Checkin In...

Hi everyone!

For many reasons, I seem to be a behinder this year, with only 8 pieces complete. I've been quilting, knitting and writing, but not beading for a while. However, last Tuesday, joy of joys, I finally got back to my beads! Soon I hope to complete September's BJP and move along to October.

In the meantime, I have registered for BJP 2011! I am SO looking forward to a new year, this time with no pre-planned theme or self-imposed "rules." By giving myself some rules this year, I learned a lot and discovered some new likes and dislikes about my art. But, now I'm tired of restricting myself to working on felt and bored with the words. Next year? No rules!

Have YOU registered yet? I hope so! If not and you're planning on it, better do it today, cuz the deadline is fast approaching.

You might want to check my current Beadlust post about getting a hard copy of your blog printed. It's here.

Cheers and beady blessings,
Robin A.

Paris is finished

I have finished the third piece. a long way behind but still plodding along.
diane's beadwork blog
Diane Lithgow

Slow progress

I have found a coin - no lira in the house but a suitable face found on an old brazillian coin so i have tried a new method of bezeling with brick stitch and then peyote. I can tell i was tired when doing it as not very even but hoping to finish today as the weather is shocking.

see my blog for what else I have been stitching diane's beadwork blog

Diane, New Zealand

August BJP is on my Blog!

Hi everyone!


I just posted my August piece (detail above) here.

I've been missing on the BJP blog scene and feel very badly about it. The reasons are partly personal issues in my life right now and a ton of other obligations, projects, house guests, travel, etc. that have kept me waaaay too busy. There's more of all that on the horizon, but for the next three days, I hope plan to get caught up reading your blogs and seeing all the creative work being done in the BJP!!! And later this week, I want to will write another post about one way to finish BJP pieces that can give them a place in the fine art world.

Reminder... Once you have completed 8 BJP pieces for the year, you are eligible to put them on our BJP website on your own personal page!!! (Here's how your personal page will look... mine from the first year.) There are directions for how to send in your pictures on the website, here. (These are actually directions for last year's BJP, but they are the same for this year.) I look forward to seeing some of your pages and pictures soon. It's so neat to see them all together in a group, don't you think?

Please forgive my recent absence from active blogging... I'm sooooooooo excited to have a day to catch up and see your work!

Beady hugs,
Robin A.

Invitation

Hi Everybody!

I've been gone 6 weeks (pre-vacation, 2 wks in AZ, post-vacation and then the coughing virus... now finally, I'm back! I'm also seriously a behinder.... Today is set aside for catching up on BJP blogs. Tomorrow I promise you, I'll get to work on my March BJP... that's a PROMISE!

Now, the invitation...

I am a contributing writer for Creative Beading magazine
(Woodlands Publishing, Australia) and would like to mention the bead journal
project in my news column if this is ok with you. If so I would love some images
jpeg 2mb in size if possible. Many thanks
Regards
Sue Cordes
susan.cordes@bigpond.com

I replied to Sue that she's welcome to write about the BJP for her magazine. However, I have no control over the images posted by our members. I suggested to her that I would post her invitation on our blog and anybody who is interested can send her an image or two directly. So there you have it... I hope some of you will respond!

Pictures on our three BJP blogs ~ Just a reminder that you can now post pictures of your BJP pieces on our three BJP blogs! If you have a personal blog, it's really fun to post a teaser, an image that shows only a small detail of your piece, here and a link to a post on your own blog where we can see the pictures of your full piece.

I'm so impressed with all the BJP work I'm seeing this year. Everyone is stretching, getting out of the box, learning... It's amazing, beautiful and creative!!!!

Robin A.

Photoshop Class

Hi BJPers and CONGRATS on all the finished pieces!!!!! You are sooooooooo fine!!!! I'm almost there... maybe today.

Thought you might want to know... One of our members, Christi C. (Sweetpea Path) has signed up to take an on-line Photoshop class, here. It still has openings.

Today I spent some time reading about the class, looking at the instuctor's (Susan Tuttle) blog, Susan's Flickr page and some of her students' work on Flickr. It looks to me like her class would offer individual attention, flexibility and basic training in photo editing using either Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS. She says that a free, current version of Photoshop Elements is available to students to download for the class. It's a trial offer by Photoshop, so you don't get to keep it forever, but it means you could try it for the class and see if you like it.

Maybe one (or more?!) of you wants to join Christi in the class???!!!!

Cheers and have fun with February!

Robin A.

Smoothing Out the Wrinkles ~ Blog Woes to be Resolved ASAP!

Hi BJPers!

As some of you know, we're having some wrinkles with the blogs this year. The issue is that we have close to 300 members, which means all three blogs are full to the maximum capacity. Initially we had the four angels and me as authors on all four blogs. We had to take ourselves off in order to make space for everyone.

Still there are wrinkles... we don't have a final "Authors List" for Blog #1 yet. Also there are a few of you who still haven't responded to your invitation to be an author.

Good news... YOU can help!!!

1. If you wish to write posts (be an author) on one of the BJP blogs, but do not yet have authorization, please contact me... robin [at] robinatkins [dot] com. Give me your name (plus any aka names you use for blogging), your email address (the one you want to use for the invitation), your city and state/country. For the subject of your email, use "BJP - blog author problem". I will make sure to re-send your invitation.

2. If you are listed incorrectly on Blog #2 or #3 "Authors List," please contact me... robin [at] robinatkins [dot] com. Give me your name and the correction you wish to have us make. For the subject of your email, use "BJP - blog author listing correction"

3. If you are on Blog #1, please be patient with us a little longer. We'll try to get the "Author List" posted as soon as we can.

4. If you are double listed or even more importantly, if you are authorized to write posts on more that one of the BJP blogs, please contact me... robin [at] robinatkins [dot] com. Give me your name (plus any aka names you use for blogging), and explain the double listing. For the subject of your email, use "BJP - double listing"

Thanks so much!!! We understand how important it is to be able to post! In the meantime, have fun with your January BJP and reading all the fascinating posts here!

Robin A.

Be Sure to Check Comments!

Hi Everybody and thanks for all the introductory posts! Wow!!! What a diverse and lively group we have... on all three blogs!

Two thoughts...

1. Try to make time to read all three BJP blogs. You can leave comments on all of them, but write posts only on your assigned blog.

2. After you write a post to your assigned blog, please check back a few times over the next week to see if anyone has left comments for you!

I notice that on one of our three blogs there are lots of commenters... Bravo!!! Comments are a wonderful way to build community... keep it up!

Hope you're all busy beading and stitching (or painting, pasting, stamping, or....) on your first BJP piece for the year!!! Me? Well, I haven't started yet... However, I have given myself this evening and tomorrow to be in my studio with ONLY my Jan. BJP!!!!!

Have a very beady new year!
Robin A.

Welcome Everyone to the 2010 Bead Journal Project

We begin the third year of the BJP with 287 members, many of whom are returning to the project after participating in either or both of the previous years! A special warm welcome to our new members! For you, it may seem bewildering or even a little scary. Not to worry, you’ll soon find your groove. The BJP blogs will help, as you can post questions here any time.

To both returning and new members, please read the following guidelines! I believe they will help us all to stick with our commitment to this one-year project!

Relax and have fun with it! Bend the rules a little if you need to. The commitment you’ve made is 100% for YOU, for your own benefit and enjoyment. So, each month, as you begin your piece, try to please yourself… not me, not the other members, not your beady friends… YOU!

There are only three basic rules… A. Make one piece a month. B. Include some beads on each piece. C. Make all 12 of your pieces the same size/shape.

If your initial plan/idea doesn’t work for you, change it! In the past two years, I notice some members dropping out because their plan/idea was too ambitious or sometimes because it suited the first few months but didn’t fit well after that. You are free to make changes anytime during the year.

You don’t have to apply a theme to your work, although some find working with a theme very compelling. But, if you start with a theme and later get tired of it, feel free to let it go at any time.
Consistency will naturally happen. You do not have to strive for it. Actually, it’s not a problem at all if your work seems inconsistent!

The BJP is non-competitive! Each and every piece is valid. Each and every piece has merit. Each and every piece is an important step in your personal development as an artist and craftsperson. Each and every piece is an accomplishment! We are a supportive group, encouraging each member to do what works for them in the best way they can. Try to look at your own work with the same non-judgmental eyes that you would use for the work of others in the project.

There are no BJP police! You don’t have to post pictures. You do not have to report to anybody that you finished your piece each month. You can bend the size rule (that all 12 pieces should be the same size and shape) if it will keep you active in the project. Although we encourage you to do one piece per month, you can start a month’s piece early, do two in one month, skip a month… again, whatever it takes to keep yourself active.

There are many possibilities to explore each month! You might try visual journaling or telling the story of your life during this month in a visual way. You might set yourself a learning goal, such as to try one new technique each month. You might consider using your BJP pieces to “get out of the box” and experiment with colors, design and/or style. You are free to set your own goals for the year’s work, if you wish.

If you’re looking for inspiration, I suggest looking at the member pages on the BJP website, here and here. You are eligible to have your own member page when you have completed 8 pieces for this year. Also, I posted pictures of 42 of my favorite pieces from last year’s BJP on my blog, here.

Don’t stress about finishing… about how you will finish each month’s piece or what you will do with the year’s work. Some members have a clear idea of what they want to make with their pieces at the end of the year; many do not know at all. Some will create a wall hanging or a book-like assemblage, while others may not make anything at all with their pieces. Either way is fine. Remember, the real payoff of this work is doing it each month!

You are not required to have a personal blog or website. You don’t even have to take pictures of your finished pieces. All of that is voluntary. However, it’s my impression that those who do post about their BJP experiences and progress on a personal blog seem to develop a wonderful sense of support and community with other BJP members. So, although it’s not required, I do encourage you to give blogging a try.

The BJP blogs are your link to the group! We do have a few guidelines about the blogs as follows:

1. We have three BJP blogs because Blogger limits every group-blog to a maximum of 100 authors. To accommodate all of us, we have divided the group into three equal sub-groups. You are assigned to one sub-group and are able to write a post on that blog only. However, I encourage you to follow and read all three blogs!

2. All posts must be relevant to the BJP. In other words, please don’t post text or pictures about other beadwork you are doing on the BJP blogs. However, when you believe it would be of interest to most BJP members, you may post a sentence or two about a non-BJP topic and a link to a post about that topic on your own personal blog.

3. Please do not post pictures of your monthly pieces on the BJP blogs until after April 1st. The reason for this is that some members prefer not to be influenced by other member’s work until after their own style is set a little. You are welcome to post pictures on your own blog (if you have one) or on our Flickr page at any time. During the first three months, you are welcome to post a link on the BJP blogs to pictures posted elsewhere so that those members who are non concerned about being influenced can take a look. After April l, you may post pictures of your BJP pieces here on the BJP blogs.

4. Please, no movies or sound on the BJP blogs! We want to keep it easy and fast to download. Also, since we’ll have well over 1,000 posts by the end of the year, we have to be mindful of Bloggers “space limits.”

That’s about it, folks! Thanks for taking the time to read through these guidelines. If you have any questions, feel free to post them on the BJP blog or email them to me. Now it’s time to pick up some beads and get started!

Again, welcome everyone! I am in awe of you all for making this commitment and I totally look forward to getting to know you and seeing your BJP pieces!

Beadily yours,

Robin Atkins
Founder of the BJP