Projects, projects, projects!

Scrap Chick's Mixed Media Charm Bracelet copyright Margot Potter for DRG
Fuzzy Monsters mixed media Bracelet copyright Margot Potter for DRG
Canine Couture decorative collar copyright Margot Potter for DRG
Pink Persuasion rosary style Necklace copyright Margot Potter for DRG

Howdy Pardners!

I've got some fun projects online at e-patterns central and their sister site freepatterns.com. Here are some pics! Some of these are free and some are available for a small fee. Many of these projects are from way back when I first started out as a professional craft industry designer and it's a blast for me to see them again. My daughter is sporting the 'fuzzy monsters' bracelet to school today. The delightful Jenny Harada sent me a bag of fun fur and I had to figure out a way to turn it into a wearable. I guess it's pretty fun to have a Mom with drawers bursting with funky jewelry. She's the reason I keep archives of all of my work and it's really wonderful to see her enjoying them! Yesterday her teacher tried to buy a design from my new book off of her neck!

I've got a full plate today with a meeting and taping an interview for CraftCast with Alison Lee. I've got a lot of press looming and as things air, I promise to let you know. Until later...craft on with your bad selves.

Cheers,
Madge

Craft an Interesting Life

If I weren't a craft maven, I'd be singing and acting. I put that on hold so I could be a Mom. I didn't want to be away at night rehearsing and performing and miss out on watching my daughter bloom. I'm so very glad that I did, because being a parent is by far the best thing I've ever done. I have absolutely no regrets. This is a segment from the Cabaret show I started when my daughter was a baby. I plan to get back to this...in fact...there's something simmering on the back burner right now!

If you knew all of the kooky schemes I've cooked up since I've been married. All of the times my family has stood behind me while I tried to make impossible dreams real! It's rather funny when we look back on it all. I have more than dyed red hair in common with Lucy McGillicutty. Vocal competitions, endless auditions, call backs, crazy job interviews, a very unfortunate evening at the Mellon Jazz Festival, product lines that almost happened and fell apart, TV hosting job short lists...the hours of home crafted audition tapes alone are hilarious. I have a penchant for attempting the impossible. Sometimes it works out for me...and sometimes not...but at least it's never boring. I'm not just here to show you how to make crafts, I'm here to show you how to craft your life. Craft an interesting one, it'll give you something to smile about when you're old

It's never too late to become the person you were meant to be. Ever. If anyone tries to tell you differently, that's merely because they've given up on their dreams. Never give up.

xoxo,
Madge

TastyLinks Saturday!

It’s time once again to spread the Linky Love across the blogosphere! Here’s this week’s sampling of TastyLinks™ with a few bonus links for your reading pleasure.

Huge shout out to Jean Yates for posting this thoughtful and stellar review of my new book Beyond the Bead. Thank you, Jean!

Check out this beautiful line of hand crafted glass jewelry from Italian born glass artist Angelo Tiozzo.

And without further ado, here is your weekly sampling of crafty goodness from the Crafty Blogger Gang. Please welcome our newest member Sister Diane of CraftyPod fame:

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery With inspiration from Cathi Milligan's new book Mod Knots a soda bottle goes under the knife and becomes a mod cuff.

Naughty Secretary Club Get felt up with Jen and her customized felt baby booties how-to.

Cross Stitch at About.com Would You Stitch With Scented Floss? Vote in the poll and be sure to read the comments and add your own.

CraftyPod Learn how to turn an old paperback book into a cool picture frame.

Crafty Princess Diaries Expose yourself....in a good way that is...Tammy tells her thoughts on the process of creative exposure.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world This week there is an Andy Warhol inspired scrapbook page and ATC's, an interview with Lisa Kettell author of Altered Art Circus!, a super cute clay pot hedge hog how-to, and a link to two free bottle cap graphics.

Cathie Filian Blythe and Barbie can now have their cake and eat it too! Cathie whips up some mini cakes and pies perfectly sized for fashion dolls with sponges and seed beads.

Blisstree Mixing two of Cyndi's favorite things: fibers and books!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner Swelldesigner gives new life to a plain paper lantern with tissue paper!

Aileen's Musings Check out which names won for Aileen's Color Mist Sorbet Collection and help BREAK THE TIE by voting once more! An additional winner will be chosen once the tie is broken.

About Family Crafts Discover how you can create an entire fairy village using items from nature.
The Impatient Crafter Madge shares one final project from her new book Beyond the Bead! Plus she's giving away a free copy of the book and a crystal stash!

Product Review Rings & Things Bracelet and Pendant Blanks

Rings 'n Things Bracelet BlankRings 'n Things Raw Brass FrameRings 'n Things Raw Brass Frame

Product Review
Metal Bracelet and Pendant Blanks
Rings ‘n Things

The folks at Rings ‘n Things have one of my favorite websites and catalogs for wholesale findings and chain, they’ve been offering the unique since we bought from them for our bead shop years ago. I often find myself turning to them when I want something different and I don’t have time for a trip to Manhattan. They recently sent me some bracelet and pendant blanks to review and although I’ve not had time to whip up a free project, I’ve had plenty of thoughts running through my brain. My first impression was that the quality on these items was very high, and that even without embellishment these bracelets are appealing.

What I love about this style of bracelet blank is that it’s the perfect foundation for a wide variety of mixed media ideas. You can opt to glue on old buttons and add glitter and crystal accents, you can attach some vintage board game parts and leave them plain or add some bling, you can flip over bottle caps and fill them with 3-d elements and resin (one of my daughter’s favorite activities) or you can attach collaged wooden blanks with paint, images and accents...use one of the frames to create a thematically coordinating charm! I’d recommend a two part epoxy or metal friendly glue for maximum hold.

I’m a big fan of possibilities. I like being able to imprint my work with my own vision. That’s far more interesting to me than putting beads on a string or making something from a kit. Mixed media gives the crafter plenty of room for creative expression. Plus it’s a great way to recycle things you might ordinarily throw out. If you’re trying to save money but keep the creative juices flowing, I highly suggest trying these bracelet and pendant blanks. Before you toss out that wrapper, magazine or box, take a closer look. Maybe there’s a fabulous piece of jewelry waiting to unfold with a little imagination and these bracelet and pendant blanks from the folks at Rings ‘n Things.

If you’d like to win one of these bracelet blanks and a coordinating frame, leave a comment and I’ll announce a winner next Friday. Congratulations to Evie's Ark for winning Kristal Wick’s new book Fabulous Fiber Beads, please email me your snail mail address to: theimpatientcrafter@gmail.com

xoxo
Madge

The Impatient Crafter™
Check out my NEW BOOKS!

Website: www.margotpotter.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/margotpotter

The Impatient Crafter is on the Market

March 26, 2009
For Immediate Release:

Brilliant, creative and successful woman seeks alignment with a top tier company in the craft industry.

Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter™ is looking to align her brand with a top tier company in the craft industry. Margot is a gifted designer, wordsmith extraordinaire, viral marketing and PR whiz, clicking and trend prediction expert, compelling and highly entertaining TV hostess and guest, DRTV veteran, gifted public speaker, marketing visionary, creative inspiration guru and can provide uniquely fresh viewpoints on your business and the industry at large. She’s smart, she’s savvy and she’s sassy.

Key components of this alignment could possibly include: developing co-branded licensed products, innovative in-use designs with your products, producing attention grabbing written materials for your catalogs, press releases, promotional materials, internet promotions and ads, consulting and creating multi-pronged marketing platforms to maximize your brand awareness, getting your product in the hands of prominent industry designers and bloggers, creating online marketing and education that will excite and invite customers, hosting info-taining video content and appearing on TV to promote your products.

I get it. I get you. I have a strong brand that appeals to a wide demographic. I get your business and I know how to take it to the next level. I understand how to market to the Average Jane and the Indy Crafter. I have a unique ability to see the niches that need filling and the pathways to doing so. I'm a professional performer who can deliver top notch on-air presentations. In five years I’ve gone from being entirely unknown in the craft industry to becoming an industry celebrity entirely through viral marketing, publication and the fine art of shameless self promotion.

I have 15 years experience in the jewelry and craft industry as a designer, retailer, buyer and merchandiser, a professional background and college degree in live onstage performance, ten years of live unscripted on-camera experience in shopping TV, 5 popular published how-to books, a year’s experience as an interim editor of a bead magazine, an internationally popular blog, award winning humorous how-to videos, am one of three Design Team members for Beadalon, have consulted, taught and am an ambassador for the Create Your Style with CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements initiative, have created intriguing in-use designs, blog posts and articles for a variety of manufacturers and have been a guest on a variety of podcasts and radio shows as a creativity guru.

If you’re looking for a woman with a whole lot of moxie, chutzpah and unmitigated gall, you’ve found her. Contact me at margot@margotpotter.com to discuss the possibilities.

Margot Potter
The Impatient Crafter™
margot@margotpotter.com
http://www.margotpotter.com/

You can’t create success if you aren’t willing to name it and claim it. It’s official, I’m hanging out my shingle.

Ya Gotta Have Faith.

Illustration by Enoch Bolles

All entrepreneurs are gamblers. We are people who figured out that job stability is an illusion and that we want to make more of the money for ourselves instead of someone else. So we jump off of the precipice into the free fall that is self directed freelance employment. When all goes well, it’s incredibly rewarding and when it doesn’t...it’s downright scary.

In order for me to make it all work, I have a variety of jobs. The good thing about that is that if one dries up, I have other avenues of income. The bad thing as of late is that in this rocky economy, several of them are drying up simultaneously. Over the past few months I’ve had a few regular sources of income either disappear or shrink exponentially. In the past two weeks two have completely fizzled out, one with a rather large and unfortunate fizzling sound. I’m in that free fall mode and the only rip cord is my faith in my abilities. Is faith enough?

I guess I’m going to find out.

I think people look at me and assume that since I’ve built a brand and brand recognition through extensive viral marketing that I’m making a lot of money. That’s simply not the case...yet. I’m building something that I truly believe has a big pay off down the road. This is the gamble. Will all of my hard work result in licensing, better book sales, TV hosting, new on air sales positions...or will it all sort of fizzle out like a birthday candle in the rain? (Good grief let’s just hope it doesn’t fizzle out like that lame arse metaphor!) The truth is it’s often one step forward two steps back and I am on a daily basis having to spin the straw faster and come up with new straw sources. I’m not whining mind you, I’m simply stating the facts.

The thing is we’re all in this boat these days. Many, many of us are a paycheck away from that free fall. I believe that the only way we can survive is to get very resourceful and very smart. That means assessing our talents and skills and figuring out new pathways for success that don’t rely on one source or one job. It means being able to take the blows that knock us to our knees without staying down for the count. It means being resilient, strong, tenacious and it means having faith. No one is going to rescue us, so we’d best figure out how to do it ourselves.

I think I can...I think I can...I think I can.

I know I can.

xoxo
Dread Pirate Maggie

Suspicion Marcasite Shows and Jamaica Pics!

Howdy Pardners!

I finally got pics posted from our trip in my Facebook Account. Click here to go see! I’ve got two Suspicion Marcasite Anniversary Shows tomorrow at QVC. There won’t be much sleep in my world, but there’ll be lots of sparkle, spackle and perhaps a few funny moments! We’re going to have some really amazing new designs for your perusal and there will be anniversary pricing to boot. I don’t design this line, I’m the spokesperson and a consultant. My expertise as a former jewelry buyer and a collector of vintage along with my being a professional designer are the provenance I bring to this role. Being an Ambassador for the CYS CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements initiative is a boost since we combine the marcasite with crystal in many of the pieces. If you’re up early or you work from home, tune in!

I won’t be back to the blog until Wednesday, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves while I’m away.

xoxo
Madge

TastyLinks Saturday!

Here’s this week’s sampling of TastyLinks™ from the uber talented crafty bloggers. I hope you enjoy.

Firstly you may not have noticed my fancy new widget, but I’m looking for a few good fans. If you’re on Facebook, please consider joining my fan club! Come on, ya know ya wanna. Just click the widget above to go join!

I’m giving one final signed copy of my fabulous new book Beyond the Bead away along with a free project and if you haven’t already you should leave a comment to win it. You might just win the book AND get a stash of CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements to boot. This book is as fun to read as it is to mine for cool new ideas, I promise. What in the world are you waiting for?!

About Family Crafts Discover some ways you can save money on your crafting without stifling your creativity!

Aileen's Musings Looking for a new spin on store bought plastic easter eggs....Aileen offer's you a Glitzy Easter Egg Project!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner Swelldesigner up-cycles some old tins with Collage Pauge and scrapbook paper!

Blisstree Don't miss out on the second annual Collage Mania event !

Cathie Filian Cathie has a dollar store do over! With a scrap of paper and a little flirty flower you can make this easy headband in under 1-hour.’

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world This week at Craftside there is a how-to for making a Chinese Knot from Kenneth King's new book Cool Couture, a Scribble Lace scarf pattern, a woven lampshade made from scrap yarn, and 4 up-cycled necklace designs.

Crafty Princess Diaries The Crafty Princess catches you up on her various crafting projects and asks, "What's on your crafting plate?"

Cross Stitch at About.com Use the free Street and Traffic Sign Motifs to decorate a cake, a child's jacket, or whatever your imagination can come up with.

Naughty Secretary Club Jen asks the question: Would you wear an apron out on the town as a fashion accessory? According to some trendsters it’s all the rage. Join in the discussion about Apron-ology.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Sweater Surgery meets Sublime Stitching with a fun gun embroidered altered sweater.

The Impatient Crafter Madge is hooked on Drew Emborsky's new book The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys! Check out her book review!

Book Review: Fabulous Fabric Beads by Kristal Wick

Here’s a review I just penned for a fantastic new book by my friend the incredibly talented Kristal Wick. I truly believe every crafter needs this book, even if you don’t make jewelry. Kristal was generous enough to donate TWO copies for me to giveaway on the blog! Leave a comment and I’ll pick TWO winners and announce them next Friday!

Fabulous Fabric Beads
By Kristal Wick
Interweave Press
2008

Kristal Wick approaches her beads and her beadwork with the eye of an artist and the soul of a poet. Her work speaks of primal, ancient, archetypal images and patterns. Her beads are as beautiful as her smile and her effervescent personality shines through in every page of this exquisite book. If you have been itching to break out of the mundane and try something new in your beadwork, this is the book for you. Ms. Wick is a master teacher and designer who will guide you through a litany of ingenious mixed media fabric bead making techniques and show you how to turn those beads into absolutely stunning jewelry.

This book is a feast for the eyes and senses and will surprise and delight you whenever you open it up for inspiration. Kristal is an incomparable muse who will spark your creative fire into infinitely interesting new directions. This isn’t just a how-to book, it’s an adventure into a whole new world of creativity that every beader is bound to enjoy.

Sumptuous colors, rich textures, beautiful layers and subtle nuanced techniques abound in this extraordinary book. I find myself paging through it again and again to glean something new, and I’ve yet to be disappointed. The book is broken up into sections that begin with surface techniques, move on to creating basic fabric beads and progress to more advanced concepts. Ms. Wick then shows you step by step how to integrate the beads into finished pieces that are certain to turn heads when worn. She even includes sidebars showing color palettes, which is very useful for folks who struggle with color. Finally there is a gallery section of more intricate pieces for further creative inspiration.

Personal favorites from the book include the Talisman Message Beads that utilize clear acrylic tubes and shimmery fabric inserts, the gorgeous Mermaid necklace and the fuzzy and funky Wild Fiber Necklace. That being said, there’s so much to love in this book, it’s hard to pick favorites!

Kristal is the designer behind the Sassy Silkies bead line and she’s graciously shared her bead making secrets here with the general public. This is a rare and generous glimpse into the mind of a creative whirlwind. We are all the better for her generosity. If you’re looking for a stellar addition to your beading library, you’ve found it in Fabulous Fabric Beads by Kristal Wick.

"She's Sparkly, Very Sparkly, Like a Holiday"

(Quote courtesy of Rain Man)

I woke up this morning in a bit of a haze. My daughter has been sick and my husband is away so she’s sleeping with me. A sick kid in a bunk bed is a recipe for disaster, I know this from experience. It was a long night of tossing and turning and fighting for blankets and I woke up with a pounding headache smack in the middle of my eyes. I was hoping my daughter would sleep in, because I really needed a few more moments...but she popped right up and starting chatting. She’s still far too sick to go to school, which means I have to cancel a rather important meeting today.

With Dad away, I don’t have a back up babysitter. Since we moved out to the country and away from family, we’ve not found anyone we can trust to watch her. She’s our only kid, so yes we’re rather protective of her. We had a flicker of hope when the Mennonite family next door came to bring us a loaf of fresh baked bread and we discovered they had a teen aged girl. Those hopes were dashed when I came back from a business Christmas party (a.k.a. schmooze and network event with snacks and libations) to find my daughter sitting at the kitchen table with just the parents and the teen aged girl MIA. The look in my daughter’s eyes was pure sadness and I felt, as mom’s do when they juggle so many different roles on a day to day basis and tell themselves it’s for the betterment of the family unit while secretly wondering if it’s really because they’re selfish...which they’re not...but sometimes they feel that way...but I digress. I felt like I’d let her down. The teen aged girl had apparently in the three hours she’d agreed to watch my daughter felt it was okay to go see a movie and leave Avalon with her parents. And she wanted me to pay her?! Are you freakin’ kidding me? I was livid. LIVID. So there went our babysitter. And here is another personal revelation in a public forum which leads me to this...

In those few quiet moments of waking this morning I started to think about the level of transparency in which I function. I started to wonder if it’s not getting a little out of control. My husband is wondering that too. Do I really need to share with people on the internet that my daughter is sick, that I’m going out of town, that my husband is away, that I’m meeting a friend and the details of that meeting? It’s a quandary. People talk to me on my Facebook wall about things I sometimes feel are kinda personal and not for public consumption when they could just as easily message me, shoot me an email or pick up the phone. Are we all becoming just a bit too transparent? Do I really need to conduct my life in a fish bowl? When is too much information really too much? I blog about PMS, plastic surgery, illness, professional triumphs, personal tragedies and virtually every aspect of my life and my career as I’m building it. People who read my blogs know an awful lot about me...it’s made for some rather interesting conversations when I meet them. I kind of forget that I’ve shared with the class and then they ask me about Botox or Auntie Flo!

I know people who are also building personal brands who never reveal anything personal. I think them wise on one level and foolish on another. How can people connect to you if you give them nothing? Then again, when do you stop serving your brand and start becoming egomaniacal and self indulgent? When does transparency become naval gazing? How much do people really need to know about you?

Oddly enough (and I’m quite sure you’re going to think this patently untrue) I’m a very private person. Just try to fish through my purse or rummage through my office without my expressed permission and see me turn into Linda Blair in seconds flat. I spend the majority of my time alone here in my studio working by myself in total isolation and quiet. Most of what I’m really thinking, feeling, experiencing I keep to myself. People know far less about me than they think they do, but perhaps they know more than they should. It’s a fine, fine line and I’m navigating it each and every day. I have decided to draw it though. I’ll be pointing to the line here in the coming days. I’ll be transparent as always, but perhaps just a tad more opaque when it comes to the personal.

Yes, Madge has drawn a line. She’s bedazzled it with hot fix crystals though, so it’s a very pretty line. On that note she says as she segues into a seemingly unrelated topic, I’m officially announcing that I, along with 19 other incredibly talented designers, have officially become an Ambassador for the Create Your Style initiative of the CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements brand. What that means is I’ll be teaching, blogging and promoting Swarovski’s CYSCSE crystal components in an official capacity for the next year.

Six years ago I sent a blind email to the info@ address on the Swarovski website. Someone contacted me back and I began a professional relationship with the folks at Swarovski. I’ve designed for them, consulted with them, advised them on new colors for beads (ahem, mocca brown was my idea which I nagged them about for two years...I swear!), was the speaker at their anniversary lunch and have taught for them at the Tucson Gem show for the past several years. Apparently I was the first person to contact them about product support for a book! This is why you should never even for a second doubt the power of believing in possibility. You never, ever know where it might lead.

Risk, dare, dream!

I’m off to do all three as I continue working on a TOP SECRET project. See the sparkly line...it’s right over there!

PS: Blogger decided to unfollow ALL of the blogs I follow for me. I'll be reinstating you over the next weeks so please forgive the mix up. I'm not rejecting you! Argh...Blogger.

xoxo
Margot

Final Free Mixed Media Jewelry Project from Beyond the Bead

Nice and Naughty Shrink Art Charms Copyright 2009 Beyond the Bead by Margot Potter
Nice and Naughty Shrink Art Charms Variation Copyright 2009 Beyond the Bead by Margot Potter

(Click on images to view close up!)

It's time for the final free project from my fabulous new mixed media techniques for the beader book...Beyond the Bead! Insert cries of unfettered glee and joyous abandon here.

This 'charming' project has a tale to tell. Originally these little flappers were a little more...shall we say...naughty. I was asked to consider covering them up just a skootch more and I agreed. It was never my intention to offend, I just have an affection for vintage pin up art. But only if it's naughty...and nice. It looks as if the Dover book I used is no longer in print, so I've provided a link to a fashion illustration title from the same period with less risque images. I've also included some variations I made using colored pencils and vintage Vogue pattern images from the 1940s. This is a pretty straightforward idea, you pick bold pen and ink images and you trace them on the shrink plastic. I'm all about make it easy and make it fun...this is a great project to do with kids (using kid appropriate images...of course!)

So without further drivel...here's your free project! Leave a comment and I'll randomly select a winner to be announced on April 1st. No fooling, tee hee. I'll be sending you a signed copy of the book, a jaunty Beyond the Bead promo button and a stash of CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements sparklies for your collection! Good luck! Oh and if you're on Facebook, would you consider joining my Fan Page? I'll announce upcoming events and airings on QVC there, share project debuts and links to what's new in Madge's world. Pretty please?

Nice and Naughty Shrink Art Charms
Copyright 2009 Margot Potter
Beyond the Bead for North Light Books

Are you a naughty girl? Do you love to dance on the edge of decency? Do you ‘rouge your knees and roll your stockings down’? Well, my little flapper girl, these nifty little shrink art charms are certain to suit your style. Vo dee oh doh!

*Any clean and simple black and white inked illustrations will work here. The bigger the better so you can really get the detail in before it shrinks! It’s important to use a very, very fine tipped market so you can really get the lines clean or the finished result could be lacking in definition. You can add more or less color depending on your mood.

Supplies
Dover Spot Illustrations Book
Rough and Ready shrink plastic
Ranger Adirondack pen red pepper
Ranger Archival Ink black
Micron 005 fine tipped black marker
4mm gun metal jump rings
Krylon silver leafing pen
Sheet of brown kraft paper cut to fit oven tray

Tools
Hole punch
Craft dedicated Toaster oven
Metal spatula
2 pairs chain nose pliers

1. Select images from book. Remember that they shrink a lot, so pick large detailed images for best results.
2. Trace images on rough side of plastic using a fine tipped marker.
3. Accent images with red marker.
4. Cut out images with sharp scissors making interesting shapes.
5. Create hole in top of image with hole punch.
6. Place images in preheated toaster oven on top of precut brown paper bag liner on oven tray.
7. Allow to shrink, use spatula to flatten any still curled images before cooling.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
9. Use metal leaf pen to edge images. Allow to dry.
10. Attach jump rings to charms.

Supplies
Rough and Ready Shrink Art Plastic Shrinky Dinks, Spot Illustrations Dover Books, Adirondack pen and Archival Ink Ranger, Micron pen Kuretake, Silver leafing pen Krylon, gun metal jump rings Rings n’ Things.

Hooked on The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys!

Book Review
The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys
Drew Emborsky
Lark Books 2009

Drew Emborsky has a subversive and irreverent sense of humor that is right in line with my own. He writes like I do, from the hip. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him at a large industry show a few months back and decided immediately we were kindred spirits. His designs are intriguing and his word stylings are equally so. You have to love a book of crochet designs focused on guys, because let’s face it that’s a niche begging to be filled. Drew fills it with total panache.

I have to be honest here, I don’t crochet. That being said, I recently bought a fancy crochet needle set and some new yarn in the hopes that I might find the time to explore a new hobby. My husband already happily sports the incredibly kooky hat I made him on the Knifty Knitter, so why not a crocheted companion piece? Interestingly enough my husband’s name is Drew too, talk about serendipity!

I like this book because it’s straight forward and it’s easy (and enjoyable) to read. Not every craft title has those qualities! The instructions are well written and the pictures show the designs as they would look on a body and not simply artfully draped over a series of props. The book design itself is appealing and easy to navigate. Drew’s lively voice encourages and prompts you in a manner that makes you feel as if you really can master a new hobby. Some of my personal fav projects include Pure Comfort a nauticalesque boat neck sweater I’d wear too and the Jock Block Hat and Scarf with its earthy and delicious color palette. Drew provides you with a basics section in the back of the book that gives you all the tools you need to master the book designs and even forge out on your own. There are skill levels, materials lists and stitch lists along with meticulous pattern guides for every project.

If you’re looking for a book that will spark your creativity, teach you some valuable skills and make you smile in the process, you’ve found it with The Crochet Dude’s Designs for Guys.

Life Crafting 101 with Madge

Montego Bay Jamaica Image Copyright 2009 Margot Potter

I’m prepping for a taped radio interview this morning from the folks at Reclaim U. It’s a motivational website. Motivation and inspiration are things we can all use in these trying times. I am a firm believer in creating reality, and I also know that sometimes chaos steps in and the best we can do is to trust. Trust our instincts. Trust our vision. Trust in the infinite power of unconditional love that is always working in our favor. Throw on your captain’s hat, batton down the hatches, tie down the sails, ride out the storm and believe.

We can be and do absolutely anything we can dream if we have faith and are willing to do the work. There is nothing that can stop us from creating a life of joy if we take the wheel of our ship and steer it towards a bright horizon. There is no hurdle, no wall, no obstacle we cannot overcome. It is entirely up to us. We are in control. We can’t hand it over to someone else or something else, but when we take the wheel we are in essence channeling the force we call God. I believe God is a verb, the act of unconditional love. We must love ourselves and others unconditionally if we want to live fully. It has to start with self love, because if we judge ourselves harshly or lack self belief, how can we ever love anyone else fully? The key is to follow the basic tenets of unconditional love. Compassion...patience...yes I said patience...and faith. Faith is the x-factor because it’s entirely intangible. If you can believe in yourself as a perfect creation with a mission to become the fullest expression of who you are in order to fulfill the journey you selected before you joined this crazy experiment; then you can manifest anything.

Your job is to become you. Your life is a process of becoming. When you begin the process, you inspire others to do the same. You inspire the people whom you love and the people you may never know. Your fearlessness allows others to shed fear and embrace love. Don’t listen to that voice that says, "Can’t, no, stop"...the voice that makes you feel small and insignificant, because you are anything but. You have the power to change the world, starting with you. Even in the darkness, even in the depths of the most painful moments of your life, you can choose joy. And when you choose joy, abundance comes along for the ride. There will be stormy seas and there will be sunny skies. There will be joy and there will be sorrow. In the Tao it is all the same.

When we take control, when we seize the joy we so richly deserve, our capacity for love expands exponentially.

Carpe Gaudium!

Avast and ahoy, me hearties!

This is my ‘free project’ for today, tune in tomorrow for a ‘free project’ from my new book Beyond the Bead. Consider today “Life Crafting 101 with Madge.”

xoxo
Dread Pirate Maggie

Scout's Honor.

Lacy Bridal Set by Margot Potter for Beadalon Copyright 2007

It's a whirlwind of activity here at Studio Margot. I'm knee deep in deadlines and feeling the squeeze. I will have one final free project from Beyond the Bead for your entertainment and edification tomorrow along with a giveaway and maybe I'll see the light at the end of the tunnel sometime soon! I'll also post some travel pics on my other blog sometime this week too. No really, these aren't just a bunch of empty promises!

...really...I pinky swear promise. Scout's honor.

So you don't feel totally neglected, here's a link to a set I designed for Beadalon. This is all about tension, so you'll have to find the right beads and diameter of wire to make it work just right, but it's a very pretty, open and lacy look that's really great for the looming warmer months!

If only I had more arms and more hours in a day...or magical helpers. Heck maybe a few leprechauns will have some free time tomorrow...

xoxo
Madge

Back in the Saddle Again!

We got in last night from Jamaica. We had a lovely time. Except for Dad because he got sick. Up until said sickness, Dad had a lovely time too. I have stories to share and pics to show, but my straw pile got rather large while I was away and there are deadlines that simply must be met regardless of vacations. I shall return hopefully sooner than later to regale you with tall tales and stories of derring do.

And no...I did not really go to the nude beach. I'd burn like a hush puppy at a fish fry if I did, but I couldn't resist the photo op

Pssst: If you're waiting for a blog prize package from me, I promise to ship them out this week. I got a little behind and ran out of time!)

xoxo,
Madge

No Worries, Mon

Illustration Copyright Enoch Bolles

Our trip to Jamaica begins tomorrow early, early when we drive to the airport. I woke up at 2am this morning and could not get back to sleep. Apparently I was practicing. We have a layover...ergh. That means customs in the second city, which I'm hoping doesn't mean baggage claim and lugging our bags around the airport because I'm just not that into it. Look I'm a girl who needs to bring a variety of outfits, shoes, hats and accessories. I want to be prepared for whatever fashion emergency I might confront. I'm not a tank top and scruffy shorts kinda gal. I check my bags because there are huge bottles of 50 plus sunscreen in them. It's just the way it is! Yet another reason why I need a personal assistant!

I like the travel part, once you get to the destination. I just hate the hassle of flying. Remember when flying was fun...well except for the food. I actually miss the food now. Going through security is a nightmare. It takes so long to strip and pull all of your crap out of your bags and then shove it all back in while hopping on one foot and trying to get your other shoe on fast enough for the grumpy people behind you. Sheesh. Give a girl a second will ya?!

I got buried in work yesterday so my bedazzled 'Vamp' swimsuit is still unbedazzled. I'm hoping to rectify that today. I'll share with the class when I get back. I did finish two really cool projects that I can't share until they publish. I had a moment yesterday while rebuilding one of them thinking about how the simplest, repetitive patterns are often the easiest ones to screw up. It took three tries to get that danged bracelet right. Is that a metaphor for life? Methinks...yes.

I won't be plugged in AT ALL during our trip. So please don't email me or leave comments unless you are willing to wait until Monday for a response or approval. I intend to sit my booty on a hammock, sip tasty beverages from pineapples and enjoy the scenery for five fabulous days! WOO HOO! Congrats to Holly Davis of Girl's Night Out Designs for winning last week's Exposed contest! Email me at theimpatientcrafter@gmail.com with your snail mail addy and I'll get your prize shipped out after we get back!

Until my most auspicious return...craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo
Madge

The Not Very Miraculous Miracle Suit and the AC Moore Event

With The Fantabulous Robin Beam at AC Moore

Hi Gang!

Two more days until we leave for Jamaica and I am SO looking forward to it. I really need a tropical getaway to refresh and refocus. We're all counting the minutes here at the Potter Homestead. Got our house and animal sitter lined up, clothes picked out to pack, gallons of 50 plus sunscreen for our fair skin and hats...ya gotta have hats! After the AC Moore event on Saturday we zipped over to Macy's to pick up a bathing suit for moi. I had ordered a few from Newport News last week and paid for expedited shipping, only to discover that they'd neglected to let me know two of the suits were on back order. Hullo. So I cancelled them and did some online research. Macy's seemed to have a decent selection.

Avalon is my style advisor so she bravely joined me in the dressing room for a parade of ill fitting and highly unflattering swimsuits. I hope that one day she recovers from the experience. Good LORD what is it with the people who make bathing suits?! I think they're sadists. If you can't rock a bikini, you don't have a lot of options. I like a swimdress, but give me a little cleavage action and make the skirt long enough to cover my arse! If it was worth revealing, I'd rock a bikini! Let me accentuate the positive! Show me some retro fabulosity that has colorful and lively fabrications and all of those little details that divert the eye from things we don't wish to hilight! I've decided that I need to design a line of bathing suits and resort wear for real women, meaning the majority of us who aren't built like 14 year old boys with huge boobs. Just because we aren't a size 2 doesn't mean we want to look frumpy. Seriously, I think that's a gold mine!

But I digress...

I tried on a 'Miracle Suit.' The only miracle is that I managed to get it on and get it back off again without a large shoehorn or a team of mules. It got stuck half way over my tushie and I was seriously worried we might have to have it surgically removed. We were laughing so hard we both collapsed on the dressing room floor while I flailed about like a beached sea elephant! I finally managed to get it on and looked like a very lumpy sausage stuffed into a tiny casing! Thankfully the retro 40s style shirred 'vamp maillot' Jantzen suit fit like a glove and shoved the lumps into a delightful hourglass shape. Huzzah! I plan to bedazzle it, because it was only available in black and it needs a little pizazz. This is why I love being crafty, I can trick out any fashion item in a flash. Break out the hot fix crystals and the sew on stones and call me Esther Williams!

I had a great time with the AC Moore folks and everyone who made the earrings seemed really pleased. They were easy to make and they looked quite fetching, so it was a win-win. Most folks aren't going to sit down for too long, so I made it a short attention span concept. My bestest buddy Ms. Robin Beam came to support me, which was super sweet of her. I just adore Ms. Robin!

I'm finishing up some samples for a new book query and fine tuning the concept so I can hopefully get it off in the mail before we go along with a couple of magazine projects that are due. Then we're off to Jamaica to unwind for a few days. No worries, mon.

xoxo
Madge

TastyLinks Saturday!

Illustration Copyright Enoch Bolles

I'm off to my special appearance at the Moorestown New Jersey AC Moore grand re-opening! Every AC Moore in the country will be offering a free make it/take it today designed by yours truly! So if you've got an AC Moore in your town, go whip up a pair of swingy little earrings! Before I go, here are the links from the crafty bloggers! I'll be back Monday. Until then...craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo
Madge

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery Cell phone car chargers get revamped with help from Jennifer Perkins' New Book-Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girl's Guide to Handmade Jewelry.

Naughty Secretary Club Every Monday in March Jen is giving away a different craft book! Read the book reviews and then leave a comment for your chance to win titles like Sew Darn Cute, Plexi Class, Canvas Remix and more

Layers Upon Layers This is "Book Arts month" on Layers Upon Layers!

Cross Stitch at About.com Connie has charted her favorite Irish Blessing for you to stitch and enjoy.

Crafty Princess Diaries Exercise your brain by crafting. That's right. According to a recent study, you can make your brain smarter by crafting.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world There are a couple of fabulous tutorials on how to sew a cuffed hem and a paper bead, wild photos from my night with the stars at Robert Vetica's Book launch party for Good To Great Hair, an interview with Garth Johnson author of the upcoming 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse and if you want to be a part of the book the deadline for submissions has been extended to March 13th!

Cathie Filian Get poppy and modern with Cathie's easy technique for making one-of-a-kind "Warholesque" art.

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner Swelldesigner shares a childhood craft memory all about Scribbles Paint!

Aileen's Musings Make it a banner day and enter Aileen's blog challenge and giveaway!

About Family Crafts Discover how to make your own craft suppies.

The Impatient Crafter Check out this video to kick off Craft Month at Crafty Nation. Madge shows you how to make a jaunty mixed media nautical pendant!

Top Secret

Illustration Copyright Enoch Bolles

I'm plugging away at samples for a new book query.

Unfortunately as I'm working on this query I can't show you a thing. Not a thing. Can't show you a thing until the book is sold and published. That's the way of it. I can't give it all away. A gal has to eat ya know!

There's also no guarantee this idea will sell. I think it's a unique enough concept that it's got legs, but it's a tough market right now. There are a LOT of jewelry making books on the shelves. Publishers aren't taking risks because they can't afford to. Even when the economy is booming, craft titles aren't exactly huge money makers. It's just another way to get your name out there and build your brand.

I'm also putting the kits together for my AC Moore class in Moorestown, NJ tomorrow. This is the grand re-opening of the first AC Moore and the kick off for Craft Month, so it's a pretty big deal. If you live in the area, please consider stopping by for the make it take its or taking the class. I'd love to meet you!

Until tomorrow...craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo
Madge

Final Free Jewelry Project from Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed by designer Fernando Dasilva

Here's the final free project/sneak peek into the fabulous new book Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed by Fernando Dasilva, Katie Hacker and Margot Potter from FW Media and North Light Books! I'll be giving away one final copy of the book with a set of 2 ocean blue tear drop multi color CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski elements pendants like the ones shown above! Leave a comment and I'll announce the winner here next Tuesday before we head off for our Jamaican getaway! Last week's winner is: Shaiha of Love Romances and More blog. Please email me at theimpatientcrafter@gmail.com with your snail mail address so I can get your prize out to you!

Design by Fernando Dasilva
Golden Glow earrings
Featured items: Satin gold cube bead bumpers, German style wire, pinch bails, modern ear posts
Copyright 2009 Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed for North Light Books by Fernando Dasilva, Katie Hacker and Margot Potter

Fernando says, "My mother never goes out in public without at least a pair of earrings. I know there are many women like her, and that led me to envision a pair of slim and elegant drop earrings suitable for many occasions. I paired polished surfaces with rubber textures. The result, I think, is an updated version of the traditional drop earring. Incorporating the square Crystallized™-Swarovski Elements buttons with teardrop crystals and satin gold bead bumpers™ results in an edgy but wearable design."

Materials
2 14mm light Colorado topaz square crystal buttons
2 24 x 12mm Terrenum long tear drop crystal pendants
14 4mm gold plated light weight jump rings
2 gold plated modern ear post
4 gold plated pinch bails
50 1.7mm satin gold cube bead bumpers
16” 24 gauge gold plated German style wire

Tools
Beadstrom™ chain nose pliers
Beadstrom™ round nose pliers
Beadstrom™ flush cutter
Mighty crimp tool

Instructions
1. Use the outside jaw of the mighty crimper tool to attach 1 pinch bail to each hole of one square button. Be gentle using the crimper tool otherwise the edges of the button will chip.

2. Attach one pinch bail to the long tear drop; use the same techniques applied on step 1.

3. Using chain nose pliers wrap one of the tips of German style wire to the tear drop assembled on step 2; place the tip of wire into the edge of pinch bail and turning around its neck twice; trim excess wire and tuck the tip under the wrapped portion.

4. String 25 gold satin bead bumpers onto the German style wire; wrap around the tear drop on vertical position and finish the same way was done in step 3. Make sure the wire was wrapped tightly around the crystal tear drop and then trim excess wire.

5. Open 1 4mm round jump rings and slide through tear drop’s pinch bail ring and then close gently. Attach a second jump ring following same directions.

6. Open a 6mmm round jump ring and string 4 bead bumpers into it.

7. Repeat step 5 to attach 2 others 4mm round jump rings to square button pinch bail and then attach it to 6mm jump ring;

8. Attach the portion finished on step 7 to 2 round jump rings and then attached to a single jump ring previously attached to modern ear post;

9. Repeat all steps for second earring.

Fernando's Tips
* Use the tip of chain nose pliers to create a subtle kink to the side of the German style wire adding an extra interesting feature around the tear drop crystal. It will end up with a sort of a lightening shaped design.
* Space bead bumpers strung onto the 6mm jump ring to add enhanced texture.
* You are welcome to replace button shape (e.g. round or oval) and also to create a different color contrast.

There are detailed step by step photos in the book!

National Craft Month Crafty Nation Guest Video!

My dear friends Jim Long aka New Media Jim (one of the top Twitterati) and the effervescent and infectiously happy Ms. Toni Lyn of Crafty Nation fame visited us here at the schoolhouse a while back. I whipped up a last minute video project idea they filmed, edited and posted it on their site to kick off Craft Month! How cool is that? This what you might call a more subdued Madge! I love this necklace, can't wait for some warmer weather so I can sport it to the yacht club.

Cheers,
Madge



Crafty Nation Margot Potter-How to Make a "Sparkletastic" Pendant From Scratch! from Crafty Nation on Vimeo.

AC Moore Event This Saturday!

Pop Art Poppy Necklace Set for AC Moore copyright Margot Potter 2009

Swingy Springy Earrings for AC Moore copyright 2009 Margot Potter

(Click on images to view close-up)

I’ll be making a special appearance at the Moorestown AC Moore in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey this coming Saturday! From 1-3pm we’ll be doing make it-take its featuring Beadalon® QuickLinks™ to make the Swingy Springy Earrings above. I’ll also have books to sell and sign. My lovely family will be there with me along with my dear friend Robin Beam (Director of Education for AC Moore.)

I’ll be teaching a class from 3:30-5:00 that evening. We’ll be making the saucy little Pop Art Poppy necklace and earring combo above using QuickLinks™, CRYSTALLIZED™-Swarovski Elements and these gorgeous ceramic poppy beads from the Blue Moon Beads Enchanted Planet™ line.

If you live in the area, please consider taking the class or stopping in to whip up a pair of earrings with me. I’d love to meet you!

Here's the address and phone number if you want to sign-up for the class. It's 25 dollars plus you have to purchase the pendant set. I will provide tools for use in the class, the rest of the materials and my witty repartee.

Moorestown AC Moore
1190 Nixon Drive
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054
856-235-3880

Check back Wednesday for one last free project from Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed with a final giveaway!

xoxo
Madge