Spike Contest!

I’m guessing that you will have seen the new spike beads from www.yorkbeads.com that are popping up all over the place and I am also guessing that it was not ‘love at first sight’ for everyone – after all they are, well, spikey.  In truth, I think that I was less than enthusiastic the first time I saw them, but having had chance to work with them, I’ve learnt just how versatile they are and I have made a range of pieces now – some that show off their beautiful ‘look at me' shape and other pieces that blend them into my usual style of work making it look as though no other bead would have worked in their place.  Being a member of the very active Facebook group ‘Bohemian Spike Beadwork’ has also opened my eyes, as members from all over the world come together to share an appreciation of Bohemian Czech spike beads.

Showing the work of group members: Connie Whittaker, Helena Tang-Lim, Patrick Duggan, Romana Tschunko, Karolina Emingrova, Mandi Ainsworth, Maggie Roschyk, Jennifer Chasalow VanBenschoten, Aurelio Castano, Sabine Lippert, Melissa Ingram, Hana Hanule Cerna, Susanne Madeo-Mehner.

Perry from York Beads tempts group members by adding pictures of all the new spike beads as they arrive and members are encouraged to share pictures of the pieces they have made using these beads (but Czech spike beads only please or else your pictures will incur the wrath of The Administrator and risk being swallowed by the infamous ‘fire swamp’).  The albums are full of fabulous creations ranging from beadweaving to stringing and crystal clay to embroidery and there are also some fascinating pictures showing how spike beads are made.  If you are looking for some ‘inspikeration’ and for ways to use these exciting new beads or you just want to see what is going on, why not head over to Facebook and join the Bohemian spike group.

These spike beads already come in four different sizes and an amazing array of colours and finishes but now the innovative people at York have added two new very different shaped beads to the spike family – the ‘Beadstud’ and the ‘Pyramid Spike’.  The Beadstud is 12mm in diameter and 8.5mm in height and it has two holes that are 6mm apart.  The Pyramid Spike is 7mm by 11mm and has a single hole.  As well as bringing you the news about these brand new beads, I can also tell you that I am hosting a blog contest and 6 lucky winners will each receive a prize of 48 of these new beads (12 Pyramid Spikes and 12 Beadstuds in Chalk Bronze Luminous and 12 Pyramid Spikes and 12 Beadstuds in Chalk Green Luminous).

I’ve already placed my order and I can’t wait to get my beady fingers on some of these beauties and start experimenting with them.  So if you would like to be in with a chance of receiving this fantastic prize – here is what you need to do: solve the cryptogram below and leave your answer (along with a way to contact you should you be one of the winners) as a comment on this blog entry.  The names of six lucky people will be drawn randomly from the correct answers on Monday the 4^th of March and the winners will be notified - and yes, this contest is open to international entrants! If you cannot see the cryptogram clearly, please follow this link which will take you to a larger version.

Please note that I have changed my blog settings so that all comments are moderated and will not show until after the contest has closed.

So get puzzling and good luck everyone!

Kerrie ♥

Bead Circle interview!

A couple of weeks ago, Mandi from Bead Circle asked me if I would like to do a recorded interview with her and having done something similar before I happily agreed.  These things can be nerve-racking but also very rewarding and so thanks to the wonders of modern technology (Skype!) with Mandi in Texas on a bright sunny morning and me in the UK on a dark and snowy evening, we spent a fun half hour chatting about beads and dragons and future plans.  I have listened to the recording once and my initial reaction was to run out of the room screaming because I couldn't believe how fast I spoke, why I was making such weird swallowing noises or how I managed to inadvertently squeeze the words 'you know' into every sentence!  But then I chuckled to myself and I thought, well that IS me, that is apparently what I do but who cares?  It was a great opportunity for me to talk about something I love ... BEADS!  So if you want to hear me raving about my love for little shiny glass things with holes through the middle ... click HERE

You can also be in with a chance of winning a free copy of my Rivoli Daisy pattern - all you have to do is leave a comment on the Bead Circle page answering the following question “If you could only bead in one colour, what colour would you choose?”.  One winner will be picked next week.

Don't forget to subscribe to Bead Circle too as Mandi hosts lots of regular contests, tutorials and podcasts and she also offers a free beaded pen eBook.  Thank you Mandi!

Bye for now!

Kerrie ♥

New Year and New Patterns!

Happy New Year everyone!

Well 2012 didn't quite go according to plan but although there is a gaping Mum-shaped hole in my life, I am happy to report that things are going very well on the bead front.  I have spent the last few weeks beading and pattern writing almost non-stop and it looks like there will be lots of new designs and patterns popping up here, there and everywhere throughout 2013.  If you don't want to miss anything, be sure to either complete the 'Follow by Email' box on the top right-hand side of my blog or 'like' my Facebook page.  The first piece of news is that a new on-line only beading magazine has just been launched and although it is based in Australia, being on-line means that you can download it as soon as it is available and see what everyone else is seeing ... no annoying waiting for overseas shipping while all of your friends are busy drooling over the designs, buying the beads, making the projects and moving onto the next fun thing!  I am thrilled to be part of the design team and my project Moon Posy appears in the launch issue

The second piece of beady news is that Bead & Button magazine has also published another one of my patterns and again it's an on-line pattern, but this one is FREE!  Simply follow this link and either log in or register and you will be able to download the Gumdrops in my Garden pattern to make this dainty little bracelet using the new Gumdrop Beads created by York Beads.

So that is my news for now.  I hope you enjoy these projects and that you have a wonderfully satisfying and creative 2013!

Bye for now!

Kerrie  ♥

Yorkie and the Midnight Garden!

A couple of weeks ago the Midnight Garden had a visitor.  Of course I couldn't show you on the blog at the time because of the contest, but as he proved to be quite a popular character on my Facebook page, I thought I would share his story with you today and also ask him if he would kindly make a return visit to pick the lucky winner of the giveaway!

So that was Yorkie's first experience of the Midnight Garden, but I have a feeling that some kind of magical spell was cast on him that night and that now he will be a regular visitor.  He was only too glad to come back into the garden to pick the winner of The Bead Shop Manchester giveaway.  Mr. and Mrs. Prickles oversaw  the proceedings to make sure that everything was done fairly and a small group of onlookers huddled in the corner, waiting with baited breath to learn the name of the winner ...

 

 And the winner is ...

Iha Vahlberg Orre of Sweden!  Congratulations Iha - your beautiful beads will soon be winging their way to you!  A big thank you to everyone who entered the contest and of course special thanks to Yorkie too!

 Kerrie  ♥

A Midnight Garden themed giveaway!

I have some exciting news!  In conjunction with The Bead Shop (Manchester) I am running an easy to enter contest to win a fabulous hand picked selection of beads and it is open to international entrants!  All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning this stunning prize, is answer two simple questions and leave a comment on this entry of my blog, along with your name and a valid email address (or some way for me to contact you) to enable me to contact the lucky winner to arrange delivery of the prize.  If you have been following my blog you will know that for some time now I have been working on what I call my 'Midnight Garden' collection - using a very limited colour palette of beads I have been creating a themed body of work with a fairy tale feel to it.  I have a mental image of a secret walled garden bathed in the light of the full moon at midnight, all overgrown with twisting vines and leaves, full of night blooming flowers and mystical creatures, where magical things happen if you are fortunate enough to witness them.  One of the key pieces (shown below) is called 'Gateway to the Garden' and it represents an ancient arched entrance to the garden with an old gnarled tree curving round the door and lots of leaves and long grasses growing up the wall.  I have worked around a piece of labradorite and if you look very closely through the archway I am convinced that you can see the fairies dancing in the moonlight within the garden.

I was thrilled when The Bead Shop (Manchester) first contacted me to discuss the possibility of us doing some work together and we decided to start by doing something a little different.  I have carefully filled my shopping cart with the beads that I would love to incorporate in my Midnight Garden (shown below) but instead of them being delivered to me, we will be giving these beads away to one lucky winner to enable them to create their own imaginative piece.  The prize includes a delicious mix of Miyuki Delicas and Duracoat seed beads in midnight greys and silvers, lots of shadowy grey Swarovski crystal pearls, some super sparkly Swarovski crystals including an incredibly twinkly star pendant and a selection of whimsical charms that fit in perfectly with my theme.  It would be lovely if the winner decided to show me what they make with this wonderful selection of beads, but there is absolutely no pressure to do this!

So how do you enter this exciting giveaway?  It's very simple - leave the correct answers to both of the following questions as a comment on this blog entry along with your name and a valid email address (or some way for me to contact you):

1. In what year was The Bead Shop (Manchester) established?
2. How many different beading patterns do I sell directly from my website?

The closing date is the 18th of December and after that date I will put all correct answers into a hat and the lucky winner will be notified by me and then contacted by The Bead Shop (Manchester) to arrange delivery of the prize.

Make sure you tell your friends about this fun giveaway so that they can be in with a chance of winning this Midnight Garden themed prize.  Good luck everyone!

Kerrie  ♥