Genevieve's Creations

Newsletter Special Edition: The Future of the Crafters' Internet

2009-02-23T09:37:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, about eight years ago I wrote a book called Crafters' Internet Handbook: Research, Connect, and Sell your Crafts Online. The intent of the book was to cover all the things that artists and crafters can do on the Internet to support their craft. I also have a companion web site for the book, the Crafters' Internet.

I have been toying with the idea of writing a second edition of the book, but things are changing so quickly on the Internet that it would likely become out of date even faster than the first edition did.

I came up with an alternate plan: the Crafters' Internet blog. It occurred to me that having a blog would mean I could talk about cool Internet stuff for crafters as it happens, without the limitations of a book. It seems like the ideal vehicle for this kind of information.

What do you think? Would you read a blog on this topic? Do you have any suggestions? I look forward to hearing from you.

Newsletter #71

2009-01-18T19:42:00.001-05:00

Donna Dewberry's New TV show

Donna has a new show called Create with Donna Dewberry on WHDO, a local Orlando channel. The station streams live on the Internet, so you can watch the show on the WHDO web site. The show is currently scheduled at 7am, 4pm, and 10pm Eastern.

Creativity Corner: Art Apprentice Online

Art Apprentice Online is an online interactive art educational resource created by five artists: Sue Pruett MDA, Susan Abdella MDA, Donna Richards, Gaby Hunter, and Neadeen Masters CDA.

Artist of the Month: Joan Dixon

Joan Dixon is a very busy artist and teacher. She has a full travel teaching schedule, teaches in her own studio, and published her work in books, pattern packets, and magazine articles. Her passion for cottage scenes is evident when you look at her creations.

Beading Corner: Glenda Payseno

Glenda Payseno is a prolific designer of beading patterns. Many of her patterns are available in her discussion group, BeadChat, which has over 2,800 members. She also has patterns and books for sale in her Lulu bookstore.

On YouTube: Painting Roses

Here are two videos where you can watch Brazilian artist Maneco Araújo painting beautiful roses.

Crafters' Internet: eMagazines and Newsletters

In the last newsletter, I gave you a page of link to magazines. Of course, since this is the Internet, there are more and more electronic magazines and newsletter available.

(Please let me know if you have links to contribute, or if you find any broken links.)

Ottawa Beading Retreat

2008-12-18T19:59:00.003-05:00

The Ottawa Beading Retreat was great. In addition to teaching a bead embroidery class, I took several classes and enjoyed them all. Here are some of the results.

This necklace is from the Dare to be Knotty class with Roxann Blazetich-Ozols, where I learned how to do a Chinese button knot, among other knotty goodness.

This is from the Dreamcatcher Earrings class with Janus Wilson.

This necklace was fun and easy to do in the Pinch & Twist class with Diane Reda.

When I took this Wire-Wrapped Cabochon class with Wendy Hunt, I had never done any wire-wrapping before. I love how this turned out.

This Wire Crochet around a cabochon with Roxann Blazetich-Ozols was challenging, but it turned out pretty good.

Creativ Festival

2008-12-18T19:22:00.005-05:00

In October, I attended the Creativ Festival in Toronto. In addition to meeting the fine folks from Shades of Clay at the trade show, I took two very cool polymer clay workshops.

The first was with Lisa Pavelka; I learned her amazing faux dichroic technique and made this bracelet.

Then I took another polymer clay workshop with Donna Kato. (I haven't had a chance to finish the project.) Here is a photo of Donna doing a demo for the class:

and this is me chatting with Donna while she autographed a copy of her book for me.

Newsletter #70

2008-12-18T17:43:00.002-05:00

Ottawa Beading Retreat

The beading retreat earlier this month was wonderful. I taught one class, and took six classes. I'll be posting pictures of my finished projects here on the blog shortly.

Creativity Corner: Ann Kullberg's Theme Show

Coloured pencil artist Ann Kullberg's latest art show for subscribers to her online magazine - the theme was Seasons. As always, the entries are spectacular.

Artist of the Month: Donna S. Slade

Donna Slade is a prolific artist who works in several different media: colored pencil, pastel, acrylic, and pen & ink.

Beading Corner: Sandra Halpenny

Ottawa bead artist Sandra Halpenny is well known for her lacy necklaces, beaded snowflakes, and beaded ornaments.

On YouTube: Watercolour Pencils

Artist Bob Davies recorded several videos on the basics of using watercolour pencilc. Here is the first of these videos:

More Bob Davies videos on YouTube.

Crafters' Internet: Magazines

Here is a collection of links to around 100 arts & crafts magazines.

(Please let me know if you have links to contribute, or if you find any broken links.)

Newsletter #69

2008-09-17T20:23:00.005-04:00

Upcoming Event: Ottawa Beading Retreat

Following the Friendship Bead Retreat in Montréal, my friend Sharron Weinberger has decided to organize a retreat in Ottawa. The Ottawa Beading Retreat will take place on December 5-7, 2008.

There are several classes scheduled, including a bead embroidery class with yours truly.

Creativity Corner: Web Sites for Artists

On the Artist's Magazine web site, I came across this list of 73 Best Websites for Artists. You can download the whole list in PDF format with clickable links.

Artist of the Month: Gretchen Evans Parker

This month, I introduce you to Gretchen Evans Parker, who paints in watercolours, and in coloured pencil. Her floral paintings are breathtaking.

Beading Corner: Barbara Natoli Witt

Jewelry artist Barbara Natoli Witt creates elaborate necklaces that combine beads with micro-macrame.

On YouTube: Gary Garrett

This is "Wild Flowers and Bee", a time-lapse painting demonstration. Remember that YouTube is not just a video repository, but it's also a two-way conversation. If you check the comments on Gary Garrett's videos, you'll see that he answers viewers' questions.

Crafters' Internet: Color Theory

Here is a collection of links that are related to colour theory and colour schemes.

(Please let me know if you have links to contribute, or if you find any broken links.)

Newsletter #68

2008-07-27T18:37:00.003-04:00

Friendship Beading Retreat

Last weekend, I attended the Friendship Beading Retreat in Montréal. You can read my blog entries for day 1, day 2, and day 3.

Donna Dewberry on The Shopping Channel

Donna will be on The Shopping Channel in Canada on Monday, July 28th, at 12pm, 5pm, and 11pm, all Eastern time. You can watch online on The Shopping Channel web site.

Artist of the Month: Coloured Pencil Artists

Once again, coloured pencil artist Ann Kullberg brings us her annual competition which is open to all subscribers to her monthly newsletter. Check out the gallery to see the remarkable submissions.

Creativity Corner

A few months ago, Scientific American had an interesting article titled How to Unleash Your Creativity, featuring a discussion with John Houtz, author of The Educational Psychology of Creativity, Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, and Robert Epstein, author of The Big Book of Creativity Games.

Beading Corner: Katie Hacker

If you watch the television show Beads, Baubles and Jewels, you know Katie Hacker from her beading lessons. Katie is also the author of several beading books including Hip to Bead. Check out her web site, and her blog.

Crafters' Internet: Museums

On the Crafters' Internet web site, I have a nice collection of links to museums. Set aside some time to visit these great museums around the world.

(Please let me know if you have links to contribute, or if you find any broken links.)

Friendship Beading Retreat Day 3

2008-07-21T18:42:00.006-04:00

On the third day, I took an introductory class in silver Art Clay, and made this silver pendant.

Here I am with Marla Novy, organizer of the Friendship Beading Retreat.

And this is me with Barb, Miriam, and Pavlova, the wonderful ladies of McBead Creations.

Friendship Beading Retreat Day 2

2008-07-21T18:35:00.005-04:00

This is a picture of my first class at the retreat, a crocheted bracelet with Diane Reda.

Here is the bracelet I made in the class.

Friendship Beading Retreat Day 1

2008-07-18T18:23:00.007-04:00

This is the first day of the Friendship Beading Retreat in Montréal. Everyone has been busy either taking classes, working on their own beading projects, or shopping.

This is my display of my contribution to the Bead Journal Project. I'm hoping to teach a bead embroidery class at the bead retreat next year.

Newsletter #67

2008-06-28T20:06:00.003-04:00

Bead Journal Project

In the continuing saga of my participation in Robin Atkins' Bead Journal Project, I decided that it would be nice to have a keepsake in the form of a photo book. I went to My Publisher and created a hard-cover book with some introductory material about my mother and her sketches, and photos of all the pieces.

You can see an online preview of the book.

I was very pleased with the quality of the book when I received it. In fact, other members of the BJP are making their own books.

Artist of the Month: Willow Wolfe

Willow Wolfe is an artist known for her vivid florals and lifelike animals. Willow shares her talent through workshops, convention classes, pattern packets, and magazine articles.

Creativity Corner

Colorbay.com is a web site where you can learn many of the fundamental skills that art part of being an artist: color theory, perspective, composition, and more.

My favourite part of the site is the colour sheets. It consists of a large collection of colour schemes, in categories like Calm and Restful, Elegant and Graceful, and Fresh and Vital.

Colour schemes like this can be applied to any art or craft project.

Beading Corner: Margie Deeb

Margie Deeb writes about colour for beaders. In this video from the TV show Bead, Baubles & Jewels, Margie talks about using photographs to get colour schemes. This can be applied to any art form, not just beading.

Crafters' Internet: Coloured Pencil Artists

I love painting with coloured pencils. On the Crafters' Internet, I have a good collection of links to coloured pencil artists. (Please let me know if you find any broken links.)

I've been tagged!

2008-06-08T17:19:00.002-04:00

I've been tagged! And this is my first meme ... Here are the rules:

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

I'm also being a copycat and have created a tag to add visual interest. This is a digital tag, created with graphics from Peppermint Creative.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Wow! Ten years ago, lemme think... This was before I embarked on my current artistic endeavours like painting and beading. I was just learning how to create web sites, and I was beginning to write my second book, Crafters' Internet Handbook.

2. What are five things on my to do list?

a. Paint some of those nice wooden pins I got from Janet at Coyote Woodworks and
b. open my Etsy shop.
c. Update my web sites.
d. Turn on my alarm clock because this is the last day of my vacation.
e. Work on projects to submit to magazines.

3. Snacks I enjoy.

Chocolate, soy nuts, apples (Crispin or Pink Ladies), ice cream, peaches.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire.

The best thing would be to not have to spend any time worrying about money. It would be great to provide education for the grandkids, and help out some of my favourite non-profit organizations. For myself, I would love to go to bead shows and decorative painting conventions and take all the classes.

5. Places I have lived:

I've seen some long lists from some of the people who answered this question; my list is very short. (1) Montréal, Québec, and (2) Ottawa, Ontario.

6. Peeps I want to know more about:

Marilyn
Miss Mint
Teresa Mallen
Denise
Bob Pennycook

Bead Journal Project - Year 2

2008-06-04T19:24:00.003-04:00

For those of you who are interested in the Bead Journal project, the web site contains some of the first year members' work.

If you are interested in participating, you can check out the 2008 Registration Information; the year-long project begins in September 2008, and the deadline for registration is August 15th.

Creativity article

2008-06-04T16:22:00.003-04:00

Scientific American has an interesting article on How to Unleash Your Creativity, a discussion on creativity with John Houtz ("The Educational Psychology of Creativity"), Julia Cameron ("The Artist's Way"), and Robert Epstein ("The Big Book of Creativity Games").

FMG Contest

2008-05-21T12:35:00.004-04:00

How cool is this?... I received a certificate from Fire Mountain Gems for being a finalist in their jewelry contest last year. This is the piece I submitted. It's made up of hand-painted wooden beads and a copper-colored cord.

Aqua Copper Fantasy
Originally uploaded by Amaryllis Creations

Newsletter #66

2008-05-19T19:11:00.004-04:00

For the past few years, I have sent out a monthly newsletter containing a variety if items of interest to artists and crafters. With this issue, I begin to publish this newsletter as a blog post.

Donna Dewberry on The Shopping Channel

Donna Dewberry will be on The Shopping Channel on Tuesday, May 27, at 8am, 12 noon, 4pm and 8pm (Eastern time). You can see the shows online on the Shopping Channel web site.

Bead Journal Project

Some of you have followed along my journey on Robin Atkins' Bead Journal Project. The project now has its own web site. If you click "2007 BJP" you can see some of the contributions to the project, including my own page.

Artists of the Month

With this first blog newsletter, I want to recap some of the people I have features as artists of the month. You can catch up on their latest work.

Cristina Acosta
Leonid Afremov
Anne Armitage
Allison Fagan
Jan Falcone
Janelle Johnson
Ann Kullberg
Gayle Laible
Nita Leland
Maureen McNaughton
Tracy Moreau
Claudia Nice
Connie Parkinson
Sandra Paul
Bob Pennycook
Lena Pfeffer
Patricia Rawlinson
Heather Redick
Moe Shier
Ros Singleton
Kathy Sweeney
Kristeen Verge

Crafters' Internet: Creativity

There are many web sites that offer creativity resources. You can find links to some of them here. Please let me know if you find any broken links on that page or any other page on the Crafters' Internet web site.

May page for BJP

2008-04-30T19:48:00.005-04:00

Wow, the last page...

And the sketch it's based on:

April page for BJP

2008-04-30T19:42:00.002-04:00

Here is my April page:

And the sketch it's based on:

March page for BJP

2008-04-30T19:37:00.005-04:00

Only three pages left. Here is the March page:

And the sketch it's based on:

February page for BJP

2008-02-10T17:59:00.001-05:00

Here's my February page:

And the sketch that inspired it.

January page for BJP

2008-02-10T17:55:00.001-05:00

I thought this cat was just great and didn't need a lot of additional detail from me, except for a moon to stare at.

Here is the sketch that inspired it.

December page for BJP

2008-01-20T18:10:00.000-05:00

Here is my December page. I found these great buttons in my stash to use for the eyes.

And here is the sketch that inspired it.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-25T14:03:00.000-05:00

November page for BJP

2007-12-09T18:08:00.000-05:00

I chose a monochrome design for my November page for the Bead Journal Project:

and here is the sketch that inspired it:

Creativ Festival

2007-11-25T19:26:00.000-05:00

When I attended the Creativ Festival in Toronto, I took two great workshop. The first was Bead Embroidery with Kenneth D. King, author of the book "Designer Bead Embroidery: 150 Patterns and Complete Techniques"

and the second was on right-angle weave with William Hodge.