InspirationFX: Northern Heart

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InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

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Northern Heart
by: Lee Metsalo
Scintillating like the Aurora - dancing green flames - charged particles from the sun, writhing and slithering over the protective magnetic shields of the Earth - the green sparkle of the Silver Silk Pearlesque Capture echoes and reflects the green highlights of the Luminous Green Crystal Heart. And plenty of time to put together this romantic and dramatic piece before Valentine's Day too!

The hand-made bail is easily adapted to other pendant shapes too!

To make the bail - take about 10 inches of wire and slide the pendant on to the centre of the wire. Gently fold the wire in half, and find yourself a mandrel to wrap the wire on - something just a smidge fatter than the Silver Silk wire. A knitting needle, crochet hook handle, chopstick or even a pen will do. Wrap the wire around the mandrel 3 - 4 times - working out from the centre. Cut the wire and make sure the end is smooth.

Thread the bail/pendant onto the silver silk and attach the edges, and wait for the glue to dry. Then add the clasp.

And you're done! Enjoy!

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

The Business Chat - Who are you selling to?

My first day of grade 9 was terrifying. I was too skinny, really short and younger than everyone else. Speaking of everyone else, wow, there were so many kids! All I remember was a sea of bodies all dressed in different styles and hanging out in so many little groups. It was overwhelming. Of course as time went on I figured it out, I weeded out who I liked, who liked me, and what style worked for me. It did take time though. 

Starting to sell your work is like going into grade 9. There is a sea of customers and some will like you and some will not and at the beginning it is overwhelming. Just like high school it is up to you to find the sweet spot of who you want to hang out with and who wants to hang out with you. Trying to be friends with everyone means that you’ll waste a lot of time on some people who truly don’t care about you, and short change those who want to be with you.

In business terms this is called finding your target market, or your right people. All it means is hanging out with the people who like you and your work. These are the people who will support you and buy your work. In high school trying to hang with the wrong crowd just meant loneliness, in business hanging with the wrong crowd means no money. That sucks.

Hanging out with your right people means that you make the work that your fans like. You go to the shows they go to. You place your work in the stores they shop at. You hang out in the same social media places, you stop by the same blogs, you place yourself in their line of vision all the time. And when they like you, and they see you, they buy from you. If you try to hang out with people who are totally uninterested in your product then you are just wasting your time and resources.

So how do you find these people? My first tip is that you sell to who you are. If you are a 40 something conservative stay at home mom, you aren’t selling to 20 something skateboarders.

The best advice is to write up a profile of your ideal customer. Imagine sitting down for a cup of coffee with her and having a conversation. Give her a name. Now start detailing out exactly who she is and what she does. If you know a lot about her, then you’ll know where to go and really hang  out with her so that she has the opportunity to give you money.

Grab yourself a notepad and answer these questions.

1. What is your ideal customers’ gender? 
2. Age range? 
3. Do they have kids? 

1. What is their education level?

1. What does she/he do for a living? Do they sit at a desk? Do they use a keyboard a lot? (charm bracelets are very annoying on a keyboard). Do they dress up for work? Do they wear a uniform?

1. What’s their approximate income?

1. Where does she shop? (do they like craft shows? Farmers markets? Do they shop online or just browse?) make a list of shops. 

1. Who is the product designed for? You may make kids stuff, but kids don’t buy. Parents buy, grandparents buy more, especially luxury items.

1. Where do they live? Rural, small towns, suburbs, urban centres. A specific geographic location?

1. How much are they willing to spend? You need to know their buying habits. Would $10 for a bar of handmade soap make them flinch? 

1. What magazines does she read?

1. What social media does she use? Professionals use LinkedIn, musicians are still using MySpace. What blogs does she read? Why? 

The more you can narrow down who she is, the more likely you are to find yourself in the same places she is.

Remember, she likes you. You like her. In high school it meant a lunch buddy. Now it means money in the bank.

25% off Stone Beads!

On Sale
this
Week

25% off!

Stone Beads

Nature's
Rainbow!

Sale starts on Wed Midnight.
and ends on Wed midnight.
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Get Ready for a Wave of Purple

Ok - get ready for a wave of purple - a world awash in pinky-purple. Pantone's Colour of the Year for 2014 is ... drumroll please ... Radiant Orchid.

Those of you who adore purple can indulge yourself in your favourite colour - and tell people that you are "in fashion."

Those of you whose favourite colour lies elsewhere on the spectrum - well - just grin and bear it - maybe next year will be "your" year. ;-)

The March of the Seedbeads and Good Riddance to 2013

Good Riddance to 2013 - as I sit here and type this all again - having just had a power failure and having not been able to replace the UPS for my computer - due to Toronto being pretty much closed for the last two weeks! The ice storm of 2013 hit us hard - closed the store early for the holidays - good thing beads don't go bad without power! Actually beads never go bad - you can always count on your beads. Literally, as it happens. ;-)

Most of our staff were without power for at least a day or two - and in the epic case of yours truly - seven days. I have some stories - I can tell you. But as we've heard from friends around the continent - no one got off lightly - from minus 40 in Winterpig to waist-high snow drifts - it was 2013 going out with a bang. Much like my power. (Save)

So let's think happier thoughts and move on to 2014 - and we'll start with the march of the seedbeads! Cue the music from the Sorcerer's Apprentice - lumpty lumpty lumptey lump ... .

Marching your way is installment two of the Miyuki 11/0 seedbeads - lovely tidy rainbows of happy little seedbeads, all waiting for your beady needles to pull them into nice, cohesive designs. Unlike the messy, untidy world out there. Boo hiss. All hail the mighty seedbead!

If you aren't feeling traumatized by the winter so far (What, me traumatized? Whatever gave you that idea?) and would like to try something more rustic, and with a little western flair, check out these Rustic and rusty iron pendants. Galloping Mustangs, Trotting Thoroughbreds, and Star Goddesses.

So - as always - you can click on a link or image above, or get started with the new items here. Happy Beading!

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Just one more day - 30% off Czech Firepolish!

30% off!

Czech Firepolish

A boundless variety of colours and shapes!

Sale starts on Wed Midnight.
and ends on Wed midnight.
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will change price automatically at
midnight.

Getting to know ... Dawn Liu-Smyth

Dawn Liu-Smyth

Although the craft has been around for hundreds of years, felting has taken off in popularity. Dawn Liu-Smyth, a local Toronto artist, has been in the forefront of this explosion and has taught at the 2012 and 2013 Creative Festivals. BeadFX has been fortunate to call upon her as a regular felting instructor. "I was inspired by a British Felt artist and bought a small needle felting kit from her at an arts fair," says Dawn. "I soon discovered that I had little patience for needle felting. I started experimenting with wet felting and never looked back."

"I grew up in a household with a lot of creative energy. My mother sewed and knit.  My father was a writer and also had a darkroom in the basement for his photography. My older sister was in fashion design school. So I just fed off of all that. I was the kid in family studies who, instead of making the one basic skirt, made about 5 garments instead," she says. "Beading was my first serious 'craft.' I remember looking at great pieces at craft shows and thinking, "I can do that." And, so I taught myself some basics and got busy.  I started with stringing and soon graduated to stitching, which I now prefer."
 
When deciding on new projects, Dawn does a lot of playing and experimenting. "I'm always interested in challenging the pliable nature of wool.  For example, my inset stone choker grew out of an experiment to embed stone in felted wool - something that wouldn't seem easy to do," she explains.

What inspires Dawn? "I love colour, especially the colours in nature. The brighter and bolder, the better," she exclaims. "I so often see things that inspire me and I need to find a way to record them. Pinterest  has helped a lot. Being able to have digital inspiration boards is quite handy."

Dawn is full of surprises though and discloses, "I love zombie movies! I have a totally perverse addiction to everything zombie. How crazy is that!?"

An instructor, Dawn enthusiastically shares her passion with others. "For me,  I just love seeing people making and doing, and then I become further  inspired by their creativity and passion." Her least favourite thing about teaching? "Working within a specific time period.  I would love to be able to just spend whatever time it takes and not finish until all the creative energy in the room has been exhausted," says Dawn.

Dawn's advice to others? "Trust your instincts and experiment," she says. "Sometimes experiments fail, but more often than not, you take away something new and innovative."

Upcoming classes with Dawn Liu-Smyth:

Create a Felted Cuff Bracelet (left) 
Saturday, January 25
10:30am - 2:30pm

Felted Boho Bag (right)
Saturday, March 22 
10:30AM - 2:30pm

Complete information about Dawn's classes are on the website; click on classes and go to the appropriate month's calendar.

InspirationFX: Trash to Treasure

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

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Trash to Treasure
by: Pam Kearns
We were in a staff meeting, discussing what to do with left-over "scrap" pieces  of Regaliz leather - ends of rolls, etc. When I spoke up and said they were still useful, I was given the challenge of creating a piece of jewelry with those scraps. Bet you don't have staff meetings quite like that!

Here is my challenge response - from Trash to Treasure - using too-small and left-over pieces of Regaliz leather. The same approach would work for flat and round leather too!

By gluing the small pieces of leather into the centre bead, you are creating a longer piece that adds new dimension to a bracelet. These pieces are inserted only about .5 inch into the bead, and held in place with the Super New Glue. In this case, I added 22 gauge non-tarnish wire and inserted the ends into the beads with the leather, at the time of gluing. The 4 mm metal beads are added as the wire is wrapped around the wire. The wire is trimmed and inserted into the clasp, again at the same times as the leather. The bracelet is stiffer than with a single piece of leather, so you want to use a little extra glue.

The end result is very handsome - and you can feel good about using up those last little pieces!

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

InspirationFX: Painted Desert

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

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Painted Desert
by: Lee Metsalo
Soft, silky colours of sage and ochre - like paintings of the desert. This necklace showcases the beauty of the Wildhorse Picture Jasper.

This is a simple stringing project. Use crimps to secure, and wire guardians and crimp covers for a very professional looking finish.

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

The Business Chat - Stop cheaping out.

“Wow, if I only had that tool! I just know I’d be able to make my work so much faster and better. Maybe I’ll have the money later.”

“I’d love to learn how to do that! It would be great to be able to improve my work skills.  But it’s $60, I just can’t afford it.”

“My own website? I know I need one, but it costs money to get hosting, and I just can’t afford that. Someday.”

If I had a nickel for every time I hear something like this I’d be able to afford everything that I want right now. 

Guess what people? Businesses cost money to run. 

You have to spend money to make money. If you thought that you were going to start your micro business on the change that you found in the sofa cushions then I’m here to rain on your parade. Maybe you can start a business for $6.11 but you can’t sustain or grow it. This is a hobby. 

Spending some money to grow your business is the difference between a hobby and a business. 

*Remember, when I talk about a business I don’t mean it has to be a full-time enterprise. Your business might be a tiny one based out of your hall closet with annual sales of $1,000. If you have any sales at all (even $10) then you have a business. 

Imagine an electrician saying “hey, I’d love to voltmeter but I just can’t afford it.” Or a coffee shop saying “gee, we really should have napkins, but they cost so much!”

No one is going to mistake an electrician or a coffee shop for a hobby. They are businesses. 

There will be tools and supplies that you need to buy, and classes that you need to take. Of course you won’t have the money for everything exactly when you want them. You need to decide if you really really really need something and if you can’t afford it right now then you need to decide when and how you are going to buy that something. 

I totally get that money is tight sometimes. (or all the time). And if you are just starting out, or keeping your microbiz small then the idea of spending a big whack of cash on something is hard to swallow. Not to mention the car needing new brakes, the washing machine dying, the kids needing new coats, or the dog’s vet bill. Life happens. But life can’t stop you from succeeding in your microbiz. Always cheaping out will stop you from succeeding. 

If you truly don’t have the money, then decided when you will have the money. Then find it. 

“Later” is not a timeframe, it’s a wish. Later doesn’t happen. April 1 is a timeframe. April 1 happens. Or October 15. Or when that class starts. 

Once you have a date then you will find the money. Maybe you can run an extra sale online. Maybe you can hold an open house to sell some work. Maybe you can put some money aside every week. 

Here’s a DIY tip on finding some money for your micro business. 

Get yourself a piggy bank. Jars work well, or any sort of container with a slot. (I prefer one that I can’t see into, less temptation to raid it.)

Every day drop one twoonie into it. Every. single. day. 

Open the piggy bank every 3 months. 

Every 3 months you will have approximately $180 to buy things that your microbiz needs to move forward! Web hosting! Classes! Tools! 

You will not miss a twoonie a day. You will enjoy buying those special things you want. 

If you had $180 today, what would you buy to grow your business?

Some Spikey Earring Ideas

Hey - here's some ideas to spike your creativity - I'm trying to drive home a point, no need for the cone of silence, just pointing the way ... these ideas are 24 karat (with a k) gold-plated.

Swarovski Elements Bead - 18 mm Graphic (5520) - Ruby plus Glass Beads - 17 mm Spikes - 24 Karat Gold-Plated

One spike, ...

   Two spike ...

Spike plus Metal Link - ID 18 mm Smooth 2 Loop Rivoli Setting - Bright Gold plus Swarovski Elements - Rhinestones - 18 mm Rivoli Cut (1122) - Rose Glacier Blue

This week - celebrate the new year with 30% off Czech Firepolish Glass Beads

On Sale
this
Week

30% off!

Czech Firepolish

Celebrate the
New
Year
with 30% off
Czech
Firepolish
Glass
Beads!

Sale starts on Wed Midnight.
and ends on Wed midnight.
Items held in shopping cart
will change price automatically at
midnight.

Thank you for your donations!

On behalf of the Daily Bread Food Bank, a great big thank you to everyone who donated during our food drive! Lee and I were able to take over approximately 4 boxes worth of tinned food and rice to our local fire hall. From there, all donations are picked up by the Daily Bread Food Bank and will be distributed to those in need!

Thanks to the ice storm that hit Toronto just before Christmas, your donations were even more needed than usual.

All the best in 2014!
Pamela Kearns
BeadFX Class and Special Event Coordinator

InspirationFX: Winter Glam

InspirationFX
Get your creative juices flowing

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Winter Glam
by: Lee Metsalo
Here's an elegant pair of earrings to make for a late season festive party. But while it is snowy and cold now - this pearl and crystal combo would also be fabulous for a wedding any time of the year. Mother of the Bride? Or bridesmaids' gifts? You can change up the colour of the crystals and pearls too to match your colour scheme!

Assemble these with a 4 mm pearl at the bottom, a 6 mm pearl with bead caps, the crystal donut, and the 8 mm pearl with bead caps at the top. These are clip on earring findings, but you can use pierced earring findings such as studs or hooks as well.

Components

Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!
Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping for absolutely fabulous new year ... Let the bells ring out and the banners fly!

The store is open again on our regular schedule!

If you ordered over the holiday - please give us a few days to catch up on and ship it out.

Cheers!