What I've learned

I have two craft fairs under my belt now and both times I questioned my sanity the week before the show. I really thought I had learned my lesson after the first show. But I did not. Once again I had very late nights and long days of getting beads and jewelry ready for the show. Some how I got through all the negative thoughts and self-doubt and kept going.
The night before the show I crawled painfully to bed at 2 in the morning but feeling good that I had enough product to sell plus some. The morning of the show went smoothly. My kids were up and ready and we left the house with plenty of time...or so I thought. The show was about 2 hrs away in Columbia, South Carolina and bout half way to the show I realized I had forgotten my beads and jewelry!! WHAT THE #@%*?! How did I walk pass my case in the hall ?? How did the most important thing get left behind ?? So we turned back around- I still didn't give up. No melt down...yet. Got back to the house and still felt like we could make it on time. Got the case, got back on the freeway and realized there was no way in hell we were going to make it before the start of the show. I had a total melt down. I bawled. It wasn't pretty. My kids tried to reassure me. I just couldn't stop. Then my son gave me a letter. "Dear Mommy, I know you worked really hard for the bead show. You are the best mom ever. Love, Gavin" It brought me back down. I dried my tears and decided I would make the best of it. I will cherish that letter forever.
Fast forward, Crafty Feast was a success ! It went amazingly fast. Made some money. There were so many steller sellers. I even did a trade! I got these absolutely beautiful napkins from Rustbelt Fiberwerks. I am actually looking forward to the next show! So what will I do differently next time you ask? I will start early. I will start now for the next show. I will not wait for tomorrow what I can do today. I will not forget my beads.

Where It's At

Did the title make you think of Beck? "Two turn tables and a microphone" gotcha! now you are humming it. So Spring has sprung. My beautiful tree out front is the epitome of all things spring- an amazing magical cherry tree with the sweetest little pinkish white flowers all clustered over every branch and when the wind picks up, little pale petals fluuter all around like fairies dancing. This tree has inspired me to make little flowers on ever bead up till this year. I will not succumb to its hypnotic force to create endless little flowers. I am inspired though to create beauty- that same feeling I get when I open my front door and see my cherry tree. Wonder, amazement, transfixed by its loveliness. That is my hope when I make a bead or set of beads that become a jewelry piece. To inspire beauty, to continue that feeling in others. (sigh)
Tomorrow I'll add pictures of my tree and some beads that have been inspired by its beauty.
Till then.

where do I start?

Yes I've been avoiding my blog for a few months. But I'm back to write something...hmmm... well it's the new year and I have a renewed sense of focus on my business goals. My latest venture is talking to local galleries about showing my work in their shops.I've come to realize I am not prepared as of today to walk in with my goods. There is still more work to do ! I need to have an inventory list (nasty words) with the retail value (groan) and pictures and descriptions and (sigh) I guess that is it - oh! of course my work displayed in a professional and pleasing way. That part is done at least. I'm also trying to get into a few craft shows for the year- maybe four ? That seems do able.
Lets talk glass!! I've got new glass! I've got new glass! Its waiting for me in my studio - I'm trying to ignore its cries of " play with me!" Its winter break and I've had family in town and kids at home so I wait. But come Monday I'm in the studio for some serious play time!
So I did an ebay listing yesterday and boy an I rusty with the html. I was on the verge of tears a few times but got through it and now I have 2 listings! I'm biting my nails on those - I have such a low starting bid and I would be devastated if they sold for nothing... man! I am being so negative today! I need to snap out of it!

So on a positive note! These are my cool citrus mix that I am auctioning off on ebay and also a set of pretty purples -yum yum!

The Science of Color

So I took on this custom bead order for a ton of time-consuming-layers-upon-layers-beads. Luckily I really do love this style. I thought I would be bored by now but I'm not but what I am is fruuustrAAted!

In my enthusiasm on getting such a big order I didn't think enough about the color combinations I was asked to do.... so now I find myself trying to come up with alternatives/variations on some of these. I should have been done with these but now I find myself trying to figure out how to layer certain colors without having them bleed onto each other. That is the science part of lampworking. I haven't explained this to my customer about layering certain colors and how they will react. I was trying to see this as a puzzle that I would somehow solve. Now many of these colors would be stunning together in a different design but I was trying to have multiple layers and keep nice crisp lines. it just doesn't always happen the way you picture. urrrr

This is what happens when you combine green and blue-

Some of the blue and green came out better then others. When combined with a white layer to seperate the two it was easy to make a consistently good bead with this pattern.

I didn't know black and grey would prove to be this difficult:

This color combination, no matter what order the colors were in, they just didn't want to behave. They play nice when they aren't layered or you don't need crisp lines like I was trying to do.

Now these blue and white just looove making crisp lines when layered-they really get along splendidly!

here are a few more that just sing when they are together....

I certainly learned a lot from doing these - there are many more examples you can see up on my flickr page, anyway I'm off , its lunch.