January 31, 2011

Tucson 2011 - Day 1

I didn't get too far today as it was only 40 degrees and raining. On the way home to Tombstone it also started snowing - Brrrrr! I did the Gem Mall and skipped the other 2 shows I had planned on visiting as they were outside tents. I wasn't going to wander around being wet, cold and miserable.

My first impression was . . . PINK . . . and a lot of that dyed pink. Yes, there were a lot of neat new slices of every kind of gemstone, including geodes. However, it just seems that every time I turned around I saw pink stones in rings, pink pearls, pink jewelry creations, pink shawls and dyed pink gemstone strands. I'm hoping it was only my impression on a cold wet day inside one huge tent.
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I found nice new shapes and colors in Czech pressed glass. See the medium & small daggers in the middle of my pile? Those are mine - a great mix of old fashioned pink with streaks of sage green. That combination of pink & green I can live with and is the color of a lot of my personal beadwork.

I'm not sure just what shape to call these Czech beads . . . bells, teardrops or? Most had a solid color overlay on the top that was then faceted away around the belly. I bought 4 strands of every color they had. What great fringe beads and color combinations that are very rich looking.
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These were more money than I really wanted to spend, but I had been kicking myself for not buying dotted daggers last year. The purple beads are a brand new-to-me shape. I'm wondering just how to use them in bead crochet. What would fit between them in a Caterpillar or Triangle rope?
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Chinese Crystals were also everywhere. The quality was about the same as last year - good. Bicones and faceted roundels were about the only shapes I saw. I bought a few, but now I need to check my crystal box as I think I already have a bunch of the red. I know I've done that when buying seed beads - buy more of a favorite color without remembering I already have them!

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This Czech chain was also something I found quite interesting. I think at least one piece of it is going into my current wire work. The wire links are black and the fire polish glass is in great color combinations.

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Hmmmm, looks like I bought Czech pressed glass today. Not a single strand of stone in the bunch.
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It's a good thing that the shows go on for 2 weeks. I'll have to go back for a day more than planned because I decided to come home early on account of the weather.

January 30, 2011

Before the Lights Went Out

An accident 9 blocks away left me without power most of the afternoon into the evening. It's been a long time since I've read by candle light. It makes one realize just how much technology has become ingrained in day-to-day life.
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Before the lights went out I had been doing some wire work. I'm still exploring black steel wire in conjunction with a bit of found objects, gemstones and crystals. I like the idea of the contrast between the materials. Somehow the crudeness of the wrought iron looking wire sets off the fineness of blue opals and faceted crystals.

The worst of this whole process is having to unlearn things. Some 35 years ago I was trained as a silversmith and spent a lot of time learning how to make perfect wire wrapped loops. Things were round, polished, buffed to a fine shine and everything had to be dead even. Now I'm trying to achieve a loose, semi-crude, casual effect with the black wire. I have to stop my hands from settling into old habits of controlled even wire wraps. It's been a lot of fun exploring with materials that are inexpensive. My old adage of, "it's not the materials but what you do with them" holds true here. I'm quite pleased with the end results.
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The funny thing about yesterday is that I went from a technology overload to reading by candle light in the same day. My business partner had been over with his collection of Android tablets to sort through which ones would really work for a portable beading tablet. We had tablets spread out all over the bead room. There were all sizes: 7", 8", 10" and different versions of the Droid systems. I'm strongly leaning towards an 8" tablet as it's big enough to see things on, yet small enough to put in a purse or stand on a beading table. I like the size and configuration of it. It's pleasing in the hands.
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Now he just needs to quit taking tablets apart to see what makes then run and concentrate on finishing up the program. Some men just never seem to grow up and can't resist opening things up to see what's inside.
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So far, I'm very pleased with what he's developed. Things like being able to touch a line of the string table and have it move up. That makes keeping your place so much easier.
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Most weeks here in the Arizona winter are nice and dull quiet .... then along comes a day when so many things happen that it leaves your head spinning. A batch of quiet hours to do nothing but read or bead was a gift that finished off the day quite nicely.

January 28, 2011

Tucson Gem Show 2011


It's that time again! I have a budget, I've made a list and am ready to attend several of the Tucson Gem Shows. I'm looking for polka dotted daggers, funky, ethnic metal charms, finished jewelery for my Daughter-in-Law and anything unusual and interesting. Oh and maybe a fossil specimen to hang on the wall.


Despite it's name, the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is not a single show, but rather a large group of shows and exhibitions appearing in Tucson over a two week time frame. This year there are over 40 separate shows. Every self-respecting jewelry lover, beader and rock hound should make it a point to make the pilgrimage at least once during their lifetime.

Vendors descend on this sleepy town in huge numbers to peddle their wares to a crowd of hobbyists, retailers, rockhounds, wholesalers, and deal-seekers. Hotel rooms and rental cars are as scarce as hen's teeth.



Characters abound.....


Competition is fierce in terms of both price and quality. With tight margins and lots of products, the market is often skewed in the buyer's favor. What's at the Tucson Gem Show? Everything from "rough" minerals (unpolished rocks) to finished jewelry. Beads are in abundance, including glass, semiprecious, precious metals and obscure cuts and species of stone. There are wholesale shows and retail shows, shows for high-end stones, bead shows, shows that focus on rough, and everything in between.
Vendors come from all over the world, just to sell at this once-a-year extravaganza called the Tucson Gem Show. It's mind boggling......

January 25, 2011

AZ wild life!

This has been an interesting Arizona winter so far. I'm beginning to think I live on some sort of game reserve. I actually live within the City limits of Tombstone, not out in the unfenced range.

My large Nopal cactus is getting very raggedy with both the cows and mule deer chewing on it - almost nightly.


I've had to really limit what I put out for the birds. The mule deer had gotten used to making a pass through the yard to see if there was anything good to eat. They knock the bird feeder over and chew on anything green. I go out and yell at them and they sort of look back as if to say, "what?" One evening I was cleaning up, looked up and the big buck was nose to my kitchen window. Sort of startled me!

Then there have been the cows.... We almost back up to BLM land and open range. There is a fence between them an the town streets. It took several weeks for the police & the rancher to figure out where they were getting out. They would amble down the street, chewing on anything that stuck out within reach. The police would heard them back and an hour later they were right back. Nice landscape plants were more attractive than range plants.

It's sort of unsettling to be half asleep only to be woken by loud mooooing right outside of your bedroom window.
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The rabbits have been too quick to get a picture of them, but we've had both cotton tails and jack rabbits come through the yard. The jacks are all ears and legs. They are big enough to stretch up and eat the cactus along with the cows and deer.

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I've always fed the quail as I love watching them. They are so like a large flock of chickens, scratching and talking to themselves.
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We have an occasional road runner come through. They don't stop, but just move on by.
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We get a kick out of watching a large flock of buzzards that comes back every spring. They are so graceful in the air and so clumsy on the ground and when they go to roost at night. They hang out in a large pine tree just a block away.
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Some days I wonder if we're feeding more bees than hummingbirds.











There are days when all of the birds just seem to disappear. That's when you look up and see a hawk sitting on one of the telephone poles. They are regal birds to watch. However yesterday got a bit exciting. I had the back door open and was working just off of the hallway. The next thing I know, there is a flurry of feathers, noise and bird squawks in the hall. The hawk was after a dove for dinner and as near as I can tell, the dove dove for the open door to get away. Didn't happen and I had enough feathers in the hall to make a large pillow.
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City living? Somehow I'm beginning to wonder......

January 23, 2011

Piles of Files & Projects

It's been a busy month as I've been trying to decrease the amount of piles on my work table. Unfortunately not enough of those piles are beading piles. I'm getting ready for the Tucson Gem shows, a San Diego Bead Society presentation and workshop.

Technology has caught up with me and my old acetate overhead slides are no longer any good for presentations. Guess I'm going to learn how to do a Power Point presentation. It also means that I've got to do all new photographs of the material and examples.
I'll be talking about Bead Crochet in general and my work in particular. That will be followed by an intermediate Bead Crochet workshop; Dimensional Bead Crochet. That means kits will have to be made up.

I'm looking forward to the Gem shows as I'll have a chance to go bead buying and also catch up with a lot of different beading people. It's fun to touch base with all of the creative people, even if it's only once a year. I'll keep you posted as to what I find and what's new and different.

January 8, 2011

Amazon Book


You can now order a print copy of Triangular Bead Crochet Ropes from Amazon.


It's a print-on-demand copy and although the size isn't the same as the first two books I had printed, it's quite decent.






I will have copies with me at Tucson's Best Bead Show if you would like a signed copy. Once again I'll join Judy Kintner, the Bead Spinner Lady, at her booth on two afternoons. If you'll be in Tucson, you can find me there from 2pm to 4 pm on Thursday 2/3 & Saturday 2/5. Stop by and say hello.



January 5, 2011

it's a real book!

I got my proof copy from Amazon's Print on Demand service today. Overall I'm happy with the results. E-Books are OK, but I'm till a paper person and having a printed copy in my hands is so much nicer than looking at a copy on a monitor.

Those of you who wanted to wait for a printed copy will be able to order it directly from Amazon within the next couple of days. I will place a small order for myself to have copies to sign and sell at the Best Bead Show in Tucson in 4 weeks. If you want a signed copy directly from me, email me and we can make some sort of arrangement. The price is $21.95.