

So, for June, I thought I'd pick something a little summer-inspired.
What's more summer than Miami?

So, our first color palette comes courtesy of Margie Deeb's #100, SoBe Style.

It's a snapshot of the bright colors and modern architecture that defined Miami in the 20's.
This first palette is Margie's and it stays pretty true to the color palette she outlines in her book.

Bright pastels are key to this color scheme and Margie suggest using large beads, maybe even plastic(ahem...lucite!) to really capture the shapes and colors of South Beach.

via Miami Welcome

In choosing my color palette, I decided to keep traveling down Ocean Drive where I found this little beauty.

It's a restored hotel in South Beach, and I'm loving this mix of colors.

It has a tad more primary thrown in with the pastel and I just love the punch of red!

via National Geographic

I hope you're inspired by these hot summer palettes!

Wanna play along?

All you have to do is create a piece of jewelry (in any medium) inspired by one (or both) of the palettes. You can string it, weave it, bend it, solder it....doesn't matter to me.
If you'd like a better look at the first palette, it's straight out of Margie Deeb's The Beader's Color Palette, and it's #100.

Here's the dates:
1. June 16th - Inspiration Day. I'll post some pictures of inspiring materials, maybe a treasury, or some other inspiration with the color palettes.

2. June 28th - Reveal Day! That means you'll have all month to create your piece and post it on your blog or Flickr at the end of the month! Stop by my blog on that day and leave a comment with a link to your piece.

I'm looking forward to using these colors. I think these are some great palettes.
What do you think?

Do they put you in the mood for summer?

I hope so!

Have a great Monday and don't forget to enter my giveaway! I'll draw a winner tomorrow!

Big Giveaway!

I promised you a big giveaway announcement and here it is!

I'm giving away a book!

Which book?

Sherry Serafini's Sensational Bead Embroidery

I purchased Sherry's book right after it came out and I've spent plenty of time perusing the pages for information and inspiration.

Sherry does a great job of laying out the fundamental aspects of bead embroidery.

It's full of information for the beginner, stitches, materials, methods, and is a gallery of some of Sherry's best pieces as inspiration for the advanced embroiderer.

I think I've gleaned from the pages all the information that I can, and so I'm ready to pass it on and share the wealth of knowledge.

My original plan was to destash it in my shop, but I've been so overwhelmed this past month with your response to my tutorials and jewelry that I've decided to give it away to one lucky reader as a thank you.

Here's how to get your name thrown in the hat twice:

1. Leave me a comment telling me honestly what you think about bead embroidery? Do you like the big collars that win awards? Do you like embroidery on clothing or handbags?

Have you ever done bead embroidery or are you interested in starting?

I just want your honest opinion on the topic. I've heard both negatives and positives when it comes to bead embroidery, so you're not going to hurt my feelings!

2. Share the giveaway however you want to...blog, twitter, mass e-mails, facebook. Just let me know how you shared it.

I'll draw a winner on June 1st. I know that's not a lot of time, so you gotta jump on board while you can!

Have a great Memorial Day and thank you again everyone for your support!

P.S. I know blogger is being funny about commenting and what not. If you find yourself unable to comment, but want to enter, send me an e-mail at abney_m(at)yahoo.com and I'll add your name to the list!

Margie and Me: Oil on Canvas

June was a challenge for me.

I knew she would be.

Bright orange?

I found this chunky teardrop of Botswana Agate and mixed it with all the bright orange beads I had in my stash.

I hung it from an antiqued copper finding that I've had forever. I left the finding blank, no etching, no words. It's a place to keep your secrets. Just like June.

She's here if you'd like to see more of her.

The second little girl needed something smaller, more dainty.

Two little bobby pins.

Embroidered in creamy beige and surrounded with chocolate brown, creamy yellow and cadet blue.

Sweet, small and unpretentious just like their inspiration.

Finally, as a thank you, I'm extending an offer to you guys that I put to my newsletter subscribers on Wednesday.

To celebrate 400 sales I'm offering a

$25 Gift Certificate

to the next customer purchasing jewelry from my shop.

It's a little thank you, and it will arrive via your inbox and I'll send it blank, so you could give it as a gift, or keep it for yourself to redeem later for a rainy day.

This is first come, first serve and once it's gone, it's gone.

UPDATE: One of my lovely customers has taken me up on my offer for the gift certificate and it is no longer available. Congratulations lovely lady and thank you! :) 

Thank you guys and I hope you'll leave me a comment with a link to your Margie and Me creations. I can't wait to see what everyone has done!

Enjoy the long weekend, and come back tomorrow for a big announcement!

Artisan Clay and Emilio Pucci

This month for the Artisan Clay Design Team, Kristie sent us "surprise" beads.

Now, to let you in on a little secret....I HATE surprises. I hate to give and receive surprises.

I'm the one at Christmas dying to know what I'm getting while at the same time dying to tell you what I've gotten you.

So, I was just a little nervous to open her package....

and for no reason.

She sent me a bright green cab with the creamiest center of shattered glass.

My immediate feeling was to do something soft and springy maybe with a floral theme.

Uh-uh...the beads just weren't having it.

They wanted bright pop art in concentric circles and I was more than happy to deliver.

I layered the beads and even used orange! (I don't know what's gotten into me)

As I was working, I kept thinking of Emilio Pucci who really pioneered the bright kaleidoscopic patterns from the 1970's that are still so popular today.

via FIDM

I've listed it in my shop here: Emilio Pucci Pendant.

Also, thanks to everyone who has taken advantage of my celebration sale from my last post!

The coupon code still stands and will be good until June 1st.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back tomorrow for the Margie and Me reveal and a surprise!

I hope you'll take some time to visit all the Design Team blogs today. Hop on over Kristie's blog and see what the other designers created using her pieces.

Etsy Celebration

I am just a couple of sales shy of 400 in my Etsy shop!

Wow!

I'm really overwhelmed by the generosity and support that you guys have shown me over the past year and a half, so I'm having a little celebration to say thank you!!

Use the coupon code:

CELEBRATE400

and you'll receive 15% off all orders from my shop!

Tutorials, jewelry, everything!

Be quick, because this offer is open only until June 1st.

Also, what does DuPont have to do with metal detectors and lower prices???

Well, if you'd like to find out...you'll just have to wait until later today when my newsletter goes out!

If you're not in on the secret, you can sign up here:

Also, be sure to come back on Friday for the Artisan Clay Design Team round-up

and then on Saturday for Margie and Me!!

(There might be a giveaway thrown in there somewhere to stay tuned!)

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Studio Saturday: Inspiration Pieces

I really focused on creating this week.
I've been spending a lot of time the past couple of weeks working on tutorials or on things on the computer, that this week I just wanted to make some new things.

Whenever I'm in need of some inspiration, I just pull out beads and start playing around to see what I can come up with.

Most of the time the beads just tell me what they'd like...and of course, I'm more than willing to follow.

This gorgeous medallion started out as a bracelet, I must have strung it a million times to force it to become a bracelet, but that's not what it wanted to be.

It was destined to be a necklace from the beginning, so I made it what it wanted to be.

You can read the story about the butterfly and the wildflower here.

It's starting to get hot in the NC and so it seemed appropriate to create something inspired by lemons and limes, both summer citrus fruits.

This version of my nesting bracelets features new jade rounds and african opal ovals and lime green!

I call it Lemons and Limes.

I also put together this snazzy ring. The focal is a vintage czech glass cab which is who knows how old. It's a little rough around the edges, but I've set it with these deep purple seed beads and some sparkly gunmetal for a real stunner.

I call it Deep Purple Diamond Ring.

I'm also working on some more steampunk pieces.

This bangle won't be going into my shop, (I have other plans for it!) but it was inspired by my recent foray into the Steampunk rings.  

Like my other salvaged watch pieces, it's only right twice a day (but pretty stinkin' cute all day long!).

I also put my Busy as a Bee bracelet back in the shop. It was missing for a little hiatus to appear in the May issue of Bead Trends!

If you haven't checked out that issue yet, you should, I am so completely impressed with the photography and the designs from other designers.

Okay, last thing that I created this week was a custom order of picture frames for a very special customer.

She told me to surprise her on color, so I made this teal/bronze version just for her.

I hope you guys have a great weekend!
Be sure and stop by next week for some exciting news!
Oh, and don't forget about Margie and Me! I hope everyone is enjoying the color palettes and working away.

Teach Me Wednesday: Change your routine, get inspired.

One of the best ways to get inspired is to change up your routine, and since I've been struggling for inspiration lately, I decided to really mix it up and change my career while I'm at it. You can too, here's how:

1. Become a fashion editor for a magazine.  

Find the hottest trends and create fashion spreads featuring top designers in both the clothing and jewelry markets. Just pick and choose from your extensive closet on the right.

2. Walk the runway.

The Fall 2011 shows are currently running all over the world, so be sure to bring a jacket.

3. Visit Paris...or London...or Milan.

Stroll along the Thames or sip coffee while people watching at a cafe outside the Eiffel Tower. (All you have to do is zoom in to street level.)

4. Work for Pantone.

Ever wondered who decided Honeysuckle would be the Spring color for 2011?

It could have been you.

The best part?

You'll never have to leave your living room.....

Margie and Me: Inspiration

Okay, today is inspiration day for Margie and Me and first up is Flaming June.

This color palette was a little tricky for me, it's as if it's really mostly one color just in different shades.

I finally narrowed it down a little by calling that last color "plum" and really trying to throw in that bright orange.

You can see the full treasury here.

Okay, for the second palette, I know this is supposed to be a color challenge, but when I was searching for information about the painting, I came across the following video.

It's really just a clip from the soundtrack of the movie that came out a while back starring Scarlett Johannson, but it's actually a soft and haunting melody that stirs all your emotions.

It probably won't help you with color, but I think that listening to it will probably help you to feel what the picture is conveying.

Here's the clip:

Enjoy your Monday! I hope it's an inspiring one!

Also, if you've got some inspiration for Margie and Me, leave a comment with a link so we can all check it out!

Studio Saturday: Picture Frames, Bead Stars, and Cool Tools, oh...and Steampunk

First of all, I guess you guys are aware that Blogger decided to throw a hissy fit on Thursday and Friday so I wasn't able to get back to those of you who left messages with your response to my kit question. Well, it's Saturday and I guess after two days of getting slapped around by Daddy Google, Blogger is back so I'd like to thank all of you who gave me your feedback to the question of kits. I'm thinking about everything you said and definitely weighing the pros and cons of offering kits.

In the meantime, I worked really hard this week to get my newest tutorial finished!

I call these little pendants Picture Frame Pendants, because well...

They use a mix of bugle beads, Tila beads, fire-polished Czech glass and seed beads in sizes 11 and 15. You work the pendant in rounds and when you're done you have this little beveled frame that is perfect for showcasing a little bauble or stone in the center.

I've used simple faceted teardrops for the center, but if you've got a super nice briolette of kyanite or amethyst, it would look gorgeous suspended from the center of the frame.

You can find the tutorial here:
Picture Frame Beadwoven Pendant Tutorial

And now that I have three pendant tutorials in my shop, I've decided to bundle them, so you can get my Carnaval Pendant, Medallion Pendant and the new Picture Frame for the price of two!

I've listed it here.

I also wanted to remind you (since there are only three days left) to go vote for your Bead Star Favorites!

I've got two pieces in the running this year.

The first I call Fauxmaille because it looks like chainmaille, but it's made really simply with stone rounds and copper findings.

I also entered the Seed Bead category with a Steampunk-inspired necklace.

There are some great entries and you can vote more than once, so be sure and pick your top three in each category.

And finally, I wanted to show you the two new pieces that I've got in the shop for today:

The first is a Steampunk ring that I created using some more of the vintage watch faces and little gears that I found. I call it Keeping Time.

And, I also made a set of bobby pins with the same materials. They are similar in style, but different in color. I call the set Time and Again.

Okay, last but not least, I came across this great tool on the Bello Modo site that uses the colors of Swarovski crystals to create different color palettes. Even though I don't use Swarovskis that often, I think this is a great tool for experimenting with color. You can see it here.

Thanks for hanging in there with me today! I know it was a long post.

I hope you have a great weekend!

One Question

Okay, maybe it's a few questions:

This is for those of you who purchase patterns.

What do you think about kits?

Do you use them?

Do you like the idea of getting all of the things you need to create the piece without hunting the materials down, or do you prefer to create your own versions of the patterns with your own colors?

I'm toying with the idea of offering kits with some of my smaller pieces that require more than seed beads, like my Carnaval Pendants or my Bollywood Bling Ring.

I'm just curious as to what you guys think.

Also, would you prefer to have the instructions arrive in your inbox by e-mail or on a CD?

I'm not sure what the cost of a kit would be, I'd have to do the math.

How much have you paid for a kit in the past?

I've seen some beadweaving kits with a pretty high price tag.

Let me know what you think! Even, if you've never purchased a jewelry making kit, I'd still like your thoughts on why you've never bought a kit.

I really am curious to see how much interest or uninterest there is.

Last thing....

Today is newsletter day and if you'd like to find out what iron railings have to do with strips of leather and vintage lace-up boots, you'll have to sign up for the newsletter in the right-hand column!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Monday's Materials

Celebrities have personal fashion shoppers.

I definitely need a personal bead shopper, but alas, not yet, so I've been hunting down some cool new finds for myself and I thought I'd share...

First off, I've really been into adding little drops to my work and there are some really great vintage lucite ones out there that are easy on the wallet and the eyes.

First up...

Deep Blue Black Matte Lucite

Long Inky Lucite Pendant

both of these are from Reduction Nation.

Some faceted Milk White Teardrops from blacksheepbeads.

Bright Blue Ocean Arrows from missficklemedia.

Some chunky tribal Carved Leaf Barrel Beads from PenGwynneBeads.

Also, when it comes to metal, there's nothing wrong with using factory-made pieces. It gives you a little wiggle room in the wallet to use handmade artisan pieces in other places.

Funky, Squiggly Antique Copper Chain from Goshen.

Copper Marquis Links from GemmeTressor.

I actually bought this exact sample pack of ribbon on Friday and am patiently awaiting its arrival. I have big plans for these....big plans. ;)

Silk Sari Ribbon from DesignTalentedOne.

How about you?

What's on your materials wish list for this Monday?

Studio Saturday: The Sound of the Sea

The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep,

And round the pebbly beaches far and wide

I heard the first wave of the rising tide

Rush onward with uninterrupted sweep;

A voice out of the silence of the deep,

A sound mysteriously multiplied

As of a cataract from the mountain's side,

Or roar of winds upon a wooded steep.

So comes to us at times, from the unknown

And inaccessible solitudes of being,

The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul;

And inspirations, that we deem our own,

Are some divine foreshadowing and foreseeing

Of things beyond our reason or control.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

An ocean with all the swirls and eddies of the sea surrounded by the rocky shores...

 and in the midst of being tossed about, the soul finds an anchor...

 a chain to hold to with all its might.

The Sound of the Sea

Today, just the one.

My muse departed on Thursday and has yet to return.

If you see her, tell her to come home...

Teach Me Wednesdays: Don't like PayPal? No prob...I'll take a credit card!

Did you know that you can accept credit card payments through PayPal and your customer doesn't even have to use a PayPal account?

About a month ago, I had a customer convo me and ask if it were possible to pay with a credit card as she did not want to use her PayPal account for this transaction.

I had heard that I could do this through PayPal, so I set to work figuring it out.

Turns out, it's really easy and you can do it too, giving your customers another option to pay.

Here's how:

1. You're going to need to send your customer and updated invoice, so go to your PayPal account and click on "request money". You'll get a screen that looks something like this. (minus the black stripes, those are my sent invoices).

Click on the box labeled "Create an Invoice"

2. This will take you to this screen, which is where you will actually send the invoice. This is the top of the invoice, and if you'd like to make it look nice, you can click "add logo" and put in a picture to be your official logo.

I created a logo in Picasa and exported it. The perfect size is 75x200 pixels.

This is my PayPal logo. Nothing fancy, but it lets the customer know where the invoice is coming from.

3. Once you've filled in the date and invoice number, scroll down to the bottom of the invoice and here's where you'll fill in the important information. The customer's e-mail address, description of the item, price, tax (if applicable) and send the invoice on its way.

 4. Now, this is important, before you send your customer an invoice, send them a convo or e-mail instructing them to open their invoice when they receive it (this is what it will look like in their e-mail), and click the "Pay Now" link, but....

DO NOT sign in to PayPal!!!

Instruct them that after they click the "Pay Now" link, they need to look to the left where it says

"Don't have a PayPal account?"

Here, above the credit card logos they will see a little "Continue" link (red arrow).

If they click on that, it will take them to the appropriate screen where they can manually fill in their credit card information and pay safely and securely through PayPal.



The payment goes directly to your PayPal account (because you sent them the invoice), and they do not have to give you their credit card number or anything like that.

Make sure that in your online shop you have a little snippet in your policies stating that you do take a credit card and set your Etsy account to offer "other" as a payment option.

Instruct your customers to attach a note when they check out that they'd like to pay with a credit card and then you can do the above to send them an invoice.

It's actually very easy and gives you another way to cater to your customers.

Enjoy the day!