A Grandmother Shares her Addiction

Last weekend my son and his wife came for a visit bringing their wonderful family with them:  Sophie, age 4, Owen, age 2 and James, also 2.  We had a wonderful time while they were here.  One of the best parts of the weekend for me was the evening before they left.  Sophie had been wanting to see my studio which had been off limits all weekend.  So, around 8:30, after the boys were in bed, Sophie and her mother joined me in my studio.

We began by looking at finished pieces that I had not yet gotten up in my store.  I didn't know this about Sophie but she is a toucher.  Each new piece of jewelry we brought out had to be touched to be enjoyed.  Her eyes were big and she was smiling.  She was having a good time.

Next, I brought out my stash of focal pieces for them to look through.  Kara wanted to do some shopping and Sophie just wanted to touch.  Not finding anything that got Kara excited, we moved on to my bead stash.

My bead stash is pretty incredible, even if I say so myself.  Like Sophie, I enjoy the texture and feel of my beads as much as their beauty.  With each bead strand that I brought out, Sophie's oohs and ahhhs became more and more giddy.   She had oh so many questions.  I really loved watching her making the connection to my beautiful toys.  Now, of course, I can visualize Sophie and I spending the day together making jewelry.  If she is still interested when she gets older, I'll teach her wire work and soldering and all the other fun things she needs to know to enjoy the craft.

After an hour or so, it was way past Sophie's bedtime.  When Kara told her that, she began it cry.  She had also just learned that they were heading home in the morning.  The combination to bed time and leaving was too much for her.  In an effort to calm her down, Kara offered Sophie the opportunity to make a necklace with me at some future time.  Sophie than asked me when I thought she would be old enough to make a necklace with me.  I responded that I thought we could do that the next time we were together.  Sophie came back with the idea that she wanted to make a necklace this trip instead of waiting.  I agreed to help her make a necklace in the morning and she happily went off to bed.

I spent a bit more time in my studio starting the necklace for Sophie.  I thought since her mom and dad wanted to leave at 8:00, I should start the necklace so all Sophie had to do was put on some beads and a clasp.  I guess I should explain what leaving at 8:00 a.m. usually means in our family.  It usually means leaving at 10:00 if we are really lucky.  More likely though, it means leaving at 11:00 or 12:00.  When they are leaving from my house, I'm thankful for every extra minute that I get.  It isn't easy preparing 3 kids and all the stuff for a 10-12 hour car ride.

Immediately after breakfast, I brought the started necklace out to Sophie along with all the supplies we would need to complete the necklace.  As I brought out the beads, I realized that the beads I had picked for her were really small.  The supplies included size 15 seed beads, the smallest size sterling silver spacers and 6mm Swarovsky bacons.  I was worried that I should have picked beads that were a bit larger and easier to handle.  At first Sophie struggled to get the beads on the beading wire so I told her if she couldn't do it, I'd help her by doing it.  She worked at it for a few minutes and before I knew it, she was handling even the smallest beads with ease.  Sophie worked diligently for about 30 minutes stringing the beads in the order I gave her.  However, just as we were nearing the end, Sophie asked me to finish for her.  Her brothers had just gone outside to the backyard to play.  There are just some things that a 4 year old cannot resist.  With Sophie, one of them is playing outside.  She is, after all, only 4.

I finished up the necklace and put on the clasp.  I think the necklace is perfect for Sophie.  It is dainty with a simple marcasite 4 leaf clover as a focal piece.  The beads are bright and colorful.  Sophie adores bright color.  The brighter the better.  Here is the necklace we created together:

When Sophie put on the necklace, she told me that she would use it to think about me when we were apart.  Grandma is thrilled.  Now that they are gone, I'm left with a warm, warm heart and a quiet, lonely house.

My Quest to Ban Assault Weapons

Over the last week or so I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what happened in Colorado and thinking about what I believe most Americans feel about gun laws.  I may be wrong but I suspect that most Americans feel like I do.  Although I don't believe that the 2d amendment gives Americans the right to own, acquire, use whatever guns they would like, I do believe that gun ownership is a right that most Americans should have.  That said, why do civilians need to have assault weapons?  I've never seen or heard of anyone hunting anything (except other humans) with assault weapons.  Do you need an assault weapon to protect your home or family?  I don't think so.  Why do you need to own one?

I understand that people like guns.  I understand that people like to shoot guns, like to hunt with guns and simply like to collect them and show them off to their friends.  I don't understand that but I'm cool with it.  Buy a gun, go to the range and shoot your gun as often as you like, go hunting if you must but you do not have to be against all regulation in order to protect the things you like to do with your gun.  If we did manage to get a serious gun law with the teeth to actually have an impact, I do not believe any of the activities most people want to partake in with their guns would be negatively affected.  Would it really change your life if you had to wait 5 days before you could bring your new non-assault gun home?  Of course not.

Now we come to the real issue...the NRA and similar organizations.  The NRA has spent a fortune convincing Americans that any regulation will immediately lead to the loss of their right to own a gun.  Bullshit!  A ban on civilians owning assault weapons, for example, will have zero impact on your right to own any other type of weapon.  Of course, if you really want to own an assault weapon, such a ban would negatively affect you.  However, I feel strongly enough about the use of assault weapons to injure and kill large numbers of innocent victims that I'm willing to say to those who have this overwhelming desire to own an assault weapon...you can't.  You don't need it and you can't have it.  If I were to consider allowing you to have an assault weapon, I would most definitely want you to wait for 5 days while I check you out before allowing you to take home your new gun.

Every time a politician has the nerve to raise the issue of gun regulation, the NRA drops a big bag of money to frighten gun owning Americans into believing that any regulation will immediately lead to loss of the average citizen's right to bear arms.  Once that dialog begins again and people constantly hear through commercials and other outlets that these rights are going to be lost, many people refuse to take the chance that those rights really would be lost.  It isn't worth it to most politicians to take a stand on the issue because the NRA is such a large contributor to political campaigns.  So the NRA continues their fear mongering and the rest of us continue to live without even the small protection that an assault weapon ban would bring.

I spend most of my time being extremely frustrated.  I really don't get it.  How could preventing civilian ownership of assault weapons be such a huge issue.  Can Americans really not see how assault weapons have been used in the last 15 years?  The United States has so many more deaths caused by guns than any other country in the world.  The differences between the US and other countries for deaths by guns is so incredibly large that it is shocking.  Granted that banning assault weapons wouldn't   immediately stop the bloodshed.  It would however be a good place to start.

It has gotten so bad here that innocent children die in their homes when the paths of bullets indiscriminately enter their homes.  Why aren't we up in arms to do something about this?  Why haven't we each contacted our representatives and let them know that we want a serious gun law that makes an impact and prevents criminals and people with mental conditions from buying assault weapons.  That seems like a country that I would want to live in.

The Boy's Room

Those of you who know me know what a large part of my life is devoted to family.  I love my kids (and my kids by marriage) and I'm so grateful that we have such a strong relationship.  That said, I head over heels nuts about my grandkids.  When I was younger I used to hear people taking about how great it was to have grandkids.  I remember thinking, sure, grandkids are nice but get over it.  It is hard to describe but there is something really special about seeing your child holding and caring for a child of his/her own.  The first time you see that is one of those special moments in life that you hope you will never forget.

I'm not a particularly emotional or lovey/dovey person.  However, when I saw Drew holding my first grandchild, I fell apart.  It was so amazing that for the longest time, I could't even begin to put what I felt into words.  Of course, I've seen him holding and caring for his children thousands of time since then.  It doesn't generate that intense, overwhelming emotion that the first time did but it gives me great pleasure every time.

I guess I'm telling you this because it is my justification for devoting two of my six bedrooms specifically to my grand kids.  My grand kids live about 500 miles from me.  Since they are still too young to travel by themselves (airlines require them to be 5 to fly unaccompanied by an adult).  Even at 5, I doubt my granddaughter (she will be the first to be 5) would be willing to fly without an adult.  When the boys reach 5, that may be a different story.  At any rate, they visit my house only once or twice every year.  That doesn't matter to me.  I want them to feel like they have a room of their own in my house and to know that they are welcome at any time, with or without their parents.

I've recently completed (well, mostly) the room for the twin boys.  It isn't anything special.  No spectacular kids decorations.  No murals or car beds, etc.   It is just a room that I hope two small boys will like and feel comfortable in.  They share a room at home so I decided that they would want to do the same here.  Of course, with 6 bedrooms we can always do another room if one of them wants to have his own room in the future.

I chose to do the room in blue, chocolate brown and lime green.  I generally hate themed rooms, especially for kids.  How many little boys have bedspreads and decals from the movie Cars, or Thomas the Train or some other commercial character?  I know kids like it but for me, it seems like a bit of a cop out.  If you do that route, you don't put anything of yourself in the room.  I want the boys to know that I put the room together, with love, just for them.  So obviously the room doesn't have a theme.

Their comforters have rockets on them.  For a long time I looked for comforters that were just striped or color blocked.  Anything that would allow me to use the room as a guest room when the boys weren't here.  However, when I saw the rocket comforters, I fell in love with them.  One of my grandsons, Owen, is crazy about the moon so I've given him rockets to provide transportation for his dreams.

The room has two twin beds.  One of them is a trundle bed so if they ever have a guest with them to spend the night, they too will have a place to sleep.  The other bed has drawers under it that they will be able to use to store their secret treasures.  There are only two other pieces of furniture in the room, a large wooden chest and a bookcase full of cubby holes for storing toys.  They each have a blue reading lamp with a shade with blue and lime green circles that sit on the end of the bookcase which also acts as a night stand.

I've ordered a rug that hasn't arrived yet.  The rug is made out of old blue jean pockets.  I can't wait to see it in there.

Finally, I've ordered a couple of decals from Etsy seller Just The Frosting to put on the wall over each of their beds.  Here is a sample of what the decals will look like.  The colors will be slightly different, lime green, and blue.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80738072/personalized-childrens-decor-monogram

The boys are visiting in a couple of weeks and I really can't wait to see them sleeping and playing in their room.  Soon, I'll show you what I did with Sophie's room.

I have a vision of the perfect studio in my head.  Unfortunately, I don't think there is a storage solution that works perfectly for me.  My new studio isn't completely done but it's getting there.  I tell myself that some day, I'll manage to get that studio out of my head and into my house.  It is definitely a work in process.

Here is a good look at my playpen.  The desk you see has many, many drawers on each side.  I purchased some plastic inserts that turn the drawers into 16 square storage spaces.  I fill those spaces with findings and stones.  In the beginning, it was a great storage solution and I could store all of my materials.  Now it's another story.  I can probably only fit about 1/3 of my stuff into the desk.  I recently purchased the wooden contraption that is sitting on my desk.  It is designed to hold tools and has a dowel that can be used to store and use beading wire and wire.  I haven't gotten it completely loaded up but I love it.  It is so nice to be able to just reach over and come away with whatever length I want.  It doesn't look nice though so I may have to do something about that.  We'll see.

The rug in my studio is just there because we didn't have anywhere else to put it when we moved in.  It is a shag rug and it eats beads and findings.  Seriously, if you drop something on this rug, it disappears forever.  Obviously, I need to get a different rug in there.  The walls are painted lime green.  I want a contemporary rug with crazy colors.  Maybe lime green and black.  I'm looking now but I haven't found the right rug yet.

Two walls of my office are filled with floor to ceiling bookcases.  I store just about everything here.  I have plastic containers that I label and store stuff in.  The cardboard boxes are my mailing supplies.  You can see my tumbler on the shelf.  I also store all my soldering stuff on these shelves.  I have a couple of shelves where I store magazines and all my beading books.  I store odds and ends that I use in my booth here as well.  Most of my booth stuff is in a big plastic bin in the basement though.

I keep out a few of my busts and put my new pieces on it for a while when I first finish them.  Sometimes after I've looked at them for a while, I want to make a few changes.   If I didn't have them out where I can see them, I probably wouldn't make those changes.  I think all the changes I've made turn out to be good changes.  Even with 2 walls full of bookcases, you can see that I still have stuff all over the floor.  I wish I had another desk for doing soldering.  It is kind of a pain to have to get all my soldering stuff out every time I want to solder something.  Then, of course, I have to put it away because I use my desk for other things as well.  The perfect studio would have a separate soldering station.

This is the obligatory close up of my desk.  You might wonder how I can make anything with all that crap piled up on it.  Whenever I finish a piece, I clean off my desk but sometimes I'm working on 3 or 4 pieces at the same time.  I pull out my stone bins, for example and stack them on my desk so I can have easy access.  You can see a seed bead bins in this picture.  I use the small Ott light with a magnifier on my desk.  I also have a floor ott light that adds additional light.  I also wish I had room in my studio for a separate photo station.  Now, when I need to take pictures of new pieces, my husband sets up the light box on our dining room table.  We're constantly setting it up and breaking it down.  Although, it has been on my dining room table for a week right now.  We don't usually eat in the dining room but every time I walk by I feel guilty.

The best thing about my studio is that it is on the first floor.  It sits between the family room and the bathroom.  It has one wall of windows so the light shines in nicely.  It is so nice not to have to go to the basement when I get the urge to create something.  I don't feel so isolated this way.  Also tied for the best thing is the fact that it has double doors that can be closed.  They're not French doors.  They do not have glass in them.  When you close the doors, you can't see the mess that lurks behind those doors.  That is a very good thing.

That's the tour of my studio space.  I'll post some more pictures when (if) it ever gets completed.  If you have some unusual storage solutions, I'd love to hear about them.  I'm always a bit disappointed in all the systems that I use.

Catching UP

Welcome back, Jill!  I have just decided to get back on the blogging horse.  A lot has happened to me since January 22, 2012.  Rather than bore you with the details, I'll just give you the short version...

I had emergency abdominal surgery in May.  I was only in the hospital for 24 hours but it certainly took longer than that to get back to normal.

My husband and I are finally getting close to being done with our big move.  The downstairs is mostly complete.  The bedrooms still have some work to do but three of them are really close to complete.  The upstairs office is still a disaster.  We haven't started on the basement yet.

I've visited Cincinnati many times over the last few months for Grandparents Day at my granddaughter's preschool, for Sophie's 4th birthday and for the twins 2d birthday.  All of those trips were wonderful.

Marty and I have just returned from a glorious vacation in St. Petersburg Florida with our entire family (almost).  We rented a big house on the water and spent the week going to the beach and swimming in our own pool.  In addition to my kids and their kids, my brother (who lives in Cocoa, FL) and my big sister (who lives in Plano, TX) joined us.  While we were there, Marty's brother and his son and Marty's little sister joined us for dinner.  It was great to see and spend time with everyone.  The kids had a great time.  We took them to Disney World and spent about $700 walking around in the rain all day.  We did get to meet Repunzel and ride It's a Small World and Winnie the Pooh.  We visited the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and rode the carousel several times.  We stayed for the Electric Light Parade before heading home at about 10:00.  In spite of the drenching rains, we managed to have a good time.  The kids were really great; no crying about the rain or standing in line.

I have been doing a lot of custom jewelry lately so it has been a while since I added new items to my Etsy store.  I've got about 5 or 6 pieces to add as soon as I get photos of them.  That seems to be the rate limiting step for me.  I can't seem to get the pictures done quickly.  I'm trying to finish one piece that I've been working on for a month or so.  I guess I don't want to take the other pictures until that piece is done so I can get them on the site at the same time.

My plan now is to try to keep up the blog on at least a weekly basis.

What is Going On?

I'm sure you are all wondering what the hell I've been up to.  It has been weeks since I updated the blog so I'm going to try to bring everyone up to date.

When I think about what has happened since the last time I blogged, the biggest thing beadwise was doing my first 2 shows.  The first show was not a huge success but I did make back my entry fee.  Of course, I immediately spent what I made on a wonderful handmade scarf that I gave to my daughter-in-law for Christmas.  I'm not sure that really counts as making money.

The second show was much better. It was kind of scary though because we were moving and I had to do the show by myself.  I was lucky that one of the folks I met at the first show was also doing the second show so I was able to go to the bathroom and have someone to watch my shop.  Although my take was only in the 3 digit range, I sold a number of my favorites.  It was hard to see some of them going away.

I am now convinced that I will do more shows.  In fact, I'm planning on entering some juried shows to see what happens.  Before I can do that though, I need to figure out how to make my photos meet their standards.  I've read the rules but I don't have any idea what they are talking about.  I obviously need someone to help me.  I'm not sure if I need a photographer or a computer nerd.  Maybe I need both.  The show I'm thinking of trying to get in is huge.  They average about 4000 visitors each year.  I'll have to start making things now if I want to have enough stock to last through the weekend.  What fun!

The other big thing that has happened is that my husband and I bought a new house and moved.  Our new house has an office/library on the first floor that is going to be my new studio.  I've always had to use a room in the basement or upstairs.  I've never liked it because when I was in the basement, I couldn't hear the doorbell and several people have told me they stopped by but I wasn't home when I was just downstairs working.  Upstairs isn't good either.  Now though, I'm right in the middle of everything and I love it.  I'll post a picture as soon as the room is done.

For some unknown reason, I've had a great December and January as far as sales are concerned.  I've not only sold quite a few pieces, I've sold some of my most expensive pieces.  I always wondered who would spend that much on online jewelry.  Would you spend four or five hundred dollars on something you haven't seen in person?  I'm not sure I would.  Of course, I offer a no questions asked money back guarantee so it is virtually risk free.  I had one customer buy a beautiful aquamarine necklace and then return it when it didn't go with the dress she bought it to go with.  I was happy to take it back.

Maybe all my hard work is finally starting to pay off.  I sure hope so.

Glutton for Punishment

Basically, I'm a glutton for punishment...I'm doing another show this weekend.  I hope to have a better sales record than last weekend.  I've committed to doing both Saturday and Sunday.  It is a much larger show that the last one.  This one has approximately 60 vendors so hopefully I won't get lost in the crowd.

For those of you that live in and around Baltimore, this show will be held at the Towson Commons.  Parking is free all weekend and you'll have 60 or so vendors of quality hand made gifts from which to choose that perfect last minute Christmas gift.  We're open 10 - 6 both Saturday and Sunday.

I look forward to seeing you there.

My First Show Part II

Well, the best I can say is that my first show is behind me and I learned a lot.  As you can probably tell from the tenor of the first sentence, I didn't make a lot of sales.  In fact, I didn't even have very many "lookers."  The crowd was steady all day but they weren't looking for jewelry and they certainly weren't looking for high end jewelry.  Even my $40.00 necklaces seemed to be too expensive for them.  Some of the vendors did fairly well but no one had a great day.  I did get a lot of compliments about my work which is always nice.

I did have enough sales to check out my new credit card reader and the square website.  Wow!  It is very cool and so very easy to use.  Customers sign the receipt with their finger on my iPad and then I can email them a receipt.  Within 24 hours, the $$ actually show up in my bank account.  Now I'm wondering if I can link my pay pal account to it?  That would be sweet since I try to keep my business funds separate from my personal accounts.  I'll check that out for sure.

I really liked my table set up although I was wishing I had more room to put out more necklaces.  I was only able to show 15 necklaces at a time.  I guess I'll have to be creative about how to get more space out of that small 8 ft square.  Maybe some sort of rack that I can sit on the table and use more space above the table.

Here is my table:

My banner looks so small up on the wall behind the table.  I think I need to order a larger one.

Here's hoping that my next show results in more sales!

Christmas Craft Show

I'm doing my first craft show this Saturday, December 10 from 11:00 to 5:00 at:

MD State Boychoir Center for the Arts

3400 Norman Ave

Baltimore, MD 21213

You can find a vendor list posted at www.charmcitycraftivists.com

If you live in or around Baltimore, please stop by and check out some fabulous hand crafted items just in time of Christmas gift giving.

Stop by my booth while you are there.  I'd love to meet you!

Thanksgiving

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

More New Listings

This is the first piece I have ever made using blue lace agate.  I found this pendant at Bead Fest Philadelphia and knew right away that I had to buy it.    The necklace itself if made from smaller blue lace agate beads and seed beads all highlighted with sterling silver.  The clasp is also sterling silver.  This will list for $88.00 on Etsy.

These coordinating earrings are fun!  I strung blue lace agate, seed beads and sterling silver on sterling silver beading wire and used jump rings to attach them to an earring post.  These earrings list on Etsy for $18.00.

This classic look will impress even the most conservative person you know.  I haven't posted this one yet because I'm having a hard time remembering what this stone is.  Whatever it is, it is spectacular.  The wonderful green stones in decreasing sizes are separated by 22 kt gold plated sterling silver bead caps.  I'll have to force myself to sell this one.  I'll list it for $175 on Etsy as soon as I remember what the stone is.

The coordinating earrings are great too.  The wonderful green stones (whatever they are) are separated by 22 kt gold plated sterling silver bead caps.  The earrings dangle from a circular ear post that is also 22 kt plated sterling silver.  Lovely!

These are simple but beautiful earrings.  Perfect amethyst briolettes wire wrapped and suspended from sterling silver "C" shaped and pounded ear wires.  These will be listed for $35.00 on Etsy.

I'm into creative mode now since I need to have a sufficient collection to display at my first craft show.

Preview of my Newest Listings

I should be able to get these listed this week.  There are a couple of small issues that I need to fix before I list them for sale.  However, here is your sneak peak:

This necklace is made with green jasper, serpentine and prehenite.  The metal is copper.  This piece will list for $115.00.

These earring were made to coordinate with the necklace above.  Again made from green jasper and prehenite.  The earwires and bead caps are copper.  These will list for $15.00.

I really love these earrings but they are one of the issues I need to fix before I list them.  You can't really tell with this picture but the mother of pearl on the right side is much yellower than the one on the left.  I'm going to replace it with one that is colored more like the one on the left and remake the earrings.  The other stone is coprolite.  In case you don't know, coprolite is fossilized dinosaur dung!  It is absolutely amazing how something so gross, left alone for thousands of years, can morph into something so beautiful.  The metal here is sterling silver.  These earrings will list for $25.00.  Of course, there is a necklace that coordinates with these earrings.

This necklace is one of my favorites!  The beads are coprolite and mother of pearl.  All metal in the necklace is sterling silver including the back and sides of the pendant.  The pendant is a wonderful drusy that matches the coprolite perfectly.  This is one that I would like to keep for myself.  It will list for $227.00.

I have a few more new listings to show you but they'll have to wait for another day.

My First Show

I turned in my vendor application for my first handmade show today.  I'm excited to try this but also pretty scared.  Having never done it before, I'm unsure what I need to bring and how to set up my booth to attract the most buyers.  Also, having never done anything like this, I don't have display props either.  I'm reluctant to spend a bunch of money on props when I don't even know if I'll ever be doing this again.  In fact, I don't even know if I'm going to get into this show yet.

I've been looking online at the booths of others but it is so hard to tell what really works.  I'm going to sign up for propay so that I can take credit cards at the show.  I'll have to get a table cover and some lights and a mirror, of course.  I don't think I want to buy just ready made props so if you have any ideas for clever ways to display necklaces or earrings, I'd love to hear it.

I think if I get in, I'll set up my booth first at home so that I know exactly how it will look and where everything goes.  I'm also planning to make a bunch of new stuff, particularly earrings, to debut at the show.  I have a pretty good mix on prices on my stuff so I think I'm ok there.  I suppose I should also make a few more bracelets.  Oh, I'll need a banner or sign of some kind too.  Someway to hold and display my business cards...Obviously, I need to make a list.  A very, very long list.

So many decisions and I only have about 3 weeks to make them all and gather everything together.  Above all else, I think it will be fun and I'm looking forward to it.  Maybe, if you live in or near Baltimore, I'll see you there?

Show will take place Saturday, Dec. 10th from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Maryland
    State Boychoir Center for the Arts, 3400 Norman Ave, Baltimore, MD 21213

Product Photographer

Everyone I speak to says that the most important thing in an online store are your product photos.  My wonderful husband does my pictures for me and I think he does a pretty good job.  However, we have an unpleasant dance we do each time I ask him to photograph my new pieces.  I tell him that I have some new items that need to be photographed.  He says "OK."  Then the next day, I tell him again that I need some photos taken.  He says "OK."  In a few days, I ask him when he is going to take my photos.  He says "I'll take them this afternoon."  Somewhere around dinner time, I'll ask if he is going to take the photos today.  He says "I can take them now or I can cook dinner, which do you prefer."  I say "we can take them after dinner."  He says "OK."  After dinner around 8:00 or so, I say "are you ready to take the photos?" He says "OK" and does take them, usually getting started around 10:30 or 11:00.  When I get up the next morning, I find my flash drive with my photos on it sitting next to my computer.

I admit that this system works but it seems a bit inefficient to me.  So, I've started thinking about hiring a professional photographer to take my product pictures.  The problem is, I don't know any professional photographers and even if I did, I doubt they would be product specialists.  There are 2 other problems as well.  First, I live in Reisterstown, MD, a lovely small town with a limited population.  It is close to Baltimore, MD but I doubt Baltimore is a hotbed of professional product photographers either.  The second problem is money.  I don't have an endless supply and my business isn't currently generating enough to cover this expense.  In reality, I don't even know how much of an expense it would be.

In order to find out and replace my guesses with actual numbers, I contacted a few product professionals by email asking them for information, including pricing.  It has been a week and a half and I haven't heard a peep out of any of them.  Maybe taking pictures of jewelry for a small producer isn't a money making deal for photographers but you'd think they could at least tell me that they don't do it or that they have some huge minimum.

The last round of photos we took (last Sunday night around midnight) need to be retaken because the colors didn't come out right.  We are in the middle of the dance.  I'll probably ask him soon, "when are you going to take the pictures" and he'll tell me that he'll take them this afternoon.  Then, tonight while you're getting ready for bed, you can think of Marty in our dining room photo studio, taking pictures of my newest jewelry pieces for me.

I am very grateful that he is willing to take these pictures for me but he'll tell you this himself...I am a terrible dancer.

Saving a Squirrel

On Monday, October 17, 2011 I saved the life of a squirrel.  I did this purposefully and with good intentions.  However, I also knocked down a utility pole, hit a tree head-on and totaled my car.  I was driving home from work and had just turned onto the little country road that leads to my house.  I was about a block from home.  Which, I guess, makes the squirrel one of my neighbors and helps to explain why I was so intent on saving his little life.  On this little country road, the utility poles are right up next to the road.  I assume this is because it is easier to put them there than to venture into the woods and find a spot for them.  I can probably guess what is coming...

I saw the squirrel run into the road right in front of me.  I swerved to the right to avoid the little bugger.  Now this part if complete conjecture because I can't really remember exactly what happened.  I hit the utility pole right where the right front panel meets the right headlight.  I'm assuming this slowed me down quite a bit and after tearing through the underbrush, I hit a tree head-on.  I think I was only going 15 or 20 miles per hour when I hit the tree.  I can't imagine what would happen if you were going faster.

I was wearing my seatbelt (thank God) and my air bags deployed.  I was not seriously hurt.  Now, one week later, my body is a kaleidoscope of colors when I undress.  My left leg got the worst of it.  If you recall, I'm recovering from a medial collateral ligament sprain in my right knee.  I got a huge contusion on my left leg.  So now, basically, both of my legs are out of service.  What a nightmare.

Here are some lovely pictures of my left leg a few days after the wreck:

It looks ickier now but I'll spare you the pictures.  I also found out yesterday that they have totaled my car.  I loved my car.  It was a 2009 Lexus RX 350 with 17,000 miles on it.  10,000 of those miles were put on it in a trip to and from Arizona.  This is how my car looks now:

You'll notice that I haven't posted any pictures of the squirrel.  He survived unscathed but the little bastard didn't stick around to see if I was ok.

I Bet You Forgot I Even Had a Blog, Right?

It has been so long since I've posted anything that I actually had to think about how to post to my blog.  I'm feeling a bit guilty since I made a commitment to myself that I would post at least once a week when I started this process.  Obviously, I've failed miserably.  At any rate, it is time to get back on track and to bring you all up to date with my life, such as it is.

My last post was on September 8th, just after my kids and grandkids returned home.  That always leads to a few days of loneliness and depression.  Oh how I wish I lived in the same town that they live in.  Someday.  I spent the next few weeks dealing with my sprained MCL and the bone bruise I got just before they arrived.  A lot of time spent sitting on the couch, playing computer games and watching tv.  What a boring few weeks.  Normally, I don't turn the tv on at all during the day but I was getting desperate for something to do.  With the exception of going to the doctor, I don't think I left the house for 2 weeks.  No jewelry was made during this period either.  I just wasn't able to overcome the pain or the pain pill stupor enough to get to my studio and be creative.  Mostly I sat on the couch with my leg propped up.  That doesn't give me much to write about does it?

After a couple weeks of nothingness, I began to feel better and was able to cut way down on the pain medication.  My normal attitude and energy began to return.  I knew I needed to do some shopping because (brace yourself...there is actually good news in my life!) I received a job offer that would allow me to stay in Baltimore and live at home.  If you didn't know, I've been commuting from either Boston or Baltimore to Phoenix, AZ to work for the last 4 years.  Getting a chance to work in the same city in which we live, was definitely great news.  I started at Johns Hopkins University as their Director of Intellectual Property on September 21.

In preparation for this, I spent a few days shopping for some new clothes.  My job in Phoenix at ASU required very casual attire.  JHU is much more business attire.  They say they are business casual but the men wear ties.  My boss told me when I asked about the dress code that I could wear anything I wanted as long as I looked "managerial."  While not really sure what that meant, I bought a couple of new suits and dress slacks and blouses.  So far so good.

Of course, having just started a new job, still going to physical therapy for my leg, I didn't have much free time to make jewelry.  Once again, no jewelry was being created.    I've been at my new job for a month now and there is really no reason why I haven't been making jewelry, but I haven't.

Do any of you have any suggestions for getting me back in my studio?  I love making jewelry and I make plans to get back to it.  In fact, I have tons of ideas in my head that I need to let out.  I've been designing pieces in my head for weeks.  However, when it comes time to sit down and start actually creating them, I don't seem to be able to take that first step.

Part of the problem is that before the kids visited, I packed everything away so that the boys wouldn't be tempted to eat my beads.  In addition, our basement leaks and the carpet is torn up in my studio with all the furniture pushed into the center of the room so I would have to bring my supplies upstairs to the kitchen table to work.  I know that if I start back making stuff, all those supplies will stay ont he kitchen table until the studio is put back together.  I have no idea when that will be.  I don't like the idea of having my kitchen be a constant mess because of my bead supplies.  I'm not sure what is worse, the mess or the lack of a creative outlet.

Recently it has become more complicated.  I was in a car accident (details in another post) and going up and down the stairs to get my supplies up here is an issue.  However, I can see that the visits to my shop are steadily falling because there is no new merchandise.  Maybe this weekend I'll try to get Marty to bring things up for me but that won't be easy on either of us.

The Visit

We arrived in Baltimore at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday night after stopping at Subway for a leisurely dinner and a bit of time out of the car.  It took us awhile to get everyone settled and off to bed.  Thursday morning, I started off with a visit to the emergency room to get my knee checked out.  I returned with a large brace and crutches.  Not the best outfit for enjoying a visit from your grand kids but we made do.  The rest of Thursday was a lazy day.  We played with toys and generally had a great time enjoying the kids.

Friday after lunch, Kara and I, and the kids headed to Reisterstown Regional Park and the playground.  However, when we tried to start the van, surprise, surprise, it wouldn't start.  Marty gave us a jump and we were off.  The boys swung while Sophie played on the slides, climbing wall and other miscellaneous park structures.  I just tried to keep up with them on my crutches.  The weather was ridiculously hot and humid.  For some reason, Sophie didn't seem to enjoy the park as much as she normally does.  I guess it could have been the dog poop (at least I hope it was dog poop) that was all over one of the play sets.  As attitudes began to take a nose dive, we went back to the car to head for home.  As you might guess, the van wouldn't start so we called Marty to come and give us a jump.  Back home for naps and a lovely evening.  The boys kept to their 7:30 bedtime but Sophie was up until well after 9:00.  We were having a great time!

Saturday we planned to go to the National Zoo but while we were getting ready, Kara pointed out to us that the shower in one of the upstairs bedrooms was not draining.  It turned out that the toilets and tubs in 2 of the upstairs bathrooms were stopped up.  Shortly thereafter, we noticed that water was dripping out of the pot lights in our entry hall.  Hmmm, not good.  Also, not conducive
to a trip to the zoo.  We postponed the zoo trip and called a plumber.  When we hadn't heard back in a couple of hours, we called again.  The dispatcher told us that the plumber had been paged but didn't respond and that they would page him again.  So we waited.  And we waited.  Finally at about 3:30 p.m. we called the plumber back.  The plumber told us that he still was not answering his page and basically said that we should call someone else.  So, we did.  That person told us that he would be here in a couple of hours.  About 15 minutes later he called back and said that he was stuck on a job and he didn't really know when he would be free.  Therefore, we should probably call someone else and he gave us a name and number.  So...we called the third plumber.  He told us that he would be here as soon as he could.  He arrived at about 7:30 just as the kids were going to bed.  He made an ungodly amount of noise and charged us $425.00.  Although he was loud and expensive, he did manage to unstop the tubs and toilets.  The kids went to bed and we discussed going to the Baltimore zoo on Sunday afternoon but decided to decide in the morning.

During the day Saturday while we were waiting for the plumber, we set up the slip n slide for the kids to play in the water.  Sophie was very reluctant in the beginning and made both her mom and dad walk through the water with her.

She eventually got comfortable and had a swell time playing in the water.

Sunday morning I made my favorite coffee cake for breakfast and we went into town to look at a couple of houses.  Sophie liked both of them and when we left the second one, Sophie insisted that she wanted us to have it.  As we were walking to the car, she said "Gramma is never going to get a house because she keeps leaving them."  I think she thought that if we wanted it, we could just move in right then.  She is a funny girl.

We headed to lunch at Red Robin to discuss whether or not we wanted to go to the Baltimore Zoo.  We had a lovely lunch and decided that since it was wicked hot (95) and humid, we wouldn't subject the twins to being out in the heat.  I wasn't thrilled with the idea of spending the afternoon in the heat either.

We returned to my house and Sophie played in the slip n slide all afternoon.  We also drew on the patio with multicolored chalk.  The boys climbed up and down the outdoor steps and drove Kara and Drew crazy!  It isn't easy corralling those 2 boys.

Sunday night after the boys were in bed (they scream whenever Kara is out of sight), Marty and I babysat so Drew and Kara could have a break from chasing the kids all weekend.  They went to a wonderful little restaurant and enjoyed desert and some peace and quiet.  Sophie and I played for an hour or so and then she headed off to bed.  She was the perfect granddaughter.  She was exhausted and it took her only about 5 minutes to fall asleep.

In spite of the problems we had with my fall, the trip, the plumbing, etc., it turned out to be a wonderful weekend spent with those I love.  I cannot verbalize how much it means to me to have them around and to share their lives.    I have been blessed with great kids who have married wonderful people and produced amazing kids.  Life is good!

Nightmare Road Trip a la Uhl

Last Sunday evening, I flew to Cincinnati.  The trip started off perfectly when my Sunday morning flight was canceled because of hurricane Irene.  Hurricane Irene was a category I when she hit us and really just caused aggravation.  Of course, we lost our electricity.  We lose our electricity when we have clear blue skies and calm winds so we expected that.  Since we have well water, when the electricity goes out, we don't have water or flushing toilets, etc.  The electricity went out Saturday morning at about 2:45.  It didn't return until Tuesday evening around 7:00 p.m.  Thankfully, I was gone much of that time and Marty had to deal with it by himself.


I arrived in Cincinnati on Sunday evening and had a wonderful few days enjoying my grandkids.  Marty arrived in Cincinnati on Tuesday evening, prepared to drive back to Baltimore with me, Kara and the 3 grandkids (1, 1, and 3 years old).  Wow, I've never seen so much laundry!  I think Kara washed every piece of clothing they own.  When we finally went to bed Tuesday night (me much earlier than anyone else), every one was exhausted.

Wednesday morning dawned bright and early.  Today was the day we were driving from Cincinnati to Baltimore.  We began to load the car.  Of course, we had a small wrinkle in the plan to leave first thing in the morning.  First, we couldn't find the pack and play.  We did finally find it but meanwhile James was playing in the kitchen cabinets.  Not usually a problem but he left a wire cooling rack on the floor.  I was walking through the kitchen and you can probably guess the rest.  I didn't see the rack and stepped on it with my left foot.  Next thing I knew, I was on the floor after hearing a loud pop from the area of my right knee.  Wrinkle number 2...Grandma could hardly walk.

We finally got grandma off the kitchen floor and managed to get the van loaded and we all climbed in.  Wrinkle number 3...the van wouldn't start.  We jumped the van and got it going.  The issue was a dead or dying battery so we had to leave the van running every time we stopped.  We stopped for lunch and left the van running in the Wendy's parking lot.  And for dinner, it was Subway with the car running in the parking lot.  We did get a few funny looks but we always get them anyway, Especially when the twins are with us.

Here are the mandatory pictures of all of us in the van:

Sorry that you only get to see James head but his car seat is rear facing and I was taking the pics from the front seat.

The trip, which should have taken us 8 hours, took 11 1/2 hours.  Sophie and Owen were real troopers!  James had a few issues and was fussy for basically the entire trip.  Overall though once we got the car moving, we did fine.

Oh, did I forget to mention that both James and Owen are in a "I ONLY want my momma" phase so every time Kara went into a bathroom or even walked to the other side of the car, we had uncontrollable screaming.   Poor Kara must be exhausted.  And, no one can help her.

Like I said, we finally made it and all is well.  I'll tell you about our visit in my next post.

August New Listings

As those of you who know me know, I brought home a new puppy a week ago.  His name is Jake and his is dedicated to ensuring that I'm unable to be creative.  He demands my constant attention.

Adorable, right?  It is a really good thing.  That is how he manages to stay alive and get away with all that he does.

In spite of Jake's help, I have managed to create 3 new listings.  Here they are:

You can see the listings on www.jillsjewely.etsy.com or www.zibbet.com/jillsjewelry or http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/jillsjewelry.  You can also find me on www. handmadespark.com

Back From Bead Fest

I had a great time at Bead Fest!  I took the Bejuled Sea Foam Cuff class from Jodi Bombardier.  She is a great teacher and the class was really a blast!  I met some very nice beaders and learned a new skill or two.

Before I left for Philadelphia, I carefully packed all the tools I would need for the class along with my light and an extension cord.  In a typical Jill move, I left home and left all my nicely packed tools sitting on my jewelry bench.  The only tools that managed to go with me were my overflow tools that won't fit in the tool holder that I packed.  I didn't realize that I'd left them all behind until I opened my backpack to pull them out when I got to the class room.  What a surprise!  No tools.

Fortunately, the project Jodi was teaching was mostly weaving and didn't require many tools.  I was able to borrow  a pair of flat nose pliers and a wire straightener which was all that I really needed.  The best laid plans of mice and men.

I was in class all day Friday though I managed to find a couple of hours for wandering through the expos.  If I had to guess, there were about 300 or so vendors at Bead Fest.

I reserved Saturday morning for shopping.  I managed to find about $1,000 worth of stuff that I just had to have.  I saw one new product that was really neat.  I want it.  It is a pair of prescription glasses that have magnifying lens on both lenses.  It comes with a special light that is also amazing.  I'm dying to have this.  I have so much trouble with my eyesight that this seems a perfect solution.  I'm going to ask Santa for them since the cost is about $500.00.  Actually, I think it is about $375 without the light.

Here are a couple of pictures I took at lunchtime on Friday.  We were about 1/2 way through the class.

Here is Jodi's finished product:

Her's is, of course, beautiful!  Mine isn't finished yet.  I'll post another picture when it is done but I doubt that it will be as beautiful as Jodi's.  I always find that I have to make several before mine begin to look nice.