More Master Class

Update:  Calm, the original colorway the playground is beaded in, is currently ahead as kit choices are being made.   Botanica is running a close second.  I would not have predicted calm to be ahead, but then I've been working  with it for six months now so my appreciation of it may be slightly off, although it is very soft and 'calming'.

I slot my time into 'focus' segments and April's focus is the Bead and Button Master Class.  I've been preparing for it since September actually, designing and illustrating the components, designing the playground colors, enlisting help with the beading, choosing three additional palettes, but now I start serious preparations.

The first was making components in the new palettes and photographing them so choices can be made. I have to order beads and put together kits, prepare a presentation, and run a 'test' class.  I want to see the interaction during arrangement sessions and make sure it's workable.  The same local gals who helped with the beading will be creating 'arrangements' next week, and I'll be photographing the results.  Every time I play with the components I come up with new ideas so I'm sure we'll have great results.

Below we have Botanica, Rainforest and Storm palettes You may notice that Swarovski Elements are a huge part of the bead selection being offered with two colors of crystals in 3 sizes, and 2 colors of pearls in 2 sizes.  The beautiful 12 mm pearl also enhances the design choices.

There will be two master classes, the first on June 2nd , 3rd and 4th is full, but there is room on the 5th, 6th and 7th.  If you're curious, the June issue of Bead and Button which releases the end of April will have an excellent article written by Stacy Werkheiser.

A small excerpt of the well written article "Every new thread path takes a level of engineering for it to come into being, and if you take that out of the design equation and work with something that's already known, you get to focus more on composition." That is one of the premises of how we will work.  The components, five of them, will be tried and true design components and we'll be arranging them into pleasing necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets, maybe an anklet or two?

These are from the original palette called Calm, and a couple of 'arrangements' I've made.

My desire is that rather then walking away with a huge masterpiece, that one will walk away with 15 different ideas for things they may create.  Not that a masterpiece is out of the question, I expect many will design large beautiful pieces, but there is also room for smaller, more doable pieces.