Seeing Red!

New England has been hit with a huge number of snowstorms this winter, and it's not yet February. We are expecting another 6 - 8 inches tonight and I am feeling overwhelmed by it all. Between the snow and the cold, it's just too much. I am Canadian and should be able to cope better, at least that's what I keep saying to myself. Other people in my life love pointing out my inability to handle the winter and that I give Canadians a bad rap.

I have two little dogs that are struggling. Their feet freeze up and they can't be out for long. One of them collapses from the cold and I have to pick him up and carry him. I worry so much that I am going to slip on the ice and take poor Eddie down with me.

Enough crabbing? I guess so, although I can't wait for Spring. Funny thing is that I lived in Florida for two years and I hated the heat. I hope it isn't the "grass is greener" phenomenon.

Started me thinking about what warms me up - led me to thinking about colors, and once I got there I thought about RED which is the color that best represents heat to me. I found myself looking at some of my jewelry designs that were red, especially deep red coral which I love. I decided to post some of them here, some are newer pieces, and a few are older but all of them warmed me up when I looked at them. Hopefully some of you will gain some heat from seeing them.

Enjoy!

One World One Heart Giveaway 2011

I am going to take part in the 2011 One World - One Heart Giveaway. This is a unique experience where bloggers from all over the world participate and connect through their blogs.

This will be the fifth and final year for OWOH. This will be my third year and it's been a blast. Lisa Swifka came up with this idea to bring bloggers together and I have gained so much from the experience, having the opportunity to connect with bloggers worldwide. It's been wonderful. You can read about the OWOH Giveaway on Lisa's blog by clicking on the link to A Whimsical Bohemian. http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/2010/12/annoucning-the-fifth-and-final-one-world-one-heart-event-.html

The dates for the event will be January 30 - February 17, 2011.

Lisa describes the event like this:

"One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only. It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world. In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships (and even one love connection) formed along the way. Think of it as a GIGANTIC open house allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home........going from blog to blog(in various countries) seeing the wonder each one has created and meeting all the fabulous people behind those blogs. As a bonus each blogger participant will offer up a "door prize or prizes"....just for dropping by, saying hello and seeing their world. It's really that easy."

How cool is that? Please check back after January 3, 2011 for more information, and a chance to see what my door prize will be. Then, if you are wanting to participate, come back between January 30 and February 17 and leave a comment, including an email address so I can reach you if you win. The drawing will take place February 18 and I will use a random number generator to pick a winner, who will be notified on February 17.

This is an amazing ride and I hope you will get involved.

Terry

Professional Photos Make Such a Difference!

I was lucky to meet a professional photographer, Emily Jodoin (EAJodoin Photography), who works out of South Hadley, MA, and who is best known for shooting weddings, babies, and other celebratory events. My initial contact with her was to have her shoot a head shot of me. She was very patient with my nervousness, and by the time we were done, I had two great portraits.

We spent some time talking about the possibility of her shooting images of Magical Beadstalk jewelry that we could use when applying for higher-end artisan fairs. Some shows are very picky about what they require and often they require photographs that push the limited knowledge I have. I think I've become fairly good at shooting images for the website, but for the little extra, Emily's images are perfect.

Here are some of the images she created:

All in all, a fun and interesting process. A great learning for me, although I still tend to shoot in my lightbox on pine. Hopefully I will expand out and try other things - just not there yet.

"Full of Fall" Necklace & Earring Set!

The fall is my favorite time of year. The air is fresh and the colors are vibrant and lush. It's also our busiest time of year for craft shows and jewelry parties. Sheryl and I have only a couple of free weekends until Christmas. When we aren't doing shows we are creating. We work so well together that we try to find as much time as possible to work together in the studio rather than on our own. We really seem to feed off of each other in creative, positive ways.

Another great thing about the fall is that Artbeads has their fall blogging event. For those of you who regularly follow this blog, you know that for Artbeads blogging events, which happen every three months or so, they have chosen a group of jewelry artist that are offered beads and/or findings from the Artbeads website to use to create jewelry. Once the piece is created, we are asked to write a blog about the piece that we link back to the Artbeads website. Sheryl and I look upon these events as a great time to play.

This time we chose a beautiful hand-painted porcelain and sterling silver pendant from their huge selection of porcelain pendants www.artbeads.com/porcelain-ceramic-pendants.html and Swarovski Crystals at www.artbeads.com/swarovski-crystal-beads to create a 'full of fall color' necklace and earring set. We added Onyx beads and sterling silver to complete the piece. The colors of Swarovski Crystal we chose to go with the pendant were Fire Opal, Olivine Copper, Crystal Copper and Khaki. The crystals seem to bring out the colors of the pendant with amazing vibrancy. Such fall colors!

We were both so pleased with how the set looks and I'm looking forward to putting it up on the website.

Busy is great, but sometimes it's important to take a break, get outside to enjoy the beauty of the day and breathe. Today is one of those days. Once this blog is posted, I'm out of here - enjoy your day!

Disclaimer: Artbeads.com sometimes sends us products to review on this blog. We are free to choose from designated beads/findings and are free to make whatever we choose. We do not receive any compensation from Artbeads and we are expected to review their products honestly.

Craft Shows Begin - No More Free Weekends!

Sheryl and I are gearing up for another busy season of Craft Shows. Life changes quite dramatically for me, as I am busy most weekends until two weeks before Christmas. Much as I love doing shows, meeting people, selling jewelry,etc., it's also a stressful time. Physically it is demanding, especially the setup and breakdown. We are at the mercy of the weather for the outdoor shows, and it's difficult to know how to prepare, especially with rain or strong winds. Lots of sun isn't much better. We did a show in Historic Deerfield, MA and the temperature and bright sun almost wiped us out. That was when Sheryl and I joked about changing the name of our business to "Two Old Broads Beading!" But we survived, as we always do.

A couple of years ago I posted a blog entry on what I bring to outdoor shows. I was looking it over and see that there are things I missed. I am going to post it here, with the additions I've learned about after another season or two of shows.

I bring:

canopy weights jewelry 4 tables covers busts for necklace, bracelets earring stands credit card machine tools earring backs business cards receipt books earring cards business card holders banner gift bags tissue paper table risers pine boxes to display things on pens anti-bacterial lotion clip board inventory list of jewelry price tags sterling silver "S" clasps in different sizes gift certificates signs - for earrings price; that I accept visa mastercard amex discover, sterling silver, etc. calculator camera sign up sheet for mailing list 2 chairs water hand truck paper towels

And I'm adding:

Hat Sunscreen Sunglasses Umbrella Earring Posts Risers for earring stands Brochures for Jewelry Parties Plastic bags fully charged cell phone sweater rain boots Granola bars

While I was going through pictures, I came across a bunch of shots I took at various shows and was struck by how much the display has changed as I've gained more experience. Most notable is the de-cluttering that seems to be taking place. I'm including some pictures so you can see how the display has evolved - still a work in progress, but better.

You will see by the images, starting with my first craft show, how over crowded my tables were. As time and experience has shown me, the less clutter allows for a better view of the jewelry. I used to have rocks, shells, goddess statues and other funky pieces to display jewelry on, but that's all gone. I have always struggled with wanting to put display too many pieces of jewelry. You can see by the last two shows that I've finally discovered that simplicity is best. Sheryl has been a great help with that. She's got a wonderful eye for display. And I keep reminding myself that less is better and simplicity is the way.......my daily mantra.

MY FIRST SHOW:

MY SECOND SHOW:

ONE OF THE FIRST OUTDOOR DISPLAYS:

BENNINGTON, VT:

BENNINGTON, VT:

STURBRIDGE, MA:

STURBRIDGE, MA:

FLEMINGTON, NJ:

SIMSBURY, CT. - One of our favorite shows:

MANCHESTER, CT:

DEERFIELD, MA - finally on the right track:

DEERFIELD, MA:

BOSTON HOME SHOW:

BOSTON HOME SHOW:

I love what I do and, difficult as it seems some days, I hope to be able to continue for a long time........

Sheryl Machat's Amazing Earrings!

Sheryl creates beautiful earrings and I thought I would showcase them today. Sheryl joined Magical Beadstalk as my business partner about 1 1/2 years ago and I've loved watching her process as she creates new pieces for our business. Sheryl often uses unusual combinations of stone and color with great results. We are quite different in what draws us, so we create different styles, which I think makes our product line more interesting.

Many people suggested it would be risky to bring in a partner because I would have to share control, but I've not had a moment of concern. If anything she has brought so much excitement and skill to the business that it's been a great boost. Plus I love working with her. We spend a minimum of two days a week working together, and we laugh a lot while getting things done.

Earrings are a big part of our business and we find ourselves moving into higher end earrings, using top quality gemstones (faceted Lapis Lazuli, Peridot and Aquamarine for example) which when paired with the fine sterling silver wire work, produces beautiful earrings that flow and sparkle as you wear them.

Here are some examples of her newer work:

Family Reunion

Beatrice (Roseman) Spier, circa 1943

I have been a wanderer most of my life, starting when my parents decided to move the family to California from Montreal when I was 5. We lived there until I was 12 and then we moved back to Montreal. I was gone for enough years that I never really bonded with my extended family. I went to family functions, and liked some of my relatives but I was dancing to a different drummer once I reached my teenage years.

I moved to Vancouver, BC at 20 and then was 3000 miles away from family again. I felt an amazing sense of freedom in Vancouver and my 20's may now be somewhat of a blur, but I had a great time. Once I moved to Toronto in 1976 I connected with a few cousins, but by then we all were involved in our own lives and there wasn't much contact.

So it was a surprise and a challenge when my cousin Howard wrote to tell me that my second cousin Eric was organizing a family reunion. I believe he was motivated after finding old films from the 40's and 50's of the Roseman family.

I decided to go even though I never have participated in events like this. To cool for that? Worried about not feeling welcome or accepted? Not sure why not, but I definitely felt like a fish out of water with most of my family when I was younger. I was the black sheep who never bought the party line, always pushing the envelope.

It was last weekend and I had a blast reconnecting. Elaine came with me and I believe she had a good time meeting my family as well. I am so glad I didn't give in to my resistance.

Here is a group shot of us all:

Aging is an interesting process. It amazes me how my perception has shifted. I no longer feel so much an outsider looking in on people I can't really relate to and instead I appreciate each and everyone of them.

Gary & Terry Spier, circa 1954