Greetings from Bead Expo

Greetings from cold Portland. I almost didn't bring a jacket (I am not good about obvious details like that) and thank goodness I threw it in my bag last minute because it snowed this morning!

We are having a blast. I taught my last of 5 classes today which means tomorrow I can spend the whole day at the booth (which thankfully has been cleaned out by the wire & tool hungry good folks of Portland!!!). We have had a great time seeing familiar faces and meeting new customers. I can't get over the amount of people who have stopped by to say "thank you SOOOOO much for creating Beaducation, it has been an incredible resource for me". It's so exciting to me to have students stop by who have spent time taking our online classes....I am so grateful to those of you who have stopped by to say hi and I am so psyched that you like the classes!!!

We have a great booth space in the exhibitor hall. We are across from my new pals at Lilly Pilly, across the other isle from Betsy at Beyond Beadery and kitty corner from Melanie and Scott at School of Beadwork. It's hard to get any work done when you are surrounded by such fun folks :)

It's been a great show. Thanks to Interweave for all your hard work, and thanks to all the beadaholics who popped by to make our days and classes here a blast :)

Closed for shipping March 26th-31st

We have loaded up the Beaducation Jet with lots of tools, kits, wire, stamping tools and supplies and on Wed. March 26th, we're off to Portland for the Bead Expo Show.

From March 26th-31st we will be closed for shipping. You will be able to order during this time but we won't ship until April 1st or 2nd.

But remember, our online jewelry making classes don't require any shipping so you can learn when you want, where you want, even when we are out of town.

Are ya going to the Bead Expo show? Please come visit us at booths 235 & 237

5 New Classes Added!

We've been busy lately. We've added 5 new online classes to Beaducation.com and we are crazy about them!

Emily B. Miller's Empty Box Pendant Online Class is a our newest PMC class. This class is all about building a strong structure to make these lovely little pendants. What will you put in your box? We love them just empty!






FREE! Introduction to Chainmail
with Colin Mahler
Join Colin for this great introduction to chain making. In this class you will learn the basics of how jump rings are made and how to open and close jump rings properly. Colin takes you through the steps for making the 2 in 1 chain, 2 in 2, as well as the 3 in 3 chain. After you have learned to make these chains, you will move on to making jump ring flowers and different ways to link them together. This class is a great starting point for those wanting to explore the world of chain making. Start your chainmail addiction today!

FREE! Byzantine Chain
Learn to make the Byzantine chain. Watch as Colin breaks down this intricate weave into easy to follow steps to make this ever so popular design. Gather your jump rings, it's time to Byzantine!







Orbital Ring Chain
Join Colin and learn how to make this chain that starts of very simple and gets a little complex as you add the orbiting rings. It is a wonderful chainmail design that is both fashionable and beautiful to wear. Sign up today and make your very own Orbital Ring Chain.

Need jump rings? We have put together an optional kit for this class.




FREE! Making Your Own Earwires
Tired of spending a bunch of money on premade earwires? Why bother when you can make them yourself and make them to match any project.

Join Lisa as she shows you how to perfect making your own earwires. In this class you will learn to make a basic earwire and one with a bead on it. Learn to harden the wire as well as file the tip of the wire for a more comfortable fit in the ear. You will also be introduced to some new great tools which are super useful for this project.

Checking in with our newest instructor, Iris Sandkuhler

Dear Diary,

Lisa asked her faculty to write a bit to include in the blog and I've been so busy with deadlines and traveling that I haven't had the space/time to gather my thoughts. Didn't I plan to slow things down a bit in 2008? Didn't my friends threaten an intervention if I didn't cool my workaholic jets?

Speaking of jets, I was just invited by one of my students (Hi Marlene Brannen!) to go on an adventure while I was teaching for the second time in Anchorage at The Alaska Bead Company. Flash forward: Its mid-day and minus twenty below (standing) outside at the top of the world. Literally. Marlene is working on her double loop-in-loop fusing project while I'm on a shared computer with satellite uplink... in a cozy hotel in Barrow, Alaska. Perched at the edge of the world, where hundreds of miles of frozen tundra meet the frozen Arctic Ocean, we are even further north than the Bering Straight. A vast "nothing" surrounds us. Why are we here? Why not! March is the best month to see the Aurora. If we are really lucky we may even see a polar bear (from the safety of a car since people are on the menu up here) and best of all, to learn more about the native people, their arts, crafts and lifestyles in such a beautiful yet harsh environment. Teaching (metalsmithing) opportunities? Maybe. So far the trip had been rich with insights.

A few years ago I had a life coach/career advisory who inspired me (thank you Susan Zitron-Woods!). She had just turned 60 and the day before I met her, she had successfully walked on hot coals. With her guidance, I honed in on my loves: teaching adults, doing creative work in the arts and traveling. I've spent the past decade refining my multi-faceted career and becoming the master of my own ship. So here I am. I wish Susan was still around so I could thank her. Life is short. What's your dream job?

Earlier today a handsome native artist (at the Inupiat Heritage Center) who was engraving baleen with images of his people reminded us that time slows down north of the Arctic Circle. I guess it has. I've finally gathered my thoughts to write something for Lisa.

Greetings from the Great White North!
-Iris

Beaducation NOTE - stay tuned for a full bio and many classes from Iris. We have shot Viking Knit and hope to have it up and ready for viewing soon!

Checking in with our Editor Claudia

Well, my eyes are about to explode! I have been in front of the computer for hours this week, editing some of our new classes. We have such a range of techniques and awesome instructors that it has been a joy working on the upcoming classes. Today I finished one of our new freebies; Making your own Ear wires with Lisa Niven Kelly and all I have to say is WOW!! You are gonna love all the tips Lisa has to offer on making ear wires, even I learned something new! It’s great, the possibilities are endless so be sure to check this class out.

I have almost finished Colin Mahler's Intro to Chainmail, another freebie. This is a great class for all those interested in making chain but don’t really know where to start. Colin is awesome! She goes over everything from what tools to use to basic chain making techniques to get you on your way to being a pro at the art of Chainmail. I loved editing Colin’s classes, her voice is so soothing and I always learn something new.

More soon...
Claudia
Lead Editor
Beaducation Production Staff

New Online Jewelry Making Classes

We have 9 new classes shot and in post production. We are hoping to launch 4 or 5 of them early next week. Want a little teaser?... 3 are seed beads, one is PMC, 3 are chainmail and 2 of those are FREE. Oh and one more, another free wire working project with Lisa Niven Kelly. Ok, one more big teaser, VIKING KNIT. You asked for it, we got it.
Woohoo, more jewelry making classes coming every month. Stay tuned.....

New testimonials page!

On our new testimonials page, you can read what folks all over the world are saying about Beaducation. View it here. Make sure to check out the cool map which maps out where folks live who are shopping and taking classes on beaducation.com. This is just a very small sampling of our customer locations, but we are adding more all the time. The most random and wonderful location....Botswana :) !

Finished Hooked On Wire project....maybe

Ok, I have finally finished my project and I love it....although I think I might want to change a few things. The links are not meant to look like fish. Actually I hate fish (unless they are sliced up raw and wrapped in seaweed and rice), so I am kinda obsessing on that. I am also thinking of doing some more work in the center of the middle unit, maybe weaving in a third wire or a larger bead. Hummm, I am gonna sit with it for a while. This piece looks easy but it is quite a challenge and it uses some pretty cool weaving techniques, especially when linking the links together. It's one of those project that needs to be fully planned and drawn out before beginning construction.

3/16/08 UPDATE....more thought on my Hooked On Wire design...having trouble deciding...having trouble sleeping. More here at my lisanivenkelly.com blog.