Packaging

I'm Still here!

Oh my I can't believe it has been a month since I have blogged. Life seems to have been very busy with the engine blowing up in our car hence having to get a new one in the past week. I have also been focusing  bit on packaging ideas and learning a lot how best to optimise my Facebook Page. It has been a huge learning curve for me but worth it in the end.

Anyway here are some pics of my latest send outs.

Simple Supplies still get the star treatment

The natural look with a splash of colour

Quite fiddly to make myself and didn't stay together too well. Still working on it.

Note in all of these packages are seed beads and supplies - we all like getting something pretty and there is no reason at all why supplies cannot be sent this way too.

Don't forget to share the packaging ideas you are happy to share on my FB page Serendiptiy Beads

Turquoise for the Birthday Girl

Ok - Personal Fact - I am Adopted. There you go! My birth mother Marion was young when she had me and I was adopted by my parents who are now in their 70's when I was 2weeks old or thereabouts. Fairly common in the 1960's and 1970's. Interestingly my husband Craig is also adopted - so it was kind of neat when we both had our own children. (although for a while there we thought we would be venturing down the adoption track)

Anyway, Marion turned 60 on Sunday and decided to celebrate at the Langham Hotel in central Auckland with their High Tea. It was a dilema - do I make something or do I buy something? Obviously the universe was pulling me to make something, since crafting with beads is my thing, and I was fast running out of time.

I loved the blue in this pendant that I had made a while ago but had never really liked the ribbon and rattail it was hanging from. Obviously neither did my customers as it had been for sale in my shop for a wee while. Got to thinking with 3 days left and decided to bead a Russian Spiral Rope to go with it.

Before the new reconstructed necklace is revealed here is the way I decorated the box it was gifted in. Plain kraft box an lid then shoozzed it up a bit with the silver paper, ribbon and paper flowers. The blue is the envelope with the card. Yes I made that too but forgot to take a photo - sorry.

The final reconstructed Russian Spiral Rope to go with the necklace. Sorry the photo isn't a closeup. It definitely looks so much better this way and the rope is Turquoise, Black and Silver. Made with size 11 and size 15 Japanese Seed Beads.

Marion loves it and I was so relieved to hear that her current favourite colour is turquoise as I really had no idea. The only recent photos I had seen she was wearing red so it was a bit of a gamble.

High Tea was lovely and it was great to finally taste some macaroons. - Pistashio - Yumm!

Lesson Learned!

Today I learned a very valuable lesson regarding keeping your website totally up to date. I thought I was pretty good at making sure my website had all of the current information up - but alas it seems not, and it has probably cost me some business.

I sell the flip top seed bead storage cases on my website and after a large order back in February had sold out of everything I had. I then received a large order from the same people (an embroidery guild here in NZ) which I had to import in from the US. At the time I put "Out of Stock" on my website with a notation mentioning they would be back in stock in March.

In the mean time I had also taken out an ad in the Embroidery Guilds (ANZEG) bi-annual publication specifically with a reference to these storage boxes. As  result of my large previous sale to just one of the many guilds in NZ I had anticipated getting a few orders. It was getting frustrating that I wasn't and I wasn't sure what I had done wrong. I FORGOT TO CHECK THE WEBSITE.

Today a new customer contacted me through Facebook asking if I still sold the storage boxes - so I went to check the website just to make sure they were showing properly and I found my MISTAKE. How embarrassed am I and how many sales and potentially good will have I lost as a result. I hate to think.

I tell you I have learned this lesson and it will never happen again. I will be religious with how I check the details on my website from now on.

Yes they are all now back in Stock (and have been since March) in limited quantities - but I can purchase more if need be. :)

Because I Can ...

Do you have any project that you do just because you can? Be it beading, artwork, sewing, whatever -you did it just because you had an idea and you wanted to try it for yourself. Well this is what I did. It took me longer than I thought it would but for me - I LOVE IT! Craig looked at me when I was nearly finished with that Why? look and I answered "Because I can".

I knew I wanted to make something using Right Angle Weave and multiple rows and bag-like.(Beaded bags is something I would love to do more of in the future) Although I had made loads of plain single row RAW pieces I hadn't actually played with more rows even though I knew how. I selected my colours (excuse rubbish photo) from what I had in stock and the pencils to match.

I got out my Right Angle Weave graph paper (Courtesy of Firemountain Gems) and sketched using my coloured pencils the basic idea of colours and where the beads should go. As you can see I wasn't aiming my sights at anything too complicated. Just something bright for me.

This is the fabric starting to take shape - see very basic.

Scunched up beaded fabric - it really does take on an amazing material like quality and is great to pick up and manipulate, all squishy and fun to play with. My girls were loving watching the progress.

Finished Cellphone pouch with button and loop clasp. I love it, it is so me and feels so nice to hold.

No losing my cellphone in my handbag now with these bright colours.

What do you think?

If you wish to buy any of these size 8 Toho beads from by Bead Store then Click Here to go to my website

More Inspiration...

Wow! I found some more inspiration for colour and beading. Indian Sari's aren't they just stunning and more often than not have an abundance of colour and pattern.

I have my little list of things that I would like to talk about on here but sometimes something else just comes up and it has to be shared.

My youngest daugher Alana plays hockey (6 aside at her age of 6.5yrs - and field hockey for you international visitors to this blog) and one of the fields that we travel to is a predominantly Indian (Asian) community. Many of the shops in Papatoetoe have Indian shops featuring some truly gorgeous sari's for young and old. Both of my daughters just love it when we stop at the lights so they can ogle at the beautiful displays.

When we went past last weekend it truly became apparent to me just how beautiful they are and that every time I looked at them I kept imagining the kinds of jewellery I could make to match the fabrics without even realising I was doing it.

So I just had to share this beauty with you of some pictures I found online to show you what I mean. You can imagine just how my mind is racing with ideas just from typing up this blog even.

Enjoy and look up some more images to give yourself some inspiration.

Inspiration of Colour

Where does your beading inspiration come from?
Whenever I read any artist's profile many of them site nature as where they get a lot of their inspiration.

For me a lot of my colour ideas come from what I feel is pleasing the eye, looking through all the beading mags, and websites of gorgeous designs. It amazes me how different designs make colour combinations look either great or not so great.  I also love watching what colour choices my customers tend towards when learning to stitch a project. I definitely learn from them as they all choose things I would never have dreamed of using together.

Interestingly someone who blows me away with how she chooses colour is my 8yr old daughter Peita. She is quite a big fan of most things arty and has always sorted and stacked felt pens, blocks, erasers, you name it - and of course my beads. When I first decided to teach her bead stringing a few years ago she actually spent nearly an hour sorting piles of beads into colours, shapes and sizes. I'm not sure how much beading she actually did.

The above is the first time I took a photo of Peita's colour combinations. This was done with Beado's (you know create design and spray with water so they stick together). She created a whole pattern on the template with all of these colours and it looked awesome. This was when she was 6 or 7.

Sorry about photo quality as taken on phone due to broken camera. Here is my beautiful Peita. After making her own necklace with pony beads she decided to sort them all into colour combos.

Some great colour combinations here. Might have to zoom in on this for some inspiration.

And of course Alana (6.5yrs) is a big fan of pink and yellow a the moment but decided to add a bit of purple in that day.

Happy Beading in your world. Would love to hear about what inspires you with colour.

Diana x

Time away from Reality

It is not often that we, as a family get to go away on holiday. Being self employed in the way that we are, has it's drawbacks.(As well as some good stuff too) If we don't work, we don't get paid - end of story. We usually take our week away camping up to Martins Bay about 1hr north of Auckland. Great family beach and campground and we really love our time there in January of each year.

However in my husband's business (The House Mechanix) where he does home maintenance (everything from changing light bulbs to refitting your bathroom/kitchen) we have a customer who has a beach place (called a "Bach" (prounced Batch) in NZ) at Opito Bay in the Coromandel on the East Coast of NZ approx 3.5hrs drive from Auckland. On occasion they need some work done at the place, like painting etc. We have once before been lucky enough to stay there for 4 days while Craig did some jobs that took a day and a half. We were offered the place again during the second week of school holidays in April and this time we just said "bugger it - we're going" Craig had a bout a half days painting to do and we got to spend 5 nights there at no charge. Yay!

Packed up the girls for a few days of beautiful weather, kayaking, walks along the beach, sandcastles, body surfing, boogie boarding or just doing nothing. The beach house is directly across the road from the beach and the kitchen and dining table look straight out over the water. Heaven.



The Glorious Beach

  Did I mention that these photos are taken half way through Autumn in New Zealand. How is this for weather. Around 21 degrees C every day. We are so blessed in this country with many outstanding beaches.



Kayaking



My Beautiful Girls



Me & My Girls



Daddy & Sandcastle Competition

Its tradition to build 2 sandcastles close to where the tide is coming in and then sit up the beach and watch the tide take away the castle. Then to see which one lasts the longest. Unfortunately Alana's and mine in the forground was the first to go :)



Boogie Boarding

Our little 8yr old water baby. The waves were only little (that is the sand you can see under the water that is brown) but enough to get some good boarding in.

  

My Girls Again



Everyone Has a Tractor for The Boat!

Was hard case watching all of the tractors lined up on the beach with everyone out fishing.

And just in case you were wondering where the beading is - yes I finally decided to make something using Celini Spiral while we were away. I am making a necklace which isn't quite finished yet. Had been putting off giving it a go as everyone said it was hard. I loved it and it was so easy since I have done so much other Peyote stitch - granted I have done it in all green tones which is easier. Perfect way to relax in the evenings.
Look forward to going again one day :)



And its Green