Face to Face: Meet Anita Fjellerad

Today we continue with our regular Face to Face interviews with our fellow beaders and designers. The Beadingschool Club keeps growing in number and we love to introduce our community members who inspire so many of us not only with their jewelry.

Joining not that long ago, her style, passion for beading and colors made an important mark in the Club. She beads (almost) every design and continue to bring her own ideas, that are very inspiring to many in the community. We’re so happy to have her with us!

Meet the Beadingschool Club member, creative mind, passionate beader, wonderful and kind Anita Fjellerad!

Please tell us a bit about yourself! When and how did you start to create? How did you learn to bead?  

My name is Anita Fjellerad, I’m 43 years old, and I’m from Denmark. I live in Vordingborg, a small town in south Zealand, one of many islands in Denmark. My husband and I have been together for 23 years, got married 16 years ago, and we live in a small house with our 2 girls at 5 and almost 3 years. 

For the last around 15 years I have not been working, and I got an early retirement because of a lot of depression, anxiety, and social phobia starting early in my life. It makes a lot of things difficult for me, but mostly, I’m really low on energy because I’m overthinking everything.

I have always loved to create everything beautiful in every single way I could imagine, and I always did sided with my school, education as an office assistant and work. I also always knew that I wanted to be a young mother to 4 children, but not everything in life goes how we want it to.  My husband and I fought for 13 years, went through fertility hell, and had given up.  Then after 3 years, Asta came as a blessing! And we got blessed one more time with Marie,  two and a half year after. And those 2 girls are the most beautiful ones I have ever created! Also, they have made my mental health so much better in so many ways.

 

I actually did bead when I was younger, but I was never too serious about it, and since I have so many different hobbies (it would probably be easier to mention what I don’t do/like 😉 ), there was never time to improve. Painting and drawing took most of my time until my girls came.  It’s not easy to leave when you start, so that’s a thing I miss at times. And when beading came back about 1-2 years ago, it was more by a lucky chance. I just started felting my dreadlocks, then I had leftovers of felt and saw a video of felted slippers, and Asta asked if I could make her a pair. So I made her a pair and one more pair for Marie. This got me curious of making felted clothes. I saw beautiful dresses with embroidered decorations and wanted to make a dress for Asta, so I bought more felt and seedbeads. One thing lead to another, as it always does for me, so I started to watch videos with beaded jewels. This is how I got to learn about Beadingschool for the first time. It was April last year, and when I saw the Sayulita Sunset box, I signed up immediately. Then I went to our basement to find my stash of pearls and beads, from my last period of jewelry making 😉 

With everything I make, I always learn by searching on youtube, learning the basics by watching and reading and then trying on my own. I think the only thing I have ever got lessons in was, when I was playing piano. But with Beadingschool community I have learned a lot. It’s a unique opportunity, and since I don’t know anyone in Denmark with the same interest, it is nice to be a part of something. Also because it sometimes gets lonely not to go to work and have nice colleagues. I miss that a lot, but I’m also well aware that I could not have been that good in the role of a mother,  if I had to use all my energy at work. I love being a mother than anything else.

 

Is beadwork your hobby or profession? How does your average day look like? When do you have time to create?   

Beadwork is just a hobby, but since I’m home every day, I do bead a lot! Or other creative activities. 

A normal day for me when I get up is to follow my girls to daycare, or I would sleep an hour later if my husband does. When I’m home again I make a big English tea mug with a double café latte. Then I create and in between I make daily chores, so that I can spend time with my girls when picking them up again in the afternoon. My husband works in the afternoon/evening and until midnight, so I’m alone with them, eat with them, and put them to sleep. 

 

What did beading bring to your life?

I just love colors and sparkle, and that’s what beads are! I’m a really colorful person. I love to wear colors. I have even had green hair, colorful extensions and dreadlocks, and even though I hate to get attention to my person, I love to decorate myself and to be different because it’s boring to be like everyone else. Even my home have decorated walls. If I’m not allowed to be creative, I get really depressed!

 

Tell us about the piece of jewelry that’s special for you, or you are the most proud of! 

I’m the most proud of my mini challange piece ”Elise into the wild” because it was my very first piece I designed myself, it was also my first time participating in the mini challange, and my first winning. I did not at all expect that. But I’m also really proud of my ”Hybrid of Paradise”.

 

Where do you like to create? Do you have a designated area in your home where you keep your beads?  

In the summer I was beading in our conservatory, because it was light and bright, but as the fall came I had to move because it became cold and dark, so I had to take a space in our livingroom. I have a little desk and drawers with all my beads in the corner, but most of the time I use a transportable computer desk with pockets, so I can sit in my favorite armchair with a blancet.

 

What is your favorite stitch? Which colors do you like the most? On the other hand, is there any color or color combination you try to avoid? 

I don’t think I have a favorite stitch, I always love to try new things and new ways to bead, but I do like the possibilities of RAW variations. And I think it comes as no surprise to most of you, that I love green! But I actually like most colors, the only colors I’m not that fond of are pink tones. But Marie loves them, so they are always in my life anyway. I don’t avoid them in beadwork, but I just don’t use them that often.

 

 

Do you follow instructions or do you like to develop your own designs? How would you define your style?  

 I love to develop my own/new designs, but it’s a huge step for me to start writing them down as tutorials! I want to do it eventually, and  just a few weeks ago I dared/overcame to take the step and done it – I’m actually so proud of my self! My dream is to make homeparties for small groups of about 5 people with my designs, but that is yet far away, because it takes a lot of courage with my anxeity. I have just recently tried a few markets trying to sell some of my jewelry, but it took a lot of my energy. 

I also love to follow all the beautiful designs from Beadingschool and others. I relax more when I just follow a pattern.

I don’t know if I have a specific style, I love a lot of things depending on what I wear. Sometimes I love small earrings and sometimes big, sometimes simple and sometimes complex patterns. But I do have a weakness for Ruxandra’s lacework, although sometimes I’m too lazy doing it myself. I think it’s the repetitions I’m lazy about, because there is always so many things I want to try!

 

 

Who are your favorite designers? Why? 

It is difficult to choose a favorite designer, there are so many great ones. But I favor those designs where the techniques are different than most or just surprising or unique. To mention some, I love Nitti’s Copernicus, Zuzi’s Roseninsel, Veronica’s Dear Sissi, and I also love beaded beads like Erika’s Dragonfly Body. And I could mention many more!

 

Do you have a favorite design by Erika? Tell us about it!   

I do, even though I haven’t had the time yet to make them, but I love her Chandr Devee and Alizarin, and I’m looking forward to making them. But I do have a to do list! I’m trying to make all the theme jewels in each theme, then I’m trying to make all the past themes before my time (Sayulita theme) and in between I want to make the calender jewels from this and last year, and now I also have all the advent jewels to make, so I do havea lot of work to do! LOL

 

 

Which is the bead / component in your stash which you treasure the most? Do you already have plans on how to use it?

I’m really excited to use some of the art cabs, as I intend to make more bead embroidery. But I need to feel the right moment to use them.  I have also started to make some of my own cabochons of art concrete and plaster, I just haven’t painted them yet.  And then of course the new vintage cabs from Advent, that is going to be exciting.

 

If you could design something for a well-known person or maybe a fictional character from a film or book, who would it be, and why? 

I think it could be so fun to design something for our new Danish queen. She is so fashion-minded, and she is beautiful, smart and loved by the people. If she was wearing some of my designs, that would be crazy and mind-blowing!

 

 

What are your plans for the future as a beader? Is there something you would really like to learn? 

Right now I’m just enjoying where I am – making jewels. But there are always new things to learn, and I think the first one will be to write more tutorials.

 And I’m trying to build a website. Or I actually just made a Danish website, but it is not finished. I have uploaded a lot of jewels, mostly the ones from Beadingschool designs, but I haven’t finished writing the names of the jewels, names of designers, size/length etc, some more about me, and so on. And at some point, I need to make it international, so it’s not just for Danes. I have just opened an Etsy shop, where I sell my tutorial and hopefully future ones.

I love creating things, I do not so much like to build websites and sell the jewels, but I think I need to. I can’t keep them all to myself.

Where can we see and/or buy your designs? 

 At the moment my jewels can only be seen in the Club, I post the most of them.

 And If you want to, you can take a look at my website, but take in mind, that it is not at all finished. You are the first ones to know about it! And my tutorials at braedderdesign.etsy.com

 

 

 

 

Thank you for answering our questions, Anita!

We’re very happy you found your way to the Beadingschool community. It’s a joy to see you inspired in so many ways.

Your jewels and kind comments are something we all look forward to seeing in the Club!

Dear beading-friends and beadwork admirers, please, use the comment section if you have more questions you would like to ask, or greet our Anita.

Stay tuned for more interviews for Beadingschool.com by Erika Sándor