The December Challenge - And the winner is...

Thanks to everyone who joined in with our December challenge! Before I announce the winner, let's have another look at the image we posted for your Black and Silver inspiration...

Black Christmas - Punk Star For Poly Styrene


And here are all the beautiful entries we received!

ACBeads

Carol

Dee

Ericka

Ev

Jane

Jenny

Kim

Kristen

Liz

Manda

Michelle

Rachael

Sarouchka

Sheila

Steph

Susan

Tracy


 

All the names have gone into the list randomizer at www.random.org and the lucky person who's name is at the top of the list is...

Congratulations Sheila, you are the winner of £15 worth of goodies from Jencel!

We hope you've all had a great time designing and making, as well as seeing all the beautiful entries. Check back tomorrow when we'll have a brand new challenge and another fabulous prize for January 2013!

Geometric Beadwork Giveaway Winner.

Catherine has used Random.org to draw the blog winner for this fabulous prize and the winner is...........

Tartan Ruby!

Congratulations! Catherine will be in touch regarding postage.

Thank you again to Catherine & Jean for this fabulous giveaway & to everyone who entered!

Happy beading,

Sarahx

The December Challenge

Welcome to the December challenge! At this time of year there is always a lot of partying and what better colour scheme for that special party outfit than classic Black and Silver.

Black Christmas - Punk Star For Poly Styrene

For this challenge, silver can be metallic and/or silver-lined crystal and any shade of silver is allowed, including hematite. As always, beads with AB/rainbow finishes are allowed but due to the fabulous prizes on offer each month we’re pretty strict on the colours allowed, so no colours other than those specified please!

Now here's the twist...we'd like you to include Stars somewhere in your entry. The twist is entirely optional but if you choose to use the twist as well as the colour scheme then you will receive two entries into the draw!

How do I enter?
There are two ways...
1. Email your photograph to Liz at ottbs@live.com
2. Or add them to our Flickr group pool.

Choose whichever way is easiest for you, you don't have to do both. In either case, please mention that it's for the December Challenge so I know that it's your entry. We're happy for you to post your photos on our Facebook group as well but please make sure that you've also submitted as above. Entries that have not been emailed or added to the Flickr pool will not be accepted.

What can I make?
Anything as long as it involves beads! Any technique is accepted, from beadweaving and stringing to wire work and bead embroidery. Lampworkers and polymer clay artists are also welcome to submit beads they've made. I'm sorry but any entries that do not include beads in some form or another will not be accepted. Your entry must be made especially for the challenge, please do not submit something that was made before December 1^st 2012.

Does it have to be my own design?
No. We're happy for you to make something using a pattern from a book, magazine or tutorial but if you do please let us know the designer's name so that we can give them credit.

What about findings?
Findings (clasps, earwires, metal spacer beads etc) are exempt from the colour challenge so you can use silver, gold or any other colour findings that fit in with your project.

When is the deadline for entries?
The deadline is 6pm (GMT) on Monday the 31st of December.

Can I enter more than once?
You can make as many pieces as you like using the chosen colourway. All entries will be shown here on the blog but you will only be entered into the draw once (or twice if you've used the twist).

I'm not in the UK, can I still join in?
Yes of course! We welcome submissions from around the world so don't worry if you're not in the UK. Our sponsors have agreed to post prizes overseas so you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!

Any other questions?
If you have any questions about the challenge please feel free to email Liz at ottbs@live.com

The Prize
This month our sponsor is Celia of Jencel and she's offering a fabulous prize of £15 worth of goodies which the winner can choose!

The winner will be drawn by Liz after 6pm on Monday the 31st of December, using the random list generator at www.random.org and announced later on the same evening.

Good luck everyone and happy beading!

The November Challenge - And the winner is...

Huge thanks to Clair for taking over from me while I've been away. The colour scheme she chose for November is absolutely gorgeous and as usual you've all come up trumps with your entries! First of all, let's have a look at the beautiful Polyvore collection that Clair posted for your inspiration...

And here is what you all made...

Cathi

(Design by Noriko Romanko)

 Mary Kearney

Tracy

Catherine

Rachael

Dee

Kristen

Coral

Ev

Jo

Julie

Sheila

(Design by Celia Pinnington)

ACBeads

Stephanie

Carol

Ericka

Jenny

Mary Marshall

Michelle

Tammy

All the names have gone into the list randomizer at www.random.org and the lucky person who's name is at the top of the list is...

Congratulations Ev, you are the winner of £25 worth of goodies from Yashma Creations!

We hope you've all had a great time designing, making, as well as seeing all the beautiful entries. Check back tomorrow when we'll have a brand new challenge and another fabulous prize for December!

GEOMETRIC BEADWORK BOOK CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!

We have a very special giveaway post today courtesy of the lovely  Catherine , a longstanding member of our Facebook group and fantastic designer  Jean Power .

Here is what Catherine would like you to do to enter the giveaway:

"Hello all you lovely Stash Tacklers! As some of you may know, I somehow received 3 copies of Jean Power’s new book http://www.jeanpower.com/books/geometric-beadwork/, instead of the single one my husband ordered for my Christmas gift. Jean very kindly said I could keep the spare copies and pass them on. Sarah and the other admins have kindly agreed to my putting one up for a draw on the Blog, and the other copy will be given away on the FB group, so if you sign up in both there are 2 chances to win! There is a little game to play to make this more fun: I’d like you to complete the following sentence:
Dear Santa, I’ve been good and tackled my stash all year, but for Christmas I’d really, really like...
Money no object, find something beady (preferably) that you’d love to receive as a gift, and post a link in the comments to somewhere it can be found online. (Please also be sure that you include a way for Catherine to contact you if you win - Sarah)
A random draw will be made on 10th December and the blog winner will be notified shortly after.
I don’t mind shipping overseas, but would appreciate a contribution for the postal costs as they can be huge from UK, will negotiate with the winners. There is, sadly, no guarantee that the books will arrive in time for Christmas (depending on the locations of the winners).
And don’t forget, work from several group members is featured in the book so you’ll see your friends in print!

Love and Beads,

Catherine"

Thank you to both Catherine & Jean for giving us this fabulous giveaway!

Happy beading,

Sarahx

Japanese Beadwork {Bead, Book & Bounce}

Without further ado, I'm so excited to announce that the latest book in our Bead, Book & Bounce feature is Japanese Beadwork by Sonoko Nozue. As always, if you have already finished projects inspired by our Bead, Book & Bounce choice, you're welcome to share them in the OTTBS Facebook Group. It really does encourage everyone to dust off their own copy of the book (or their wallet) and start creating! 

The Fast & Furious Beader, Review: Japanese Beadwork With Sonoko Nozue

Crescendoh: Book, Japanese Beadwork With Sonoko Nozue.

Patterns In Other Places -

Happily, if Japanese Beadwork isn't already on your bookshelf - and you're not quite ready to commit to a purchase - there are two free downloadable projects available from the Lark Crafts Blog. I'm expecting to see several versions of the Crystal Rose Necklace and the Sonoko Wave.

And, If You're Interested -

You can visit Sonoko's Blog, Sonoko Beads - but do be aware that you'll need a translation tool - for additional, rather swoonsome photographs!

Little Bead Boxes: The Reveal {Bead, Book & Bounce}

So, the time has come for our next Bead, Book & Bounce Reveal. In June, we chose some of the most popular beading books - and one by one - we're challenging our readers to dust off the books on their shelves. Over the last few months, everyone has been busy beading pieces inspired by the beautiful projects in Julia S.Pretl's Little Bead Boxes. 

When I announced the book over in the OTTBS Facebook Group, there was a flurry of activity as members of the group that already had the book added photographs to the Little Bead Boxes Album. And, what I've loved about this round of Bead, Book & Bounce is that there has also been a lot of activity - works in progress; problem solving; exclamations of disgust at tricky moments - while the members have worked on their pieces. It's so wonderful to see!

But, the time has now come for us to share our projects inspired - finished or not - by the tutorials, techniques or inspirational pieces included in Little Bead Boxes. You can share your own projects with us using the Mr Linky. 

• Please link directly to your Little Bead Boxes blog post, so that we can find it easily. 
• Please leave a comment here when you link up your project. 
• Please try to visit the blogs of other participants when you can. We all love a bit of love!

And don't forget that we're still working on projects from Carol's Wilcox's, The Art & Elegance Of Beadweaving, with a new reveal on the 6th December.

The November Challenge

The inspiration for the November Challenge comes from the beautiful soft tones featured in one of my Polyvore Fashion Sets. If you've never come across Polyvore, it's well worth a look - there's tons of inspiration, just perfect for the beader or jewellery maker that wants to keep up with the latest trends.

Soft Shimmer by obstinatepursuit 

Your challenge this month is to combine softer tones of grey or silver with the more subtle shades of pink. The twist this month is material. Once again, taking a cue from the collection above, you could choose to incorporate silk, leather or suede, but please don't feel limited to those materials. The twist is entirely optional but if you choose to use the twist then you'll receive two entries into the draw!

How do I enter?

There are two ways...

1. Email your photograph to us at ottbs@live.com

2. Or add them to our Flickr Group Pool.

Choose whichever way is easiest for you, you don't have to do both. In either case, please mention that it's for the October Challenge so that we know that it's your entry and also let us know what you used from the photo as your inspiration. We're happy for you to post your photos on our Facebook Group as well but please make sure that you've also submitted as above. Entries that have not been emailed or added to the Flickr pool will not be accepted.

What can I make?

Anything as long as it involves beads! Any technique is accepted, from beadweaving and stringing to wire work and bead embroidery. Lampworkers and polymer clay artists are also welcome to submit beads they've made. I'm sorry but any entries that do not include beads in some form or another will not be accepted. Your entry must be made especially for the challenge, please do not submit something that was made before 1st November 2012.

Does it have to be my own design?

No. We're happy for you to make something using a pattern from a book, magazine or tutorial but if you do please let us know the designer's name so that we can give full credit.

When is the deadline for entries?

The deadline is 6pm (GMT) on Friday the 30th of November.

Can I enter more than once?

You can make as many pieces as you like using the photograph as inspiration. All entries will be shown here on the blog but you will only be entered into the draw once (or twice if you've used the twist).

I'm not in the UK, can I still join in?

Yes of course! We welcome submissions from around the world so don't worry if you're not in the UK. Our sponsors have agreed to post prizes overseas so you can still enter and be eligible for the prize!

Any other questions?

If you have any questions about the challenge please feel free to email Liz at ottbs@live.com

The Prize

This month's prize is £25 to spend on beady goodness at Yashma Creations!

The winner will be drawn by one of the Admin Team after 6pm on Friday 30th of November using the random list generator at www.random.org and announced later on the same evening.

Good luck everyone and happy beading!

The October Challenge - And The Winner Is...

Although the October Challenge was a little different, we had some amazing entries with people taking inspiration from colours, textures, patterns and themes. Here's the full, stunning, collection of entries. I love how unique each piece is this month!

Coral

Dee Wingrove Smith

Ericka

Ev

Fiona

Gillie

Featuring: Heart Cabachon By Donna Saunders

Jenny

Kristen

Pattern: Shelly Pleines

Leah

Mary

Pattern: Butterfly Kisses by Jill Wiseman

Rachael Daniels

Pattern: Pearl In A Net By Keith Agnes Tutorials & Designs 

And, the bit that you've all been waiting for....I popped everyone's name into the List Randomizer and Gillie's came out on top. So, Gillie, you're the winner of this month's prize - £20 worth of Size 11 Delicas or Seed Beads from Rachael at RB Beads. Congratulations!

Sorry again for the small delay in rounding up everyone's entries - I'll be back soon with the details of the November Challenge! Stay tuned!