Have you ever considered this…? Where would a beaded bee sleep overnight? Well, the answer is: the beaded bee hotel.
So, do you have any beaded bees of your own? And if so, do they have a hotel in which they can stay in comfort? If you said ‘no’ to either of those questions, then you really need to keep reading…
International Beading Week 2021
I promise, this isn’t a digression, it really is all about the beaded bee hotel.
You see, every year, at the end of July, the beading community around the world comes together to celebrate our craft. We call this event, International Beading Week.
The celebrations typically include special events, classes, get-togethers (COVID permitting!), competitions, sales and loads more.
Lots of beading shops and designers get involved and host special events. And each year gets bigger and better than the last. So, even though most of us were in some form of lock-down during 2020, that didn’t stop any intrepid beaders from enjoying any of the special events that just went online.
Now, International Beading Week 2021 will be running from 24th July to 1st August. There is an entire website dedicated to this celebration of beading. So, if you want to find out about all the events that are being planned, visit the official website at this link.
24th July may seem like a long way off still. But I’m here today to tell you about the first BIG event that I’ve got planned…
The Beaded Bee Hotel
IBW is really about bringing people together to celebrate beads and beading. So, every year, I like to host a beadalong or online class. These events started quite small, but they’ve grown in size and popularity. So, as I was starting to plan this year’s big event, I went back to something from the past…
Origins of the Beaded Bee Hotel
Back in 2018, I entered the Bead Dreams contest for the first time, with a piece called, ‘A Visit to the Beehive’. I was fortunate enough to make it to the finals. And this is what that piece looked like…
It was an elaborate beaded box with multiple compartments, lids and drawers. Now, at the time, I didn’t create a tutorial for this. There were many reasons behind that decision.
I did, later on, publish a kind of mini version inspired by the beehive. You can find that pattern here.
But I still get requests for a tutorial for the Beehive. So, although I’m still not going to be publishing a tutorial for that exact project, it has inspired the beaded bee hotel.
What will the beaded bee hotel look like?
Now, that’s a surprise. You will have to enroll on the Bee Hotel class if you want to find that out.
I can only tell you that it will be a honeycomb-inspired structure of beaded boxes. These may have hinged doors, or lift out lids, or be drawers. Each box will be a ‘hotel room’, big enough to house a beaded bee in comfort. And the entire hotel will be decorated with flowers and foliage, and maybe even the odd insect.
So, this has the potential to be a large show-stopping piece of beadwork…
But, it doesn’t have to be. It’s entirely up to you what your beaded bee hotel will end up looking like. We don’t all need to be making huge hotels with multiple rooms… It’s good to have a few bijoux options with perhaps just one or two rooms and some more modest decoration.
So, how is this special event going to work?
Click here to watch a short video telling you more about this event before you join
How will the class work?
Firstly, this is a project that will be catering to all levels of experience. So, as I’ve just said, you can go big or stay small. I will be guiding you through all the options and offering solutions for beaders of all levels of experience and confidence.
Secondly, although you will be able to work in your own time and at your own pace, this is very much going to be a group project. Not in the sense of everyone contributing to a single piece. You will each be making your own Bee Hotel. But we will be coming together to share ideas and shape the project.
You see, I haven’t made the hotel yet. It is still a design plan. So, I’m going to be making it alongside all of you.
I will be releasing different stages of the hotel as we go along.
Access, timing and other details
All of this is taking place online. So, you can join from anywhere in the world.
And this is a project that will be starting up at the END of International Beading Week. So, that way, you don’t need to have that ‘flat’ feeling of all the fun being over. And you can continue to bead together and make new friends through the Bee Hotel as we go through the late Summer and into Autumn (or late Winter and into Spring, for my friends from the southern hemisphere).
Everyone taking the class will have access to downloadable PDF tutorials with written instructions and diagrams. You will also get videos that demonstrate the techniques. So, if you’re new to any of the techniques, it won’t matter – you will be able to learn them as you go. And, you’ll be able to ask me questions if you get stuck and share your progress and experiences with everyone else on the class.
So, if you’re liking the sound of all this, click here to find out more and secure your place on this class.
Techniques and Materials
Although I haven’t yet made this, I can tell you a little about the techniques and materials you will be using.
You are definitely going to be using rounded seed beads to make your bees (the patterns for those are already available in the class). You will also be using Delicas to make the hotel rooms.
Now, the flowers and decoration are going to be up to you. So, I will be offering some designs, but you can also make up your own, or use anything you already have. So, you could be using flower shaped beads. Or, you might be stitching seed beads or delicas or shaped beads into flowers and leaves. This is going to depend on what you want. So, you get to choose whatever reflects your skill level and bead stash.
Most of this project will be using Peyote stitch. You may find we use some other bead-weaving techniques for some of the flowers and decoration, but that will be up to you.
And, as I mentioned, all the techniques will be demonstrated on video as well as explained in writing, with diagrams and photos. So, even if you are coming across new things, you will be able to learn whatever you need on the class.
There is no pressure to complete this at any particular time. So, you can bead at your own pace and take as long as you need.
Will you be making the beaded bee hotel?
I really hope so. This is going to be an amazing once-in-a-lifetime project.
You see, the class is open for enrollments now, but I am restricting numbers in this. And I will definitely be closing enrollments FOR GOOD on 1st August 2021.
So, basically, if you want to do this, you need to secure your place as soon as you can, and definitely before 1st August.
This isn’t one of those things that you can decide to do later on. It’s literally now or never!
So, if you want ‘in’ on this special project, you’ll need to follow this link and enroll as soon as you can.
I only launched the class a few hours ago and it’s already getting people signed up.
So, you don’t want to be the one wishing you were making a bee hotel, but finding you missed out!
And I don’t want you to miss out either…I’m so excited to welcome everyone into this class and share this amazing beading experience with you all.
But if you don’t want to make a bee hotel, I can understand this won’t be for everyone. And I will have other things going on during IBW 2021. So, I’ll share more about that nearer the time. Stay tuned!
Click here to watch a short video telling you more about the class before you enroll
Reminder: Rose Club Members Get 20% off
Lastly, if you are a member of the Rose Club, this is just to remind you to use your discount coupon. It will get you 20% off this class, same as all my other online classes.
If you’re not sure what the Rose Club is, use this link to find out.
