DISCOVERY AT A CONVENTION
I first saw perler bead crafts at a local convention here in RVA. I immediately took a liking to them and a friend encourage me to give it a try. And I did.
My first series of creations were shoddy and awful. My technique constantly improves and at this point, I feel confident in saying that I am good at my craft.
I have a better iron, sharper scissors, and meticulously use the taping method to ensure better works (bascially, I make mirror images of my crafts, tape the patterned beads while on the board, remove it from the board, puncture a hole in the tape over each bead, then iron the beads into a solid piece, and then remove the tape last).
I buy bulk beads online and have a vast array of colors (more than 50 different kinds). I run out of black very quickly. White, red, dark blue, yellow, and various skin color tones run out fairly quickly too. It costs to maintain a varied supply, and keep popular colors in stock.
I am pretty quick at making crafts now, but they can be time-consuming, especially if I making larger, more intricate pieces. With time, supplies, and shipping costs, these items to me are worth the prices I set. I price my items by weight and have marked them down over time.
I tend to utilitize designs I find online. I never take credit for designs unless they're truly mine (I have a few). I will often make them my own though. I find a lot of imperfections, assymetries, odd color choices, etc. and I will make slight variations on popular patterns.
Overall, I enjoy making them despite not selling a lot. But I'd love to sell some and make some income while I'm at it. These crafts may not be the highest form of art, but keep in mind, they do take some work. And they can be tedious or go horribly awry. But with practice and the right tools, anyone can become great at them!
