And The September Challenge Winner Is....

There were 311 votes this month and 3. Tears of Joy - beadsandblooms received the most votes.

"Tears of Joy" is a design worked with three contrasts: color, shape and texture. Complementary opposites on the color wheel, the contrast of curves and angles and finally the textures of the ruffley spiral stitch and the smooth, flat brick stitch. A beautiful piece and a well deserved win!



Runners up this month are:

12. Yin and Yang Peyote Bracelet- SmadarsTreasure

10. Roundabout - ThesePreciousThings

7. Lapis Lazuli Necklace and earring set - dreambeadweaver

22. Circle Gets the Square - beaderjojo

20. Pin Stipes and Flowers Bracelet - GrandmaMarilyns

11. Free and Formed - OOAK - beaddiddy

13. Bananarama Mask - Beadmatrix

21. Textural atmosphere - LiciaBeads

1. Le Rouge et le Noir Freeform Bracelet - enchantedbeads

Start watching for the entries for the October challenge. Lots of our beadweavers have been working on their entries for 'Animal Instincts'. As you know, our winner's prize is the opportunity to choose the theme for the next challenge. So watch for the announcement of the November Challenge theme at the end of September.

Many thanks to everyone who entered the September Challenge. And many thanks as well to everyone who took the time to vote!

And The August Challenge Winner Is....

There were 502 votes this month and 26. Search Light Art Deco Bracelet - GemsbyJules received the most votes.

The cuff bracelet is done in peyote stitch and contains over 2000 size 11 Delica seed beads in a sea foam green, salmon pink, black and silver. Inspiration for the design came from posters with a "search light" look to them.



Runners up this month are:

14. Lost Treasures - Art Deco- beadwoven set - BeadCatcher

11. Art Deco Collar - HighDesertBeadscapes

19. Latte at Hotel Mercedes - Hand Beaded Cuff - ThreeFatesDesign

2. Purple Graces - triz

17. A Salute To Art Deco - wMarlaine

1. Moss Agate Going Green Doily Bracelet - myfairladyvt4

10. Deco Lotus pin or pendant - beadmummy

24. Art Deco Cuff - Savoy Studio

16. A Trip to The Nile - Collar EBWC - SmadarsTreasure


Keep your eyes peeled for the entries for the September challenge. Lots of our beadweavers are already at work on their entries for 'Complementary Contradictions'. As you know, our winner's prize is the opportunity to choose the theme for the next challenge. So watch for the announcement of the October Challenge theme at the end of August.

Many thanks to everyone who entered the August Challenge. And many thanks as well to everyone who voted!

Ars longa, vita brevis

I sold an astonishing 29 pieces at a show last weekend (in spite of the scary thunderstorm that ended the second day of the show an hour early), and with another show this weekend, I decided I'd take today off from my real job and produce.

I beaded my butt off. (Sigh. Don't you wish you could really do that?) I started before 8 a.m. and just quit about half an hour ago, 7:15-ish. I stopped for lunch and dinner and ran a couple of errands. I'll subtract an hour and half for all that, and that still was nearly 10 hours of beading. And in that time I produced exactly two pairs of earrings, a bracelet and a pendant. (Wow! Just another 25 pieces to go between now and Friday! And tomorrow is Thursday.)



I suspect many beaders are like I am when it comes to pricing work -- clueless. Back when I was a freelance writer, I once asked a fellow freelancer how much to charge for, say, writing a press release. The answer was, "As much as you can ask while still keeping a straight face. And if they accept your price without a quibble, you didn't ask enough." Of course, writing is not beading (thank goodness -- I don't want anyone coming back to me with requests for revisions on my earrings!), and I don't think any of us want to have our customers haggle over prices. Nonetheless, when something doesn't sell, I always wonder if I've priced it too high.

So how does one decide how much to charge? I've read in various places that one should charge 2.5 times the cost of materials. That might work for silversmiths or furniture makers, but I think beadweavers are more like painters, in that regard. Does a painter weigh each dab of pigment he or she puts on the palette? My seed beads are like that. Even if I had the discipline to track the price of every tube of beads and record how many of each bead I use in a piece, I'd spend more time counting than creating. And if I had the mindset for that, I'd be an accountant, not an artist. (Before all the accountants rush to hit the "comment" link, let me add that I'm sure there are many artists who are accountants and vise versa. But I'm not that talented!)

Another pricing philosophy is that one should price pieces according to an hourly rate. This is a bit problematic for me, too. Since I have a day job, I rarely complete a piece in one sitting. And if I kept a record of how many minutes I spend on a piece, we're back to the "counting, not creating" problem. Today, however, turned out to be a good benchmark, since I was specifically focused on beading. Ten hours, four pieces. I didn't track how much time I spent on each piece, but if I assigned four hours each to the bracelet and pendant, and an hour to each pair of earrings, the prices I charge for these pieces are very close to the hourly rate I've set for myself.

Is my hourly rate too low? Probably -- but that's a whole 'nother issue. What is our time worth?

Article by Frances of bebop beads.

Meet EBW Member Patrizia Tager

1. How did you get started with beadweaving?

As a little girl I was taught by one of our babysitter to make my own loom out of a shoe box and to weave beaded bracelets on it. I remember loving it but somehow it was pushed aside and forgotten. As I grew up I pursued different artistic avenues. I graduated with a B.A. Hons. In Fashion Design and went on to study photography, but eventually I became a desktop publisher. About 3 years ago, when my son turned one and started day care a few times a week, in desperate need to do something creative I took the opportunity of a few free hours a week to enrol myself in 4 basic beading classes at the local bead shop. That was the beginning of my obsession. The classes weren't enough, so I started buying beadweaving books and magazines and found myself discovering a whole new world that I did not even know existed.

2. What is your favorite part of beadweaving?

My favourite part of beadweaving... I don't have a favourite part, I love it all!!! From buying the beads, to choosing the colour scheme, to learning new techniques, to sitting for hours in complete solitude with my work which I find very meditative, to finally seeing my vision realised in front of me.

3. Please tell us one little known or unknown fact about yourself?

My other "obsession" is tattoos, I have 20 and would love more but am scared of running out of skin!

4. What inspires you?

I really get inspired by everything. I find myself drawn to ancient civilizations and their arts but I am equally moved by modern design and nature. Colours that fit my mood at a given time are also where I draw my inspiration from. I often design a piece simply because I feel like using a particular colour to recreate a particular mood. And last but not least, I get inspired by the beads themselves and the opportunity for freedom of creativity that this medium allows.

5. Do you have a favourite piece you created?

My favourite piece is almost always the one I'm working on. I have to fall in love with the piece as I'm making it, otherwise it would never get finished, but if I had to pick just one it would be the Eye of the Storm necklace which was my entry for the EBW Stormy Whether Challenge.



Triz was recently published for the first time in Flatwork by Nicole Campanella.



Nicole, says about the book:

"FlatWork" is a beautiful beading projects book. Full of inspirational gallery pieces of flatwork created by artists from around the world. You will be completely inspired to create all of the projects in this amazing book. Traditional projects such as, Rosette necklaces, Bolo with a surprise, Three Ring wristband, and Appliqué flower. Contemporary tiered, shelved, and textured Flatwork. I have also included my wire flatwork projects, to mention just a few. I show systematically how to work basic Flatwork to create amazing pieces of art.

Read what Triz has to say about Flatwork. You can see more beautiful art jewelry pieces by Triz at Triz Designs on Etsy.

Etsy BeadWeavers in Step-by-Step Beads!

Have you stopped by your local newsstand, bookstore, or craft store to pick up the latest issue (March/April 2008) of Step-by-Step Beads?

You're going to want to make sure to grab a copy so you can check out all the new projects that are showcased in the publication. Of the 16 projects in this issue, three of them are by members of the Etsy BeadWeavers Street Team!

On page 12 you'll find instructions for the O-riginal O-ring, a circular brick stitch pendant created by Leslie Rogalski. Beautifully bold and modern, and a little bit industrial, these pendants are so much fun you'll want one to wear with every outfit. Leslie has these pendants in her Etsy shop, too, in case you want a Leslie original!

Turn to page 15 and you'll find instructions for a Fold-over Triangle brick-stitch pendant designed by Claire Groff. Claire's pendant design is very versatile. It can be made in different sizes, and by varying the bead colors and adding different charms or dangles you can have a whole wardrobe filled with these beauties! Just look how pretty this pendant looks when paired with a Kumihomo braid:

Carol Dean Sharpe's Southwestern Cuff peyote pattern can be found on page 39 of the magazine. Carol Dean takes her inspiration from a variety of sources to create patterns for an endless procession of beautiful bracelets and cuffs. Her Southwestern Cuff is obviously influenced by the colors and the landscape in gorgeous southern New Mexico.

Congratulations and kudos to these three talented members of the Etsy BeadWeavers team!