Karen Landis

Feeling Bad (About Your Work) Is Good

Karen — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:28:30 +0000

Ira Glass, of This American Life, gives such sage advice for anyone who makes things that I had to share this video with you. When you’re struggling with a technique, when you’re disappointed in a design, when you break a piece because you pushed it further than it was meant to go, ask yourself what Ira would do? And in your head (or online), you’ll hear him say, “”It takes a while. It’s going to take you a while. It’s normal to take a while. You just have to fight your way through that. Okay? You will be fierce, you will be a warrior, and you will make things that aren’t as good as you know in your heart you want them to be.” But as he mentions earlier in the video, the cure is “do a lot of work”.

Valentine’s Day Craft Attack At Amelie’s

Karen — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:46:23 +0000

Yay! I will be participating in the Valentine’s Day Craft Attack at Amelie’s on Saturday, February 6th from noon to 5 pm. I’m furiously making red and white jewelry to stock my table with. Ok, not everything is red and white but I have made a few Valentine inspired pieces.

If you’re not familiar with Craft Attack, it’s the brain child of the Hornet’s Nest Crafters (Charlotte’s very own Etsy Street Team). Craft Attack started as an outdoor show and they’ve added a few informal, mini versions at Amelie’s. Haven’t been to Amelie’s yet? You don’t know what you’re missing. It’s a 24 hour French bakery and cafe in NoDa. They have amazing baked goods but I also heart their soup.

If you’re in the area, you should stop by!

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Transform With The Metamorph

Karen — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:47:51 +0000

This is a design I created for a necklace that can be worn in its longest state or taken apart to wear as separate pieces. Take a look at how to wear my “Metamorph” design.

Examples of necklaces created with my Metamorph design:
Quartz with Blue and Green Swarovski Crystal
Quartz and Pink Swarovski Crystal
Quartz, Swarovski Pearl and Crystal
(the necklace in the video has already been sold)

Change It Up With The Changeling

Karen — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:23:06 +0000

This is a design I created for a necklace that can be adjusted to adapt to different neckline styles. Here’s how to wear my “Changeling”.

Examples of necklaces created with my Changeling design:
Opalite with Chain Tassel (necklace in video)
Lime Turquoise and Peridot
Fossil Coral and Carnelian
Mookaite, African Opal, Hematite, Swarovski Crystal and Jasper

How To Wear A Look Look Look Necklace

Karen — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:30:14 +0000

Since some of my pieces offer more than one “wearing opportunity”, the Hornet’s Nest Crafters suggested I create a few videos to show you how each design works. Here’s the idea behind my “Look Look Look” necklaces.

Examples of necklaces created with my Look Look Look design:
Crazy Lace Agate, Hematite and Black Labradorite (necklace in video)
Jasper, Carnelian and Smoky Quartz with Hand Forged Wire Rings
Wood Jasper, Bronzite and Freshwater Pearl
Jet Swarovski Crystals with Hand Forged Wire Rings

Color, Color, Everywhere

Karen — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:11:01 +0000

I agreed to give a presentation at the October Beadaholics meetup on applying color theory to jewelry designs. As I’m doing research for it, I thought I’d post the sites I use as references. Why wait, right?

Fashion Trendsetter has a fabulous color trends section. I love the Lenzing Textile & Color Trends Autumn/Winter 2010/11 booklet you can download (look for the pdf download on the right). It’s color trend heaven. I’m also using the Interfilière Fashion & Color Trends Summer 2010. I took the forecasts with me to several bead shows to help keep me on track. It can be overwhelming to try to pull together colors on the spur of the moment. A little color prep goes a long way.

Several sites make the Pantone color forecasts available. Fire Mountain Gems has lovely pages for the Fall/Winter 2009-2010 and the Spring/Summer 2010 colors posted. They also offer the Color Association of the United States color forecasts. You can download pdf files for each of these.

If you print a color forecast, be aware of the differences that can occur if you don’t have decent ink in your printer. I sometimes have to run a test sheet to get the ink flowing properly because I don’t print that often. Luckily, I have a little Canon printer that does a pretty good job with color.

You should really check out all of these sites (and look for more) to determine what color palettes work for you. You may not want to be a slave to color trends but you should know what they are. It’s also educational to read the descriptions of and inspirations behind the trends.

Thomasville Show Coming Up

Karen — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:14:53 +0000

I’ll have a booth in the Everybody’s Day festival in Thomasville, NC on September 26th. The first Everybody’s Day Festival was held in 1908. It is North Carolina’s Oldest Festival. There will be approximately 145 arts & crafts vendors, a children’s area, three entertainment stages and a golf tournament. The show is sponsored by the Thomasville Medical Center. I’m pretty excited about setting up that Trimline canopy I bought on Ebay this summer and of course, showing my jewelry. Can’t wait. So much to do to get ready!