Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
Congratulations, Karen Bucci! You have won a set of Mary Hardings new beads! Please send Mary an email with your information.
Welcome, welcome Art Bead Scene readers! Today for inside the studio I have a special treat to share with you. A few of the Art Bead Scene editors decided to make something for this month’s challenge. Some did finished jewelry and others created beads for the challenge.
Above are some art bead that didn’t make it into my challenge piece, but will definitely being getting made into something soon. It is beach season after all and living on the lakeshore my inner mermaid and I often get together at my bead table.
Pictured are beads from Marash Neal, Diane Hawkey, Firefly Designs, Gardanne Beads, Green Girl Studios, MAKU and Humblebeads.
The Art Bead Scene Editors Take the Challenge
Visit our blogs to check out the mini-blog hop that we put together:
Win me!
This week you could win this ocean-lovin’ starfish pendant from Humblebeads.
Just take a sec and answer these three quick questions for me:
1. Would it help to know the monthly challenge theme 2 weeks in advance so you can plan ahead more? Two weeks to plan and then have the month to work on your challenge piece?
2. Would you like to a see an art bead category open up for the monthly challenge?
3. Which format seems more appealing to share your monthly entries:
A. An Art Bead Scene Pinterest Board (you would have to have a Pinterest account and join the board.)
B. In a new Facebook Art Bead Scene group and you would upload the images to a dedicated album for each month?
C. What the heck? Don’t change the Flickr entry.
Answer in the comments below to enter this week’s drawing.
Alice
July 11, 2014 at 4:26 pmOhhh what a gorgeous pile of beads!
As for your questions
1. yes I like the idea of a 2 week advance to plan and maybe order beads.
2.If you are talking about making art beads for a challenge, I don't make beads but would love seeing them. I'm always on the lookout for art beads.
3. I like the Flickr entry but would also be fine with pinterest.
Mitzie Crider
July 11, 2014 at 4:31 pm1. YES! 2. It doesn't matter. 3. A or B s good. Thanks for the chance to win.
Maneki
July 11, 2014 at 4:33 pmI've only ever got around to participate in ABS challenges a few times during these last years. (Mainly because I'm a seedbeader and czech bead fan that don't own much in the way of art beads, but also because I tend to forget the deadlines or an inspirational challenge clashes with other things that can't wait — or I'm in a rut where no challenge inspiration helps.) So I'd don't know how much of any use my input will be.
1. Personally, I miss challenge deadlines all the time for reasons that wouldn't change if I got a couple of more weeks on me…
2. I'd love to see art beads created by others for the monthly challenge! For me personally, it might be the incentive for starting to make my own art beads/pendants/components.
3. I'm not on FB, am on Flickr and Pinterest so A or C. (Generally, I think requiring people to sign up for accounts might be a hurdle. Some people don't like certain sites/services, some don't want to create accounts for just one thing, some have trouble learning to navigate a new service etc.)
Erin S
July 11, 2014 at 4:38 pm1. Extra time is always good.
2. Yes, I'd love to see an art bead category! (even if I don't make one, I'd love to see what other people create.)
3. I'd go for the facebook format.
Ellen Stokes
July 11, 2014 at 5:31 pm1. Extra time would be great, to allow more people to see what's goin on.
2. I love the idea of a category for sure!~
3. I prefer facebook as the format!
rouladen
July 11, 2014 at 5:43 pm1. I feel like a month is enough time – extra might dilute some of the urgency and excitement. Though, I can understand people who would appreciate extra time.
2. Adding an art bead category would be wonderful. I'd love to see this addition.
3. I love the idea of a Pinterest board – it allows for a lot more interactivity since Pinterest is automatically linked to a blog post, website, or online shop. I think it could be a great platform for allowing artists to get more publicity than what Flickr is suited for.
Marybeth
July 11, 2014 at 7:43 pmJuicy collection of beads! Two more weeks to plan might be just what it takes for me to finally participate. Making a challenge inspired art bead would be a great option for me, my jewelry design skills are still at beginner level. Please keep the flickr format,I personally find fb and pinterest too complicated to use. Thanks for sponsoring these challenges, it's so interesting to see the variety, quality and beauty they inspire!
Sarajo Wentling
July 11, 2014 at 7:53 pmLove that collection of beads that didn't cut and it was super fun seeing what everyone from the ABS team came up with. Gotta get working on my entry!
Ok, here are my thoughts on your questions:
1) I'm torn on this one but overall, I think a month is enough. I always try my best (though results do vary) to get mine done early anyway…and when life throws you a curve ball and extra week might not be enough to matter.
2) i would love to see people's art beads and I think having a post highlighting those that go with the monthly art would be great, but ultimately, I love seeing what people actually DO with those gorgeous beads so I lean towards leaving it the same.
3) I would say either move to Pinterest for more interactivity or leave it at Flickr. Lean more towards Pinterest for ease of linking, etc. Maybe a board for finished jewelry and one for art beads (with links to shops so we can easily purchase)
Colleen
July 11, 2014 at 8:27 pm1. Yes. Even just getting to see the picture and then the other usual posts not starting until the month actually starts (inspiration finds, color palette, etc).
2. Yes! I don't make art beads, but I would love to see what other people did. I have loved seeing them in challenge pieces.
3. Pinterest or Facebook would be preferable. I'm not on Flickr and don't actually know what that is.
Ditsy Blue
July 11, 2014 at 9:45 pmOoh what a lovely treat seeing what the Art Bead Scene team created for this month's challenge! Here are my thoughts on the questions:
1. Its a tricky one because there are never enough hours in a day/days in a month etc to do everything that needs to be done, but I generally find a month is long enough for me to think, plan, gather supplies and make something!
2. I think an Art Bead category is a great idea!
3. The Flicker for me works fine, however there may be more scope for interacting with each other on something like Facebook…it would be nice to be able to have conversations with other bead and jewellery makers about the monthly challenges.
Shaiha
July 11, 2014 at 11:58 pmI am always looking forward to seeing the new challenge but I tend to pick beads from my stash so it doesn't matter to me if we get a couple extra weeks.
I am on both FB and PI so either would work. My only concern with PI is that a person would have to be invited to pin on each month's board. Wouldn't that make for a lot of extra work for you all? Come of think of it, FB would probably work better for that reason with a different album for each month.
Sajuno
July 12, 2014 at 7:31 amThanks for sharing your new creations relevant to the July challenge.
1. I usually don't make the deadline, so more time is appealing. I try to make my own art beads for the challenge using resin and collage, which is time-consuming. So, yes, more time.
2. Would love a separate art bead only category for the monthly challenge.
3. I find Flikr hard to use for some reason. I love Pininterest, so that would be my prefeence. Facebook would be my 2nd choice.
You all do a great job with this site. I'm continually amazed at the quality of the tutorials and other themed posts. Thanks.
Kathy Lindemer
July 12, 2014 at 11:03 amI would like to have the additional 2 weeks. I love to spend time thinking about what I am going to do. Adding the additional category would be terrific. Moving to Pinterest would appeal to me. It would also increase views.
Terri Del Signore
July 12, 2014 at 3:13 pm1 yes
2 yes
3 pinterest or facebook
Kym Hunter Designs
July 12, 2014 at 4:51 pm1. Yes, an additional 2 weeks would be great.
2. Yes, adding an art bead category would be a welcomed addition for the monthly challenge.
3. I really like Pinterest, so that would be my 1st choice. Facebook would be my 2nd choice.
Cory Tompkins
July 12, 2014 at 5:13 pm1. Yes, any extra time is helpful!
2. YES!!!
3. A Pinterest since it gets more online attention
Thanks for a chance to win Heather's gorgeous starfish bead!!
beadrecipes
July 13, 2014 at 1:19 am1. An extra couple of weeks would be great. Sometimes I find the perfect bead, but I just know it won't get to Australia fast enough!
2. I don't make my own beads, but it would be nice to see other people's creations.
3. I don't mind Flickr but I don't tend to use it much other than for this. Pinterest would be good although it can be a bit of a pain to get everyone added to a board. Facebook works well for me too.
Mischelle
July 13, 2014 at 9:25 am1. I like the time frame as it is.
2. Yes I would.
3. A or B…
thanks bunches.
Melanie McGready
July 13, 2014 at 11:02 am1.I quite like the urgency that has always come with these challenges, however, as I live in the UK, by the time I know what I want to do and placed orders, sometimes components I've ordered from US artists haven't arrived in time to use, so the extra few weeks would be good for that.
2. Yes
3. A or C.
KayzKreationz
July 13, 2014 at 12:31 pmYes, I'd love to have advance notice on what the challenge is.
I don't make art beads, but with the advance notice it would be nice to see what art beads others are using or designing with,
I don't use my flickr much, but pinterest would be great. I use it more.
Leona
July 13, 2014 at 5:03 pmThanks for asking!
I have yet to actually finish a piece for the challenge, so extra time would perhaps help.
I love the Art Bead category (I do make my own, so sometimes that is all I get done for the challenge). I do also like to see what people create because there are so many styles and imaginations out there!
How to share – hmm, I'm most proficient with Facebook and it seems to me many are moving to Pinterest for the photo aspect. As for the "account" part – in order to post to any of those 3, you need an account, so I don't see that as an issue.
I love the challenges even if they just get me thinking or inspired to try something without entering.
Off to look at the contributor challenge blogs now…
Klassy Joolz
July 13, 2014 at 7:31 pm1. Would it help to know the monthly challenge theme 2 weeks in advance so you can plan ahead more? Two weeks to plan and then have the month to work on your challenge piece?
~ YES ~
2. Would you like to a see an art bead category open up for the monthly challenge?
~ SURE ~
3. Which format seems more appealing to share your monthly entries:
~ I'm open ~
Thanks, Pam
Kim
July 14, 2014 at 6:18 pm1. Would it help to know the monthly challenge theme 2 weeks in advance so you can plan ahead more? Two weeks to plan and then have the month to work on your challenge piece?
Oh Yes that would help a LOT.
2. Would you like to a see an art bead category open up for the monthly challenge?
Yes I would.
3. Which format seems more appealing to share your monthly entries: I like the idea of a Facebook group.
Leanne
July 14, 2014 at 11:47 pm1. An extra two weeks to plan is always a plus.
2. An art bead category would be fun! I would love to see what everyone makes.
3. Flicker works, but I really like Pinterest.