Archive for Beading
5 Creative Things to do in Front of the TV
Posted by: | CommentsFor many readers, even if you don’t watch TV yourself, there’s a TV in your house that’s being watched.
And maybe it can feel weird or hard or anti-social to sequester yourself away from everyone else to do your 20 Minute Technique. So you don’t.
Especially if you were at work all day and the evening is the only time you see everyone–and they’re watching TV.
And honestly, TV can be an easy respite at the end of a long, hard day. And jeepers, you could use a laugh or two.
So don’t get me wrong, I’m not against TV. I’m just against too much TV.
And because it’s so easy, watching too much TV can be a habit that’s hard to break. I know it is for me sometimes.
Therefore, I thought it might be useful to talk about ways to be creative in front of the TV rather than just talk about how it would be better not to watch it.
Because the point is to be creating more–however we can get that to work.
Below are 5 creative activities that don’t take up space, aren’t that messy, and can be done while watching TV or hanging out with loved ones who do.
**I’d also like you to consider trying one of these suggestions for your TV watching time even if you normally define yourself as a particular “something else” artistically–a painter or felter or a mosaic-maker–or anything else that might require lots of room or water or mess and therefore doesn’t work so well on couches or in nice looking living rooms.
Like the stock market, it’s good to be a little diversified–it might fuel your “primary” creative endeavors in surprising ways.
5 Creative Things to Do in Front of the TV
- Bead. Beading is small and portable and you can do it anywhere. It’s also a little contagious so the people around you might start to join in, and then you’re connecting with the people you love on a whole new level. In addition, the options are endless and skill level doesn’t matter–you can enjoy yourself right away with beading.
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Read my 5 Great Reasons to Start Beading Today if you’re not convinced yet. I’ve also got lots of great info on where to buy tools and findings along with practical bead buying tips so you get the most bang for your buck.
| - Needle Arts. This could be knitting or embroidery or hand sewing. If you’re thinking as you read this, “I’m not patient enough for that.” you might be surprised. It can be incredibly soothing–you just need to figure out which one suits you best. (It’s also helpful to not expect to be an expert in 5-10 minutes. Good things come to those who enjoy the process, or something like that.)
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Knittinghelp.com has fabulous videos for beginner knitters.
| - Blind drawing. If you’d like to work on your drawing skills, this is a great activity for the 20 Minute Technique and for hanging out in front of the TV. All you need is a sketch pad, a pencil and something in front of you to stare at.
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Set the timer and, without looking at your drawing, draw what you see in front of you as if your pencil is touching it–feeling all the planes and surfaces. Try not to pick your pencil up or look down at what you’re doing.If you finish quickly, just start over or turn your attention to something else in the room and draw that.
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Don’t try to make your drawing “good” by “fixing” it–this is a observational exercise and a chance to improve your line quality by getting your judging brain out of the way.
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(You’ll also find that listening to your show is mostly enough. The commercials will annoy you more though, so be ready to hit the mute button.))
|| - Card Making. Everyone loves getting a card and a handmade one is a wonderful surprise. The small format makes it doable on the couch with a tray or sitting in front of the coffee table (I always end up on the floor). You can do the rubber stamp thing or use it as a way to scrapbook and preserve memories. If you need a few ideas to get jump-started, pick up a Take Ten magazine which is dedicated to making cards.
| - Polymer Clay. Small and portable, soft polymer clays are easy for beginners and it’s soothing to work the clay in your hands. You can make beads, cover pens, or construct small boxes and frames. There are so many books out there on how to get started, find something that excites you.
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It’s another category like beading that provides satisfaction at every skill level–so can start enjoying yourself right away.
What have I left out? Do you have any suggestions for creating in front of the TV? Do you create in front of the TV? Please share in the comments, I’d love to hear.
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5 Great Reasons to Start Beading Today
Bead Buying Tips–Part III
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Today’s post is a continuation of my previous posts about basic bead types, (Bead Buying Tips I and Bead Buying Tips II ) why and when you might need them, and some links to several online resources.
So, where was I? Oh yes, that’s right–I was planning to wax on about the wonderfulness of spacer beads, so let me get right on that.
The Wonderfulness of Spacer Beads
It’s important to own a variety of “spacer” beads. Spacer beads are small or flat(ish) beads that you put in between your larger beads to create “visual interest”. (Warning: “visual interest” is a big phrase of mine…) Seriously, using spacer beads will make your projects look more sophisticated and professional (because of the aforementioned “visual interest”) and besides that, they’re fun. Spacer beads are often metal, but really, you can use any small bead as a spacer.
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Beads: Buying Tips Part II
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A Fabulous Ensemble Cast
If you don’t already, one day, you’ll have a bead collection that’s a fabulous ensemble cast, with you as the director arranging them into wonderful and interesting combinations that are somehow greater than the sum of their parts.
In Beads: Buying Tips Part 1: I wrote about strategies for visiting the bead store without going broke. In this post and the next one (about beading, that is), I’m going to review several basic bead styles for folks who might be new to beading and provide a few links so you can see some examples and have somewhere to start if you need to buy your beads online.
Today’s post will focus on a few glass beads that I consider staples –beads I tend to use very often in my own projects–and my next post will focus on spacers, gemstones, and pendants. Read More→
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Beads: Buying Tips (part 1)
Posted by: | CommentsGood Strategies for the Beginning (or just broke) Beadaholic
Gorgeous beads are why most of us started beading in the first place. But it can be hard to know where to start (or where to finish for that matter), so I thought I’d share some thoughts on strategic bead buying.
The (Good and Bad) Bead Frenzy
What you need to do, of course, is buy beads that get you excited to make things. The tricky part about buying beads is the dizzying array (pretty colors everywhere!) and everything seems so cheap: twenty cents here, five cents there, a dollar over there.-ooh, cheap and pretty! But it all adds up, and the next thing you know, you’re whipped into a shopping-endorphin-driven-bead-buying-frenzy and wake up in a doorway somewhere three days later (alone and broke) and can barely remember a thing. Either that, or you wander around in a daze of visual over-stimulus and leave empty-handed. Ah, it’s a tangled retail web we weave, my friends. Read More→
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Findings: Basic Beading Supplies
Findings: Basic Beading Supplies
Posted by: | CommentsFindings, Components, and Supplies You Need to Start Beading
Pretty beads are only half the story when you want to create jewelry. Just as important are the bits that hold them together and they’re called findings or components. It’s always easier (especially at first) to see things in person when you buy them, so visit your local bead store if you have one-even Michael’s or AC Moore will do in a pinch. However, sometimes that isn’t possible, so I’ve armed you with lots of links on where to buy your findings online.
FINDINGS
What the heck is a “finding” anyway? Findings are the parts that connect your beads together. These include ear wires, jump rings, head pins, eye pins, and clasps. This post is a great list of what you need to get yourself started.
Ear Wires
There are hundreds of neat ear wires to choose from, but most are variations on three basic styles–Lever Backed, French Hook, and Kidney–French Hooks are in the picture on the left here. These can be found at any store or online beading venue. Read More→
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The Four Must-Have Beading Tools
Posted by: | CommentsAnd Where to Buy Them Online
You don’t need to spend a million dollars on your basic beading tool kit, but if you get the very cheapest, it’ll probably just make your life harder-especially if you’re just starting out.
You’ll see some cheap tools if you search on Google, but if they’re ridiculously cheap, they also might be ridiculously small, which can be hard to tell from a picture online.
I’m providing links for places that sell the tools I am suggesting, because I thought it would be a lot more helpful than just some vague recommendations. That said, I haven’t bought from all the retailers listed here–I just found them when I searched and their prices seemed fair.
Read More→
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Findings: Basic Beading Supplies
Opening and Closing a Jump Ring
Posted by: | CommentsA great jewelry-making basic is how to correctly open and close a jump ring. It’s important because when you do it correctly, your beading projects are stronger and are less likely to break. They will also look more professional.
This video shows you how to use jewelry pliers to correctly open a jump ring. I am using my old pliers so you can see that your tools don’t have to look fancy to do the job.
One thing I didn’t emphasize in the video is that you don’t have to open the jump ring very wide–just enough to slip on your beads or connectors. The less your jump ring is distorted, the better.
Happy viewing and write to me in the comments section if you have any questions!
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5 Great Reasons to Start Beading Today
