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-)

Tangible Tidbits 2011 #19: Happy Mother's Day!

Hey, everyone! I hope all of the mothers out there were properly feted today. Mom and I went to see Curtains at the Paper Mill Playhouse, then to a Japanese restaurant for dinner. Walking back to the parking lot, we saw the star of the show walking down the street and enter a local eatery. Very kewl! The show was enjoyable, but Mom and I agreed not many of the songs were memorable. :\

I just finished putting the top pieces on my aluminum Chinese take-out box. Unfortunately, there were some flaws in my execution...the box is shaped more like a trapezoid than a rectangle. Either I scored the template incorrectly or, more likely, the aluminum didn't bend in exactly the correct place on both sides when I went to put it together. I got the top pieces all affixed with wire coils like a spiral notebook, but the tab doesn't close properly and one top piece is too long because the side measurement was affected by the bending error. So, I now have to cut the tab so it will hopefully insert into the slot on the opposite side, then cut the protruding edge of the longer piece off. This will be tricky because the box is already assembled, and I have no intention of disassembling it to make these alterations. I hope I don't completely wreck the piece in making these adjustments! I also still have to make the wire handle. Regardless, this project will either be complete or completely ruined by the final critique Tuesday night. Let's hope for the former! ;)

Earlier in the week, I received an email from an internet marketing guru with a tip to register my blog for downloading on the Kindle eReader. I don't expect it to be very popular, since I do not really post an instructional blog on any particular topic. You never know, though, so I registered it anyway. :)

It occurred to me this morning I have some tools that I purchased early on, which I have since upgraded or rarely use. I think I'm going to try to sell them on eBay. I may not make back what I spent for them, but any funds recouped are better than none. Plus, someone else may get some real use out of them and it will reduce the amount of stuff in my studio! ;) Along similar lines, I'm thinking about creating some handcrafted beads and jewelry-making kits (step-by-step instructions with materials) to also sell on eBay. I may try a few samples of each, just to see if they sell. If I'm not mistaken, you only pay for the listing if your item sells, so I can't lose too much by giving it a try. If eBay turns out to be lucrative for me, I may try to sell select pieces there. One step at a time, though...I will start with the unused tools. :)

This week coming up is a busy one for me. I have the final crit on Tuesday for school, a Bead Society Board meeting on Wednesday, and a thesis show in Brooklyn, NY to attend on Friday. One of my fellow classmates is being displayed in the show, so another classmate and I are going to go check it out. ;)

This past Friday, Mom and I went to see my younger niece pitch in a softball game -- her father coaches teams for both her and her sister. We're going to see the older one pitch on Saturday. Hope the weather holds out! :o

Gotta run...I was at a Cinco de Mayo party with high school friends last night and I got home at around 3:00 a.m. I am beat! :p

Have a great week! :D

Tangible Tidbits 2011 #13: Factoidz, Ferido™, and "Forum"

Good evening, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the first full weekend of Spring...not that you could tell it's Spring around here. It's been bright and sunny for the past few days, but colder than it was before the seasons officially changed. :\

It's been a while, but I posted a new Factoid article today: Six Basic Publicity Tips To Help Promote Your Fundraiser or Special Event. It was a quickie I developed yesterday after posting a response to a request for help in a private Ning forum group to which I belong. After posting my reply, I realized that it would make a good Factoid with only a few minor tweaks and elaborations. :D I've also got another one "in development," but I'm not quite comfortable with it yet, so I posted this one first. I'll probably post the other one in April, since Factoidz calculates a monthly activity bonus based on the number of articles posted. Rather than double up in March, I may as well wait a few days and publish it in April, so I can build up next month's activity early. :)

I purchased a hardwood dowl and Tung Oil (a non-toxic finish) from Home Depot this week. I need them to make chopsticks for my school project. I found instructions on eHow.com for the chopsticks and the Chinese food carton, along with a template for the carton. I made one out of paper the other day and it turned out really nice! I also ordered aluminum sheet metal from a jewelry supplier in Manhattan, so I will hopefully get it in time for Tuesday night's class. The professor suggested I also make some kind of serving plate to go with the other pieces. I'll see how much time and materials I have left after the chopsticks and the carton...hopefully, I will have enough of both to come up with something suitable. :)

While I was at Home Depot, I also purchased some white spray paint. I have some lightweight metal hoops that I wanted to paint white for a pair of earrings. I think I mentioned last week that a coworker asked for white plastic hoops. The resin ones I made a couple of weeks ago are too stiff for earrings, I think. They will probably become pendants eventually. :) Anyway, I coated one side of the metal hoops with the white paint yesterday and they look pretty good. I have to wait 48 hours before I can flip them over and spray paint the back side. Once that dries, I will figure out what to use above the hoops as the attachment piece for clip earrings. I'm hoping I have something appropriate in my stash. Keeping my fingers crossed it all works out! :)

Since I didn't have the materials for my school project yet last week, I brought some rose Ferido™ Formula x1 epoxy adhesive with me to use up, since it is best used within two years and it was coming close to that time since I bought it. It comes in two parts that get blended together to make a clay-like substance, and one part was already a bit crunchy. I think I got in just under the wire on that one! LOL I created three pendants using the epoxy and some miscellaneous items such as broken beads and a button from an old winter coat...you never know what can be recycled, eh? ;) When I got home from class, they were solid enough to add wire bails to them, as well as some texture to one. I really like two out of the three. The third one is the textured one with the button. I may have to figure out a way to jazz that one up a bit. :\

I saw the fourth production of the Paper Mill Playhouse's season today -- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Even though I'd never seen the play, I recognized the opening song ("Comedy Tonight!"), but I'm not sure where I've heard it before. It may have been on a recent birthday tribute to Stephen Sondheim I saw on PBS. It was an amusing show, although I think I've seen funnier ones. The final play of the season for me will be on Mother's Day...and yes, I'm taking my mother! LOL It's Curtains, another one I heard about but never saw. I believe David Hyde Pierce performed it on Broadway. This production will star Robert Newman and Kim Zimmer of CBS-TV's Guiding Light soap opera. I've never watched CBS soaps, but I do know the actress and the actor looks familiar from his picture. He may have been on another soap at one point....I have seen all of the NBC and ABC soaps at one time or another. :)

I have some chores to finish up, since I was out most of the day. Have a great week! :D

Tangible Tidbits 2010 #46: The Holiday Season 2010 Begins!

Hi, everyone! Hope all you U.S.-based folks enjoyed your Thanksgiving. :)

As I mentioned last week, I had a family funeral to attend on Wednesday. I hadn't been to their house in probably 25 years, but I recognized the neighborhood when the funeral procession passed the house. That choked me up. It's a nice thing to do, and I've heard it's becoming more commonplace. I think my immediate family members would have liked that, had it been done in the early 2000s. :\ I also went to visit a friend at the cemetery on Thanksgiving morning, but I couldn't find his grave. I should have looked for landmarks the last time I was there in June, but it didn't occur to me at the time. :p Got caught in the day's snow flurries while I was there! It didn't stick here in New Jersey, though.

Still trying to promote myself and my company, I submitted some pieces to Buy Art Now Guys! (BANG) 5 this morning at the 1978 Maplewood Arts Center. Check out the second exhibit listed here for more information. I was approached to participate after the deadline for the postcards and posters, so my name isn't listed. :\

I also posted a new Factoid this week: Procedures For Preparing A Wax Cast in Jewelry and Sculptures, based on last month's Focal Piece of the Month. The new Focal Piece is up on the company website, BTW. :)

In addition, I made a trip to Monroe Township (exit 8A on the NJ Turnpike) to deliver a necklace that was requested at the Jewels of New Jersey earlier this month, as well as a ring. We chatted for about an hour and discussed ideas for future pieces she would like. I have some materials already on-hand, so I will hopefully get some time to pull them together for her soon. :)

I have another custom necklace to make this week, which I hope to get to by the middle of the week. I have school tomorrow night right after work -- remind me to report on last week's critique next week! -- and the Virtual Garage Sale to set up on Tuesday night. I was out most of the day today with my mother and sister at the Paper Mill Playhouse's production of Les Miserables. Mom took us there and to dinner for our birthdays, which come in December and January. GREAT performance, BTW! They are really promoting it, too...I heard a commercial on WBGO-AM this morning (Mom's Sunday morning station) and saw three ads on The Hallmark Channel last night! The TV spots impressed me. I don't recall seeing them for any other Paper Mill production before. :o

Still on the back-burner is restitching my coworker's grandmother's necklace. I ordered 4 lb. Fireline (stringing material) for it this week. Hopefully, it will get here sooner rather than later to give me more time to work on it before Christmas. :)

Thankfully, I've done most of my Christmas shopping already through Something Tangible's Virtual Mall. I had read from one astrologer that shopping would be difficult in December due to Mercury going into Retrograde later in the month. Items would be backordered, hard to find, or not enthusiastically received if purchased during that period...so I decided not to take any chances and get my gifts early. Got some great deals, too! ;)

Can you believe December is less than a week away already? Is it just me or does time speed up the older you get? LOL Have a great week! ;)

Tangible Tidbits 2010 #38: Feeling Frustrated

Hope everyone is having a better day than I am! :)

I've been having a lot of "technical issues" lately...and Mercury isn't even in retrograde anymore! That cycle ended in the middle of September. Regardless, I've been having trouble setting up a new application I bought for the website since the middle of this past week -- the technical support people have been taking up to two or three days to get back to me at each step. We also seem to have a problem with the Something Tangible Facebook application, as I am receiving a 502 error when I try to access the application itself (this is outside of my control, according to a Bing search. It seems to be a "bad gateway" error.). The set-up and home pages both appear to be working fine. :\

I also looked at the quarterly figures for the third quarter, and noted that we did not surpass last quarter's numbers. We came close to matching them, but fell about $11 short. I realize this is to be expected from time to time, but it's still disappointing to see it in (red) ink. :(

I've also decided that I should include photos of my inventory materials in the database, since there are a few with vague names or items that have similar names and descriptions, so I can't figure out which one was used in a given piece. The photos from the vendor websites will facilitate that, but it's adding a lot of time to the data entry process. :\

In last week's class at MSU, I invested the wax cast I had created the week before. My teacher is away for a few weeks, but the substitute professor (from the same department, so our paths will undoubtedly cross again) seemed to like my piece, as did my own professor. Investing is basically encasing the wax figure in a plaster-like substance. The hardened cast is then burned out so that the wax melts, leaving space for the molten metal to take that form. The professors do the burning out for us, so I will be attempting to create my piece in metal tomorrow night. We only get one shot, as the process destroys the cast. Wish me luck! ;)

As for my personal life, I've been keeping busy with the after care job and my Virtual Garage Sale...the auctions are taking up a lot more time than I'd anticipated. The results have been mediocre, but at least I am getting rid of stuff in each round. ;)

I spent all day yesterday in Piscataway at Rutgers University's Homecoming. I haven't attended since 2001 for personal reasons, but I'm glad I went...except for the sunburn on my face! :o Today, I saw the "Hairspray" matinee at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn -- I purchased a 4-show subscription, as Mom is taking my sister and me to the fifth show for our birthdays. :) The show was very good, but it would have been more fun if I could have found someone to go with me. I didn't realize the date of the tickets until the middle of the week because it didn't show up on my Palm calendar, although I do remember entering it. Anyway, I had seen the movie version of "Hairspray" starring John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer a few years ago with my sister and two nieces. I don't remember it too well, so I can't say how close this production was to the film. :p

It's definitely feeling like October here in New Jersey! It's gotten a bit chilly in the past week, which is a refreshing change from the heat of the summer months. :)

Take care, everybody! :D

Tangible Tidbits 2010 #21: Plugging Right Along...

Last week was pretty productive for my first week as a full-time jewelry designer. I'm learning how to juggle my "job" with my other real-life commitments and responsibilities, but I think it will all eventually balance out. I ended up still working most nights and part of the weekend, but I figure that's a trade off for the "business hours" I spent doing personal stuff. :\ Eventually, I hope to be productive enough during the day to take evenings and weekends off! That may be a fantasy, but wish me luck! ;)

Still playing catch-up on "back burner" projects, but I'm hoping to get them done before the end of June. That may also be wishful thinking. LOL Yesterday, I started making a bracelet for the Bead Society of New Jersey's (BSNJ) Bead Challenge, which will take place at the June meeting in a couple of weeks. We were provided with a variety of beads to use (we must use a minimum of two of each kind). We can add anything we want to complete the project, so I'm adding the base material for the bracelet and a few additional beads. I'll let you know how it turns out next week! :)

I went to see "Peter Pan" today at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. Mom bought tickets for me, herself and my two nieces. It was a good production (PMP ones usually are), and we all had a good time. We met up with my sister and her husband for dinner afterward to celebrate Mom's birthday, which was Friday. She's 66. :)

Unfortunately, early June seems to have carried over May's "doom and gloom" element. I just received word that a high school friend's mother passed away last night, and I found out about the sudden death of an acquaintance yesterday. They say things like that happen in threes. I don't want to know what's coming next. Ironically, I did make my cemetery visit on Friday. The funeral flowers were still on the grave a month later...all dead. Not a pretty picture, but it seemed to fit the mood, I guess. :(

I got a surprise visit from another high school friend yesterday, who was visiting his sister in New Jersey (he currently works in Maryland). We had a nice visit...it's been four or five years since we saw each other in person, I think. At least he didn't bring any bad news with him! ;)

A new week starts tomorrow...best wishes to all! ;)