Daily Blogs : contests

New Beading Daily editor!

Leslie — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:01:00 GMT

Hi! I'm so happy to be your new Beading Daily editor!

First and foremost I want to thank Michelle Mach, the founding Beading Daily editor, who has moved on. Michelle helped create an astounding online bead and jewelry community for all of us. We’ll miss her easy writing style and creativity from the past two years. Big cheers for Michelle! The good news is that she told me she'd be delighted to contribute from time to time. Share your wishes for Michelle on the forums!

Magazine scene

I’m thrilled to take up where Michelle left off as the new Beading Daily editor, and lots of you already know me. Perhaps you recognize my face from my photo in Step by Step Beads, for whom I’ve been the editor in chief for almost five years.

You may have taken one of my Bead Fest classes. Maybe you've seen my designs published in Beadwork, Step by Step Beads, Creative Jewelry, Easy Wire, or in a few Interweave books. I even did some technical illustrations for Beadwork.

A short history of an editor

Since getting my BFA in illustration from UArts in Philly, I’ve done a lot of things, and Interweave allows me to finally bring everything together! I was a copywriter and product designer for The Franklin Mint, wrote script cards for QVC, had art features published in Niche, American Style and The Surface Design Journal. I had my own business making wearable art, fabric sculptures and jewelry, selling at the American Craft Council shows and the Buyers Markets of American Crafts. I made my own blog web site and also sell on Etsy. I’ve even been a movie and TV extra. But mostly I love to bead!

Leslie's bead health tip for today:
Wear lots of jewelry as weight-bearing exercise!

Doodlebeads

Maybe because my dad was in the computer biz since they filled rooms, I’ve always loved the tech world. I was on the internet the second it was invented! I started making videos for my daughter’s school assemblies, then my personal blog, then as an Interweave editor. Next came video tutorials for Beading Daily. Called Doodlebeads because I draw out the thread paths as a teaching aid, these tutorials for beginner bead stitchers are already on Beading Daily in the How To section.

Beads, Baubles & Jewels

I love making jewelry, but mostly I love inspiring other people to make jewelry. I have experience in almost every medium and technique but my passion is seed beads. I was asked to teach Doodlebeads on Beads, Baubles & Jewels, the PBS TV show which Interweave sponsors. I just completed taping 12 episodes for the TV show, but a new Doodlebeads DVD with all 12 basic stitches will be in the Interweave store by the end of October of this year!

Beading Daily is yours, mine and ours!

Old friends or new, share what inspires you, what you want to learn, and what your most (or least) favorite posts are. One of the best things about beadingdaily.com is that we are so connected, you with me, me to you, you with each other. We have post comments to share, lively forums, galleries, contests, lessons, videos, Bead Fest bead show events-- so many ways to have a bead-in going all the time. So it’s your turn to tell me about yourselves. Beading Daily is ours! There is an amazing wealth of experience and humor being shared on Beading Daily, being tweeted and blogged and facebooked. So find a forum and let everyone know your wish list for Beading Daily. Who are you and what do you want? More videos? More projects? Which medium? Fewer, bigger, easier, more challenging? Bring it on! Please share your comments. It takes a village, right? Together, we’re making Beading Daily the best jewelry-making neighborhood around!

Happy beading!

Create with Patterns: Enter Beadwork's New Contest

Michelle M. — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:03:00 GMT

Though it’s hard to imagine what life was like before I started editing Beadwork magazine and writing books about beading, I remember what drew me to pursue a career in art and design in the first place: pattern. Patterned wallpaper, patterned bedspreads, patterned Trapper Keepers (remember those?), you name it! While all of the other art students on a collage trip to Italy filled their notebooks and wrote reports on statues, paintings, and textiles, I focused my study on patterned tiles, gates, and tapestries. ...(read more)

Meet the Semiprecious Beads Design Contest Winners

Michelle M. — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Many thanks to everyone for sending in just under 100 exciting entries to our Semiprecious Beads Design contest. It was not easy to choose just three winners, but ultimately Leslie Rogalski of Step by Step Beads and I both agreed wholeheartedly on why we selected the ones we did. Every winning piece is wearable, attractive, and well-made. ...(read more)

New: Enter the Semiprecious Beads Contest

Michelle M. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:12:00 GMT

When you're starting out, it's easiest to string one or two types of beads together. Combining three or more can be tricky. You'll need to juggle multiple colors and possibly different shapes and sizes. Because of the design skill involved, I thought it would make a great Beading Daily reader challenge!...(read more)

Create on Cue: 4 Tips to Reduce Beading Stress

Michelle M. — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:51:00 GMT

If you look at my current resume, there isn’t a section called Rewards. No presidential citations or even an “Employee of the Month” award. I’d put them on there if I had any… Well, I guess in the sexist 70s the high school band voted me “Best Legs”, but I’m not sure that would add to my credentials. And, quite frankly, the “best” part of my hail-damaged legs anymore is that they get me from Point A to Point B!...(read more)

5 Shopping Tips for the Tucson Bead Shows

Michelle M. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:16:00 GMT

Usually the weather in Minnesota at this time of year makes people cuss and throw things. But I’m happily whistling away as I pack up beading kits and my Bermuda shorts. You see, I get to join 60,000 of my rock, gem, and beading enthusiast buddies and head down to Tucson, Arizona in a couple weeks! ...(read more)

Are You the Next Bead Star?

Michelle M. — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:53:00 GMT

Singers have American Idol. Fashion designers have Project Runway. Cooks have Top Chef. And now beaders have . . Bead Star!...(read more)

Pick Your Prize Winners, Plus Meet an 18-Year-Old Jewelry Designer

Michelle M. — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:14:00 GMT

What can a passionate seed bead artist who’s just eighteen accomplish? Anything she wants! I first saw Scarlett Lanson while she was viewing the stunning crystal creations in Swarovski’s annual design contest display during this year’s Tucson Bead Shows. Little did I know that this young woman in jeans was one of the winners in their competition—and the designer of one of my favorite pieces. I was so impressed with her work and her passion for designing fashion-savvy jewelry with seed beads that I invited her to submit a project to Beadwork. ...(read more)

Pick Your Prize Giveaway, Plus Power of Beading Contest Winners

Michelle M. — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:30:00 GMT

We raised $1,143 for two cancer charities, the American Institute for Cancer Research and The Wellness Community, by selling the instructions for the Awareness Ribbon Pins created by designer Kerrie Slade. Thanks to everyone who helped make our first fundraiser a success! Two lucky readers also won the "Power of Beading" contest by telling us how beading helped them through a challenging time. Winners Christine Riat and Channon Belfry will each receive a handcrafted beaded ribbon pin created and donated by Kerrie Slade....(read more)

Power of Beading Contest & Charity Fundraiser

Michelle M. — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:25:00 GMT

One of my favorite "got to be beading" stories came from a designer who told me that she had created a particular bracelet while waiting for surgery. When it came time for her to be wheeled off into the operating room, she almost lost it. The medical staff was startled by her reaction. Was she in pain? Was she scared about the surgery? "No! I have just 3 more rows! I'm almost finished!" ...(read more)

Bead Spree Winners

Michelle M. — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

When I retire from Beading Daily, I want Ed McMahon's job. You know, the guy who drives around handing out those huge million dollar checks?...(read more)

Win a Shopping Spree at Your Local Bead Shop

Michelle M. — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:55:00 GMT

To celebrate the start of summer (and because I really, really like giving things away!), Beading Daily is giving away 3 shopping sprees ($300, $200, $100) to use at local bead shops in the U.S. and Canada. Imagine what you could buy with that money: beads, findings, stringing materials, magazines, books, tools! Winners will be announced here on Beading Daily. Yes, that's right--fame AND fortune! Enter today.

What kind of bead shopper are you?

Polymer tree pendant
by Curly Tree Designs

Do you relate to the experience of Curly Tree Designs? She went to her local bead shop for just one pendant, "But, then I started browsing and found these incredibly cool agate beads. . ."

Or how about Humblebeads? This is how she described a recent shopping experience: "We went clay and bead shopping this morning. I found some awesome copper links of chain, I'm going to antique them and make something spectacular." I can definitely relate. I often buy something with a vague but exciting idea (Best! Project! Ever!), but sometimes when I get home, it turns into something else entirely--or sometimes it sits around in my bead stash waiting patiently for inspiration. (I just used a clasp for a Beadwork project that I bought at least four years ago!)

Or how about the Arizona Crafty Burrito Collective? "To me, there's nothing more fun or exciting than going bead shopping. It's like sensory overload! There's so much to choose from and ideas swirl madly in my head and then I get home and forget most of it! So, now I keep a little notebook and write down all my ideas but who knows if I ever will get to all of them."

Does any of this sound familiar?

New Reader Poll: Do you usually buy beads for a specific project or do you buy beads and figure out what to do with them later? What type of shopper are you? This poll ends June 1, 2008. Results will be shared in a future Beading Daily.

Michelle Mach shares beading news, contests, reader galleries, and other beady stuff every Monday on Beading Daily.

Enter Beadwork's Beaded Book Competition

Michelle M. — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:09:00 GMT

Books and Beads!

Frog and Toad are Friends, Guinness Book of World Records, Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls. . . Ever since I heard that Beadwork's new international juried exhibition would combine books and beads, titles of my favorite childhood books have been popping into my head at odd moments. If I add in my adult memories of books (English major in college, reference librarian jobs, book club follies), it seems like there is no end to the number of design possibilities for this exhibition. Even though as an employee I can't enter, I'm very tempted to jump in and play anyway just for myself--and for you--if any of you would like to see what I come up with!

So what is Beadwork looking for?

Beadwork editor Marlene Blessing writes, "I know plenty of you have been inspired by altered books (don't let those collage artists have all the fun) and by stories (from trashy novels, to historical epics, to books of poems). Whether you alter an actual book, re-create a favorite character in literature, bead a page of text or just a favorite passage, bead a reader-and-book vignette, make a tiny library, or bead your favorite fantasy/sci-fi kingdom—or any other bookcentric concoction you can imagine—please share your passion for books and beads with us!"

Photos of the winning designs will be featured in Beadwork. The actual pieces will be on display at Bead Expo in Santa Fe (March 12–15, 2009) and Bead Fest Philadelphia (August 20–23, 2009).

Entry period: August 1-December 18, 2008. Read the complete rules.

Beadwork's last exhibit, The Beaded Bag, attracted the largest number of entries to date with 202 entries from all over the world. I would love to smash that record! If you have questions or comments about The Beaded Book, please feel free to post them here and I will ask the Beadwork editors to respond to you as quickly as they can. Good luck!

Current and Forthcoming Bead Exhibitions

Recently a Beading Daily reader asked about upcoming bead exhibits. In addition to the exhibits mentioned below, two bead museums have ongoing beading exhibits: Bead Museum (Glendale, Arizona) and Bead Museum (Washington, DC). Here are a few places to check out:

• Development of Beads and Jade Tools Production, Japanese Archaeology Gallery, Tokyo National Museum, through June 8, 2008.
• African Beaded Art: Power and Adornment, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts, through June 15, 2008.
• Joy Crane: Beadwork, South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota, through June 15, 2008.
• Glass Beads of Ghana, Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey, through June 15, 2009.
• Bead International, Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, Ohio May 23-September 1, 2008.
• Out of the Box: Pushing the Boundaries of the Glass Bead, traveling exhibit, 2008, International Society of Glass Bead Makers.

If you know about any other current bead exhibits, please share them on the website.

Last Chance for Bead Star: Tomorrow (May 6, 2008) is the absolute last day to enter Bead Star. Don't miss your chance to see your design on the cover of a magazine! Enter today.

Michelle Mach shares beading news, contests, reader galleries, and other beady stuff every Monday on Beading Daily. If you have comments or questions for Michelle, please post them on the website.

How to Win Beading Competions: 6 Tips from a Contest Judge

Michelle M. — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:28:00 GMT

What would you do with $1,500?
If you had a $1,500 gift certificate to spend at a huge online bead store, what would you buy? Every kind of gemstone available? Enough seed beads or toggle clasps to last a lifetime? A top-of-the-line set of beading tools?

I'd buy that--and more, but since I can't enter Bead Star (something about being the editor of Beading Daily), my big shopping trip will remain a dream. For you, this could be real.

The grand prize winner in the Bead Star contest will get a $1,500 gift certificate for Fire Mountain Gems, along with a fun trip for two to Bead Expo in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the joy of seeing his or her project on the cover of a magazine! And that's just the grand prize winner. There are tons of other big prizes too in every category: crystals, seed beads, glass, pearls, stones, metals, plastics, under $25, and designs with heart. There's even a prize for the bead shop that gets mentioned most often on the entry forms!

New--A Special Prize for Early Birds!
If you get your entry in by midnight MST on Friday, April 25th, you will be eligible to win $250 to spend any way you like! That's right--we're going to draw a random name from all the early entries (including all the entries already submitted) and that person will win a $250 gift card! And you can start spending right away--the winner will be notified by April 30th. So what are you waiting for? Read today's tips for creating a winning design and get busy! (Your laundry, grocery shopping, and whatever other "important" stuff you had planned for this weekend can wait!)

Yes, Marge—You, Too, Can Win!
by Marlene Blessing, editor in chief of Beadwork

Have you been watching Dancing with the Stars? (Good for Priscilla Presley that she hung in there so long.) Or American Idol? (Why did they have to axe the Aussie?) Or Project Runway? (I could never make an outfit out of candy wrappers. What will they torture the designers with this season?) We love competitions and contests! And beaders, there are lots of contests out there for you to enter to feed your beading life. Interweave has a big one coming up--Bead Star! Our beading editors will select finalists, and all of you will choose the winners. And there are big prizes at stake, too. Does $5,000 worth of travel and beading supplies sound good?

Having been a judge in beading and other contests, here are some key tips to help you rise to the top:

Follow entry rules to the letter! If there's anything you think is confusing or ambiguous, most contest sites offer FAQs. They probably even list contact information if you need more help. Don't lose by being disqualified.
Get the best digital photo of your project(s) you can. If you've just made your most stupendously cool bracelet ever and you know it's a winner, remember the old adage: "A picture is worth a thousand words." Actually, edit that to read: "A great picture . . ." Loads of wonderful entries lose all the time because the image submitted to screeners and judges didn't do justice to the finished beadwork. There's even a Digital Art Photography for Dummies book to help you improve your results.
Be a politician. Get your friends, family, fellow bloggers, and coworkers out for the vote! If you've entered a popular vote contest such as Bead Star, it doesn't hurt to lobby the ones you love. (Just don't make any election promises you won't keep.)
Focus on finishing touches. Style and originality count big in contests. But be sure you finish your work beautifully with the best findings, technique (good tension, no knots or thread showing--unless they're intended, etc.), and other bits of polishing. It's all about the total package.
Enter contests frequently. Chance plays a part in winning, and you improve the odds if you keep on trying!
Have fun! (No explanation required.)

As a judge, I've seen the bodies in the road, folks who could have been contenders but lost their way. There was the amazing crystal-embellished piece that was eliminated from a recent Swarovski competition because the entry photo was fuzzy and dark, making the piece look like one of those bad UFO photos. Or the extremely cool beaded shoe that had nothing to do with our Beaded Bag theme contest. Or a finalist piece of bead-woven jewelry with unruly (and unintended) threads sprouting here and there.

For now, good luck to all. Ready? Set. Go!

Visit the Bead Star website for a complete list of prizes and entry details. The deadline to enter is May 6, 2008, but if you enter by April 25, you'll be eligible to win the random "Early Bird" drawing. All beaders in the U.S. and Canada are encouraged to enter. Someone will win--why not you?

Marlene Blessing is the editor in chief of Beadwork magazine and author of Create Jewelry: Pearls and Create Jewelry: Crystals. Marlene is an experienced beading contest judge and most recently helped judge the 2007 Swarovski Create Your Style Design Contest.

New "Editor's Choice" Feature on Beading Daily
Each month, an editor from Stringing, Beadwork, Step by Step Beads, or Step by Step Wire Jewelry will offer a free project of her own choosing! Today's project is from Marlene Blessing of Beadwork magazine.

Project: Bohemian Revolutions Bracelet by Jamie Hogsett

This sparkly bracelet uses circular square stitch to combine crystal bicones and size 11 seed beads in muted tones of chartreuse, gray, and turquoise. Originally published in the August/September 2006 issue of Beadwork magazine.

Please note that this was a special limited time download: This bracelet project was free to Beading Daily members through June 1, 2008. Instructions are now available for sale in the store.

Why did Marlene choose this project? She says, "Making square-stitched circles in really easy and fun. What's great about this project is how it teaches you that mastering one simple seed bead technique can allow you to design something satisfyingly unique. Try your own color variations--go for jewel tones instead of muted colors, or choose a citrusy variation (lime, yellow, and deep orange) for summer."

Michelle Mach shares free beading projects and tips every Friday on Beading Daily. If you have questions or comments for Michelle (including suggestions for future free projects), please post them here on the website. Thanks!

Glass Design Challenge Winners, Plus More Beading Contests

Editor — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT

More than 150 beaders from around the world submitted their designs to the Glass Bead Challenge! The variety of entries was astonishing--every color palette imaginable and all types of glass beads from crystals and pressed glass to lampwork. After the blind judging was complete (entries were judged without any names or identifying information), I was surprised and impressed to learn that several of our winners created the glass beads they used in their designs. Trust Beading Daily members to go the extra mile!

If you did not win, take heart--many of the designs submitted were worthy of publication. What set these designs apart from the crowd were great use of color, the focus on glass beads (the contest theme), and flawless execution of the techniques featured in Designing Jewelry with Glass Beads.

Author's Choice Winner

Candy Collage Necklace
Mary MacVoy

Author Stephanie Sersich enjoyed the colors in this necklace and was impressed at the sewing on the felted balls. Mary MacVoy created the lampwork beads and the felted balls used in this necklace.

Mary is currently obsessed with felt making and embroidery. Visit her blog at: mizmerrymac.blogspot.com

Earrings Category Winner

Where is Spring?
Marsha Melone

This design proves that more isn't always better! I was impressed how Marsha kept this design simple, allowing you to focus on the beautiful lampwork beads, which Marsha created herself. The choice of hammered and coiled copper findings was also unusual.

Marsha has been beading for over 10 years and describers herself as a "techniques junkie." Her favorite techniques are bead crochet, peyote (especially freeform), and bead embroidery. Visit her blog: www.BeadMam.com

Bracelets Category Winner

Jumble Love
Jennifer Judd

I loved the bright combination of colors, as well as the stringing and wireworking combination, which added a bit of texture. It's tempting--and easy--to create symmetrical designs, so I was happy to see how Jennifer played with the concept of symmetry. The lampwork beads are by Lisa New (eBay seller Beadamaniac).

Jennifer's military job influences her designs--she loves original and fun designs that are "out of character with a girl who dresses in camouflage every day." Visit her blog: jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com

Necklaces Category Winner

Romancing the Spring
Samela Dorey

This strung and knotted necklace combines Czech pressed glass beads, vintage glass beads, and a lampworked focal. What impressed me about this piece was something that is barely noticeable--the very polished knotted loop and bead closure that blends seamlessly into the design. Finding (or in this case, creating) the perfect closure is an admirable design skill--and not one that everyone has.

Samela has been designing jewelry since 2002, focusing on silver and gemstones, a combination which she describes as "a perfect marriage." Visit her website: www.beadbumlady.com

Prizes

Each winner received an autographed copy of the new book Designing Jewelry with Glass Beads by Stephanie Sersich. The author's choice winner also received a handcrafted lampwork starfish bead created by Stephanie.

Congratulations to all our winners!

Upcoming Beading Contests/Challenges:

Bead Arts Awards. Deadline: May 1, 2008. Details.
Bead Star. Deadline: May 6, 2008. Details.
Stringing magazine's "Channeling Cinderella" challenge. Deadline: May 16, 2008. Details.
The Bead Museum's first annual juried jewelry design competition. Deadline: August 8, 2008. Details.
Art Bead Scene. Deadline: Last day of each month. Details.

Beadwork will be asking for submissions for its sixth international juried exhibit very soon. Your work could be featured in an exhibit at Bead Expo Santa Fe in 2009 and also in the pages of Beadwork magazine. I'll share the details on Beading Daily in April. I absolutely love the theme that's been chosen and can't wait to talk about it! (Take a look at the entries for the Beaded Bag or the Beaded Figure to get an idea of past exhibits.)

Plus, Beading Daily will host another challenge open to all members! I have several ideas in mind, but I'd love to hear what you think! Do you want to focus on color? A certain type of bead? Or maybe a theme? Do you want to vote for the winners? Or do some of you want to apply to judge a future challenge? Please share your suggestions on the website.

Michelle Mach shares beading news, contests, reader galleries, and other beady stuff every Monday on Beading Daily. If you have comments or questions for Michelle, please post them on the website.