Notes to Self - The Bead Show

Well, I'm back. I'm still riding the wave of excitement I had throughout the Show. What show?? The 'Almost Spring' Bead Oasis Show, 2009 of course. My very firstest show.

This Show is organized/sponsored/brought to you by NLM Glass Arts andNancy 'n' Sam took good care of us. It is directed at the artisan jewellery world rather than the fine art jewellery of the sort you see in Birks. The artisans are a wonderful group of people who watch out for, share, and support one another. Just for that alone, the booth was worth every penny it cost.

In monetary terms, I took a bath (that's a monetary term, isn't it?). For somebody on an incredibly small budget, it cost a lot of money just for the booth fees.

In practical terms, I roped in the sun!!

I had an incredible education that I couldn't get as an attendee. From my side of the table I saw some really gorgeous jewellery worn by the people who visited our booth. Great ideas from that. And many people stopped to chat and discuss. I gotta say it: we were invited into people's personal lives, shared our experiences, and gave and received hugs. These people were so brave and so trusting.

I met some people interested in my work and wanting to put it in their shops.

I received a wedding commission for bride's and 9 attendents jewellery. MMMMM You should see the pearls I got for this young lady.

I received the all time best deal ever from a young woman de-stashing. I was running my fingers through all those beads last night and dreamt of how I would use these beads.

I know how to present my kits better now. And I've been asked to write other kits I hadn't thought to do before. On top of all that, I had some of Joann's kits from http://www.beadkitsbymail.com/: her kits are stuffed with instructions, beads and even 2 beading needles. There's more. I also had the DVD of instructions for 5 projects from http://www.beadsbyu.com/: that DVD included a free kit of 1 of the projects.

The booth took almost twice as much time to set up as it did to tear down. That figures. And the glass bead artisan jewellery on sale needed straightening several times during the day. My trolly is still sitting in the kitchen: I'm removing things slowly with the good intention of putting it all back in its place. If you know me, that means piled high: nothing seems to have a proper spot in my PigPen Studio.

Artisan Jewellers are advised to wear their jewellery: they are, or should be, a moving billboard ad for their own wearable art. I am not very good at this but my sister is wonderful. Much of my 'big' artisan jewellery designs is worn by her because she has the personality to carry it off. And I, through her, received many compliments on what she wore. The lesson to me, aside from the obvious 'wear it,' is to have the big bold pieces in good supply.

I has been a remarkable 3 day show and I got home exhausted. Two days in bed, I'm almost 100% again, and still the ideas are swirling in my head. I have a lot of sorting and writing and ..... to do. A big lesson was to ensure my computer was working: it got moved and jiggled and disconnected and ........ I ended up losing one of my kits and I have to re-write it. To add insult to injury, my machine accidentally got pushed to the back of the keyboard shelf and it and the shelf fell down, went boom. On my foot.

There's another show in September and you really need to go: no matter what side of the table you are on it is worth the trip. And the entrance fee is only $8.00. Canadian money. It's worth the visit to Toronto.

Check back again soon. I'll be linking to my kits. You'll like that. Helen

Notes to Self - New Year New Stuff

My 2008 went out with a bang. I found a lot of stuff worthy of note: some is advertising me, and some is showing you some really pretty new stuff ~ not by me but I wish it were.

1. Jewellery Geeks : A place for jewellery makers of all sorts and using all kinds of media have banded together. I joined up and I am impressed with the kindness and generosity of its members. No matter how dumb you think your questions are, there are always people who can show you the ropes. I know this because I've asked some dumb questions.

~ self advertising: I've started a new group at Jewellery Geeks called Love Beads. It is a private group but so far nobody has been turned away. That is, as long as you are first a jewellery geek yourself. Send me a message telling me of your desire to join our ranks.~~

2. You really need to see this woman's work. DeMarie Rossi is a glass maker of considerable talent. She lives in California and is a Jewellery Geek ~ Glitzy Glass Studios. Her website is http://www.needbeads.com/.

This picture is of just one of her beads. Didn't I tell you she is gifted?! ====>>

3. I am working on a new format for my Glass Beads newsletter. SORRY, more stuff about me.

I am developing a magazine or ezine format which will give me a chance to showcase more artists.

4. Sorry. I've been looking at that marvellous pendant of DeMarie's and daydreaming and trying to calm the urge to do something beady.

5. I've been trying to Twitter about all kinds of stuff that I find. I'm now receiving tuition on social marketing from Mr. Tweet. S/he is my personal assistant and is with me to guide me to greater popularity.

By the way, #5 is about me, yes, but it also can help you a lot. Give Mr. Tweet an opportunity to help you; you won't be sorry.

6. Read the next post ~ it's about BJP and me.

And that's all I can think of right now.

Lezlie Winemaker, Dream Glass, Toronto.

Lezlie is the glass artist from whom I purchased that gorgeous heart lampwork bead you see in my header. I wish I could call it mine: alas, it is my bead only because I bought it. The rest of the necklace, all those seed beads and leaves and such, is mine. Well, really it isn't mine anymore: I gave it to my sister.

Lezlie is a warm and enthusiastic artist who looks way too young to accomplish all she has.

She has degrees and diplomas from OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design), York University, Parsons School of Design (New York). Lezlie is now one of Canada's inspired creators of wearable art.

Now, you can see Lezlie and her marvellous glass at selected craft shows, galleries and boutiques in Canada, the States and the UK. Her work can be seen in popular magazines, art publications and newspapers. And! Lezlie has been a guest on CityLine and Global Television.

"Beads are spiritual, magical, and mystical, and somehow evoke a connection to our ancient ancestors. Glass comes from the earth and will withstand the test of time!" ~~

Lezlie Winemaker

Visit her website to see more of her beautiful work.

A New Year

Well, Christmas 2008 is over. And it's time to write up those new year resolutions.

I've chosen to focus on business rather than personal stuff like losing weight, exercising more, eating a balanced diet, and all those other resolutions that I break just as soon as somebody offers me something sweet.

I am an artisan jeweller; I make jewellery that doesn't rely on precious gems or precious metals. My artisan jewellery is unique and worn by self-assured women from the West Coast to Ontario, Canada.

I want to publish a really fine newsletter.
I want to Twitter, Flickr and Blog and all the CheapTweets and all those tools.
I want to acknowledge the work others' do on my behalf.
I want to develop a signature piece ~ haven't got that just yet, but I'm working on it.
I want to write more.
I want to balance my accounts and pay down my personal debt.
I have joined a group whose focus is wirework ~ I'm going to learn how to do much more in the comfort of my own easy chair.

And then, I can organize my workroom ~ that's the room I lovingly call my PigPen ~ when I need to burn off some energy.
I can better my efforts to be 'green.' My condo board is researching and putting in place some things that will help all of us be ecologically friendly.
I can take canvas bags everywhere so I don't rely on plastic bags to carry my purchases.

My BIGGEST goal? In March 2009, I will be a vendor at Toronto's 'Almost Spring' Bead Oasis Show. I am very excited about it: 3 days in the vendor marketplace, schmoozing with my friends and making new ones. It will be exhausting and I've a long way to go yet to reach the stock level I need for the show. It's worth doing.

Well, that's it for me. For now.
May all of my readers have a very happy, safe, and prosperous 2009.
Helene ~ Glass0Beads ~
~ it's a #0, not the letter O~

Notes to Self ~ The End

Well, it was a lose-lose outcome. I resigned from the board and it cost me my membership to the group. It cost the group another chance for cross promotion.

The group utilizes social marketing, a form of viral marketing, to advertise their personal shoppe and the membership shoppe. This method of marketing can be used whether you are a member or not. Using it is lots of fun and you never feel like you are alone in a desert.

What I hope I haven't lost is the friendships I was making during my very brief membership in the group. These are wonderful men and women; gifted artisans all. It would be an even bigger loss if they shun me, too.

My time here is so limited that I have neither the time, nor the energy to waste being bitter. In the end, I wish the group and its group shop much success in 2009. And, for everyone of the membership: good luck, good business.

And goodbye for now.
Thanks for the friendship and the help shown me.
Helene ~ Glass0Beads ~

Month - November

Well, I was busy minding my own business when I got spammed: it took a good 2 hours to clear up the mess and in my zeal to have the ugly spam gone, I managed to wipe out my November posting. It's a case, I think, of 'the quicker I go, the behinder I get.'

So: my November project is rings. This month's project is small so I made several rings to make up for it. And, yes, there is a pair of earrings. That's the only thing that was left of my November blog entry: the picture of the pair of earrings.

Start with a ring mandrel, or a dowel, larger in circumference by one size than the size you want. Wrap the wire, 18 - 20 ga, a couple of times around the mandrel and give the wire ends a twist or two around each other.

Run the 2 wire ends through the hole in the bead: take each tail end by itself and bring it down around the bead and under the mandrel ring. That's the shoulder of the ring you've just made.

Finish the tail end with squiggles or curlicues: bring it up the side of the bead and make a corkscrew or some other finishing touch. Do the same with the other loose tail end.

That last step isn't very helpful, is it! It is the fun part of making rings. That last step is the one where you get to experiment. As long as the bead is secured to the mandrel ring the rest is for sheer enjoyment. Play, be fanciful, add twists and turns.

The finishing of these rings is important. Somebody will be wearing your finger confection. Make sure all the wire ends are tucked in and filed down so nothing sharp will harm m'lady's fingers.

There are 2 secrets.

Secret #1 ~ If your bead seems not tight enough, twist the wires with your chain nose pliers. Either on the shoulder of the ring or on the bead itself add this twist. Take a look at the frosted glass ring and earrings: this twisting of the wire with the needle nose pliers can be seen the best.

Secret #2 ~ If you have chosen to wrap your wire ends around the ring, as you can see in all my ring pictures, keep the wrapping loops close together. Cut the excess wire and file it down. Finish it off with a pair of pliers that do not have any ridges or teeth on their interior surfaces. If you choose to use such pliers, you run the risk of damaging the wire. So, with the smooth pliers give the wraps a gentle squeeze. It flattens the wraps and tightens the setting.

The ring and accompanying pair of earrings below are made with frosted glass segments. They are not properly beads but I found them very pretty and I wanted to learn how to use a blob of glass, any shape or size, as a focal point. It also gave me practise wrapping and tightening the wire.

That last ring, bottom right, uses a handmade bead in silver and a black wire for the ring and shoulders. Making beads? Well, maybe next month. It isn't making glass lampwork beads, but it is making beads.

Just one last note. These rings sit very high on a finger. Don't try to put on a pair of gloves over these rings because you may cause damage to the finger of the glove. Mittens are just fine. If you are off to a cocktail party and you will be wearing kid gloves throughout the evening, put the ring on your finger AFTER you put on the gloves. People will be able to see your bit of finger confection and admire your handwork (pun intended).

There! I've updated the November entry that I accidentally deleted ~ except for the earrings photo. I can't explain it and I don't intend to find out how I did it. It's repaired.

Next? Christmas and my birthday.

Christmas is Coming!

It's true!! Christmas is Coming! FAST !!!

If you are anything like me, I hate to shop for Christmas gifts at this time of year. The weather is turning foul. Everybody forgets courtesy in the parking lots. Which are full to overflowing and some people have done some creative parking: putting their vehicles where there is no spot.

And in the malls and shops! It's just as bad. The temperature in the malls goes up as the numbers of people milling about increases. And we have our bulky parkas and car coats. And there are screaming children: that noise goes right through me and lands on my last nerve.

Again, if you are anything like me, you don't have the money to buy that special piece of jewellery or throw away on children's toys.

I have a solution.

Shop in the comfort of your own home. That cuts out the road rage, the hunting for non-existent parking spots, the pushing and shoving of the masses. It saves that last nerve from being frazzled.

I have some suggestions for people on your gift list.

Glass Bead Artisan Jewellery for the significant other in your life. And there is a new shop in town: the eSMArts Guild Gift Shoppe at Etsy.com. Etsy offers more than artisan jewellery to tickle your fancy. There are children's clothes, quilts, all kinds of things. And it is dedicated to all things made by hand. By artists who are dedicated to their craft.

Doing your shopping at the eSmarts Team Shop has another benefit: each item is donated to the shoppe by the artisans of Etsy Social Marketing ARTisans Team and the proceeds of all sales are donated to a worthy cause. So you will be doing a good deed by shopping there. And that is a gift to your soul.

Go ahead. Treat yourself. You can shop at 3AM if you want. You can have your purchases mailed to your auntie or your granny if that is what you want. Just ask for details: everybody at the eSMArts Guild are awfully friendly and are quite approachable.

And they make some really beautiful items.

Commissioned Work

I've been away: it seems like forever. Have you missed me? I haven't been bitten with the writing-bug so I've not been tending to my blogs. For shame.

I've met some really lovely people, strengthened (I hope) some online friendships. I've even been blessed with some purchases and a couple of commissions!! Now how about that!?

An RN where Marg works asked me for a necklace.

The particulars: she will be in Phillipines over Christmas and it will be hot. She has a certain strapless red dress that she wants the necklace for. And she wants a woven look like my father's watchband (it's my everyday watch - to paraphrase, "wear this in remembrance of me.").

Now, the picture on the right doesn't show the finished piece. And, silly me, I didn't take a picture of the final version. And, what's worse, I can't find my sketch book where the notes were made. I know, sometimes I bumble. If memory serves me ~ and my memory is somewhat suspect now ~ it was a nice tight netting technique. I wanted some air to penetrate the necklace just because she was going where there is humidity and I thought something a bit airy would make wearing the piece more comfortable.

The finished piece has a standup 'collar' ~ like a Nehru jacket collar ~ and had to be made a number of times because I just couldn't believe how small her neck was. I tried to be true to the measurement guidelines for a slender neck and it just kept coming out too big.

Yup, again, silly me: at no time did I think to measure her neck. Mm-mm! It would have saved so much effort. But it is an item of glass bead artisan jewellery.

So, there is my commission.