Changes, Changes, Changes

Seems like forever since I posted. I am in the midst of some major changes, and am taking the time to try and get through it all with as little freak-out as possible. So my apologies to those who check for new blog entries on a regular basis. My partner Elaine and I have decided to leave our house, where we have lived for the past 9 years, and move into an apartment. It is tough in this economy to run a house, especially when one of us (me!) is trying to make a living selling handmade jewelry. Things were fine until the economy tanked! So I am spending my time packing, and trying to get rid of a lot of things collected over the 9 years. I didn't realize how sentimental I truly am. I remember who gave me the little something I just can't part with, or the tons of books, cds and dvds I've collected. When my mother died in 2007 I kept all her china and it's been sitting in the basement ever since. It seems particularly difficult to sell her things, even the things I don't particularly like. I think I will need more time for that to happen. And then there is my studio......it's packed with beads, findings, boxes, tools and many other things I can't part with. "What if I need those tools for a future project?" is said over and over again in my head. We are going to have the movers come and give an estimate on packing and moving the studio so I won't have to deal with it. Plus it's being moved to the attic, which is a lovely finished room and will be perfect as a studio. Definitely needs to be moved by a mover who is young and strong! While this is going on I am still doing shows with Sheryl, and trying to create some new pieces. I'm in the midst of a very full life and can't wait for it to calm down. I'll be back!

Spring Fling Earrings

It is going to be 65 degrees in Western Massachusetts today - and likely 70 on Saturday. Spring is definitely in the air. Of course, living in New England, one knows that the weather changes quickly, and we could have snow next week....but for now the weather has been glorious. I am so ready for spring! As Sheryl and I get ready for the craft show season, we've been coming up with some new designs that we are very pleased with. These earrings are one of them.

As many of you know, Sheryl and I participate in Artbeads Blog for Beaders. Every couple of months or so we are given the opportunity to choose beads from different categories of beads and supplies on the Artbeads website to use in our creations. We then write an honest blog post on the process. Last time we made an amazing piece using a Murano Glass pendant that we chose from the Artbeads website. This time we chose Swarovski Crystals to use with some sterling silver chain we had to make some unique, funky earrings.

Whenever we work on the Artbeads creations together we get so excited and energized as we work together from beginning to end. We sit together at the computer deciding what components we want to look at, each of us picks beads we like and then we discuss how they would work in a piece. Once we've decided what we want to make, we send in our order and wait for the package to appear. Once it does, we are like two school girls let loose in a candy store. It really is a fun experience for us. Am i using the word "fun" too often? It best describes the process for us.

We love Swarovski Crystals, of which Artbeads has a great selection, and we especially love finding different combination's of color that we both like and find pleasing to the eye. Sheryl leans more toward Topaz, Golden Shadow colors, and I'm the blue and purple one. As you will see from the pictures the look is totally different in each pair of earrings because of the different color choices, even though the pieces are basically the same design.

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.

New England Home Show - Craft Area

This is going to be a long post. Sheryl and I were in Boston (February 24 - March 1) for the New England Home Show, which for the first time had an Artisan Aisle. We had planned on leaving about 9:30 am on Wednesday so that we could set up our booth, have a good night's sleep, and then put out the jewelry on Thursday before the show opened at noon. The show hours were brutal - 12:00 - 9:00 on Thursday and Friday, 10:00 to 9:00 on Saturday, and 10:00 - 6:00 on Sunday.

This was the week of hellish weather in New England and by the time we got there it was too late to set up so we went to the hotel, arriving at the show at 7:00 am on Thursday to set up. Turns out our booth was as far away from the doors as possible and we had to walk back and forth what seemed like a hundred times to unload. Our one smart move was that we stayed in the hotel right across the street from the show which was in the Seaport World Trade Center. We were given a reduced rate on the room because of the show and the room was lovely. Of course not until we checked out did we find out that they charge $41.00 a night for valet parking, even though we only took the van out to unload and load but I digress.

I must tell you about leaving the show the first night, which was after 9:00 pm. The wind was so strong that neither of us could make it across the street. We are not small women. The wind was so strong (gusts of 50 mph) that both of us were walking sideways, having trouble getting across the street. I felt like I was in a wind tunnel....and of course it was also raining so we got soaked - and that was just to cross the street!

Here's a picture of the street to the hotel. Wonder where we would have wound up if we were smaller?

Here is a link to the vendors that I think deserve to be noticed. Other than the first two pictures to give you an idea of the show setup, and a picture from our setup, the rest are in no particular order.

Craft Area:

The craft aisle, long view.

Of course I am starting with our display - which looked so good, although I may be a bit biased. You can visit our website at Magicalbeadstalk.com

Great hardwood lamps and vases - northernlights.com

I love the name Cynthia chose for her jewelry business - Original Cyn Jewelry.

These felted designs are gorgeous - I particularly love the trees - Shades of Nature.

Mark's furniture is unbelievable. Talk about a Master Craftsman! Far Beyond Woodworking

Beautiful clay pieces, especially the birds. Visit Flynn Clay Studio to see Sheilagh's work.

Stone Puddles is a great name for these bird baths - they are primitive and wonderful. Their display was so cool - as you can see by the photo they lugged in earth to create a realistic backyard experience. Stone Puddles

Funky paintings that made me smile - love the cows! Kim Forney

Lisa is someone I talked with a lot - one of the many fabulous jewelers at the show. Two Son Jewelry

Beautiful rolling pins in a wide variety of woods. Vermont Rolling Pins

Ted is the artist that was staying in the same hotel. His photographs are amazing, especially the ones featuring the eyes of wild animals. I loved his work. Image Artisan

This was our neighbor at the end of the aisle. His stained glass work, especially the large Green Man piece, was so eye-catching. Chippaway Art Glass

I love Bonsai Trees and it was great to see them in the show. Nature's Highlight

Food Vendors:

Pumpkin Butter to die for! Tyler's Sweet Revenge

This was the best marketing I've seen - people seemed to love the dog treats - of course we all want to buy special treats for our pooches. Annies Pooch Pops

I didn't eat any of these whoopie pies, but I looked at them a lot. I've never seen anything quite like them. ...to the Queen's Taste

I also need to mention the nut guy, who had the best nuts. I thought I had taken a picture of his booth but don't seem to have one. Heitmann's - Gourmet Nuts & Specialties

Boston:

The view from our room of Boston Harbor:

Seaport World Trade Center:

Our hotel:

Boston Harbor:

We expected a lot from this show but it didn't happen. It was the first time that the New England Home Show had a craft/artisan aisle. Some did okay, but the show was not a hit for most of the artists. I decided to write a blog post about the experience with pictures and links to the artisans whose work I respect. I am hoping that folks will go and check out their websites.

There are many lessons learned from this experience. Top on the list is that it's not a good thing to mix Art/Craft Shows with other groups - no Home Shows, Antiques, Wine Tastings and State Fairs.

Sheryl and I joke about changing the name of our business, from Magical Beadstalk to Two Old Broads Beading. We definitely felt like two old broads by the time we had packed everything up and were ready to go home. What a long trip this was, and so physically demanding. Many of the home show folks were saying that they are often in shows that are nine days. Not something I would want to do, nor do I think I would survive!

Artbeads 10th Anniversary Sweepstakes

Magical Beadstalk is one of the jewelry designers that Artbeads has asked to be a part of their beader blogging list. Every couple of months we receive some product from them and Sheryl and I create a piece together and write a blog entry about the process. It is such fun.

Artbeads also has many gift certificates and giveaways and we try and post the information here for those who may be interested in entering.

This is a great one! But you need to act quickly because it ends Thursday evening.

Win a $1000.00 shopping spree from Artbeads. The contest is open to United States and Canadian (excluding Quebec) residents. You must be over 18 to enter.

The contest ends Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:59pm (PST).

THE CONTEST IS OVER - GOOD LUCK TO THOSE WHO ENTERED TO WIN! Disclaimer: Artbeads 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.

OHOW Giveaway - Winner Announced

What an amazing experience this has been. My thanks to Lisa for hosting the OHOW giveaway. It is such fun visiting so many blogs, and seeing the variety of work produced by artists throughout the world.

I have a winner, and amazingly, the Random Number Generator chose #1 - the lucky woman who was first on my comments list is:

Theresa, of Faerie Moon Creations.

I will notify Theresa on her blog, and send the necklace off to her as soon as I receive her mailing address.

I hope to spend this coming year visiting all the bloggers who entered the OHOW giveaway.

Thank you to all of you that entered.

Terry

For those who would like to see how the random number generator works, I've included the results at the bottom of this post.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

1

Timestamp: 2010-02-15 19:29:17 UTC

I am a part of the 2010 One World - One Heart Giveaway. This is a unique experience where artists from all over the world participate through their blogs. This is the 4th year of this amazing event and I participated last year and it was a wonderful experience connecting with so many other bloggers who use their blogs for creative expression.

How it works is that if you want a chance to win my donated piece of handmade jewelry, you need to leave a comment on this blog entry, including your email address so that I can inform you if you win. This giveaway is open to everyone!

If you click the One World - One Heart Logo at the top of this post, you can learn more about this amazing venture, and if you want, you can also sign on.

The giveaway will end on February 15th and the winner will be notified on the same day. I will use a random number generator to pick the winning number. This event is international and all can choose to be involved. I hope that you will go to the website to see the huge number of artists worldwide who are taking part in this venture. We are a vast community of artists. Sign on to as many as you want.

Now about the giveaway:

I call this necklace Honey Gold Goddess!

Magic is in the air! The contrasts in this necklace make it a standout. There are beautiful Citrine chunks offset with smooth Onyx beads leading to a handmade dichroic glass pendant of a Goddess figure. This necklace is 22" long and finished with an unusual sterling silver toggle clasp.

If you are interested in winning this wonderful piece of jewelry, make sure you comment on this post, and include your email address. Otherwise I have no way to let you know if you win.

Good luck!

Website & Blog Issues

I've been having some serious problems with my Wordpress blog and website - seems that open source sites are being hit with a virus and I have a not so friendly worm floating around my site. I've invested so much in having my website and blog hosted together, and here I sit back to square one. As a result, I've decided to join the One World One Heart Giveaway from my old faithful Blogspot blog. I couldn't miss being involved in this incredible experience. This will be my second year. Last year I felt such a connection to so many artists worldwide. I love the sense of community which feeds me. Please get involved. The Giveaway begins Monday January 25, 2010. My necklace that I am giving away, and instructions will be posted tomorrow.