Elemental Inspirations Challenge

I am finalizing the Elemental Inspirations Challenge #1

Berry Me in Beads!

I will be adding to the prize list, and most likely to the beads in the kit...

See the preliminary information, and special incentive for early sign ups!

I welcome any input/ideas you might have. I hope this will be a lot of fun for everyone.

Narcissistic Sundays #14: Setting Roots in San Jose

It was October 15, 1989 when I started my job with Cal/OSHA. On my very first day in the office, I knew I was going to love my job. My co-workers were TERRIFIC!! I loved them all right from the start.

Since I was at the “Junior” level, I was not to go out and do solo inspections. I tagged with several “experienced” coworkers for a few months. The Division didn’t know quite what to do with us “Juniors” at the time. There were 9 of us state-wide (from an original 260 who took the exam). There was one other “Junior” in my office. During the first 6 months, the two of us spent a lot of time “studying” the P and P (policies and procedures) and regulations. I remember asking my coworker nearly every day at a few minutes before going home, “So, Ellie….what did we accomplish today?”

“Looking busy!” she would reply.

“Flipping pages and looking important” I would counter.

Finally, the Division got itself together and put all 9 of us Juniors through a very intensive and thorough training session that would last a year. Two weeks at a time, we would meet in Berkeley and sit through one topic or another, learning the finer points of Industrial Hygiene, sampling methods, toxicology, legal procedures….all the many facets of what I now do every day. Then we would return to our offices for a few weeks, tag along with other inspectors, and even do some of the easier inspections on our own. Then  a few weeks later, we would meet again for our next training session.

Back in those days, training was a regular thing. Even for the more experienced people. The State budgeted some money for training and even some certifications. That is now a thing of the past. But that’s a whole other story…

Now that I was settling down in a job I enjoyed, and an area of the country I loved, I had time and the spirit to really devote to creating things. I was in a “playful” frame of mind. I pulled out my beads, and beaded up a storm. Earrings, necklaces, you name it. I experimented with stitches from the few books that were available (remember, back in those ancient days there were no beading magazines, very few beading books, and no internet! Oh...can you imagine such a thing?). I suffered through a very bad book on peyote stitch and finally learned peyote. I played more with loom work, and bead embroidery.

During my first year in San Jose, I saw an ad that got me excited. A new bead store was opening in San Jose. I just HAD to go! The store was Peninsula Bead and Supply (aka Beads and Things). From the moment I walked in the store, I loved it! I loved the owner, Nancy Donnelly who is a wonderful person. Over the years, I spent a lot of money there!

I worked up the courage to show Nancy my beadwork, and asked if she needed a teacher. She did, and I wound up teaching at her store for years. I taught all sorts of classes from beginning to more advanced. Nancy asked me if I would like to consign some of my beadwork in her shop. I was delighted! Of course, I said “YES!!!”

Consigning beadwork in Nancy’s shop brought me a few dollars on a fairly regular basis. Along with the teaching, the extra money I earned really helped. Keeping up with the beading required more and more of my time. Since I was still churning out earrings from Deon DeLange’s books and many of my own geometric earring patterns, I was getting very bored. I had tried all color combinations, and little extras on the fringe that I could find, but the geometrics get a little boring before too long even with the modifications I did.

One Sunday morning, as I was reading the newspaper, I noted an ad. (I wish I had a copy of this ad to show you, but I could not find it, or a photo of what was in the ad )that changed things dramatically. It was a lovely ad of a restaurant on North First St in San Jose. It advertised a Price Fixed menu for a fancy restaurant. A romantic looking couple was seated at a beautiful table with wine, all smiling and happy. That was not what caught my eye. It was the stained glass door in the background. It was of a glorious peacock. I LOVED it! I wondered if there was any way I could fashion it into an earring.

With colored pencils, and a hand drawn graph, I colored. I erased. I colored some more. Six hours later, I created my very first earring pattern that was not geometric. I was so proud.

Nancy had made a comment at some point that some of my earrings were just a tad on the big side. This Peacock earring was even a tad larger than the earrings she thought were a bit big. So I was reluctant to show her the Peacock earrings. I thought she wouldn’t like them. But I took a chance. “No” was all she could say. I would still like them, and wear them, no matter what.

When I showed Nancy the earrings, she went CRAZY!! “I MUST HAVE THEM!! They will sell like HOT CAKES!!” she exclaimed.  I gave the earrings to her. And sell they did. Multiples of them. It seemed like I was ALWAYS making them.

Since the Peacock was such a success, I started playing with other designs. A beagle face, a bear,  a fish, a parrot…I kept designing them, and making them. Nancy kept taking the earrings, and selling them. I was no longer bored making the same earrings. I had enough patterns to keep myself interested. I kept designing new ones because I loved the challenge.

I was having so much fun beading and designing, and selling my work through Nancy’s store, I couldn’t be happier. I loved my day job and the great friends I made through my coworkers, I hardly noticed how unhappy I was at home. I found my escape both at work and through my beading. Even Jasmine came with me to my classes. She always wanted to be with me when she could. Even at the age of 5, she too was beading, and had her own collection of beads. Would you believe she even helped me teach?

Despite how happy I was with everything over all, things would soon change again. And while this change did not cause a move, it would cause the biggest emotional difficulty I ever had.

The Naked Truth

Something someone said to me just a moment ago brought back a memory that I nearly forgotten. Looking back on the incident now really makes me laugh. It did back then too, that is after I got over being really mad.

Before I tell you the story,  I want to ask you, what do you think of Art? What do you think about OLD art, you know, paintings and sculptures by Leonardo Da Vinci, Pieter Rubens, Titan,  or Michelangelo to mention a few?

Now, an even more pointed question. What do you think about the NUDES that they painted or sculpted? Before you answer that question, have you ever been to the great cathedrals in Europe? If so, have you noticed the many nudes depicted in the paintings and sculptures in these Holy places of worship? How about the museums?  Let me tell you, it’s quite a nude fest there.

Do you avert your eyes and run pass the nudes while focusing on the Still Life paintings? Do you shield the Art from your children, or even forgo going to the museum altogether because you find it so objectionable that you think all the bare breasts and other body parts should be draped in yards of fabric for the sake of decency and modesty?

During my early days of charting patterns from vintage artwork, I created several from paintings by the Masters depicting nudes such as the Nude at Beach and Venus above. The paintings I used were incredibly beautiful  and quite tasteful. Found in museums, and even the Sistine Chapel, even the religious leaders did not raise an eyebrow to the art depicting nudes.

Since these paintings are treasures, magnificent works of art and  at times even of a religious nature (the Creation of Adam is one of many) , imagine my surprise when the barrage of complaints about my indecency regarding my patterns came about. It really threw me for a loop!!

One person suggested that it might be ok if I did these patterns from nude paintings, but these patterns should require a special password to access them so that minors could not view them. Right-o...an Adult ONLY page!! Several claimed to be “offended” and wanted them removed (I wager that they would have liked me to be removed too). Some,  I suppose even suffered from emotional damage, considering how these complaints came in and how distressed they seemed. You would have thought I was charting patterns of fornicating couples!

At first I was shocked. Then I was pissed. Then…I thought to myself, what a group of idiots. Uncultured, uninformed idiots at that. Really, the prisses…how can anyone find a nude by Titan objectionable? Or the Blond Bather by Renoir obscene? I wondered if any of these women even dared to look at themselves in the mirror, NAKED. Or if they ran by in such a hurry, that their nakedness bounced enough to cause bruises.

But I had my fun. If you ever noticed my take on the infamous David and his various outfits and wondered what spurned that silliness, now you know "the rest of the story”. It was my come-back, my middle finger waving in the air.

No one has complained since that fervor died down. I still like charting nudes from old paintings. And still, after all this time, I still shake my head and LAUGH at the craziness not to mention the stupidity of what transpired.

You just gotta laugh at the stupidity of it all, don’t you think??

Scratch or Not

If the world were perfect, and if we had more time than sense, perhaps we could be more like Martha Stewart and make everything from scratch. For example, we could make a birthday gift. Let’s take it back a step: we could make the components that went into making the gift. How about making the card? And the wrapping paper? Or even making handmade paper? If you had all the time, talent and money you needed, how deeply would you go into making a gift, or project?

I follow a few food blogs. I was utterly amazed when a couple of them talked about making their own lard for using in their pie and pastry crusts. Yes it’s true! Phoo-D and Home Sick Texan both talk about the rendering process of taking pig fat and making lard. There are two types depending on where on the pig it comes from…that was news to me! The (home made) lard used in pie crusts and other pastries supposedly makes a HUGE difference in taste and texture. I believe it. I would love to try it…the pie crust, that is. I am not so sure about the rendering.

What does made from scratch mean to you? Or perhaps a more beading related question is: when do you consider something truly handcrafted vs manufactured?

If you are a seed-beader, a pair of earrings or peyote stitched bracelet is obviously handcrafted. I don’t think anyone would argue that (usually). But what about taking charms and looping them through an ear wire, or even a jump ring before looping it through an ear wire, do you consider that handcrafted?  What about those earrings with beads stacked on a head pin, are those hand crafted? Is something handcrafted just because someone’s hands put the item together?

Taking it away a step further, those same earrings on a head pin, or earrings made with dangly charms, made by the 100’s or 1000’s in some far away land, do you consider those to be handcrafted or manufactured? Still, two hands put them together. Does the quantity make a difference to your definition?

It seems a crazy, hairsplitting question, I know. Yet, I do think it is important. There are many shows, and art fairs that don’t quite “get it” as far as this distinction is concerned. Someone who assembles necklaces, bracelets and earrings in his or her living room in front of a TV can be said to be handcrafting the items. They are generally in limited quantities, and the design is by the person assembling them  (whether this is “art” or not is another question, see my post Art or Not?). The “factory” of workers cranking out earrings all day long making many of the same exact style, does not meet my connotation of “handcrafted”. Yet, these earrings can be in the booth right next door and competing with the person who makes jewelry in her own home.

An example a little closer to my heart, is a booth I see at some of the bead shows that I participate in. There is some seed bead work created by people in another country. The beadwork is fairly good. The owner of this little business contracts with the women of the village to produce the beadwork for her. She then sells the beadwork at shows for a crazily cheap price. Typically half or ¾ of what other people would try to sell similar beadwork for. There are all sorts of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Some quite similar to my own “bread and butter” pieces.  So, I ask, do you consider this handcrafted because it is seed bead work, or assembly since these pieces are churned out by the dozen?

While I am all for providing women of a third world county the opportunity to make crafts such as beadwork, and thereby make something of a better living, I am against having to compete with these items in a bead show, or even an art and craft street fair, especially those that are highly juried. There is a distinct advantage that these “manufactured” (in my opinion) pieces of jewelry have over pieces like mine. PRICE. I cannot, compete with a $10 earring that I would charge $35 for. I will not work for 25 cents per hour (after expenses are taken into consideration).

I don’t know what the answer is in a situation like this. Promoters of shows should really take more care in allowing certain items in a show, but often they don’t. I guess all we can do, is to keep our work as unique, distinctive and high quality as we can, so that what we offer stands well above our (manufactured) competition.

Hmm….wonder how much pork fat I can carve off that pork roast I just bought.  Anyone want some homemade pie, with an extra flaky crust???

The Pursuit of Perfection

There is something that grates on my nerves when I hear someone say that they are a “Perfectionist”. It always makes me think of a persnickety person who is never satisfied, and highly critical of everything around her, and especially of herself. I have family members and friends who claim that they are Perfectionists. And what I see driving that pursuit of “perfection” is something rooted much deeper in their psyche than the attempt to create a flawless project.

We all want to do the best that we can. Who wants to do a shoddy job? I try to be the best that I can, but I never try to be “perfect”. I will never be that hard on myself.  I have to ask (especially of those who claim to be “Perfectionists”) : Is there such a thing as perfection? Is there anything with absolutely no flaws? Is it possible to make something without any mistakes? I really think the answer is NO! Why put that high of a demand on yourself if it is unattainable?  All it will do is make you unhappy.

I have met so many “Perfectionists” that hide under that self-imposed title, when in actuality, they are very insecure about what they are doing. They fear criticism, they fear someone will find the smallest bit of fault in what they are working on or have finished. They will spend hours agonizing about if the flier they are designing has each design element in the “perfect place”, they will worry about the one sentence that isn’t worded “exactly” right, or the one bead that is off size by a hairline, and if just one of the beads is in the wrong place, then they will rip off 40 rows to correct it and lose hours of work. In these cases, who would really notice, other than the Perfectionist her or himself?

Claiming and striving to be a Perfectionist is like a protective shield against their fear of someone finding fault in their work and ultimately with them. Yet the Perfectionist will be the first to show you the one bead in a 25,000 bead project that they got wrong, they will show you that one design element that is off by 1/8 of an inch in a multi paged document they created. They would be the only one who would notice, but they need to point out the unnoticeable, insignificant flaw. Why? Perhaps to beat any potential criticism to the punch? In finding (and pointing out) their own flaws, perhaps someone else won’t make the critique. Maybe then, someone will say something like, “Oh, I would never have noticed.” Or “It looks fine to me.” Thus getting the validation that what went wrong is really ok, and despite the tiny mistake, their work is still fantastic.

Being (or trying to be) a Perfectionist is not without a cost. The Perfectionist might never show her work because she “knows” something is “wrong” with it, deadlines for shows and competitions will pass by because the piece was never “perfect” enough to submit, and projects will never see completion because there is always something “wrong” with them. Because the Perfectionists have become their own worst critic, no one else will ever have the opportunity offer them a valid critique, their work won’t be shown, their ideas will never be seen by anyone. In the end, striving for perfection is the only work they will do.

My work is not perfect. It is far from it. I have made mistakes, a color may not be a perfect choice in one project, beads that should have been culled made it into my necklace, thread might be showing, or there is a typo in one of my books. Look for them, you will find them. But I did the best I could, and there came the time to release my work, for better or worse and move on. If I were of a Perfectionist mindset, I don’t think I would ever have been published, or had my work in a gallery, or have finished any of the many projects I finished. I still would be trying to get that one “perfect” project done. No one would ever have seen any of the work that I have done. I wouldn’t even be writing this blog. I am certain that I have plenty of typos, and grammatical errors.

I am not advocating that anyone should not care about doing a good job. You should always strive to do the best you can possibly do. With each piece of beadwork you create, try to make it better than the last. Fix the important, critical mistakes, but accept the minor flaws. If you are a self proclaimed Perfectionist, be kinder to yourself. Don’t let your fear of the imperfect, and what judgment might come of it keep your work in hiding, and you from achieving your goals. Learn that there is a time to release and let go, and start something new and better. Learn to be less judgmental of yourself and be kinder and gentler to yourself. You’ll find that you will enjoy what you do all the more.

Tipsy Tuesday, 2/23/10 Pattern Inspiration

This week's Tipsy Tuesday is from Ronit. She earns a free pattern for her question. How about you? Do you have a question? Any subject you like, it does not need to be about beading! Challenge Norm and Barney (and me too!)

I very fond of some of your more whimsical patterns like Paints with Beads and a couple recent additions to your patterns on bead-patterns.com like the Love Struck teddy bear and the Sun.  These lovelies don't strike me as the creations of old masters :) Do you draw/paint yourself and are some of your patterns based on your own drawings? And, if you use contemporary art other than your own for inspiration, how do you deal with copyright issues?

My Response:

Thank you, Ronit! I am happy that you like my whimsical patterns!

While I love creating patterns from various old art periods, I have fun with other simpler designs, especially when they have a bit of whimsy. I do not usually draw out my designs on paper before I chart them, although sometimes I do have a rough sketch of what comes to mind, just so I don’t forget the idea I had.

Some of my designs are adaptations from copyright-free clip art or from something I might have seen on a printed fabric, carpet, or even an old mosaic sidewalk or tile I saw while traveling. I might combine two or more images, or add my own design elements drawing in a tree, or the Eiffel tower for example.  ( I love playing with photoshop!) I don’t think that using clip art just as it is, without adding some sort of my own touch to it would be worth doing, it would be so boring, and anyone can do that. I see using the clip art as a starting point, not a means to its own. There is no art, or design quality to that! I prefer to use clip art that is just a simple line drawing since it is so much easier to play with and change.

Often times, as I get on with the pattern, it only has a faint resemblance to the original. That suites me just fine. I do not want my patterns to be easily identifiable from whatever source I might have started with. Isn’t that the purpose of creating a design?

 As for the Art that I work with, I want the pattern to be identifiable to the original work of art, but I want the colors to be a bit brighter. So I will take hours repainting the design so that it won’t be in muted shades of gray and tan. Since the paintings are old, the colors have probably faded since it was painted anyways so it could use a bit if “sprucing up”. And who wants to spend hours on a lack-luster project?

I stay away from contemporary art. Sometimes, someone will ask me to create a pattern from an image or character that is under copyright protection. I will turn the project down. There is plenty of artwork that is in the public domain that can be used, and even changed to create designs.  Why take the risk of getting into serious trouble?

I take my design work seriously (while having fun with it). I never use the coloring book approach to creating a design. I hope this effort shows in the work I do.

Norm the Gnome in the Know’s  response

I like using crop circle patterns for designing my garden. It’s kinda like clip art.

Crop circles aren’t copyrighted, are they?

Barney the Brainy Bruin’s response:

Clip art? I don’t like clip art. Last time I saw someone with clippers, they did a horrible thing to my arctic cousin Nanuq. They clipped his fur so that he looked like a poodle. He was not happy. They called it "art". 

Now when someone says "clip art" I think of poor Nanuq.

Secretly, I did laugh. Is that bad?

The Fleeting Dollar

I know that I am not the only one with this sort of luck, but I am really beginning to think that I have a dark cloud over my head just waiting to make things difficult for me. I know we all are experiencing financial challenges of one sort or another. So many have lost jobs, or their spouses have lost jobs, credit cards are taking a bigger bite out of our hides by increasing the interest rates, even groceries cost more. I am feeling the crunch just like everyone else. My day job is paying me over 15% less than I was getting 12 months ago. My SO has not been employed for longer than that. It seems that every source of income we have is providing less, while our bills are getting higher.

Then I had a glimmer of hope! I received a really good order from an unlikely source (Moscow, of all places, and it was legit!). I was boxing the order, and needed to print out a few items that I was short on. I was nearly done when….

The pages spewed out of my Laser printer looked like shit. The reds were orange, the orange was yellow, and of course all the other colors were off. What could I do? The magenta toner was within pages of being at the end of its use. I thought, THAT'S IT! Normally when a toner cartridge is empty, the printer just doesn’t print. Maybe for some reason it still thinks it has some magenta when there is actually none left.

I replaced the cartridge. I printed a page with great hopes that it would be as it should be, bright and vibrant. No-Such- Luck. I ran the calibration cycle, three times. It would not get better. I only had 4 booklets to print to complete the big order that was going to help me towards my goal of paying down my debt. Things did not look good. I couldn’t very well send bad quality books,  and I did not have access to another printer.

It was time for my Mac guru to come over. He played with the settings, and tried his magic. But try as he might, my guru couldn’t save the beast. It was hopeless. Something about the laser for the magenta was not working as it should. It would not be worth the cost of fixing the ailing part, as it would cost more than half of what a new laser printer would cost. And since my printer was out of warranty....

Swifter than the IRS extracting money from tax payers at tax time, faster than my Bank of Absconders can invent more fees for me to pay, I saw my money earned from a good order flying out of my bank account, leaving just a small portion of my unexpected order untouched.

I want to know, who keeps tabs of when I get a nice chunk of extra money, that I could put to good, sensible use (or even for some well deserved fun)? It seems that every time I get a bit “extra” that I was not counting on, something happens that sucks it right from my hands. Is this the Money-god’s version of some sort of cruel joke?

Luckily, my guru had a spare printer that he gave me on loan, so I could at least finish printing my order. At least I have a little time to consider what I will replace my dead Laser printer with. At least the order I got will pay for the replacement. That is, if I can get to a store to buy one…judging from the puddle I just saw under my car, it seems that my faithful Honda is in need of a new radiator. 


What was that?? Do I hear the fluttering of more dollar fledglings flying away???

Narcissistic Sundays #13: Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

Giving my 3 week notice to my job in Phoenix, turned out to be more difficult than I thought it would be. I did like the guys I worked with (except for the one butt-hole). And despite the heat, I did like Phoenix. Perhaps with time, I would have eased into my job, and would have learned to really enjoy it, after all, I had only worked for them for 7 months. But at the time, it was agony. I just had to go.

When I gave my notice, I sat with the Personal Manager and told him what made me unhappy. The expression on his face was not at all happy. Looking back, I understand what had upset him so much. I had perfect grounds for a discrimination suit. But it is not my nature to be litigious in that way. I was only happy to be able to go back to California, and I was happy that he knew of the troubles I had with the coworker who made me feel so unwelcome, and incompetent. If they hired another female in my place, hopefully she would not endure the troubles that I did.

With each move, the U-Haul we rented got bigger. Our first move from Davis to Upland was a 10 ft truck. We have now graduated to a 24 ft truck. This truck was a monster! By this time, I also had a car. John didn’t drive, so now I was faced with the dilemma of how to get my car to CA. The truck was big enough, I didn’t want to have to tow a car. The thought scared the heck out of me.

Then, to my rescue, came a college buddy. I paid for her flight to Phoenix from Sacramento, and she drove the monster truck that towed my el-cheapo car. She loved the idea of doing the drive, and I was only too happy to have paid for her trip to Phoenix, and meals and hotel along the way to San Jose.

It was a long trip. We split it into 2 days, with an overnight stop just north of LA. The second day of the trip, we crossed the coastal mountains to Highway 101.  As we were going over the mountains into the San Luis Obispo area, we noted something moving across the mountain road. Amy slowed down as we tried to get a closer look. There seemed to be thousands of them…were they leaves? Sticks? Our imagination? John had the answer.

“DON”T BLOODY STOP!! THOSE ARE TARANTULLAS!!” He shouted.

Apparently, it was tarantula mating season. By the hundreds, maybe even thousands, these large spiders were crossing the road looking for mates. It was like a bad Steven King version of why did the chicken cross the road, only with tarantulas. With my window down, I swear, I could hear the squishing sound as we ran over more than a few of these creatures.

Finally, we were out of tarantula  love-fest country, and along 101 which was within site of the Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful drive. With a lunch stop in beautiful San Luis Obispo, we continued on north to San Jose.

Now, this might seem really weird to you. I do believe that visualization of what you want, helps to make your wish come true. While in Phoenix, I used to imagine myself back in California. I wanted to live in Davis again, and work in Sacramento. As I closed my eyes to meditate on that desire, I could never get pictures in my mind of either Davis or Sacramento. It was always of another city. But still, I felt this city was in California. So I just stopped trying to see Davis or Sacramento, and allowed the image that kept coming in my mind to stay.

I had never once been to San Jose, nor had I seen pictures of it. I had no idea of what it looked like. But as we were on 280, driving past the downtown area, I saw the city that was in my minds eye while meditating night after night and wishing I could be back in California . There are no words that can come close to telling you how I felt at that time. I was amazed, a little scared perhaps (even though this is not the first time this sort of thing has happened to me).

We arrived at our new apartment (taken sight unseen from Phoenix), and checked in.  We were on the second floor. I liked this apartment complex. The grocery store was next door, and my new office was a short 3 mile bike ride away. I could hardly wait to start work in 4 days time.

Fix This!

I often will get asked if I repair beadwork. I can’t help but scrunch up my nose, as much as I try not to, and say “Sorry, but no I don’t, unless it is a piece you bought from me.”

I have a hard enough time repairing some of my own beadwork. After many shows of people pulling and tugging on fringe, acting like they are product durability testers, eventually a fringe or strap will suffer. The damaged piece will sit in a bag for what will likely be a day short of forever before I get to it. I hate repairing my even my own beadwork. To repair someone else’s would be impossible.

I have friends who love the challenge of repairing, or rather restoring beadwork. They love working with antique pieces, and it gives them such joy to have restored an old gem of an antique piece. I really admire them. I just can’t do it.

There are horror stories about repair work. Sometimes all you can do is a close substitution when beads are missing. The exact match is impossible. Or sometimes the length of the piece will be altered slightly due to the missing beads. The customer who expects a “perfect” repair/restoration might as well be asking for the moon. They have no understanding that some colors may not be made anymore, or perhaps the bead has faded and a perfect match cannot be made. One such customer refused to pay my friend after 40 hours of laborious (and beautiful) work because she could see where the “new beads” were in an antique bag that my friend had worked on. It was otherwise perfect, just the shade of blue was a tad darker since the original had faded. 

The next related question someone will ask me, is if I will make a match to an earring that they lost. It usually is an earring that looks like it was bought from Cheapo-Earring-Mart. I had so many such requests for a while, I got sort of tired explaining the (poor ) quality of what they were showing me, that I finally started answering "Sure, I would be happy to, for $50."

"But I only paid $12 for these!" was the usual response. And off they would go...I presume back to Cheapo-Earring-Mart.

What did they think? That I would gleefully make a match for about $5? Did I REALLY look that desperate to make a few bucks?

So, in cases like these, for those brave, stout souls who do attempt repairing or matching beadwork, would you charge by the project? Or by the hour? Is there a minimum charge? A non refundable charge that is paid upfront? Have you even thought about it?

Of course, it would depend on the project. But let's suppose you were about to repair a bag similar to the one illustrated in this post. I would recommend that you put in writing, your fees. Estimate what your time working on this will be and give your customer a range (such as 10-12 hours). Charge by the hour (plus supplies when needed), but let the customer know, in writing when you need more time (and therefor money) to complete the task. Ask for a non refundable deposit that will cover your time for getting the project going (perhaps an hour or 2's worth of work).  Also state (especially if you are supplying the beads for repair) that you will not be able to make an exact, seamless match due to the antiquity of the piece, but that you will make the best substitutions available, and that you will be the final judge as to what is best. And finally, state that all charges must be paid before the piece is to be released. 

Have the customer sign that they agree to the conditions.

While having all this on paper may not fully protect you, at least you have some legal grounds to stand on, should you ever need to extract your hard earned money from a customer via the small claims court as my friend eventually did.

For me, no…I won’t do repairs. I guess I am of the temperament of wanting to bead what I want to bead, and when I want to bead, not at the the direction of someone else. I would rather create than fix. I would rather play than work. I would….actually like to be on a ship touring the Greek Islands…

(now where did that come from?!)

Tipsy Tuesday, 2/16/10 Time to Bead

Today's Tipsy Tuesday's Question is from Diane Saunders. She earned a free pattern for submitting this question. How about you? Do you have a question??

"I have a question for you. Do you try to bead at a certain time each day, or for a certain amount of time each day, or just whenever the mood strikes?"

My Response:

There are never enough hours in the day! While finding time to work on bead related things, is important to me, I never have enough time for it.

I work a full time job. Monday-Fridays (with the exception of our furlough-Fridays), I work as a safety inspector. When I come home, I try to find the time and energy to get a little exercise in (yeah...like that happens a lot!), although that often gets thrown aside too. Then there is dinner to cook. Usually it is 7pm when I can finally make time for beading or designing patterns. If I am really lucky, it might be as early as 6pm. It really doesn’t leave me as much time as I’d like.

Now that I am writing my 2 blogs and on Helium.com, I have added even more time sinks to my daily schedule. Writing takes much more time and thought than I ever thought, even the shorter simpler posts that I have written.

On weekend days, and my Furlough days, it seems I don’t really start my beading much earlier. There are chores to do, errands to run, weeds that need pulling, and I want to cook or bake something extra special for us, that I don’t have time for on weekdays.

So, no matter what day of the week it is, my beading activities are in the evening. I try to work every night, although some nights, I just don't have time to bead because I might devote the evening to designing, researching for design inspiration or just writing. I only wish I had more time, so that I could create more!

Norm the Gnome in the Know’s Response:

Have you ever heard the joke about State Employees?

Two kids were arguing about whose dad was the fastest.

Billy said, “My dad can out run a race horse. Your dad can never beat him!”

Johnny said, “My dad works for the State, he is so fast he makes time go backwards. Even though he works till 5, he is home by 3!”

Sig is just as fast! I tried to keep up with her, but can’t!

Barney the Brainy Bruin’s Response:

Have you ever seen the skit about Steven King, who is at a typewriter? He never stops typing no matter whatever else he is doing. He eats and types, he types while he dresses, he types while he drives a car, he even types while he sleeps. That’s how he’s able to write so many long books.

I think Sig must be related to Steven King!

Six Months and Still Here!

I can't believe I have been at this blog for 6 months now. I started it as an extension of The Cracked Bead, so that I could write freely and when I wanted without having to bug Steve to add it to my website. I wasn't sure how long I would continue, even though writing has become sort of an addiction. I am always thinking about "what should I write next?" And I always worry that I will come to a grinding halt with nothing to say.

I never set out with the intension of being like other beading blogs that hone in on the finer points of beading. There are plenty of really terrific ones who do this. I wanted to set mine apart to be more "fun" (not that theirs aren't, just in a different way), informative, and hopefully to talk about things that would invoke your input and response. And perhaps talk about things in a way, most are afraid to approach.

I know that many just come to read, and are "shy", or just don't care to comment. Or perhaps you are a closet reader, and like a guilty sin, you don't want anyone knowing (least of all me) that you are reading my blog. I am happy for every comment, positive or negative. I don't mind a "friendly" debate. To a writer, feedback is hugely important. It lets us know what we are doing well, and what not.

The posts that I enjoy writing the most are the ones that make me laugh while I am writing. I love finding humor in unexpected places, and the challenge of painting a picture with words. But not everything is funny, nor should it be. The more controversial subjects dealing with scam artists, permissions granted by law, or by the artist on how one might use a pattern are important too.

I know I flip flop all over the place with what I write about. Most of what I write about is tied to beading to varying degrees, but some of what I write has nothing to do with beading at all. A bit about my life, present and past, and maybe even a few other non bead-related topics. I enjoyed writing all of them.

I also enjoy adding a "Bragging Rights" post for those who send me jpgs of the beadwork they did using my patterns. I am always so happy when I get the jpgs in my email.

Tipsy Tuesdays have been a lot of fun for me. I love answering the questions that people have, no matter how simple it may seem to be. Norm and Barney started as a whim too. At first I wanted them to be the voice of an opposing opinion, since mine is not always one that works for everyone. But then, they took on a life of their own, giving answers that sometimes have nothing to do with the question. I love writing answers from Norm and Barney, as ridiculous as it may seem to some.

The Mystery Mondays too, was an experiment of sorts. There are several people who really enjoyed them. The jury is out on the rest. My stats show me that many have downloaded them, and that many only visited on Mondays and Tuesdays just to download the free patterns, with no comment positive or negative. Again, it is the sort of thing that feedback is the driving force of my decision to continue with it or not. For now, I will keep it on the back burner. I am thinking of bringing it back for a nominal price of $2, just to keep those who "only visit to get the free stuff" away( as "Anonymous" commented).  If you have read The Cracked Bead chapter "If it's Not Free, Then I'm Not Gonna Buy it" then you know that some of my feelings about giving free stuff have been reinforced.

Still, even with that said. I will still pop in the occasional Trivia Question that will earn the winner either a free pattern, or dollars off towards and order. I do enjoy giving to people, but tend to enjoy it much more on a one to one basis than I do by the masses.

Since I have hit my 6-month mark, I would really like some feedback from you. What would you like me to spend time writing about? What have you enjoyed most? Least? Do you like the different topics, even if not bead-related? Should I have more beadwork on this blog? Any input at all is welcome (and needed).

Whatever your thoughts are, I do love the challenge of writing. I write this blog, and another (anonymously without my name attached so I can write even more freely) as well as on Helium.com, which I just joined. (My first few "articles" are "reprints" but I hope to add articles that only appear there).

Gee....I gotta find time for beading and designing too!!

Hopefully, I won't run out of steam. Or run out of time...well....sometimes that is another issue!!  :)

Narcissistic Sundays #12: On To Phoenix

So it was time to move, long distance, yet again. I was so excited. Phoenix, Arizona! I could hardly wait. It was not just the job, but also what I imagined Phoenix to be. This was at the time when Native American art, culture and philosophy were of prime interest to me. I thought that this is probably the place where I was meant to be.

Before leaving California, I called several apartment complexes and had them mail brochures with floor plans to me (remember this was before the time of the internet). I chose one sight unseen. It was a spacious two bedroom apartment, nearly twice as big as the one we had in Upland for only $25 per month more than what we were paying. It was in Paradise Valley, an upscale area of Phoenix, bordering on Scottsdale. At that time, I didn’t know this, I only chose it because it looked so nice, and was on a bus route that would take me directly to my new job. The apartment was on the third (top) floor. The importance of which (or the folly of it) I didn’t understand until I was there, in the midst of the summer heat.

For this move, we needed a bigger truck than we used for our last move. We had “acquired” furniture.  We piled everything in, and drove down Mountain Ave, and got onto interstate 10 to head east.

  
It is a straight shot to Phoenix on I-10 from Upland. The semi desert becomes desert quickly. The road becomes quite desolate once you pass the Palm Springs area. Not much to see but sand, rocks and tumbleweed. Then once you cross the border from California into Arizona, miles of nothingness lie ahead. While driving, I kept looking for my first view of a Saguaro Cactus. When I finally saw my first scraggly one, I really felt that I had left California behind.

It was about that time, that the U-haul began overheating. Right there in the middle of nothingness, with the scraggly Saguaro cactus teasingly pointing the way towards Phoenix. I had to pull off to the side of the road. Of course this was also a time that predates cell phones. Traffic was, as non-existent as a rose garden in this area. We sat for 20 min, to allow the vehicle to cool a bit. Then I figured we would drive again. It was 50 miles to the next exit (so the sign with the Vulture perched on it said a few miles back), I hoped it had services. I noted that many exits had nothing to offer. It made me wonder why there was an exit at all.

After a few more cooling rests, we were approaching the exit. And right there, on the off ramp (Full service truck-Rest Stop in sight!!) we got a flat tire to add to our misery. I kept driving, difficult as it was. I needed to get it to where they could help our poor provider of Adventures in Moving. I felt like we were a bad version of the Beverly Hillbillies. I was crazed with wanting to continue on, we were barely going to make it on time, before the apartment office closed. I couldn’t afford a night at a hotel. John was crazed, just because that was who he was, always theatrical. And Jasmine, at 4 years old. Didn’t think the whole trip was much fun to begin with.

After a call to U-Haul, the mechanic got his authorization to replace a hose and the tire, we were on our way again. I was ready to “be there”. Finally, the suburbs of Phoenix started popping up. Tiny little communities, but still, they replaced the open vastness of the desert with hope that we would soon be “home”.

When finally, the sign said “City of Phoenix”, I was so happy that we arrived, I could have cried. It looked like a great city. Unlike any city I have ever seen. Golf course after golf course. It amazed me that a city in the desert had so much green! We finally found our new home, and I ran into the office, just a mere 15 minutes before they closed! With keys in hand, we began moving our belongings in.

Monday was the start of my new job. I took the bus into work (I still did not have a car at this point). It was quite convenient. The bus stop was right across the street from my apartment, and it dropped me off 4 blocks from where my office was.

The department I worked for was small. There were 3 guys in an equivalent position to mine, a manager and a clerical. We had to handle all the City’s issues regarding safety and environmental regulations. The first task I had was to “inventory” all the city transformers. If you don’t know what these are, if you still have overhead power lines, look at the top of the poles. If you see a white or gray bucket type of thing clinging to the top of the power pole, that is a transformer. The older ones contained PCB’s, an environmentally nasty component responsible for the thinning of egg shells, and various health problems. It just never goes away, but accumulates both in the environment and in the body. I had to identify which ones had the PCB’s (by locating the tag since they had to be labeled) or if they were new and didn’t contain PCB’s.

I also had to go to the old Good Year Airport to do the same. This airport was once active in the WWII era, now it was used for private planes. It had a storage area that had several old transformers in storage that needed to be manifested and sent off to a hazardous waste facility. This was the job that I had to do in a full Tyvek suit with a respirator. Even though it was done before noon, it was still getting rather hot. So when I went with my coworker who assisted me, to a Circle K to get something to drink, I was thankful that he insisted I buy the Mega Gulp. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would drink much more than a medium sized soda. Let me tell you, the dry desert heat of 90+ degrees at 10 am  in the shade , wearing a full hazardous waste suit , had me drinking that tankard size drink and wanting more.

During the weekends, Jasmine  and I (and sometimes John too) would take the short bus ride to downtown Scottsdale. We would browse the many shops, especially the shops with Native American art. We loved it. I had never seen so much Native American art. There were rugs, silver, pottery, Kachinas and so much more. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

Being in the midst of all this wonderful art, and being in the desert influenced my beadwork. I looked for inspiration from all sorts of crafts that had some Southwest of Native American influence. I would tweak it a little for my own design, and then I loomed some necklaces. A boutique in the heart of Scottsdale bought a series of 4 of my Southwest inspired necklaces. I was so thrilled!

As time went on, I was responsible for writing (or drafting) a City program or two. I was still quite green, and not sure of myself. And I was beginning to dislike my job. Mainly because of one individual who was upset a female had been hired, and was quite vocal about it, at least to me. I felt I was not a good fit for my job. I missed my job at OSHA, and wanted to go back to California. The heat in Phoenix was oppressive, especially being on the top floor of the apartment building. I just did not feel “at home”.

In the newspaper, in the classifieds section there was a classified ad that said:

I want to be where I can smell fresh bread while walking the hilled streets, 
                        
I want to be where I can see the fog roll in silently on cat’s paws                              
I want to be where I can hear the fog horns in deep resonate tones                         
Take me to San Francisco where my heart and soul will always be.

I don’t know who the author was. But I cut out that little ad and carried it with me. It made me cry. I too, wanted to go back to N. CA with the same longing.

An X-Fed/OSHA coworker who was now with Cal/OSHA contacted me. They were holding exams for Junior Industrial Hygienist positions! I was so excited! I filled out the application and sent it in. I was then contacted to come and take the written exam, in LA.

It was June. Only 4 months into my employment with the city. I had to leave my job by 4pm to catch a plane. I was not able to use my vacation time yet. So what was I to do? Having been in John’s company long enough to have learned a few acting skills, I put them to use. Having John call me at just before 4, I staged a medical emergency.  Exclaiming my horror at his supposed illness loud enough for everyone in my office to hear, I exclaimed, “I am leaving work NOW!”.

To the shocked look of my coworkers, I ran out crying “I need to go home, John is very sick”. I got on the bus to the airport, and then to the LA area.

The next day, I called in sick from a phone booth in LA, just outside of the building where my exam was to be held. I couldn’t do it from the quiet of a hotel room because it was too early to call, so I had to use the phone booth (again, remember there were no cell phones). With the traffic and other street noises in the background it made for an improbable sick-call, but I kept it short, and was never questioned about it.

The test was grueling! 200 some odd questions, covering everything from wheatstone bridge problems (physics), Stoichiometry (balancing chemical equations), toxicology, sampling and more. I walked out of that exam certain that I failed. I never thought that an entry-level, no experience required exam would be so tough. It was pass-fail (not graded). I did pass it, I doubt I could now.

The exam process was not over with that written test. Next was the oral Exam. This one I took in Oakland, because I hoped that taking it in N. California would set me up for employment in the North rather than the South.

The questions were involved. How would you take air samples for asbestos and lead? What were the flow rates, how are the calculations done? Explain the Noise regulations, how do several machines add up to the decibel level (there is a formula). These were questions for someone with experience in the field. There was no way an entry person could know the answers. I was thankful for my experience with the Feds.

This part was graded. To be hired, you had to be in the top 3 grades. After the top 3 grades were exhausted, then they would move down the next grade until they filled the spots. I was in rank 5. Not bad, but not in the top 3. Finally the phone call came. I was at my desk at work when it came. Could I start Oct 15, 1989 in San Jose?

You bet your ass, I would!!

Time for “Adventures in Moving” yet again!!

What Came First Chicken or Egg? Artistry or Business?

Do you bead and think about selling as a secondary activity? Or is your beading driven by what you think you can sell? Or perhaps you do a little of both, since it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. Or does it?

I bead because I love to bead. Mostly. I love to see how a piece will turn out from concept to paper (or computer) to the real thing. I love the excitement of watching my piece develop and the challenges that I face when I have to tweak something to get it right.

Since I have developed a “business” selling my kits and patterns, more often than not, I do have an intent to sell what I have created. This does influence what I use, and the difficulty of the piece. I stay away from high priced components such as expensive art beads costing $12 at wholesale prices, and beads that I can’t at least package 25-30 kits as a minimum. The only time, that I am truly in a “selling mode” is just before a show when I crank out earrings by the dozen. Otherwise, my artist-muse is dominant.

Does thinking about selling limit what I can create? To some degree it does. I can’t really go off on a limb with something that would make the directions impossible to write and understand. And there are many beads and components that I will stay away from. Yet, there are times that I do create one of a kind pieces. With never an intent to sell a pattern or kit, it is pure play, and it is fun.

How does each approach affect me, and my “artistry”? Do I find one approach easier than the other? Does one approach make me an artist and the other a slave to money? Does it really matter?

I am currently playing with some Art Nouveau inspired beadwork. The pieces I am working on are from pendants that were made in either silver or gold. They have an open look to them. My first drive comes from “can I do it?” and secondly “ Is it a pattern and kit that I can create to sell?.  While I don’t necessarily see art and business as being mutually exclusive, there are some that feel that in order to be an artist, one should not be concerned about what sells. Do art for art’s sake. Otherwise you have sold yourself out.

Do you agree with this?

I am not sure if I do. On the one hand, working with a certain restrictions is a challenge of artistry. You see it on the challenges of those who provide kits with certain beads to see what you can come up with. The same ingredients for all. The results are totally different from beader to beader. No one questions their “artistry”. Here the “kit” is provided with a carte blanche as to what you can create. Add more beads if you like. Create what your “muse” leads you to do. How does this differ from a kit that has just a little more direction? You STILL can add beads as you like, leave out what you don’t like. Sometimes your artist-muse just needs a little nudge.

So go…and CREATE!! Be an artist, in any way or fashion that your can! A kit or pattern may be just the jump-start that you need.

Bragging Rights: Marty Measel

Marty Measel sent me a picture of her bead-wall! I love that she had taken even some of the smaller patterns to make them into a wall hanging.

On the top, is Hungarian Flowers, and Nouveau Tapestry which look great together in a frame. The smaller oval design is a design I created for her with the Ice Follies logo (Marty was an Ice Follies Skater! How incredibly COOL is that!!??). The triplet contains 2 of my Art Nouveau Tile designs.

On the bottom left is Swan Reflection, and finally on the bottom right is the Pansy Tapestry

Great Job, Marty!! I hope your wall expands with even more beadwork!

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!