The Good Thing About Taxes

"What?" You say, "is good about taxes?"

I'm a procrastinator...no surprise, right?

And I, like millions of others, have taxes topping my list of things I procrastinate about.  They are never as bad as they seem and I always think "that wasn't so bad, next year I'll do them in January"...ha!

The good thing is that after I have done them it makes me sort out other things I've been procrastinating about and makes me make the decisions I've been putting off.

Today, I decided I wouldn't teach in June and let the store where I teach know.  I need a break, my brain feels fried and I don't feel free to focus on what I really want to.  In looking at what was going on with me I realised I was doing a bunch of things because I think people wanted me to....that people pleaser side of me was beginning to take control again.  And one of the really stupid things about that is half the time what you think people want is not what they actually want.

So pleasing yourself and doing what is in your heart is much more productive all way around. I really want to focus on designing and writing patterns as they are getting backed up in my brain.

I have been playing with photos....trying things out for the new patterns. Hopefully, a more professional, book-like presentation.

Brighter Days

After days of researching and not getting much done I think I'm back on the beading track.

After class yesterday I managed to find the exact color bead I needed for the clasp design I had in mind for 'Love in the Crosshairs'. So this morning I set about working it up. I had it almost complete when my thread broke (didn't listen to my gut and go with a heavier weight) then I realised I had added one extra bead....so thought, rather than un-pick I'd just crunch the bead into oblivion....and I managed to cut the thread there too!

So....feeling frustrated and having just heard the mailman I thought I'd take a break and see if my beads had arrived.

They had :)

And obviously my muse had been telling me something because amongst the fire-polish I ordered were some lavender ones....a much better match than the picasso ones I had been using.  So the morning's work became a test run and was quickly cut apart.  I'm thrilled with the result and it's yet another beaded snap to add to my collection.

Last night's work was the set for my niece...now all ready to be boxed up.

So...Purple Sun...check!

Clasp.....check!

What's next?

Researched to Immobility

I have spent a LOT of time this week researching different ways to get my book out.  BOY! Is it interesting....and depressing.

I think the one thing I've really learned is that publishing is something that makes the publisher's money and the author.....not so much.   Financially it doesn't make a lot of sense, releasing patterns individually seems to be more profitable.

Royalties is such a funny word...it makes you think of riches when in truth it's pennies. 

The e-book thing which I wanted to do because it really appealed to my 'save the trees' nature and which looked so promising at first look with 70% commission turned out to be disappointing because the limits for that 70% commission are strict and wouldn't include what I want to put out. So, then it drops to a mere 35%!  Plus they can put your book on sale anytime they want and just give you 35% of the sale price....so much for having the freedom to set your own price!

At this point I've decided to finish the book and then decide how I want to proceed. The options that look good to me right now, and which I could ostensibly do all of them, are....

• putting it on CD & packaging it in a DVD case with a nice little booklet showing all the design projects
• going with a company that stores files and makes them downloadable automatically upon payment, then build my own website to sell an e-book from
• have a printed version available from my online stores through a Print On Demand (POD) company.

Other things that are up in the air is whether I need to combine chapters. When I first set out to write a book I had six chapters that covered different techniques, then I decided to turn each chapter into a volume and fill it out with more versions/variants of the components/projects which would show much more of the design process.  That may still be the way I go, particularly if I go the CD route....I am looking at cases that snap together and cases that hold multiple CDs so the individual volumes become a collection.

At the moment I'm considering blending two chapters for each volume....but that will depend on just how big the first chapter ends up being.

The date for release on my big white board, May 2nd, seems like an impossibility at this point....I've felt like I've been treading water this week, working hard to just stay afloat...the catching up I did after being sick has dissipated and I am so far behind again. Trouble is, all the research has disillusioned me...not to mention when I've been working on the same designs and variations for so long they begin to look old and boring to me. I know they are not from all the great feedback I get, it's just my muse's need to move to the next things so quickly.

So...for those of you waiting for me to release the first volume of my book...have patience....if I was going through a real publisher you'd have to wait a year :)

On a positive note I am, apparently, the first to blog about the Artbeads Vintage project...YAY!  Do I win something?  Lol!

Ha'penny Farthing & Discovering one's Heritage

So, this is the piece I created using the old coins I found in my Dad's things for the Artbeads Blogger Program.

I have some chain on order and I still need to make the bail but I'm really happy with how it turned out.  The thing I like about these challenges is that sometimes I need to use things I don't normally work with, in this case the brass components.  I was really drawn to the Antique Brass Altar link as it seemed to be already and waiting for a coin to slip in there, I just had to turn the loops 90 degrees.  It's fun because it moves...swings in the setting.

I knew I was going to need small beads for this one and I pretty much used size 15 seed beads exclusivley.

The pendant started some discussion and questioning....we couldn't remember if either of my grand mother's were born in the same year as the farthing was made 1904. After digging out old birth certificates we found it wasn't...maternal grandmother 1909, paternal grandmother 1902.

However...on looking at my paternal grandfather's birth certificate I discovered he had an unusual name for our family...Shem.  I'm still not sure where it came from but am now building a family tree on Ancestor.com.

Something very interesting to me about a great aunt I never knew, it seems that at age 17 she was a printer's compositor.  This was cool for me as when I was in art college studying Graphic Design I had to take a typesetting class and I amazed my instructor by setting type perfectly at my first attempt.  He told me he had been teaching for 20 years and this was a first for him. He and a couple of other college instructors/professors encouraged me to become a typographer as they thought I had a natural flair for it....and now I know where that came from.  The ability to read upside down and back to front came from my great Aunt Ada :)

So..this has already been one of the most interestimng challenges I've undertaken and I've learned quite a lot about my family and heritage in the process.

DISCLAIMER:

Artbeads send me beads and things from time to time so I can play with them and give an honest opinion of the products. I am not reimbursed for this opinion.

Challenge Projects

When I have time I LOVE challenge projects and I do try and sneak them in, especially when Artbeads ask me to :)

I also love vintage style so I was super pleased at the new Artbeads blogger program challenge.  We have to incorporate something old into a new design while trying out some fabulous products from Artbeads.

After my Dad died we found he had a stash of old English coins and I've been wanting to do something with them as a keepsake.

So....I'm not sure exactly which coins I will use but I can say I'll definitely be using the 1904 farthing...the little one. I'll need to clean these babies up but then there will be some bezelling going on :)

If you're looking for a challenge head on over to the Bead Maven's Facebook Page where Nancy is signing people up for her Bead Soup Mixer.

I'm working on a Top Secret project for the Mavens and may announce during our hiatus or when we get back....depends how long it takes to get the basics worked out :) But I can promise you it will be very interesting...and challenging for everyone who gets involved.

And if you've missed it....I just listed eight new patterns in my Artfire store and there's even a coupon to help your budget :)

Just type APRILFOOLFREEBIE into the coupon code slot and get $7.50 off your pattern order of $22.50 or more....that's like getting a FREE pattern!

And I ain't foolin'!

It's Been Awhile!

Boy...time flies!

After a rotten bout of the flu I got behind schedule with things and have had to play catch-up for a couple of weeks.



Wonderful new things have happened....we have two new Bead Mavens, Heather Collin and Callie Mitchell who both do amazing work and I am so thrilled they joined our little group.

 

Callie Mitchell



Heather Collin

The Mavens will go on hiatus for a couple of months on Friday but we have something planned so you won't notice we're away and maybe won't even want is to come back...lol!  Friday will see the news of that :)

And Friday will see me launch my month long April Foolishness in my Artfire store.  I have eight new patterns ready to go and there'll be a coupon code which I'll publish here and on Facebook tomorrow evening :)

Here's one of the patterns...my Arianne Twin Bangles.

I'm now writing up the patterns for the first volume, "Sand Dollars, DecaDiscs and Crab Chain" of my book entitled "Fabulous Fabrications in Seed Beads".

Here's a sneak peek of my Sand Dollar with Crab Chain.

I'm hoping to have it all ready to go by May and then it's onto the next volume....."Corrugations".

Battling Through Late Winter or Is it Spring yet?

Yep, I'm ready for Spring in that I am so sick of this winter flu that has me in it's grip!

My energy level has been so low for the last week that I'm as unproductive as football crazed couch potato during superbowl!  My over achiever little self hates being unproductive so much I start to dream deadlines that don't exist and wake up frantic with panic.

This too shall pass....right?

However....I did get a reminder that I'm not a complete loss...as Artbeads' "Winter Enchantment" gallery was just published over on Facebook.

Here you will find my 'Winter Sun' earrings and the 'Winter Sun' pendant created to match them.

These are probably the blingiest things I've ever created and whether you wear just the earrings, just the pendant or dazzle with the set they are sure going to get you noticed.

I blogged about the earrings when I made them and showed the back where I have encases the back of the rivoli.   I followed suit with the pendant and encased the back of the stone....I've taken to doing this to protect the foil back rather than coating the back with nail polish.

I'm teaching the set this month...however, we're off to a slow start as I had to cancel yesterdays class due to my illness.  I haven't been well enough to even write the tutorial for the pendant yet but the earring tutorial is available in my Artfire store.

And the disclaimer:

Artbeads provide the beads and supplies for these projects and ask only for an honest review....I am not paid for my review or links.