BeadStyle : bead classes

More about Lady Bug Beads

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:43:00 GMT

We ran a short Q&A about Lady Bug Beads — our second "Favorite Bead Store" winner — in the September issue of BeadStyle. Here is the Lady Bug profile with the info we had to trim for space.

Congratulations, Lady Bug Beads!

In her store, Lady Bug Beads, Susan Rabbitt has created a haven for beaders. “I always feel like I’m around friends. Everyone is helpful and cheerful,” said customer Carol Cook, from St. Louis, Mo.

That sentiment was echoed by the 102 happy customers who put Lady Bug Beads in the top six finalists of ’s “Favorite Bead Store” competition. Below is part of our Q&A with Susan.

When did you open Lady Bug Beads?
S.R.: We opened in August of 2003. I had been scouring craft stores and the few small bead shops in the area and was not able to fill my need for seed beads. With a lot of research and a business background, I decided to open the store. My husband — who is my biggest supporter — said, if you’re going to do it, do it big. So that’s what I did.

What kinds of classes do you offer?
S.R.: We teach the basics of stringing and earring wire wraps every day in our shop. Most Saturday mornings we have a free class. It varies from week to week, but it is always a technique that is a step above the basics. Our customers are welcome to watch and get free directions, or they can buy some beads and play along. This has become very popular; 6 to 30 people show up. We also teach the basic stitches by appointment for $25, including peyote, herringbone, spiral rope, square stitch, right angle weave and corralling. Our scheduled classes are more advanced seed bead projects taught by some of our employees and other national instructors.

Are you a beader? What kinds of things do you do?
S.R.: Of course I’m a beader. I can’t imagine anyone owning a bead shop and not knowing how to bead. I love to use seed beads. I compare beading to a good book — if it’s not thick enough it can’t have much of a plot, therefore if a piece of jewelry doesn’t take me 10 hours to complete it can’t be much fun!

What about Lady Bug Beads are you most proud of?
S.R.: I’m proud of the creative staff that I have and of the many customers who keep us on our toes to create more designs.

What is your customer service philosophy?
S.R.: We want to make everyone who walks in the door become as addicted to beading as we are. If we don’t have fun beading, they won’t.

How are you handling challenging economic times?
S.R.: I don’t consider the last year and half any more challenging than the first five years. The only way you can keep a business viable is to get people in the door. My main focus is to think of new marketing ideas to do that. We changed from postcard mailings to email blast about 1½ years ago. This was a big savings and also allows us to have an immediate sale or promotion. We have several different events through out the year. We have Open Houses three times a year. We have Bead Art in our parking lot twice a year. (This is when we give our customers a free space to sell their beadwork) We do a yard sale in July which is always well attended and we recently started doing “Green Bag” promotions. We also do periodic sales on different categories in the shop.

What is the most frequently asked question from new beaders who come into your store?
S.R.: The most frequently asked question is “Where do I start?” Since the choices are sometimes overwhelming to new customers, we suggest that they bring in a specific piece of clothing to match of something they have seen in a magazine. This helps to give them a focus.

Anything that you’d like BeadStyle readers to know that we didn’t ask?
S.R.: A unique thing that we do in our shop is to photocopy any of the finished pieces that we have so customers can use them as patterns. We are constantly creating new designs so there is always something new to inspire them.

   7616 Big Bend Blvd.
   St. Louis, MO 63119
   314.644.6140
   ladybugbeads.net
   ladybugbeads@sbcglobal.net

Summer reading list

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:43:00 GMT

When I was a kid, I used to spend most of my summers planted in a lawn chair with a pile of books. I don't have the luxury of that kind of a summer reading list now, but I did get a chance to browse three great beading books recently.

The first is Krystal Wick's "Fabulous Fabric Beads" (Interweave $22.95) I picked it up after taking a class from Krystal at the Bead&Button Show. The book contains everything to need to know about making fabric beads (like Krystal's Sassy Silkies) and turning them into beautiful jewelry. It is a tribute to Krystal's creative and generous spirit that she shares for many of reative secrets. It's a beautiful book.

The second to close to BeadStyle's heart. "Jewelry in a Flash" (Kalmbach $19.95) is the book version of our special publication "Under 1 Hour." As the title suggests, the projects are quick and fun, and though we weren't really stressing it at the time, they're also very budget friendly.

Finally, lovers of wirework and earrings should check out Denise Peck's "101 Wire Earrings" (Interweave $19.95). It has lots of great design ideas and it beutifully photograghed. Denise is editor of Step by Step Wire Jewelry, so she knows her way around wire!

My favorites from the Bead&Button show

Jane Konkel — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:21:00 GMT

My favorites from the Bead&Button show

High Caliber Collar:
Rebecca Starry from Anchorage AK, entered her necklace in the Bead Dreams competition. She used a right-angle weave technique and huge bullets to make this stunning necklace.

Brenda Schweder, Cathy Jakicic, and Karin Buckingham:
Kalmbach book authors.

Robert Dancik:
Robert uses faux bone to make beautiful jewelry that reminds me of scrimshaw. He also makes crazy cool jewelry like the bracelet he is holding which is a series of plastic fingers. One of the fingernails is painted red. To view a trailer and clip for his workshop go to ccpvideos.com/r/dancik.

Celie Fago:
I am captivated by her work. And chatting with her was awesome. She has magnificent energy.

Bob Burkett:
The first time I met Bob was in Tuscon four years ago. I’ve admired his shibuichi pieces ever since. He’s got this unassuming personality and so much talent.

Spinner Rings:
These rings are Jill Erickson’s. I took her spinner ring class. I did not photograph the ring I made, because I didn’t finish it yet. Surprise, surprise.

Amazing View:
This photo was taken from the 8th floor of the parking structure attached to the Midwest Express Center. Milwaukee has some incredible views.

Charms and Found Glass:
I visited with Cathy Collison, owner of Glass Garden Beads. The tokens say things like, “Poughkeepsie & Wappingers Falls RY Co: and “This Token Awarded For Skill.” The glass pieces are cut a tumbled pieces from vases. You can see a project using Cathy’s bottle cap beads and found glass pieces in the July issue of BeadStyle.

Chain:
It was difficult to hold myself back when buying chain. Many vendors had a huge variety of really unique chain. The price was right on this chain from The Chain Gallery.

Green Girl Studios:
Each year I spend a few bucks with the Green Girls (Cynthia, Andrew and Greg). I adore them and their beautiful pewter pieces.

Master class mastered!

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:49:00 GMT

These picture are from the master class I took at this year's Bead&Button Show and the resulting graduation ceremony. I took Valerie Hector's Chinese bead weaving class. It was wonderful!! I though after three day my brains and all urge to bead-weave would just leak out of my ears when I went to bed, but I was completely energized by the experience and can't wait to do more.

Most of the credit for this goes to Valerie. She's a remarkable teacher. Intelligent, funny, patient, prepared, and very encouraging.

And her knowledge and curiousty in the area of Chinese bead weaving and culture was really impressive. I also have to give a lot of credit to my classmates.

As anyone who takes (or teaches) a lot of classes can tell you, the students are always the big wild card. I'm happy to say that every single person in the master class was delightful - creative, generous, and fun.

For those of you at the show - what was your favorite class?

Beads Behind Bars

Stacy Hillmer — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:05:00 GMT

This week, I read an amazing article reported by Paula Horton of The Tri-City Herald about Lucy Dole, a resident of Richland, Washington, and founder of the Beads Behind Bars program.

In 2008, Lucy began teaching beading to teenage girls on probation through the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center. Called Girl Power, her program was so rewarding that she decided to take her service one step further: She began teaching inside the local juvenile detention center, and Beads Behind Bars was born.

Now, every Sunday, Lucy and her helper Nancie Daniel arrive at the detention center loaded with beads and tools to teach incarcerated boys and girls how to make jewelry for themselves and others.

Lucy says, “I’ve enjoyed the jewelry so much and have gotten a great deal of pleasure from that ... but this gave me an avenue to take what I love to do and share it in a way that I think is making a difference in the lives of these girls and boys. To watch their faces when they come up with their first pair of earrings ... is, oh my gosh, way worth it.”

While it might not be difficult to see why teenage girls would get into jewelry making, what do the boys get out of it? I was amused by one anecdote recorded by Paula Horton in the article:

“It didn’t take long for Jonathan, a 17-year-old from Pasco, to make his first pair of earrings and hold them up for [Lucy] to see. When she asked if they were for someone special — a girlfriend maybe — Jonathan simply gave her a big grin. ‘Did you say you wanted to make a bracelet too?’ [Lucy] asked. ‘I didn’t, but it sounds like a good idea,’ he replied.”

Another young man, 16-year-old Jaime, began making a rosary in the classes.

To procure the supplies for her classes, Lucy receives donations of beads and old jewelry as well as discounts from bead retailers. If you would like to donate to Beads Behind Bars, you can contact Lucy’s sponsor, the Allied Arts Association in Richland (509.943.9815, www.alliedartsrichland.org) or call Lucy directly at 509.628.0963.

Thank you for your generous hearts, Lucy and Nancie, and for showing the positive influence creativity can have on our communities!