Welcome to ChrisBeads!

A Blog about Bead addiction, crochet, knitting and life in general.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Another Week Has Gone Past....


I can't believe another week has passed by so quickly! This week is my third week of looking after my gorgeous grandson whilst his Mum returns to work for a couple of days a week. Today he was a bit grumbly as he has a slight cold (or is maybe teething). He is 6.5 months old now and very active.
This picture was taken a week or so ago and he is wearing a beautiful Aran cardigan knitted by his "other" granny.
I have been beading furiously on various ideas for the Art Deco challenge, but not having a great deal of success so far.
Can't believe how many mistakes I made in the first one, but probably trying to bead with black beads in rather dim lighting whilst manning (or is it womanning) the Bead Society booth at a recent Craft and Quilt Show probably didn't help.
Have also been reading other people's blogs and entrecarding like mad. Not really sure if it all helps though. Not a lot of comments on my blog so far.
However, I did manage to sell another beading kit for the project which appeared in Beads Etc Magazine Issue 17. It is for a bracelet made in herringbone stitch and including buttons. It has gone off today to PA, USA (correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's Pennsylvania?)
Very exciting.

Monday, July 21, 2008

ANOTHER TREASURY!



Thanks to the wonderful Marlaine, I have been featured in another Treasury! I dont know how she does it, because every time I try to get a treasury at Etsy, the list is full to overflowing. Maybe it is the time difference thing? Thanks Marlaine, I really appreciate being part of your Treasury.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

ENTRECARD

So now I have an Entrecard. Lets see what happens next? Blogging and commenting and posting etc. I spend way too much time on the computer and not enough on beading!!!

Marketing is a big job.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Etsy Favourites

Lately I have been spending quite a lot of time looking at gorgeous beady sellers on etsy. Here are a few of my favourites.



The quirky focal beads are fun. Wish I could get one of each.

The gorgeous woven beadwork is mostly done by members of the EBW Team and they are all obviously labours of love. There is just so much work involved in stitching the tiny little beads into beautiful works of art.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

EBW Challenge - ITS TIME TO VOTE

Voting in the EBW Challenge is now over. If you are interested in seeing the entries, go to The Etsy Beadweavers Blogsite:


Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Rings and Things


Had a lot of nice comments about the rings I posted last week and as the project in Beads Etc is a ring in brick stitch, I thought you might like to see the finished product. I must say it was amazing to see a real professional photo of the ring in the magazine. Funnily enough, I must have forgotten to tell my daughter that it was being published. She went into a newsagency and like a lot of other beaders I know, decided to flick through a magazine. She was at first horrified to find that someone had a project exactly the same as her mother's blue ring!! Turning swiftly to the designer's name she breathed a sigh of relief and then rang to abuse me for not telling her I had another project in print.
It was also exciting to see confirmation that Beads Etc are going to publish another one of my projects next issue, as they used my earring for the "Next issue promo" at the back of the mag! Yay!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Another Treasury!


Checking out the EBW Forum at Etsy, I discovered (thanks to Enchanted Beads) that I had been featured in another treasury.

Some wonderful pieces of work have been included in this treasury! Enjoy.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Rings and things



Beaded Rings - large and glittery, I just love them. I now have a collection of rings to wear with different outfits and mostly don't worry about how well they match with my other jewellery. They can be much the same colour, but not necessarily the same style or beads etc.

Thought you might like to see a couple:
Although they look similar, they are completely different stitches. The gold one is brick stitch around a bead, and the green one is made in the peyote stitch style used with rivolis. The stone in the middle is from a broken necklace, but it looks like a small rivoli.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Etsy Treasury - I made another one!



Kerrie very kindly let me know that my Challenge bracelet has appeared in a Treasury! Very exciting news as they are so hard to compile. Whenever I view the Treasury list there are way more than 333 lists already and no opportunity for me to grab one.
I wonder if being in Australia has something to do with it? Maybe the lists all expire when I'm sound asleep?
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=53837&show_panel=true

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Etsy DUST sale


Just finished adding a couple of items to my Etsy Dust Sale section. These items have been discounted by 15% for the month of July and the Dust Team are hard at work keeping our promotion running. There are lots of great items in the sale. Increasing Australian consumers awareness about Etsy has been a bit of a long haul over the past 12 months or so, but I can see from the increasing numbers of Australian sites that there are many more people talking about Etsy out there.

Keep up the good work.

My latest addition is this bracelet which features some polymer clay beads made by my daughter Catriona who is a very talented beader in her own right.

Etsy Beadweavers


Thanks to Kerrie and Marlaine for commenting on my post re Beads Etc magazine. I feel quite honoured to have their input.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Article in Beads Etc Magazine


Just spotted the new Beads Etc Magazine, Issue 18 at our local newsagency. My "Brilliant Blue Ring" project appears in this issue, so I was very excited to see it and have quick look at it.

EBW Challenge - Midsummer Night's Dream

Got all inspired last night and made a freeform peyote bracelet with the focal bead which I bought at Bead and Gem Show. The theme Midsummer Night's Dream made me think of moonlight on water, and I feel the bracelet depicts this quite well.

The focal bead is the moon's reflection, with the dark blue rippling sea coated with moonbeams.

Posted the bracelet on Etsy today. http://www.etsy.com/create_listing5.php?listing_id=13007694

You can vote for your favourite EBW Challenge piece from 9 July 2008 on the Etsy Beadweavers Blog site (see link).

If you are interested in lampwork beads, the focal bead featured here was made by Tom of Vitrospective and more of his work can be seen at www.Vitrospective.com. He and Jessica have been kind enough to admire my bracelet and asked whether they can include it on their blog.