The Year's Best Beads, Findings and More!

Some exciting post arrived from across the Atlantic today! The Fall issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine includes the Beads 2013 Buyer's Guide, with (to quote the magazine's front cover) "100 of the year's best beads, findings and more" - and four of the pieces on show in the guide are mine!

There they are - in such great company too!

I entered them for consideration way back in the Spring. Each designer or business could enter up to five designs, and I was delighted when the editors asked me to send in all five of the designs that I had submitted - a copper Lovebird clasp, a daisy toggle clasp, a copper Poppy connector and matching Poppy earwires, and an Oak Leaf clasp. They didn't include the Oak Leaf clasp in the end, but I'm hoping that that one will find it's way into a project sometime. You can, of course, find all of the designs and plenty more over at www.daisychainextra.etsy.com.  I'm in great company too - many of my friends over at Art Jewelry Elements are featured. A certain pie bead is on show for example!


I've been working away on some new designs for the Daisychain Extra shop over the summer. They're finished and lined up on my desk waiting for their turn with the camera so they will be listed in the shop Wednesday or Thursday. Wednesday hopefully, but it depends on how long the photo editing takes!

Today I have been mostly.....

gardening

New lavender planted in pots - isn't that a gorgeous purple?

New lettuces planted in the raised bed as I had a space and they were only 44p at the garden centre!

Weeding - not my favourite job, but it had to be done!

I moved from shady spot to shady spot in the garden as the sun moved and took it slowly as this heat, wonderful as it is in a country that has had rainy summers for the last few years, has proved too much for me this week. Thank God there was a breeze today!

reading

I'm in this month's Beads and Beyond magazine three times, 

four if you count the Spotlight review pages I write - that's a lot of writing!

I've written the second of four articles on the legal issues of running a jewellery 

or indeed any small crafty business - this time on insurance.

Then there's my stone setting masterclass, showing you how to get started in using set stones in your designs

(if you haven't done so already) by using premade components.

And then there's my Loveheart necklace project as well!

Don't worry, I'm not the only one in the magazine - Eve has a lovely bracelet, and there are stringing, wirework, metal clay, and lampwork projects.

crocheting

Yes, I know I said that I would finish at least one project before I started a new one, 

but I haven't felt inclined to do any knitting or sewing recently and there's no point pushing myself to do it as that's when I make mistakes. I've got three friends expecting babies in the next month or so though, 

so that's given me the incentive to make some baby blankets. 

I don't know the sex of any of the babies, so I'm going for bright colours rather than pinks or blues! 
Ummm...think that old table needs a lick of paint.

taking photos

This one is one of about 60 I've taken so far for a new Beads and Beyond project.

There are 12 steps to the project, each requiring its own photo, and I take about a dozen photos of each step before then choosing the best one. That's a lot of photos!

This project is a stone setting one to follow on from this month's stone setting masterclass, 

but that's all I'm saying! You'll have to wait to find out more!

Tutorial Tuesday - writing magazine projects and articles

A bit of a different Tutorial Tuesday this week - in fact, this is more of a "this is how I did it and what I learnt" guide rather than a step-by-step set of instructions.

One of the questions I get asked a lot, mainly via email but also sometimes in various internet forums, is how I got started in writing magazine projects and articles, so I thought it might be of use to someone out there if I told you how I did it. Please note, this is not meant as a "this is how I did it, do the same and it will work for you"! All I can do is tell you about how I got started, and what, in my experience, magazine editors are looking for.

My latest project in the July issue of Beads and Beyond - out this week!

I had already been teaching jewellery workshops for a couple of years when I first started thinking about magazine articles. In many ways it seemed like a natural progression. I always had so many ideas crammed into my head and various sketch books, and I was confident in writing up instructions for others to follow as that was something I had to do all the time in my "real job" as a teacher. Back then there weren't any UK magazines focusing purely on beads and jewellery (oh those were dark days!), but a couple of magazines, such as Crafts Beautiful, had a jewellery project every now and then. I started by taking some photos of a few projects I had recently designed for my workshops, putting together a letter introducing myself and explaining my background, and sending everything off to the editor of Crafts Beautiful. I never heard back. I was disappointed but not really that surprised. I had already figured out that editors at that time were really only interested in you if you had already had articles published - it was the classic situation of needing some experience first but not being able to get that experience without someone taking a risk on you!

About a year later I saw an ad in Traplet's Practical Crafts and Cardmaking (which stopped running a few years back now) saying that they were looking for new people, especially people who did other things than papercrafts. This was when UK magazines were just picking up on the fact that beading and jewellery making were becoming hugely popular, and when papercrafts still dominated all of the craft magazines. They liked my ideas and I ended up being a regular contributor, having at least one article, usually jewellery but sometimes polymer clay, a month. Once I'd had a few published I wrote to Crafts Beautiful (again!) and Quick & Crafty, including colour photocopies of some of my articles. I didn't hear from Crafts Beautiful (again!) but I did have an article published in Quick & Crafty.

Then Bead started up, and at the same time editors appeared to become far more open to receiving ideas from readers and people with little or no previous publishing experience. I wrote to Jean Power, the editor of Bead, when they started and have had several articles published in there. I also wrote a free article for Beads and Beyond in one of their first issues (the topic was offering advice on teaching jewellery workshops), but didn't do much else as the editor at that time said they didn't have a budget to pay for projects and as much as I like the publicity I couldn't afford to do it for free!

Michelle Powell took over as editor at Beads & Beyond at the beginnig of last year, and she asked her deputy editor, Rebecca Hughes, to contact me to ask if I'd like to take part in the Designer Challenge in their first, new look issue. Michelle had been the editor of Practical Crafts and remembered me from there. Becky then asked if I could also write a couple of projects for them, and since then there has only been one month I can remember that I haven't had some of my jewellery in the magazine, and that was because I didn't send anything in as I was ill. I do plan in the next year to send some more ideas off to a couple of the US magazines such as Step-by-Step Wire, but at the moment B&B are keeping me busy (projects, the Spotlight review pages and a couple of articles on the legal side of a jewellery business coming up later this year), as are my commissions, galleries and websites.

So, to cut a long story short, the most difficult thing is getting started, but once you do you start to build up a reputation with the editors you write for and can also send photocopies of published articles to other magazines to basically prove that you can do the work to the required standard.

If you want to get started I suggest that you come up with some ideas and make them up and take some really good quality photos. Take some step by step photos too to prove that you can do them. Do some research and find a few magazines suitable to your work, and don't rule out the US ones just because they're overseas - or in the case of those of you in the States, don't rule out our magazines over here! For example, my work would definitely not be suitable for a magazine specialising in stringing or bead weaving. Send a short letter introducing yourself, your work, your experience with the photos, but be careful not to send the same project ideas to more than one magazine at a time. You don't want to be in the position of two magazines saying yes to the same project, as much as that might seem great, as you would then have to say no to one of them and would get yourself a very bad reputation! Sending the letter by email is usually just as acceptable as sending it by post - in fact, some magazines prefer that method as it is less clutter in the office!

Make sure that you have a look at the websites of the magazines that you hope to write for as some have very clear submission policies. The submission information for Beads and Beyond is here. Step-by-Step Wire have put together a pdf file that can be downloaded from the front page of their website here. Some magazines even publish the themes they have in mind for each issue and the deadlines for submitting projects, and some run design competitions that offer a published article as one of the prizes. Whatever you do, make sure that you follow the advice that the magazine editors give. Don't send finished projects to magazines unless requested by the editorial team, and don't worry if you don't hear back for what seems like ages. Editors are very busy people!

Expect to get knocked back at least a few times, even when you've got experience. A friend had a project turned down by Bead but Step-by-Step Wire then said yes. I never heard back from Crafts Beautiful but had the projects I showed them accepted by other magazines (after I waited to be certain that Crafts Beautiful didn't want them!). Step-by-Step Wire liked the projects I submitted but said that they were too similar to a different piece they had planned for a future article.

Make sure that you keep following the advice of your editor, as they have the difficult job of making sure that each issue of the magazine is filled with the right balance of projects, with the right photos and the right word count - and all to a very tight deadline. And then to do it all again the next month! Some magazines, including Beads and Beyond, have a template that they ask you to use to write up your instructions, and these are very useful. Ask if they also have guidelines on how to take and present your step-by-step photos (if required) too. Don't be afraid to email for extra advice if you need it as, afterall, it is far easier for your editor if you ask for clarification and get things right the first time than send in something that needs a lot of editing.

Getting your designs out there in the big world has got so much easier with the growth in popularity of blogs, internet forums, flickr etc etc. The chance for some connected with a magazine, whether an editor or another designer, to see your work and how well it would fit with their magazine is now so much greater. I have suggested to a couple of people that they submit their work to magazines, and on one occasion I even emailed Becky to bring a designer to her attention. I definitely have no guarantees that editors I work with will listen to my suggestions or like what I send them links to, but it's always worth a try! I also know of at several designers who took part the Bead Soup Party earlier this year who were contacted by magazines, asking them to write up the instructions for their designs. Although there are no gaurantees, if you don't put your work out there, there's no way anyone can see it!

But above all, enjoy it! My first magazine project was published just over four years ago, but I will never lose the buzz of opening a magazine and seeing one of my creations in print. I have also been lucky enough to have seen people wear their versions of my designs in real life and of seeing letters published in the magazine praising articles that I've written - it always gives me such confidence. When I first started out I was convinced that I would soon run out of ideas and be exposed as a fraud. I have definitely stopped worrying about that as the more articles I write, the more designs I create, the more come spilling out of my head. Writing for magazines, Beads and Beyond in particular, has given me the freedom to experiment with new ideas that do not necessary fit with the ranges of jewellery I have developed for sale, but are still fun to make.

So there you have it, one longer than planned blog post! As I said, this is intended as advice based on my experience rather than a "how to get published" guide, and if those of you who read this who have also been published have any other hints and tips please do add them in the comments - afterall, if the magazines don't find fresh talent people can get bored, so getting new designers on board is to the benefit of all of us!

Beads and Beyond

Hurrah! The February issue of Beads and Beyond is here! I've just come from the shed to get a drink to find that our postie has taken advantage of the cleared road and pavements and brought us the first mail for what seems like a month, but is really only four days or so. He is good, but the ice rink that was our road defeated him for a while! Having said that, I've still got my copy so early that they haven't had a chance to update the website yet so I can't pinch borrow a picture of the front cover! The magazine is due out next week, so you've got a bit of notice to go and find a copy.


I've got a four-page article in the magazine this month - and for the first time in months I actually remembered to take photos of the jewellery before I sent it off! The projects use smoky quartz and teach you how to make findings by melting the send of silver wire in the flame of a blow torch. The main project is the necklace above, but I think my favourite is the pair of earrings below that use sparkly faceted briolettes.


There's a really good mix of projects in there this month - a lampwork bead heart, lots of bling for Valentine's Day, and the most exquisite wire crocheted pearl bracelet.

My campaign to have the most projects on the Beads and Beyond website is making good progress, by the way - click here to find another earrings tutorial!

Time to go to the newsagents again!

The September issue of Beads and Beyond is out this Thursday, although if you're a subscriber then you should have received your copy by now. I've got a 4 page article in there this time, 'Fossil Finds', that uses wirework coils and flower agates to create a bracelet, a couple of pendants, a necklace and a pair of earrings. I forgot to take a photo of any of them before I sent them off, though, so you'll have to wait until a) you get a copy of the magazine or b) I get them back and post a photo to see them! I forgot to photograph the set that I've got in the October issue too, but I've made a note to take photos of the current submission I'm working on!

The beautiful flower necklace on the front cover, by the way, is by Eve who I had the pleasure of meeting when she flew down from Edinburgh for the day for silversmithing tuition in May. I was so flattered that she flew all that way for a day with me!! Congratulations for a gorgeous project Eve, and for being on the front page. You can see some more wirework in one of the pictures at the top - some lovely leaves by Rebecca, who's also based in Scotland.


I also took part in the Designer Challenge again. I really enjoy these challenges - four of us get sent the same beads (and who wouldn't love getting a lovely parcel of beads and get paid for using and writing about them?!) and we have to come up with projects using them. It's great to see all the different ideas everyone comes up with, and I love the way that having beads sent to me that I haven't chosen makes me think outside of my comfort zone and come up with something different from my usual style. Two of the designs I came up with, a necklace and a pair of earrings (shown above), are bonus projects on the Beads and Beyond website, so even if you can't get hold of the magazine itself, have a look here and get the instructions for some free projects!

Beads and Beyond

This is going to be one of those posts with lots of pictures!

The August issue of Beads and Beyond is out today - and I'm in there twice this month!


The first is a project using silver art clay textured with rubber stamps. The finished pieces are oxidised with Liver of Sulphur (a reminder of how to use this can be found here). There are a couple of pairs of earrings, a bracelet, a pendant and the necklace pictured below that you can just about see at the top of the front cover of the magazine. It's a great project (if I do say so myself!) for showing you that you don't have to use the whole of a rubber stamp in your designs.


And the second article is a masterclass on soldering. In my experience most people tend to get into using silversmithing and soldering techniques in their jewellery through two routes - either, like me, they are confident in their wirework, want to extend their skills but are a bit nervous about turning a flame on their work in case it all goes horribly wrong! Or, like the students I teach at college, they've bypassed wirework and gone straight to a course that teaches them soldering from the start.


I wrote the masterclass with the wireworkers in mind, and have written about techniques that use soldered wire to create hammered rings and chains. There are step by step photos to show you each part of the process and 6 ideas for how to use your new skills, and information about the tools and materials that you'll need. My favourites of the designs that I came up with are the pendant and the bracelet that you can see here.


I've got another project coming out in the September issue too, and I'm taking part in the Designer Challenge too - I've been sent the same beads as three other designers and I bet we all come up with completely different ideas!

If you fancy a bracelet or a pendant like the ones here but don't fancy making them yourself, I've put them on the website here and here!

Beads and Beyond

As I said on Wednesday, I've been busy writing magazine projects lately, and I've got more in the pipeline. It's a sideline to my business that I really enjoy as it combined my love of coming up with new ideas with my teaching skills. It's nice to know that these projects, my private tuition and workshops at home and my college class are putting the 5 years at university to good use, even if I'm not teaching anything to do with environmental science or geography!


I've been writing up projects up for Bead magazine and Beads and Beyond. I obviously can't show you what hasn't been published yet, but I can show you this. It's an online project that goes with the pieces I designed for the May issue of Bead and Beyond's Designer Challenge.
A couple of the other pieces I made for the challenge are in the photos here, and you can find the instructions for them in the May issue - you can still get back issues if you're quick. It definitely was a challenge as they weren't beads I would have chosen myself, but that's the point, isn't it? I did enjoy it, and I get lots of compliments about the necklace above every time I wear it, which is an added bonus! The May issue of the magazine was the first with a new look, and the first with Michelle Powell and Rebecca Hughes in charge, and I'm probably biased as I worked on Practical Crafts, one of Michelle's previous magazines, but I love the new look. The projects are beautifully presented.

I'll try and remember to show you the other projects when they come out, but look out for the next few issues of Bead magazine, and the summer issues of Beads and Beyond.


P.S. B wanted to join in the early morning photo shoot, so here he is still in his PJs and dressing gown! "I'll play with the trucks Mummy and you take a photo"!