July can mean only one thing in the beading world… It’s time to start counting down to International Beading Week 2018!
Those of you who have been avid beaders for a while may have celebrated a few beading weeks before. This festival began life in the UK as National Beading Week. It was the brainchild of the Beadworker’s Guild.
But you know beaders… We’re all about community. And that community spreads across borders and beyond language differences. So, this year, the festivities are going global. And this is your chance to get involved with International Beading Week 2018.
My Plans for International Beading Week 2018
Each year, as I’m trying to plan something exciting for you all, I like to think about what the beading week means. So, for me, it’s about two things:
- The opportunity to celebrate beads
- A chance to make new discoveries that take your beading journey further
It really doesn’t matter whether you’ve been beading for decades or IBW is your introduction to beading. I still wanted to celebrate those two elements.
So, with that in mind, this year, I’m going to be running two online events. I’ll tell you a bit more about those in a second.
But if you already have too many beading plans in your diary for the week (is too much beading even possible?!), then don’t worry. I will also be running some giveaways, quick competitions, beading quizzes and general fun on my website. So, you can get involved in as much or as little of that as you wish.
Get yourself a front row seat!
Whatever you decide you would like to enjoy (and you don’t even need to decide now), please make sure you don’t miss out. I will be sending out email alerts so you can be the first to grab the special offers (some are going to be limited) and enter for your chance to win some fabulous beading prizes. But, as the saying goes, you’ve got to be in it to win it! So, please sign up below to register your interest.
If that isn’t enough, I also have a free gift for everyone who signs up. So, see that pretty, sparkly motif? Well, the pattern for it could be yours if you sign up now…
What happens next?
When you’ve signed up, you will receive an automated email that asks you to confirm your subscription. So, please make sure to do this, or you won’t receive any more emails. (If the email takes a few minutes to arrive, don’t worry. But you should also check your spam folder if you can’t see it.)
When you click through to confirm the subscription, just make sure that the ‘International Beading Week 2018’ box is checked and you’re all set.
Then, within a few hours, I will send you a welcome email which contains your free gift and a little more information about what to expect next.
When you join this mailing list, you will only receive emails that relate to International Beading Week 2018. So, you won’t be bombarded with special offers or any other sales pitches. If you want more general information about my beadwork, then please also join my main mailing list here>>
Does your Bead Stash Need De-Cluttering?
Do you have lots of little packets or tubes with just a handful of beads in them? The leftovers from bigger past projects that you don’t know how to use. So, all they’re doing is taking up storage space.
Well, put an end to that right now.
I’m going to be doing a free Stash-Busting Beadalong during International Beading Week 2018. So, this will help you make space for all the new beads that you’re going to be trying. Or, even if buying isn’t on your radar, think of this as a totally FREE beading project!
So, see that pretty necklace just above? That’s what you’re going to be making.
Or, you might decide to make a bracelet, or a pair of earrings. Maybe even a central embellishment that you can extend into something bigger.
Now, if the photo hasn’t grabbed you, let me tell you the three best things about this beadalong.
The first benefit for you
You’ll be using beads from your own stash. And the more small quantities of beads you can find, the better.
Plus, you’ll get to use up a real variety of beads. So, this includes some small seed beads and some larger beads. The larger beads could be literally anything, from crystals to pearls to the multi-holed shaped beads. So, you truly will ‘bust’ your stash and free up some space.
The second bonus you’ll enjoy
Now, you might be wondering if you’re going to be ‘good enough’ to make that. Well, the answer is absolutely ‘yes’! This is genuinely such a simple project that a beginner can do it.
If you’re wanting something more advanced, just stop and think for a moment. Wouldn’t it be nice to give your brain a rest and just have fun with something simple?
Because, if you want a little more challenge, you can always get fancy with the colouring and design. Yes, there are plenty of options and I’m going to take you through them in the Beadalong!
The third piece of good news
Are you someone who sells jewellery at craft fairs or gives jewellery as gifts? Then you’re going to love this project. It’s simple to make, as I’ve just said. Yet, it looks really complex. It won’t cost you anything as you’re going to be using up beads that are just sitting there doing nothing.
So, really, what could be better for selling on a jewellery stall…?
How does the Beadalong work?
You just need to sign up so I can let you know how and when to get started. The Beadalong will take the form of me teaching you this project through a series of daily blog posts here on the website.
You can work at your own pace and I will be there for guidance if you should need it.
So, register your interest now…even if you change your mind later, at least by signing up now, you won’t miss out on this great opportunity. This is the same sign up form as above. So, if you have already signed up, then that’s brilliant…you can just sit back and wait for the fun to start on 28th July.
How many PHDs do you have?
(That’s ‘Projects Half Done’ by the way. Also known as WIPS – Works in Progress – or UFOs – Unfinished Objects). So, is it one? Ten? Twenty? Or have you just lost count?
We all have them! And do you know, when I ask people to list their biggest beading problems, ‘finding time to bead’ always comes out as number one.
So, since I like to try and help you all, I’ve spent a long time thinking about how to tackle this problem. In fact, I’ve sat down and put together a FREE online course to teach you how to maximise your beading time.
How on earth am I going to give you more time through a course? Good question. And maybe I won’t be able to. But I do have a lot of experience in finding ways to get as much beading done in as little time as possible.
So, I thought I would share my secrets with you. Maybe if even just one thing I say helps, that will pave the way to finishing some of those projects and making room for more.
What will you need to do?
Ok, so this course will take place online. You can work through it at your own pace. But I have structured it so you can take it in baby steps, meaning you only need a few minutes’ each day.
You should be able to complete the learning part during International Beading Week 2018. Then you are free to enjoy your extra beading time and finish up the PHDs of your choice.
The only beading experience you need is a basic understanding of odd count Peyote. Or, if that eludes you, you can actually use my free Beadalong for that part of the course.
You’ll get a certificate when you finish. This is all going to be a bit of fun. So, although I hope you will learn something useful, it’s not like going back to school!
If you’re curious, then sign up below.
Again, this is the same form as I’ve included above. So, if you’re already signed up to hear about the other events, you don’t need to register again – you’re all set to benefit.
What Next?
Well, hopefully you’re all signed up now. So, you can basically sit back and relax.
If you want to plan any other activities, then check out the full list of options on the International Beading Week 2018 website, right here>>
And, you can keep following my blog this month where I’ll be talking a bit more about my plans. But for now, just get ready to enjoy the fun.
Oh, and, don’t forget to share this with all your beading friends too… they’ll thank you for getting them involved!
