Meet Meagan, a person I met on SwapSity.  Meagan knows how to say just enough and leaves you wanting more. Without giving anything away I can tell you I benefited when Meagan recently reduced her glass beads  ’stash’. As soon as I can I’ll be making some glass bead artisan jewellery.

H: Who are you in your ‘real’ life?

M: Good question! My real life is a work in progress. All I can say is that I am interested in tons of different things.

H: What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it? Do you still have it?

M: I remember making cloud nametag pins with my mom when I was a kid. She’s a big crafter of all sorts of things. I think she still has the pins in her house womewhere.

H: Describe your work area: what is the best thing and the worst thing about your space?

M: I work at my desk. I like to be able to look at my computer because  I’m still learning some of the finer aspects of making prayer beads and I use lots of tutorials and pictures for inspiration. I have one of those slide out keyboard trays and my bead cloth is on that. It’s a good use of the space, although I wish the lighting were a little better.

H: What is your medium of choice?

M: I’m a beader. I used to make fashion jewellery and I’m starting to make prayer beads now.

H: What are your favourite materials?

M: I love natural materials. I’ve always been drawn to simple, functional things that are close to nature. The less polished the better! It is my dream to learn to whittle my own wooden beads.

H: What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from? Do your other interests play a part in your designs?

M: I often get ideas just from seeing interesting shapes and colours in my daily travels. I am a very spiritual person.

H:  For whom do you do your designs?

M: I think I mostly design for myself.  I give a lot of my work away as gifts.

There you go! Didn’t I say she is interesting! Meagan and I ’swapped’ her beads for my money. I’d be lying to say these beads are nice: they’re great! 

Thanks, Meagan, for this interview. While your answers got me to a-thinking so I hope you found yourself happily reminiscing.

Helen

I am so happy that Meagan sent her answer to a follow up question I had.

H: What influenced your change of focus?

M: I guess I decided to start with prayer beads because spirituality is becoming more and more important to me. To be honest I liked making jewellery but not so much wearing it, so this is something I can also use myself.

Good or bad, Life is Growth. When we stop growing is the day we die. Some change is easy but it is the hard to accept change that builds our character.

We all have them: pet peeves. Sometimes it’s really puny stuff that we should learn to ignore:  like being upset when somebody borrows something and doesn’t return it from where they got it ~ or sits at your desk and moves stuff but doesn’t put it back as they found it.

Today I have 2 pet peeves: and combined make a great reward of failure. 1 + 2 = 3.

1. People who won’t reveal their sources. I spent a thoroughly wonderful time wandering through the Toronto spring One Of A Kind (OOAK) show, got a lot of business cards, and chatted with some wonderful artisans. I found some really interesting wires being used by some of the jewellery makers. I asked several where they found their wire and the stock answer was ,’oh, I get it from so many places.’ Yeah, right!! Who are you trying to protect: the manufacturer of the wire ~ Not. Your business? That backfires when you give me that answer: I put down what I was looking at and admiring and considering buying, turn and walk away. I enjoy buying other people’s jewellery~~ we all have such different styles. Even if we all make artisan jewellery, we aren’t necessarily in competition with each other. I love beads.  Lotsa beads. You prefer wirework. Or you use precious metals. Or you do bead making, lampwork, and such. All the same stuff but different from one another. Share information with those who ask and build a stronger artisan jewellery makers’ community. Now I won’t be sharing information I found that may helpful to those 2 people. Share and grow.   PLUS
2. I hate getting a helpful information and there is no website or name or anything to remind me where, at which booth , I got it. Case in point: yesterday I got a business card size recipe for sparkling up copper. I didn’t take the time to write down the name or booth number of the artist and now I have a wonderful recipe and no way of contacting the individual. Her work was wonderful. Too bad. Put your name on everything. I have a helpful table of necklace lengths and bead numberson the back of my business cards. The information is helpful and everytime it is viewed there is the place she got it from.  I wrap my packages in cardstock that has my name on it and I add a business card: the package is kept closed with return address labels I printed with my website and email listed on it. Put your name on everything!   EQUALS
3. 1 + 2 = 3.   This year’s OOAK had something revolutionary: a big plot of real estate for winners of a juried show sponsored by the Eastern Ontario Community Futures Development Corp. There was a First Nations booth showing the work of an Ojibway ~ Todd Jamieson ~ and a Salish ~ Alfie Fishgap. When I got home I emailed another contact who was not at the show, RonaldEverettDesign.com, to ask him to research the CFDC for his work ~ he does some remarkable West Coast designs in his clothing. I had his card, he was interesting and intelligent; I remembered him favourably, and I have followed up with him after more than a year with no contact. He put his ‘brand’ on his work and he wasn’t afraid to talk to me about his work.

OKAY! OKAY!!

Just think about what I said. Generosity and Planned Opportunity can make the difference.

Helen – off her soapbox.                      ……………For Now.

“How to Stop Social Media Taking Over Your Day

• ONLY SHARE WHAT IS SAFE TO SHARE – Once you connect to people outside your close friends and family you need to restrict the information you place in these networks. If in doubt, keep it to yourself.
• Observe before following.
• If people are taking too much of your time, drop them, and do not feel any guilt about it. There are no rules that say you have to follow everyone who follows you!
• Pick your venues and do not try to be active in all of them.
• Do not take part in time-wasting activities, such as quizzes and zombie games.
• Set Social Media time and log off when that time is over.
• Grow your network selectively and steadily – Learn how much activity you can manage.
• Use tools where appropriate.

Turn off beeps and popup message alerts, they just take you away from work. In my case using TweetDeck has helped me a great deal (when the thing doesn’t freeze on me) because it puts front and center the most important stuff while keeping less priority stuff accessible.”    ~excerpt from http://www.chrisg.com/

There’s more where that came from but I’ll let you go through it yourself.

There are a bazzzillion companies out there, at least it feels like a bazzzillion, selling you stuff you can do for FREE.  I agree that, if you can afford it, they will bring the job back on time and within budget. But you need to know so much just to pick the successful candidate company. And you run the risk of being taken for a ride you can’t afford.

That has been my bete noire: I trusted the wrong people and I’m in the hole now. It’s a deep hole, too.

I subscribe to the philosophy of  the Renaissance Wo/Man:  be the expert of only one thing:   knowing where you can get the answers to your questions. That will make you an expert of everything.

The answer? Here are my do’s and don’ts:

Do the research yourself.  Hunt up as many forums on the subject and ask questions. Check out Google Asks and Yahoo Asks.

Do ask questions.

Do as much as you can yourself.

My Biggest DO? DO use the common sense you were given at birth.

Don’t  hire the first company that reaches you.

Don’t believe that only they can do things you are perfectly capable of doing yourself.

There is so much to know that it is easy to become frozen, not knowing where you should take your first step.  It can be overwhelming. Each evening, before closing down for the day, decide what your goal for tomorrow will be.  Scribble a quick reminder on your computer so you can get to work on that goal even before you finish your first coffee.  

Now, focus on that one thing.  There will be lots of things to distract you but always come back to that one goal. If achieving that goal will take several days, then stick with that goal until it is completed.

Send yourself a ’status report’ at the end of each business day. Read it the next morning while wearing your ‘CEO Hat.’ 

Stay Focussed.

‘Knowledge is Power.’ Important for artisan jewellery designers, or people who make glass jewellery as a hobby, the more you know the better you’ll do.  The more experience you have the better you’ll do.

Focus for the Day:  Well, today’s focus is on social marketing. I am researching organic marketing (that, by any other name is social marketing) online. I found an article about getting noticed. 

I found it on  a site offering jewellery lessons and articles. Sign up on this site is FREE. I love things that are FREE.

Well, anyway, on this free site I found an article by BobbiWired about getting all your hard work noticed. She has a great long list of sites on which to post, some better than others, and she makes the point that you don’t just set up a tiny account: you link every single site you have to each and every one of the viral marketing (ANOTHER name for Social Marketing) sites. It grows, like a virus only much nicer, ergo Viral Marketing.

The article is organic marketing because it is geared to us, the everyday garden variety people, by everyday garden variety people.

And the comments! Worth reading by the way, because questions are asked and answered and new leads are offered at no cost. That’s people being sociable.

Read, learn, monitor, and you can be more successful with your artisan jewellery sales.

I promised myself I would write something in each of my blogs before I opened any of my e-mails. As always, I opened my emails first. But this time I’m glad I followed my usual pattern of morning coffee and emails. This time I found an email from ‘Playing for Change.’

That’s one of the charities I subscribe to: building peace through music. They are almost ready to open their first music school/recording studio: the Ntonga Music School in the township of Gugulethu, South Africa. 

Why have I chosen to follow this foundation instead of so many other worthy causes? Because I am a failed music student: I studied piano for about 15 years and came away hating the piano. Even today, I choose classical music that is distinctly non-piano. But the experience did give me a love of good music. That’s what is so wonderful: there are all kinds of good music. And these music schools teach good music.

There is music in all of us ~ we just need a way to express it. I have chosen to express my music through needlework and artisan jewellery. Playing for Change does it through music. It offers a safe environment and the tools (education, instruments, recording equipment) to produce the music. While developing the distinct style of each area, it is offering an alternative to bloody war, sectarianism and hatred. Indeed, this group, Playing for Change, is making a difference in the world. It is making this world a better place in which to live.

At least, that’s what I think.

Well. I did promise to add pictures of the finished amulet bags and I have been remiss in not doing so.

I’ve received a slap up the side of m’ head, figuratively speaking, so here they are.

You will note, I hope, that these pictures don’t quite match the graphs offered in Niki Tasha’s Apprenticeship. Read on and you will see why.

(See the wee speckles in the silver section on the left? Some of my silvers look so much alike that it isn’t until you’ve got a bit further that they show themselves. I am of the mind that these speak to the imperfections of Artisan Jewellery that make them truly unique or one of a kind.)

Black n Silver Amulet Bag Frontside

This is one of the patterns for Tubular Even Count Peyote Technique. It does look different from what was graphed: that’s the artistic licence we all have. I copied the graph for the back and the front sides. Once the tube had reached what I considered a  pleasing size (approx 2″ x 2.25″in or 5 x 6cm) I squished it until I hit upon the configuration you can see here. The lesson in this step is to try a pattern different ways: you can be a slave and do the pattern as written, or you can adapt the pattern to your taste. Add a bit of yourself to each pattern or technique and you will have something unique; something that will look different than all the others using this same pattern. I sewed up the bottom side by adding a couple more rows on only 1 side. Then I ran my thread through the ‘teeth’ back and forward and pulled: it’s just like pulling up on a zipper.

Blue n Silver Peyote Amulet Bag Frontside

Blue n Silver Amulet Bag

The Blue n Silver Peyote Amulet Bag is from the other graph offered in the Niki Tasha Apprenticeship. It, too, does not quite resemble the graph. Again, I have exercised my artistic licence and ’smooshed’ the finished tube to find what I liked. In this case I chose not to repeat the pattern on the backside: it cuts down on having to concentrate on the pattern on both sides. I love things asymmetrical so I  chose to have the pattern wrap around one side. A few rows of beads added to only 1 side of the tube and ‘zipping’ up the bottom and there you have it: an amulet bag.

Blue n Silver Peyote Amulet Bag Side

No you aren’t seeing things: I’ve smooshed the tube to better show that this is really one of the patterns from Niki Tasha’s Apprenticeship.

Well, I did vent some hot air in my last Notes to Self: Bead Journal Project. I felt better after doing it, so the venting did some good. I still don’t apologize for the bombardment. If anything, I am grateful for the individuals who challenged the worthiness of my September bracelet submission.

The Winning Bracelet

The losing bracelet

 Why?

It made my brain work ~~ always a painful process. Well, for me it is.

I have over 40 years of experience in the needlework arena. I don’t sew, and it takes me months to get around to replacing buttons that have disappeared into the recesses of coat pockets. But I do use needle and some form of ‘thread’ and I embellish, using many different techniques.

An embellishment in its own right, glass bead artisan jewellery when well done invites compliments and conversation. And it takes humble things, like wire, and makes something beautiful using many different techniques.

It is the marriage of embroidery techniques and my version of glass bead artisan jewellery techniques. What is born of this union is the Tips and Techniques thread I started some little while ago and have been ignoring shamelessly. It has been given a new lease on life.

So. I’ve decided to thank the naysayers for shedding light upon my path. They gave me lemons and I’ve given you lemon meringue pie.  MMMMM~Good.

Yours in beads ~~Helene

We have no money. And Christmas is fast approaching. Already Christmas decorations are appearing in the shopping malls and Halloween hasn’t arrived yet. Every thing you see appears to be so ‘commercial.’

To avoid getting the wrong gift, gift certificates and gift cards are available at many stores, both in the ‘real world’ and in cyberspace. You aren’t giving money, you are giving the gift of choice.

Instead of giving a gift like artisan jewellery, give a beading kit or even just the instructions. It will introduce a lucky person to a new craft which can lead to many hours of fun and creativity.

To make Christmas more meaningful for you and your family, consider my friend Heather’s tradition. Each fall she gets a ‘boy stocking’ and a ‘girl stocking’ from the Salvation Army. She fills them with toiletries that a family in need can always use: soap, shampoo, a mirror, comb and brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, and so on. She also includes mitts and scarves. And a book or toy: one for a boy and one for a girl. Heather has her own children and grandchildren  and even a couple of great-grandchildren. But she includes another 2 childen she will never meet. Is that not a gift of love?

Maybe adopting a child in need or volunteering as a Big Sister or Big Brother is a way for you to give the gift of your time throughout the year.

A favourite of newly weds, especially the very young ones,  is a gift tailored to your spouse. A book of coupons to be redeemed throughout the year for special attention and costs just a bit of paper and little time to think up the special part. I know from experience that this kind of gift is a very big hit at any time during a marriage. Expand the field and make a coupon of love book for everybody in the family. Maybe babysitting will fit the bill for a new mother. It’s a gift of thought you will be giving with your coupon book.

With a bit of effort you can come up with many gift ideas that ‘keep on giving’ throughout the year: things that won’t be thrown into the back of a drawer or closet and soon forgotten. Give the gift of your thoughtfulness, give the gift of your time.

About the Author: Helene Turnbull is an glass bead jewellery artisan who writes about beads and beading techniques. She has held a needle and thread in her hands for over 40 years and during much of that time there are beads involved with her embroidery.  You can see some of her work at http://www.LampworkAndBeads.com and http://glass0beads.etsy.com.

Look everybody and see what I’ve found!

Vanessa Glavac is a young entrepreneur who found a niche market; producing videos of basic techniques in beading. She breaks down each technique into easy to follow steps and, before you know it, you are creating your own artisan jewellery. Once you have these basic techniques you can do anything beaded your imagination can think of.

Vanessa has graciously given me permission to reprint her article: Handmade Jewellery – The Perfect Gift.                             ……..Helene

Handmade Jewellery – The Perfect Gift

If you’re looking for the perfect gift, you might not find it — so why not make it yourself? Handmade beaded jewellery is an easy and inexpensive gift — and fun for givers and receivers.

Jewellery That Matches Everything…Even Your Wallet

Glass beads come in a wide range of prices, so you’re sure to find something that works for your budget. You can also find beautiful but inexpensive acrylic beads. Or if you want to spend more, you can go with semi-precious stones or crystals. Since you’re making it yourself, it is easy to keep things inexpensive and spend just as much as you want to.

Make it Anytime

Making it yourself means you can make it at the time that works best for you. This is especially helpful when it’s 11:00 at night and you realize that you need a gift — for the next day! It’s easy to pull out some beads and make something special, even when all the stores have been closed for hours.

Match Maker

Once you have one piece designed, you can easily make a set. And you can make exactly what your friend likes, instead of buying a lot of extra stuff just to get the one thing she’ll wear. 

Personalize It

It can be hard to decide on the right gift when nothing seems quite right. There’s no better way to personalize a gift then by making it yourself. When you design beaded jewellery for your friends, you can design it with their favourite colours, style, and wardrobe in mind. And if you’re giving clothing as a gift, you can make matching jewellery to go with it.

Perfect Fit

Since you’ve made the jewellery yourself, you also have the power to change it. If your friend tries on the piece and finds that it doesn’t quite fit, you can easily adjust it.

I’ve even given my friends unfinished bracelets — after she takes it out of the box, I measure her wrist and finish it for her.

Give Me Something to Talk About

A gift of handmade jewellery makes a great conversation piece, especially at parties. As soon as you say “I made it myself”, people will ask you how you made it, where you got the beads, and how you came up with such great ideas.

It Just Means More:

Perhaps the best reason to make jewellery as a gift is the added meaning attached to it. In this age when everything is pre-packaged and mass manufactured, your friends will appreciate you taking the time to make something by hand, just for them.

About the Author: Vanessa Glavac writes about  making unique artisan jewellery. For information on how to make your own beaded artisan jewellery, visit www.BeadsByU.com, where you’ll find Vanessa’s easy-to-understand videos and ideas so that you can quickly and easily design your own gorgeous jewellery.