Hello my beady friends! The world has gone a bit bonkers, so I hope this post finds you all doing well.
I just wanted to write a quick-ish post this week to let you all know about a new Facebook Group that I started up with my friend and fellow designer Fen Li from the Bead Flora Studio. I started this group hoping it would be a fun way for us to work on projects together, where we could all learn and share in a friendly environment. The group was inspired by my Learn French Beading: Beginner Course, which is still ongoing on YouTube. The whole reason I worked my tail off fighting against stupid life chaos to get it finished is because of how much this art means to me. I wanted to give back to the art that has helped me to bloom and grow in so many ways. I wanted to encourage other people to try it, and I thought that having a group where we can all come together would be a great way to make learning more fun. Then I asked Fen to join me in running the group because I know she’s just as dedicated to promoting the art as I am and I thought it would be a more successful group if I had another designer to lead the group with me.
Currently the group project is my Beginner Course, but you’re welcome to share any projects that you’re working on. Fen and I will be coming up with more projects for the group as well. Some will be exclusive to just the group, others will be projects that we offer for everyone, but the group will be a place where we can come together, ask questions, answer questions, and share the finished projects. We will also be sharing tips and helps with the group as well.
So, if you’re on Facebook and would like to join us, head over to our new Learn French Beading group. This is a private group, meaning only group members will be able to see pictures and discussions and files. There are some questions you’ll have to answer and agree to follow group rules before being approved to join.
Come bead along with us! We’re hoping that this will be a fun community.
Beginner Course Update
If you’ve been following my channel on YouTube, then you may have already seen all of the videos that I’ve published for the course so far. We’ve finished all of the technique demos, which I highly recommend that you watch. There’s some stuff in those videos that aren’t covered in the practice flower videos.
This past week I published the first Lavender video. The second one, which demos the assembly is going up tomorrow.
If you have the book or PDF that goes with the course, then don’t forget that there’s a link inside to access all of the videos up front without waiting for them to be up on YouTube.
My “Learn” tab on this website has been updated. You can see there the schedule for the upcoming videos in the course, and access the ones that have already gone up.
BIG Pattern Sale
I know many of you are currently in lock down or under stay home orders. Perhaps you’re one of our front line healthcare workers, military personnel, truck drivers, grocery store employees, or “essential service” workers. Perhaps like me, your kids are home with you and you’re struggling through home school while still trying to keep everything else afloat. Most of us are struggling in some way right now, whether it’s with our health, our jobs, or our families.
What I’ve experienced in my life is that creating is healing. There’s just something magical about taking raw materials and using your own hands to turn them into something. It’s just good for the soul! The art of French Beaded Flowers has helped me through some difficult times. It has built me up, calmed me down, and instilled in me a measure of confidence and hope. I know that many people are turning to learning new crafts, or picking up old crafts to help them through our current situation. But perhaps some of us have been hit hard by the economic fallout.
So, I’m currently offering all of my PDFs at 40% off so they’ll be accessible to more people who want to try them. For my website’s store enter the coupon code “STAYHOME” at checkout to activate the discount. This is only for PDFs, not print copies of books or kits. In my Etsy shop, the discount is automatic, so you don’t need a coupon code. This sale will be running through the end of April.
I’ve also uploaded an old pattern that I haven’t offered for sale in a few years. It’s my old Gerbera Daisy design, which you can download here. This was the second pattern I ever published. The design itself is still good. The only reason it’s no longer for sale is because of how much my pattern writing/formatting and photography skills have changed and evolved since then, and I haven’t had a chance to redo everything. So I’m offering this PDF to you guys this month for free. Hopefully someone out there will benefit from having a fun beading project to keep them busy.
Happy Beading!