Wednesday 26 October 2011

Now available in California!

I'm afraid I don't have any new beadwork to show you this week as the next piece in the Midnight Garden collection is taking a bit of coaxing, but I do have some exciting news!  My friend Kandra recently opened a new bead store in Solvang which is in California (USA) and not only does she stock a mouthwatering range of beads and beading accessories, she now sells copies of my patterns on CD.  So if you live within travelling distance of Solvang you can drop into Kandra's Beads at 1539A Mission Drive and purchase a CD and then browse through the great range of beads to choose the colours for your project!  Of course you can still purchase a pdf of each pattern direct from my website and these will normally be emailed to you within a few minutes of your purchase, but if you would prefer a CD and cannot get to the store, Kandra also offers a postal service.




Although this is a new store, Kandra has a wealth of experience (this is actually her fifth bead store!) and she is also a talented beader and teacher, so she knows what she is talking about if you need help with anything whether it be choosing colours or tracking down hard to find materials.  As you can see from the picture below, the store looks very inviting and although it looks small on the outside, it is actually deceptively large on the inside with a huge range of tempting beady treats including Kandra's own lampwork beads and the walls are lined with her beadwork too.  The store also hosts trunk shows and offers a range of beading classes.  As well as a bricks and mortar shop, Kandra also offers an international mail order service, so why not take a virtual wander through her store and don't forget to pop a CD in your basket!




I have my own little display area within the shop and as you can see from the pictures below, the CDs are all arranged in neat racks and they even have their own labels making it easy to choose the right project.







I'd like to publicly thank Kandra for giving me this opportunity and also for doing such a wonderful job in setting this all up for me.  Thank you Kandra!

Kerrie

Thursday 20 October 2011

Dragon's Egg Ring!

So, I've been busy trying to turn some of my beady imaginings into finished beadwork for the Midnight Garden exhibition and I think I am 'in the zone' now.  A few months ago, I was wandering around a rock and gem shop and I spotted a small basket of opalite eggs.  As soon as I saw them I thought 'dragons' eggs' and so I rummaged through the basket until I found the perfect one, bought it and took it home with me and then forgot about it until last week.  After I had finished last week's necklace I wondered what to work on next and then my eye landed on the egg which was quietly gathering dust in the corner.  Almost immediately I heard a little story begin in  my head and as I listened, I learned how the very rare and precious dragons' eggs are held within protective flowers that grow in a beautiful enchanted garden.  Apparently, these flowers (which are carefully tended by the fairy folk of course) only bloom on moonlight nights and the egg then absorbs energy from the moon until it is ready to hatch.  Once I knew the truth, I began to bead ...




Ok, back to beady fairyland I go!  Oh, and just a little note to my new readers - please do not be alarmed, I am really quite 'normal' ;o)

See you soon!

Kerrie

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Midnight Garden!

Remember me telling you last week about my exhibition plans?  Well, you would think that with the luxury of 11 months stretching before me and 1700g of seed beads by my side, the rest would be easy, wouldn't you?  I have really been looking forward to this time (having been very disciplined in previous months by only beading what I had to bead, rather than what I wanted to bead) and so I expected that when the time arrived, I would simply pick up my needle, thread and beads and my new collection would flow from my fingers.  However, I discovered that it wasn't going to be quite as simple as that and I spent the first day surrounded by beads wondering where on earth to start!  After another day of rising panic (which is surely the number one imagination killer) I decided to relax and just play and if there was nothing to show at the end of the first week, then so be it.




From the outset, I knew that I wanted to create a themed exhibition and if you are a regular follower of my blog, you will know that not only am I very fond of flowers, but that I also love the escapism  that fairy tales give us.  Ever since I was a small child, I have always loved to sit by a window on a moonlight night, gazing out at the garden, imagining what the fairy folk might be up to and so I thought that this would be the perfect time to indulge three of my passions and create a beaded midnight garden!  With this in mind, my first experiments began with vines and tendrils and I created this simple (yet hopefully elegant) little herringbone necklace with a single night bloom at the centre - if you click on the picture it will open a larger version.



I hope that my midnight garden will soon sprout many fantasy flowers with leaves, vines, buds and petals all unfurling in the magical moonlight ready to be made into jewellery fit for a Faerie Queen!  As promised, I will keep posting my garden news and I would welcome your company on my journey.

Kerrie

Tuesday 4 October 2011

Exhibition news!

The last couple of years have been a truly amazing time for me with lots of thrilling teaching and travelling opportunities and all manner of exciting offers landing in my lap and I have done my best to meet each challenge.  When I look back at the last 10 years of my life and when I started beading (and particularly why I started beading) I can hardly believe that I am the same person now as I was then.  It has been a wonderful learning experience and a huge confidence builder BUT I feel that the time is now right for a little change in direction.  I am planning on spending the next 11 months mostly working at home and creating a themed exhibition of my work that will have its first showing at Stitchncraft Beads in Dorset (UK) in September 2012.


The picture above shows 1700g of seed beads that I recently purchased to enable me to make a start on my new project and I am hoping to turn these tiny beads into sculptural works of art that will delight and inspire visitors to the exhibitions.  I have been keeping a notebook of ideas throughout the last year or so and I promised myself that once all my teaching commitments were met I would start experimenting and let my imagination unfurl again.  I will regularly post pictures (if only sneak peeks!) of my new pieces and the inspiration behind them and blog about my journey.  I have a head full of ideas, I have cleared my diary and I have purchased the beads.  Let the adventure begin ...

Kerrie