Picasso challenge piece and PDF pattern

The October EBW Challenge theme is Inspired by Picasso.  You can read more about it here.  I am familiar with Picasso's more famous works but had really not studied any of his other work before.  There is a lot of it so it was fun familiarizing myself with lots of Picasso paintings and sketches.  I'm sure that it's not a surprise that the first thing that I gravitated toward was color.  I wanted to pick a piece with a lot of color, which is how I ended up choosing Mediterranean Landscape for my inspiration.

I posted a shot of it earlier but here it is again.  I got this picture from allposters.com.

You can read about how I selected and mixed my colors here.  Overall, I'm really pleased with how that process went, especially considering that I only used colors that I had in stock.  I didn't purchase anything new for this project.  There are a couple tiny things that I could have tweaked, but I still think that the general color palette and nature of the piece is fairly reflective of the original artwork.

I've now used the same right angle weave base and second layer for four EBW challenges in a row.  I'll briefly recap here so you can see how changing the final third layer, width, and color combinations can make such a big difference.

Strawberry Fields Forever is exactly the same design but wider.  I'll be honest: I was planning to make my Picasso piece the same width but decided I couldn't quite pull it off with some of the bead quantities I had.  Four columns instead of six is just fine and also results in a less expensive piece so hopefully that will be more appealing to some people.

After some deliberation, I did decide to add house and sail boat charms to the clasp.  They are easily removable if potential buyers aren't interested in them.  I do think that they add something for the challenge, though.

I thought that keeping the correct color balance with so many colors would be tricky, but I think that the selecting and mixing process got me oriented before I even started working.  I really didn't have any problems with this and didn't even have to refer back to my mixing chart like I thought I would.

This piece is available in my Etsy shop here.

As this was a design that I have worked with a lot over the last few months, the trickiest part of the challenge is that I decided to write the pattern for this.  I'd be contemplating this idea after the success of Strawberry Fields.  Once I knew that I was going to use the design for Picasso, I knew that I had to ahead with it.  I believe in embracing the "challenge" idea with as many pieces as possible.  The pattern was a perfect way to do this.

It was also way past time for me to get another pattern in my shop.  Most of my patterns have done pretty well, but it's been nearly six months since I released my last one.  I have not had great sales for September.  I hope that a new pattern will increase sales again.  It's available here.

The pattern does work for all four of the challenge designs.  The first and second layers are exactly the same for all four pieces.  I explain the differences for the third layer in the pattern.  With the exception of Yellow Brick Road, all of the pieces have a freeform third layer so you really have the freedom to do it exactly as you like.  I just provide some suggestions to guide you on your way.

new directions

I thought that this would be an appropriate post to follow up yesterday's reworked post.  While I am revisiting a lot of old designs, I am also working on lots of new things for my shop.

I sold my first teaching package over the weekend.  Someone who bought one of my patterns through eBay this spring contacted me about teaching it this fall.  Thanks to Carol Dean of SandFibers who gave me some excellent advice about pricing and what to include, I was able to put together everything she needed pretty easily.

This is what I included in the package:
1) A cover letter explaining the terms and conditions for the pattern.  This includes the following:
All students must have a full copy of the personal use pattern, including the terms for it.
There is no limit to the number of times that you can teach the class and the number of the students that can be in each class.
2) A personal use copy of the pattern.
3) A commercial use copy of the pattern.

I can make these packages for any of my patterns.  I can also just make commercial use patterns.  Some sellers list both the personal use and commercial use versions in their shop.  I may at some point, but it hasn't been a big priority at this point.  I'm going to launch my next two new patterns before I worry about that.  Pricing for commercial use and teaching packages will vary for different patterns.  Let me know if you're ever interested.

Also, for those who are wondering why I'm not teaching this class myself, it will be offered in Arizona.  I'm not interested in flying around the country to teach classes.  I don't have the connections for that at this point either.  This woman already has a following at a particular store in Arizona as a teacher so it makes sense for her to do that.  I would teach a class in the Midwest if the opportunity presented itself, but I'm not pursuing that myself at this point.

I listed a new necklace over the weekend.

It's available here.  I bought these stone focals back in the spring with the intention of making this necklace for the summer.  Obviously that didn't happen.  I had so much fun with my July design piece that I got inspired to make more beaded bails and worked up this piece as well as very similar pieces with the remaining 4 stones.  This is a very versatile color combination that will carry you into any season.  Discounts apply for multiple orders of this necklace so if you'd like more than one, let me know.

I love this piece and hope that it does well.  I'd like to try making similar pieces with different stones and color combinations.  Here are a couple considerations for stones/focals.


Winter gemstone donut assortment by SueRunyonDesigns

Aqua and Black Wheel Thrown Stoneware Clay and Fused Glass Pendant or Necklace by artisanclay

I've been trying to find something local and haven't settled on anything yet.  I'm sure it's not a surprise that I have tons of other projects planned for now so I'm not ordering anything right away, but I mostly will at some point if I don't find anything in a store.

April EBW Challenge piece and a new pattern

This post is also for the EtsyBloggers blog carnival about spring.  One of the first signs of spring for me is always when little plants just start poking out of the ground.  That was the look that I wanted to capture with this piece for the April EBW Challenge Spring Around the corner.  It's available on Etsy here.

There were two "challenges" for me.  This is a design that I've been using for over two years now so I needed something to make this a true challenge piece.  The first challenge is that I used a metal clasp instead of a button or bead closure.

This looks very easy, and in theory, it is.  There is nothing complicated about the beadwork for this clasp.  However, it's tricky to leave enough slack so that the toggle can move freely into the loop without adding a lot of extra length to the bracelet.

The second challenge was that I finally wrote the pattern for this design.  As I've said before, I've been making this design for over two years and had attempted but failed to write the pattern once before.  I was determined to get it this time, and I did.  It's available here.

The pattern includes directions for a button clasp as well.  This pattern is amazingly versatile.  Changing the color palette and fringe bead size/amount can completely change the look.  Using lots of chunky colorful beads can create a fun, casual look while using a smaller, simpler selection of neutral or more coordinated colors can create a more sophisticated look.

first pattern for 2011

I completed my third bead weaving pattern on New Year's Eve.  This is the first (but hopefully not the last) pattern from randomcreative for 2011.  It's for my leafy series bracelet.  As I'm sure many of you know, I have had a little (that's an understatement) leaf bead obsession since sometime in early 2009.  Two years later, it's still going strong.  I have 10 designs in my leafy series on Etsy right now.  I decided that it was well past time to write the pattern for the design.  And here it is.  Click on the cover picture below to go to the Etsy listing.

I used my newest winter leafy bracelet for the tutorial pictures.

I'm going to make a larger version as well before I update the winter listing on Etsy so watch for those shortly.  For now, those of you who bead can make your own whenever you like with the new pattern!

PDF Patterns on CDs

One of my new additions for my fall/winter craft shows will be my two PDF patterns available on CDs.  I'm selling that for the same price that I have them for on Etsy.  I haven't done a show since July so I've been getting other things ready, too, and I've been putting a lot of energy toward listing on Ebay and generally cleaning things out at home.  But I finally got everything finished for the CDs today.

I did not realize that the new CD sleeves that I bought this week were multicolored haha.  (The last pack that we had was plain white.)  They'll contrast nicely with my black and sheet music print sheets/table clothes, though.  Besides the CD, each sleeve contains a cardstock cover with a picture on it, a description of the pattern (almost exactly what I have in the Etsy listing description), and a business card.  Here's a shot of it.

I'll let you know how it goes.

For anyone who's interested, here's the information about my show this weekend for those in central/Eastern Iowa: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Arts and Craft Show.

keeping it simple tonight with a treasury feature

Marilyn (Starwaves) included my Button Embellished Beadwoven Bracelet - For Personal Use PDF Pattern in her Do You Want to Get Hooked on Beadwaving treasury.  I love this treasury theme!  What a neat idea.

I'm nearly finished with the coordinating pearl earrings.  I said that I'd mail them by Friday, and I think that I'll be able to hold true to that.  I have a nasty cold right now and am not up for doing much else at this point in the night besides heading to bed so stay tuned again tomorrow.

Busy Friday!

Lots going on!  The biggest thing this weekend is that the EtsyBloggers are having a team wide sale for our 3rd anniversary as a team.  You can view all of the sales here.  Approximately 50 shops are participating.  I'm offering FREE SHIPPING in my entire Etsy shop, include sale and custom items, today through Sunday.  I will do a few single day free shipping offers before the holidays, but this will be the longest free shipping sale for randomcreative for 2010.  So take advantage of it while you can!

I published my second beading PDF pattern yesterday.  This one is for my Button Embellished Beadwoven Bracelet design.  Check it out here.

You can view all of the button embellished beadwoven bracelets that are currently available for sale here.

As promised, I have a couple new leafy developments.  I reworked my Indian Summer design and updated the listing yesterday.

I want to mention that I normally use Aleene's Jewelry and Metal Glue for the knots on my leafy designs.  I don't normally glue my knots, but because this design is fairly weighty, I like to give it a little extra security.  The glue itself works pretty well, but the bottle is a bad design.  I always end up getting glue everywhere, and it's about as strong as super glue so it doesn't create a good situation.  Jake always keeps super glue around for his models so I tried Loctite super glue for this bracelet instead, which was much better.  Their bottle designs are amazing.  If any of you who bead weave need a glue for your weightier designers, I highly recommend it.

I'm working on a couple purple/pink leafy designs next.  Here's a sneak peak at the first one.

I haven't mentioned any non fiction books that I've been reading in quite a while.  I recently checked out Camera Creative: Professional Photography Techniques for Innovative Images by Chris Gatcum from the library.  For those of you who use a light box and/or enjoy experimenting with photo editing/lens/etc., this is a great resource.  I have gotten some excellent advice from it about my light box, as well as confirmation that some of the things that I'm already doing are good.

Finally, I found out that my pieces are featured in two new treasuries yesterday.  jessypatterson included my new Tortoiseshell Cat Button Charm Bracelet in her Steeped Tea treasury.

Fellow EtsyBlogger DevineDesignsJewelry included my Beaded Bracelet - Double Linked - Chocolate and Cream in her Etsy Bloggers 3rd Anniversary treasury.

Have a great weekend everyone!

first PDF pattern for sale, treasury features

As promised, I listed my first PDF beading pattern tonight.  You can purchase the Skinny Wrapped Peyote Cuff pattern by clicking on the name or on the picture below.

I had fun at the Flame II class at Beadology this afternoon.  I did a lot better than I thought I would, considering that I haven't practiced at all since the first class nearly a month ago.  We'll see if I still think that tomorrow when I pick up my finished beads haha, but it was a good time.  I will post pictures of my finished beads like I did last time.

The Christmas in July treasury craziness continued today.  I found my Christmas in July items in two more treasuries.  amybunz16 included my Christmas button charm bracelet in her Christmas in July treasury.

You can view this treasury by CLICKING HERE.

LovelyTiffy included my skinny raspberry square stitch bracelet in her Christmas in July treasury.

You can view this treasury live by CLICKING HERE.

Both of these treasuries were curated by Etsy buyers.  It's neat to see people who support the site through their sales are also promoting it through their treasuries!

Skinny Wrapped Peyote Cuff pattern

I have the first draft of my first beading pattern finished.  Needless to say, it feels pretty awesome.  I took almost 60 pictures of the bracelet that I used for the pattern while I was making it and then just over 20 of the finished product.  The finished product will be my August EBW Challenge piece so I will post more details about that sometime in the next couple weeks.  For now, here are some older skinny wrapped cuffs that I created.

I sold the second piece right after I finished it last summer, but you can click on the first and third pictures to view their listings.

Before I publish the pattern, I would really like to have at least a few people proofread it for me.  You do NOT have to be able to bead weave to proof read for me.  It would actually be preferable if I had a couple people proofread who don't bead weave or are beginning bead weavers.  I think a lot of the terms and explanations will be more self explanatory if you've made peyote pieces before.  I'd like to know how they read for someone with little or no experience bead weaving.

I have the PDF ready so if you'd be interested in proofreading, please leave me a comment here or send me a convo on Etsy with your e-mail address.  Please note that the pattern does NOT and will not ever contain instructions for the peyote stitch.  Peyote stitch instructions are readily available online, in books, and in beading magazines.  Also, please note that although the PDF you will receive will not be the final version, you will be allowed to keep it and use it for personal use as it is intended if you so choose.  Thank you in advance!