Beaded Inspirations

Retirement

2011-02-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

As some of you may have heard by now...either by a birdie or by my absence at the Sewing Show, I have, with a lot of heartache, decided to retire from teaching.

For 15 years, I have designed bead and wire projects, manufactured them myself into kits and sold them at trade shows, on the internet and at various retail outlets throughout Canada and the US. I have also taught at trade shows, bead stores, schools, cub scouts, birthday parties and even at museums.

During those 15 years I have encountered many of life's challenges but I always made sure my committment to my business was never compromised. At one point, during an 8 month period my father and two of his sisters died from a heart condition that I was also (during that 8 month period) diagnosed with. Within a day of finding out that not only did I have this hereditary disease, but that it was quite far along, I was seeing specialists all over BC and surgery dates were quickly being arranged. However, the surgery dates were a week before I was to teach classes at the Sewing Show and my classes were already oversold with eager students. Much to my family's objections, I had my surgery date reset till a week after the show. I made that decision knowing that two of my aunts had already died and my father was in the hospital awaiting a heart transplant.

I taught at the show, had my two surgeries and two days after that, my father died (at the young age of 64) before he could receive his new heart. A few months later, I was advised that the defibrilator they permanently implanted into my heart was faulty. What could I do, I trugged on with life, went back to work, kept raising a very active 3 year old angel and a very scared sensitive 14 year old, kept being supportive to my husband who did a lot of travelling for his work. I kept being a Creative Advisor for a new international magazine, I continued to help organize a fabulous local bead show, I kept designing and selling my kits and kept trying to come up with new classes and the million and one class samples, that I'm known to always have in my classes. Because that is what I had to do and that's what I loved to do.

But I knew something had to give so I gave up designing and selling my kits and having a booth at trade shows.

The next year, while I continued to teach at trade shows, I would always hear students say they wish I would have my booth again. This always made me sad and I would often think about restarting that part of my business....and I really, really believe that's why I was smacked up the side of the head with being sick again.

About a year after my heart surgery, I got a simple cold but that damm cold just wouldn't go away. I coughed non-stop, couldn't sleep, was weak, dizzy, so achey and each week the doctors came up with a different diagnosis - cold, bronchitis, infection, pneumonia and each week they gave me different medications but for six months I was barely able to function. I was late on supplying descriptions of my classes and making samples, I was missing deadlines, my work was not up to my expectations and everything I was doing was taking so long. My body was so sick and I was so incredibly dissapointed in myself. Finally, after a few days of intense pain in my chest and thinking I had done something to my heart, I drove myself to emergency where three days later I was told I had a severe pneumonia in both my lungs and once again, the doctors were amazed I was still alive.

Despite that, three weeks after getting out of the hospital, I was teaching a class at a trade show because it was a commitment I had made well in advance of getting sick. And for the first time in 13 years, I had a terrible class and I still cringe when I think of how disorganized I was, how scattered my teaching was and how my jokes and stories sucked so bad.

Due to the stress and emotion of that past year (wherein my husband also lost his job of 16 years when the company went bankrupt) and the worry of almost losing me twice in one year, my family was falling apart and going into their own separate shells.

So I decided it was time to again give up a few more things, take a step back on a few other things and put aside my anger, my resentment, my pain, my hurt and most importantly, my self pity. I have an amazing husband, a bright beautiful daughter and an incredible son and more than anybody, they don't deserve to be dissapointed.

It still took awhile after my second smack up the side of the head, but I have taken the last step and advised all the trade shows, museums, etc, that I am retiring from teaching. Now I am letting all my students know that I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching you, I have made many, many friends, have laughed so much and been so inspired by you all !! Thank you.

That being said, I get giggly when I say "nothing" when asked what I'm doing on the weekend. I feel alive when I wake up in the morning and decide the family is going to skip out on school and work and we are going on a road trip down the Oregon Coast with Grandma (which was the best trip ever !!). I am thrilled at the stunning creations I am making for myself. I'm excited to take Cassidy to afternoon animated movies (Tangled is really, really funny). I'm truly enjoying watching horror\zombie movies (the older the better) with Dustin till the wee hours of the morning. And I love having the time to just lay in bed with my husband, talking about our day (good and bad) and how beautiful our two children are (even when they drive us incredibly insane).

And it only took two smacks up the side of the head and 43 years to realize that !!!

Viva Las Vegas

2010-11-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

My husband surprised me again by taking me to Las Vegas !!! Not only does my handsome man buy me tools for Valentines, help make my kits for my classes, do laundry and dishes, but he also takes me away on romantic holidays !! We've been twice before but this time we packed our days with adventures we hadn't tried before. We saw two big-time shows, rode up above Vegas in the evening on an air balloon, rented a convertible and drove the 11 hours round trip to see the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon (which was on my husband's "bucket list") and I even had my picture taken with Elmo - much to Cassidy's amazement !! What a nice refresher before the Christmas chaos begins !! P.S. That Statue of Liberty is made completely of jelly bellies !!!!

2010-09-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

1900 kilometers, 4 days, 3 hotels, 2 states and 1 near death experience by a moose.....the dang best holiday I've had in a long time because we had no plans, no reservations and no real desitnation. My husband of 20 years and I got up one morning and decided to load our 5 year old daughter, 17 year old son and my mother into my new Murano and drive until we got tired. We saw incredible scenery, we laughed often and we enjoyed the simplicity of each other's company !!

New Classes !!!

2010-09-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

Check out my latest classes at: http://fraservalleybeadshow.ca/
I will be teaching three classes this year - all new to the Fall Fraser Valley Bead Show. If you have any questions about the classes, tool lists, content, etc. please contact me and I would be more than happy to help you.
I can be reached at lise@beadedinspirations.com
See you soon......

Favorite Websites

2010-04-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

In my classes i'm constantly being asked what my favorite tools are and where do I get them. Here is a list of the stores, websites and shows that I frequent the most:
Capilano Rock & Gem - North Vancouver, BC
Western Rock & Mineral - Cloverdale, BC
Mountain Gems - Coquitlam, BC
KMS Tools
Princess Auto
www.beaducation.com
www.jewelrylessons.com
www.etsy.com/category/jewelry (for infinite inspiration)
www.ottofrei.com
www.pugetsoundbeadfestival.com
fraservalleybeadshow.ca

Make sure to let me know any great deals you find and especially any fabulous new tools that I just HAVE to have.

Update on classes

2010-04-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Here is my next class:

Soldered Pendant
Sunday, April 25, 2010
1:30 - 4:30 p.m. - $50.00
Langley Museum, Fort Langley, BC

Learn how easy it is to solder while creating this stunning pendant using a butane micro torch to solder joints and connect components. Experiment with various finishing techniques to see which one works best for you. Once you've learned to solder, the sky is the limit in your jewelry designs!

To register, phone the Langley Museum at 604-888-3922 http://www.langleymuseum.org/whats_on.asp

If March doesn't kill me it sure will make me stronger....

2010-01-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick update on my schedule for the next couple of months:

February 11 & 18, 2010
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Surrey Art Museum
Falling Flowers Necklace

March 6, 2010
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Langley Art Museum
Hammered and Framed Bracelet

March 12 & 13, 2010
Sewing and Crafts Show
Victoria BC
http://www.sewingandcraftsshow.com/
9:15 am - 11:30 am Beaded Flowers & Bugs
11:45 am - 2:00 pm Falling Flowers Necklace
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm Hammered & Framed Bracelet

March 14, 2010
Spring Fraser Valley Bead Show
Coquitlam, BC
http://fraservalleybeadshow.ca/
9:30 am - 12:30 pm Soldered Circle Cuff
SOLD OUT...ALREADY !!
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm Riveting Bangles
HURRY UP BEFORE THIS ONE DOES TOO

April 16 & 17, 2010
Sewing and Crafts Show
Victoria BC
http://www.sewingandcraftsshow.com/
9:15 am - 11:30 am Beaded Flowers & Bugs
11:45 am - 2:00 pm Falling Flowers Necklace
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm Hammered & Framed Bracelet

Go to my flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/liseflymandesigns/) to see photos of some of the above mentioned classes. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos on there for my flowers and bug class, my soldered circle cuff or the riveting bangles classes, but I should have pictures of those 3 classes up on the flickr site soon.

Don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions regarding the classes !

Fraser Valley Bead Show

2009-10-13T18:32:00.001-07:00

Well, another year has passed and the bead show has come and gone. Thankfully, I didn't quite spend as much as I usually do....maybe the fact that I taught the entire time helped !!

I truly enjoyed my classes and each and every one of my students. I saw so many familiar faces and met some wonderful new ones.

Students are usually grateful to a teacher for sharing their skills and knowledge and teaching them something new but I have always felt that I am the lucky one for being able to spend my time with such fun, caring and talented people. I wish I could teach every week.

So please, take me up on my offer to come join me in my home studio for some sharing of talent and check in often to see what workshops I'll be offering. If there is something in particular you would like to learn or if you just want to get together with some girlfriends and make jewellery, let me know and I can definately put something together.

Thank you!!

Updated Class Schedule

2009-09-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here is my schedule for the next few months:

October 10, 2009, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Metal Etching Mania - SOLD OUT
Fraser Valley Bead Show, Langley BC
(http://www.fraservalleybeadshow.ca/)
See how easy, fun and addicting it is to etch on metal.

October 11, 2009, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Soldered Pendant - SOLD OUT
Fraser Valley Bead Show, Langley BC
(http://www.fraservalleybeadshow.ca/)
Learn basic soldering skills while making a beautiful pendant.

October 11, 2009, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Metal Etching Mania - NEW 2nd time - SOLD OUT
Fraser Valley Bead Show, Langley BC
(http://www.fraservalleybeadshow.ca/)
A second date and time has been added to accomodate everybody since the first class sold out well in advance of the show.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT PICTURES OF CLASS SAMPLES FOR EACH OF THE CLASSES AT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/liseflymandesigns/

Go to the smaller pictures that go down the right side of the photo page and you will see each class listed there. Click onto that photo and you will see all the pictures of the class you will be taking.

New Sites

2009-08-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finally figured it out and hopefully its not too confusing for anybody....because it was for me for a LONG time !! Instead of maintaining one website, I have decided to have several so that I have more work to do to maintain three instead of one (LOL) !!! Silly me but here goes:

1. This blog will be mainly to update students of my class schedule.

2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/liseflymandesigns/
Has been set up so you will be able to see pictures of class samples. You will also be able to view any jewellery that I have made and decided to keep in my personal stash. Make sure to go to the right where the "sets" are as its much less confusing then looking through all the photos on the main page since they are only date organized.

3. http://liseflymandesigns.etsy.com
Has been set up as my actual marketplace. You can see exactly what I have for sale, how much it costs, what materials are used, sizes and you can make all your purchases through this site.

Not too confusing at all !! I hope you enjoy all the hard work I have put into the sites and all the new jewelery I have been creating !!

Fraser Valley Bead Show

2009-07-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Finally, Barrie and I managed to get all our information together and come up with a schedule for the new (and a few old) classes that will be presented at the Fraser Valley Bead Show in Langley on October 10 & 11, 2009. The old classes are here again since they were such a big hit last year and sold out quickly. Then there's the new and exciting ones being presented by some familiar teachers and MOI, of course. This year I thought I would present 4 classes (2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday), so that I wouldn't have any time to shop at the show (NOT) !!!! Actually, I think every night after I fell asleep my husband stood beside me whispering for hours into my ears that I really, really wanted to teach that many classes....I think they call that brainwashing or suggestive thinking but whatever he did, it worked !! He's a smart man...he's caught on that when I teach at a show (especially a bead show) I never seem to come home with money !!

I'm extremely excited about all my classes but more so about my metal etching class. This is a technique that I learned a little while ago and now I can't seem to get enough of it. By the time I actually teach the class, I will have so many samples that there won't be enough time to show them all. Don't worry, I'll post photos as I go but right now the only decent one I have is on the Fraser Valley Bead site.

So get on there an sign up for some fun classes: http://www.fraservalleybeadshow.ca/

Tacoma or Bust !!

2009-07-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

Every year, I make an effort to attent the Puget Sound Bead Festival in Tacoma Washington and this year was no exception. I went with my mother and a student from one of my classes (Pretti), on Friday morning and returned home (too early if you ask any of us) on Sunday night. The company was fabulous, the hotel was good, the classes excellent and the beads glorious. We all laughed so much and my mother and I talked poor Pretti's ear off with our non-stop stories. As Pretti says, we now have to remain friends forever since we know too much about each other !! We saw so many glorious things at the show (although I'm sure I didn't see it all) and even more stunning things as we walked through the City. Honestly, I've never gotten so much accomplished and done so much walking in just one weekend.

One of the highlights of our weekend was the Chihulay Bridge of Glass which gave me a sore neck because I just couldn't walk away from looking up at the ceiling of glass.

Another spectacular display of glass was at the Hotel Murano where the classes (and show) were being held. Two years previous my mother and a friend and I stayed at the Hotel Sheraton and this year we discovered that they had completely renovated the hotel along with presenting stunning displays of glass everywhere...oh, and they renamed it the Hotel Murano. This AMAZING chandelier was the first thing you see when you enter the lobby. It is massive and believe me when I say my photo doesn't do it justice.

This year, as in many other years, I took this opportunity to be a student rather than a teacher. I learned how to etch metal from Meredith Arnold and how to enamel metal from the fabulous Stephen James. This class in particular was a blast....literally, since Stephen gave us a demonstration on what happens when your torch leaks and let's just say you don't want your torch to ever leak !!!! Thanks for the interesting afternoon Stephen !!

Needlesstosay, I didn't get much sleep after both my classes as my mind was going non-stop with new designs using either or BOTH of the techniques I learned.

To end such a fun trip the three of us stopped for lunch in La Conner, Washington where I tasted the BEST peanut butter pie that has touched my lips (and hips !!) and view incredible work by many talented artists.

Osoyoos n more jewelry

2009-07-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, I fibbed...I'll admit it this time. My website isn't up and running yet. It looks fabulous in my head but it seems it takes a bit more work than imagination to get a website up and running. I'm hoping to have it up to my standards before August so do keep an eye open.

In the meantime, I spent a wonderful time in Osoyoos with my family. We spent a lot of time at the beach, walking all over town and drifting down the channel in Penticton. Oh, and I even manged to find time to dig into the tool box that had to be brought along and I made just a few new pieces of jewelry.

Here are some pendants that I experimented with. I planned to make them all able to be interchanged with a plain silver chain or necklace.

Here is the silver chain I usually wear the pendants on. This is called my leftover necklace since all the pieces were leftovers from previous projects. I cleaned up each piece of silver and then asked my husband to come over and place them into a design. This is the wonderful result.

A few earrings too.

Russel Peters

2009-06-24T15:31:00.001-07:00

Last week I went to see the fabulous Canadian comedian Russell Peters with my husband, son, international student (who lives with us), my sister, her son, my mother and her brother. I laughed for the entire two hours and was amazed at how well Russell Peters knows the human race....and how wonderfuly he could find something to laugh about in every venture of his life.

I panicked for a few nights before the show as I knew I was going to be standing along side my gorgeous mother and fashionista sister who both always look fabulous and impecable. So I had to one up them by making some bold new jewelry to go with a fun summer dress I had. I made, undid, made, undid, went to sleep (after midnight) and then got up and remade a chunky red and turquoise necklace that perfectly matched my dress (not worn in this picture).

Well, I guess the lack of sleep got to me and I decided not to wear the dress. Instead I went with an incredibly soft and flowy silk blouse and jeans. Of course, since I hadn't worn the shirt before I HAD to make jewelry to match it. The blouse was high coloured and had to many frills in the front to accomodate a necklace so I made myself a pair of earrings from silver discs that I hammered and tiny pearls that I wire wrapped. The earrings were long enough to float on my shoulders and tinkle when I moved my head....which was often while laughing for two hours straight !!!

A weekend away - AGAIN

2009-06-24T15:05:00.001-07:00

As I've mentioned before, getting away once in awhile is great for one's soul. Well, I guess my soul needs a lot of getting away because when my best friend Gillian called and asked me if I wanted to go to the time share her family has owned since 1969 in Mt. Baker, Washington, I quietly said "YES, YES, PICK ME, PICK ME!!"

And what would a weekend away be without our famous crantinis. So here we are making our first stop - at the liquor store, for vodka, vodka more vodka and triple sec.

While there, we swam, we drank, we admired the beauty of mother nature and we made jewelry - of course !! Some of my experiments turned into a big melted mess of silver but I'm extremely proud and happy with the ones that turned out.

I started by making several removable pendants that can easily be placed onto the bottom of a plain silver chain. The leaf is my original design but the heart is a pattern from the great wire artist Sherilyn Miller. The instructions are in the March 2009 edition of Art Jewelry.

I had a ton of chain that I bought from a bead show many, many years ago and I desperately wanted to use it up. So I just made 2 simple necklaces and then added some of the chain to a row of big black firepolished beads. And yes, I am the model in this picture but I won't be appearing on Canada's Next Top Model any time too soon.

While there I mainly worked on making samples for new classes I was presenting. Here are a FEW of the rings samples I made. I love the pattern and style so much (and I have so many stones) that I now have about 20 rings and they all look completely different from the next one.

When I finally picked up my torch, I really went to town. I knew I wanted to make a ring and had a basic idea of what I wanted. I started out with a piece of sheet metal and some round wire, then added some metal balls I had made and then I cut and filed until I came up with a ring that I was satisfied with. I've worn this ring every day since we got back from Mt. Baker. This picture is pretty much to scale so it takes up most of my finger !!

New Work Station

2009-05-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

I have always had a place in my houses that have been my office, craft room, library and sanctuary. Our home of 4 years is no exception and I even managed to score the best room in the house which is located at the front with a big huge window overlooking our beautiful neighbourhood (and once in awhile some deer wandering down the street). Yes, I know what is going on with EVERYBODY on my street...desperate housewives and all !!

Since I'm such a neat freak and obsessive about my work areas, I am constantly rearranging and "cleaning out" MY room since I spend large portions of my day in there. However, I have never had a work table set up for my silversmithing and have grumbled at always having to haul everything out of the closet to the kitchen and then put it away at the end of the night so our mischievious 4 year old didn't get into anything. After my weekend away (see previous blog) I realized how desperately I needed to make jewellery on a weekly (or daily) basis. So a few weeks ago when my husband was pre-occupied with yard work, I moved furniture around, took down (and put up) grids and a table and put out most of my tools and equipment that I would need to use most often. And I must say....I've been doing a heck of a lot of silversmithing since I have set up shop !!! I love my functioning office, library, crafts room and work station. I can't reveal any of my creations quite yet though since a lot of them are new designs for classes I will be teaching at the Fraser Valley Bead Show in October. http://www.fraservalleybeadshow.com/. Pictures should be appearing on that site soon as well as here now that I'm finally getting the hang of updating !!

Here's my new work station. Notice how organized it is? Of course, that's what it looked like when I set it up. Since I started actually using it, I have discovered that I need even more stuff on hand and now the table looks rather disorganized. This table is right across from the bookcases below.

The two top shelves are jam packed with books, the two middle shelves are full of jars of seed beads and the two bottom shelves have more books and office supplies.

Wait....there's more....at one end of the shelves I have a grid which all my gemstones hang from and on the other side is several Ikea spice racks that hold a variety of beads (in order of colour, of course).

My Getaway !!

2009-05-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

A weekend away with a good friend does amazing things for the soul !! I highly recommend it to every one. Although Vancouver is not that far from Abbotsford, its always fun to go to my best friend Gillian's place by Stanley Park. The company is great, the food is fabulous and the crantinis are non stop!! Oh, and once in awhile we get to make some jewellery !! This time I actually managed to create 5 necklaces that I plan on wearing all the time...and maybe all at once !!! Unfortunately, on my way back home I stopped at my mother's and showed her what I made. I say unfortunately because she loved every piece and confiscated all the necklaces and a few (previously made) earrings and a bracelet to take with her on her month long trip to California and Hawaii. So much for having something to show my husband when I got home. He really does wonder if I actually do make anything !! However, I do have my proof that I made something...since my mother was visiting my cleptomanic (with my stuff) sister I took a picture of the items with my cell phone and told her I better get everything back upon her return !!

All the necklaces are sterling silver, handmade links that started out as a simple piece of round wire. Each link is soldered, filed and hammered to add texture. When I get the pieces back (and I can get over to Barrie's), I'll post better pictures.

Here are the other pieces that I made and my mother took from my personal stash. The earrings on the left and the bracelet are my original designs and were classes that I taught.

Mooooooooooom, when are you coming back ?????!!!!

Abbotsford Sewing Show 09

2009-04-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

I finished teaching at the Abbotsford Sewing Show and I survived !!! Heck, I did much better than that. I saw so many faithful students who pleasured me with their friendship and I met so many wonderful new students who I got hooked on beading - and who I KNOW I will see next year !! The Friday was quite funny as most students signed up for all 3 of my classes so by the last class all I had to do was pull up a chair and have a personal lesson with the only new student. The show staff laughed at me constantly as they said people kept coming up to the registration desk asking to be signed up for "all of Lise's classes". Thank you guys. At least I know I'm doing something right and I'm not scaring you all away with my jokes, stories and threats to embarrass you in front of everybody for asking stupid questions. I now have one request and that is to send me pictures of your finished work. I absolutely love seeing how different my designs can look when people choose their own beads and use their own talents. Here is a picture from one student (from Victoria) who took the bracelet and necklace class and then made her own earrings to match. See...I told you all that yours would look JUST as good as mine by the time you finished.

Las Vegas Baby !!

2009-04-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

A few days after returning from the Victoria Sewing Show, my husband advised me that he had spontaneously booked us a trip to Las Vegas for five days. So we scrambled for a few more days to get kits made and get all my classes organized since he had us coming home the night before I taught at the Tradex. For this first time ever, I was actually done everything a week ahead of a class and I was able to have a romantic holiday away with my husband of 18 years. I've never had a better holiday. We walked, we talked, we ate, we drank (lots), we saw the Blue Man Group (and met with them privately after the show in a VIP lounge), we saw Chris Angel (from the 5th row), we went to a time share meeting (where I was "Rosie" for the day), we gambled, we spent way too much money and most of all, we laughed. What a special thing for my husband to do for me. So contrary to the many jokes I told in my classes about him...I think I'll keep him around for a long time !!

Back from Victoria

2009-03-23T17:37:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I taught 3 brand new classes to a wonderful group of students in Victoria at the Sewing and Crafts Show and I had a blast. The students were great, lots of fun, very talented and made beautiful creations ! I taught classes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with no breaks in between but it wasn't until I sat down that I became exhausted. The students made my "job" so enjoyable that the hours just flew by.

A few years back when I was diagnosed with a hereditary and fatal heart condition (that my father and his two sisters just died from), I was told I had to elminate stress from my life. Those who know me, know how hard that is since I wear many hats at once. I gave up my kits, my website, my booths at trade shows and many other things but I did not give up my teaching. And I'm so glad I didn't. I knew I always liked teaching but now I know just how much I love it !!

So thank you to all the students in Victoria. And thank you so much to Marie Fidoe who kept me on track, took people's money and put up with my constant babble while I stayed at her place.

As promised, here are a few of my favorite websites.....

http://jewelrylessons.com/ - I can spend hours every day just looking at all the beautiful work that the many artisits have graciously provided to this website. And I don't think there's a tutorial that I haven't purchased.

http://www.beaducation.com/classes/?p=home - again, some very talented people have given me the privilege of sharing their creations. I have purchased several of their tutorials too. And almost all of the tools that I use or that I just want (remember my name, ladies - tool who#*@ ???) can be found on this sites.

http://www.sharilynmiller.com/ - what an incredible artist !! And I have her book.

http://www.lynnemerchant.com/home.htm - another incredible artist !!

http://www.etsy.com/ - I have found many absolutely beautiful designs that I am in awe of on this site. Hours and hours and hours of pleasure.

Here is a list of some of the incredible bead shows to attend:

http://www.pugetsoundbeadfestival.com/store/home.php - be warned !!!! I always come away from this show with an empty wallet - and bank account. However, this is my treat every year. I go down there with some good friends (including my mother) and spend a girls weekend just having fun. I take classes and make some wonderful projects and even pick up some teaching tips. Believe it or not, I'm always the very quite one at the front of the class who never says a word because I'm too damm busy being amazed and taking everything in to say anything....yup, you heard it people, you just found out the one thing that shuts me up !!!

http://www.beadfest.com/beadfest/ - I have never been to any of these bead shows but I can dream....

http://www.sewingandcraftsshow.com/ - not a bead show but where you will find me teaching year after year...in both Victoria and Abbotsford.

http://fraservalleybeadshow.ca/ - the best dang bead show in town people !! This show is local, absolutely fabulous with a wide variety of vendors and the class coordinator is one cool chick - that's me !!!! We always try to offer challenging classes with beautiful projects. We are currently in the process of figuring out what classes to present this year so if you have any ideas of projects or particular techniques you want to learn, let me know.

And that's it for now people.

I can't wait to teach my next classes at the Sewing Show on Arpil 3 & 4, 2009 !!

It's been a long time coming...

2008-11-12T14:01:00.001-08:00

After many months of not writing anything on my blog, I'm finally going to do so today. And let's hope I can keep it up !!

Shortly after my last entry, I became very sick and remained that way for about 5 months. It started out as a pneumonia then became laryngitis, then bronchitis, then pneumonia again, then a cold, then a flu, then when I finally couldn't take it any longer, I drove myself into emergency and spent several days in MSA with a severe pneumonia in both lungs with the left lung extremely inflammed. The good thing is that I was pumped so full of drugs that I haven't been sick since !!!! Yeah !!!! And I lost 50 pounds in the process.

Unfortunately, during those five months I had so many deadlines that I was committed to that the stress and pressure probably prolonged my ill health. I hate to say it but I felt that for the first time in my life, I let a lot of people down. I did manage to get two articles and projects done for A Needle Pulling Thread (check out the Summer 2008 and Fall 2008 editions) although they were both majorly late. I did manage to design a few classes for the Fraser Valley Bead Show (November 2008) and taught them. But sadly, I was unable to fullfil my duties as Class Coordinator and Major Kick in the Pants to Barrie Edwards (for the Fraser Valley Bead Show). Again, sorry Barrie...and thanks !! I truly don`t think I would have gotten any of it done if Barrie hadn`t taken the time to GRAB my hand and help me through it all...from telling me what I needed for my classes, to actually buying the supplies to punching out circles and cutting squares. Never mind all the stress she was going through and all the stuff she had to do (by herself) to get the show ready. Thanks Barrie...even though you did put a video of me up on Youtube as punishment for all the hell I have put you through !!

Inspiration Bracelets

2007-12-19T14:59:00.001-08:00

I have a wonderful group of female friends who get together at various times during the year and exchange gifts. This Christmas was no exception and I wanted to make sure to give them something extra special this year. I spent about a month trying to design a bracelet that was simple yet elegant. I then spent an entire weekend experimenting with sterling silver, letter punches and my torch until I came up with something that I was very excited about. Since then, I've had much demand for these bracelets which I have called my "Inspiration Bracelets". The great thing about them is that you are able to choose the saying you want on the bracelet to match the personality of the person you are giving it to. The bracelets in the picture are for my son's girlfriend (love), a dear friend to give to her niece (believe) and my mother (loyalty).

For more information on them, please e-mail me at: lise@beadedinspirations.com

Closing Up Shop

2007-11-13T08:41:00.001-08:00

For all of you out there that have bought my kits at various trade shows and in stores, thank you for your patronage. Unfortunately, I have too many things going on in my life right now and I have decided that I can not spend adequate time creating new kits, resdesigning my booth and coming up with new marketing strategies. I therefore will no longer have a booth (at various trade shows) or maintain my website (beadedinspirations).

However, my love of teaching overshadows any of those feelings and I still plan on teaching as much as I can.

This site was created mainly so that you are able to see where I will be teaching and to get great pictures of the fabulous new projects I will be presenting.

So stay tuned.