What I Learned from My First Teaching Experience

I taught my first jewelry class this summer, choosing to tackle a pretty chainmaille pattern. Here’s the pattern, called Celeste:

The class was given through the Bead Society of Orange County, upstairs at the Bowers Museum. It almost made me nervous that I wasn’t really nervous! I felt comfortable with the pattern, since I’d won second place at the OC Fair this year with a necklace that included 4 sets of it. And these were women who wanted to learn it and I knew they’d be supporting me as much as I was going to support them.

Sorry, I was too busy to take pictures!

Here’s what I learned/enjoyed:

1. Don’t give out the instruction sheets until everyone is there. I gave them out as people paid and then I had folks half finished by the time the last arrivals were ready to start.

2. Instruction sheets are good. I’d done a really detailed instruction sheet with photos taken by The Husband as I made one of the sets. The photos really helped to show people one of the trickier steps of the pattern.

3. It’s fun to see the designs that people come up with.

4. It’s really satisfying to see people walk out of class wearing their creations.

5. One of our members brought her college freshman niece to the class. I didn’t realize until she’d finished her bracelet that she’d never made a piece of jewelry before. I hope that we got her started on a creative path that will bring her satisfaction and joy, just like the first jewelry class I took did.

6. Some people had no problem with the pattern and other people took a few sets to really get it. But seeing those folks “get it” was really cool. It’s delightful to give people knowledge they didn’t have before.

So now, I’m hooked on teaching. Currently, we’re having some transportation issues but when we’re a two car family again, I’m going to actively pursue more teaching. I’ve already got my next Bead Society class lined up for May 2011, teaching the Byzantine pattern! I’d better start planning my instruction sheet now!!


Do What You Love!

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Bear Chick Friday

Getting ready for a long day tomorrow. It's the Bead Society's Bead Bazaar, on the grounds of the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, the biggest show I do all year. The Husband and I will be out of the house by 7AM, so I have to know what I'm wearing tonight. Something easily accessorized!

Most of my set up is already in the van. All I have to add is a few small things and the jewelry. It's not a bad load out at the museum, since we'll be in the covered arcade and won't need our EZ Up and the Society provides tables, so there isn't as much slogging as usual.

Don't talk to me while I'm setting up! I'm very focused while placing props, draping covers and hanging jewelry. Once I've got everything out and lined up, I'm ready to visit.

It looks like it's going to be beautiful weather tomorrow and the Bead Bazaar is my target market-people looking for jewelry-so I have high hopes for good foot traffic. This show has the advantage of being jewelry only, which makes it better than a general handmade show, since people are coming with jewelry in mind, not quilts or pottery or greeting cards. The people that come to this show are looking for what I have and that's a Good Thing.

I don't get a lot of time to look at my friend's booths, but I do try to get out and see what everyone has. That's part of the reason I ask The Husband to come to this show, so I can have a break. It's a long show (9am is the unofficial opening for the Bowers employees to 5pm) and it's good to have a second pair of eyes watching the tables while I'm talking to customers. Or off shopping ;-)

Tear down is pretty simple and especially fast without the EZ Up or tables. Then I have to take The Husband to dinner--it's only fair. Maybe Panda Express. Yum. And then we'll go home, take the jewelry in the house and collapse with the kitties. Banking can wait till I have a good night's sleep.

Hope to see you there if you’re in the OC!

Do What You Love!

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Earring Obsession

I had a plan for today~photograph the work I’d done this week, then post it on Etsy. But a quick trip to a bead sale last night put an end to that! I was too inspired to just take pictures. I had to create some more earrings. Here’s a couple of pix taken on top of the latest Bowers Museum members newsletter.

Here’s what I’ve done this week~so far.

I love Happy Bunny and just had to upcycle these pieces I got at various sales. “It’s all about me”. Gotta love that!

I love doing the Byzantine pattern and I hope guys will like this black and silver version.

And here’s a sampling of all the earrings I’ve made this week. I’m really having fun branching out a little. I used to just take a headpin and stack things on it. Now I’m having a blast using chain, wrapped loops and jump rings.

The weather is warming up, dang it. I’ve reveled in the May Gray and June Gloom, enjoying the coolness as long as it lasted. Oh well, this too shall pass!

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Vegas or Bust, Baby!

The Husband & I are meeting my mother in Vegas next weekend, to spend the week in Death Valley (The Mom is a national parks fan) and Vegas. I’m sure we’re going to have a great time, seeing shows, walking the Strip and ogling the world’s largest rhinestone at, where else, The Liberace Museum.

But there probably won’t be a lot of computer time while we’re on the go so I had to decide what to do about my online shops. Keep them open with announcements that all items bought within these dates would be shipped on this date, or just close the shops by putting them on vacation mode?

I decided on vacation mode, for two reasons. One, I was afraid that customers wouldn’t read the announcement, then get upset that their orders were being “ignored”. That could only lead to unhappy customers. And two, I think I will be a much better traveling companion if I’m not worrying about my customers being “ignored”. At the best of times, I’m an email junkie, but away from home and computer, I’d be a basket case if I thought I’d be missing purchase emails and letting down customers. So, the shops will be closed from Friday night, April 17 to sometime on Sunday, April 26th.

We’ll be home on Friday, the 24th, but I have the Bead Bazaar at the Bowers Museum (see more info to the left of this post) on Saturday, then a wedding on Saturday evening. I’m gonna be bushed on Sunday but will have the shops up and running by end of day.

I’ll also be raising a few prices, mostly on the Charm N Bead pieces, at that time, so if you’ve been wanting something, now is the time to get it :-)

Hope to see you OC folks at the Bead Bazaar!

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Save the Date!!

September 27 Member Sale Bead Society of Orange County!

Every September, The Bead Society has an informal sale on the veranda of the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Come see what our members have created this year. I’ll have my jewelry and sneak in a couple of ATC’s, too. We usually start around 10AM and go till early afternoon. Hope to see you there!

And while you’re there, plan to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. The exhibit really is amazing. Anything that’s survived over 2000 years ya gotta love! These figures feature details like strands of hair and the lacings on boots. What’s really interesting is that no clothing survives from this era and so these Warriors have provided great insight into the uses and symbolism of the uniforms and weapons of their times. And that's just one factoid among many. You won’t be disappointed!

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The World on a String

Whether you are a bead artist, a bead and jewelry admirer, or even if you’re a world history buff, you’ll be fascinated with The World on a String series of DVD’s, produced by Diana Friedberg.

Through the Bead Society of Orange County, I’d seen several of the movies. My impression was that they were professionally produced, exhaustively researched and very well edited. Little did I know that Diana Friedberg shot every second of footage on a Sony camcorder by herself! No crew, no assistants, sometimes not even a solid destination while on location. She edits at home and her husband, he of the smooth English accent, narrates.

Yesterday, the BSOC hosted Diana, who spoke about shooting the project. I won’t tell her funny and amazing stories here since she’s planning to compile them into a companion book for the series, but suffice it to say that the making of these movies has lead Diana to the ends of the earth and everywhere in between. She calls it a “blessed project” and I could see why. For me, a Motel 6 is roughing it… Diana traveled to areas that would make most of us shake in our beaded sandals, sleeping on dirt floors and eating whatever the indigenous people ate.

Diana is currently on deadline to finish the fifth and last installment of the series, which will be premiered at the Washington D.C. Bead Museum in the fall. Once that milestone is met, she will be trying to get PBS to air the movies nationally.

Here’s the link to her website:

http://www.worldonastringmovie.com I don’t want to sound poopy, but she makes much better movies than she does websites. The website isn’t too impressive but that’s obviously not where her talent lies! You can order the DVD’s through her website or if you’re in the Orange County area, you can pick them up at the Gallery Store at the Bowers Museum on Main St. in Santa Ana.

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