Tipsy Tuesday, 2/9/10 Kits

This week’s Tipsy Tuesday question is form Cindy. Keep sending in questions! I have a good line up for the next few weeks, but don’t hesitate to submit a question, and earn a free pattern!

 Here is Cindy’s question:

You discussed in your blog that you purchased beads for your kits and when you ran out of certain beads, I believe you reported that you quit putting together your kit for that project.  Have you ever had a kit/pattern so popular that you have made substitutions for beads you are unable to find (originally) to include in the kit so that you can still offer it to your customers?  Or, do you just sell the patterns only once your bead supply runs out for the particular beads used in the kit?  Or, do you modify the pattern enough to cover the changes in beads necessary so that you may still offer the kits?

Many of my kits contain beads that are fairly limited in supply. When I run out of the beads for the kits, I do discontinue them. I have discontinued several kits, including the large Poppy Necklace, and Polar Bear Necklace. But I still have the patterns for sale. There are several others on my website that are in short supply (running out) such as the Halloween Pumpkin, Peepers, Arabian Horse and Two Tails and a couple others.

I once made a substitution on a kit without an “announcement”. I substituted expensive Austrian crystals for fire polished beads that I had used, giving the kit a much higher value for the same price. I thought the buyer would have been THRILLED! I know I would have been. But she sent me a nasty email complaining that her project wouldn’t look EXACTLY like mine. It really pissed me off because she wound up getting a much better deal, and actually a better project, and she had to complain about it! I told her what I thought…and she never did write back.

On occasion someone will ask me for a kit  that I either no longer have, or never had to begin with. I will supply it for that person. They trust my judgment, and outside of that one woman, I never had a complaint. So, the substitutions do occur only on a one to one, personal basis. And only if asked.

 

Norm the Gnome in the Know’s  Response

I wish Sig would use some of those ugly possessed beads. They are still causing me problems!! They escaped! Would you believe it!? I ran after them to get them back in the jar, and they laid out a trap for me!

I hope I can get out! I hope Barney will help me! Someone, please take those beads away!!

HELP!!!!

Barney the Brainy Bruin’s Response

Who cares about beads? They are useless. I once cracked my tooth on one of those suckers, thinking it was a blue berry. I was not happy. Then there was the time I ate what I thought was a raspberry, but it was a bead. Looked real to me.

I had a mouthful of glass. I was lucky I didn’t cut myself or swallow it.

I don’t like beads. They are deceitful pieces of crap. Take them all away.

Hey, anyone seen Norm lately. I can’t find him!

Weekend Moving, and Jasmine's Birthday

This past weekend was a busy one! Jasmine moved her "Stuff" from my house in Modesto, down to her new apartment in Fresno. This is the very first apartment that she has totally on her own. No housemates, roommates, or any other shared living condition. It is very exciting for her.

And Sunday was her birthday. A big 26 years old. I can't believe so much time has gone since she was a newborn! It's a real sobering thought that so much of my life has flown by.

Jasmine rented a U-Haul. It was the same size as the one we rented for our Davis to Upland move. She didn't come close to filling it up, but that was about the smallest they had for us to use. I drove the truck down to Fresno, while she drove her own car. It's been quite a while since I had driven an "Adventures in Moving" vehicle. And this time, unlike all my other moves, it was rather uneventful. It was a new truck with only 6,000 miles on it, no problems with the tires, or running into motel overhangs, or anything else. It was almost a bore.

I am not used to driving such a "big" vehicle. And even though I had driven much larger U-hauls in my moving experience, this vehicle seemed HUGE. I felt a solidarity with 18 wheeler truck drivers. I felt like calling them on a CB radio and honking a deep blasting horn. Neither or which the truck had. But still, I felt like one of the "boys". Silly, I know...this truck is a mere Tonka toy to those guys.

Jasmine and I unloaded the truck (with some help from one of her neighbors) rather quickly and then returned the truck. Which left the rest of Saturday to explore. Fresno is much more metropolitan than Modesto (about a 90 mile separation). They have a Whole Foods, they have every store imaginable. Unlike the black hole of Modesto that only seems to erect drug stores, and the locally headquartered grocery chain. It has much more of a Bay Area feel than Modesto or even Stockton will have.

I wonder why Modesto is such a no-man's land....

We window shopped, talked girly things, and laughed. Later we started to put things away in her little apartment. I had to laugh at how much like me Jasmine is. She has her own fledgling collection of cookbooks, and cooking toys, she has her art books, and various mini versions of this and that as I have at home.

Sunday was her birthday. We explored some more, cooked dinner together and went to a girly movie that was fun. In the midst of all this, Jasmine made me cry. She said " As long as I have you, I could have no better Best Friend!".

I just cried...silly old mom that I am. I know that every sacrifice, every bit of time where I chose how I acted and what I did with how it would be best for her has paid off tremendously. I could not be happier or prouder of the young lady my daughter has become.

What a gem, Jasmine is.

Narcissistic Sundays #11: My Time With The Feds

My New Job

My job with Federal OSHA was in West Covina. I of course had no car and lived in Upland which is about 16 miles to the east of West Covina. I chose an apartment in Upland because the office was supposed to move to Upland shortly.

To get to work, I rode my bike down Mountain Ave (downhill) to the bus station. I took the bus to West Covina. The bus stopped a convenient 2 blocks away from my office. Other than the rainy days (which were few), it wasn’t bad. At least the uphill ride was on my way home, and it didn’t matter if I got all sweaty.

The first day, at work, after I was “sworn in”, I was handed a check for $2000, keys to a G-car (federally owned car) and sent to Long Beach for 3 weeks for training. I thought this was great! To me, this was almost like being sent on vacation.

There were 28 of us “new guys” going through this initial training. The training was pretty intense. I was overwhelmed. There was so much to know. As with any government job, there were a ton of forms. Seemed to me that every breath we took, there was a form we needed to be filled out to document what we did, where we went, what we saw, what we sampled, who we spoke to, records to be take of time spent on inspections, driving, researching and time to fill out forms. It was crazy.

Then just how to go about the inspection. All the items that needed to be discussed during the “opening conference”, “exit conference” and “closing conference”, how to involve unions, what to do if we are refused entry, what to do if an employee refused to talk to us.

All of this, without even getting into details of the regulations. Oh, those regulations. Some are easy to understand, but then others are far from it. A 20 page regulation on the requirements on lead or asbestos, or even confined space is enough for anyone to tear their hair out. Even if you could somewhat understand what was being discussed, it is quite a different thing to go out and recognize the hazards. It’s kinda like learning to ride a horse just by reading about it. You can study it all day long. You think you have a good idea of what to do, but once you get on that horse, you discover everything you read makes no sense.

After the 3 week training, we all went back to our respective offices. All of us were more than a little overwhelmed. Luckily, we would have a short time to be partnered up with an experienced investigator. I went out in the field with several of my office mates. Each time, I was amazed at how they handled themselves and what they knew. I wondered if I would ever become as “Smart” as they were.

No where was I ever as impressed as when I tagged along on a 3 week long inspection that involved a business that recycled vehicle batteries. All I could think of when I was at this place was “Dante’s Inferno”. It was a HUGE place

Batteries from cars and trucks were unloaded onto a conveyor belt and then smashed. They then traveled through a water bath so that the plastic parts would float and could be skimmed off. Then through a series of refining processes, the lead was reclaimed.

In one area of the plant, there were 3 large circular vats, about 12 ft across holding molten lead. This was near the final stages of the lead refining. The lead in them was a silvery gray, except for the top, where the impurities would rise and appear as grey-black lumps (think of lava flows and you might get an idea of what this looks like). The guys working in this area were called “Slag pickers”. It was their job to scrape off all this gunk into barrels. Imagine the heat, these guys dressed in Tyvek suits (ever seen pictures of hazardous waste workers, in white suits head to toe…same thing) and in respirators. Tyvek suits don’t “breathe” so you create your own sauna. I have worn them enough to know, they are not fun to wear. The respirator is a pain too. It gets hot and sweaty under the part of the face they cover. It is a bit harder to breath since you are breathing through filters. It also limits your vision because the filters stick out, or if it is a full face respirator as these guys were using, you have the mask covering some of your field of vision.

Other areas had glowing molten metals that were part of the metal reclamation that this company did. Glowing and HOT! To me, if I had to work here, I would be working in HELL. I really felt sorry for the workers.

I asked one of the guys, “How much do you earn?”.

“$7.50 per hour.”  (This was in 1988).

So this poor schmuck, was driving from Redlands Ca to Vernon CA every day in LA traffic (probably about 2 hours), to work in this hell-hole for peanuts. Not only that, the job was very dangerous, most workers having elevated levels of lead in their blood. Who would want to work at a place like this for those wages. I think the poor guys would have been better off working slinging burgers.

I learned a lot at my job with Federal OSHA. But alas…the good thing was not to last. When I took the job, I knew that on the ballot, the voters of the State of CA were going to vote on whether or not to bring CAL/OSHA back. The governor had lined out the program several years ago, and let the Feds take over the program.

During my phone interview for the job, I did ask…”What if CAL/OSHA returns?” The answer was, that it was doubtful that the voters would vote them back in, since the Feds were doing the job free to the state, and were doing a great job of it too boot. And IF CAL/OSHA were to be voted back in, it would take 2 years to get their program approved and they would be up and running again.

That answer was in August. By November, we were in trouble. CAL/OSHA was voted back in. By December, all of us were looking for other opportunities as CAL/OSHA would be fully functioning by May or June.

I panicked. Here I was AGAIN seeking employment. I could not simply slip over to CAL/OSHA like some of my coworkers. There was an agreement between the Feds and the State that inspectors could, with a simple interview (not even a civil service exam) be taken into the State’s Program. This agreement did not include someone like me. I did not have the required 2 years experience with working for the Feds.

I could stay with the Feds and be transferred. There was an opening for my level (entry) in Boise Idaho. I did not want to go. I had left snow country and did not want to go back to it. But if that was my only choice….then I guess I would have.

As luck would have it, a job opening announcement came across my desk for the City of Phoenix, AZ. It sounded great! My salary would jump from $15, 800 to $23, 000. I would be in a warm climate (understatement). So I applied.

They interviewed me via phone. I got the job!! I was to start on Feb 15, 1989.

Once again, I made arrangements to rent a vehicle, this time a bit bigger, from the “Adventures in Moving” company.

Curse of the Ugly Beads Part 2

A Desperate Note From Norm:

At first, I was really happy. Sig gave me this jar of “beads”. She said that someone suggested that I use them to make a little brick walkway with them. I thought about it, and thought a better idea would be to use these brick like beads for a little patio area where my lovely wife Olga and I could sip wine and count fire-flies in the evening. (and if I got her a little tipsy…well…you know….)

I set the big jar down, and started to decide how to go about my project, and things went bad. First the jar seemed to wobble as if Ernie the mole was making a tunnel underneath the jar. But I know he was no where in the area. Then the darned thing jumped up and down, and finally, tipped over.

I tried to set the jar upright, but then the darnedest thing happened! The beads began to move! All on their own! I have never seen anything like it! I checked to see if Ernie was around, but he wasn’t. The ants were busy at a picnic somewhere, so it wasn’t them carrying off the beads.

As I stood there in complete bewilderment, the beads started attacking me! Some climbed up my pant leg, while others were burrowing into the ground. I was in such shock I couldn’t move. The ground became like quicksand. I was sinking!

I called out for help. Luckily my wonderful lovely wife Olga was close by. As I was chest deep into the ground, and still being dragged down by those evil beads, she grabbed me by arms to pull me out. She was really struggling. I felt as if my arms would come off. I cried in agony.

Other Gnomes came to my rescue. But by then, those evil beads jumped back into the jar. My townsmen would not believe that the beads attacked me. They won’t even believe Olga! And they know she never ever lies.

I taped the jar shut. I am afraid they might come out again. What should I do? Should I give them back to Sig, even though I know she won’t take them? Should I give them to Barney? Is there any witch out there that would like these for using in potions? I have to be rid of them. I think they are evil and possessed. I am afraid to sleep at night because of these evil beads. They are Cursed!!

Please Help!!

Norm the Scared Gnome in the Know

Curse of the Ugly Beads

I don’t know what possessed me to buy these butt ugly, worthless, useless beads. It must have been some Demon of Bad Judgment who possessed me, or perhaps I had a moment of insanity, or maybe I had more money that day than I knew what to do with (yah, right…as if that ever happens…but sometimes I do act that way…).

I have had this jar of UGLY beads for YEARS. They used to be in a box. But somehow, whatever box I put them into, the box would eventually get holes, and these beads would escape. Forget plastic bags, they wouldn’t last a day. I have had them in a glass jar for years. Tightly closed, so they won’t get out. I think I am afraid that they will escape. I have feelings that they will create mayhem with all of my “prettier” beads. Or with me.

So what the hell was I thinking when I bought these MONSTROSITIES? Whenever I look at them, I think I am part of some Steven King horror story. I almost FEAR them! I am afraid to do anything with them, even in my wildest creative moments. I afraid to bury them in the back yard, in a very deep hole. I can't even put them into the dumpster for fear some horrible karma will befall me. If I gave them to a thrift shop, I fear that some other poor unsuspecting soul will be possessed by them. I think that they will seek revenge and wield shards of their broken comrades and drive them under my finger nails. That’s what I fear. That they will have their ugly revenge on me. Ugly beads, ugly revenge.

Most of you know, I am a seed beader. I love the little tiny beads. I will use larger beads as accents in my pieces, but rarely if ever, is anything bigger than a size 10 bead the main component of my piece. These beads are HUGE. With huge holes to go with it. I could never use these beads in fringe or a strap. I wouldn’t even think of using them as a single focal point.

I don’t think there is a single one of them that I would remotely classify as “pretty". Some have multi colored spots that remind me of some nasty acid trip…not that I have ever experienced anything like that. Really, I haven’t, ahh…it’s what I IMAGINE it would be like. It’s enough to give me a relapse…that is if I had ever taken acid in my younger years. Which I haven’t….

See, even talking about them, I feel like I am possessed enough to tell you stuff about myself that isn’t remotely true. They must have some bad ju-ju in them.

 

These beads are poorly made.  Some are Siamese style. There appears to be a point where they would have separated to become two beads, but never did quite make it. The holes are jagged and sharp, and these beads break easily. I had more of them. Twice as many as you see in the photo of the jar. But some of the escapees from the boxes that they were once in, split in half and others in shards that could inflict serious injury. I think the remaining beads are angry about this. I think they even look angry.

I don’t know what to do with these beads. I really don’t think I will ever use them, but still, I can’t bring myself to throw them out. It just seems wrong. I might be cursed with bad beads for the rest of my life if I do.

Maybe I should feel sorry for these beads. They can’t help being ugly. Perhaps they are just needing of some encouragement. Maybe they need a self-help book to bring out their hidden beauty and undiscovered value.

Maybe if I believe in them, they will suddenly transform. Like the ugly duckling, or the Frog Prince.

With that in mind…who would like this valuable jar of extraordinarily beautiful, rare beads for $3000, plus Shipping??  Potential possession is at no extra cost. Any fools…er….connoisseurs out there? Price is negotiable.

I Love Them All!

As some people have definite preferences with tea and coffee, beaders also have strong preferences concerning the standard seed bead and cylinder type beads (Aikos or Delicas).

I am heavily immersed in Delicas. I just love them. For the most part. These are the reasons I love Delicas:

1. Most stores that sell them, sell them by the Manufacturer number. This makes it easy to get the same color (baring differences in dye lots), no matter where you order them from. (Shame on the store who doesn’t bother with labeling the Delicas with the Miyuki number! I know of a few who don’t!)

2. I love the straight edges for the bulk of the work I do. The straight edges can make for a strong fairly stiff panel that is hard to achieve with the rounded edges of regular seed beads.

3. Delicas have nice large holes.

4. Beadscape (the bead design program that I still use) uses Delicas (and seed beads too, but the seed beads do not have numbers…).

5. Terrific colors!

Aikos have all of the above great points (except for #4). When I wish to use my (growing stash of)  Aikos, I will design in Delicas then make the substitutions using my (very expensive) Aiko bead cards.

The disadvantage of the Aikos to my viewpoint are: 1 The expense (nearly 2 times that of Delicas) and 2. the comparatively thinner walls, which makes for easier bead breakage. Aikos and Delicas have similar colors, and each has luscious colors that the other does not have.

I would not mix the two. They are just a tad off.

I still love regular seed beads. I would never used Delicas in fringe or any thing else where a little bulk is needed (like the strap).  I think they are just to stringy looking for fringe. I also prefer seed beads for 3D  figural work. The rounded edges make 3D figures less angular.

In bead embroidery and netting, I also prefer the seed beads since the rounded edges give a softer look.

I am thrilled that the Japanese seed bead manufacturers and as a result our bead stores, are selling the seed beads by number rather than by color name. It can be so frustrating to have the same shade of blue appear as different names depending on where you buy them. This helps me as a designer when I need a certain shade.

I am also thrilled with the variety of colors in all sizes of seed beads! There are so many luscious colors, that when I go to a store like Whim Beads, I am just beside myself of where to begin! I want one of every color and every size…but alas!! My bank won’t allow that.

There are some seed beads that I don’t care for. The uneven, poor quality I have seen from Asia and India, I tend to shy away from. On the other hand, the irregularities of Czech beads are offset by the type of seed bead they offer. I love the cut charlottes, which sparkle like little jewels. I have also seen some that shift color, depending on how the light hits them.

As with tea and coffee, I don’t see it as an all or nothing proposition.  You might prefer one type of seed bead, but you can still enjoy another equally well. It all depends on what you are doing, and what effect you wish to have.

Coffee or tea, anyone?

Tipsy Tuesday, 2/2/10 Inspiration

This week’s Tipsy Tuesday Question is from Cindy, who earns a free pattern of her choice for her question.

“I thoroughly enjoy your designs.  They are varied and you don't stick with the same type of patterns like most other designers do.  I can tell a pattern or project is yours because you put your style and love into it (whether you create the project or someone else does).  What inspires you

to come up with your designs?  Do you make a list of what you are going to design next, or do you see something that strikes that creative spark that leads you to the next design?”

My Response:

Thank you for the wonderful compliment! It is so nice to hear that you like my patterns, and that you think that what I create stands out from the crowd.

What inspires me is the beauty of art and a need to “escape” the daily grind and the things that worry me. I especially love the Pre-Raphaelite artists such as John Waterhouse, Dante Gabriell Rossetti, John Everette Millias. I also love the Art Nouveau period with its graceful floral themes. I am driven to create something with beauty, romance and magic, or just plain whimsy. I have been asked on occasion to create a pattern from an image that for me is too bleak, or somber. I was once asked to create a pattern for someone of a Picasso painting about the Holocaust. I just couldn’t do it because it was too sad and depressing. I understand that some artists need to work through their experiences this way, but I can’t. I want to escape to beauty and magic. That’s what makes me happy.

I am on the constant lookout for ideas. I spend more time than I care to admit looking through my art books, art on line, and antique jewelry for my inspiration. Looking at Art Nouveau jewelry, I try to find a way to transform a piece made of silver or gold into seed beads. It’s not always easy. Travel is another source of inspiration. I love to travel and when I go to a new country, I am always inspired. I wish I could travel more!

As for the old artwork that I make patterns of, sometimes it can take me 3 months or more to complete the image. I will work a little a time, and “put it away” because I hit a road block. The colors just aren’t working, or something is wrong in the translation. The computer just cannot do what I need it to do to get the image right. Then, months later, I will drag it back out and chip away at it a little more. It is a really slow process for me to create a tapestry sized pattern. I am always amazed that other designers churn them out so fast, but then I wonder how they really turn out in the end.

I have no set idea of “What is next”. I work on what my mood sets me to do. Sometimes, I get into a theme like I did with my Art Nouveau Tiles. I want to do a series of Turkish and Moroccan Tiles too. I have other ideas for series that I just haven’t gotten to, tucked into my files, some I have had for a couple years that I really need to get to!

Norm the Gnome in the Know’s response:

I know all too well about needing to escape! My lovely wife Olga creates a need for me to escape quite often. She gets very demanding, always wanting this or the other done. Why can’t she just let me sleep in the garden?

I do have my favorite places to escape. That’s where I do my best work. Dreaming! Without dreams, how can you create anything? Without dreams, how can you really be happy? I try to dream a lot.

Hopefully Olga won’t discover my hiding places!

Barney the Brainy Bruin’s response:

What inspires me is Honey! I love Honey, that golden sweetness from the gods! What else could be better? I can be bribed to do most anything with the promise of Honey. And often I am punished by not having my daily allowance. I become pretty angry then.

Usually, I am given quite a lot of Honey. That’s what makes me a happy Bear!