Can It Be That the Muse Has Returned?

     Now I KNOW I shouldn't even lead with a header like that, since it's really tempting fate, but it seems that the muse may have returned -- along with the first hummingbird of the season!  Both flit in and out of my life in the spring and summer, but I'm hoping they'll both decamp for a while and become a part of my life.
     The picture appended to the left is the latest goodie--a beaded wave in my under the sea collection.  What you can't see very clearly in this rendition is the changing nature of the necklace beyond the wave or that it's offset, with the clasp close to the shoulder, not the nape of the neck.
     Even better, I've been creating some chain maille/beaded bead necklaces in multiple colors and looks..They're part of the "just what the doctor ordered" collection.  With loop and bead closures in the front, they're designed particularly for individuals who have trouble with arthritis in the shoulders, elbows or even hands.  In fact, they've been "test driven" by several friends who, sadly, have limited mobility in these ways.  Let me know if you want to see some of them.  I'll load them up.
     I'm now working on a few "finish ups" that have been in the works for quite a while.  Stay tuned.  It's getting exciting to see NEW THINGS.  And I hope to get them up on the website for EVERYONE to see.
     Challenges for the rest of the summer:  getting new pictures shot of a few special pieces; getting instructions written for a few bracelet kits; getting instructions for a different bracelet AND pictures to a beading magazine for consideration as a published article; getting materials together for a class I'm teaching at the end of the month, and getting show applications for 2013 started. Hard to believe when we're just halfway through 2012!  And oh, boy, do I have a lot of work to do.
    Hope those of you in the heartlands (or those who want a great town to visit!)  will find time in mid-July (18-21) to come to the Ann Arbor Craft Shows. FOUR different shows all at the same time!  And I'll be there -- at the Guild Show -- State Street, booth 4!  Drop by!
 

 

And I was just minding my own business......

So, there I was, minding my own business, editing a newsletter and checking my e-mail.  Got an invitation from the American Craft Council to apply for the 2013 season.....ok....nothing to jump up and down about, just something to which I need to pay attention.

BUT THEN.......
I clicked on the following attachment, the prospectus for 2013 proposed exhibitors

http://craftcouncil.org/sites/default/files/2013-Exhibitor-Prospectus.pdf

Well, you need to go there and turn to page 4!!!!!!  THEA FINE, BEADING DESIGN is in the prospectus!  OMG, OMG, OMG.
While I do like MY picture of the necklace better than the one taken gratis by the ACC folks, this is SOOOOOO cool.  WHADDA YA THINK????


Here's MY picture to compare.

Creative Block--Breaking Thru?

  Well, the annual case of "it's almost summer" malaise has hit.  My creativity has shriveled to a nub of its former self; I repeat previous designs in limited edition while I await the muses to regroup and rejoin the community of art and color that populates my studio.
   In the meantime, projects already in the midst of completion are receiving attention, but no new work is being incubated.  Much of my one-of-a-kind work takes weeks, if not months to gestate and then come to fruition. So when NOTHING is in the containers that incubate the work -- beads come and go along with add-ons to the focal piece--I get seriously worried.  Of course, that only serves to amplify the angst and worry that go along with the dearth of creative thinking...
  To jog the mind and jumpstart the vision, I've taken to looking at nudibranches (see picture above).  They're sea slugs, if you can believe it.  According to Wikipedia, they begin life nude and plain and evolve over time -- much like my jewelry.  Their colors are remarkable and, at times, absolutely surprising  (such as the case of these two).  I've been pinning them to my Pinterest page as creative juice, along with some other visuals that I've found online in an effort to energize the synapses that extend beyond the replicative movement of the hands to bead mindlessly....
   The other thing I'm doing is writing up directions for the sea urchin bracelet.  It will be offered in classes for those nearby who learn best in a class environment; it also will be available on my website in kit format (in a limited assortment of colors only).
   Stay tuned....We WILL jumpstart the muses -- I'm working on food as a means of luring them back home for the summer season.

More show news!!!!

NEW SHOW ON THE WEBSITE CALENDAR: Check it out! October 19-21, 2012. I'll be at the National Guard Armory in Morristown,New Jersey for the 36th annual Morristown Craft Mart. Don't know the booth number yet,but stay tuned. Check out the website for further updates on this and other upcoming 2012-2013 shows.

I'm on the WAITING LIST for Fall Paradise City shows (Massachusetts) and WAITING LIST for One-of-a-Kind Show in Chicago (December). Let the show organizers know you want to see me there if you can!!!

Custom creations--a bag of bugles

     When a friend handed me a bag of small bugle beads that she inherited in a button bag from a relative, I wondered immediately how I could create something from a type of bead that I generally have not used, particularly considering my penchant for peyote stitch, flat, circular, and otherwise.  She told me to "play" and come up with something she'd like, and she named a vey healthy price range.
      Lesson #1:  NEVER, but NEVER allow a client to walk away until you've gotten a very, very, very clear sense of just what she (or he) wants created.  Even a little hint of length, style, things liked in the past, things hated currently, etc., can be a wonderful guide to design.   BUT NO, I broke lesson #1 this time....Ultimately it did pay off...and ultimately, it produced a series of "possibles" as well as a final.  Here's what happened:
      I thought and played, and played and thought.  First, I  created a series of beaded beads from the bugles.  They could have become elements of a necklace or bracelet.  Nice, but not for my customer (but perhaps for something later consideration using bugles of my own).
     Then I used the bugles to create a fringe to circle a cabochon.  Too fussy for my customer.  (Again, an idea for the future).
     Finally, she told me she wanted something long and "drape-y"  Well, at last, some direction!  The helix that you see hit me immediately.   It's a long necklace; just what she wanted.  Next time, if I do something like it in lighter colors, I'll consider suspending some dark-colored swarovski crystals or perhaps some dark pearls within the tube. Could that be a great idea?
     In the meantime, I've created some sea-dwelling creature that undulates like a jellyfish found in the depths of the depths that recently were plumbed by James Cameron in his miniature submersible.  It's an "under the sea" creature, particularly in those wonderful shades of green.

     My customer is happy as a clam.  What do you think?

Family fun-- a long weekend in Grand Rapids, MI!

Blog to return on topic later this week...Just flew back from a long weekend in Grand Rapids Michigan, home of Gerald Ford and known once for its furniture, more lately for its Amway.....a corporate entity that seems to own the majority of the town or, at least, have its name on many of its edifices.  What isn't named after Ford (airport, major highways, etc., etc.) seems to be the province of Amway (including the hotel in which we stayed and were feted at a family wedding for one of the Szabo clan nieces).

The so-called rapids are pictured to the left.  Apparently, when the weather turns wet, the water rises and, indeed, it flows very rapidly and has been known to flood both sides of downtown.  Mercifully, while overcast, there was no rain while we were there.

This first and likely only trip to Grand Rapids was fun, but it's now time to get back to the work of beading and blogging about it.

There is news on the show front.....stay tuned!