Correction! Stacy didn’t just win First Prize

She won Best in Show at the 56th Annual Southwest Ceramics Show!  Here she is with her trophy –

  Stacy and her trophy

 And here are her other two blue-ribbon winners:

Stacy's ring

The ring with a stone

Stacy's fish

The magnificent fish!  An amazing fish – probably the coolest, certainly the most elegant fish I’ve seen in years.

And in the interests of full disclosure, her second place silver pendant with dichroic glass:

Stacy's pendant

 Not at all shabby, either.  Way to go, Stacy!

 

 

First Prize!

Guess who won First Place and the Tricolor Award at the 56th Annual Southwest Ceramics Show in Dallas earlier this month!!!

 Stacys Ribbon

Our very own Silver Clay Queen and teacher, Stacy Nau-Welch!!!  Come in and see the prizewinner, it is ever-so-lovely. You could even sign up for one or more of Stacy’s Silver Clay classes, and make your own wonderful pieces.

Congrats from all of us, Stacy! 

 

 

Teacher Profiles – Bridget Goodman

BridgetGoodman 

An avid arts and crafts person for several decades, Bridget stopped at a booth that had lots of beading kits at an International Quilt Show. Only one of those three purchased kits was ever completed because she found designing ‘on the fly’ to be her forte’. Intrigued by the beauty of these tiny beads, she started with a square stitch class at a nearby bead store and began to build her repertoire’ of basic stitches. Then she began to combine the stitches and/or explore ways to embellish them. For her, beads took over as the main medium used to play with color, texture, and design as well as offer an alternative for display. You can only put so many floral designs in a home and only so many things can be covered in mosaics, etc.…but there are 365 days every year to wear one-of-a-kind jewelry or adorn others by gifting!

Bridget comments, “Whether sitting by a ‘couch potato’ in the evening or whiling away hours in a hotel room during business travel, the rhythmic stitching of beads together into endless combinations of color and texture keep the hands and mind busy.” Or, she often says, “On first glance, you often think that beadwork is tedious or difficult, but it has unwound many a kink formed from work or commuting stress. I’ve often worked a 10 hour day along with another 2 hours on the road before coming home…then I pick up my beads and find I’m halfway through another bracelet by bedtime and totally relaxed.”

Now, Bridget gets to work from home traveling via internet while providing technical writing or instructional design to many Fortune 500 companies. She has taught several classes at her ‘alma mater’ bead store. Through a move to the Fort Worth area and connecting with us here at The Artful Bead, Bridget desires to continue teaching others. Her experience over the last decade is derived from the many skills she has learned through wonderfully inspired instructors, through the many books, magazines or websites she studies, and the thousands of hours and hundreds of projects completed.

Come and let her share with YOU!

We hope you didn’t miss it

We saw so many old friends, and new friends and young friends for our big 5th birthday party!  We sold an awful lot of be-yoo-ti-ful beads, too.

It was so much fun to see the earlybirds standing politely in a line at 7:40.  We took a few pictures, but went off and left the camera on the shelf, being too tired to remember to pick it up.  The rest of the day we had NO TIME for taking pictures, we were moving fast.

 And I finally met Lolly in person – HI LOLLY!!!  So That was a great thing.

And we also had not one but three great jewelry making techniques classes!  We had so much fun, even if we did mess up a bit and think that the people that called to see if they could sign up were the same people that had come in earlier, so when class started we had 8 people!  We just split it into two, and had classes at both the class table and the front table.  OK, I’m really tired, because those two sentances are really bad, but I can’t figure out what do do about them.  I just want a nice glass of wine and some chinese takeout dinner and a nice sit for about 10 minutes and then bed.

Thanks to everyone who made this such a fabulous day for us!  We’re sending everybody air-hugs and kiss-noises!  Thankyou ThankYou THANKYOU ALL!!!

Homework for Bead Crochet

If you’re taking the Bead Crochet class, you have homework to do before class day!

On your size 8 DMC perle cotton thread, string at least 40 INCHES of size 8 seed beads.  For the sprial bracelet in 2007, string 5 in the main color, one in the accent color, 5 main color, one accent color, and so on.  For the multi-color bracelet in the spring 2008 class, you can string any combination of beads, but if you want the stripey effect, string on groups of 6 or 12.

You won’t have time to do this during class.

We updated this for the bracelet class in April 2008.  Sorry, before that there was a slight error in the amount of beads to string, I somehow got it in my head that it was 40 FEET.  Sorry, please feel free to point out that there is a significant difference between 40 inches and 40 feet.  Or you can try to sell me a bridge or a sailboat.

Have you set your alarm clock yet?

I know it’s not fun to get up early on Saturday, but you don’t want to miss that HUGE 35% off sale, do you?  Yes, even the seed beads will be on sale!  (Calm down Lolly!)

Remember, get to the store before 9AM to get 35% off strands of stones, pearls, and glass all day long. (And seed beads.)  If you get to the store at 9:04, your discount will be 30%, and it drops by 5% every hour until it gets to 20% for people who get to the store after 11.   

Don’t worry, we have plenty of beads to go around.  Don’t we? 

Wait…  How many tubes of the new permanent finish galvanized rose are on the wall?  Dangit…

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday To YOU!  Happy Birthday To YOU!  Happy Birthday Dear Fabulous Artful Bead, Happy Birthday To YOU!!  And many more!!!

We’re looking forward to the big celebration this Saturday!  Set those alarm clocks and be there early.

Why make your own jewelry, part 2

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the Yarn Harlot) writes some wonderfully funny and touching essays about knitting, especially about the connection between people who knit and the past and future.  She talks about the items you knit as being your legacy, your gift to the future, and how important that is to her.  (Mind, while she does this, you both laugh hysterically and cry, she’s Good.)

And that got me to thinking about our legacy as beaders.  So here’s my story.

My mother-in-law’s Great Aunt Margee was evidently quite The Young Thing in the 1920’s, and she saved her favorite necklace for over 70 years.  My mother-in-law brought it to me a couple of years ago, saying “What can we do with this?”  It was a six-foot long strand of crystal beads knotted on silk, broken in several places, the silk stained and yellow with age.  So I soaked it in warm soapy water and started to clean up the beads.  Beads?  Those puppies were antique Swarovski 8mm crystal AB rounds!  They are a slightly different shape than the new ones, but once they got cleaned up they showed their true colors.

I felt like I’d just won the lottery!  I couldn’t keep that kind of thing to myself, I had to share.  So I made bracelets and earrings for every female family member, and still had a lot of beads left.  They’re sitting nice and safe in the stash, in a nice box to keep them from getting mixed up with ordinary beads.  Mostly because they aren’t really “my beads.”  They’re family beads.

This summer, a friend of the family is getting married in Virginia.  We’ve decided that the bride needs Aunt Margee earrings, so I’ll make them and we’ll give them to her and tell her the story of the Roaring 20’s Swarovski necklace and how she is now a part of a very select group, the Keepers of Aunt Margee’s Crystals.  One small thing to bind us together.

Because, unlike yarn, good beads can be used over and over, years or even decades later, and they will still look good.  And they carry our memories with them.

She shouldn’t have told me!

She shouldn’t have told me. She knows I can’t keep secrets!!! I totally suck at keeping my mouth closed, and Mary KNOWS THAT! Why would she do that to me, the world’s second biggest blabbermouth, why would she EVER expect me to keep quiet?  I just can’t.

Close the door.  Be very quiet. I’ll tell you, just because I’m about to explode, but you can’t tell ANYBODY else! Do you hear?? Keep your  lips buttoned! SHHHHHH!!!!

OK. The Artful Bead is 5 years old on April 1st. And to celebrate, we’re having a very VERY special sale. SHHH!!! No squealing!!! You haven’t heard the best part! On Saturday, April 5th, all bright and early in the morning, we’re opening up at 8AM. Yep, practically in the dark.

And, for everyone who gets to the store before 9AM, we’re selling beads “on the wall” for… (deep breath) 35% off. THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT!!! Oops, I’m getting loud, sorry.  That’s 35% off of stones, pearls, seed beads, and czech glass – all those strands hanging on the walls.  All those strands in the case by the register.  And tubes of seed beads.  We’re going to stamp your hand, so you get the earlybird discount all day.  Just in case you are overcome by excitement and have to go have a little lie-down or nice cup of tea or something.

And that’s not all!  Everybody that comes between 9 and 10 will get 30 percent off that stuff.  And from 10 to 11, those sleep-all-day people still get 25%.  And from 11 till we close, if you Just Can’t Make It before, you’ll get 20% off strands on the wall and stones in the case.  And tubes of seed beads.

This sale is limited to in-stock items, it doesn’t apply to special orders. All sales will be final. We won’t be making any refunds during this sale, (so don’t even think of buying that wonderful strand early and then bringing it back on Sale Day so you can be sure of getting it at 35% off. (I already thought of it, and was told NO. you. will. NOT! and to stop it.  And I got glared at.))

So now that’s two of us that know.  Don’t tell anybody, and be sure to act surprised when we send out the email later to announce this Anniversary Spectacular Sale.  OK?  If you don’t act surprised, she’ll know I blabbed.

What??  Posted so EVERYBODY can read it??? Naaah… Nobody but you reads this, really. I’ve checked.