I've Been So Busy Today, So Why Don't I Feel Like I Did Enough?

Did some new listings on Art Fire and made a new banner - I liked it a lot, so I've changed my blog banner to use it here - what do you think? I also really like the Rapid Cart widget - wish Etsy had one like it. I'm just not sure where the best place to put 'em is.

This blog is about sharing my thoughts, attempts, failures and successes, as well as for making new online friends, not selling. Thing is, I'd also like to have someplace where people who might be interested in buying can come to shop. I've got a domain and hope eventually to find the time to figure out how to put up a store-front site, but no telling when that will happen.

So, until then, hope you'll forgive the occasional plug for something I've made, which I'll always put down at the bottom so we'll have the conversation before the advertising.

The answer to the question above is that so much of my busy day was wrapped up in photography and organizing and making the new banner - time consuming stuff that doesn't seem to add up to a lot being done, even though it really is.

Well, the day's not over yet - will get back to some beading and feel more productive.

Dawno

Buy Handmade

The Non-creative Side of Business

Today I did paperwork. Got my sales and expenses spreadsheet all finished up from my saved receipts and other docs. Went to the online state sales tax site to see if I could do my taxes online, but it wouldn't accept my info. Will have to call the franchise tax board on Tuesday (Monday is a state holiday).

Then I went upstairs to read for a while and fell asleep and got up a couple hours ago. I worked on a couple of my pieces in progress - a knotted one with rhodonite and ecru Gudebrod FFF silk, and a jump ring chain and howlite necklace and a byzantine chain. I've moved back and forth as I felt like it on these for a while now. The byzantine chain in particular will take a while to finish. All of these reflect how much I like tiny stuff, which is why I put the quarter there. I usually prefer to work with 3 and 4mm beads, tiny bead caps, tiny jump rings. I have to wear a stronger pair of reading glasses for working with the tiny jump rings.

Weekend Beading Update

Between watching all 17 episodes of the 1960s series The Prisoner online on AMC and listening to Man in the Dark on audiobook, while I beaded, and other non-beading distractions, I again didn't get to posting about my works in progress over the last few days...so here are some pictures.

Friday night and some of Saturday, I worked on some knotted strands with peach beads on white Silkon thread. The rice beads have a soft feel to them, definitely not glass, maybe resin or acrylic? I liked the color and sheen when I saw them at Global beads, so I bought a bunch. On the top strand I used them, two shades of glass and two light peach shades in seed beads size 11/0 and 6/0 from Dyna-Mites. The second strand is just the rice beads and the third strand is just the seed beads.

Then, on Saturday, I worked on this necklace with aventurine beads, gold plated bead caps and disk spacers on black FFF Gudebrod silk.

And today, I strung this extra long strand (about 116 inches total) with all kinds of glass beads, including Swarovski bicones, and copper on white Silkon thread. (click for larger image to see details). Because of its length, it can be worn a number of ways, included twisted with an 'S' clasp to fasten.

My workspace is slowly getting organized, but I still have a long way to go.

A Bit of Success, a Bit of Failure, but Learning Is Always Like That, Isn't It?

Lots of experimentation going on trying to figure out small things. I've broken a couple calottes trying to finish off a knotted necklace - I need to bend them back fairly far to get a good tight knot but when I bend them back to close the calotte, they break at the hinge. Either I need to find stronger calottes or figure out how to get the knot flush without opening it too far.

In the process of experimenting I've wasted a bit more silk thread than I would have liked, as well, since getting the knots un-done isn't worth the effort sometimes so I just cut at the knot and start over. Now and then I'll search the web for tutorials and hints, but mostly it's just trial and error, patience and persistance.

I have found that nail polish at the tip of the thread makes the beading easier since I don't use a needle. I have also tried beeswax, which doesn't always work with the smallest beads, since it seems to come off and cause a bit of blockage as it's going through smaller beads, but does keep the tip from fraying.

Got a package from Rings & Things today with some gunmetal chain, assorted 4mm Czech glass spacer disks and assorted pressed Czech glass shell beads, which I thought would be fun for summer lanyards.

Between experiments and the day job extending into my evenings, I've missed a few days updating, I'll try not to do that too much.

Another Pleasant Evening With My Beads and Thread

Sitting down to listen to Emma and work on this necklace was a very relaxing finish to my first day back to work. It was busy enough today that I was very glad to have nothing more complicated to do tonight than pull out some beads and start stringing and tying them into a simple necklace.

Unfinished, it's 22" long, and was created from some milky, translucent, light blue pinched oval Czech glass beads, opaque light blue seed beads and light sapphire blue Czech glass druk beads. Small silver plated pewter bead caps and seamless silver beads for accent. The thread I used is white nylon Silkon.

My Christmas gift card order, a gift from my son, came from Artbeads today. It's always fun to get new things and I used the gift card to spoil myself a bit with a number of gold filled beads, headpins, eye pins and jumprings in various sizes and gauges, that I wouldn't have otherwise indulged myself with. I also bought some lovely sterling chain, three metal stamps and a tube of Magic-glos. I look forward to trying out the Magic-glos to make a small charm or pendant, although I think I'll get a UV light to cure it - the days are pretty overcast and often rainy right now to have to cure it with sunlight, as I've read is one option.

Tomorrow, It's Back to the "Real World"

Vacation has come to an end - I look back somewhat wistfully, but gratefully, on my time off. My children were home; Christmas, I think, did not disappoint anyone too much, and certainly not me as I had all I could want and more.

Getting back to the reality of the day job will be a bit challenging, as I have so immersed myself in those habits and luxuries one is able to when their time is all, and only, their own. Sleeping in and staying up late will not be possible for many months as I have used up all my vacation time and will need to let it accrue before I can take more than an hour here or there if necessary for appointments. It's at the end of a prolonged vacation, like this has been, that I wish I had been foresightful when younger, and saved up for an early 'retirement' and could dedicate these years after turning 50 exclusively to the creative and enjoyable things I love most.

A few things I had thought to accomplish during my time off, I did not rouse myself to do, so next weekend or the next few evenings, I will have to take time for them - there are deadlines that must be met for things like the final 2008 accounts for taxes. Other things are not so urgent, but still need to be done if I want to increase my chances of more success in 2009.

So, before I go to bed and truly end my vacation, I'll share the work I accomplished today - I'm really enjoying making knotted necklaces much more than I thought I would and finished three strands today and am nearly done with a fourth.

These three may be made into a triple strand necklace - haven't decided yet. All are crafted from Czech glass beads (except for the seed beads, and I have no idea where they were made, having long discarded the original containers) strung on black size FFF Gudebrod silk.

The next is made with black ceramic tubes, embellished with yellowish-ecru designs, found at Global Beads quite a while ago, round shell donut beads strung through the center with black Czech glass disks, two sizes of black druk beads and small black seed beads to keep the knots from slipping through the rather large holes. I used Create Compliments #2 nylon thread, doubled, as the stringing material, needing something thin enough to go through the holes in the shell donuts but strong enough to carry the weight of the ceramic beads without stretching - so I hope the label "Super Strength, No Stretch" lives up to its promise.

Good night, all. Here's hoping we have pleasant dreams and a trouble-free Monday!

Clear Glass and Nylon Knotted Necklaces

I found some white #1 Silkon nylon thread I'd bought some time ago and decided to get out some of my clear glass beads to practice my knotting with. This first one uses clear fluted and smaller Czech glass druk beads with tiny teal glass seed beads on the first and third strands of it, and the fluted glass druks with Czech pressed glass flower beads and is finished with chain (the first strand was made on too little string, so I knew I'd have to make all three short and then extend them all by chain) and a toggle clasp.

For the second, I used frosted Czech glass druk beads in 6mm and 4mm sizes, interspersed with iridescent glass seed beads. At the center, I placed some silver plated pewter bead caps and hung a pendant between them on an eyepin, a frosted glass disk bead, a silver (probably base metal, no indication it was silver plate, either) filigree medallion made of two one sided disks, and another frosted glass bead on a head pin.

I'm not overly happy with my finishing work, as I was sure that the knots inside the callotes I used to finish the strands and attach them to the final components, would slip from them, I put a drop of bead fix in them - sometimes the drop was larger and leaked, so some of the strands are messy. I don't know if I can polish them up much, so these will probably always be for my own use.

I've listened to almost all of Jane Eyre as I have worked. The combination of knotting (and probably any other beading) and listening to an audio book seems to be a good one.

Still some organizing to do - I think I want to get some bookshelves or perhaps some modular storage units to improve the work area, I had considered doing it today, but I didn't find the energy. Perhaps tomorrow, but maybe it will have to wait for next weekend, as I'm still fighting the stubborn cold I got around Christmas.

Another Knotted Necklace, Reorganizing, Looking Forward to Learning New Things

I spent the day organizing and arranging my workspace in preparation for bringing in some additional shelving tomorrow, along with creating a new knotted necklace while listening to an audio book reading of Jane Eyre. As mentioned before, I find knotting relaxing, so I used it as a break now and then from the tidying efforts. The total length of the Czech glass tigereye druk beads, with small matte gold colored glass seed beads, is 56".

I only have brown and black silk right now, but I've ordered some additional colors and look forward to making more knotted necklaces when they arrive.

I also finished a linked necklace earlier this morning, before I started on the knotted one above. I used ivory and white glass druk beads, amber shell beads and ivory tablet cut beads linked with gold plated eyepins and jump rings.

Once I have my space reorgainized, I look forward to setting up an area to start working with art clay - a late Christmas gift arrived the other day that will be very helpful, a pasta machine. I also asked for some books, which did come before Christmas and were under the tree. I will be reading up on the other materials and tools I need to get started, then I'll start experimenting. I truly look forward to it.

Beading as a Form of Meditation, and a Diet Aid

One of the things I've noticed in the past couple years I've invested in my beading is that focusing on stringing beads, making loops, watching patterns emerge, and now, knotting beads together on silk thread, is very calming and perhaps a bit meditative - although as someone who has never practiced meditation, I can't be sure.

Sure, mistakes happen, but they don't have to be the ruin of a piece or even all that annoying to undo and fix. It's as if narrowing down the world to this bead, then the next bead, is a conduit for the release of everyday stresses into tiny, slow moving, streams of creativity. Sometimes I'll put on background music - instrumental, new-age-y Hearts of Space tunes, or Celtic ballads or even Zydeco (although that's pretty peppy if I'm learning something new, it tends to make me rush a bit). Amazing how the hours roll by, almost imperceptibly.

For example, today I continue making knotted strands, this one using 4 and 6 mm tiger-eye Czech druk glass beads, chestnut brown size FFF Gudebrod silk and 9x6mm Opaque Ivory w/ Half Picasso Roundelles with gold plated pewter bead caps and Gold Elegance gold plated 3mm round beads (link shows the 4mm size). (turns out all of the beads and the tiny bead caps in this are all from Artbeads, silk from Fire Mountain gems, large bead caps from Global Beads (Gold Elegance beads are from my local Michael's).

I lost myself in the process - trying little new adaptations to make it easier to get a good knot, thinking about what I want to do next, learning that about 30" (I should have measured) of string will only give me about 14" of finished beading plus a couple inches at the end for attaching the fastener (which I haven't decided how to do yet). I haven't mentioned my 'needle' for threading the beads. I just used a left over piece of bead stringing (.30mm) wire bent in half. I could have grabbed a needle, but this works just fine and if the silk thread slips off, there's less hassle re-threading than with a needle (with my eyes I have to use a threader, plus re-threading on a needle frays the cord).

I have taken some time out today to write this, and while I was looking up some of the items I used on the Artbeads site, I stopped to write a review of the gold plated pewter bead cap (which should be up in 72 hrs according to the site).

I also went out to do some shopping and picked up a new 'daylight' 23 watt flourescent bulb (same output as a 100 watt incandescent and allegedly uses 75% less energy and will last over 10k hours, also provides a brighter, more natural looking light). I had a 60 watt incandescent bulb in my desk lamp, this new bulb is an enormous improvement.

Another necessity was replenishing my Arizona Diet Green Tea supply. It's pretty much all I drink, and I drink a lot of it, so I buy 6 or 8 gallon jugs at a time. What I haven't done yet is stop for a meal - beading as a diet aid...

Finished Hematite Necklaces and Learing Knotting

With New Year's Day coming up, I got to thinking about glitzy jewelry the other night. I had my box of hematite beads out from the necklaces I made the other day, so I used hematite, silver and the Sterling Effects bead caps that remind me of marcasite jewelry, and a matching Sterling Effects focal in this necklace.

I also have a lot of hematite tube beads in that box, so I used dark gunmetal eye pins to link a bunch of them together in a chain, hung a little flower and vine charm with some hematite 'fringe' on it to make this necklace.

I've been putting off teaching myself how to use thread and knots in jewelry and today seemed like a good day to figure it out. I found some video tutorials on YouTube that were helpful - this one is the one that helped me the most:



I use Beadalon knotting pliers instead of tweezers, gripping handles works better for me than pinching tweezers. After some practicing, I decided to make a knotted necklace to go with an etched tab shell pendant I'd I purchased from Artbeads some time ago. The green beads are chrysoprase colored Czech glass druks, the brown beads are amber shell beads. For stringing and knotting, I used chestnut brown Gudebrod silk, size FFF. All I have left is to decide how to finish it.