Recovery NOW!

What is exhausting, I've discovered, is standing in one place for hours during a show.  A week later, despite good shoes, despite sleeping with feet raised, and despite being off salt for years, my otherwise skinny ankles are still a bit puffy.

The Ann Arbor show ran 4 days, opening at 10 am each day; closing at 9 pm but for the last day, when it closed at 6 pm.  That's four 11-hour days (not counting partial setup and takedown each day.)  It also doesn't count the heat and humidity and the RAIN!  [Mercifully, when we had a deluge overnight, my neighbor had a sump pump.  He used it to bail out the backs of both of our booths.  Apparently, we were in the lowest part of the street, and the water rolled downhill right into our booths.  So glad I'd picked up the carpet!]

Nonetheless, it was a very successful show from many perspectives.  My work was validated and valued by my colleague artists, which is most gratifying.  Sales were better than they've been for at least the last 18 months (but then, again, so were the crowds, probably since it's a free show of very long standing).

And Ann Arbor is a GREAT town!  Stucci's ice cream (so fresh, such unusual flavors, so MELTED!).  The pilgrimage to Zingerman's  deli where they serve corned beef that is the next closest to New York City's that I've ever had. Wonderful dinners at great restaurants -- including two meals I received in boxes after John went to dinner with our midwest relatives who visited.  Clam pie from Mani Osteria was particularly remarkable --even tepid/cold!  And we met the most incredible, friendly and wonderful people, whether other artists or locals.

I must say, the shows really know how to make it comfortable (relatively, given that we're talking an outdoor 4-day show) for the artists.  Breakfast is available for us in the morning -- coffee, bagels, muffins and other goodies.  Staff bring around ice cold bottled water during the day without asking.  Booth sitting is readily available and the (ahem) facilities are very clean and tidy --and include sinks and recycling, too.

What you see to the right is the view I had from the BACK of my booth. It's the University of Michigan "Diag"(I assume, short for "diagonal.")  Out front, in addition to my wonderful "across the street" neighboring artists, is a stunning old church (barely visible in one of the pictures).  How much better could it get?!  Not much!

I do hope to return next year.....perhaps at a different place to lay my head.  The B&B was nice, but the large dogs, turn-of-the-century AC (and I mean 1800 to 1900!), shared bath, and the fact that I left before breakfast made it just OK. [That, plus the fact that being accepted late meant we wound up sharing a double bed.  We're small, but it was small for even us!!] But all of that is a year away......
In the meantime, I continue to rest my sore tootsies and stretch my seriously compressed spine, a problem that I can't afford at only 5' tall!

BEAUUUUUUUUTIFUL NEW PIX.....

My most fabulous and creative photographer (a rare combination for a man whose daily life is as a nuclear engineer!) has beautified some of my latest work into magnificent photos.  They're so new that I haven't put them up on the website yet!

When I get back from my travels to Ann Arbor, MI, for the 4-in-1 series of shows that run from next Wednesday through Saturday (with 11-hour days in the booth for the first 3 days!), I'll probably be putting a new area up on the website for items that are "hot off the beading table," such as these pretties.  Wait until you see my latest "under the sea" creation with an all-bead ammonite!  I haven't gotten a picture take of it yet; I only hope it doesn't sell before I do. [No, that's not true.  At its high-end price, I sure DO hope it sells and fast!!]

I'll be blogging from my perch on State Street (booth C04) in Ann Arbor.  That is, I'll be doing it IF the weather (yes, both heat and thunderstorms are in the forecast, gulp) and the crowd (yes, let there be a large crowd) permit, and my level of exhaustion doesn't catch up to me too quickly-- a big ask at my advancing age, LOL.  If you're in the area, stop by -- but you MUST bring me a cold drink if you do so.  I wilt very rapidly in warmth, particularly when combined with humidity.  [No pictures of the artist are allowed under such circumstances; the appearance is much like someone emerging after 15 minutes in a warm sauna!

Let's all keep fingers crossed that the weather holds, the crowds are legion, and we have a bang-up successful show.

Stay tuned.

We have a WINNER

And the winner is.................
    The Reef.  NOTHING else ran close....

Since the product is a bracelet, we MAY expand the name to "A Reef Around the Wrist"

Why did I want the BEST name possible?  I'm going to be submitting the bracelet for possible publication in a beading mag.  The better it sounds, I think the better my chances.  I've been published in scientific journals, in women's mags (ghostly wonder who I am), and in books.  I've even edited a few.  But NEVER before have I even tried to get my beading designs published.  So, fingers crossed and wish me luck.

AND COUNTLESS THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR SUGGESTING WONDERFUL NAMES!
We shall see if the winning name gets published as the moniker for this unusual bracelet!!!  Of course you all will be the first to know (well, at least right after my mother and husband are told!)

Oh, and another bracelet in the Under the Sea line -- my sea urchin bracelet -- is being put together as a kit for those of you with an interest in DIY.  Keep an eye out on my website and here on the blog!  I should have it up (with a few different kit colors) later this summer!!

Let's name my bracelet

So, at last, I've created a new bracelet.  It uses 11/0 rounds, 8/0 rounds, 15/0s and daggers and I'm in love.  It undulates, it has movement, and even with the same daggers, when I change up the base beads, it looks so very different.
I provide a single picture, since I'm still learning how to use the new camera. When I've got it nailed, it'll be brilliant, but until then, I'm limited in what I shoot and HOW I shoot.  Please forgive some color that isn't quite as bright as it is in reality.....
HELP ME NAME THIS GOODY!  Obviously, it's part of the "Under the Sea" collection....but WHAT is it???
No prize to the winner other than basking in the glow of a title that will be credited both in this blog and on my website.


I think it's a winner item; what do YOU think???

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!

Show hiatus--until July

just in time for summer:
Under the Sea: turquoise and
coral seaweed --pricing/sizing
available
through www.theafine.com

The good news is that the shows this spring ultimately were successful. The contacts were great, the opportunities for teaching are superb.  Now to find a locale for the classes -- perhaps the clubhouse here at EH would be better than the studio itself.

There is no bad news!  I've the time to design and to get some kits and class materials together.  Remember, I'm teaching at the Gemcutters Guild of Baltimore at the end of June, beginning of July....check the classes out on their site!  I'm teaching three ways of bezeling around the gems they've cut....What fun...and you can join in!!!

I'm awash in ideas for new designs for both Circle the Stone and Under the Sea, but before I go there, I need to finish up the two prototypes for the Judaica collection so I can share with a few shops.

The latest addition to the collection is "Just what the doctor ordered" -- they're custom-made and sized medic-alert bracelets.  A large step up from the garden variety from the drug store!  Chain maille or pearl or swarovskis are in the works.  Stay tuned.

BUT, before I do anything else, I need to finish up a writing project AND a baby sweater for a friend's soon-to-be-delivered new granddaughter!

I'm also learning all about Pinterest -- not sure WHAT I'm doing, but trying hard to do it! LOL.  My work has been pinned a few times already.....

Spring shows over: The chicks have flown

     PHEW! I am tired!  Sugarloaf was a good show this Spring. Not heavy traffic, but good traffic for me.  Many projects went off to good homes.  I ONLY send them to good homes, of course.   The mailing list has grown markedly; web contacts, too.
I'm only sorry that I won't be able  to participate in the Timonium show the last weekend of the month.  It would have been a good event.  Next up?  Ann Arbor in July!  I'm now wait-listed for Sugarloaf fall shows...hope to get in....
     Given the relatively light schedule, it gives me much time to stock up on supplies AND to get existing projects finished, kits completed and up on the website, and some classes scheduled.  REMEMBER, I am teaching at the Baltimore Gem Cutters at the end of June.
     The other major step I need to take is to update the website photos, and get a shopping cart up there!  The new line is launched...."Just what the doctor ordered" is alive and well....Medic-alert bracelets in 12-in-1 Japanese chain maille in a variety of colors.  I'm also getting some other versions ready in other media...stay tuned on that one!!!.
     And while I was away, the birds have flown.  As you may recall, I have a tiny barn finch nest at the top of the column that holds up my front door's porch roof.  We last saw mama bird feeding tiny babies.  Just before I headed out to the show, the young 'uns were beginning to take test flights.....Here's a picture of them as they were about to launch themselves.....And now, like my own young 'uns, they've flown the next.  Time to clean up the guano and wait for next year's fledglings.
     Tempis fugit, as they say!
     Off to work I go!!

Set up at Sugarloaf Craft Show complete!

So, I'm at the hotel, with my feet up, having spent the better part of the day setting up the booth at Sugarloaf.  PHEW!

Poor John had to go back home on a "pick up what Teddi stupidly left at home" mission.  The velvet shelves on which the jewelry sits were left in the basement! DOH!  So everything WAS good to go EXCEPT what was necessary to display the jewelry!  Double DOH!

But we're all set up now; he's on his way home. I'm trying to figure out what to do for dinner....perhaps a salad from somewhere or other....MUCH to drink -- water, that is!

I'm surprised by how empty the show seems to be; but I remain hopeful that this will be a good one for me.  On the bright side, the booth is larger than usual, leaving me storage space and the ability to create the illusion of a corner booth.  Sunlight streams in and helps reduce the need for extra lighting.  A good thing!  HUZZAH!  A freebie, too!

COME TO VISIT! BOOTH 107!  Sugarloaf Craft Show Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Gaithersburg MD!

Wrist Warning--A new bracelet line

      Several months ago, a friend's sister came to visit.  A collector of beautiful things--including jewelry--the woman had a pair of magnificent bracelets on one wrist, and a medic alert bracelet -- the standard metal on metal from the drug store--on the other.  The two arms were in serious contrast. I might dare to say that they went from the sublime to the ridiculous (but necessary for an insulin-dependent diabetic).
     She happened to visit my studio and saw a few of my chain maille items.  [I love making them, but they're not part of my beaded collection, so they don't make it to many shows.  The tiny rings are a wonderful alternative to tiny beads.  Because the hand/arm motions differ markedly between the beading and the maille work, it's a good respite to help avoid carpal tunnel. Of course, the maille is just as eye-intensive as beads...so no break for these baby browns! LOL]
      But I digress...  My friend's sister fell in love with the Japanese 12-in-one pattern of one of my bracelets and wondered if I could create one that would serve as a more attractive "strap" for her medic alert ID charm.  OF COURSE IT WOULD!!!
     And a new line is being birthed as the result.  I've just sent off the first of the line to its new home in Florida -- purchased by my girlfriend for her sister, of course!  As she requested, its a Japanese 12-in-one.  Rather than work in silver (which she finds tarnishes rapidly in the Florida humidity), it's been done in aluminum and niobium...lightweight and susceptible to different looks based on the colors and placement of the niobium....In fact, it just occurred to me that one could do a "right side/wrong side" bracelet as well, with different colored large rings on the two sides.  Could be a fun idea.
     At any rate, it's the first in the "Hey Doc" line.....  Another version will feature Swarovski crystals and yet another will be crafted from the new farfalle beads.....I'm on a roll....
     SO, what do you think? With the unfortunate epidemic of obesity (and concomitant Type II diabetes), it's likely a growing niche market.....sad to say!   Shall I take the plunge and add this as another niche product?  Shall I do them on a custom basis?

      Let me know what you think!!!

Can't wait to be an April fool!

 April is i-cumin' in; loud sing cuckoo....(medieval song)
  And here in Maryland, it's time for black-eyed Susans to start peeping their heads out of the ground for a wonderful season of blooms!  I can't wait!
   My bones feel they NEED the warmth and, yes, even the humidity that come as the seasons move toward summer.  I look out the window in the sunroom where I spend my time when opining here in the blog, and it is greening up so quickly.  Even my chives, sage, oregano and thyme have rebounded and are beckoning to be cut and folded gently into a wonderful omelette or other comestible....the foodie in me beckons far more than the beads..and that's a good thing, since I'm cooking for Passover for the multitudes and transporting it elsewhere to feed them.
     BUT, there's also a show coming up....more in a few days on that.  So I gotta get working....but first, I finish up the editorial work, now that my hip has calmed down enough from an overindulgence in Pilates and body pump classes for me to sit comfortably.....ONWARD!!!!new blog entry

Sing Along...."An-ti-ci-paaaaaa-tion....."

      There's only one thing more disconcerting than receiving a "Thank you for applying; it was a hard decision, but, we're sorry to say..." letter from an event.  At least when you get one of those you KNOW where you stand.
      I just got ANOTHER of those "waiting list" letters!  OY VEY!  It's neither a "yes" nor a "no" and that leaves you....well, nowhere.  So how does one plan?  Simply put, one doesn't.   BUT having been scooped off the waiting list for ACC, I'm hopeful that the One of a Kind show in Chicago (December 2012) will do the same!  After all, I sent along the same pictures and text as I did to ACC....
     And while I wait to hear about this waiting list, I'm also waiting for Craft Boston in the fall (another waiting list!) and whether I'm in or out for a number of OTHER shows beginning Labor Day through the end of the year.
    The GOOD news:  I'll be in Ann Arbor, MI in July for their HUGE four day show.  A series of shows occur simultaneously and totally overrun the University's main campus.  I'll be there!  On State Street, booth 104....YAY
    The even BETTER news is that I've got a wonderful barn finch nesting at the top of the pediment that holds up our porch roof.  It's the second year the pair have graced our home.  I can't wait to see the little ones!  [And I can't wait until they leave and I can clean up the guano, too!]  I also think a duck may be nesting in my holly near the house wall -- if not, they're just visiting my little front yard more often than ever!  I'll try to get a picture.
   EVERYTHING is GREENING!  And that's so very wonderful.  Even my tiny indoor fig tree (sent bare stemmed just 2 weeks ago) has leaves AND a tiny dwarf fig.  So cute....Perhaps I'll do a bead shaped like the fig leaf; so unusual and undulating......
     Keep thinking good thoughts about future shows for me.....I'll think good thoughts for everyone else!!

   

A Teaching Gig! With more to come......stay tuned

I'm going to  be teaching a weekend class--Circling the Stone Times Three--June 30-July 1-- at the Gem Cutters Guild of Baltimore on three ways to create beaded bezels around their freshly cut gems.  If you're in the area and want to participate, check out their website (below) to get more info. And while you're there, check out the other classes on their website (http://www.gemcuttersguild.com/classes.html).


Now the challenge is MAKING THE INSTRUCTION SHEETS!  Any creative ideas? I KNOW I'm going to take some photos to add to the document, but the graphs are the part with which I will struggle! LOL, I'm so good at MAKING the jewelry, just not at drawing diagrams of HOW I make it!   Once I get that worked out, doing the class should be fun.

Now, for your eye candy for the day, I present an additional picture of the famous VW that has been beaded inside and out by the Huichol tribe of Mexico and on exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian.  There are over 2.27 million seed beads, weighing over 200 pounds that have been set in resin on the "bug." The symbols depict culturally important ceremonies, events and designs.  It too 2 families over 9,000 hours to create!.  SO COOL! SO CREATIVE!  And signed just above the bumper, or so it appears.

 Thanks to my hubby, the docent at the Smithsonian, for taking the pix for me one day when he was "at work."

Soothing the savage etc....

Off to the Baltimore Symphony tonight.   I'm surely hoping that Fanfare for the Common Man (and the colleague Fanfare for the UNcommon WOman) get my creative juices flowing....I NEED to get some energy and brio moving in my veins again! Two writing jobs and I jump back into beads -- and I DO want to be able to jump right in and create what I've wanted to be dreaming about!!!! 


If ANYONE can get me hopping up and down, it's Marin Alsop, one of the few women conductors in the world and a wonderful one, too!!



I'll let you all know if the music stirs the muse!!!

Cover Girl!!

I just learned that the Circle the Stone necklace that graces the front of my website (www.theafine.com) is the cover picture for a beading group--Beads and More (BAM)--on Yahoo.  It's a group of several hundred bead artists of varying experience who exchange knowledge, share solutions, and undertake bulk purchases to realize economies of scale.  While now a "closed" group due to the large membership, my selection and the kind words about my work were quite the honor (albeit, something about which I was unaware until I went to look at something on the site!)  By the way, the cabochon focal around which that piece is based is by Marsha Neal whose porcelain cabs and earrings and pendants are absolutely bodacious!!!

Yes, this blog entry features a DIFFERENT piece in the Circle the Stone line,  -a hidden-front-closure piece that features a wonderful apatitie cabochon and stones. I barely got a photo of it. No sooner did I finish it than it found another home during the ACC show. I hope my client wears it well and with great joy, since I had a blast creating it!

I show it  because I'll be teaching a weekend class--Circling the Stone Times Three--June 30-July 1-- at the Gem Cutters Guild of Baltimore on three ways to create beaded bezels around their freshly cut gems.  In the area and want to participate and get more info?  Check it out, and check out the other classes, too, on their website (http://www.gemcuttersguild.com/classes.html) and check it out.

One Down....Two to Go!

SPRING IS HERE (or so the calendar says).  And so do my plants!  Check out the budding out of my climbing hydrangea in the back yard! May we be protected from a hard freeze before the end of the month.

The good news is that the newsletter is finito:  signed, sealed and delivered.  In fact, it was posted to the organization's membership by the exec director literally by return mail! Huzzah!!Now on to the press release and the "think" piece.

They should be done in a few days and THEN I can get back to the joy of beading (not to be confused with the joy of cooking, something in which I also take great pleasure, as you can tell from my blogroll!)  In fact, today is a day to begin the process of macaron-making.  Yes! I'm talking about those glorious French macarons, not the coconut ones that are so prevalent this time of the year (manufactured for wheatless consumption during Passover).  Turns out the FRENCH macarons are also flourless -- they use ALMONDS not flour and nuts are ok to eat.  So, today, I begin the process by giving the eggwhites involved a few days to "rest."  Not exactly heavy lifting, but a necessary element in the 32-step process used by Pierre Herme (add accent over the second "e," s'il vous plait), the GOD of French patisserie.

Looking at the pictures in his book, my eyes are feasting on color combinations that could be right up the beading alley!  In fact, I think I'll create some macaron-inspired pieces as soon s I finish up the editorial work -- and attend to what my girlfriend Gail calls "administrivia."  And she has THAT right!