I haven’t posted a blog entry in a while, but that is because I have been really busy beading. I am working on some Christmas presents but as soon as they are finished I will post pictures.
Also, over the summer, I spent some time working on a bracelet for a contest. The contest was being hosted by one of my local bead stores. They asked for beadwork entry submissions from their customers to be featured in their first beadwork calendar for 2010. The winners would receive a free copy of the published calendar along with a professionally taken photograph of their beadwork entry. So I decided to enter.
I decided to make a “herringbone stitch bracelet” for the contest using 8/0 purple ab. seed beads and 11/0 rust colored seed beads. I added a dark purple brick stitch flower, using 11/0 seed beads, to the bracelet as a focal point. A small dyed purple peal bead formed the center of the flower. I was very pleased with how the bracelet turned out.
Now, I have entered several on line contest before where you submit a photo of your work, but this contest wanted the actual beadwork piece. This was the very first time that my beadwork would be picked up, held and examined for flaws by the contest judges. So, you can imagine that I was somewhat apprehensive about submitting my bracelet for such close scrutiny.
On the second to the last day, for contest entry submissions, I finally got the nerve up to submit my bracelet. So with butterflies the size of raven’s wings, fluttering in my stomach, I drove to the bead store to submit my bracelet into the contest. The girl who processed my entry told me that the contest entry winners would be announced during and after-hours special store event at the end of August.
My anxiety grew palatably day by day as I waited for four weeks on pins and needles to find out if my bracelet would be chosen as one of the contest winners. I had planned on attending the “special calendar night announcement” event at the bead store to find out who the lucky winners would be. But, of course things do not always go as planned.
A day before “announcement night” my car died. It just would not start. It had to be towed to the mechanic and would not be fixed until the following week. Since the event at the store was an “adults only” event, and I was unable to obtain a sitter, or a ride for that matter, I ended up staying home. To say the least, I was extremely disappointed.
Two days later I received and email from the bead store, with the heading, “Calendar Winners Announced.” It took me at least 10 minutes to work up the courage to open the email. The email stated that there had been over 250 entry submission. Out of the 250 entries they had chosen 54 beadwork submissions to be photographed and published as the calendar winners. Six entries were to be featured on the cover, and 4 entries were to be featured for each of the 12 months.
After reading this, I scrolled down the alphabetical list to the “F’s.” To my amazed delight, my name was among the list of names of the calendar contest winners!!! In celebration, I danced around the room doing a silly little happy dance. My daughter, Angie probably thought that her “mother” had gone off her rocker, but she started dancing with me.
So, for the first time, I am a “published” bead artist. The calendars should be coming out soon. I am looking forward to seeing my bracelet in the calendar and viewing all of the other winning beadwork that was chosen to be featured.
Here is a picture of my winning bracelet.
Also, over the summer, I spent some time working on a bracelet for a contest. The contest was being hosted by one of my local bead stores. They asked for beadwork entry submissions from their customers to be featured in their first beadwork calendar for 2010. The winners would receive a free copy of the published calendar along with a professionally taken photograph of their beadwork entry. So I decided to enter.
I decided to make a “herringbone stitch bracelet” for the contest using 8/0 purple ab. seed beads and 11/0 rust colored seed beads. I added a dark purple brick stitch flower, using 11/0 seed beads, to the bracelet as a focal point. A small dyed purple peal bead formed the center of the flower. I was very pleased with how the bracelet turned out.
Now, I have entered several on line contest before where you submit a photo of your work, but this contest wanted the actual beadwork piece. This was the very first time that my beadwork would be picked up, held and examined for flaws by the contest judges. So, you can imagine that I was somewhat apprehensive about submitting my bracelet for such close scrutiny.
On the second to the last day, for contest entry submissions, I finally got the nerve up to submit my bracelet. So with butterflies the size of raven’s wings, fluttering in my stomach, I drove to the bead store to submit my bracelet into the contest. The girl who processed my entry told me that the contest entry winners would be announced during and after-hours special store event at the end of August.
My anxiety grew palatably day by day as I waited for four weeks on pins and needles to find out if my bracelet would be chosen as one of the contest winners. I had planned on attending the “special calendar night announcement” event at the bead store to find out who the lucky winners would be. But, of course things do not always go as planned.
A day before “announcement night” my car died. It just would not start. It had to be towed to the mechanic and would not be fixed until the following week. Since the event at the store was an “adults only” event, and I was unable to obtain a sitter, or a ride for that matter, I ended up staying home. To say the least, I was extremely disappointed.
Two days later I received and email from the bead store, with the heading, “Calendar Winners Announced.” It took me at least 10 minutes to work up the courage to open the email. The email stated that there had been over 250 entry submission. Out of the 250 entries they had chosen 54 beadwork submissions to be photographed and published as the calendar winners. Six entries were to be featured on the cover, and 4 entries were to be featured for each of the 12 months.
After reading this, I scrolled down the alphabetical list to the “F’s.” To my amazed delight, my name was among the list of names of the calendar contest winners!!! In celebration, I danced around the room doing a silly little happy dance. My daughter, Angie probably thought that her “mother” had gone off her rocker, but she started dancing with me.
So, for the first time, I am a “published” bead artist. The calendars should be coming out soon. I am looking forward to seeing my bracelet in the calendar and viewing all of the other winning beadwork that was chosen to be featured.
Here is a picture of my winning bracelet.
I invite you to visit my picturetrail website, "Bead Between The Lines." You just might find something that you like or something that will inspire you.
I am also on myspace.
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