2018 Ornament Swap Reveal

Today's the day to see all of the lovely ornaments everyone made in this year's Swap Hop!

Margo Lynn and Karen Williams

Carrie Johnson and Therese Frank

Jasvanti Patel and Becky Clay

Jane Knaub and Mandi Bugatti

Sherry Eagle and Amy Severino

Judy J Jacobs and Judy Deshaies

Adrienne Hendrickson and Francie Broadie

Cyndi Nason and Karen Williams

I'll update the list with direct links to everyone's posts as soon as I have my morning tea.  I'm on the West Coast, so it won't be first thing for my East Coast friends.

In order to make the numbers match, I was fortunate enough to pair up with two swap partners, Margo Lynn and Cyndi Nason.  Originally, I thought I might create a bead embroidered ornament for each of them, but nothing quite worked out the way I wanted it to.  In the end, I decided to combine two of my favorite beading patterns into a new design.  Not what I'd envisioned, but better than what was coming from my other attempts.  It did feel good to be beading again!

Snowflakes and Lantern Beads for Cyndi and Margo Lynn

paper-cut luminary with LED candle

I used the same pattern variations for both of their main ornaments, varying the color palettes to hopefully suit each.  For Cyndi's, I added in a pair of earrings, while I added in an extra snowflake ornament for Margo Lynn.

Cyndi wrote that her "ornament is going on a chain and being worn with my Christmas shirt to our Christmas Dinner/Square Dance this coming Tues. (then back on the tree). I'm figuring out where it can go, so it can be displayed year round."  Yeah, she liked it! 

And because paper is my second love, I also sent each of them a snowflake luminary, and made little pillow boxes to hold their ornaments.


In return, Cyndi sent a gorgeous seed-beaded ornament created with Delica's in rich Christmas tones.  Between a late mailing and my travels, I just received her ornament today.  It definitely brightened a very, very grey day.

Cyndi's ornament complete with decorative hanger

after trying it on the tree, I instead hung it in the archway to our dining room

 I immediately hung it on our tree, but decided I wanted to give it more prominence.  It's now hanging from the center of the pine roping decorating the archway between our dining and living rooms.   So lovely!

Margo Lynn's ornament hasn't made it quite yet, but I'll add photos as soon at it arrives!

New PDF Tutorial: Criss-Cross Lantern Beads with Right Angle Weave

Preparing for a workshop early last month, I pulled out the pattern for my Cap Beads from my book Corsets, Caps & Stays: Elegant Beaded Beads.  What would happen, I wondered, if I used some of the fun, shaped beads that have come out since then?  My new Criss-Cross Lantern beads are the result. 

I promised my students that I'd send them the revised instructions, including this variation.  And here it is, nearly a month later!  I've heavily revised the original pattern, doubling the number of detailed bead diagrams and added all-new instructions for the Lantern Bead variation. 

The Lantern Ornaments Beaded Beads PDF pattern is now available in my Etsy store.   To celebrate its release, I'm offering a special deal. 

 
2015 Holiday Special

** If you purchase a copy of my original Corsets, Caps & Stays book (either paperback or digital versions) now through December 15th, I will include the download code for my Lantern Bead PDF tutorial with your purchase. 

** Also, for friends who already own a copy of my original Corsets book and are on my mailing list, my next newsletter update will include instructions for how you can claim your free copy of this new pattern.  

To simplify my life, I've decided to post all free updates via my email newsletter from now on.  There's only one of me and trying to keep track of who purchased what, from where, and when gets to be sooo crazy, especially since I have no way of tracking Amazon sales.   Trying to track everything takes up a tremendous amount of time that I could otherwise use for designing, beading and writing.  From now on, I'll post update opportunities in my email newsletters, along with simple instructions on how to claim your PDF updates for my patterns that you've previously purchased. 

Not on my mailing list?  Click here to sign up.  Normally I send out one to two email updates per month, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.  It all depends on what's going on. 

This month, I've decided to get ambitious!  My plan is to send out a special update every Wednesday, starting tomorrow for the next three weeks, with a new pattern addition or update code.  If you already own the base pattern (or purchase it during my promotion), you'll receive the updates for free.   Next week I'll be sending out an addition to my Snowflakes and Stars tutorial.  This is my way of saying thank you for helping to make it possible to do what I do! 

Winners of my Because You Rock Giveaway

Thanks for another great year!  2013 saw growth in almost every area of my business and I couldn't have done it without all of you.

It's now time to announce the winners to my Because You Rock Giveaway.  Yes, winners, plural!  It seems only right that a fantastic December here at Skunk Hill Studio translates into a little extra beady cheer for two of the amazing people who helped make 2013 awesome.  So, drumroll please, the winners are:

Miriam W 

and 

Vala R

You've just won a little beaded bead pendant (similar to the one's in the picture) made by me in the color of your choice.  You both should receive an email from me in the next hour. 

Because you Rock Giveaway

Thank you!  For stopping by and reading my blog.  For participating in the challenges I've hosted this year.  For purchasing my kits and tutorials.  For spreading the word and helping to make this the best year yet for my Etsy store.  For sticking with me through the year.  It is truly thanks to you and everyone else like you that I can continue to produce new patterns and tutorials like my Fancy Fish Friends. And you rock!  

I've decided to host a little Give Away to say thanks for all your support and to finish out the year on an upswing.  

What will I be giving away, you ask?  How about a little beaded bead pendant like either of the two pictured at the left.  I'll even make it in whatever color the winner desires (provided I can find beads in that color).  

How do you enter the giveaway? Here's how:

• You can get an entry for visiting my main Etsy store, favoriting an item, then coming back here and commenting to let me know what you chose.  If you've favorited an item in the past, you can use that if you'd prefer.
• I'll give you a bonus entry if you let me know why you chose that particular item or items (I'm looking for concrete, constructive ideas here - something beyond 'because I liked it' which, while cool, doesn't give me much to go on in terms of continuous quality improvement).
• I'll also give you a bonus entry if you make a concrete suggestion for future additions to my Etsy store - something you'd love to see in 2014.  
• I'll give you an extra entry if you mention and link to this giveaway on your blog or Facebook page, too.  Just comment on my blog and let me know where you've posted. 
• Anyone who makes a purchase at my Etsy store automatically gets TWO entries.
• I'll also give an additional entry for every $25 in purchases - so if you made a $50 purchase, you'd get four entries.  For this purpose, I'll be counting all purchases made between November 15th and December 31st, 2013.
• If you've made a purchase in my Etsy store previously and you buy something between now and the end of the year, I'll give you an extra entry for being a repeat customer. 

Winner Selection and Upping the Stakes

I'll be choosing the winner (and if there are a LOT of entries - winners) randomly.  Lastly, if I break my Monthly Sales Record for my Skunk Hill Studio Etsy store, not only will I do a happy dance, I'll add in a separate Grand Prize of a Fancy Fish hand-stitched by me.  But that's only if my December sales top those from July 2013 (my best month to date). 

I'll announce the winner(s) on my Blog on Thursday, January 2nd.

Make sure I have a way to contact you in case you are the winner (the easiest is if your profile is set up so I can send you an email).  If for some reason I am unable to contact you, I reserve the right to choose another winner.  But I'd really, really hate to have to do that.  

Spring Classes at Fusion Beads

Fusion Beads has published their complete schedule of Spring classes.  (download a full-color newsletter). They offer one of the best selections I've ever seen - with over fourteen pages of classes this time around, including classes in wire working and metal smithing, resin, fusing, jewelry clay, macrame & cord, PMC, chainmaille and of course, Beadweaving! 

Even if you don't live in Seattle, if you're thinking of planning a trip to the area you might give their schedule a peak - they offer classes almost every single day

Taking a peek at the schedule myself, I just discovered that my Corset & Stays Beaded Bead class is one of those featured on the front cover! In case you're wondering, I'll be teaching on February on February 3rd. 

Registration begins at 10 a.m. Thursday, December 13.

Oh, and now through Dec. 16, 2012, FusionBeads.com will donate $1 to Treehouse, an organization that supports foster children with the purchase of any TierraCast plated pewter holiday charm! 

I think this is pretty cool as most of the charms seem to run about $1.50.   I haven't seen them in person, but several of these charms look way cute from their pictures. 

It's Almost Live....

I have an ISBN number!  My newest book, Corsets, Caps and Stays: Elegant Beaded Beads with Right Angle Weave, is at the publishers.  And while I don't have a physical copy of the book itself yet, I do have its ISBN number (two actually):

      ISBN-13: 9781480074910
      ISBN-10: 1480074918

I can't tell you how exciting it is to see those numbers!

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while have likely seen the book progress. It's pretty much taken over my life the past several months, though I've tried not to write about it too much here in the blog for fear of boring everyone to tears.

color coded edits & several takes on one page

It's such a slow process - on good days, I might finish putting together the illustrations and text for a two-page spread.  Or maybe I'd do initial layout for several pages.  Or stitch another sample while taking notes and process photos, then upload everything into my computer for revision.  Every page required multiple, multiple revisions.   It seemed at times like a never ending cycle. I came up with a color coded system to track the various edits (pink for text edits, yellow-illustrations, green-photos, blue the page's ready to print for the next review!)

But I had a hard deadline, as I want to take copies of it with me to Bead Fest Texas, which is just around the corner.  Which meant that I needed send the book to the printer in time to get it proofed AND printed.  And time kept slipping away....

PDF proof from Createspace with ISBN numbers!

So I worked twelve hour days on it last week, and over the weekend.  On Monday, I spent eight hours doing a final proof, then saved the files to PDF (separate files for the interior and cover) and uploaded them to Createspace.  They promised a 48 hour turn-around for a digitial proof, but when I checked at 5:00am (yes, really) the next morning it was in.  Yeah!

Except they said that one of my images was under 300DPI, the recommended printing resolution.  Not Yeah!  So I opened my InDesign file to find the offending image.  And since I was already in the file and they'd created such lovely proofing options, I went through the book one more time.  Another three hours of proofing.

Besides sending me a PDF copy with trim marks, they also have a cool virtual proofing option that tries to show you exactly what it will look like as a physical book.  I took a screenshot so you could see what I mean. 

Virtual proof - they even tried to simulate page turns

The digital proofing system is new since my first book and I thought it quite nifty.

I have a barcode, too! 

This project started out as a class handout, but kept growing. When I taught my Corset Beads at the June Seedbeader's meeting, the handout stood at a healthy eleven pages.  Based on that class, and questions that came up, it grew to twenty five pages.  Which I thought would be it.  But I couldn't stop thinking about it, asking 'what ifs'.  So I decided to let it do what it would.  The final version topped out at 51 pages.  A short book, but a long tutorial, which is the way I still think of it. 

It's a very hands-on and project oriented, with explicit bead counts and stitching instructions.  This is so different from my freeform peyote beading that I'm still vaguely stunned that I managed it.  I spent an entire summer counting stitches and making diagrams!

Unlike Freeform Peyote Beading, which starts with an extensive design section, this one dives right into the stitching.  The first chapter reviews the stitches - all the different aspects of single needle right angle weave used in the rest of the book, talks a little about needles and threads, and has a quickie tutorial on painting wooden beads.  Then it's off into the projects.

Chapter Head Screen shot

There are three chapters on different styles of beaded beads, each with multiple samples and design variations. First up are the 'solid' beads, completely covered with bead weaving.  My Corsets & Stays beads, with their central band of beading laced onto the base bead (hence the reference to corsets) come next.  Then my Caps & Stays beads, with two beaded end caps connected by right angle weave stays.  I rounded the book out with a chapter on Finishing Touches, including a beaded bail, the spiral twists and the leaf from the bead shown in the proof above, a beaded rope and toggle and some ideas for incorporating the beads into larger designs.

So now all I have to do is wait for the books to arrive.  That will be like Christmas.  And a little scary too - there's that little fear, too.  What have I done!?!

In the meantime, I'm working on kits for Bead Fest and to add to Etsy.   I'm finally starting to get a system together and streamlining things there, too. 

Work in Progress Wednesday - New Kit & New Photos

Quinacridone Summer, my newest freeform peyote kit

There's a one-woman celebration going on at my house!  Why?

Because I've finally finished putting together all the pieces and parts for my latest freeform peyote kit.  Available now on Etsy.  Woo Hoo!

This time it's a beaded bead, entitled Quinacridone Summer,  drawing its palette from the warm, rich colors of JJ Jacobs' abstract acrylic painting, Gypsy Wind.  

I finished the bead early this month, but just finished up the project notes on Tuesday.

As I began work on my Etsy listing, it occurred to me, wouldn't it be nice if I could show a sample of what the bead could look like made into a simple pendant?  Brakes on, full stop.  After a brief debate, I dusted off my rusty wireworking skills and made some head pins.

They had to be extra long to fit the bead and give me room to work.  With a pretty end at the bottom.  Something decorative.

One thing I've learned about myself is that the first or second of anything I make tends to be a bit rough.  This includes skills I haven't used in a while.  So I cut enough wire for two dozen headpins, pulled out my pliers, hammer and bit of railroad tie and went to work. 

Together at last!  My full-color tutorial and my new beaded bead pendant

Head pins complete, it took me three tries to turn one into a reasonable looking pendant (you can see a closer shot in my Etsy listing).  And by then I was on a roll. 

 If it was a good idea to create a bale for this beaded bead, then wouldn't it be a great one to make bales for my Corset Bead kits, too?  I bet you can guess how I spent the rest of Tuesday and then Wednesday morning. 

That done, it was finally time to set up my little photography studio.  I think the photos turned out really great, so I have to share. 

New bale for my Turquoise Antiquity beaded bead

I'll be making up kits for this one next week

My favorite photo - festive Holiday beads

I am simply pleased as punch with how they all turned out!  A fun, silly fact, bottle in the last two photos was a bottle of milk that came with my slice of chocolate birthday cake.  :-)  

So, now my all my bead kits will come with decorative headpins and an little accent bead kit for bale making.  I'm not generally including my earwires (shown in the last photo - used as an ornament hook) with any of the kits.  But as a special for my blog readers, if you convo me with your purchase, I'll include earwires too.  Just let me know you want them. 

Two and a Half Months - NW Seedbeaders

This past Sunday was the NW Seedbeader's Group; one of my absolute favorite days of the month.  Last month I taught my Corset Beads, and this month several people brought their finished beads back for me to see and share.  I just love seeing what other people do!

Ellen Lambright added an extra row of triangle beads to each edge

I find these little beauties hard to photograph because it always seems like the eye can see so much more of the whole than the camera can capture.  I tried to compensate with multiple camera angles and shots!

Constance Miteo-Johnson's reminds me of a 4th of July UFO

Connie's triple rows of drop beads created a fun, elliptical effect which reminded me of UFOs and pinwheels. 

Aren't Bonita Kroon's colors striking? 

Bonnie plans to combine her corset bead with the N'debele rope Deanna Raabe shared for this month's program into a larger piece.  She was playing with different ideas for adding splashes of the brighter orange and gold into her rope. 

N'debele rope by Tamera Mickelson with lamworked focal

Tamera Mickelson brought this necklace as another sample of N'debele rope, made with size 11 triangle beads.  One of the keys seems to be making sure you get the triangle beads with the sharp, rather than rounded, edges.

And since I didn't have time to do any photography last week, I invited people to bring back their completed amulet bags from June.

Vicki Nelson's amulet bag

Bonita Kroon's "Geek" bag

Bonnie called hers a "Geek" bag because she discovered it's perfectly sized to hold a thumb drive.  How cool it that?

So there you have it; three month's of Seedbeaders' meetings.