I’m a little late in writing this blog, but I was thrilled last week to be nominated by Culture and Anarchy for a ‘Versatile Blogger’ award! Like many internet activities, blogging is a sort of isolated event that is just thrown into the netspace and mostly I have no idea who ends up reading my blogs, so it’s lovely to hear that at least one person likes them! Now, in order to accept the award, I need to list 15 blogs that I enjoy reading and also tell you all 7 things about myself. This could be difficult, but hopefully it will at least make for a more interesting awards acceptance speech than some…or maybe not!
So, here goes. In no particular order, 15 of the blogs I enjoy reading…
1. Every day I have a blog delivered to my inbox and I read it every day, not just because it’s about beads and beadwork, but because it’s always interesting and gives me a new perspective, or something to think about in my own designs. So thank you to Beading Daily and for those who might be interested, today’s blog has made me want to add steampunk jewellery to my ever-growing to-do list!
2. Most of you will probably already know that I’m taking part in Battle of the Beadsmith this year. Well, did you also know that this competition has its own blog? Well, if you didn’t then it’s worth a read. Not only will it give you an insight into some of the minds of these crazy people who choose to spend 2 months of the year creating the most astonishing bead art, but it also raises some interesting discussions about the beading world. The latest blog discussed the thorny question of whether it is better to photograph jewellery on models or not – does this accentuate the jewellery or do the models detract from the beads?
3. Just taking a little break from the beads (but I will be back to them, don’t worry!), I’m also going to nominate my award nominee (hopefully that doesn’t break any rules). Culture and Anarchy is written by a friend of mine who is now an academic, expert in Victorian literature, and despite the seeming distance of that field from the beading world, it actually reflects some of my non-beading interests…as you will see below. Her latest blog is also interesting on a personal level, discussing her project to refurbish her house and bring it back to as close as possible to its Victorian roots, so she will in fact be living in the kind of environment that she spends her life studying. (The results of the project are looking fantastic by the way!)
4. Staying with the cultural theme, I often read the posts by Entarte Musik, which cover all manner of artistic subjects. The blog’s author, Gavin Plumley, is also a very entertaining live speaker, so if you fancy reading a review of Ricardo Chailly’s recent DVD release of a recording of Mahler’s Symphony 4, then look no further!
5. Well, back to the beads…Jean Power is a friend of mine and a beader for whom I have a lot of admiration, but due to busy schedules and various other things, we don’t often manage to meet up, so I enjoy reading her blog to hear about her latest beady and other artistic adventures. I love that she is so open to trying all kinds of different crafts and bringing their influences to her own work, even if, as it turns out, papier mache isn’t perhaps for her!
6. Staying on the subject of beaders I admire and their blogs, I also enjoy dipping into Jennifer Van Benschoten’s blog, Jewelry, Art and Life. Yes, it talks about beads, but also so much more! Did you know there are so many parallels between beading and yoga? Well, yes there are – a lot of the useful lessons that yoga teaches can also be applied to beading or any other art form, so read on!
7. And while I’m here – Saturday Sequins needs a mention. It’s about bright and sparkly things, so what’s not to like? Did you know that Barbie dolls can be the perfect models if you want to practise your sewing skills? I certainly enjoyed this doll fashion show!
8. Halfway through and I’m going to go for something a little larger in scale. I love TED. I can watch interesting videos while I’m beading and read blogs that make me think about all kinds of things. If you read my blog regularly then you may have noticed the occasional ‘TED’ influence creeping in there. I like the fact that it puts ideas and opinions in front of me that I would probably not stumble upon in the rest of my life.
9. So sticking with the more famous blogs theme, I know I’m not alone in enjoying The Bloggess. Her crazy, amusing antics are guaranteed to make me smile when I need to. I know I’m not the only one who can identify with ‘Me and the Internet’!
10. Eva Maria Keiser’s blog shares the most beautiful beadwork, both from her and other artists. I find this very inspiring. I felt very privileged when she asked to include one of my wedding bouquets in a feature she has been putting together about colourways.
11. Miri Agassi’s Bead Wonders Blog is another source of beading inspiration and information that I’ve enjoyed reading. I fear this may look a little like bias, but Miri was also kind enough to give my recent bead flowers book a really lovely review – thank you!
12. I’m not sure if this strictly counts as a blog, but since it’s something I regularly read and I think it works on a similar principle, I’m going to include it anyway…Ballet News has a great section entitled ‘Cupcakes and Conversation’ in which they interview dancers from ballet companies around the world. It’s a great way of getting to know a bit more about these amazing performers and also getting a glimpse into ballet companies that I may not have the opportunity to watch.
13. The Ballet Bag is another that I regularly follow for the reviews, opinions and interviews in the ballet world. Not to mention the photos…a lovely way to re-live performances that I’ve enjoyed.
14. My craft interest does extend beyond beading (believe it or not!) although I don’t have that much time for pursuing a lot of other craft at the moment. I still like to enjoy a little inspiration though and I love the Purl Bee for a few sewing ideas that I one day plan to make with all the fabric I have stashed away!
15. It’s harder than you might think to list 15 blogs I’ve found, but I find I’ve managed it! So I’m going to finish up with another beading blog, Kristal’s Bling Blog is always so well written and full of useful tips, like how to survive a bead show – particularly pertinent as I’m vaguely thinking of applying to teach at Bead and Button next year…
So now you know a bit about what I like to read, time for 7 facts about me that you may or may not already know…
1. I studied history at university, mainly seventeenth century, but also a lot of eighteenth and nineteenth century
2. I used to write book reviews for an online site called Bookotron
3. If you’d asked the five-year-old me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would have told you I wanted to write books…
4. …by the time I was ten I wanted to be a ballet dancer though!
5. I spent my entire childhood ‘making things’ out of any material I could find…paper, card, felt, old household containers, you name it, I could see the potential to create something from it
6. Before I realised that I should be returning to my childhood likes, I worked as a strategy consultant
7. I once took a ballet class taught by Wayne Sleep – brilliant experience!!
