Bead Romantique:
Elegant Beadweaving Designs
I embarked on a
fantastic journey, challenge and opportunity late August 2006. How often does
one of
the largest craft publishers, Interweave Press,
ask you if you want to write a book and give you
the freedom to create your vision? I am thankful to all the talented
Interweave staff whom have touched this book and helped me bring it to
fruition. And, after nearly a year's
hard work "behind the scenes", in between exhibiting at shows, writing
articles, traveling and
making beads too, my first book is NOW available on Amazon.com
If you would like
to order an autographed version of the book directly from me, just email
me your request. The book will be $24.95 which will include FREE
media rate shipping. (You can upgrade to Priority mail and if you
are an international customer, I will pro-rate your shipping fee. Insurance
is encouraged but optional). I will
also be offering the book at select 2008 shows. Since I exhibit at most Interweave shows,
the book will also be available at Bead
Expo and BeadFest events.
This
book was first launched at Bead Expo Portland
(March 27-30, 2008). You can order on Amazon to take advantage of
their special pricing, by clicking the cover of the book to the left menu. If you are a member of Books-A-Million,
you can also get this book at an excellent price.
Please note that book pricing will differ between sites. You will also be
able to find this book at your local bead store so ask them to set aside a copy
for you! Only copies from me and Interweave will be signed. If you are a
beadstore and would like to have your copies signed for your customers, please
consult with your Interweave representative to learn more about this program.
This book is jam packed with projects that will tease your romantic side. The projects were designed exclusively for this book and have NEVER been published before. How often have you bought a beading book and found that the designs have been taught or published prior? For the projects you will get in the book, the price is an extremely great value considering most beading classes begin at $50+, dependent on where you are and who's teaching. If you like what you see on the cover, then you're in store for many more exciting designs inside. Read more about the book on Interweave Press and get a sneak peek preview of some of the projects in the book.
With an overabundance of basic level beadweaving books available in the market, how do you continually get inspired and push yourself to move beyond the basics? That was one of the main reasons why I decided to write this book, to challenge myself and YOU! I do NOT teach in a classroom setting, at this time, due to my extensive exhibit schedule. The book projects are geared towards the beader, who wants to move into and be challenged by, intermediate to advance level projects. Many pieces pay tribute to and are inspired by historical jewelry designs. This book is great for those wanting to create heirloom quality beadwork with an understanding that quality work takes time. There are plenty of easy to follow diagrams to help you along the way and a few easier projects to break things up. If you are already familiar with my articles in beading magazines, then you are already familiar with my writing style and design sensibilities. And as you flip through this book, I hope each of the designs will progressively entice you to attempt the next. Most but not ALL the projects were inspired by art history. I'm excited to share my FIRST book with you all.
Even a beginner can make some wonderful projects from this book. Don't feel you have to make the complete necklace or bracelet. Of course if you do, that would be excellent to your learning. If you want to stop at just the first component, you can make an earring. If you want to bead a little bit more, you'll have yourself a bracelet. And then if you keep on beading, you'll soon have yourself a necklace. These projects do take time as heirloom pieces don't happen overnight. But I wanted to challenge everyone to learn with me and I think you'll be rewarded by the process as well. Take your time, it's not a race to the finish line. Lastly, my beading style is just the way I bead and by no means do I attempt to express that this is the ONLY way to bead/design. I hope that this book is a stepping stone to you as you further discover the rewards of handcrafting your own jewelry. There are multiple methods of getting the same effect. This is why beading is so exciting. Keep your options open and bead creatively!
As the book ships worldwide, there will no doubt be a number of beaders who have questions on the projects and will begin emailing me. Please feel free to do so as I welcome any commentary, positive or negative. But also note that I will be unable to personally answer ALL emails. I will try my best. As I start receiving your questions, I will be posting FAQ and their answers on my BLOG. So please check on the blog for additional commentary and do not be disappointed if I can not respond immediately nor personally to your inquiries. I wished I had several clones but unfortunately it is just me here! Also we did not include seed bead numbers in the book, as this is a standard to not favor one company over another, but also because bead stores do not have consistent nomenclature. But we did provide suggested colors. You are NOT locked into the colors I used for each project, so have fun creating your own versions of my designs! I know some of you feel more comfortable using the EXACT colors in the book, therefore you can get the nitty gritty details to ALL the seed bead colors used in Bead Romantique from my BLOG! The information has also been supplied to the San Gabriel Bead Company who can pull the seed beads you need for every project. Sometimes substitutes may result but the colors will be close to the originals.
In the meantime... HAVE FUN! with all
the projects.
Thank you kindly for all the wonderful emails I've received
on your impressions
of my book!
Bead Creatively!
Lisa