Fine! Bead That Way!

2010 Wrap-Up & My #1 New Years Resolution

2011-01-12T22:01:00.000-05:00

2010 was a pretty normal year. Well, normal to me, I guess. (I can't be sure how any other person would have taken it had they been in my size 8 1/2s.) There was happiness and sadness, discovery and contentedness. There were gains and losses, and there were disappointments and, as always, there was hope. My crafting skills became better as do all skills over time, which allowed me for new creativity and projects to make and sell. I learned new stitches, new ways to market to my customers, new ways to display my items, and I even tried out a couple of new show venues. I'd say it was a pretty satisfying year.

Although, there is one thing that has bothered me that I plan to get to the bottom of in 2011: I want to take my jewelry to a new level. My goal is to make more of a name for myself, i.e., to brand myself better as well as to "get out the vote" as the suffragettes once said. If people don't know what I can do, they'll never know what's available to them. I don't mean to boast, but I think I can make some pretty exceptional pieces of wearable art and I'd really like more people to enjoy what I've created. Is that so much to ask for? I don't want to be the only one to get to enjoy these pieces. Besides, I'm running out of room on my bedroom wall for all of my necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.

On a more personal note, with the recent passing of my dad, I'd certainly like to make more of an impact with my life. Call it a New Years Resolution or what have you, but I feel like there's a whole lotta creative potential in me that's kinda screamin' to get out.

Love you, Brent. XXOO

Christmas Orders

2010-12-09T12:49:00.000-05:00

So Christmas is only a couple of weeks away and I've made about 20 orders so far and have three more to go. I'll probably have more after I get my stash to Jeff's mom to look through for her friends and then my mom said people at her work want Christmas stuff so I might have even more. I really wish I could have kept the money from all the orders I've placed so far, but I've had to keep reinvesting to buy more supplies. I think by the end it will all come out that I've made some kind of profit. Ever since my puppy had to have his surgery, my finances have been really screwed up. I'm making Christmas gifts this year so some of the profit I've made so far has gone to buying supplies for those projects. But at least I haven't had to take money away from my unemployment income to pay for this stuff.

The Christmas Season

2010-11-25T20:42:00.000-05:00

It seems as though Christmas gets earlier and earlier each year. And something else I've noticed as well is that stores are opening earlier and earlier each Black Friday. This year Kohl's is opening at 3am. Is that really necessary? If people do take advantage of this 3am opening, do they go to sleep before or do they stay up all night and then crash when they get home from shopping? I guess I just don't understand this. If I had massive amounts of money I wouldn't go shopping on Black Friday. I tried that one year and I will never do it again. It was way too busy and the older I get the more claustrophobic I tend to be. I'd rather spend money shopping online in my PJs.

My home show at my mom's friend's house went very well. It was a very relaxed, low-key couple of hours, which was very pleasant. It was an open house kind of thing where over 100 invitations were sent out and maybe 20+ ladies showed up. Pretty much everyone who came found one of my items they liked and I also got about 5 different orders I'm currently working on.

I don't know why, but the best part about the whole thing was that I actually had money to spend to make a FireMountain order, and with the things I had to order to make the new pieces, I got to order beads to make myself some things. It's always nice to have money to get the kinds of beads you want and not always be making stuff for other people.

I think I'll probably be a little burned out after I get these orders done. But I will press on because Christmas is coming up and I have stuff to make for family members' gifts. And some knitting and stained glass projects to do, too.

The Risk We Take With Shows

2010-11-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

Erica and I just finished up with the 23rd Annual Homespun Holiday Craft Show, which was held at the High Dive Pavilion in Elkhart. We hadn't ever done this show before and we most likely won't do it again. We made our booth fee back plus some, so we made a small profit, but it wasn't the type of show we like to do. It was super small and not as many people came through as I thought the show would be getting. A lot of the crafts were grandma-type knitted things, doll clothes, plastic canvas creations, fake flower arrangments, and of course there were about three other jewelry booths.

It's hard to feel confident we're making money when the other ladies from the jewelry booths give you "the eye" when they look at you. It's a competition thing, I know, but women can be so catty! They probably did as good or better than we did, so they really shouldn't feel so protective. Oh well. There are just some things (or people) you can't avoid at these types of shows. And of course, the money thing is a risk we always take with any show we do. I guess we consider it a good show if we make our booth fee back and then a whole bunch of money on top of that.

I'm excited to get into something this coming weekend I've never tried before, a home show. There are two types I've been thinking about doing for a while now, one is the kind of show where it's just a display of my stuff on a cash-and-carry kind of basis, and another kind of show which is more like a workshop. One of my mom's friends is having me over this coming Saturday for an open house kind of thing where I'll put my stuff on display and it will be cash and carry. But I'll also be taking orders, which I foresee me doing a lot of. Christmas is coming up and people will want personal items for that. I'm excited because it'll be a new experience for me. I'm sure it'll be fun though. I've already packed up my displays and things I'll need for that day, but I think I'm going to make some signs that say "Special Orders Welcomed" and a "Your Name on Rice" kind of thing.

Jeff says I should make a whole bunch of stretchy bracelets with people's names on them so there will be some already made, but I just don't have the money to buy the supplies. At least not yet, anyway. I was going to buy myself a black sweater with the money I made at the craft show, but after trying on 40 of them at all the different stores in our area, I decided the perfect black sweater doesn't exist. So I bought myself some new nail polish and some Rocky Road instead. I don't know if that was a good trade or not, but it was nice to pamper myself a bit.

There will probably be a couple of shows coming up in the spring, but I don't know if we'll do them or not. So the next one we'll most likely be at will be Rhapsody in Green. So I'll have lots of time to refresh my arsenal of items to sell. When my cousin and her girlfriend we up here visiting a few weeks ago, they took half of my inventory with them, which was totally cool because I was tired of looking at that stuff anyway. But when I was unpacking for the show this past weekend, I felt like I was missing half of my stuff! It's all good though. I know they appreciated all of it. And I gave them my business cards to hand out, too. We'll see what happens!

Design Process: Phase Four (Final Phase)

2010-10-18T19:35:00.001-04:00

So here I am at the final phase of The Ladybug. I finished the third credit card piece, and I must admit I'm glad it's over. After looking at red and black bead after bead after bead, I need a different project to work on.

I then connected the pieces together, ending with a toggle clasp I made. (I think I'll save that for another post.)

The next thing I'll need to do is buy some black felt and glue it onto the backs of the credit card pieces. This will give it a finished touch and also hide the thread job. After gluing it on, just trim around the piece so you can't see any more of the white Stiff Stuff.

So, wahhhhhhlaaaaahhhh! I'm finished. It was fun, but time consuming. Because the necklace is so "busy" I wanted the earrings to be simple. I made them with the red crystals and a couple of the black seed beads.

And now, onto the next project! :)

Design Process: Phase Three

2010-10-04T17:06:00.001-04:00

So I thought I'd just get right to the point and post pictures of the steps I've taken to bead a peyote stitch pattern around one of my credit card pieces. After gluing the piece to a piece of Lacy's Stiff Stuff (which has dried overnight), on a comfortable length of thread, tie a knot at the bottom of your thread. Then come up from underneath the Stiff Stuff as close to the credit card as possible. String three seed beads (in my case, I used black Delicas). Lay them flat on their sides as close to the credit card as possible. Punch your needle down into the Stiff Stuff as close to the last bead strung and the credit card as possible. Take care not to bunch the beads up; you want a flat, straight line. The beads should lie snug next to each other.

Next you'll take your needle and come up between the first and second bead strung, enter through the second and third beads, then string three more beads and push your needle down through the Stiff Stuff close to the last bead strung and the credit card piece. This whole process is called a back stitch. Just keep repeating this pattern over and over until you've gone all around the credit card piece. You may find you have an even number or an odd number of beads, which is fine either way. As the number of rows increase, you may need to start stringing two beads between the "popped up" beads. Bring your needle through whatever next bead is "popped up." Add a bead and go through the next "popped up" bead. Keep repeating this pattern until you have a pattern of two beads, three beads, two beads, three beads, etc. when you look at the pattern "stacked."

You can be creative in the design by alternating the color and number of beads. You'll want enough rows of beads on the outside of the credit card so the whole piece lays
flat and when you turn the piece over, you can trim the Stiff Stuff that is sticking out so when you flip it over right-side-up, you won't see any of the Stiff Stuff. Here's what I've done so far on The Ladybug project.

Design Process: Phase Two

2010-09-05T22:12:00.019-04:00

As with any artistic project, you tend to change your mind a lot during the process, especially in the beginning. I'm guilty of starting the beading process without even planning anything beforehand, which in some cases is beneficial because it helps you be creative, but in other cases, I always end up not having enough of a certain color of bead or not enough wire or the wrong size of jumprings, etc. So I've learned to lay out all my pieces and parts to a project, make sure I have enough of everything, and then get to it.

In Phase One I thought I was going to use all three credit cards for this project, but after beading the main green piece, I decided it just didn't go with the other stuff, especially the gazelle pendent. So, I'm splitting this into two projects. We'll start with project one, what I call The Ladybug.

As explained in my prior post, step one was to cut up my credit cards. (Which I found very exhilarating, BTW.) Then, I'll lay them all out in the pattern that I want for my necklace. Ever since I split this into two projects, the ladybug credit card has kind-of taken on a life of its own. There are soooo many possibilities I could explore with the ladybug theme.

Please imagine the next couple of pictures were actually green pieces. (I had glued these pieces, but no other green ones. The pictures are just examples.) First, I took some Lacy's Stiff Stuff and cut out a piece bigger on all sides than the credit card piece I wanted to sew first. I then took some E-6000 glue and glued the Stiff Stuff to the back of the credit card piece.

I really wanted to make sure it wouldn't come off while beading, so I clamped it on all four sides and let it sit overnight. (I forgot to take pictures while I was beading around this credit card piece, but I'll take some for the next piece of the necklace.) I settled on Peyote stitch in black and red Delicas.

A lot of people think that beading super tiny beads is frustrating and too time-consuming. They lack patience. Now, I'll be the first to admit I'm not a patient person about a lot of things, but I am with beading. (Weird, I know.) I just started beading and went around and around and around until I was satisfied with the number of rows stitched and the color placement of the beads. I then added small embellishment, finished the piece, and exited through the side of the unit with a 6mm red Celestial Crystal bicone and some more Delicas. The green really makes the ladybug pop, don't you think?

I'm not sure where I'll take the thread after the bicone, but I think I'll start on the next credit card piece and then connect them somehow. We'll see! :)

My Design Process: Phase One

2010-08-24T11:03:00.000-04:00

I've been soooo busy lately and haven't had time to update my blog, which I really need to get into the habit of doing at least once, if not twice a week. Well, maybe I've had the time to update my blog, but after being on a computer for eight hours straight a day, the last thing I want to do when I come home is be back on the computer. :P

Erica and I have been discussing doing home shows lately. I attended a home jewelry party from one of those big companies that have home consultants and I didn't get much out of it except that I now know what I want to do and don't want to do if I had my own home show. I want to make it funner (I know that's not a word but it's my blog and I don't care), I want to make it more interactive, and also more educational. I want to talk about where the beads are from, why I chose them, how I designed the piece, what to wear it with, etc. I think that would be really cool. So, I think we'll be discussing plans for home shows. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Also, I've been writing a lot at work lately, and I have to admit, I'm proud of myself! I wrote an SEO industry-specific article on SEOmoz.com's YOUmoz section entitled Anatomy of a Link Bait Pitch Letter. I got a lot of good responses to that, including one from the CEO of SEOmoz.com, which I loved and was flattered by. Also, I had my first web article published on a top automotive industry's website called The Non-Gearhead's Guide to Air Intakes. The next subject I plan to write about is all about towing mirrors. (Might be boring to some, but if you're in the market for towing mirrors, it'll interest you. At least I'll try to make it interesting.)

I also began a new project that I'm going to be documenting on here in phases, talking about each step of my design process.

My Design Process: Phase One

I started taking Financial Peace University at my church and one of the principles of the course is to get "Gazelle-Intense" about getting out of debt. Basically, having the intensity of a gazelle is to hunker down, forget about everything you want, watch every penny you spend, and sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice until you are out of debt by following Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps. The keyword here is F-O-C-U-S!

To rev up my gazelle intensity, and because I love making jewelry, I decided to marry the two concepts by making a set of jewelry out of my cut-up credit cards:

I made sure I didn't leave any of the credit card numbers intact for my personal financial security and then cut them into interesting shapes. I arranged them on my jewelry mat (which is just the thicker kind of shelf liner). The best part of the piece will be the pendent, which is made of seashell with an inlaid picture of a gazelle.

The colors of the pendent don't necessarily "go" with the colors of the credit card pieces, but that doesn't matter. I plan to glue each credit card piece to a piece of Lacy's Stiff Stuff and then bead around it, similar to how you would bead a cabochon. I haven't decided yet which type of stitch I'll make around the edges of the credit card, but usually Peyote is easiest. (I'll take some pictures tonight when I get home of this step.) I'll use silver, black, and maybe gold Delica beads and join the credit card cabochons together by Swarovski crystals in 6mm Jet AB, possibly in a star pattern. We'll see!

They went well!

2010-07-04T16:44:00.000-04:00

Our shows went well, despite the rain. We know it's going to rain every year, but there's always some glimmer of hope that it'll actually be nice for a change. Sales were so-so, which was what we expected.

There are some things I notice about every show we do:

1. It never fails to rain.
2. Always a whole bunch of really gross-looking people wearing too-tight clothes with their bellies hanging out.
3. Always some crazy booth neighbor who wants to talk to us all the time about dumb, non-relevant stuff.
4. I smell the cotton candy, the elephant ears, and the snow cones, and I want them all. (Well, I guess you can't really smell a snow cone, but it looks so good when people walk by with them.)
5. I make something and it sells the same day, while I've had stuff for sale for over four or five years now and they still haven't sold.
6. Our friends and/or family members come out to keep us company for a while, which we love!
7. My boyfriend always wants me to bring home some "weird food" like fried frog legs, fried calamari, etc.

I'm sure there are more, but we're actually leaving for a Fourth of July BBQ at a friend's house. I'll write more later. Happy Fourth! :)

Preparing For a Show

2010-06-09T10:58:00.002-04:00

(I was just reading about an SEO newbie's experiences so far and I mentioned I have a blog and that I was slowly but surely trying to get to a decent spot...and then I realized I haven't really posted anything since after Christmas...ugh, apologies--I'm terrible!)

Last night, I gathered all my stuff for our upcoming show at Rhapsody in Green downtown Elkhart this weekend. As I was going through it all, I realized I have a lot of crap. I tried to pare it down considerably, asking myself, "Do I really need this when I'm there?" and "Have I used this at any shows during the last three summers?" If not, it isn't going. And I'm pretty proud of myself that I was able to do that. Now...if I could just apply that concept to my clothes closet.

The other day I saw a pair of purple spandex running shorts I've had since the 7th grade that I can't bear to get rid of because they still fit. (Yes, they're quite stretched out.) And if you're wondering, my 7th grade year was something like 18 years ago. God, I feel old!

So, anyway, preparing for a show is a little more involved than just gathering all of the bead stuff you need to take with you in one spot so you can grab it quickly to put it in the car the morning of the show. Here are a few things I usually do:

1. Make sure all the stuff I have to sell is tagged with pricing and sometimes my initials. I do the shows with Erica, so sometimes if a third person is manning the booth while we're not there (a.k.a. fried broccoli break) and they have a question about who made the piece (and thus who gets the $ credit) they can record it properly in our sales notebook.

2. Make sure I have all of my display pieces and parts accounted for. I have several picture frame stands that I use to support 8x10 pieces of painted Styrofoam that I pin my pieces to. There are also a couple of larger display stands that have pieces that have to be assembled with wing nuts, poles, etc. I make sure I have tea lights for my candle holders so I can light them at night (which looks pretty darn cool as a display). This also includes lights and extension cords. I also bring along a table with folding legs. It's a rectangle shape, more long than wide, and it fits perfectly between our other two tables to form a U shape.

3. Make sure to have several important items such as Kleenex, baby wipes, and a cooler with snacks. These festivals can make you sneeze a lot if you have allergies, they're messy, sticky, and dirty, and you can cut down on the amount of money you spend by bringing (healthy) snacks with you. I also bring a a flashlight for when we have to look on the ground at night to see if anything's accidentally dropped off a table, two camping chairs (Erica also brings a couple because we're always having people hang out with us), and a blanket for naps or covering up when it gets chilly at night. A book or some magazines are good to bring, too. Be careful, however, that you don't bring library books; something sticky always gets on them. I also bring a change of clothes (especially socks, jeans, and a sweatshirt because it gets cold at night) and tennis shoes. Basically just dress in layers. A cell charger is also a good idea.

4. Some things Erica usually brings that I don't are the cash box to make change, her iPod, all the tent/booth stuff like tables and sheets to cover the tables. Clamps to clamp the sheets down (it usually gets windy), and most definitely a generator and gas can. She has a little one, which is just enough to power four lights. We have chains to hang our store sign and bungee cords to hold up the extension cord roll.

5. Most importantly, I make sure to have my booth paperwork with me. It's also a good idea to print out a copy of the cashed check that you used to pay for the spot. One year we showed up to a show and the director told us she didn't have a spot for us. We didn't have a copy of the cashed check with us when she asked (who would ever ask that?!), but fortunately she had her stack of application paperwork with her and she had accidentally skipped over ours.

I'm sure there are a ton of things I'm forgetting to write down here, and I'll probably add to the list later tonight. But if you have a neat idea of what to bring to shows as exhibitors, or any tips and tricks, please let me know by leaving a comment!

Note: (7/7/10) Ironically, the one thing I didn't bring with me to this show was my letter beads and some chick decided to show up at our booth and wanted her name spelled out in a bracelet. Go figure!

Unfinished Projects

2010-05-03T11:14:00.001-04:00

I've got a boatload of unfinished beading projects that have been sitting around in my craft room for a few years now. Most of them are just practice strings; I learn a new stitch and practice until it looks good and then drop that and make something out of the beads I really want to use.

I've found projects that are half finished that I've been finishing lately to get some more stuff in my arsenal for the upcoming shows. I don't know why, but I've always got at least two or three projects I'm currently working on. Maybe it's because I get tired of looking at the colors or sewing the stitch. Whatever it is, I put it aside until sometimes even a year later and pick it up when I don't hate it anymore.

I also wanted to let everyone know I currently have my stuff over at New To You consignment store Downtown Wakarusa. They carry kids' and teens' secondhand clothing and also have a few accessories like purses and shoes. You should check them out on Facebook and hit up the store for cheap summer kids' clothes.

It Was Only Four Days...But Still....

2010-04-21T20:25:00.000-04:00

It's only been four days since I last could get onto Facebook, but it was really bothering me. It didn't bother me that I couldn't access my friends and other account features, what bothered me was that I felt like I was being accused of something horribly wrong!

I got accused of cheating on a test in high school and it pretty much made me cry and I almost threw up. My teacher liked me and I thought if she thought I cheated on that test, she'd hate me forever. It was so personal and emotional. This time, with FB disabling my account and me not knowing why, it just made me mad and frustrated.

But all is better now. FB reinstated my account. I guess they thought someone was trying to hack into it. So I've been frustrated and angry, but now that I know the real reason why, I can sort-of forgive FB. And it was a good reason. Just wish they would have told me about it so I wouldn't have freaked out so much!

WTF I've Been Facebook-Disabled!

2010-04-19T18:29:00.002-04:00

So I was working on my account all day and then all of a sudden I had been banned from FB! WTF?! The only reason why I think they would disable my account is because of my being an admin on my work's Fan page, which if it is, is complete BS. I don't spam people. The only other reason I can think of is if someone hacked into my account and did some stuff to piss people off.

This isn't making me happy. I feel so rejected. I feel so distorted and out-of-place. Oh the madness! I can't even get into my bead page on FB because, of course, the account is associated with my email address. This is really not fun. It's been 4 days and I still haven't heard anything from FB. There's no phone number I can call. The form email from them said I'm not allowed to create another account or reply to that email more than once. There's no 1-800 number to call, no email address to send an email to...WTF.

The Ten Steps of Seasonal Happiness

2010-04-10T19:18:00.000-04:00

We're now entering the season of spring. Everyone's so excited because the sun is out, the birds are chirping, and it's almost shorts and sandles permanently time. It's not freezing during the nights, but it's chilly. People are riding their bikes, kids are playing in their yards, some people have even decided to start mowing, even though there really isn't enough grass yet.

But not me.

I don't know why, in this beautiful weather, I'm so...well...bitchy. I get irritated and annoyed at the slightest things. I don't mean to be mean, but I am and can't control it sometimes. These are the times I wish I were alone with my beads. Alone with my beads and a good show on TV that I'm definitely listening to, but not necessarily watching. And I've discovered something else about me lately: either TV show characters/actors are getting really, really good, or there's seriously something wrong with me: every time I watch a drama show, tears start welling up in my eyes and I get so sad. I never used to cry at these silly shows. It's kind of embarrassing when Jeff walks into the room and smiles/laughs at me.

What's wrong with me?

I think my emotions are directly related to the weather. When it's hot and sunny, I'm fine. I'm in a great mood. When it's fall and the weather is starting to get a little cold, enough for jeans and a sweatshirt, I tend to start withdrawing into my shell, so-to-speak, and become comfy-cozy. But winter and spring are different stories.

In winter, when everything is cold, I go into hibernation mode. Sure I get up every day and go to work, do the things I need to do, but I don't really go out and have any fun. I become glued to my couch and there's always a threaded needle in my hand. I work and work and work on a bead project until it's finished. And then I start the next one. Right away. Not a day or two later...it's like beading is my crack in the winter. And spring...someone's definitely toying with my emotions in the springtime. One day I'm happy, one day I'm sad. One hour I'm in a great mood and feel light, and then the next I'm getting really pissed off at stuff that shouldn't bother me.

Of course, many people think the answer to my problems is medicine. But what if I'm already on medicine and it's not working? Back to the doctor I go. And there's another bill. It's just this huge cycle that keeps repeating itself:

1. I feel crappy for one reason or another.
2. I go to the doctor.
3. I have to spend money on the visit and the medicine.
4. I can't do things I want to do because I just spent all my extra money on meds and the doctor visit.
5. I get sad and depressed. I never seem to have any money.
6. Medicine can't keep up with my brain and it starts to not work.
7. I go back to the doctor.
8. I get the bill.
9. I'm depressed...and
10. Something else comes up I have to pay for....

You see the cycle. I just got a bill from a doctor visit about seven months ago. You'd think they'd want their money sooner than that! And then I sit here, throwing out all my frustrations into cyberspace and I feel somewhat relieved. It's been cathartic and cheaper than a shrink. This time, that is.

How do I get out of this rut?

Still trying to figure that one out. So I go back to the two things that don't talk back to me: my beads and my dog. They're both expensive and occasionally cause me problems, but at least I feel a little better about spending money on those things than other things like...power bills, water bills, mortgage payments, doctor visits....

And how can you not be at least a little happy with a face like this:

My Fellow Writer and My First Non-Solicited Comment!

2010-03-10T10:02:00.000-05:00

My friend, Laura G., just posted this really great blurb on her blog. Check it out: Without Poison. It pretty much sums up what I've been trying for the last ten years to put into words but have never been able to about a past relationship.

AND...just because I'm both surprised and grateful, my blog has officially been seen by some random person out there in cyberspace and she said my blog was a "sincere look at the artistic process" or something like that. **Humble Blushing Smile** :)

Knifty Knitter Tendinitis

2010-01-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

Well, the holidays are over with and it's a new year. I don't like to speculate what the year will be like; I just hope to be healthy and happy for the most part. Some cash flow at one point would be really cool, too.

I haven't really been working on my jewelry much; I think I just had a little too much of it before Christmas for the orders. But I did take up making knitted scarves and hats with the very easy-to-use Nifty Knitter set. It's relaxing and isn't as small as working with beads. But once I made everyone scarves and hats, I didn't really know what to do. So I'm going to try to learn some new stitches and make some different things other than scarves and hats. I've got some pictures of some of this stuff, but I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. So, as usual, I'll post pics when I get them uploaded.

Working so much on my keyboard and mousing a lot at work, plus all the stuff I do at home with crafts, has brought me Tendinitis. At first I thought it might be Carpal Tunnel, but the chiropractor said it was Tendinitis. So I've got to ice it three times a day, wear my wrist brace, and take ibuprofen. Geeze. Like my brother once told me, "Summer, there's always something wrong with you!" By the time I get home every night after work I don't feel like doing anything, especially sewing or beading. So that's helped me not use my wrist as much. We'll see how it goes.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-29T13:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays to every crafter out there! If I had and extra $1300, I'd get the Workbox storage unit from TheOriginalScrapBox.com. Yup, that's what I'd want. A new antenna for my TV, fire log starters, clothes, etc. can all wait! If I had this unit, I could cut down on 90% of the clutter in my craft room. And most likely find things easier! I'd probably pick one of the white ones, because my craft room is purple and white. But the blue and pink ones look fun, too. Maybe some day I can take the idea and make my own unit, though. I know it would be considerably cheaper.

Christmas is over and done with for 2009 and I'm ready for the new year to start. I did pretty well selling my wares this holiday season and was pleasantly surprised at the monetary outcome. I don't think I would have been able to get some presents for members of my family if I hadn't have had that extra cash. Thank you, God! :)

Since my birthday is also in December, I bought myself a new beading loom and loom book. (Thanks, Mom!) It's not easy to set up, but once I got the strings settled, it hung in there pretty tightly. I used some graph paper and came up with an interesting design for a bracelet, which I have yet to take off the loom and finish. I'm kind of hesitant to do that, though, because I haven't quite figured out how to end each side. As usual, when it's finished, I'll post some pics.

Looking forward to New Years!

New Shell Challenge

2009-12-16T09:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I've finished a new challenge still involving shells. Only this time they were very different from each other, so I could be a little bit more selective in colors, theme, etc. I made these for a lady I work with for her to give as gifts. I think my favorite is the butterfly.

Thanks to my friend, Lynda, for the really beautiful lady jewelry stand. I will definitely be using it at home and at all my shows! And thanks to my friend Becca, who has her own shop on Etsy: That Jewelry Girl. She gave me the idea for the book background.

I've been pondering making my own shop on Etsy...not sure if I want to get into it or not. I think you have to pay to be able to have an account there. But, on the other hand, I think I might sell more stuff if I had it on there because of the amount of traffic Etsy gets. I've had several people suggest to me that I need to have my stuff on there. So I'll be thinking about that.

Has anyone else had a shop on there? What kind of experiences have you had?

The Great Puau Shell Challenge, Phase IV (Final Phase)

2009-11-24T17:04:00.000-05:00

It's the end of the Great Puau Challenge and I'm exhausted! I don't think I've ever made so many wire-wrapped pieces before. I like how each one of them turned out, but I'm glad I'm done. I've been selling lots and lots of pieces lately for Christmas presents, so my next project is to make six necklaces, all with different focal pieces, for a lady I work with. Each one of them has a different style, so I'm sure there will be a wide variety of creativeness involved. I wish I had this much business year-round! I wouldn't be hurting for money as bad as I usually am! I guess I'll just enjoy it while it lasts.... BTW, Happy Turkey Day!

The Great Puau Shell Challenge, Phase III

2009-11-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

More Puau shells. My fingers sure did hurt after I was done making these!

The Great Puau Shell Challenge, Phase II

2009-11-18T16:21:00.000-05:00

I've continued on with the Puau Shell Challenge and have come up with some more interesting pieces. Four of them are wire-wrapped and all have different designs. I made one shell into a pendant and necklace. Only this time, it was a little more challenging than the previous one. The shell wasn't sitting right and the seed beads weren't close enough to the shell so I ended up making it pretty bulky, thus cutting down the size of the shell a bit. Oh well. I've got four more at home to play with. Eric's gonna have one heck of a bill! :)

Puau Challenge

2009-11-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I made it home from Chicago in one piece. We ate at some great restaurants, we went to Zanie's Comedy Club, and I ended up getting car sick in a taxi about a half of a block away from our hotel. Not my best moment. But, I'm all better now. :)

My friend Eric gave me a bunch of Paua shells that he's had for quite a while and didn't know what to do with. So, being the crafty gal I am, have been creating different jewelry pieces with them. The first one I made into a pendent wire-wrapped with copper wire and rock chips and seed beads. The second one I made into a pendent with peyote and brick stitch with right-angle weave in seed beads. Both projects were really fun. It's great how I am challenged with something that looks basically the same, but I have to come up with totally different designs for each of them. Forces me to be creative and not repetitive and stale.

Chicago Here I Come!

2009-11-06T15:50:00.000-05:00

Mark and I will be in Chicago this whole weekend for our anniversary. There's a store on Michigan Ave. that has a ton of jewelry in it and last time I was there I got a ton of great ideas, but I've forgotten them all by now. I'm making sure I'll stop by and try and write some things down.

16th Century Jewelry & Wood Burning Stoves

2009-10-21T21:03:00.000-04:00

He who works with his hands is a Laborer

He who works with his hands and his head is a Craftsman

He who works with his hands, his head, and his heart is an Artist

--St Francis of Assisi

While looking across the net for 16th century jewelry, I came across this quote from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint in the Catholic religion for animals, the environment, and Italy, on this bead site based in the UK, Mancunium Historic Beads. I really like it and think it just about sums it all up.

One of my friends is involved in a group of reenactors (did I spell that right?) called the SCA, the Society for Creative Anachronism, and he mentioned to my boyfriend that I should make some jewelry and sell it at their events. So I wondered what 16th-17th century jewelry looked like and here are a couple of examples:

Aren't they just beautiful? I know I can make these, but I'll have to spring for the components...when I get the money. Things are tight right now, and with winter coming up, I'm searching once again for ready-to-burn dry firewood for my wood stove. Heating costs are astronomical even with the stove! But, I just had my stove and chimney cleaned by Modern Chimney and Duct Cleaning, so I should have an easier time this year operating it. I recommend this company, by the way, if you need your chimney cleaned. The guy was on time, cleaned up everything, and was very professional and personable.

Time to make a fire.

Cleanup Has Commenced!

2009-10-18T10:29:00.000-04:00

I spent about three or four hours last night cleaning up my computer. I couldn't believe how many copies of copies of copies of pictures I had on there! I think I had about five or six copies of each jewelry picture. After I deleted most of them, I had enough to fill five CD-Rs. Well, at least I'll be able to find them now!

My bf's been gone all weekend to visit his buddy down in Marion so I've been catching up on a lot of stuff that has needed to be taken care of, like my computer. The next step is to get all the jewelry pics printed and put into an album for our shows, which I've been wanting to do for a long time. And I think today I will be going to my mom's to make a valance for my kitchen window. Here's a pic of the tie backs I made for the curtains I made for the kitchen door window. And I love this material!

Where's MY Easy Button?

2009-10-02T14:48:00.000-04:00

Today started off fairly well; TJ performed his main morning job of being my alarm clock, I got to stop at Starbucks on the way to work, got to work early, was ready for the day, etc. But things just kind of tumbled down from there. I'm making a Facebook page for my company and it isn't working like I want it to, so that's frustrating. And then I spent my entire lunch half-hour (plus about 10 extra minutes) going to two different banks that both wouldn't cash my paycheck for various reasons and almost got killed in a busy intersection in the process. And for some odd reason, Jimmy John's really wasn't "Freaky Fast" like they usually are. Things in my world are a little frazzled right now!

And as I sit here typing this, trying to calm myself down so I can actually get some work done the rest of my work day, I think about what I'm going to do when I get home. The first thing that comes to mind is beading. Why does that beat out a nap? Maybe I'm not tired enough. I'm thinking I need to bead an Easy Button. Something three-dimensional. And isn't it just amazing that I'm finally a little calmer now that I've eaten something and written about it? Funny how that works. Now I kinda feel that nap creeping in....

Festival Afterthoughts

2009-09-22T09:44:00.000-04:00

Just a few random afterthoughts from the show. The 34th Nappanee Apple Festival went pretty well this year. Erica and I sold lots of our stuff. I think the Confetti Crayons were a big hit, too. Didn't sell any of my stained glass pieces, but oh well. We may be doing an arts bazaar in Goshen at the Waterford Community Church in November, so maybe I'll be able to make some more smaller stained glass pieces for that. Our Daily Drawings were a big hit, too! Congratulations to all our winners! Hope you enjoy your free jewelry!

The worst part of the festival was when I got stung on my tummy by a terribly angry bee. And then maybe when we got rained out a couple hours before we were supposed to tear down on Sunday. But all in all, it was a GREAT show! Thanks to everyone who came out to show your support, including my boyfriend who could hardly walk on his bum foot and still helped us load up the truck anyway. TJ's glad to have his mommy back now. He's been pretty bored at home in his crate. And Erica's cats are probably glad to have her back, too. Maybe now they won't show their angry zombie sides and stop decapitating mice.

This week I'll be cleaning up and organizing all my show stuff. Best part of the show is that I got to place an order from Fire Mountain last night with some money I earned. My next project will have Swarovski crystals in shades of mocha and tanzanite...so excited to sit down and design something new for myself! I'm thinking of showing my designing process in my next blog post. What's your creative process like? Where do you usually start? Do you buy beads first or design first and then buy the supplies? Let me know!

It's Festival Time Again!

2009-09-14T23:26:00.000-04:00

It's time for the 2009 Nappanee Apple Festival and Erica and I are getting excited to show everyone our newest creations! We've got more jewelry, of course, stained glass pieces, bookmarks, Confetti Crayons, and much, much more! And we're giving away FREE stuff!

Each time someone makes a purchase with us at the festival, he or she is entered into a Daily Drawing for one free pair of custom-made earrings! And on Sunday, we'll be holding a Grand Prize Drawing for one complete custom-made jewelry set including a necklace, bracelet, and earrings! The more you purchase, the more entries you can make! Thus, the more chances you have to win! Stop by our booth and check us out! We know you won't be able to resist!

Sorting Seed Beads as Meditation

2009-09-10T11:25:00.000-04:00

Imagine a one-gallon bucket filled with the tiniest of all beads: Delica 11/0 seed beads. And now imagine there are several different colors of these beads in the bucket. But the colors are all very similar. White, pearl, cream, light pink, dark light pink, etc.

Okay, there really wasn't a one-gallon bucket, but it sure seemed like I had that much! I have been spending several hours over the last couple of days sorting these beads by color into their proper sections of my Need-a-Bead Now organizer with my bead scoop. Call me crazy, but there's something relaxing and mind-numbing about doing this. Sure, my eyes get itchy and teary and dry and my hand hurts from dealing with the tiny little suckers, but it really does help to block all the other stuff out of my mind. I turn on the TV and just block everything out. It's great. It's my meditation.

I've always been a detail-oriented person, so this is right up my ally. I think if I had to do this every day for eight hours a day, I couldn't take it. But just a couple of hours here and there to escape daily obligations is fine. And it's hard to stop. Just one more bead--oooo! There's one--gotcha! And pretty soon it's almost 11:30 and I should have been in bed over a half hour ago. Wait! There's one more! Go to your home, bead!

And the feeling of order and satisfaction comes after I've put them all away in their respective spots. I can now move on with life. It's odd how something that small can make such a big difference in my chilling out session. Makes me feel better. There's a lot of things I cannot control in life, but this is one thing I can literally get my hands on, manipulate, and put into order. I only wish there were a bead scoop big enough to handle all the crap I have to deal with every day. And an organizer large enough to put it all into.

Bad Dog, TJ! Bad Dog!

2009-09-08T16:08:00.000-04:00

Well, he did it once again. TJ, my adorable one year-old yellow lab, ate more of my Nymo beading thread. And he's getting smarter about it, too. I learned to put it away inside my Plano tackle box, but now he's figured out how to open the drawer and pull it out. And then next thing I know, he's throwing up on my bedroom floor and I'm pulling yard after yard of thread out of his mouth before he chokes on it!

So, what all this essentially means (besides being disgusting) is that I will be making lots of dark and/or black colored jewelry for a while as I am poor and have no money to spend on buying new thread. I only have black left. No white, cream, red, green, or blue. Just black. It's so depressing.

But this is what I meant in my previous post about certain circumstances forcing me to alter my creativity and try new things or new ways of making things. For instance, I got my new issue of Bead & Button magazine the other day and really had fun with it. I took parts of three different patterns and made them into one single necklace. (I'll post a pic when I get the chance.) Just goes to show that you never know what you'll end up with when your dog gets ahold of your thread. And, as usual, how on earth could I ever stay mad at him?

What kind of unusual circumstances have forced you to try something new in your particular art medium? Did it turn out okay or was it a total flop? Did it lead to other creative ideas or are you never wanting to do that again?

Breaking Crayons

2009-09-02T11:14:00.001-04:00

I broke crayons last night; I'm such a rebel! When I was a kid, teachers and my mom and dad always told me not to break crayons. And there was something about that brand-new box of 64 Crayolas with the sharpener in the back. Once the tip was worn down, it was time for a new box. Nevermind the majority of the crayon was still intact and usable! And if I was really mad at a classmate (or my annoying little brother) I could snap a couple of their crayons. But then I had this tremendous sense of guilt afterward. It was like I wasn't just breaking crayons to get back at someone. I was abusing a sacred art medium and I was going to burn for it. I always had a great respect for art utensils and mediums; I still do. Maybe it was because I thought it was something special when I would get to use them. When I have kids, I'll try to teach them to use art materials with respect, but also teach them that it would be okay to manipulate them into something new and different. Painting Barbie isn't an option, though. However, dying her hair purple may be.

I took the broken bits of crayons and melted them into Confetti Crayons. Got the idea from this website/blog: Gracious Rain. It was a very easy project and I plan to sell them at our booth at the Napple Festival. Little kids will love them. Heck--I love them and I'm 30 years old! Besides. What on earth was I going to do with a bunch of broken crayons I've had since elementary school? I love reverting back to my childhood once in a while. I felt a little mischievous, but also exhilarated!

Challenge: You don't have to go buy a brand-new box of Crayolas, but if you have some lying around, go ahead and break some. Release your inner childhood fears! Let the crayon out of the box, so-to-speak.

Sources of Inspiration

2009-08-21T12:21:00.000-04:00

I think the things that inspire me the most are anything to do with texture and color, especially someone else's creations. I think, "wow, I like that, but here's what I would do differently." If there's a particular feeling associated with an outfit, maybe a summer dress, I'd definitely want my jewelry to convey that feeling as well.

I've had beads in my bead boxes for years and have yet to do anything with them. For instance, my mom gave me all of her Camp Fire wooden beads a few years ago and I made a necklace out of them, and it looked really neat, but it didn't fit right around my neck. I made some flowery things on it and they didn't hang correctly. So a couple of weeks ago I took it all apart and made something new. I found a design on the cover of my Bead Style magazine and copied the pattern. It's a geometric netting of flowers and it looks pretty cool. Best of all, it hangs right! I made earrings to match, too.

Other sources of inspiration come from my dog, actually. He'll be a bad dog and go ahead and eat different beading supplies of mine like Nymo thread, so I'll only have certain colors left that I can use. So I get stuck with a limited supply of items and have to make do with what I have. I have no more red thread; one spool was eaten at Christmas when I was making beaded Christmas tree ornaments, and the other spool was eaten the other day off of my coffee table. Bad TJ!

I tend to be monochromatic in my color choices. I'll do different shades of one color in many of the pieces I make. I also like to make smaller beaded things, and I'm trying to get away from that because I have to remember that the majority of what I sell needs to be simple. I like a lot of embellishment, and sometimes it's cool for a "costume" piece, but not for every-day wear, which is what people are looking for. Sometimes I'll buy an outfit and try to echo the pattern on the material. If not the pattern, then usually at least the colors.

While going through my grandmother's jewelry, I found a whole bunch of cheap stuff and I'm planning on taking all of it apart and reusing the beads, making them into something different, and definitely more modern! We'll see what happens with that! And sometimes I'll see a strand of beads at Michael's or Hobby Lobby and try to think of what beads I already have at home that would go with that particular bead. That's hard because it's so easy to just walk up and down the isles and find a ton of beads that would go perfectly! But my wallet hates it when I do this.

I'd love to know what inspires you. Please share!

In the Beginning: An Introduction

2009-08-19T10:52:00.000-04:00

Fine! Bead That Way!

"Where on earth did you come up with that?" We're asked that all the time, especially at festivals where we sell our crafts. I think if I passed by our booth and saw our sign, I'd be curious to know the story behind the sign as well. Fine! Bead That Way! was most likely created one starry, starry summer night in Erica's garage. We knew we wanted to make our business bigger than what we were already had been doing, so we had to have a name. Months and months of throwing names out there resulted in indecision and frustration. And then Erica texted me Fine! Bead That Way!, which we'd probably already came up with somewhere in the process, but hadn't settled on. So we just went with it.

We each are very creative individuals and have this inherent need to make things. We each love making jewelry and other various beaded objects. We both realized that beads don't necessarily have to be limited to jewelry and we both understand from personal experience that what we sell needs to be affordable to the average Jane. (Erica and I are both bargain-hunters.) We both don't want to be limited to store-bought items because most of the time, these items aren't "just right." So we make our own. And we have fun. And we occasionally make a profit.

So, browse our selection, inspire us to make more, and tell us we're doing a good job.