My love affair with Art Bead Scene pt 1

Ooooohhhhh! Look! Another interview with me. This time on Art Bead Scene! I'm excited to say the least. Very honoured indeed. Thank you sooooo much Erin!

Art Bead Scene Blog: Meet the Designer :: Malin de Koning

Art Bead Scene has been an inspirational place for me ever since I first discovered them in early 2010. A leading star! I don't remember how I even came across them. Probably from searching for and about HumbleBeads or Heather Powers who I'd discovered on Etsy about a year earlier. I think it was one of the first times I was actually on Etsy, in late 2008, that I came across one of her Dandelion Beads, in a turquoise color she hasn't done for a while now.

At the time I had no idea of the concept of Art Beads, or of Bead Artists. I was looking for bargin deals and as cheap as possible beads, findings and components. Oh yes, I had not yet figured out some very important things about jewelry making. But I fell helplessly in love with these. I'd never seen anything like it. I mean just look at the picture. So I attempted to make a purchase. My first one ever on Etsy. Imagine that, me who wanted to pay no more than 10p per bead, was suddenly prepared to pay 8 dollars! Don't know why, but something screwed up so it didn't go through. I guess I didn't understand totally how to go about it, being a beginner and all. Then it must have sold to someone else very shortly after, coz I remember keeping coming back to Heathers shop ever so often to look if she put some new ones out for sale. And no, I didn't know of custom orders either yet. Otherwise I would of course have contacted Heather, but ...

Then in the summer of 2009 I went into a magazine shop here in Stockholm. I found a whole section of magazines on beading and jewelry. Bought a bunch. One of them was Beads 2009. And there I saw Heathers Turqoise bird. Ooooohhhhhhh! Instant love again! Same artist! Went to her Etsy shop to buy the bird instead. None there. :-( I kept coming back, but no luck. Then somehow I found out BelloModo was also selling Heathers beads. Voila! I made my purchase from them. And early 2010 or if it was late 2009 I had bough my first Art Bead.

That's what I thought anyway. But actually I had bought some other ones before, without even knowing they were art beads. By Maureen Thomas Designs, in May '09. At the time I had gotten a larger sum of sort of backtracked money, and I went a bit crazy with my bead shopping for a period. Building up quite a bit of my stash. But mostly still looking for cheap deals ... (if I'd only known then what I know now, but I gues you can only live and learn). These ones I couldn't resist though. I still have the necklace I made from them in my drawer. I never wear it, and I don't want to sell it either, so maybe it's time to take it apart and reuse the goodie goodie goodies. YUM!

Anyway, back to Art Bead Scene. In early 2010 I first came across the blog. And their challanges. Oh, there were beads one could win. Oh, there was a possibility to be featured. Oh, Heather Powers was one of the contributors. Oh, and Lorelei Eurto too (I will come back to her later). Oh, I really like what people are doing for the challenges. Oh, there is something called flickr too. Discoveries discoveries discoveries! Art Beads!?! What is that? Artisans!?! Learning, exploring, incorporating, expanding. A whole new universe had opened for me. Inspiration! WOW!

WOW!

So I dared! In March '10 I submitted my first piece to an Art Bead Scene Challenge. I was sooooo nervous. I had to open a flickr account. I had to add to the group. Name the piece and tag it correctly to be accepted. I even named the piece "Take A Chance" after a Magic Numbers song. And I wasn't refused! Happy happy happy!

So with my newly achieved confidence, I submitted a new piece again the next month. This was fuuuuuun! It is so great to interact with others. To get feedback, and to give feedback. But guess what happened?! Lorelei picked my piece for Designer of the Week! I was astounded! That was kind of never on my agenda to happen.

She said:

"That curved focal is what draws my eye into this piece, as well as the curved

lines in the Klee painting. I love the bright and happy colors Malin uses to emulate the painting. Bead placement is so great, and draws your eye around and around, so many interesting things to look at here!

Always a fan of mixed media, Malin throws in some soft silk too, and that

addition makes this divine!!"

(Or check here for the featured article on ABS).

So now I was definitely hooked. I had started my own blog in the beginning of 2010, and more people started to visit it regularly. I was in flow sort of. Art Beads, Art Beads and mooooore Art Beads! I just couldn't get enough. I still can't to be honest. Oh, how they make jewelry making fun and exciting. I am collaborating with people from all over the world when I make my pieces. I LOOOOOOOOOVE IT!

Now, I have so much more to tell you about how I feel about Art Bead Scene, Heather Powers, Lorelei Eurto and more things related. I think I will have to make that into a part two of this story.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Don't miss out on reading the interview with me on Art Bead Scene.

And here's a link to another interview with me on A Jewelry Accord.

Please come back soon!