Studio Saturday with Erin Siegel

Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard.
The following week we choose a random winner.

This week's winner is Erin S.! Congratulations! You have won a Time Flies Pendant from Gaea! Send Gaea an email with your address and she will get your prize out to you soon!

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This week we visit the studio of

Erin Siegel of Erin Siegel Jewelry

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 My Bead Fest 2012 Instructor Badge

 I had the pleasure of attending the Bead Fest Summer show in Philadelphia last weekend. It's a great bead show. I went last year but, this year, I didn't just attend the show, I taught at it! Yep, I've had my first experience teaching at a national bead show. This was a personal goal of mine and a major milestone for me. I enjoy teaching very much. I've taught lots of classes at local bead shops, but this is on a whole different level. It sure was a wonderful feeling to hang that official badge around my neck! I felt so professional. It was a privilege and a feeling I'll never forget, but I'll be the first to admit that badge sure does come with a whole lot of hard work and dedication. The amount of planning, prepping and preparing to teach a class at this show was like nothing I've ever experienced before. It's a joyous kind of work that I love doing, but boy oh boy, you sure do need to be prepared, love what you do, love to teach, and be on top of your game to pull this off successfully. I have a lot of respect for all those instructors out there. I know first hand that they must absolutely love every ounce of what they create and love to teach it! I think this must be true because it is true for me. 

 Bohemian Knotted Earrings

I taught my Bohemian Knotted Earrings Workshop. I adore these earrings. I love to make them, I love to wear them, I love all the materials I use in them and I love the simple knotting techniques used to create them. They are very "me" and I love everything about them. I figure if I love my earrings that much, then maybe someone else might like them, too. Well, I think I was right about that because six very nice ladies signed up for my workshop to learn how to make them! I was thrilled.

 Bohemian Knotted Earring Kit 

featuring artisan metal components by Miss Fickle Media.

I was well prepared for class. Each student received a Bohemian Knotted Earrings Kit. The kits include all the materials to make each of the 3 styles of earrings in the workshop. "Sun Earrings", " Fringe Earrings" and "Chandelier Earrings". The kits contain Irish waxed linen cord, colorful gemstone rounds and artisan metal links and ear wires handmade by Shannon LeVart of Miss Fickle Media. I commissioned Shannon early in the year to make these components for me. Her handmade metalwork makes all the difference in the finished pieces.

 Cover page of my Bohemian Knotted Earrings Tutorial

Each student also received a spiral-bound, hand-out that included materials lists, clear instructions,  step-by-step photos and a resources list . For me, a thorough hand-out is a vital part of teaching a successful class. It really helps the class to run smoothly and each student can follow along easily even if everyone is working at a different pace. I received lots of positive feedback from students about how much they loved and appreciated the hand-out booklet. My first experience teaching at a national bead show was a good one and well worth all the effort I put into it. Each student enjoyed the class immensely and that is the most important thing to me. In fact, I even received some really awesome complements at the end of class from seasoned workshop attendees!

I know not everyone can get the opportunity to attend a show, let alone take a class or workshop. There are a multitude of reasons that might be the case for many people. So, I've decided to turn my Bohemian Knotted Earrings Workshop into a downloadable PDF TUTORIAL! I've heard from quite a few that expressed interest in my class, but could not travel to attend it in person.  I'm so very excited to offer my workshop in this way. Now, you can purchase my Bohemian Knotted Earrings Tutorial along with my Bohemian Knotted Earring Kit in my Etsy shop. I hope many more will enjoy making these earring designs as much as I do.They are so much fun to make!

Now for my questions for you this week:

Do you take any beading/jewelry-making classes at shows or local bead shops?

Have you taken any online classes or workshops? or downloaded any tutorials or patterns online?

Leave a comment answering any of these questions and you will be entered for a chance to win a digital copy of my 20-page, full-color photo, Bohemian Knotted Earrings TUTORIAL. The PDF file will be sent to the winner via email once I receive the winner's email address.

Thanks for joining me today and happy creating!

Erin Siegel is a jewelry designer, beading instructor and co-author of the jewelry book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather, Ribbon and Cords. To find out more, visit her blog: Erin Siegel Jewelry.