Happy Mango Beads' "Trash to Treasure" contest, and lessons learned

Greetings!

After a hiatus from blogging, I'm back with an exciting announcement: It's time for Happy Mango Beads' "Trash to Treasure" beading contest!

This is a fun one, with categories such as "Trash to Cash" (paper, plastic, bottle caps, etc.) and "Scrap Metal" (metal, old keys, chain, etc.). Prizes are gift certificates for Happy Mango Bead products.

The deadline is May 13th, so put on your thinking cap, create a new piece and enter it!

Lessons learned in a beading class. . .

Okay, I won't say that everything I ever needed to know, I learned from beading. But I did learn some valuable lessons the other evening when I taught a beading class. It was a class on making a simple strung bracelet. Simple? Not necessarily. Here's what I took away:

 - 25 people is probably too big a group for one instructor unless you have a giant projection screen up front.

 - Don't teach crimping to 25 people at once (without said giant projection screen) and expect them to be able to crimp their own bracelets just like that.

 - Do call on friends to serve as assistants who can travel around the tables and help beginning beaders.

 - Put your handouts (with instructions to follow at home, coupon code for your Etsy shop, contact info, etc.) by the exit door, not in the opposite corner.

 - Don't set up your own station in the darkest corner of the room.

 - Don't open a tube of crimp beads while standing up and then bend over to pick up something from the floor. . .

 - Repeat people's names when you are introduced; this can help you remember them later.

Yippee! A Contest Win!

I found out yesterday that my entry in the Happy Mango Beads "Bead My Valentine" contest won the "Second Time Around" (recycled/repurposed) category! Yippee!! After seeing the many amazing entries, I didn't think I'd be bringing home a prize in this contest.

Here's the necklace. I cut strips of sari fabric and anchored them in ribbon ends, then added dangles made of vintage Lucite beads, huge Swarovski glass pearls, metal charms, and one small heart in the center.

You can view all of the winning entries here: Bead My Valentine Contest Winners 2012.

Another contest to win beads at Happy Mango Beads!

Fellow beaders, not only is Happy Mango Beads about to announce the winners of their "Bead My Valentine" contest, but they're currently holding a contest in which some happy beader will win a bunch of beads! Hop over to Happy Mango Beads to enter their Mardi Gras contest.

May I say that winning prizes in individual categories in two of their past contests encouraged me hugely to keep beading and selling my work? We all need a boost sometimes. If you're even a teensy bit hesitant about entering your work in contests or submitting it for publication in magazines, WADDYA WAITIN' FOR?? If not now, when?