Catching up and feeling human

The deed is done. Wait - my editor reads this blog and she's totally going to bust me. So let me rephrase that - the deed is partially done. I mailed off the final set of beaded samples for Jill Wiseman Teaches the Ropes, and now the design portion of my first book is complete. How I managed to conceive of and bead up the majority of the projects in the last six weeks is still a mystery to me. There was very little sleep. A few meltdowns (usually when the tiredness overcame any sensible thought.) A bunch of giddy, silly moments when something turned out even better than I'd envisioned it. And much heartburn for all involved as we wondered if the deadlines were obtainable.

As I sent the last bits in, though, and was able to take a moment and look it all over as a collection, I was really proud of the accomplishment. It looks like it all goes together. It looks like my kind of design aesthetic, which is so important to me - I feel like I have a slightly different style that I sometimes struggle to keep in line. It's easy to gild the lily! The harder part is editing it down to the more streamlined, graphic, modern sense I work for. But I feel confident that every piece in this book belongs in this book. And I'm teary and emotional about it from feeling like I did good.

And as happy as sending that box made me, it's far from over. I still owe them about a bazillion sets of instructions that need to be written and illustrated. I am finishing some samples showing variations of the book projects that will be shipped Thursday for the photo shoot on Friday. I have the Basics section and some other smart sounding words to write.

But all of that seems so much more manageable than the last six weeks of my life. I'm working on finding my life under the piles of beads again. I slept for roughly two solid days. I got a massage yesterday. I'm finally unpacking the suitcase from my trip to California four weeks ago. Laundry is drying at this very moment. And a pedicure is in my very near future.

But don't worry, Nathalie - I'm working on what I still owe you too! :-)

I leave you with a photo of Winston that I took tonight as he laid on my lap, keeping me company during the night shift. I suppose he thinks he deserves the Employee of the Month title now!

Great blog post re: inspiration vs. exploitation

I talk about the subject of design copy all the time...but Pat has put together a blog post I wish I had written, so let's let her do the talking! Check it out at: The Crafty Retailer.

The good, the bad, and the ugly truth

I'm discovering that writing your first book is full of one learning experience after another. And by discovering, I mean the hard way! Just when I think I have it together...well, you can imagine. Here are some of the lessons I've learned:

• You make an outline at the start that has a visual description of each project that you have in your head. And when you actually start beading that design, it laughs at you and shows you what the real design is. Takeaway: Be flexible
• When you sign that contract, the deadline for turning in your completed projects, instructions, and illustrations seems like a million months away. And then the calendar laughs at you and time speeds up and all of a sudden you're behind and panicked. Takeaway: Pretend like it's a race to get it finished as fast as possible and then you might make that deadline without having to take anti-anxiety medication.
• The good news is that you've spent the last 10 years of your life collecting all the coolest seed beads, focal beads, clasps, and crystals, and it finally pays off as you're making the collection of your life for the book. But then the beads laugh at you as you discover EVERY SINGLE TIME that while you have the perfect beads, you don't have enough of them to finish the project in question. And remember that deadline? Yeah. Me too. Takeaway: Overnight shipping is your friend.
• Above all else, trust in your vision. Because through the twists and turns, it will come together in the end - and you will look over the mountain of designs you created as you were feeling slightly out-of-control and off-kilter, careening down a steep mountain with no brakes, and like a miracle, the laughter stops and you realize it is beautiful and you couldn't imagine making a single project any other way. Takeaway: Dang. This is so much fun!

Sparkle!

From June: I have now counted over 32,000 special color coat 2mm Swarovski crystals into individual baggies of 51, and I've updated the website. Yes, it was a lot of work, but only what you'd expect from Tapestry Bead's Employee of the Month (for 2 straight months!). If you haven't used 2mm Swarovski crystals before, they're about the size of a size 11 seed bead. Tiny. Yummy! Here's a list of the colors we have in stock.

• Aqua AB
• Black Diamond Vitrial
• Champagne Aqua
• Chili Pepper
• Crystal AB
• Crystal Copper
• Cyclamen Opal
• Emerald/Sahara
• Indian Pink AB
• Jet Doroado
• Light Amethyst Verde
• Light Colorado Topaz/Tabac
• Light Rose Rosaline
• Light Sapphire AB
• Light Siam Iridescent
• Olivine AB
• Peridot Sphinx
• Sapphire Sahara
• Tanzanite AB
• Tanzanite Light Vitrial
• Tanzanite Titan
• Topaz Glazier

What's your favorite 2mm Swarovski color?

And the winner is....

Drum roll, please!

I used the online random number generator, and it picked number... 

ONE!

So the first Natalie to comment (I'm sorry - it doesn't show your email address) should email me and we'll get you all set up with your free class!

I've been busy working on projects for the book like a mad woman. I'm so very pleased with the way things are looking and coming together at this point. It's an interesting challenge, not only in the designing of projects, but also having to keep an eye on the overall content and how it flows. Making sure the mix of bracelets/necklaces/earrings is good. Being consistent with a color story, but not making everything the SAME. Keeping true to my own design vision of modern, contemporary pieces that you'll wear in your daily life. It's keeping me on my toes!

I'm Baaaaack!

I feel like I've been on a world-wide odyssey, but it's been less than that, of course. My three week trip to Shreveport, New Jersey, and Philadelphia was quite the trek, full of adventures like saving an ungrateful snapper turtle on the road, torrential rains, me sleeping through the Virginia earthquake, and lots and lots of fun beading moments. I swear I slept for days when I returned!

And as I finally recovered, it was all to apparent that I needed to be working on book projects like YESTERDAY. So I hunkered down to do that. A quick weekend trip to teach at Beads by Blanche in New Jersey last weekend broke things up, but now I'm back to book, book, book all the time!

BUT! I have something really cool and important to share with you before I start talking about book stuff. Because my next two classes with Beaducation.com have launched! And we figured it was a good time to have another blog contest to celebrate!

Blog Contest

Ogalala Lace

All you have to do is leave a comment on this page, or if you have trouble, you can email me at jill@tapestrybeads.com to enter. I'll collect entries until Thursday, Sept. 23rd at 6pm CST. Then I'll announce the winner here on Friday! The lucky winner will receive a free Beaducation.com class of his or her choice.

The new classes are Parisian Lights, and Ogalala Lace Bracelet. SO much fun! Check them out!

Parisian Lights

Workedy working

Do you know how much 12,000 baggies weigh? I do! I just ordered that many (in 6 different sizes) and the box that is due to be delivered tomorrow is 44lbs. That's around a 4-5 month supply for me. It's totally nuts, but also totally necessary for the kits.

I was doubly productive today with Mom's help. Not only did I work on finishing up some samples that needed to get shipped out, but Mom managed to knock out my entire backlog of shipping random things that needed to go out. AND I got my email inbox back down to under 50! My goal is to whittle that down to 30 before I leave on the road trip next week. Baby steps in getting caught up, but I'm really feeling the difference.

Now, if I could only spend the next week doing nothing but beading!! My one big freak out this week is getting the samples made and photographed to ship out to Bead & Button next Friday. I also have to price out the class kits and write descriptions... I only have one figured out for sure. I'm working on a few others, but they need some time and attention. Luckily with the temperatures hitting 100+ every single day in Austin, I basically don't leave the house at all so beading time is easy to come by that way.

Not the most exciting blog post in the world, but the reality is I'm just slogging away on chores for the moment!

Miami Report

The July meeting of the South Florida Jewelry Arts Guild

I just got back from a five day trip to Miami, Florida, to teach some classes for the South Florida Jewelry Arts Guild. What a wonderful group of women down there! On Thursday night was the monthly group meeting, which was attended by roughly 40 enthusiastic Guild members. I saw some really amazing pieces of jewelry adorning bodies! Artists doing everything from polymer clay to fused glass, and PMC to beadweaving - all facets of jewelry arts were well represented among the membership.

And I was lucky enough (and brave enough) to teach the group a new earring project that I developed just for them called Whirligig Earrings. Most of the women left with at least one earring completed, and some wore their finished set out the door! The earrings were definitely a hit, and I will be rolling them out as a new kit in the very near future. I have to restock first!! They bought me out!!

As is true all across the country, the weather was less than delightful. Hot. Rainy. Muggy. But we had beads, excellent food, and even better...BEADS! I taught a total of five classes in five days, and came back with a significantly lighter load of kits. I'm very grateful to the ladies of the Guild for inviting me to come visit and I hope they adore their new jewelry!!

Mariela Corte & I after the Rosetta Suite Class

So now that I'm home I'm facing 10 days to restock kits, develop my class submissions for the 2012 Bead & Button Show, and do anything else I need to do before I leave on a 21 day road trip. My goal for tonight is to take a kit inventory so I can figure out what kits need to be made, and what supplies have to be ordered pronto! Having Mom here to help is such a wonderful thing...