Monday, October 22, 2012

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #42: Five Weeks And Counting...

Hi, everyone! I think I’ve finally resolved the blog posting issue with Google Chrome...at least until that browser flakes out on me. :))

Late last week, I received an email regarding the National Art Honor Society of North Warren Regional High School’s Holiday Art Fair. It seems my initial inquiry resulted in the committee reserving a space for me, which was nice of them as registration is on a "first come, first served" basis. I decided to give it a shot, since the show is the Saturday after Jewels of New Jersey, so everything will already be packed up. ;) It’s a bit of a hike for me (I’m thinking about an hour away?), and set-up starts at 7:00 a.m. – I have to find out what time the show actually starts! – but if I can make enough money above and beyond the registration fee, I guess it will be worth it. :P Wish me luck! ;)

Here’s this week’s social media poster. I only have one left "in reserve," so I will have to make some more before next Friday. :)

Our October BSNJ meeting last Thursday was a lot of fun! We learned how to use a Kumihimo disk to create multi-strand braids. I’ve seen them before, but I’d never tried it. It’s pretty easy! :) I made a lanyard for my office swipe card and the November Focal Piece of the Month using the disk. It’s one of those portable things you can take with you anywhere without a lot of difficulty, so I will probably bring it with me to the craft shows I attend to keep me busy between customers. Plus, people like to watch you working on something as they pass by...and sometimes, it even makes them stop! ;)

Friday was the pre-baby luncheon for my sister, thrown by her stay-at-home mom friends. It was nice...she got a lot of clothes! I was the only non-mother there, but it wasn’t too uncomfortable for me because I knew a few people from attending my nieces’ various events and also two people who are her friends from high school. ;) Five weeks to go! Wow, it’s going fast...at least for me! :))

On Saturday, Mom and I attended my nieces’ travel team softball game in Warren. Their team lost 12-1, but they apparently haven’t done well all season. :-O This coming week is their last game for the Fall, and I know their team(s) usually perform better in the Spring. I give them a lot of credit for keeping up with it in the "off season." ;)

On Sunday. I had tickets to see A Chorus Line at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. I have season tickets for four shows (the regular season is five, but Mom is taking me and the girls to the fifth show for her birthday). They are all Sunday matinees, but I apparently had the wrong time listed in my calendar and missed the first half of the show. :-O Luckily, I was able to exchange the ticket for the evening performance, which I did. It was a good show that I had never seen before. I knew a couple of the songs – and I remember the commercials from when it was on Broadway when I was a kid – so it wasn’t entirely "new" to me. ;) I’m glad I saw it, but I don’t think it’s one of my all-time favorite shows. They’ve dedicated the show’s run to its composer Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away in August.

I told you I had a busy weekend planned, didn’t I? :))

Until next time...take care and have a great week! B-)


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Monday, October 15, 2012

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #41: I Love Rock 'N' Roll...

Hi, everyone! Well, posting last week’s blog entry turned out to be even more arduous than the previous week’s had been. :P As it turns out, Blogger is not compatible with Opera, so I ended up trying four different browsers before I could get it posted correctly. I did get the main message posted, but I’d forgotten to add the tag labels, and the browser I used to post the message wouldn’t let me publish an edited post! :-O I ended up deleting the original post and starting over again...luckily, I’d left the other browser windows open so I could just copy-and-paste them. :P I think Chrome ended up being the winner, but I will find out while posting this message. I’d better start early! :))

A little while ago, I submitted my application for the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts’ 2013 Scholarship for Beaders. The deadline is today, so I kind of waited until the last minute. :-/ At least I DID get it done! ;) Wish me luck! :D

I received a call for entries to participate in a Holiday Art & Craft Fair on November 17, sponsored by the National Art Honor Society of North Warren Regional High School in Warren County, NJ, earlier this week. I decided not to apply for it this year. The entry fee wasn’t that much, but considering I’m not familiar with this show I didn’t really want to take the gamble that I could be throwing my money away. I’ve also kind of made a decision not to start any new projects unless they are for a specific purpose or the result of a class I’m taking. I have an obscene amount of inventory sitting around here, and until I sell off a fair amount of it, I really don’t have the room to stockpile more stuff just for the sake of “playing around.” I’m hoping the Jewels of New Jersey show in November and BANG VII (Buy Art Now Guys!) in early December will help reduce my inventory. :-/

The new springs for my pliers came in this week, and I tested them out yesterday while making a present to give my sister at her pre-baby luncheon this coming Friday. So far, so good! ;) My nieces were over last night and they really like it, but the jury is out on whether or not my sister will actually wear it. Regardless...it’s the thought that counts, right? ;) I’ll let you know what it is and how it was received next week. I don’t want to publish what it is yet, on the off-chance one of my readers sees and/or talks to her before Friday. Better safe than sorry! :P

Here’s this week’s social media poster. ;)

On the social scene, I had a double-header on Friday night…first was dinner with two coworkers who treated me to celebrate my Feature Artist of the Month page on Wire-sculpture.com. They are two of my best clients, so it was really sweet of them to take me out! :) After dinner, I hooked up with some high school friends for darts and pool. I scored a designated driver at the last minute, so I had a really good time! :)) We played two games of darts and three games of pool revolving players on teams...and I was the only one of the five of us who was undefeated! :)) We laughed a lot and got a little silly, but that’s allowed from time to time. :P We left about 2:30 am...and I got to bed about 3:30 a.m. Guess what time I finally got out of bed on Saturday? 4:00 PM! :-O I pretty much missed Saturday, but I guess I really needed the rest. :-/

Mom and I watched Rock of Ages On Demand on Saturday night. I consider the 1980s my "era," so I really like the music in it. I saw the show on Broadway a couple of years ago with high school friends and we had a blast! B-) Mom and I agreed Alec Baldwin was miscast in the role of Dennis Dupree. And I’m not much of a Tom Cruise fan in recent years, but I enjoyed the movie in spite of him. :)) All of the actors did their own singing in the flick, so I give them a lot of credit for that...
especially the ones who are not known for their singing ability. ;) All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. :D

Next weekend will be even busier, but I will save that for next week’s post. Until then...take care and have a great week! B-)


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Monday, October 8, 2012

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #40: Twenty Seconds of Insane Courage

Hi, everyone! Last week, I promised to let you know why I couldn’t post until Tuesday. Well, I had the post all written and ready to go, but I’ve been having problems with my web browser for quite a while...my versions of Mozilla Firefox and Adobe Flash Player are not cooperating. Considering how much Flash is used on so many websites these days, I kept getting pop up messages saying that Flash Player wasn’t working. On Facebook alone, I’d get the message at least half a dozen times in the span of five minutes! That made getting anything accomplished next to impossible, not to mention frustrating. So, I was in the process of switching my Favorites links over to Opera, because I know the Flash Player works on it, but I couldn’t access my Blogger account. I’d had the password saved in Firefox, and I apparently remembered it incorrectly. Finally, I ended up accessing the account in Firefox and changing the password. Don’t you just love technology? :P

Last Wednesday was my first productive day off. :)) I created four new social media posters – I just posted one today because my nieces slept over this weekend and I didn’t get online at all. ;) I also emailed The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts regarding its 2013 Scholarship for Beaders. As it turns out, I can apply now and defer it until next fall...or wait to apply until next year. The response I received back from my inquiry said, "That would be fine." :-O I asked for clarification regarding which option would be fine and he replied "It’s up to you." So, I think I will apply this year and if I don’t get it, I can always try again next year. :)

At the suggestion of my former wire jewelry teacher/friend, I contacted the vendor from which I purchased my set of Lindstrom pliers…they are high quality pliers, and not cheap. It turns out that the first batch made in Spain instead of Sweden had bad springs on them, which explains why mine keep popping out. I love the pliers, but working with them has become a pain. My friend told me they should send me a free replacement set of springs – they usually cost in the ballpark of $25, she said – if I contact the technical support area, as they are aware of the problem. I’m relieved to report that a new set is on its way to me right now! :D I find myself avoiding using the tools because of the problem with the springs...I didn’t even realize replacements could be purchased! Now that I’ve got my issues with my computer AND my tools straightened out, I guess my next hurdle is sorting out the mess in my studio/office, which has spilled into my bedroom! :-/ Maybe by the end of the year I will have my life together. One can only hope. :))

I received a letter from Rings & Things stating that I didn’t place in their Pick Your Palette Crystal Jams™ Challenge with Swarovski Elements, so I nominated the same piece for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads’ Swarovski Elements Jewelry-making Contest. Fire Mountain won’t let you nominate pieces that have won awards in other contests. I just received notification that their Metal Jewelry-making Contest is now open for pieces featuring Precious Metal Clay (PMC), metal beads, wire, and/or chain…I’ll have to look through my work and see if I have anything appropriate to submit for that one. At this point, I have so many pieces that I try to enter existing ones in contests rather than creating new ones from scratch. ;)

Don’t forget! Please vote for my two entries in Stones and Findings Component Design Contest! Voting closes 4:00pm EST, on October 15th. Thank you! :D

I watched "We Bought A Zoo" over the weekend with my nieces. Matt Damon’s character had a fantastic line: "You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it." I LOVE that! B-)

Take care and have a great week! B-)


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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #39: It's A Good Thing I Have A Sense of Humor!

Hi, everyone! I will explain the delay next week. :-O Let’s start with a chuckle today, shall we? ;) This was my Facebook status update this past Saturday:

“Just got a hot cider at Dunkin' Donuts...Fall has arrived! If only the kid at the register didn't tell me I could have a free donut with an AARP card. :P”

For my international friends, AARP is the American Association of Retired Persons. I believe you have to be at least 50 or 55 to join. :-O The kid was lucky...I just laughed it off. :))

I posted my last social media poster yesterday, so I have to make some more this week. I try to make a bunch at a time, so I don’t have to think about it every week. ;)

It looks like I didn’t place in Beadaholique’s Autumn Colors contest, as the top 10 entries were posted on Facebook for public voting and mine wasn’t among them. :-/ I think I’m going to submit it and a few other pieces to the The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts’ 2013 Scholarship for Beaders. The scholarship is open to “anyone who makes beaded jewelry and would like to learn more about traditional jewelry making in metal” to apply. The winner will receive a scholarship for full tuition, kit fees, airfare from anywhere in the U.S., and lodging in San Francisco!” Can you imagine? The deadline for applications is October 15. I have to call them to check and see if it would apply for the Spring; if so, I can’t do it because I will lose the MJSA Education Foundation scholarship for $900 to attend MSU next semester. I’m hoping it would be good for all next year, in which case I could go in the fall if I won. Not that I expect to win…but I will never know if I don’t try, right? ;) It’s really too good of an opportunity to pass up with literally everything covered! :-O In addition to the glass Opal ring, I want to submit my Totally Twisted Swan, Pretty in Purple, embroidered red and green teardrop rivoli, and black & gold embroidered pendant necklaces. I think they are the best examples of my beadwork to date. :)

Speaking of MSU, I made my first payment in September toward alleviating my debt, and I’m now enrolled in a payment plan. I want to have it completely paid off before the beginning of next year, so I have three months to get it done. It should be manageable...although throwing the holidays and my sister’s new baby in there may make it a bit harder than it would be otherwise. :-/

Some of my sister’s stay-at-home Mom friends are throwing her a pre-baby luncheon in mid-October and she asked if I wanted to attend. She’s not really comfortable with people making such a fuss about it, since it isn’t her first child. She said it wouldn’t be on a Wednesday because one of the hostesses works on Wednesday, so I may try to switch my day off that week if I get enough notice. I have a Gund My First Puppy already for the baby because my older niece has a Pink Puppy (which is now gray from constant companionship! :)) ) and the younger one has a Blue Puppy. The style the girls have was discontinued, but we all wanted Mackenzie to have the same one in a different color. I was lucky enough to find a tan one on eBay, so I snatched it up. The girls were so excited! :D I figure I will bring that to the party if I go, possibly along with something else for my sister. ;)

Here’s the link to my Wire-sculpture.com’s Feature Artist of the Month page! WHOO HOO! B-)

And please vote for my two entries in Stones and Findings Component Design Contest! Voting closes 4:00pm EST, on October 15th. Thank you! :D

Gotta run now. Take care and have a great week! B-)

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