All hands on deck!

Hey Gang!
Super exciting news. My second book Metalsmithing Made Easy just posted on Amazon for presale! Yahoo!  However, the work isn't quite done yet. As a matter of fact, there is still a lot of behind-the-scenes work to be done. Including photographs! At the end of this month the photo shoot for all of the projects is going to be at my studio in South San Francisco. It's gonna be lights, camera, action here in South City.

As you might imagine it's a lot of prep work to get all the steps ready for photography. Each project needs to have several finished steps so each project goes swiftly and effortlessly.

I am putting out a general call for any crafty friends who might be into helping prepare the steps for the shoot. It involves working from my written instructions and preparing several steps of the project.

Here are the details:
When: Saturday and Sunday 10-5, October 17th & 18th. (This coming weekend.)

Where: My studio. 160 S Linden Ave Suite 124, South San Francisco, CA

What: I provide all tools and materials and when it's ready you'll get a signed copy of the new book as thanks for your help. And lunch ;).

I welcome makers with all levels of experience as there are projects that fit a variety of skill levels.

Let me know if you'd like to join in on the fun. RSVP via email kate at katerichbourg dot com.

My Book-a-versary and a Giveaway

Unwrapping my first shipment.

Comments are closed! A Winner to be announced shortly.

November 27, 2012. It was official. My first book with DVD included, Simple Soldering: A Beginner's Guide to Jewelrymaking was released.

What a year it has been.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who purchased the book. I love reading your emails and Amazon reviews! (Seriously, if I am ever feeling down, I click over to my review page. Thank you for all the love.)

WOW! There it is!

People have asked me how long it took to write and my ready answer is "20 years." My whole career moved me to the publication of my book. It was a labor of love and I still get excited to think that I have my very own ISBN number. 978-1596685505 to be exact.

It was the most amazing process. Scary. Easy. Hard. Exhilarating. Fun. Challenging. All at the same time. I could not have done it without the help of my family, friends and students. They propped me up, gave good advice and tested and tested and tested the projects.

Acknowledgements from the book.

There were some really fun parts of the process, but the most fun was when I traveled to the offices of Interweave Press to shoot the video and photos for my book. 

Me and my wonderful editor, Erica.

My dear friend Mary went with me to keep everything in line. (Seriously, everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like Mary. She seriously kept me on task and organized.)

Kate & Mary on set.

Mary put her theater skills to use and raided the prop room
at Interweave to decorate the set.

We shot the book video and all of the photos in four whirlwind days. It was such fun. And I learned a lot. That's the talented Joe Coca behind the camera.

Smile for the camera, torch!

It takes a village. Seriously.

So how to celebrate such a momentous occasion?? With a giveaway, of course. I have THREE autographed copies of my book to give away to my readers.

All you need to do to win is to leave a comment below. I will pick three winners at random next Wednesday, December 4. If you already have a copy of my book, then you can choose between a book OR instead I'll send you a link to take my Metalsmithing at Home class on Craftsy.com for FREE! Just let me know which one you'd like to win. This giveaway is open to everyone, not just USA readers.

Want extra entries? Repost the giveaway on your social media (Twitter, blog, FB) and come back here and let me know in the comments. Comment once for each extra social media posting so I can count each as an entry. Make sure I have a way to reach you in case you win. If you are an anonymous poster, just leave your email in the post (cryptically, like this... name (at) provider (dot) com.)

This...

..or this!

Leave your comment below and good luck!! And of course Happy Thanksgiving to all of my USA readers. Have a happy and safe holiday!

Another Book, and It's FREE*

Okay. Some of you may remember my shout out for beads for a super secret project. Now the project is complete and I am excited to share it with you.

It's an enhanced eBook from Blurb.com.

And it's all about how to choose color for beaded jewelry in an innovative way. The book is based on a class I teach on color and I thought it was a great match for this eBook format.

And you know what... right now it's FREE!!!  (*Until December 15th...so grab it now!) The only drawback is that it's optimized for the iPad, so all of you other tablet owners are out of luck for now. (However, you can check out one of the videos from the book on my YouTube channel.)

Get your copy of the book at this link. I am really excited about this new technology from Blurb.com. I think the eBook is great for "How To" projects as you can add short videos, links and a lot of photos. You can learn more about making eBooks on their website.

Remember to grab my book soon, as the price goes up to $9.95 on December 15th. Let me know what you think and enjoy!

My Book is Available for Pre Order!

Oh gosh!

It's been almost 20 years in the making. (I started this career in 1992...I was three years old.) I am so excited to announce that my metalsmithing book is available for pre order. (Insert excited happy dance here.)

The official release date is December 11, 2012. It seems like an eternity, but let me tell you... at the rate this year is flying by it's gonna be here before you know it!

You know, writing this book has been an amazing experience and looking through all of the instructions, photos and projects during the editing process makes me really happy and darn proud of myself. My goal with this book was to be able to teach anyone to solder (especially beaders!) and to make them at ease as I do in my live classes. Yeah, the projects are cool, but it's the teaching that takes place in this book (and on the DVD) that gets me going. No experience? No problem. I am going to teach you how to wield that torch with confidence.

So if you would like to pre order you have two options:

1. Go to Amazon.com by clicking on this link Simple Soldering: A Beginner's Guide to Jewelry Making to make a purchase. Clicking on this link does provide a small percentage into my affiliate account. It's hard to beat the price that Amazon is offering and if you are strapped for cash, I totally understand.

OR

2. Buy it directly from me at my Etsy store link. Instead of the Amazon discount you'll get a signed copy and two little bonus gifts in your package when I mail your book out. Shipping will be via USPS and you will receive an email with tracking number when your book is sent out on December 11 (or thereabouts).

Stay tuned to the blog over the coming months for more previews and tips and tricks from the book. I will have more photos to share and some previews and giveaways.

978-1596685505

That's my favorite new number! Nope. It's not just a random grouping of numbers that includes a hyphen. It's the ISBN for my upcoming book with DVD Simple Soldering: A Beginners Guide to Jewelry Making (more info at that link).

I am starting pre-orders for the book soon. It will be available from many outlets, including Amazon.com, but I wanted to entice you to pre-purchase from me by letting you know that all books ordered from me will come to you signed by the author (that's me!) and with a couple of extras as thank-you gifts for your support.

I'll announce all of the details on the blog soon. But if you want to be the first to know, how about popping over and joining my email list? Not only will you get info on the upcoming book release and ordering info, it will also keep you up-to-date on my classes, tutorials and other shenanigans.

Thanks for your support! I am so VERY excited to share this book with you. WHOOOOHOOOO!

The Bear writes this one...

Hello everyone. Torrance the Bear here. Kate is too exhausted to write her regular Friday post so I thought I would take over.

Besides, I am a much better writer than she is. She can get a little long-winded and she really can't spell all that well. I, on the other hand, am consice and never, ever go on and on when I write. How do you like these pillows? I love Apple products. I want Kate to get me an iPhone but she said "no". Imagine that? A tragidy, really.  It's hard to type with paws, but I manage.

I have had a great week here in Colorado. But I have been working HARD! I got to be on set for the DVD shoot.

While Kate was swilling tea and fooling around I was hard at work on the set.

It was exhausting. But I managed. I also went to the photo shoot to do some soldering. Kate was no where to be found, so I set up this shot.

I am a great soderer. Look at that presision. Well, gotta go. Today is a big day. We have six more projects to shoot and Kate is still asleep. I have my work cut out for me.

The Book Adventure Part 2

Wow. Tuesday was a big day. But you know what? The DVD for my book is going to be GREAT!!!!!

Oh my gosh. That was FUN. Everyone at Interweave made this process go so smoothly. They are such professionals and cover every detail. Right down to posting on Twitter.

Here are some shots of the action:

I used the teleprompter for my intro. It was a great security blanket as I usually wing things like this. I felt like a newscaster. I did not, however do a weather report or a traffic update, even though I wanted to.

I applied my signature MAC Russian Red lipstick. Nothing sets you up for success like a good red lipstick. Trust me. When all else fails, red lipstick to the rescue. But I digress...

Thank goodness Mary was there to keep me looking good. Not only did she make my pretty dress and apron, (and that kicky skirt she is wearing) she also kept my hair in line. (Want to see what we are up to? Click on over.)

We shot ALL DAY. I soldered and hammered and dapped and wrapped.

Who's the Diva? I need HOT TEA right NOW!!!

I just can't take it.
I told them to REMOVE all of the green M&Ms
from the bowl in my dressing room.

No, really. These M&Ms are a problem.
I can't solder ANYTHING until this is taken care of.

Then I was interviewed by my wonderful editor Erica for a promo video.

I think that was my favorite part. What a great day. A big thanks to all of the staff at Interweave Press. You all are pros and it was a joy to work with you.

But about those M&Ms... we really have to talk.

The Book Adventure Part 1

So my friend Mary and I arrived in Denver and were whisked away to the Interweave Studios in Loveland CO. Since the DVD shoot is first thing Tuesday morning, our job on Monday was to prep the set, materials and run through the camera placement.

As you can imagine it was very exciting. Here is what happened:

Here is Mary, dressing the set. She is very clever and has an eye for that sort of thing.

Here I am in my natural habitat, prepping in front of the camera. Yep. That's my book cover on the right.

That's Garret. He runs the video department. He is awesome. He runs three separate cameras for the shoot and he knows how to put the ladies at ease.

He put Clooney in my sight line. I always knew that George wanted to learn how to make soldered jewelry.

Here is Mary in the prop room grabbing stuff to dress the set. There are some awesome things in there.

Including a Matchless spinning wheel tucked into a corner. I might throw a bit of spinning into the video. Yarn and metal go together, right?

Here I am with my awesome editor Erica (left) and awesome Rebecca the Managing Editor at Interweave.  They are making everything so easy!

And last but not least, meet Oreo. He is the hotel cat. Really friendly and NOT supposed to be in the guest rooms.

We broke the rules and let him in. Just for a little while.

Next up, the actual shoot. Stay tuned. I'll let you know how it goes.

Winging My Way to Loveland!

I am so excited!!! Today is the day I leave for my book DVD and photoshoot at the Interweave Press studios in Loveland CO.

Wish me luck and stay tuned all this week for updates. (This is the part where I jump up and down, because I can't believe it is really happening!!!!!)

OHMYGOSH!

Ready for my closeup!

I have packed and shipped every tool that I own. My dresses are pressed. New lipstick is packed. Nails and hair are done. Jewelry wardrobe is selected.

What's with the flurry, you ask? I'm getting on a plane on Monday to fly out to the Interweave Press offices and studio to shoot the pictures and DVD for my new book. Exciting, huh?

Stay tuned to the blog next week for updates from the shoot and maybe even a sneak peak or two of the projects. Want to know more about my fabulous book coming this Fall? Click on over and read all about it. How about joining the newsletter while you're at it?

Have a great weekend everybody. I am off to break it to my shoes that only three pair can come on this trip. It's going to be a sad day for the other eighty-three.

Testing...1, 2, 3

This weekend I rearranged all of the furniture in my living room. I love to redecorate, but this was serious business. It was not just a question of "Where am I going to put my new end table?" or "Wouldn't that chair look better 6 inches to the left?" Nope. The testers were coming.

 I laid a HUGE tarp to protect the floor and turned the dining table plus a folding table into work tables.

I tucked tools in the corners.

Set up soldering stations.

Mr. Make It played the role of craft services and made a lovely lunch. (Including this amazing recipe. Just amazing. Really.) There was no time to take photos of the food, plus the testers made short work of it. I could have lost a hand in there had I tried to stop them to snap a photo. There was just one lone cookie left.

Ma Make It recorded it all for posterity and played the role of photojournalist working the camera with an expert eye.

Everyone else punched, hammered, cut and soldered.

 Some did it in really cute shoes.

It was a great day. Thanks to the project testers for work well done!

Scenes From a Sampler

You know, writing this book is teaching me a lot. and I HOPE it is going to teach you a lot.

Here are a few scenes from the sampler chapter...

Back to the torch... I'll update with a few more pics and info as the publish date gets closer.