2012 is almost over and I feel like I've gotten nowhere. Somewhere along the line of the past couple years, I've stopped entering beading competitions. Discouraging, I know, but I just got tired of expending all of my energy on them. So, I threw myself into making tutorial for magazines instead!! Last year I did great with this; I got published three or four times (one of those being BEADWORK on the first attempt ever!)
However, this year I've been in kind of a slump. My good editors have been sending back rejections. No hard feelings on my end, I promise. I'm used to the sting after having entered so many competitions. Maybe they were just practice for the things that really count? I also had a virtually done deal fall through. The contract was signed and everything when the editor contacted me two months before the publication date to tell me my article wouldn't fit. Boo.
On top of the lack of printed material in my life I had an emotional setback a couple weeks ago. I woke up early one morning to start sorting my book shelf. I was going to go through it and take out anything I'd never get around to reading. That done, I went to my stack of magazines (the ones I'm published in) to sort out the doubles in the hopes of passing them off to beading buddies who might want them. I have an upcoming destash giveaway that I'm planning. :-)
The whole stack was covered in mold on the bottom!! Eeewww....and some of the pages were sticking together from the moisture. It turns out the water from my bathtub seeped under the wall and rotted everything out. I can't win. :-(
I cried like a baby. I mean wept with tears streaming down my face and everything. My wonderful JD helped me get composed and suggested that I scan the pages before tossing the stack, which is exactly what I did. The whole thing was a bit silly, me crying over magazines that I could just go re-order, but my hard work was destroyed and I had no clue it was happening.
Then last week, I got this in the mail!!!!!!!
Bead Trends December 2012. I have to say that this magazine has by far the least hassle free submission process I've ever seen. You just upload your personal information, project summary, and images on an online form through the North Ridge Publishing website. Easy peasy. The deadline is the 25th of every month, submissions are reviewed, and they contact you by the 3rd to send the rest of the materials via email by the 13th. I had no clue there would be such a quick turnaround! Yikes! Illustrate, write, and send instructions with the piece in just over a week. I couldn't have done it without JD's help.
Here is my Copper Garden necklace they published.
Photo by Bead Trends Magazine staff. |
I am always astounded at the photographic quality of the staff. :-) They make my work look so much better than I could ever imagine doing myself. And their use of props is always amazing.
They also did justice to my diagrams, but you'll have to purchase the magazine to see them. Go check it out! I'm excited to see that they have a digital version for sale, for those of you who may also have mold problems in your home.
Long post aside, I have a mostly clean apartment, another publication under my belt, and a more positive outlook. To purchase the necklace, please visit my Etsy store.
Tune in next time for:
Tamara Has a Giveaway!
OR
Tamara Gives Out Her Warp Method
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