It's time for a new blog challenge!

This challenge kit includes two steel tins of different sizes.  You only need to decorate or alter one of them using any materials you like.  There will be a maximum of 20 kits available.  The Blog Hop date is May 31, 2012.  Buy the kit.

Challenge Ideas & Inspiration

Not sure what to do with these tins?  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Create a Special Tin for Special Beads
Wouldn't it be nice to have a special spot for those stray extra beads from projects or maybe for a few special art beads?  I thought I had seen a beautiful example on Lori Anderson's Pretty Things blog, but I couldn't find the photo.  I even asked Lori about it, but she couldn't find it either.  (It sure was sweet of her to look!)  I'm fairly certain at this point that I imagined it, but it's still an appealing idea.  (Update: I found it!  Scroll down on this post from 2011 until you see her mention the Lonely Hearts Club orphan tin.  It's the fourth photo and the tin is under some bags of beads.)  Don't your pretty beads deserve a pretty house?

Use a Friend—Real or Imaginary—as Inspiration
If you're drawing a blank, think of a friend, family member, or acquaintance and ask yourself what they might want to store in their tin.  Maybe the barista from Starbucks needs a tin for chocolate-covered espresso beads?  It's fun to use characters from TV, books, and movies, too.  Where is Katniss from The Hunger Games going to store her Mockingjay Pin?  Does Wonder Woman need a place to keep a spare cape?  This challenge opens up possibilities for designing for men, too, unlike most jewelry challenges. 

Experiment with a New Technique
If you've never used resin or polymer clay, maybe this is the project to try it.  These tins are relatively inexpensive compared to some of the nice jewelry bezels available.  (Look at the lid of the smallest tin and tell me that wouldn't make the cutest bezel.)  I'm sometimes so afraid of ruining a piece that it holds me back creatively.  I want you to feel free to make mistakes; that's why I've included two tins.  Be brave and know that you have a spare.  (I'm also keeping a few extras, so if you mess up both your tins and need replacements, let me know.)

Challenge Rules & Tips

• The official blog hop reveal date is May 31, 2012.  You're free to blog about the challenge before that, but don't show off your finished design until the blog hop date.  Part of the fun of the hop is the surprise factor!
  

• You only need to decorate ONE tin. 
  

• You can use anything to decorate your tin.  Yes, even beads!  (You can see the seed bead tin I made in 2007.)
  
  
• You can also turn your tin into something else completely—a home decor item, a toy, jewelry.  It's also fine just to keep it as a tin.

Blog Hop Participants

If you don't hear from me within 24 hours of ordering your kit, please email me.  Feel free to use the images on this blog post for your own blog.

Update 5/5/12: This challenge is full (20 participants).  However, since I apparently can't count, there is still one extra kit available in my Etsy shop.  If you'd like to join us, please do! 

Here's who has signed up to participate in the May 31 Blog Hop:

1. Michelle - Beads & Books - Hostess
   
2. Amy - Amybeads
3. Brenda - B'Sue Boutiques
   
4. Dawn - Morning Glory Beading
5. Debbie
6. Jeannie - Jeannie's Blog
   
7. Kay - Palm Coast Art
8. Kim - CianciBlue
   
9. Mary - MLH Jewelry Designs
10. Mary Shannon - Falling into the Sky
    
11. Michelle - Firefly Visions
12. Molly - Beautifully Broken Me
    
13. Pamela - The Crazy Creative Corner
    
14. Patricia G. - My Life Under the Bus
    
15. Patricia L.
16. Robyn - A Ponderance of Things
17. Shelley - Fabric of My Life
    
18. Terry - Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry
19. Therese - Domestic Goddess Enterprises
    
20. Therese - Therese's Treasures

Newsletter subscribers received early news of this challenge.  Sign up for my free newsletter if you'd like to hear about any future challenges, giveaways, or other fun activities.  I send six to eight newsletters per year.

The Do Over Challenge is the brilliant idea of Jeannie Dukic of Jeannie's Blog.  The idea is that she will send you one of her tired, old pieces of jewelry and you'll remake it into something else, using the majority of the beads.

Every jewelry piece in the challenge is a surprise. I laughed when I pulled out Jeannie's necklace from the package.  Not because the necklace wasn't beautiful (it is), but because I had created a very similar necklace as one of my first beading projects.  When I stated beading, I was fascinated by these illusion-style necklaces that used tiny crimps to hold the beads on the wire so that they appeared to be floating.  So this "do over" project felt a little bit like traveling back in time.

The necklace includes Swarovski crystal pearls, clear Swarovski crystal bicones, silver filigree bead caps, and a simple lobster clasp.

Before

After

I made a simple bracelet with all the pearls.  I used all the crystals (and a few gray seed beads) to form two beaded rings, which I strung.  I also did a little seed bead embellishment with rose and gray seed beads on two of the silver filigree bead caps.  I still have some bead caps left over for a future project—and the short strands of silvery beading wire. I have no idea what I'll do with that wire, but I couldn't throw it away. (Can we say "beading packrat"?)  Blog Hop Participants

My Next Blog Challenge

This weekend I'm working on my next blog challenge—something fun and a bit different!  Here's a hint on the theme:  It's not a jewelry challenge (but it could be).  It doesn't use beads (but it could).  It does, however, involve something that every beader I know thinks about a lot.  Curious yet?  Newsletter subscribers will hear about the challenge first, so if you think you want to participate, you should sign up for my free newsletter.  If everything goes as planned, the newsletter will go out sometime mid-to-late next week. Challenge will be limited to 15-20 folks.

In the meantime, enjoy this week's links, including a wonderful review of a book I thoroughly enjoyed editing, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry:

• Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
  Jean reviews the new book by Lorelei Eurto and Erin Siegel: Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry--it is marvelous!
  
  
• A Bead A Day
  Have ring blanks, will hot glue! Lisa's looking for ideas on what to hot glue onto these simple ring blanks.
  
  
• About.com Jewelry Making
  Love fabric and beads? Then bead embroidery might be your cup of jewelry tea.
  
  
• Beading Arts
  The fabulous Leslie Rogalski shares her thoughts about her creative process with us! You don't want to miss this!
  
  
• Beads & Books
  Michelle shares ideas on how to find craft shows for selling your work.
  
  
• Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
  Gaea shares some small beady indulgences she is dreaming of to distract herself from tax season.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas!

This week I'm working on an application to a local winter holiday craft show.  I want to try selling some handmade ornaments, in addition to jewelry, so guess what?  Yep, during this beautiful, sunny week, I'm inside making Christmas ornaments! (Note: The photo is an ornament from my personal collection, not one that I made.)

Have you started thinking about holiday craft shows?  Last year, it never occurred to me until late summer and by then, there weren't many options.  Holiday shows can fill up to a year in advance.  I don't want that to happen to you, so I thought I'd share a few resources.

How Do You Find Craft Shows?

Here are a few places I've looked:

• Etsy:  If you're on Etsy, joining a local team for your area can be the quickest way to learn about craft shows in your area.  Some teams even host their own craft shows.  (You might also check out the Etsy Team Craft Fairs . . . It's a Living! if you want some general advice on selling at craft shows.)
  
  
• Online directories: I've found these of limited use.  Indie Craft Show Directory lists shows by date, but doesn't seem to have many listed. Festival Network Online and My Fairs and Festivals both require you to join in order to see the contact information.  However, once you have the craft show name, you may be able to find more information on your own with a little work.
  
  
• Blogs:  I use Google blog search to see in any local bloggers are talking about craft shows.  Blogs can be very helpful since the blogger sometimes will give a follow-up report on whether or not the show was worthwhile.  (Be warned, those in Colorado, that you'll also pull up a lot of blogs about craft beer in addition to craft shows!)
  
  
• Websites:  I found that I could limit the blog search to websites focused on craft shows.  This pulled up lots of large craft show such as the Renegade Craft Fair.
  
  
• Talk to people:  This may seem silly (or obvious), but let everyone know that you're looking for a place to sell your work.  One of the shows on my list this year came from a non-crafty former co-worker who casually said, "Of course, you must sell your jewelry at the XYZ show." I had to admit that I'd never heard of that show even though I'd lived in the area for years.
  
  
• Newspapers: Look in the "Events" section for upcoming or current craft shows.  This could be your town's official paper or one of the "free" entertainment papers that some towns have.  Yes, you'll likely be too late to apply (although maybe the hosts would let you fill in for a cancellation), but you can add the shows to your list for next year.
  
  
• Other sites:  Polka Dots and Rosebuds has a short list of recommended places to look, including craigslist.

What are your tips for finding craft shows?

Who doesn't want more time?

I do, but I confess I'm suspicious of those who claim to hold the simple secret to having more time.  I've read more than one book that proclaims in a perky voice that it's easy to get control of your time:  Wake up earlier! (Who needs more than four hours of sleep anyway?) Delegate tasks to your spouse and children!  (They'll be thrilled to help!)  Use elaborate color-coded spreadsheets for your to-do list!  (Microsoft Excel is fun!)

So, naturally, when I was asked to review the new book Creative Time, I was intrigued, but skeptical.

An Overview

Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim  Your Life by Marney K. Makridakis takes a left-brain/right-brain approach to the problem of time, mixing scientific facts, creative exercises, and real life experiences of artists and others. 

I liked the basic premise of the book:  we don't need more time; we need to think about time differently. Can we reorganize our time so that we spend more time on the tasks we love?  Can we change our perception of time so that we appreciate it, rather than rushing from one task to the next?  Is there some small change we can make that will ease our transitions into different activities?  Each chapter focuses on a different way to see and understand time: flow, gratitude, love, ritual, stillness, metaphor, new measures, synchronicity, visualization, and permission.

What I Liked Best

• The author truly understands that we feel overloaded—and she proves it.  In one exercise, she suggests you write down a time amount for each item on your to-do list.  That was an eye-opener for me.  You cannot do thirty hours of work in twenty-four. 
  
  
• Lots of practical exercises and tips.  While I enjoyed looking at the artistic results of the creative assignments ("ARTsignments"), I found the other tips more immediately helpful.  For example, to experience the feeling of slowing down time, don't multitask.  Instead, turn off the phone, email, and Internet and focus on one thing.  It's lot harder than you might think!
  
  
• The quotes, stories, and artwork from the 80 contributors.  I always appreciate books that draw from a wide variety of experiences.  

Bottom Line

Despite its cheerful cover, Creating Time is not a light, easy read.  In truth, it felt a little overwhelming to me, since it's packed with so many suggestions, tips, anecdotes, quotations, and ideas.  If you're serious about changing the way time works in your life, you could easily spend a week or more absorbing all the information in a single chapter. 

To see if this might be a good book for you, read an excerpt from the chapter on flow titled "Time Sighs When You're Having Fun."  Flow refers to those amazing days when you head to studio, get absorbed in a creative project, and when you look at the clock, you're shocked that hours, not minutes, have passed.

Bonus Offer for Blog Readers

You can order Creating Time from any online bookseller any time this week and get an awe-inspiring bundle of time-expanding bonuses from ArtellaLand.com, and if you order Today (April 17) only, you’ll also get over $125 worth of Artella merchandise. Go here to order and get your goodies!

Standard Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  I received no compensation for my review.  All opinions expressed in this blog are my own.