Beadwork's Pattern Play Challenge

The winner's were announced today and are up on the Beading Daily website
http://beadingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2009/08/30/beadwork-s-pattern-play-challenge-winners.aspx
Yes...I'm a winner. My "Doodles" bracelet won in the "Most Off The Wall" category as one of the "zaniest" entries. I can't take credit for it....it looks just like the fabric I worked from.

I'm getting ready to head down to Vegas for beads....sitting with dye on my hair while I have my coffee and do my daily online stuff. Can't say I'm looking forward to the trip....two hours on the freeway is not too much fun and I'll be glad when I'm back. I just need to remember to put some CDs in the car (I can't remember where I put my MP3 player...probably somewhere safe), take a BIG iced latte and stay focused. If I'm lucky I'll be back by 3pm.

I finished the tile bracelet last night, I changed up the design a little bit and it is gorgeous! (If I say so myself). There are just under 200 Swarovski crystals in it all in Fall colors making it look very rich. I love it when a design coes together.

Well...I better go get the dye off my hair before the hair drops out...wouldn't THAT be a great look for my upcoming glossy article.

Stick to the Plan and Everything will be OK.

Ok...I have totally veered off plan today and I'm feeling like 'I just don't care'.

I've done everything except wash my hair and dye the dog....lol...I mean wash the dog and dye my hair. Oh...didn't do laundry and I still have to pack things for the mail (did print the invoice though). I did put more stock in my Artfire studio though and added the Rapid Cart here so you guys won't have to work at Christmas shopping...gee...I'm so thoughtful. Shop, people...I need a new studio, I'm overflowing this one.

I'll work on the tile bracelet tonight but right now I feel like a nap....Seacrest, out.

Sunday....Day of Rest

I couldn't even keep a straight face typing that!
The truth is, when you have a new business there is no day of rest. Even if you managed to get everything business related done during the week you still have to play catch up with things like laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc.

I like and am used to deadlines. That dates back from my days as a Graphic Designer when eveything had a deadline. It makes it easy to prioritize, so everything I do has a deadline...real or imagined. This month sees me designing three more projects for classes, writing ten sets of instructions, I have seventeen classes to teach, seven class proposals to write, three more samples for the proposals to make, a bead society meeting to organize and run, some sample kits to put together to show a local bead store, one major bead project to finish, at least one more major bead project to do from start to finish, manage and stock my new online store (got my first sale), beads to order, packages to mail, plus a major overhaul of my studio!
Just reading that makes me want to curl up in a fetal position!

But it makes today's list seem small...lol! Shopping, wash the dog, laundry, pack up things to drop in the mail tomorrow morning as I head out to Vegas, finish the tiles for the tile bracelet so I can take it with me to match up a clasp, finish writing my bio for the art show I'm judging, and finally get around to dying my hair, something I've been putting off.
Ahh....Sunday.....a day of rest.

Vegas again????

Much as I love the bead stores there, I don't know that I'm up to the drive again so soon. Then again, I need just the right colors of beads and that's hard to choose online.

I need fall colors in tiny 15s and they have to be matte. And I want to match this ----->>>> wonderful little outfit I found for a first date....do you think it'll make him swoon?

Hands up who took me seriously? Nope...I don't have a date.

This is one of the Haute Couture outfits I've chosen to inspire me for the competition. Believe it or not I think the design I've come up with may actually make a good class.

So...I need beads....but they have to be the right beads...and that means Vegas.

The Off Switch to the Muse

Is there one?
Right now I'm thinking not.
It's 3:30 AM and I can't sleep because my muse is jumping up and down, shaking me and screaming in my ear. These are the times when I'm not too thrilled with my creative side. Yesterday was a very long day and when I got home just before 10pm I was pooped! However, after a mere three hours sleep my muse has decided she wants to create. So here I am with new design sketches and is my muse happy that I got up in the middle of the night to put her inspiration down on paper? That would be a no.
It's not enough.....now she wants me to research the beads for the designs!
And I just want to sleep!
How do you put the genie back in the bottle?
My bloody muse is chanting "make it, make it, make it" and I want to bitchslap her!
I appreciate my muse, I really do, she comes up with some amazing stuff but damn it.....sleep already!
I named my muse Morgana after the Arthurian sorceress Morgana Le Fey (sometimes Morgan or Morgaine) half sister to King Arthur. Yeah, yeah, yeah....my English heritage and growing up around castles is very influential. Morgana is often portrayed as evil but truth is she was also a healer....the good/bad dichotomy....you can see why I named my muse after her.

Maria as Morgan-le-Fey

by Andy Zermanski

TGIF

Hmmm...not sure if this is going to apply to me anymore as Friday is now my busy day. I have to head up to Cedar City (a 45 minute drive) to teach two classes, afternoon and evening, plus make a sample between classes. So, it's a really full day....leave at 12.45 and expect to get home about 9.45. Gee it's like being back at work...lol! I laugh because I should be so lucky....all those short eight hour days.

When I got home from class last night I turned on Project Runway and picked up some beads. I made this simple spiral necklace which will be a project for one of my October classes. The photo doesn't do it justice...I need to reshoot but it gives you an idea. I think my students will enjoy making this.

I have to print a bunch of instruction booklets this morning, plus some more calendars then stop at the bank and the store on my way up to Cedar City. It's going to be a long day.

Making the calendars was worthwhile as everyone loves them....I need to get a bunch of copies done. I'm hoping to get the rest of the beadweaving class samples done this weekend and hopefully next week I can knock out all the instruction booklets because I really need to focus on Instructor Proposals for BeadFest, the deadline is rapidly approaching.

Making a living as a bead artist is not an easy thing, so if you're thinking about it be prepared to work hard and don't expect to make much the first year.

Project Runway and the Chicken

Ok....so this one won't inspire me to make matching jewelry. Concept definitely went wayward....hmm...pregnant woman dressed in feathers with her bump dressed as an egg. Attractive.......not!

Some of the other designs were pretty good though.....given this is only week two, I think they have some great designers this season.

Productivity

I'm a highly productive person and a hard worker, both things you need to be if you're going to be self-employed. Those qualities, oddly enough, haven't made working for someone else enjoyable or profitable. I have actually been pulled aside many times by co-workers who have told me to slow down because I make them look bad....what the ????? And most of the time bosses just take advantage or get worried you're after their job. So, I'm definitely suited to working for myself.

I had a highly productive day yesterday, I sorted some more things out, got some destash things packed, photographed and listed in my store including the pattern to my Cobblestone Wave design. Then I organized all the samples for my classes, boxed and labeled them. I printed the flyers for next month and created my calendars for September and October....the stores where I teach my classes are going to be so happy with me....lol! Truth is, if I'm not super organized teaching four classes a week could be a nightmare.

I finished up my day by making the second half of the base of the Project Runway choker....for people who want to know how long it takes me to bead (frequent question) the piece is 1 1/4" wide, 5 1/2 long done in two drop peyote using Delicas and it took about three hours with stretching breaks....but I did also do the picot edging and about 3 inches of picot ruffle. Of course, that's the easy part, now I have to make about 64 small ruffled circles using #15 seed beads....I have four made so far. It's an easy piece to put together though, once all the components are made and the Swarovski pearls to finish it are on their way from Artbeads.

I'm thinking a bracelet version of the choker might make a good class...the problem when you have a peyote base is the time it takes to create it. However,with this design only half the base of the bracelet would be peyote, and at two-drop it could be done in a day class. While I work, my design brain is working on the Haute Couture designs though I'll have to wait till next month's trip to Vegas to get the beads as I really need to get the colors right and that's almost impossible to do online.

I have instructions to write and illustrate, about ten more sets and I'm done for about six months. I have five projects to design for the Bead weaving classes in October. The goal today is one set of instructions and teach class tonight...non-beading related, I have to dye my hair...lol! Anything esle I get done is pure cream.

Organization

I haven't really sorted things out since I changed direction a few months ago and it's long overdue. Some things are just no longer relevant and then, of course, there's the usual 'designer's disarray' that happens when you have to search through every storage box you have for the one bead that's playing hide 'n' seek.

I really want to get all my beads out of the storage boxes and up on the walls like the bead stores. I figure it'll cost me about $100 to get a good wire system and all the hanging tubes for my beads. But I think it'll be worth it to be able to see everything all at once. Plus I'll need it when I move to my new studio....a dream for next year.

I also need to destash as there are things I no longer use. Clasps are one thing, I've moved on to only using sterling or gold fill so I have a lot of plated ones that need to go. Then there's the little ziploc baggies I used to pack beads in for my kits, now I'm switching over to tubes they are just taking up space.

Last night I put together a calendar for all my classes as with four classes a week I need a simple way to keep track of what I'm doing at each one. I did a calendar with a logo and image of some of my work...it came out looking quite professional. I also want to be able to hand them out to my students so they can keep track too. The store's website now has pictures of the projects which will help out a lot.

I'm also working on boxes for each set of classes so everything is ready to go. It takes time to organize but in the long run it'll save lots of time...and stress.

Well...no class today but still tons to do.

Haute Couture Beading Contest

CathiK over at BD kindly brought my attention to this beading contest

www.goodquillhunting.com/Haute_Couture_Beading_Contest.html

It seems lately that when I verbalize my dreams they manifest....or someone like Cathi shows up to point me in the right direction. This contest is killer and I already have designed pieces from THREE of the crazy runway outfits, in all of about 15 minutes...lol! Can I enter more than one? Lord....I haven't a clue which one I'd do first even.

I want to create some really spectacular things for the glossy article, deadline January, so this inspiration is perfect timing. I have to say (again) I LOVE using fashion as inspiration. This contest has me choosing the wildest designs but I have to say....I totally see my designs as wearable. Some of the beading I see in the big competitions makes me think "when would anyone wear that?" or "that would be extremely hot to wear". I've ripped pieces apart because they didn't fall right when one leaned forward or there was some other little glitch that just didn't wear right.

Inspiration is fabulous....but one has to hit the 'TO DO' list before getting carried away and I have a chunk to do before my class this afternoon. I did put in an order at Artbeads last night for a few things I need for the pieces I'm working on....the PR inspired choker and a bracelet I'm reworking to submit as a project for BeadFest.

I'm also thinking about creating a project based on my Beadwork Challenge piece...I'm so happy with how it turned out and it photographed brilliantly. I think the necklace could be made in a day class as long as the students know the basic stitches involved. I'd love to get input as to whether it would be an interesting class but I'm holding off putting up a picture...maybe I'll see if Interweave will allow a picture on my blog.

Oh well...duties of the day to attend to.

Did I say things happen fast?

I was informed today that I won another competition. That's five for five now. Other people are entering these competitions, right?

Maybe I've really found what I'm good at....wouldn't that be nice.

Wait a minute while I take it all in.

I feel like that, like I need to just sit down and breathe for a few minutes. When things start to happen they happen fast!

They do say if you work hard at something you're passionate about eventually it will pay off...and I've had to believe in that these past fifteen months. I've felt like quitting so many times, no regular income will do that to a person. But, maybe for the first time in my life I am truly confident in what I'm doing.

I'm not sure how much I can say about this but I got an e-mail yesterday to say there's going to be a two-page spread article about my beading in a very glossy local magazine...the one I have dreamed of being in. Color me freaking excited! Snoopy happy dancing all over the house!

Everyone who has ever seen any of my artistic endeavors has always been amazed that I'm not known but THAT has never happened for me, mostly, I think because I tend to cripple myself with self-doubt. Maybe it's reaching fifty, maybe it's because the bead magazines are recognizing me, or maybe it's because through teaching I realise that not everyone can do what I do that I have become confident enough to 'go for it'.

I have to get rid of some self-doubt today and write an art bio as I'm going to be helping Selina judge an art show in November. After seeing the resume of last year's judge I'm feeling awfully intimidated but Selina is basically telling me I'm crazy. Can I judge art? Yes, I know I can. I just want to be able to include photos of my work, to me that says more about an artist than a list of honors. Bugger it....the bio will have pictures and if they want to edit them out they can.

So, lots to do today, finish up a piece for a class, write and illustrate a couple of instruction booklets, put some flyers together and take photos of some work, including the Challenge piece so I can get it in the mail. Oh...and hit the bank and library and answer e-mail.

Plus my head is swimming with designs I want to create for the big article. I just need to breathe.

Inspiration

I've been a big fan of Project Runway since the first episode and I'm so happy it's back. It's fabulous to see someone else's design process and the struggles they go through...because in that respect it doesn't matter what you're designing, be it clothes or jewelry.

I was totally inspired by Christopher's winning dress in episode 1, my design brain immediately started to translate the design into beading. It would actually be a cool challenge "Create a piece of jewelry to match your favorite design from Project Runway"...I may have to take the idea to BD.

My immediate design was for a choker, but 3 inches into the peyote base I thought I should maybe start with a bracelet...we'll see which way I go....lol!

Actually, it's my dream to design for the runway. You can design outside the box for a fashion show and I confess to having a LOT of wild designs rattling around in my brain that aren't exactly everyday wear. I love costume design and when I was living in California I went to two costume parties a month and made all my own costumes from a 'Wicked Minnie Mouse' for a 'Twisted Disney' theme to a chainmaille and organza corset creation for a sexy warrior princess look for San Francisco's Exotic Erotic Ball.

I love the Elizabethan and Renaissance periods and some of my BIG ideas come from there and I don't think I'm alone, I think Arline Fisch (love her!) has taken some inspiration from those periods too. These BIG designs are buried in my sketchbooks, dreams waiting to be fulfilled. However, I've been having so much luck with my designs lately that now might be the time to go for it, go big, be brazen and aim high.

More inspiration comes from another designer on Project Runway this season, Epperson who at 50 (my age) is the oldest contestant ever on PR. Makes me feel we golden ones aren't past it yet!

Completed! Done! Finished!

After doing the demo today I came home, had dinner, answered phone calls and e-mail and sat down and finished my Beadwork Challenge. Maybe Michelle putting hers on BD today was the inspiration I needed to finish or maybe it was just I had the time.

The third time was definitely the charm and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I always know something works for me when I can imagine wearing it with different outfits which isn't that great as this one goes bye-bye. I wonder what they do with them...do you get them back? Or go into a charity auction? Maybe I'll ask.

Now I've just got to find the instructions for sending it in...dang, I hate when I put things in a safe place. However...I did just find another sheet of bead society mailing list in my quick search. I swear things hide until you've quit looking for them.

**rummage, rummage**

Hehehe....how silly....I had pinned it to my workboard, right under my nose.

Cool, I can take pictures tomorrow and get it in the mail Monday....way before deadline!!

Demo Day

The focus today is a demo at Robert's Crafts in Cedar City, I'll be there from 11am till 1pm with samples for all my classes. Not sure what I'll be demo-ing yet, possibly pendant wraps.

This morning the Beading Daily newsletter had a surprise for me. Michelle Mach who writes the newsletter has her design for the Beadwork Challenge up. She's working with the same kit I am and it's interesting to see what she came up with. She made a necklace with a changeable pendant....I'm making a necklace that has a pendant look to it. Other than that...the designs are totally different including the use of the lucite flower. And I got to know when it will be published....the December/January issue, so it should be on the magazine racks in November. Exciting!

Last night's class was fun....it kind of veered off the pattern but it was a small class and when it's small individual alterations to the design are manageable. Pretty and very different bracelets were the result.

On the competition front the contest I'm waiting to hear from (at the end of the month) is the Pattern Play Challenge. You had to use pattern as inspiration. I used the fabric from my belly dancing scarf as my inspiration and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Dixie Bead Society Officially Launched

Well, I did it!
I sent out the newsletter announcing the inaugural meeting. I've been sitting on the newsletter for over a week as I didn't want to send it out too much before the meeting...I'm thinking just under two weeks gives people time to put in on their calendars and hopefully not enough time to forget about it.

The bead society has been a dream of mine for almost a year now and after some set backs it's now coming together. It showed it's face publicly back in May but then I had to change focus and it got put on a back burner mostly because it's not easy building a bead society on your own. I finally met some ladies who wanted to help get it going and it gave me a new determination, which was good because after a couple of weeks the ladies backed out and I was on my own again.

There's a lot that goes into creating a society, it's so much more than a group of beaders sitting around a table beading once a month. I've got discounts and special privileges from the nearest bead stores...which meant my spending a whole day meeting with store owners and four hours driving, not to mention keeping up with the contacts. I've talked to bead magazines, other societies, and I've researched my heart out online. I'm going to be demonstrating how to take good pictures of your jewelry at the first meeting and have put an instruction sheet together on how to make a "white box". The 'press' will be there for the first meeting, cameras in hand. So I hope to heaven there's a decent turn out and it all goes smoothly.

The first article on me hits the newstands today and I'm hoping it brings out even more beaders than the 30 on my mailing list. I'm looking forward to reading the article....though I am certainly NOT looking forward to seeing the pictures. There could not have been a worse day for pictures...I was exhausted! I'd spent the previous day getting the bead stores on board for the bead society and had been on the road and talking for ten hours, that tired me out so much I couldn't sleep that night and only managed two hours! I was too tired to dye my hair so I looked like a skunk with all the white grey roots showing no matter what I did to try to disguise it. Oh well...

Actual Beading

I managed to get some work done on the Beadwork Challenge piece last night and it's coming together nicely now...third time's a charm right? I'm happy with the components I created and have been since conception it's the way to put them together on a base and chain that's been giving me trouble. The first attempt I didn't like the color I'd added and it felt 'stiff' to me, the second attempt wasn't bad but just didn't feel right and there was a slight issue when wearing it ~ one side fell forward when you leaned forward. That was fixable but the whole piece did not make me go "YES!" and that's what I look for.

I took a break and did some research for inspiration...I tend to look to Lalique, Fouquet and Haskell. I found a piece by Haskell that I'd not seen before that had similar elements and oddly some of the same ideas I'd had. It was made from very different materials of course, no bead weaving. So, I'd say my piece is turning into an interpretation of the Haskell piece. The main idea I incorporated was a double string and an increase in the number of drops I was already using. Hopefully this will work to my satisfaction.

If I've stirred your curiousity....sorry, but you'll have to wait till it's published which probably won't be till October/November.

Building, building, building....

A building day today.
After chatting with JSmaz about Artfire (check out her store there) I decided to open my own. I like the way the stores look and the features are cool. So I've already spent a chunk of time today getting that started and I'll spend some more time today getting things on the site. I also need to fill out my Facebook page, right now it's just a name.
This afternoon I'm off to help an artist friend build an online presence.

Selling jewelry is definitely not easy, there's so much out there and the competition is tough.

My Beading Story continued

Once I was teaching at the craft store I discovered a couple of things. One was that I wasn't making enough to cover the time I put in writing and illustrating my workbooklets. Another was that it was impossible to be specific about beads for a project because in the time from design to the class (about a month) they had sold out and everyone got frustrated. Yet another was that they don't stock the right beads for beadweaving.

To solve these problems I started putting kits together to make more use of my instructions and did sell quite a few through Etsy and at a couple of craft fairs. The manager at the craft store asked me to submit my kits to the corporate office as she wanted to stock them, and I did this (three times actually) and the lesson I learned was 'don't deal with corporations'. I did get my kits into another local craft store and tried to teach classes there but they didn't have a 'classroom' and my students really didn't like the space.

Now, I think I'm much wiser. I design very flexible classes, take a couple of things the store might sell out of, rotate my classes and teach at a second store in the chain.

I did teach a private bead weaving class until a few months ago and there I learned some valuable lessons too. No matter how hard you work to keep your prices down for kits and classes people will always want it cheaper and producing cheaper kits doesn't make me happy or make me a living. Also, when booking classes with kits get 50% at the time of the booking some of it non-refundable so you're covered for expenses when people back out and you've already bought the supplies for the kits and put them together, even the big companies have restocking fees. Time is money and if I don't respect my time, no one else will.

I now have a schedule of pricing for my time. People can book me as a technical advisor to help them with their own projects or they can plan a group class, choose one of my kits in a variety of colorways and get a huge discount for my time as an instructor. Of course my kits are more expensive thesedays because I only use the best beads (mostly Delicas, Swarovskis, Czech fire-polished and gemstones), sterling silver or gold fill findings and I've quit winding my own thread bobbins.

Hopefully this info helps someone who's on the same path as me and you don't have to go through the struggles I went through to learn these things.

And on a Brighter Side

I'm sending out the newsletters today for the Beading Society announcing the inaugural meeting. Tomorrow the first story about me, my classes and the bead society is published. Things are getting exciting! And who knows maybe my prize for the Beading Daily Forum challenge will arrive today....oooo, I hope so.

Ha...I have three pieces to finish today too! Not to mention the Challenge piece. Come to think of it...laundry might be a good idea too....naked beaders don't go down too well in Utah!

Inspiration Overload!

There's something about a bead store that overloads my brain.

It's kind of like my brain goes into a sugar coma.....I can't think. Actually, it's more like I can't complete a thought. My designer kicks in and tries to design a million different things at the same time and my mind goes all "blue screen".

It's the problem of not having a local bead store and being able to go in a few times a week and get 'climatized' to all the inspiration. I have to settle for the trip to Vegas once a month and it's just not enough to stop the brain freeze when I get there.

There is no substitute for being in a good bead store! Online shopping is convenient and it's great to recieve your package, but honestly folks....it's like eating dogfood compared to a really good filet mignon. (Not that I've eaten dogfood...well, maybe a cookie or two).

The good thing is that it does make me stick to what I went down to buy and eventually my brain sorts out a couple of new things I want on the next trip. I came back with the silver chain I needed for the Deco-inspired pendant I just designed for next month's class, some 26g copper wire for the Deco bangle (my classes have made our town's four craft stores sell out), the Swarovski crystals I wanted....and bonus, they just got in the 3mm size, a few rivolis and the new thing I wanted from my last visit...I believe the store owner called them 'pinch' beads but they look like a lentil with the hole to one side. That was the bead that stuck in my mind the last visit.

It was a good trip, traffic wasn't a problem and I totally fell in love with Selina's car, a Prius. I now know what my next car will be.

Today I have a class this afternoon, a knotted design I call "Bold & Beautiful". The pendant is not part of the class, I just wanted something black and red so I bezeled a black glass stone (actually a floral glass pebble). I use floral pebbles when teaching wire wrapping as it's crazy to use an expensive cabochon when it's your first class and it's amazing how good they can look. I learned this knotting technique from a book eons ago and I really like it, it's a great way to match to an outfit and if you sew you can use fabric from a skirt or dress in the design.

Vegas Baby!

Road trip!!!
My friend Selina and I are off to Vegas to visit the bead stores. Selina teaches painting at the craft store, is a regular at my beading classes and on the committee of the Bead Society I started.
I'm still kind of broke but I see some Swarovskis in my future, hard to go down and not buy them at the prices Ernie has. He told me there was a Swarovski war in Vegas and their prices went down and down until the other store went out of business, after the war was over Ernie and his partner decided to keep the prices low...he sells them just above cost! WAR! What is it good for? SWAROVSKIS!!!!
Well, wish me luck in the Vegas traffic and I just have to keep my mind on my fall palette...MOPP, MOPP, MOPP. That's mango, olive, pumpkin and pomegranate. Yummy!

Hot Off the Presses!

I decided to make a new set of wire work projects for one of my classes next month. I was feeling in an Art Deco/Nouveau mood but as always the challenge in designing a project for a class is to make it simple enough for a complete beginner and interesting enough for someone who has taken a couple of classes. Then you have to time it so they learn everything they need to complete it on their own if they don't finish in the two hour class.

I think this will work out nicely....of course, best laid plans of mice and men and me being a direct decendant of Murphy.......

A Time to Blog

Who am I and what's "The Beaded Carpet"?

I ask myself that first part of the question quite regularly and though the answer may change around the edges the core is extremely constant. I'm an artist and a designer. It's not something I can change even if I wanted to. It creeps into everything I do even if I'm doing a non-creative job. The thing I've learned about myself in my 50 years is that without creating some form of art I get deeply depressed and life becomes not worth living.

The answer to the second part of the question is "the floor of my workroom". Every beader, at one time or another has an 'accident' and beads bury themselves into the carpet. It's just more of a regular occurence for me....a little accident prone, you may say. My dog likes to remind me every so often that I need to get the vacuum and the pantyhose out by scratching at the carpet so the buried beads are uncovered and sent 'pinging' into the walls and furniture.

How I got here.

Fifteen months ago I quit my job doing recreational therapy with Alzheimer's patients, not because I didn't like it, I loved the job but I hated the politics and couldn't live on the pay. I had planned to go back into real estate marketing and had a job lined up. My first day of the new job had my stomach in knots, my gut was telling me this was a wrong move. My brother was visiting and said he couldn't understand why I wasn't doing something with all my "creative talent" and that I should think about being self employed again. Not knowing if it was the right thing to do but knowing the new job definitely wasn't I called and quit. If there's a cliff to jump off, please don't show me.

I had seen that my local craft store was looking for instructors and as I do nearly every craft out there I decided to apply. When I met with the woman hiring and asked what crafts they needed instructor's for her eyes went straight to the necklace I was wearing and she asked "Did you make that?" When I said yes she told me they needed a beading instructor and after looking at some of my work I was hired. It wasn't going to be a great deal of income but it was a start.

I was off and running....well, crawling really....but it's amazing what you find when you're on your hands and knees.....for one thing, a lot of beads in the carpet!