West Coast Crafty

Just wanted to mention that my first two technique videos from Bead Simple are up on my book website if you’d like to check them out! I filmed one for making Solo Earrings (or any other simple bead embellishment like a pendant or bracelet dangle) and one for wire looping the Vintagesque Necklace (on the book cover). Thanks for posting about them, Diane and Jenny!

solo earrings:

vintagesque necklace:

They’re both posted on the on the Bead Simple technique videos + patterns page, and I’ll have another bunch of videos joining them there in the next little while after a short personal break — kind of a mini-maternity leave! See you in a few days… hope to have some exciting news to post about soon!

No baby yet, and I’m still chipping away at a tall stack of work that has been keeping me from posting (almost done, thank goodness), but I wanted to quickly mention that my lovely friends Jenn and Karina are offering up a copy of Bead Simple this week over at their fantastic blog, Tiny Choices! Just leave a comment on this entry by Monday, April 28, with a reuse idea for something you already own (there are some fun ones already) and you’re automatically entered to win. Yay, Tiny Choices!

I am so out of it (I got a wicked migraine last night that I’m still slogging through the residue of… not fun at all) but I’ll be back with some actual photos and craft posts very soon. Really!

I had such a great time at Powell’s on Monday — thank you so much for the good-luck wishes, and to everyone who came out to make earrings with me. It was such a fun night! I loved seeing all the sparkly things that people made and it was fantastic to meet so many new crafty people.

First, I chatted a little bit about beading and jewelry design and showed a few pieces from the book from the forty or so I had out on display.

I have such a goofy expression on my face here, but what can I say, I was showing off one of my favorite designs ever, created by my nephew Julian! He was five when he made this necklace and I absolutely love it.

Then I asked my lovely Portland guest designers to come up so I could introduce them and show their gorgeous designs too… left to right are Bethe Mack, Tanja Alger, Caitlin Troutman, Diane Gilleland, and Torie Nguyen. Thank you, ladies!

I did a quick earrings how-to, and then everyone got to choose their vintage beads and pick up their jewelry kits…

…and people jumped right into making their pieces. My friend Ryan even created a fancy sparkly necklace using pipe cleaners and 24mm pink faceted beads!

I got to chat with so many people, admire lots of new designs, and even sign some books. I think this is one of the few moments I was sitting down all night… that was nice, I have to admit.

There are a good handful of photos from the event in the Bead Simple flickr pool… thank you so much to Lee and Andrew for snapping these great ones. And for another review of the whole thing, be sure to check out the guest blogger over at paperdollygirl, who created an especially gorgeous pair of earrings himself!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out to get crafty with me and to Powell’s — it was so much fun to get to celebrate the book together. I’m so looking forward to doing it again at Church of Craft, Crafty Wonderland, and Twisted! Just give me a couple of months to have this baby in the meantime, and I’ll see you later in the summer for sure.

I’m so excited that Natalie Zee Drieu has turned her gorgeous Vintage-Style iPod Cozy into this week’s CRAFT: pattern podcast!

You can also find the lovely photo tutorial that Sarah Place-Minshall put together for sewing her amazing Circles in the Square Tote online, too!

I’ve archived both of the tutorials on the Bead Simple techniques + patterns page, so you’ll always be able to find them both on the book website…

Today I thought I’d post a round-up of six cool things that caught my eye this week: two to make, two to win, and two to check out in person — and all of them are free!

to make

First, the crafty projects to do are both up for grabs online. Rachel of Average Jane Crafter has been posting a series of lovely vintage embroidery transfers on her blog as part of a weeklong celebration hosted by Floresita. The designs are so charming and it’s such a cool idea to share them all!

And Lee Meredith has posted a free bucket hat pattern on her blog and on Ravelry, and shows off her version that she knitted up in her own brightly colored homespun. Gorgeous!

to win

I’m so pleased to announce that there are two Bead Simple giveaways going on right now: Jessica of Jekbot and Scrumdillydilly, who designed the Bits and Baubles Keychain, is offering up a copy of the book for her readers to win. Just comment on this post and she’ll pick a winner from the first 25 entries!

And Natalie of Coquette and CRAFT:, who designed the Vintage-Style iPod Cozy, is also offering a copy for readers to win over on the CRAFT: blog. Just comment on this post by 11 am on Thursday, and mention why you would like to have the book, and you’re entered to win there too. Thank you, Nat and Jess!!

and to do

Tomorrow night is First Thursday here in Portland and there are two openings I’m especially excited about. First, at PNCA (1241 NW Johnson St., in Portland), my husband Andrew is part of a group show called The Searchers. The exhibition originally premiered in New York at the EFA Gallery in December 2006. We performed AC Dickson: eBay PowerSeller as part of the opening week, and for this encore exhibit, Andrew has put together a visual show and essay about the culture of eBay — this is the sequel to the performance, answering the age-old dilemma: what should you sell?

Just a few blocks away, Cathy Pitters of Bossa Nova Baby is showing the beautiful chair that she created for the Chair Affair. The opening is from 6 - 8pm at The Art Institute, 1122 NW Davis St. in Portland, and her piece will be on display until it is part of the charity auction for Community Warehouse later this month.

On a related note, I would like to spotlight a fantastic site and blog, Around the Sun, which features an impressive selection of free or affordable things to check out here in Portland and beyond — definitely bookmark it or subscribe if you haven’t already. Amy is a fellow crafter and designer, and she does a beautiful job highlighting all kinds of money-saving ideas, free events, and all kinds of other interesting resources. She was kind enough to post about my Powell’s event this week, too — thank you so much, Amy!

Now that it’s right around the corner, I wanted to post again about my upcoming Bead Simple book event at the downtown Powell’s Books here in Portland next Monday night — if you’re in town, I hope you can make it over!

I’ll do a short reading and show a bunch of the 150 jewelry projects from the book, and my Portland guest designers will be there with their work, too. Plus everyone who comes is invited to make a pair of Solo Earrings to bring home as part of a little jewelry 101 demo! I’ll bring pliers, supplies, and a big stash of vintage beads from my collection (like these sparklers) for you to choose from…

Please pass the word on to friends and I hope to see you next week!

Bead Simple event at Powell’s (upstairs in the Basil Hayward Gallery)
1005 W. Burnside St., downtown Portland
Monday, April 7 at 7:30 pm

I’m also planning some book events later in the year (with husband and baby in tow) in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, so stay tuned for updates on those…

I am so excited that Bead Simple is out in the world today! Yay!

I’m so happy that after two years of designing, writing, obsessive Excel-sheet-updating, proofreading, and waiting, it is finally out. I hope that if you buy it, borrow it, or see it at your library or local bookstore you’ll enjoy it thoroughly, and I’d absolutely love to hear what you think.

I’m really looking forward to doing some fun events, starting next month when I dip into my crazy collection of vintage beads to start hosting a few free jewelry-making parties. Here’s a sneak peek at one of my favorite beginner-friendly projects — sparkly Solo Earrings, as modeled by one of Moxie’s delightful monsters!

I’m working on the details for my Powells event (Monday, April 7 at 7:30, more info to come very soon!), and really looking forward to doing book events at Twisted, Crafty Wonderland, and Church of Craft later in the year. I’m also planning some fun out-of-town stuff in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Raleigh, and I hope a few other places too!

Last, a couple of quick things… if you make anything inspired by the book, I would really love to see it — please add it to the Bead Simple flickr group I set up!

And if you are looking for a copy, you can find it at your local bookstore, any Michaels location, or on Amazon. You can find signed copies at the Taunton website or directly from me via my Etsy shop, too. And hopefully it will be on the shelf at your library branch!

Huge thanks for the support from my family, all my lovely friends and guest designers… and to everyone who reads my blog, thank you for putting up with my shameless self-promotion in between spotlighting other people’s cool crafty stuff.

ps: a special thank-you to my in-laws, Paul and Nancy, for surprising me with these beautiful flowers to celebrate the book release, and to Andrew for bringing me breakfast in bed today!

There are a lot of pretty cool things going on today! If you don’t mind the round-up format here are three things I am pretty excited about this morning.

Sweaters!
First, in honor of Fred Rogers’s 80th birthday, be sure to wear a sweater today! If you haven’t already seen it, this video (starring Mr. McFeely the delivery man) inviting everyone to participate is so charming. I’m a big fan of both Mr. Rogers and cardigans, so I am happily putting one on for the afternoon. Happy birthday, Mr. Rogers!

Jewelry classes!
I also just heard that Jennifer Perkins is teaching a new series of classes at Craft-O-Rama in Austin. If you want to make a super-poppy charm bracelet using a variety of wire techniques, or a fantastic set of fabric jewelry (a ring, ponytail holder and two different bracelets), zip on over and register. As a bonus, Jennifer says, “Not only will we be learning how to make jewelry, we can also chat about running a small business, marketing, correct ways to open a jump ring and more — for 2 whole hours I am yours to quiz on all your hot burning questions.”

fabric jewelry galore

To sign up for either or both classes, register through the store’s website, call 512-707-2405 or stop by (3100 S Congress Ave Austin, TX 78704). I love Jennifer’s work and I am so lucky that she is one of my guest designers for Bead Simple! I wish so much that I could take her classes myself, but they are both scheduled for the week of my due date, so not this time… but hopefully I can catch an encore series later in the year. At age 34 I still have not made it to Texas, I am sorry to say, and I definitely need to do something about that.

The Design-It-Yourself Revolution!
Here in town, Contemporary Crafts Museum is hosting a pair of excellent craft and design events this week with Ellen Lupton, author, designer, and curator at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum: one tonight and one on Saturday. Don’t miss them!

EXCELLENCE IN CRAFT LECTURE
Ellen Lupton
The Design It Yourself Revolution
Thursday, March 20, 7 PM at PNCA, 1241 NW Johnson
$5 (Free for members and students)
Ellen Lupton wants to bring design to the masses. In the much-discussed books D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself and D.I.Y. Kids, Lupton shares design concepts with writers, teachers, crafters and children. Now she’ll deliver her message in person. Lupton’s Excellence in Craft Lecture investigates how increased access to desktop publishing tools, paired with the growth of “do-it-yourself” culture, has changed the way we think about design. Drawing from her books, she will share ways to use design principles in everyday life.

SPECIAL FAMILY EVENT
D.I.Y. Kids Day
Saturday, March 22, 1-4 PM, Free, The Lab at Museum of Contemporary Craft
Work alongside Ellen Lupton and crew to design a button, a book and magnet art. These fun creative activities will engage all kids — and adults will have a blast too — making unique items from an exciting array of materials.

Nancy Flynn of belleepoque just announced a very generous giveaway: she’s made a new version of her Beachy Duo Earrings from Bead Simple and is offering them up to one of her readers to celebrate the book’s release on Tuesday! Just stop by her lovely blog and leave a comment on the post and you’re automatically entered to win them — she will draw a winner on the 25th. I love the original earrings she designed, but the new ones are just gorgeous — and so spring-y, too…

Thanks so much, Nancy! I can’t wait to see who wins next week.

p.s. If you make something inspired by the book, I’d love it if you’d add a photo of your project to the Bead Simple flickr pool! Seeing what everyone makes is definitely the most exciting part of the whole thing. Six more days… I’m so excited!