Tangible Tidbits 2011 # 29: Seriously Overworked and "The Thorn Birds"

Hey, all! As anticipated, I worked a lot of extra hours at the office last week. As a part-timer, my work week is regularly 25 hours. I clocked in 43-1/2 hours last week! I will be grateful when the paycheck comes, but it was torture getting to the weekend! :p Luckily, the coworker whose job I was doing is back in tomorrow...although he may be going to Jury Duty on Tuesday! :\

On Friday night, Mom and I watched the second half of The Thorn Birds 20th Anniversary DVD (2003). I had bought it as a gift for Mom sometime last year and we started it last weekend. It's still a moving story, and the deaths of various characters still got to me, even though I knew they were coming. I must've seen the mini-series at least three or four times before, but it had been so long that I forgot some key details. In the DVD commentary, Richard Chamberlain called it one of the "three or four best films ever aired on American television." I can't argue with him on that! I watched The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years by myself last night. I'd only viewed it once before and concluded there was a reason they were missing! LOL :o Having just seen the original, the incongruities were magnified. There was a lack of continuity, largely because no one involved -- with the exception of Richard Chamberlain -- were part of the original, not even the production staff! Needless to say, it showed IMHO. :\

While watching TV last night, I worked on my beaded Crystal Geode paperweight. I still have a little bit to do in the back. I had to switch to smaller seed beads because I was running low on the larger ones. Obviously, using smaller beads takes much longer. :p Earlier this week, I finished up the brass, bronze, & copper wire knit chain I started at last week's workshop; and then today I created a silver one for the wire-wrapped pendant I made at the workshop and took a stab at creating a knit bracelet with hemp cord. It turned out pretty well, although not perfect. Working with the wire is much more forgiving because pulling it through a drawplate compacts the chain and hides the flaws. ;)

I still have a few chores to do and I want to get to bed early so I am ready for work tomorrow morning. Have a great week, everyone! :D


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Tangible Tidbits 2011 # 28: Wireworking, Girls' Softball, & A New Car

Hey, folks! Boy, am I glad this week is over...but next week looks to be just as hectic!

As I mentioned last week, I attended a five-hour workshop yesterday. It was taught by Suzanne Banfield (sb designs), one of the teachers of the Madison, Chatham & Florham Park Adult School classes I took last year. I learned how to make a wire knit chain and to wire wrap a cabochon pendant. I'm so excited! These two skills will help me immensely, as they will open up a lot of new options for me in creating pieces. :D

Sales are picking up again with the help of a couple of ladies in my office. They both like their accessories to match their outfits, so they are always adding to their collections! ;)

I joined the CraftEdu Community this week, a Ning-style group for crafty people. One of the BSNJ members is teaching a class through them and sent the link to the Society's Yahoo group, so I checked it out. I wasn't really planning to be an active participant, but one of the instructors asked me to post pictures of my work, so I may as well get that exposure. ;) I also asked to be put on the outreach list for the South Amboy Arts Festival in September, after another BSNJ member passed on that information to the Society.

As expected, I ended up working really late at the office Thursday and Friday, and I will probably end up working late at least four out of five days this week, since we are short-staffed in our department. I didn't get online at all after Wednesday night, since I had the BSNJ Board meeting on Thursday and I was totally fried on Friday night. I ended up staying up until 3:30 a.m. last night going through 155+ emails after my all-day workshop! Needless to say, I hope to keep up better this week to avoid that situation again. :p

Did I mention I got a new car? I leased a 2011 Nissan Sentra (6-speed manual) after being told that my 1997 Nissan Sentra GLE could not pass inspection the week before. It was really time, even though the car had less than 75,000 miles on it. The visors didn't stay up without Velcro and duct tape, the rubber pad was affixed to my clutch with electrical tape, and the "check engine" light had been on for three years -- ultimately the reason I failed inspection. There was also a slow leak in one of the tires, so I was monitoring it regularly to fill it with air every few weeks. Needless to say, I am thrilled to leave those issues behind me, even if the car cost more than I was originally led to believe (not surprisingly, of course!).

I spent this afternoon out in the hot sun watching my younger niece play softball at the Bridgewater, NJ stadium where the Somerset Patriots (Atlantic League of Professional Baseball) play in a fundraiser for the Patriots Children's Fund and local softball programs around the New Jersey. Her team won 15 to 6! The coaches pitch in the tournament league, so she wasn't on the pitcher's mound today. She did make a few really impressive plays and batted at least one double! :D It's a nice stadium...I hadn't been there before.

That's about all I have for now. Have a great week, everyone! :D

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Tangible Tidbits 2011 #27: Happy Independence Day, USA!

Hi, everyone! I've been a bit lazy for the past couple of days. It's been unbelievably muggy and today was gray and rainy all day, so I had no energy to do much. I caught a head cold in the middle of the week because I slept with the air conditioning on, so that knocked me for a bit of a loop. I had switched from the name brand Allegra-D over-the-counter medication to a pharmacy store brand, and it did NOT work! I had to go get the name brand...and I felt better within an hour of taking it! Who'd think a minor change in the inactive ingredients would make such a difference? :p

As promised, the new Focal Piece of the Month is up. Chime in and let me know what you think of the modified writing different style!

I submitted a few pieces for consideration in the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council's Wearable Art for women, Men & Children fundraiser in November. One of the BSNJ members is active on the council and forwarded the information to us. Atlantic Highlands is pretty far south of me, but it would be worth it for the exposure and to hopefully sell some of my inventory. :)

In addition, I sent eight pieces for inclusion in the Bead Society's display at the Rumson Oceanic Library this month. Just like last year, it's a fundraiser for the Library, with 20 percent of the proceeds benefiting the facility. I sold a few pieces there last year, so I'm hoping to do so again this year! Ideally, I would like to submit pieces to shows that do not require my presence at a table all day. Less work for me and I can also take advantage of more opportunities, since I can't be in two places at once. ;)

We have our final wrap-up Board meeting for BSNJ this week, and I am attending an all-day wire workshop on Saturday, as I mentioned last week. Things at the office are going to be quite busy as well, with people taking summer vacations and the rest of us being shuffled around to fill in the gaps. July is going to be a crazy month! :o

I hope everyone celebrating the 4th of July enjoys the three-day weekend!

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Tangible Tidbits 2011 # 26: Half-way Through 2011 Already!

Hi, everyone! This being the 26th weekly edition of my blog, that puts us at half-way through the year already! :o

I posted some more items on eBay this week, both on the company account and my personal one. I sold a broken soldering tool for $10 and a saw frame for $15! Taking out the listing fees, charitable donations, and -- in one case, shipping costs -- I'm not making out all that well. At least I am getting these things out of my house and into the hands of someone who will use them! :)

After a three-month hiatus, I published a new Factoid this week! I have to say, I'm pretty proud of this one: Ten Life Lessons I Have Learned From Making Jewelry. Coincidentally, this is my 10th contribution to Factoidz. :) I actually have a bunch of ideas for articles running through my head...I just haven't taken the time to write them out. I received an email earlier this week touting Microsoft OneNote for putting all of your lists and sticky notes in an electronic format. I'm thinking about doing that, so I can toss all of the piles of scribbled notes on my desk and book case. Hopefully, that will help me get more organized. I can then type my preliminary story ideas in OneNote and flesh out the articles later. Not to mention making sense out of all of my reminders and To-Do lists! :p

The article was also submitted to BSNJ for their newsletter. The editor said she may use it as soon as the August issue! :) I had sent her a bunch of other stuff, so I wasn't sure if she'd want to use an older one first. In any case, it seems I will be a "regular" (maybe semi-regular?) writer in that publication for a while! :D

I received an email today from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads regarding their Pearls, Organic Beads & Molding Clay Jewelry-Making Contest. The deadline is July 11, so I entered a couple of my pieces online this morning. For pearls, I entered my Cascade of Pearls pin. Had it won the Rings & Things contest I created it for last year, I could not enter it in this contest. For molding clay, I entered my Ferido™ resin pendant with Cowrie Shells, Turquoise chips and Freshwater Pearls on turquoise Greek leather necklace. I had to name the piece for the contest, so I came up with Summer Beach Party Necklace. It would probably have made more sense if the resin was sand-colored, but I came up with it on the spur-of-the-moment. :\

I'm caught up with posting product photos to Facebook, but I still have to update the listings on the website. I was adding data to my database today to price some of the newer pieces...I have to finish that before dealing with the website store updates. :o

Speaking of website updates, look for the new Focal Piece of the Month coming up later this week. This one consists of a bit more "storytelling" than many of the ones in the past. I think I may have to take that into consideration when selecting items for future spotlights if it is well-received. Let me know what you think when you read it! :D

One other "new" thing I did this week -- I cracked open a crystal geode! I ordered a set of three a while back, but was surprised when they looked like ordinary rocks when they arrived. I found a video online this week that explained I had to crack it open to see the crystals inside! DOH! I had already started experimenting with creating a beaded netting for one to make a paperweight, so I had to take the beads off to crack it open. Luckily, they still fit after! I ended up with two additional small pieces -- it did not crack in half -- that I will eventually wire-wrap as pendants. Always thinking ahead! :D

I had another NAET treatment yesterday -- it seems to be endless -- but I won't know how well it worked for another week or so. I will let you know my progress in next week's blog. :)

Gotta run...I still have a few chores to get done before bed. Later, all! ;)

Tangible Tidbits 2011 # 25: Happy Father's Day!

Hey, all! Hope all of the fathers out there were appropriately feted today! :)

A few ladies at the office asked to see my "latest creations" (as one put it), so I am updating my binder. I had the majority of my photos already formatted, but I hadn't printed them out and inserted them because the ink is pretty expensive and the photos use a lot of it. Still, I'm glad I have a reason to get it done. I'm not finished, but it should be done by mid-week. :p Being slightly OCD, I have to have even numbers of pieces to fill the pages of the binder, since I usually fit 2-4 to a page and the pages are double-sided. I don't want to show it to people with blank pages in it. Therefore, I spent most of today creating new pieces to fill in the "open" slots: two bracelets, two rings, two pins/brooches, and a key chain. The new photos will be posted to Facebook this week. :)

As I've been working on the binder, I did not finish the last 10 percent of the office/studio clean-up, hence no video today. :\ I did charge the camera, though, so it's ready when I do get the job done!

Sadly, I did not win my category in BSNJ's Bead Challenge this past Thursday. :\ There were two other people who submitted pieces in my category, but even I have to admit the winner deserved it. :)

I forgot to mention last week that I signed up for a five-hour workshop in July. There are a few projects being covered that I want to learn, including wire knit chains and wire-wrapping a cabochon. :)

OH! And I placed in another affiliate marketing contest! Vans selected my submission on the Virtual Mall Facebook page as the 2nd place winner in the Show Us Your Best Placement Contest for the Yo Gabba Gabba Collection! That's a Vans gift card in the amount of $75! Two for two! :D

I've been a bit more active on eBay this week, posting three more items from the company and two personally: a ColdHeat™ Soldering Tool, which sold pretty quickly for parts, as it is not working (WHOO HOO!); a Eurotool® Soldering Tripod; and self-pickling flux. It turns out the $20 listing fee is for heavy duty metalworking equipment, so I listed these under Home & Garden > Tools > Welding & Soldering Tools. :D In addition, I listed a plantar fasciitis splint and the Buttoneer Fastening System from myself. The listings benefit, respectively: Habitat for Humanity International, the Alzheimer's Association National Office, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the American Heart Association National Center, and the Central and South Jersey Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. ;) Last week's two auctions should end in a few minutes.

Have a great week, one and all! :D

Tangible Tidbits 2011 # 24: Back To The Daily Grind...

Hi, all! I had a pretty productive "staycation" this week. That's the first time I've ever done that; I will definitely do it again! :D As the saying goes, though..."all good things must come to an end." Back to the office job tomorrow! :\

I've just finished putting up two items on eBay. I have a bunch more, but since it takes me forever to write the listings, I think I will quit for the night. ;) I posted a hot glue gun and all-purpose glue sticks, if anyone is interested. I was going to list them together, but it seems more advantageous to list them separately so that's what I did. I also posted them on my Facebook profile and two company pages, since a percentage of the sales is going to charity. :) I tried to list a soldering tripod, but there is a $20 insertion fee for metalworking equipment! :o I may have to rethink some of these items...or list them in a different category to avoid that fee. I will try a few other items later in the week and see what I can do. :p

A major task on my To-Do list this week was to organize my studio/office. I'm about 90 percent there, and I will try to get to the last 10 percent this week. Once I'm finished, I think I will film a quick video to show it off, and for posterity since it may not last long! LOL

I also started working on some minor repairs and unfinished projects that have been sitting around here. I would like to keep up with that as well, so I can finally get to a "clean slate." I'm maybe one-third of the way done with those. One thing I am trying to do is secure/reinforce some of my clasps...particularly toggle clasps. I decided to "enhance" the bar side with wire-wrapping, which will make it bulkier and therefore less likely to slip through the loop and open. I think there may be a Factoid on that subject to be written soon! LOL

One of the projects I completed is a second Bottle of Hope for the Bead Society to donate to cancer patients. This one is dark blue, in memory of two friends who had colon cancer. Here's the first one, in case you missed it. That one is purple and lavender for general cancer and pancreatic cancer (Grandma). I have one more kit to do. Since I don't have periwinkle beads for stomach cancer (Dad), I think I will do teal and white for cervical cancer. I will have to track down some periwinkle beads for the next go-round! ;)

Our final Bead Society meeting is this Thursday. We will break for the summer and resume in September. This week is the Bead Challenge, so people who participated will submit their projects anonymously in brown paper bags. All entries will be displayed and the members will vote in six categories. Mine is in the Wearable Objects category. Wish me luck! :) I asked the BSNJ President if I could bring my video camera and record the results in my category -- I thought that would make a fun and interesting blog post -- and I offered to submit it to the Society's Yahoo group and website. Unfortunately, she is afraid other members will get upset if their pieces -- or themselves in background shots for that matter -- end up on the internet. I plan to bring it up at the next Board meeting, as she suggested we get their feedback for future events. ;)

I had a follow-up NAET treatment for sugar and yeast yesterday. That was by far the easiest one to date, as I did not have to avoid water! Of the six calcium oxalate-related treatments we did a few weeks ago, four are all clear. I'm going back for the other two (calcium oxinate and oxalic acid) again on June 25. If this doesn't alleviate the itching problem, I will have to have treatments for vegetables, nuts, fruits, and spices, etc. individually. I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that! :o

That's more than enough for now. Have a great week! :)

Tangible Tidbits 2011 # 23: Back in Time...to January 2010!

Since I am technically on vacation this week, I've decided to give myself a break and repost one of our early Focal Pieces of the Month. I'm sure most of you never saw these early ones, since the majority of my readers and followers have not been with me since December 2009. ;)

For our second Focal Piece of the Month, I thought I'd profile the pendant that is featured on the banner head of this website. It is a heart pendant framed in silver wire that was inspired by the Lavender Fields cuff bracelet kit by sb designs that appears to be very popular! The kit was purchased as part of the Intro to Wire Jewelry class I took in the Fall of 2009 at the Madison, Chatham & Florham Park Adult School. The technique is to create a frame out of thick wire -- in the case of the bracelet it is 16 gauge, but since the pendant is smaller and more delicate, I used a smaller gauge...I believe it was 20 gauge (in wire, the higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire). For the heart, I used my WigJig Olympus, a transparent plastic pegboard (think the children's games Battleship or LiteBrite, only smaller) into which metal pegs are inserted to create a pattern. The wire is then wrapped around the pegs to create the desired design. Check out WigJig's website here if you're interested for more information about the product: Beads & Jewelry Making Supplies By WigJig Store.

Once you have the frame, a thinner gauge wire — in this case 24 gauge was used, — string beads inside the frame. This project was created at the request of a coworker who wanted a Christmas gift for a friend. Her favorite colors are pinks and light purples, so we chose those colors for the beads. I also threw in some clear crystals and silver spacers to make it more eclectic. I used pink-white Freshwater Pearls in the piece. According to an article I found on Factoidz (it seems "Pearls: History, Uses, and Legendary Metaphysical Properties" is no longer available):

"Pearls are said to aid in meeting and overcoming various obstacles, while absorbing negative vibrations and energies; they are protective, yet they are also very soothing. They encourage loyalty, truth and honor as well as aiding in developing personal integrity and physical strength. They are useful for guarding off infections and irritability, as well as being beneficial to the digestive system. They transmit vibrations, which attract wisdom, love, and prosperity, while also aiding in balancing the emotions. They increase fertility as well as clarity of focus, and have an overall healing quality about them."

Have a great week! :)