Beadsmith's Picasso Bead/Golem Design Studio Challenge 2013

Just completed this Kumihimo Set using the brand new Miyuki Picasso seed beads and the lovely Golem Design Studio Pendant.

Although the Beadsmith Challenge only requested one project, I decided to create a full set.

Thanks, Steven Weiss, for inviting me to participate in this Beadsmith Challenge! I look forward to seeing all the completed projects from the other talented ladies! Thanks also to Vladislav Ivanov, Golem Design Studio, for donating his beautiful handmade ceramic pendants from his studio in Bulgaria!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Coming to you from Denver, Colorado! Who'd have known last year on the eve of 2012 that I'd find myself living in Colorado a year later... It all started two years ago when Mike accepted a new position with a company that had an office in Denver. They wanted him to move out here so we put plans in motion and then those plans were short circuited. We ended up staying in Maryland for another year with promises from the company that a move would happen in the future. In the meantime, I continued to receive email notices from several realestate websites in the Denver area. Most of the homes were either too large or the yards were too small and I deleted them. But in March I noticed an ad for a .67 acre lot in Castle Rock with great views. After inquiring about it and talking to the builder, we started making plans...

It took a tremendous amount of energy to get our Maryland home ready to sell but we did it with the help and guidance of our sales agent. We updated as much as our budget would allow and the home sold in 6 days with multiple offers. After putting most of our goods in storage we rented a small U-Haul trailer and headed out West with just enough personal items to see us through 6 months in an apartment while our new home was being built. And with tremendous sadness we said goodbye to friends and neighbors...

And here we are! I'm taking a break from my jewelry business but plan to reactivate it once we're resettled. In the meantime I'm keeping busy with an old hobby that I love...Crochet! I've made 2 scarves and I'm working on my 3rd. Scarves are quick, easy, and a lot of fun to make! Plus I really need them here during the winter.

I can't even imagine what 2013 will be like... Certainly moving into the new home and unpacking will be exhausting! And once that is done I'll be able to look forward to the future and all of our new adventures here in Colorado. I hope to visit my daughter in San Diego and my parents in Florida. I also hope to have friends and family visit us here, too.

It is with great sadness that there will be one friend who won't be able to visit... my dear friend Sally passed away just last week. We last saw her in August before we left Maryland and now she is gone. She was active in her community, respected by her peers, and loved by family & friends. I hope to honor her memory by becoming more active and involved in my new community, and by living life to its fullest each and every day...

So here's a toast to the New Year! May it bring you Health, Wisdom, and a new Appreciation for life, love, friends, and family!!!

Color Me SUMMER!

Summer is my favorite time of year for COLOR! What are your favorites? For me, the brighter the better! Spring Pastels allow me to ease my way out of the heavy Jewel Tones that I love for Winter. By the time June is here I'm ready for aqua, coral, sunshine yellow, sea green, raspberry red, and hot pink! Bring on the floral designs, too. Mix all those colors together into one project or item of clothing and I'm a happy person!

With that in mind, I created this yummy Aloha Kumihimo Bracelet using some of the colors I just mentioned. Why did I name it Aloha? It really reminds me of Hawaii... When I think of Hawaii, I always remember the beautiful flowers with such vibrant colors.We've had several lovely vacations in the Hawaiian Islands and when we go I love the Coral Jewelry, too. This bracelet has a fresh Summer vibe just in time for a hot Summer vacation!

Bizee Bee Spring Shows!

The next time you attend a street fair, craft show, or festival with craft vendors, look around and see which booths really sell HANDMADE items. More and more, as I participate in these events, I am struck by how few of us are actually selling handmade items anymore. Of course it depends on the type of event you sign up for. Juried events are the choosiest about handmade items for sale. So I try to stick with those.

Craft Shows take a lot of energy and there's no way to predict what will be the big sellers. Last weekend it was Wire Crochet Sets. This weekend it was Earrings! So you bring it all and hope for the best! Set up takes me about 1.5 to 2 hours. Break down is about half of that. I'm fast and can repack properly later in the week.

I choose to stand the entire show and greet my customers with a smile. I like to chat, if possible, but that depends on the body language/facial expression of the customers. Some like to chat, others don't. Some are looking for a particular item and some browse looking for something different to purchase.

I've found that some shows are big in credit card sales and some are mostly cash sales. I take both but continue to use the manual credit card machine. No squares or electronic sale do-dads for me... Maybe next year when I upgrade my cellphone. I still have a no frills, no internet connection, type phone. My husband handles all the sales transactions so I just do the wrap-up and package part.

I don't know how people do these shows solo.Thank goodness for my work-horse husband! He does the driving, lifting, back breaking part of the set up and leaves the jewelry arrangement/placement to me. Without him, I'd be lost...literally. I'd never find the event...even with use of a Garmin!

This is my third year for shows and each year I am learning more:
*What sells, what doesn't
*Which shows to do, which to avoid
*What setup works, what's too much hassle
*How to judge people
*How to handle good/bad event situations

I'm sure every show-crafter has advice, tips, and could write a book. The best advice I can give is to SMILE, project a positive image, and keep a sense of humor! Some shows will be good and some will be losers. For me they've all helped to build my knowledge base. I try to take something positive from each show and let the rest go.

The Beadsmith Challenge!

Lazy Daisy

Oh my Goodness! Oh my Gosh! I feel so honored to be invited to participate in this event along with several very talented artists! I can't thank Mr. Steven Weiss enough for including me in this challenge to try out some of the new Miyuki Magatama seed beads! Many new and wonderful colors of this fantastic bead will be released soon and I can hardly wait to see them all!

I Love Lavender!

Each artist that participated in this challenge was handpicked by Mr. Weiss who works for The Beadsmith, A Global Beading Supply Company. He has been instrumental in guiding us through this challenge, and encouraging each one of us to use our very own artistic judgement. Each project has its own charm and different design depending on the artists' specialty. Mine, of course, were all Kumihimo. Others were Bead Weaving and Bead Embroidery. Not all of the projects are complete but so far the results are stunning! Here are the three projects I made. The last one is my favorite!

Sonoran Sunrise

Also, a very big "Thank You!" to Lisa Peters Russ for providing each of us with her very own handmade focal pieces. She did a wonderful job of matching up the pieces with the bead color. She's a very talented artist! Check out her website:  http://www.lisapetersart.com

You can see all of the results of this challenge on The Beadsmith Face Book page! Check it out and check out all of the Miyuki Magatama Seed Beads! For quality and price you can't beat them!