Thursday, November 27, 2008

Three - Oh, it's a Magic Number



Saturday was such a perfect day to get together with the girls! We had snacks, made some cool jewelry, and made a new friend to boot. I always encourage folks to bring someone new, and one of the girls brought her new neighbor. It was nice meeting her, and a good time was had by all ;) Thanks for coming out everyone!

I was helping one of the girls make a set of earrings, and I needed a set amount of seed beads. Any number would do, so I asked her what her favorite number was. I'm not a numerologist, but I do have a favorite number, three. It quickly became my favorite after we found out that Katie was going to be an only child. Odd numbers have always appealed to me visually, but sets of threes really catch my eye. To be honest, I can't remember what my beading style was before the baby, but threes are in a lot of my work now. I will leave you to spot the threes, and not every piece may have that design but, like Schoolhouse Rock, three does happen to be my magic number ;)


Listening to: Gipsy Kings

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Bead Therapy


This Saturday some girlfriends are coming over to make jewelry and I'm so excited! I need a girls day, whether it be in or out, and being close to the holidays I'm sure they do too. When I was deciding on a new name, my best friend, Mrs Blocko, had suggested that I name it Bead Therapy, as that was partly why I was beading in the first place. I typed in Bead Therapy on Yahoo search ( I'm apparently not savvy enough to switch to google for searches) and this came up http://www.beadtherapy.com/ It's a brick and mortar store in Ohio, and I will admit although Ive never been here the name says it all ;)


Listening to: Imani Coppola - Legend of a Cowgirl

Monday, November 17, 2008

Things I can't do while crafting


Now that I have utilized my craft room a bit more I have felt a bit more energy creatively. There are things that I do that will hinder the creative process, so while crafting I try and avoid these.


Eating Sunflower Seeds - I have a problem. There is no twelve step program for sunflower seed addicts, no group therapy, no patch. I have come to embrace my addiction and make it my own. This being said, I can't craft worth a darn while eating them. between constantly taking the shells out of my mouth and then having wet fingers, Sunflower seed eating doesn't happen while crafting, thus keeping my jewelry and costumes slobber free and the customers are very happy for this ;)


Talking on the phone - My best friend has this knack for doing everything with the phone crooked between shoulder and ear. I can't do this. I have tried and tried, I've had a shoulder rest, this didn't help. The only thing that seems to work is a headset and I always buy cheap ones that don't work well, etc. I'm left giving the caller my undivided attention until I can find a headset that really works and comfortable and inexpensive all at the same time, no easy task.


Watching TV - I keep trying to find the perfect craft - one that lets me watch TV while crafting. We don't have TV trays, and that would seem awkward to me to use, and I can't stand lap desks, and when I thought "Oh, I will take up macrame again" I found I can only really do this on a flat surface. Crocheting is not going well, I need to find a person I can look at while crocheting to see what I'm doing wrong. I suspect too tight a stitch though. I think Ive also discovered that I tend to watch the TV and stop crafting. Recently, Ive been trying to find a way to get satellite to work in my craft room. we have more televisions that humans in the house although only two are connected to the satellite. I may hook up a DVD player and see if I can work without turning to look at the TV, but I'm not placing any wagers on the success of that experiment.


Listening to music on the headphones - I adore music. If I am out I will have my headphones on, but I find that they distract me if I am in the house. I don't know if they keep me distant from the family, or I feel more closed in, or what, but if I had my way the entire house would be wired with speakers. I have also found that my headphone wire has come dangerously close to getting snipped while I craft, so there is that as well.


Sewing with footwear on - Footwear is the devil. My mom never wore shoes in the house, not even slippers, and I have followed in her bare footsteps. Now, I know the health benefits of wearing shoes in the house, but I can't seem to get myself to do it. And if I sit down at the sewing machine with shoes, it's as if the shoes are made of kryptonite. I simply can't sew a stitch until I get the one shoe off. I may be able to sew in socks, but usually that comes off too. I don't know if it's the sensation of touch that I need, but I do know that me and my child both use our feet as alternate hands. I pick up everything with my toes, and my daughter would hold my finger in her toes as a baby, like the monkey she is.


What vice do you love that hinders you from doing what you love, what distracts you during your creativity?


Listening To: Buddha Bar III

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A Picture is Worth One Thousand Words / What's in a Name


I have been pretty happy and quite surprised with the quality of my pictures. I am not a professional by any means, and I wouldn't even call myself a shutterbug, but for the most part they have been clean and bright. The question is, have they attracted attention? When looking on Etsy, do people stop on your item because of the content, or because of the feeling they get from the photo? There are so many lovely items on Etsy, and many of them are done in what I would call an artsy style, where the item is set against a background, or angles are emphasized in the photos, or the item is purposefully out of focus, etc. My photos, on the other hand, are straightforward. The focus is on the item itself, with no other bells and whistles to give you this impression or that. I'm wondering which is better, having my work displayed with some background, some angles, etc or just up front and stating nothing but the piece itself?


The other question that's been in my mind is this - should I give names to my jewelry? Again, on Etsy, it's common to name your work, but I've found that for myself at least, naming jewelry has felt like I'm trying to lead the customer to a certain feeling, when I just want the jewelry to speak for itself. I don't want to put a idea in my customer's head that wasn't there, or what if I name my piece Cherry Blossom and the customer thinks the name doesn't fit? And what if I inadvertently name two completely different pieces the same name over time? Do you buy jewelry based more on the look or do you buy it for the feeling it invokes, with the name?
Listening to: Istanbul Oriental Ensemble

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Moving Day


I've said before my dining room table is atrocious. I have layers of crafts, as if I am in a dig site excavating. I do have a craft room, and I have tried to use it in the past, but one thing or other kept me from doing so. All the crafts on the table keep me from having a sit down dinner with the family, so that's no good either. I'm going to attempt to move back into the craft room today, and I'm feeling really good about it. I have a roll top desk that I need put together, a dress form, and hope chest that is all antique, and I'm really feeling the pull to create in that space.


So tell me, where do you do your best thinking or creating, where is your favorite spot to let your mind run free?


Listening to: Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out