Kathryn Bowman Studio

Already thinking about the 2012 Bead and Button Show

2011-11-02T16:58:00.000-05:00

The Bead and Button Show may seem a long way off, but it rolls around quicker than I want to think about. Because of that the B&B Show is always at the back of my mind by either creating classes or getting ready to teach those classes. As soon as an instructor finishes up teaching at the show for the year, they are creating their classes for the following year. I may submit two or three of my classes from the previous year, but for the most part I create all new classes. Each instructor submits a finished jewelry piece of what will be taught, a title for the class, a photo of that piece for the catalog, a description for the class that will go in the catalog, and the instructions for the class. The deadline for all of this is the first week of August. I submitted six new classes and three repeats. The month of July was a focused scurry.

The reward comes when you get that all anticipated e-mail from Kristin Jastroch, telling you if you will be teaching and if so what you will be teaching. I'm thrilled to tell you that I will be teaching three workshops and five all day class at the 2012 Bead and Button Show. I am so looking forward to the show that runs June 1 to 10, 2012. Here is a run down of what I will be teaching for those of you that are planning a trip to Milwaukee for the show.

#B121480

Rivet The Etch Workshop

Rivet The Etch Workshop - Sunday, June 3, 2012 – 9:00am-5:30pm

This is a popular workshop, that I taught last year. You will learn to etch metal using Ferric Chloride, saw metal with a gentle, no-pressure approach and rivet with a wonderful new tool that makes riveting a breeze. First you will etch three different metals with designs and textures. Next you will cut and finish that metal into the elements for the bracelet. After the elements a ready you will bring all the parts together and assemble by making rivet connections. We will assemble the bracelet with jump rings and add a little color with beads at each junction. There are a lot of metalsmithing skills and tools incorporated into this day of jewelry making.

Articulated Bracelet Workshop

#B121479

Articulated Bracelet Workshop – Monday, June 4 - 9:00am-5:30pm
This is a new class to the show and has been a long time coming for me. I've had this idea for about three years and wanted the class to be the best for you and it finally is. So I'm excited to be teaching etching, sawing, finishing, and the technique used to rivet the elements together will have your bracelet moving freely, with the end result of articulation. All techniques will be demonstrated and discussed as we work.

Embellished Plum Blossom Workshop

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Embellished Plum Blossom Necklace Workshop – Tuesday, June 5 - 9:00am-5:30pm
This will be the first time to teach this at Bead and Button, but I've been teaching this or a couple of years in St. Louis. You will learn the basic Plum Blossom beaded beads and now you will learn to embellish that surface! Just think of all of the color possibilities this will give you, by being able to add another layer of beads. Besides learning to embellish, you will learn two variations by using different bead types and tricks for stringing that will give perfect balance when worn. There weren’t enough beads, now we can add more.

Getting Attached to Metal Etching

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Getting Attached To Metal Etching – Wednesday, June 6 - 8:00am-3:00pm
This class is all about making a coordinated pendant and hook closure. In one day you will learn all of the ins and outs of metal etching with Ferric Chloride and making those etched images work in your design. Once the metal designs are etched you will learn the use of two fabulous metalsmithing tools that you will create a pendant and hook closure with. This will be a great introduction for any beadier wanting to expand their jewelry making skills.

Etching for Design

#B121471
Etching For Design – Thursday, June 7 - 8:30am-3:30pm
The etched image can be what leads the design instead of supporting jewelry elements or being an after thought. Make etching the leader for your designs to create texture and visual cues. Learn to etch metal with Ferric Chloride, saw metal using a relaxed method that will have you gliding through metal, then pierce and connect that metal to complete the design inspiration. Beyond etching, this class is filled with basic metalsmithing skills you will take home to apply to future jewelry projects.

Flower Petal Necklace

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Flower Petal Necklace – Friday, June 8 - 8:30am-4:00pm
Flowers, flowers, flowers, what could be better or make you happier? Can’t you just see yourself in this necklace? You will learn two variations of the plum blossom beaded bead and how to string the beads when they are finished so that they hang just right around the neck. Don’t think of this as only a summer necklace. By changing the colors it can be worn any time of year.

Morphing Plum Blossom Bracelet

#B121474
Morphing Plum Blossom Bracelet – Saturday, June 9 - 9:00am-5:00pm
Learn a different way to make Plum Blossom beaded beads. This method will open up possibilities that you could have never dreamed of that are endlessly creativity and enjoyable. Maybe you have made beaded beads before. Maybe you have made Plum Blossom beads before, but have you embellished and changed every bead and bead combination? In this class you will be making some changes to the Plum Blossom beaded bead. Fun Stuff!

Riveting Rivets for a Pending Pendant

#B121475
Riveting Rivets For A Pending Pendant – Sunday, June 10 – 9:00am-noon
This is a great class for the beadweaver or bead stringer that would like to acquire some metalsmithing skills. You will be able to select from various textured metals and create a pendant and hook closure using those metals. The skills you will be able to try out are; sawing, filing, use of a disc cutter, and use of a rivet tool. When all of the parts are assembled we will patina the pendant and closure. You will be so proud of yourself when you tell you friends that you made your pendant, after adding your personal touch with a beaded rope or strung beads.

2011-09-08T10:29:00.000-05:00

Hi, thought I would show off some recent work and tell you about each piece, what inspired me, where it is, and plans for it. First there is "Ah Gosh".

The name comes from all of the blush colors. The original inspiration was the Unicorn glass square focal bead. You need to know that I love Unicorn glass. The colors are magical and they have a way of sneaking into my work regularly. Then I had been thinking about working a Czech dagger beaded bead around that focal and worked at it until it worked. I then worked with color an shape. There needed to be a repeat of the square so I worked two right angle weave beaded beads to satisfy that shape. As I was digging around in the bead stash I found the blush/mauve/rose figure daggers and they were a must and add a great punch and balance to the central daggers. And finally I wire wrapped Chinese crystals around the back to create movement and sparkle. It was a grand adventure to make this necklace.

"Teals the Deal", is all about teal. As far as I'm concerned teal is the best color ever. When I found the petal shaped teal beads something had to happen with them. The focal is a sterling silver disc that I drilled holes in and then created a wire frame of petals. Once the wire petals were established I wire wrapped seed beads to the wire frame, creating color and shape. I finished the bracelet off with a hand fabricated toggle that was first roll pressed with a petal image, cut and shaped. I guess I have a very floral statement going here and, of coarse, there is teal. It is now at the Main Street Gallery in Edwardsville, IL. Stop by and say hello.

This is "Mad Lilly". She started out from the yellow dagger beads. This necklace turned out to speak SUMMER in big capital letters. There is a slight hint of hot pink around the edges of the spots on the yellow dagger beads, like oil on water would look. Because of the hint of pink, it became the third color in this color triad. This necklace is all about fun, sun shine, and girlie, girl wearing. I'm sorry it will be put away now for the winter, but you might find me wearing it on a gray winter day just for the heck of it. As it turns out I won't be wearing this necklace ever again. It got sold to a lovely lady at Bead Art. I feel so good that it is going to a good home where it will be worn frequently and loved. Thank you.

All three pieces have been used to apply for shows, proposed for inclusion in a book, and will be displayed in my booth for shows this fall. As you can see, I've been have tooooo much fun with design this summer.

Bead & Button Show 2011

2011-06-22T04:21:00.000-05:00

It's always extraordinary, The Bead & Button Show, but this year seemed to be the best. I have finally found my place at this show and that is to teach. I taught six classes during the week long event and had absolutely fabulous students. Preparation for all of these classes was all consuming for about three months. Of coarse, there are always other things going on, but there is a lot to be truly prepared for those students to walk into class. I respect so much, that all of my students pay a hefty fee to take a class at this event and I want their experience to be the best I could make it in my classes. The staff does a wonderful job of creating the best experience for all of us; students, instructors, and vendors. It is a well put on show in my opinion.

I have the best assistant, Annie Pennington, who arrived at six o'clock sharp on Monday morning June 6th. We had made every effort to preparation for all of the classes before our departure. I wanted to cover every possibility when it came to tools for my students to use, so the boxes were heavy with those possibilities. I felt it would be a challenge to get anything printed while away from my beloved printer. You know, go to an office supply with a CD to get one of your files printed, not fun. So I had printed and filed everything I could possibly think of. And we had to be ready for Meet The Teachers on Wednesday with the boxes of kits ready for that crazy bead infused evening. We looked a little like the Clampetts, when we hit the road.

Grand entry to the show on the third floor of the convention center.

Our drive was uneventful. Lots of green, beautiful fields and in seven hours we were at the Frontier Airlines Center in Milwaukee. Registration wasn't open so we went to our hotel to checked in and relaxed a couple of hours. We then went back to the show sight to register and get everything moved in so we would be ready to setup our classroom the next morning. We had a nice dinner at the Cheese Cake Factory and got to bed early. We knew we had a long, long day on Tuesday with a seven hour workshop all day and a three hour class in the evening.

Riveted Etched Bracelet Class

Learning to saw metal.

Laura Kuhlman proudly shows off bracelet.

The next morning we were at the show sight at 7:30 and setting up class to teach metal etching, sawing, hole punching, and riveting. Our tables were all covered with plastic, we got the tools organized for the various steps we were guiding our students through, and we set up a petite Kathryn Bowman Studio shop on one table with kits, patterns, toggles, etched pendants, and pendant suspensions. Everyone arrived excited to learn how to etch metal with Ferric Chloride. Annie and I had done a lot of the mundane elements involved in getting the metal etched. There was a lot to do during this class and we had to keep things moving along. It has always impressed me, at the Bead & Button Show, how motivated the students are. They are knowledgeable and are there to learn.

Etch for Design Class

Two hours after the riveting class was finished, we were cleaned up and ready for the Etch for Design Class. This is a three hour class that quickly acquaints the student with the steps involved with etching metal. The students also learn to sew, file, and use a disc cutter. It's a fast paced class and we cover a lot of material. I was so grateful to have Annie there to help out. By the end of class and clean up we had enjoyed a fifteen hour day. Our legs and feet were throbbing and all we could do is crawl off to bed. Thank goodness we only had one activity the next day and it was in the evening.

Crowd at Meet The Teachers.

We got some much need rest on Wednesday. We weren't good for much more than lieing around after our long day before. We headed over to the show site at four and set up for Meet The Teachers. We set up early, so we could go have a bite to eat and be well fortified for the ensuing craziness we would be involved in all evening. The doors opened at eight o'clock with a sea of humanity covering the banquet hall in quick time. This event is sponsored by Swarovski Crystal Elements and is intended to introduce the teachers to their students, people who want to be their students but couldn't schedule that class, and possibly fill the remaining seats in classes not yet filled. Lots of kits get sold and everyone gets to mingle and talk about beads with like minded folk. We are all bead nerds and proud of it.

Milwaukee Art Museum

Thursday was a day off for us. We slept in and headed off to the Milwaukee Art Museum around noon. Milwaukee's Art Museum is an awesome architectural statement. It sits right on the edge of Lake Michigan and looks much like a sail boat. The museum has an impressive permanent collection and attracts the larger national traveling art exhibits. After a couple of hours at the museum we went for one of the best Rubin Sandwich's I've ever found, at John Hawk's Pub. Annie agreed that it was pretty darn good. After dining we headed over to the bead show site, for the actual show was opening Thursday evening at four. It was time to find out what the hundreds of vendors have to offer this year. What's new? What are the trends? Thursday evening was a few hours of dedicated bead, tool, and jewelry component shopping.

Lampwork in Competition

Beaded Object in Competition

We would also be seeing the full showing of "Bead Dreams", a competition for the best of the best beadwork. This attracts entries from around the world and is sponsored by ten industry sponsors that offer great gift certificate prizes.

Etch The Image Class

Flower Petal Necklace Class

So much for goofing around, Friday was another long day with two classes, Etch the Image all day long and Flower Petal Plum Blossom Necklace. The etching class went smoothly with four students enrolled. The cuff that they create during that day is a big project, but three of the four walked out of class wearing their cuff. WooHoo. The pace was going to be stepped up with a full class, 15 students, that evening. I knew the hardest part of the evening was going to be our location. The classroom that we were in was on the convention show floor that has ceilings approximately three stories high. Because of this height, your voice seems to evaporate. By the end of the three hour class, I felt like a raving maniac, with my efforts to be heard. Somehow, with Annie's help, we guided the ladies through making a few beaded beads, toward their effort to make the Flower Petal Necklace. After straightening up when the class was finished, we know we were on the home stretch with only two more classes. We would be in a different classroom the next day, but we were too tired to move Friday evening.

Morphing Plum Blossom Bracelet Class

Saturday morning, once again we were at the show site bright and early, to move what we needed for the day to our assigned classroom. We didn't have a lot of time, but we should be alright, except the elevator decided to go into spasm. Annie and I ended up moving our roller cart on the escalator, running back up the escalator and moving the remaining roller suitcase and cart down. We scurried around and got the room set up and were ready for class on time. I mentioned earlier that the students at Bead & Button are knowledgeable and this was very true of the group on Saturday. I was teach a technique that was new to all of these experienced beaders and they pushed me to make this technique fit into their current knowledge. After a day of effort and a little bit of frustration, the ladies left class with a new skill. Everyone was happy and Annie and I got rave reviews. Rock on Plum Blossom Beaded Beads.

Kathy King models necklace.

A little sad, one final day of teaching at the show. Sunday morning we were teaching Etch for Design one more time. We had discussed and rearranged this class with great results. With as little explanation as possible, we got everyone etching their metal. While the etchant did it's magic, the explanations began. The class earlier in the week became rushed, much to my dissatisfaction. Changes had to be made and we made them with great results. It's a short class that covers a lot. Despite horrible lighting, I have to show off one of the successes from Sunday morning on the left. The students went on their way, we packed everything up, moved all of our equipment to the car, and piled it in. There was a little more time to make those last minute bead purchases, so back to the show site.

Carts at IKEA.

Monday morning arrived and time to head for St. Louis. We decided to make a small side trip to IKEA in Chicago on the way home. A left, another left, a sling, a toll, another toll, and another toll and we were at IKEA. Some great shopping therapy and we were once again on our way to St. Louis. About five we pulled up at my house exactly at the same time Annie's boyfriend, Brandon did. They helped me unload and the trip was over.

In a way it has been a let down since getting home. There was a great deal of preparation, the show is all about putting forth extreme effort, and sitting quietly at home makes you wonder if it really happened. Writing this blog has been therapeutic by reminding me of all that did happen that action packed week in Milwaukee. It all puts a smile on my face. Now it is time to get ready for 2012. Can't wait!

Jewelry Roll Up

2011-05-15T20:13:00.000-05:00

Roll Up Jewelry Storage You Can Easily Make.

When I started making jewelry, I wondered how best to carry my jewelry to shows, boutiques, galleries and when traveling by air. I shopped around. I looked around. I asked other jewelry makers. I tried many suggestions and dreamed up a couple of solutions of my own. Today, I thought I would share the most recent form this quarry has taken. I hope you will benefit from what I have found to be a very easy and workable solution, an easy to make jewelry roll up.

Free Roll Up Pattern
E-mail me @ 1kathrynbowman@gmail.com

You don't have to be an expert seamstress at all. In fact, all you need is a sewing machine or access to a sewing machine, little sewing experience, the fabric necessary, and a pair of scissors. What you will need:

Sewing Machine
Sewing Scissors
Pinking Sheers
Sewing Pins
Felt - 12 X 57 inches
½ inch Grosgrain Ribbon - 15 inches
Loop Side Velcro - 6 inches
Color Coordinated Thread

1. Buy the fabric and thread. I've used felt and choose a dark color so the Roll Up wouldn't look soiled too quickly. In the previous version of the roll up I used felt and had stitched both the hook and loop side of velcro into place. After using the previous version for a while, I found that I only need the hook side of velcro. The hook side of velcro is the rough side and has tiny hooks. The hook side of the velcro will attach itself directly to felt fabric when rolled up. This eliminates a step for you.

2. Cut out the pieces. The last time I made Roll Ups, I went into production and cut out four. If you want a hard copy of the pattern, I have a free pattern in PDF form available for you by e-mailing me at 1kathrynbowman@gmail.com. Basically the bottom is 12 X 19 inches, long sides are 5.5 X 10 inches, and the short ends are 12 X 9 inches. On all of the side pieces cut one side a half inch narrower so that they will tuck in nicely when you roll everything up. You will need one bottom, two long sides, and two end sides.

3. Cut Two 1/2 inch ribbon lengths of 7.5 inches with Pinking Shears. By cutting with Pinking Shears you will not need to finish the ends. I have found grosgrain ribbon will stand up to the wear the best. I hope for my current set of Roll Ups to last a while, so the length of wear is important. Grosgrain ribbon is the ribbed ribbon, with regular ribs going across side to side.
4. Cut Two 3 inch lengths of looped velcro.
5. Zigzag the the velro to one the end of the two Grosgrain Ribbons, by stitching around all four sides of the velcro and then one diagonal pass between two opposite corners. Pin the velcro to the ribbon in

two or three places so they will not slip as you are sewing. Here you get to see my vintage sewing machine. I love this machine, I hope it never dies.
6. Start on one end of the bottom. Divide the end length into thirds and position the ribbon with the velcro ends in the two one third spots. Pin the ribbons to the felt end with the ribbon ends heading away from the bottom with the velcro side up. Over the top of where the ribbons are pinned, pin one of the short end sides to the bottom end and evenly match up the sides. Using a zigzag stitch, stitch right next to the edge all of the way across that end.
7. Stitch the other end to the bottom. Pin first and zigzag all of the way across.
8. Prepare to pin the long sides on by tucking the side of the end pieces away from the long side. This will keep you from inadvertently sewing the side of the end into the long side stitching. Pin the long side flap to the bottom and zigzag all of the way across. Repeat step #8 to attach the other long side.
It's finish just that quickly. Now you can lay your precious creations in their carrier, fold first the short ends and then the long ends, and roll the end up heading toward where the velcro ribbons are attached. Once rolled up, bring the ribbons smoothly around and attach the velcro to the felt where they meet. These roll ups easily tuck into a carry bag, luggage, or into a safe at your hotel. I have found them to be convenient, my jewelry stays untarnish, and everything stays orderly. The Roll Ups make it easy to keep the jewelry organized by necklaces and bracelets.

I hope you find these Roll Ups to be as useful as I have.

Thinking About Warmer Weather

2011-02-24T10:17:00.000-06:00

Flowers everywhere, I can't wait. I've always had a thing about flowers and they sneak into my work regularly. This piece was made during the snowiest time this winter in the St. Louis area. Does it have you thinking about spring? Being creative and infusing your thoughts and feelings into your work is so therapeutic.

Hand wire wrapped in Sterling Silver, the Rhodonite and
Chinese Crystal Beads create an asymmetrical
balance to a blast of pink flowers on the side.

Three Beaded Bead Flowers
created from Czech glass beads.

Bead Jewelry Making Class Schedule

2010-12-19T08:13:00.000-06:00

Jewelry Making Class Schedule

It's that time again. What will I teach for the next few months, do I have a sample for students to look at, do I have instructions written or ones I can easily adapt and when will I teach the classes. I doubt my potential students even give it a thought that there is much that goes into setting up a teaching schedule. And really why should they? This happens three times a year in my life for the bead store I teach for and once a year for the Bead and Button Show.

I teach at a bead store in St. Louis, Lady Bug Beads, and at the Bead and Button Show, every June in Milwaukee, and they set a deadline when they want all of my information, photos of samples to put on their web site, and the samples for jurying or in the store for display. I'm so glad to have a deadline. I do work on all of this in advance, but that deadline does give me the necessary push to actually get the samples made and figure out the schedule. I normally have classes scheduled to teach in my home as well. Right now I am in the middle of rearranging my studio and office arrangement, so that I have a little more room for my studio, better natural light for the studio and more efficient work space, so I am not going to schedule any classes in my home studio until March.

Each time I go through figuring out the schedule, I drag out my file with the lists from previous class posts over the past few years. I look through the file, thinking things like; is there a class I can resurrect, what has been popular, do I have anything new in the works? I make a big effort to add new classes each time. This keeps things fresh, while challenging me to figure out new work that my students will be interested in. In the end I come up with a list of seven or eight classes that I can rotate through the next four months or that I think the editors at Bead and Button think will sell for their amazing show each June.

Now the calendar gets pulled out. What holidays do I need to avoid? For example it doesn't work to schedule a class on Mother's Day. When do I have shows scheduled? Do I have meetings or family or friend events schedule? Does the bead store have any events on their schedule that I should avoid those days? A big red "X" goes through all of the days to avoid. With what is left over I start setting the schedule. For some reason, I really struggle with this. I wish I could figure out an efficient way to do this. I've got my calendar, I've tried spreadsheets, and it all still gives me a headache. Oh well, there is only about a day of angst.

All the while I am making the sample for each class or finding the sample I've used before. I need a great product shot of that sample, for the bead store, my web site, and Bead and Buttons catalog. And I need to write a compelling description to sell the class and a supply list for the students to go by before coming to class. That supply list can, quit often, be a bit of a challenge. Over the years I have accumulated a vast bead supply. When I make a design that entire world of beads will come into play. To make the supply list I need to name what each bead is, how many are needed and what tools will be necessary to preform the skills involved.

Finally, it does all come together. The whole process consumes me for about three or four days and that isn't making the samples. Depending on how many new classes I am planning, making samples will be going on for weeks. I'm always excited to deliver my new samples to the bead store or deliver my box of samples to the UPS Store for shipping to Bead and Button in Milwaukee. It is also a big sigh of relief when I type the last class description into my web site. I don't think about the whole process for a week or two, but then I'll have an idea for a new class and the process has started all over again.

It's all well worth it. Between Thanksgiving and through the middle of January I don't schedule any classes. No one signs up for classes, because they are so busy with family and friends. That first class I teach in January, I always find myself getting really excited. It's good to be back teaching how to make jewelry. I've always said there is a drug in beads and the zen of working with metal can't be described, so there are always students interested in the many techniques involved in the process of creating human adornment. For this I am grateful.

My schedule is now posted on my web site, 1 Bead Weaver. Lady Bug Beads is now in finalizing their list of classes that go through May. Lady Bug has six permanent teaches and various visiting instructors, either local or from out of town. Sign up for classes at the Bead and Button Show started on January 11 and my classes are already half full. I'm lovn' that. So see you in class!!!!!

A Small Rant About Color

2010-08-23T12:39:00.000-05:00

I know this is really no big deal, but it intrudes into my creative world, time and time again. Do you identify red and green as exclusively Christmas colors? And what about black and orange, are they delegated to Halloween? You are not unusual if you said yes to both of those questions.

The other day I sorted out a few of my jewelry pieces to take apart or remake into something other than it's existing form. Hey, I'll never say that everything that I make is a stellar success. When a piece has hung around for a while I either take it apart for it's parts or remake it into what I hope will be a treasure for some fine lady. In my sorting, there was one piece that I really liked when I made it and still know it's quite nice, but for it's colors. It is a pale translucent green and true red. Ladies have tried it on, many have been drawn to it, but it just hasn't sold. There are those that have come right out and said, "Oh, Christmas." At a point it's not too hard to figure out what people are thinking. To me it isn't Christmas at all, but a great summer necklace.

I've had to acknowledge that the great marketeers that have gone with red and green for our traditional Christmas colors have won. Actually, there is a long history about why red and green have become the colors of Christmas and if you are interested, here is one link. That combination, no matter the shade variation that you try, is just going to mean Christmas to a majority of the Christian population. Orange and black for Halloween falls in this marketing victory as well as a combination of pastels that brings out the comparison to Easter. This all comes down to my not liking to live within limitations when it comes to color usage. It's not a big problem, just a small aggravation that won't go away in my life time. Color rocks!

Creating a Jewelry Bead Kit

2010-06-03T07:10:00.000-05:00

When you purchase that neat package with a beautiful photo of the beading project of your desire, did you ever think how that all came together? All of the beads are lined up in marked packets ready for you to play with. The instructions are numbered and sequenced for you to follow to completion and, ultimately, you putting on a piece of jewelry to show off to your world. It is quite an adventure to bring that self-contained entity, the Jewelry Bead Kit, together and I am going to share with you how I go about the process.

How does it start?

It all, of course, starts with the actual jewelry piece. In my life, there is jewelry being made all of the time. In fact, there are several projects going on at once. I make all of my jewelry with the best beads and findings to produce a quality piece for sale at a show or in a boutique or gallery. I don't make any of this jewelry for the singular purpose of being a jewelry bead kit. There are always other inspirations at work when the original piece is made. Then once I've finished a piece, I wear it out for a test drive, and either a comment is made or when I look at this particular piece in the mirror it will strike me that it will be a great beading project.

Asking the hard questions.

At this point I really look at the necklace or bracelet with a critical eye and ask myself a few questions. Will the techniques in this piece be doable by the average beader? Are these colors too bright or should I calm them down? Are there too many techniques? Is this piece of jewelry truly unique? Are these beads or components readily available? Are these beads or components in a price range that will make the kit affordable? Thinking in this way, the necklace or bracelet will be re-made using more affordable or more readily available beads, possibly a simpler technique, and a slightly different color pallet.

Finding the best beads at the best price.

While I am re-making the piece, I'm already shopping for beads. I always look to find the best price available so the end kit will be the best price for you. I go to large bead shows and try to keep up with what is available. Over time I've gotten to know a few bead vendors that I trust and can depend on. I will go online and I dig deep, past the first few pages of a Goggle search and look and look to find the best prices. I may end up opening a new account for that good price. I'll make a small order and if that experience is good I'll know I can depend on this vendor.

Writing, rewriting, editing, and testing.

In reality, writing the instructions is the most time-consuming task in making a kit. Most of the kits I have produced are fairly complex with lots of steps. As I am writing, I'm thinking about whether an illustration or a photo will communicate the concept or steps the best. I will be working on the verbiage and the illustrations at the same time; to me they go hand in hand. I teach at a bead store here in St. Louis, so I am fortunate to be able to test my instructions on my students. Believe me when I say, they will let me know if it isn't working. I really listen to my students and am grateful for their input. This work on the instructions may take six months. Yes, that long. I always test my instructions in the real world and it's not like that will happen on a speedy time frame. It's all good. I think this makes it a better product and when it does get out in the world, the bugs are worked out for the most part.

"The" photograph.

By this time I may have made the sample piece four times and it's time to take the beauty shot. I set the jewelry up in an environment, flat on a table or possibly hanging. These photos will be used in many places and in different ways, so I try to anticipate all of that and take tons of pictures. They will be in the instructions, online in my website and on Etsy.com, maybe in a blog or as part of an article, as well, so the piece is turned about every direction to be able to give the information needed.

Now it is the moment of truth, you are at a show and you are debuting this awesome kit. The people start stopping and looking at your kits. They touch, they feel, they make comments and ask questions. And, yeah, they buy one. After all of the effort it is so rewarding the someone really will hand you their credit card and make that purchase. They no doubt are clueless what has gone on before their being able to walk away with that kit in the cute little shopping bag, and you know what? That's O.K. So you see, it is quite an adventure creating a Jewelry Bead Kit and getting it to market, but always fun in the process.

The kit in the photos is my most recent addition to my line of Jewelry Beading Kits. You can find it online at http://www.1beadweaver.com/.

One Path to Being Published in a National Beading Magazine

2010-03-23T19:44:00.000-05:00

My original reason for trying to get published.
Since I have a web site, I wanted to entice folks to stop by, look around and, more importantly, shop. I felt getting some of my jewelry designs published in a national bead magazine would be a excellent way to interest readers and get them to make that leap and check out my web site. I have a background in graphic design and with any two dimensional art form, and to a degree, three dimensional, you need to have a portfolio to sell yourself. Of course, all of that is digital these days. In 2006 when I was on my way to the Tucson Gem Show that happens every February, I decided I would put together a small photo album with shots of my jewelry designs. I had never been to the Tucson show so I had no idea what to expect, but I was going to be ready when or if the opportunity should arise to talk to one of the national bead magazine editors. Well, that little album turned out to be an excellent tool.

Off to the Tucson Gem Show.
Not only had I not been to this event before, I had a booth at one of the many shows that make up the greater event that is the Tucson Gem Show. Overwhelmed does not describe what I was experiencing. There was: getting all of the product there, setting up the booth, manning the booth, barely eating, talking non-stop, crawling off to sleep a while and doing it all over again the next day for six days. Of course, you always survive these marathon events, even though you go home exhausted. The crazy thing is we do this sort of thing again and again. As the days passed at the show, I discovered that a buzz would travel through the building that would let you know that magazine editors had arrived. Well, everyone there wanted to talk to editors to interest them in their product; who knows, it might get featured on the "something new" page in their magazine. The editors are at the show looking for anything that is new an different that can be featured in their magazine so it does work out. I wasn't going to trip anyone on their way by my booth, but they were going to see my friendly face and I was going to be ready to sell myself. Don't be shy. Shy doesn't get you anywhere.

The chain of events.

The first editor came by my booth the second day of the show. They were polite, yet reserved. Sort of looked at my album and even bought some of my etched charms and pendants. I gave them my business card and thought I'd send a follow up e-mail when I got home to refresh their memory about my awesome jewelry designs. Then a second editors came by as a group. They were very friendly and interested and I thought, "oh this is looking better, a good vibe". I would definitely be sending them a little reminder of my designs after the show. I was feeling encouraged by then. There would just be a little leg work after the show and I would get an article. In the mean time I was just trying to survive the rigors of the show, and the next morning as I'm riding the elevator up to my room after breakfast to brush my teeth and get on my way, this gal starts asking me about the jewelry I had on. She missed her floor, got off on mine to go back down, and talked a minute. She was a magazine editor. Oh, my goodness, the magazine article Gods were smiling down on me. We had actually made a verbal agreement and I knew I was on my way. About noon that same day another magazine editor came by my booth and we hit it off. We talked for an hour. Using my little photo album, she said we will use this design for the spring issue, this one for the summer issue and so on and I had agreed to four articles by the time she left my booth. Well, needless to say, I was floating by the time I got home from that trip.

The Little Black Book

Let's talk a little about the actual album/portfolio. This part is a lot about my opinion and you don't have to agree with me. I believe that the editors are looking for good work and don't care about gimmicks. An understated album in a neutral color that makes not statements is in my opinion the best choice. I chose a black 8" X 6" album with black interior pages. I positioned one photo on the right of each page so the viewer will see one jewelry design at a time. I did take my own photos, but really took my time with the shots, and selected twenty of what I thought were my best designs at the time. I felt that number would tell the full distance of my work. I included only jewelry design and nothing about my personal life; pets, kids, or my last birthday party. Yes, they are human and might be a little interested, but I wanted the focus on jewelry.

This is just one way to be published.

In August I will have my twelfth article published in a national magazine. Go to my "About" page in my web site to see what the project was and when, 1beadweaver. It is a considerable amount of work to get an article put together. You must start by making the piece, and then write about it, take photos of the process of making the piece so the reader can see the steps (I also illustrate parts of it that I think might be clearer in a drawing), and mark all of the parts to ship off to the publisher. All of the national magazines have a submission process in place on their web sites. I recommend you read through all of that. You may not be able to go to any of the big bead shows so my in your face method of getting published may not work for you I'm sure the submission processes work, but I would make sure you have stellar work and photos, follow the process described to a "T" and really sell yourself. I would definitely go through that process if need be had things not gone the way they have. I have gone at getting published by forming a business relationship with the person that will make the decision about what is published and I've been ready to show what I do both physically by wearing my designs and with great photos.

Make a photo album of your designs.
Wear your jewelry. (This is important all of the time anyway!)
Have business cards ready to hand out.
Be ready to sell yourself. (no being shy)

The Little Black Book goes everywhere.

Good luck getting published. The editors at the magazines are always looking for new and different work. Why can't this be your work? Having my work published has driven traffic to my web site and I've gotten paid for the articles. With each article the magazines include all of your contact information so the readers will write you an e-mail if they wish and as I've experienced more traffic to my site when an article comes out. Just got an e-mail off my site today from someone reading and getting ready to make one of my designs that was published a year ago. So the traffic isn't just immediate, but it keeps on coming. Oh and that album of my work, it goes with me everywhere. I've sold to boutiques and galleries with it and it's great to have laying around your booth at an art fair. People love looking at pictures.

Why build your own web site?

2010-03-03T20:38:00.000-06:00

Why oh why?

Some times I question myself; why am I spending so much time and effort on a web site? I hope people enjoy what I put up, but who knows really. I get a good amount of traffic considering I don't spend any $$ to drive people in. The traffic I have brought in has been a lot more subtle. Signing up show-visitors for my newsletter, I tweet, Facebook and now blog to interest people in visiting the site. Answering the question "why?" is tough.It started long ago.

Let's go to the beginning. My first real job, believe it or not, was in the computer department at the Great Western Sugar Company in the late 60s. The computer took up a room of about 30' x 40' and that room was temperature controlled. I moved on to see the world, but embraced the computer from the beginning of the personal computer--buying one early and making it do as much as it was capable of doing. Now my laptop lives on my lap and I love all that one can do on a computer and especially on the Internet.

Where do you start?I'm a graphic artist so it is natural, I guess, to become involved in the building of web sites. I'm not sure that has been my reason. I have simply just been interested! I took an "html" class (one of the languages that runs a site) about fifteen years ago because I wanted to know how a site worked. I managed to get a site up and working, but from that class, decided I needed to find an easier way for me. All of that code was just too intense for me, but now I understood how things worked. Dreamweaver, a software produce by Macromedia, was my solution when I started working on the site that was going to show the world my handmade jewelry.

Thoughts on building your own site.

Before I started building my site, or for that matter even bought the software, I did a lot of research about getting a site built. I also knew a couple of guys that were building sites, asked questions, and listened to them talk about their clients. I knew I had limited site dollars and in the larger scheme of things had a feeling I would not be afforded a lot of time from a service that would be catering to the client that had the larger budget. So I bought my Dreamweaver software and spent the next three months absorbed in learning it. The result was a much less sophisticated version of my current site not quite five years ago. I've continued to learn the Dreamweaver software and am aware I don't know it completely yet.No Fear.
Now there is a fabulous array of hosting services that provide an easy route to getting a site up with limited knowledge and very little financial outlay. I'm not aware of any of this existing even four years ago. In fact, Blog Spot is one of them. It's free and there is an amazing amount of functionality with their system and with others. All I have learned while building my own site helps be me be able to alter Blog Spot, Facebook, Twitter and otheres with out fear. I have used all of these various venues to increase my branding. I continue a common look from one to the next. I have no fear of going into the html pages and changing the thing that will get the look I am after. You may not touch the code that makes your blog or site work, but you are now able to do so much with an ever-expanding group of possibilities.Am I glad?
You bet I'm glad. I have complete control over what goes on with my web site. There is no waiting around for someone else to make changes or add product. Of course, I get to enjoy all of the problems. It is an incredibly complex collection of parts that must function and cooperate in an exact way. I recently went through what I am calling "Paypal Purgatory." I still don't know what really happened that caused my Paypal connection to stop working properly. Now I know how to keep it working and hopefully I won't be having these particular problems again. I made a lot of cosmetic changes and enhancements to the site starting in November of 2009 and somewhere along the way caused the functions of the site to get whacked out. It took two weeks, off and on, to get it all figured out and working again. Now 1 Bead Weaver is pretty and works!You must want to do it.
I don't think building your own site is for the faint of heart. You must be pretty dedicated to following through to get a site up and then maintain it. There is no doubt that I am a full-fledged geek. Actually, I'm proud of that. It is really time-consuming, so you need to feel what you are doing. I enjoy the challenges. Who knows--if there were all of the web-hosting services available when I was starting out a few years ago, I would have blindly gone with one of them and never known all I know about how a site works. I will never know everything. I absolutely don't even know a fraction of what there is to know about the Internet, but I know enough to make http://www.1beadweaver.com/ work.

Are you up to building your own?

Should you build your own site? That will really come down to how much time you have, how intense you are with details, and to a great extent, how patient you are. If computers on a regular basis make you crazy, don't build your own web site. You will save money by doing your own, you will have complete control over content, look, feel, etc. and things will get done more to your time frame. It's all about personal preference and temperament. I say, go for it!

Catching Up and Moving On

2010-02-12T13:16:00.000-06:00

Wow, I didn't really realize how long it had been since I had sent a blog to you. I knew it was a good while, but this is crazy! I said in the beginning that I probably wouldn't be the most prolific blogger. Of course, I know that defeats the purpose. I'm doing my best and here's to make some improvement. I have a lot to tell you. It just means sitting down and typing it out.

In a lot of ways this is the quiet time of year for me and you will benefit the rest of the year. By quiet, I mean no immediate shows to be getting ready for. When the hubbub of shows gets going the pace speeds up significantly. Even the teaching virtually stops over the holidays. You guys are too busy to think about learning something new. I was heading out to teach a class at the end of January and found I was actually excited. I miss all of you while we go our seperate ways to be with family and friends. This quiet time is a creative time. Getting some of those jewelry ideas floating around in my head actually drawn into my sketch book. I'm planning on introducing new and interesting designs to you during 2010. Sitting for hours making jewelry is part of this time of year too, which is heaven on earth as those of you that make jewelry know so well. I've been deciding which shows to apply to later this year. The spring and summer shows are already in place. I am really working on the much neglected web site and cleaning up the studio; the piles had grown piles. So cleaning up, planning, and designing are the focus before the busy-time gets here all too soon.

The jewelry-making is, of course, the most pleasurable part of this time of year. Don't get me wrong, I'm always making jewelry...but now I get to work on new ideas and really experiment. I am trying to find another gallery or boutique to put my jewelry in here in the St. Louis area and the other day I visited a gallery and the owner told me to come back and see her when my work was only metal and no color. Wow, she has no idea how that isn't going to happen. Color is essential to my work. I love metal and it is always a major part of what is going on, but there will always be beads, dancing and prancing around, bringing in the color. You will benefit from all of this jewelry-making with new designs to select from and possibly some of these will work as a class. Fun time.

Last week my helper, Sarah, and I drug all of the dining room furniture out of the room and set up a mock-booth. I needed a good shot of my booth for show applications. Any shot of my live booth at shows had something major looming in the middle of it that would be a big "no-no" to a juror, like my name or part of someone else's booth and no way to crop it out. So it was my idea to set everything up here in a controlled environment and get the best shot we could. It took a major part of the day, but I think it was well worth it. So next thing I will be getting some professional shots of my jewelry done. This applying to shows is a science as many of you know. That's a whole blog right there.

There are literally a hundred things to do with a web site all of the time, but gradually the neglected to-do list is getting whittled down. At this point I am feeling pretty good about how http://www.1beadweaver.com/ is looking. First, an all over new look took shape with a shift in colors and new buttons. Most recently, I added a slide show to the front page which I am thrilled with. If you are interested in adding a slide show to your site go to http://myslider.com/. It is free, and it was so easy too. I almost felt like I was cheating, it was up and running on my site so quickly. Nothing to be intimidated about with MySlider, check it out. Since November I have added no less than 50 items to my boutique which means photos, descriptions, and pricing. Your shopping selection has increased dramatically, so happy shopping! All of my social media-links are now neatly lined up on the bottom of the front page so you and I can easily talk on a daily, weekly or monthly basis or you can go to either of my Etsy shops. Here is another biggie, I am now certified by Trust Wave as a secure web site for any of your purchases. That certification process was intense, as it should be, and is now in place. This certification is in addition to an ongoing Paypal secure-pay connection.

During the year, when I am going to a show to meet you in person once or twice a month, teaching you some jewelry-making skill once, sometimes twice a week, and filling orders for you all of the time, the studio becomes a disaster-zone. I know it will get that way again this year, but it really is nice to have beads put away in their designated spots, booth displays quietly snoozing in their resting place, and tables with space to work. I'm even contemplating yet another rearrangement of the furniture in the studio for efficiency and more room when you come over for a class; we will see. When I bring someone into my studio for the first time, I seem to always find myself saying, "a lot goes on in this room"...it is the epicenter of the Kathryn Bowman factory of jewelry fun.

I've been at home a lot lately and very busy as you can see. I have to admit most of my energy has been going into my web site. It is getting to a point that I feel like it is a friendly place for you to shop, informative, and works well. You will be the judge of that. So now the shift is to making jewelry. Those one of a kind pieces that I have so much fun creating, some become an article, a kit, a pattern or a class for you to learn something new. So until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Linkn' Ladder Cuff Article of to the Editor

2009-07-16T18:02:00.000-05:00

This is Linkn' Ladder. It is in UPS hands now on it's way to the editor of Bead Unique Magazine. It is and article that explains how to make the toggle, the cross bars and link the chain in between. Had a lot of fun making the cuff and it is now shared with the world. Of coarse, it will be a little while before the world sees it, next springs issue. So you will have to be patient. I think it will be worth it.

All of the step involved with getting a step-by-step article ready could be daunting. I just kind-of go into a zone a focus on each step while making the jewelry piece. Of coarse, you write about those steps. I then decide if a photo will communicate the information the best or an illustration. Quit often with beading techniques an illustration will do the job better than a photo. An illustration can cut out all extraneous elements and therefore be less confusing. So I hope you enjoy the article when it does come out. I had fun putting it all together.

Writing an Article for Bead Unique

2009-07-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

Down to the nifty gritty with the details when writing a how-to article for a beading magazine. Write a little, make sample piece by piece and take photos of everything. I always write my article in a format that I have developed for instructions I take to a class I will be teaching. It has a better flow and makes more sense to me as I write. The magazine wants the article to be a WORD document and photos and illustrations separate. I then break it down when I am finished into the format that the magazine likes for submission. Hopefully I will be finished tomorrow. It is due on Wednesday. No pressure. I'll include a photo of the finished project tomorrow.

July 7, 2009

2009-07-07T16:44:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy few days. Each time I put up a newsletter (out later today or early tomorrow) it forces me to get all aspects of my web presences up to date. Making sure dates are right, pictures are current and all virtual environments are going. Having done all of that I will be announcing this new blog today.

As an added bonus I thought I would put up a small tutorial. Made the piece and took pictures as I went and hopefully you will find it a fun project. I'm calling this the "Leaf Bookends". They can go with or support any pendant. I have tried to coordinate the pendant with the leaves and planned the necklace knowing that the leaves would be an intrical part of the finished piece.

You could use any metal for the wire. I chose Sterling Silver for this one. The center stem is 22 gauge round wire. Cut a 3" piece of the 22 gauge and make a circle wire wrap on one end. Create a slight curve with that wire by holding it in one hand and smoothing a gentle curve along the wire with the thumb and fore finger of the other hand.
Cut another piece of 22 gauge wire 8" in length. Create a circle in the middle by positioning round nose pliers in the center and swinging first one end of the wire to the opposite side and then the other. Slip this 8" wire with the center circle onto the first wire with the circle wrap on the end, this we will call the center stem.
Cut a third piece of wire 3" in length and create a circle in the middle of this wire as well.
Slip six 3mm Czech firepolish beads onto one side of the 8" wire. Slip three of these same beads onto the center stem.
Slide the the 3" wire onto the center stem and add four firepolish beads onto the same side that the previously added beads already sit.
Using a round nose pliers snug the last beads added toward the center on the cross vein wire and make a 45 degree bend on the wire at the exit point. Continue this wire around the border wire to make a circle around the border wire. Continue to wrap one half turn round the border wire and snip the excess off with a wire cutter.
Continue to add beads in this manner first one side and then the other. Before the next cross vein add three firepolish beads to the border and center wires. Cut a 3" wire and make a center circle. Slip this wire onto the center stem and add three firepolish to the side the other beads are on. Snug those bead together, make a 45 degree bend to the wire and continue that wire around the border wire.
The next add; add three beads to the center vein, two beads to the border wire and three beads to the cross vein. Wrap the cross vein wire onto the border wire. Because there were only two beads added to the border wire on the second side of the cross vain the leaf shape will begin to curve.
The third group of bead adds are the same with the exception of the cross vein. Here add only two beads on the cross veins so the leaf tappers to its point. Secure both cross veins and snip the excess wire off.
Add two beads to the center vein and make a circle wire wrap at the end. Leave enough excess space between the wire wrap and last beads added for two more wire wraps to sit for the border wires.
Add three beads to the larger side border curve and wrap the wire end between the center stem beads and circle wire wrap. Snip off the excess wire.
Add two beads to the smaller side border curve and wrap the wire end between the center stem beads and circle wire wrap. Snip off the excess wire.

Connect the two "Leaf Bookends" with a jumpring. Add a pendant into the jumpring. A variety of options are available for the side of the necklace. I added a beaded bead (my fav, I put them everywhere) and then connected stringing wire (Softflex) and strung on coordinating beads staying very monochromatic this time.
I will make an effort to put up a petite tutorial once a month. No promises though. If you have any questions I will try to answer and we will make this project a success for you. 'Til next time always beading . . .