Tangible Tidbits 2012 #25: Lots of Challenges, Both Good and Bad

Hello, everyone! Well, I’ve been trying to get everyone I know to vote for Something Tangible on the Mission: Small Business grant website, but with only 61 votes and five days to go, it doesn’t look promising. I think a big part of the problem is the requirement to register via Facebook. I know a lot of people who would be willing to vote for me who do not have Facebook accounts. I think the site was set up to make it "easier" for people to vote because registering via Facebook is a one-step process, but in doing so they have eliminated a lot of potential voters. Even though Facebook’s users equal the size of an entire country -- there were 901 million monthly active users at the end of March 2012 -- that doesn’t mean everybody does it. I guess I will have to look for the grant program again next year, only earlier. I stumbled upon it with two weeks to go, and that is just not enough time apparently. Then again, maybe the time limit is not really the problem! :/

I created a pendant last week for the Wire-Sculpture.com's 2012 Druzy Contest, as that deadline is also coming up on June 30. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, although the rolled satin nylon cord I want to hang it from is giving me problems. It seems to be taking forever to coil to the point it won’t unravel. I guess I have to work on my patience with that. :))

There are a couple more contests that are running over the summer. I have a vague idea of what I want to create for Fire Mountain Gems’ 2012 Swarovski Elements Jewelry-making Contest and Soft Flex® Company’s 2012 Flex Your Creativity Contest. You may recall I entered a Steampunk necklace in the Soft Flex contest a couple of years ago, but I did not participate last year. For this year, they want entries incorporating knitted craft wire or beading wire in them...using their products, of course. I purchased a package of Trios – three coordinated colors of beading wire – recently to use for my piece. I will probably end up making the knit chain(s) first, and then decide what to do with it/them after or while I'm doing that. :P As I mentioned last week, I will probably enter my BSNJ Bead Challenge piece in the Beaded Impressions' Summer 2012 Beading Contest, but I will wait until after the Bead Challenge this coming Thursday night to avoid potentially compromising the anonymity of the Bead Challenge. ;)

Yesterday afternoon, I visited with a couple of "lady friends" (as my mother says!) I haven’t seen in a while. One bought a ring I was wearing right off my hand! :)) The other one, our hostess, had requested I bring a necklace her daughter saw on my website, as her daughter wanted to buy it for a friend’s birthday. Both were very interested in the pieces I was wearing. The one who bought my ring told me to "bring more jewelry" next time we get together! :)) And the hostess wants to throw an Open House kind of party for me in her condo complex in the Fall, leading up to the holidays! Hopefully, that will work out. :) Even if not, it was a real boost to my ego to have people make such a fuss over my work. The friend who bought the ring said, "This must happen to you all the time." I replied, "Not nearly as much as I would like!" ;)

My younger niece will be thrilled to know I finally finished the beaded edging on the scarf she gave me for Christmas! The girls will be with Mom tomorrow, so I will leave it out for her inspection. :P

FYI, the latest Focal Piece of the Month is up!

That’s about all I’ve got for now. Take care and have a great week! B-)

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #24: Back-up Needed For Mission: Small Business

Hi, everybody! :) I need your help. I’ve applied for a $250,000 grant from Chase & LivingSocial and I need 250 votes by June 30, 2012 to qualify. Please visit https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com and click on the "Login and Support" button to register – you can register via Facebook if you want. Then, please search for "Something Tangible" in Maplewood, NJ and click on the “Vote” Button that will pop up next to the company name. That’s it! Easy, right? ;) I’ve gotten 14 votes since I applied on Friday night, so I have quite a way to go. Please feel free to pass along this link to anyone you think might vote for me. I’m being shameless here, but $250,000 is A LOT of money and it could really help me out! THANK YOU for your support…I REALLY appreciate it! :x

As I mentioned last week, I attended an all-day bead embroidery workshop on Saturday, which turned into an all-day-all-night outing for me! :)) Although the event "officially" ended at 5:00 pm, a bunch of us stayed longer because we wanted to finish our projects. The teacher posted my project on her Facebook page and tagged me on it, so you can see it on my profile page. I’m really happy with how it turned out! Another student in the class said it was "good enough to be published in a book!" That’s a pretty high compliment, ya know? B-) Anyway, I ended up going out to dinner with the recently-elected 2012-2013 president of BSNJ...and we didn’t leave for the restaurant until 9:30 pm. She’s a bit of a talker, so we chatted until 2:30 am! It takes me about an hour to drive home from Tinton Falls, where the class was held, and I got stopped by a cop for speeding at 3:15 am...only about five minutes from my house! :-O He let me off with a warning because I was clearly tired and not under the influence. I lucked out on that one, although I would have just taken the ticket without argument if he’d have given me one. All I wanted to do was collapse into my bed! (:| All’s well that ends well...I slept until 3:30 pm Sunday afternoon. :P

My older niece is moving up from elementary school to middle school tomorrow. Wow, does time ever fly by? :-O Anyway, I promised the younger niece I would have the beaded edge finished on the scarf she made me for Christmas...and I'm not finished yet. I was running low on one color of the beads I'd been using, but I was lucky enough to purchase more at the workshop. However, now I've run out of thread! :P So, I've gotta run!

Take care and have a great week! ;)

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #23: A Flurry of Activity!

Hey, everyone! Well, I’ve FINALLY finished my Bead Challenge project for BSNJ over the weekend. It’s not due until June 28, but I wanted to get it out of the way and not wait until the last minute. I changed the category from bracelet to necklace, as the cuff bracelet I was attempting to make was not coming together as well as I’d like. I still think it was a good idea, and I may revisit it at a later date. :)

I received my recommendation letter from my former professor at MSU the other day. He wrote a very nice letter, and specifically mentioned that I am “willing to take criticism,” which made me chuckle. I emailed him back and told him I thought the director of the Metalwork & Jewelry program at MSU might not agree. :)) I still have to take a couple more pictures this week before the deadline on Friday. I’m hoping my mother will either model pieces for me or be willing to take my picture. I have two necklaces I want to include as part of the application. Mom is not very technologically-inclined, so please wish both of luck! :-S

In addition to Wire-sculpture.com’s 2012 Druzy Contest -- which I had mentioned previously -- there are two more contests coming up that I may or may not enter. Beaded Impressions has a Beading Contest with a deadline of July 8. The categories include Whimsical or Romantic; Eclectic or Bohemian; and Traditional. I may enter my Bead Challenge project in the "Eclectic or Bohemian" category. Once you see a picture of it, you’ll see why. ;) I can’t post it or describe it before the June meeting because some of my BSNJ friends may read this or see my Facebook page. :-S I also received an email this morning about Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Swarovski Elements Jewelry-making Contest, with a September 30 deadline. I don’t really have anything existing that I’d like to enter, so I have to see if I am inspired over the summer to come up with something appropriate...I'm thinking maybe an elaborate pair of earrings. :-? I still haven’t decided if I am going to enter the Druzy Contest, but I will concentrate on a project for that now that I have completed the Bead Challenge piece. The deadline is June 30, which is part of why I wanted to finish the Bead Challenge project early. If I can’t figure something out in the next couple of weeks, I will just skip it. :|

I'm looking forward to attending a workshop in Tinton Falls on Saturday called "Jazz Up Your Bead Embroidery," being taught by my friend Meg Fillmore of Bead My Love. :)

On a personal note, I had another NAET treatment on Saturday...this one was to complete the areas that were only partially cleared in previous treatments -- namely corn, chocolate, and nut mix I, which includes peanuts. I had headaches off and on all day Saturday, so I didn’t accomplish much. :P Man, will I be glad when these are over! #-o

Our weather can’t quite decide what it wants to be these days. Lots of storms passing through the area lately and it seems to be humid one day; cool the next. Morris County got hit hard with a storm yesterday. A couple of towns there may be without power for 2-3 days! :-O

Two ladies at work requested earrings, which I have to work on tonight...and I have a bunch of recent projects that I have not priced out yet. I seem to put that off as long as possible. Since I am switching out pieces at the chiropractor’s office again tomorrow, the last minute is pretty much tonight! I guess it's a good thing I am more or less required to do it every two weeks. ;)

Take care and have a great week! B-)

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #22: On Scholarships and Stir

Hi, everyone! Well, it's cooled off considerably here since last weekend. The weatherman on TV today said, "You thought we missed April? Where here it is!" :))

I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon working on my application for the MJSA Education Foundation Jewelry Scholarship, as the deadline is coming up on June 15. I completed the Financial Information Worksheet and essay, as well as two Work Sample photos I took at the Networking Charity Brunch Image Forum. While I was taking photos of my display -- which I posted to the Craft Show, Workshop & Exhibit Pictures album on Facebook this week, BTW -- I put on two of the rings from my casting class at MSU and took pictures them on my own hands. ;) Naturally, I had to crop the photos so it wasn't too obvious they were my hands, but I think I managed to focus on the rings pretty well. I still have 2-3 more Work Samples to include. I'll have to find a model this week, so I can get them done in time. :-?

As promised, I've started catching up on posting new product photos to Facebook this week...I posted more than a dozen in just the past few days! :-bd Once I get caught up with those, I will concentrate on entering my latest creations into my database. I've fallen behind of that and on entering supplies as I've purchased them. I keep thinking I should enter one entire invoice a week, regardless of how many items are on it. I should really start putting that into practice. :|

I've got a couple of deadlines coming up toward the end of the month...the BSNJ Bead Challenge project is due June 28. I've kind of slacked off on that to concentrate on more "urgent" things lately. There is also Wire-sculpture.com's 2012 Druzy Contest with a deadline of June 30. Druzy cabochons have an area of small quartz crystals within or on the surface of the stone. They are generally one of a kind, and very pretty. I purchased half a dozen of them recently in preparation for the contest. They are various shapes, sizes and colors, so I wasn't sure what I might want to use for the contest. The theme is "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue" -- it is June after all! ;) We can use one or all of the "somethings" in our piece. Since the contest is hosted by Wire-Sculpture.com, the entries must also include wire. I've been looking at the pieces I bought, but I have not been inspired yet. If I decide not to enter the contest, it's no great loss as I got a really good deal on the cabochons. B-)

Watching a movie on cable last night, I saw a commercial for something new from Match.com called Stir. It's a series of local events across the country such as cooking classes, happy hours, bowling, etc. for members to informally meet each other. I think that's a really smart idea. So many people are uncomfortable with the potential for dishonesty in internet dating -- myself included. Meeting informally at an event of mutual interest helps to (1) narrow down the field to people with similar interests to yours, and (2) minimize the potential for disillusionment. If you're meeting someone in person, it's harder for him/her to hide behind an anonymous profile. I think this is probably the next generation after Speed Dating. I never really understood the appeal of that concept. It works for you if you're talking to someone in whom you have little interest, but I think it works against you if you connect with someone with whom you'd like to spend more time. I've never tried it myself, but it kind of seems like a lot of pressure...like trying to date on a game show or reality TV. Personally, I can't imagine competing with a dozen or more other women for the attention of one man on a show like The Bachelor. That's just too bizarre for me! :P

On a semi-related note, one character in the movie I was watching had a great line: "The only way to get over someone is to meet someone else you care about more." Two years and counting for me. :x

In the immortal words of Porky Pig, "That's all folks!" ;) Take care and have a great week! B-)

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #21: Too Hot To Handle!

Hey, everyone! It's been crazy hot here in New Jersey for the past few days. The high today was 87 degrees Fahrenheit, and it's still around 84 degrees at 10:30 pm! Man, if this is the weather in May, what can we expect in July and August? :-S

Like most of the people living in the U.S., I went to a Memorial Day BBQ this weekend. My high school friends got together on Saturday...and ALL of us living in the area were in one place at one time...and with all of their kids, too! B-) It was a lot of fun. We celebrated the recent marriage of one of our friends...a second marriage for him and they had a civil ceremony in NYC not long ago. We also celebrated a soon-to-be new addition to the family....that would be MY family. My sister is expecting child #3 in November! :x I've known for a few weeks...and they told the girls on Mother's Day. My older niece is excited...she's been asking ME to get married and have a baby for the past three years. I told her that was her mother's department. :)) My younger niece is less excited, as she wanted to be the baby in the family FOREVER. She told me the other day that she's excited, "except for the diapers and room change." Each girl has her own room, but that will have to be reassessed sooner or later. :( She also told me I can't pay any attention to the new baby! #-o =)) I told her I didn't think that would be possible. ;) Mom and I also went to watch the girls in their Memorial Day Parade this morning...they march with the Brownies and Girl Scouts. :-bd

I was playing around a bit this weekend with some strung beaded necklaces for a coworker, although she's on vacation this coming week. I also ordered some supplies for earrings for her, made a new ring, adapted a crystal ring into a pendant -- it wasn't working as a ring, unfortunately -- and made another Chan Luu-style bracelet with braided black leather and multicolored eyeball beads. :-O I ordered them because a friend had asked me about an Evil Eye bracelet that Kelly Ripa wears, which I had never heard about nor seen. I ordered some supplies to see if I can make something similar myself, but the friend wanted crystals embedded in it, and I wasn't sure I could pull that off. I will eventually make the piece I had envisioned, since I have the materials...whether or not it'll be close enough to Kelly's Evil Eye bracelet remains to be seen. :-?

By the way, I did enter the second piece I mentioned last week in the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Seed Bead Jewelry Making Contest earlier today. I wanted to get it in before the May 31 deadline. ;)

I really have to start cleaning up product photos and uploading them to Facebook. I've fallen pretty far behind on that, although I believe I do have photos of everything I've made so far. I also have to update my product binder. A coworker borrowed it for a family friend, but I had to remind her that I hadn't updated it since late last year, in part because my printer wasn't working correctly. :( I'm beginning to think I should break it up into smaller binders by category...rings, bracelets, etc. I dropped the big binder on my foot last week...it's REALLY heavy! :((

The new Focal Piece of the Month is up here if you're interested.

And on that note, I will bid you all a Good Night! Take care and have a great week! B-)

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #20: Taking the Bad With The Good...

Hey, everyone! Guess what? I heard back from my professor this weekend! :-bd He said I'd found his old address, but he stops by every few weeks to pick up mail. Do I have great timing, or what? ;) He's willing to write me a recommendation letter for the MJSA scholarship, and asked me to I send him pictures of my older and newer work, as well as my bio, future goals, and why I want this scholarship. :) I just finished sending him all of that information...hopefully, I sent him enough stuff. B-)

I decided to enter the seed & bugle bead cuff bracelet I mentioned last week in Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Seed Bead Jewelry-Making Contest, and want to also enter the pendant I just finished for BSNJ. I doubt either piece is elaborate enough to place, but you never know. :-S You can't win if you don't enter, right? :P

Also, I ended up ordering a new printer directly from HP. Staples couldn't help me because the warranty I purchased for the old printer had already expired, so they referred me to HP. I spoke with someone there who offered me an upgraded printer for $100! It costs less to replace them than to fix them, it seems. Unfortunately, I didn't have the serial number from the old machine because it was still in the shop. When I called HP back the following week, the prices had changed. The person I spoke with actually admitted that the prices change at random! #-o So, I ended up with an even higher upgrade printer for $99, plus new ink cartridges and a three-year warranty. I ended up spending more than I wanted, but hopefully it will be worth the extra money. If anything goes wrong with this printer in the next three years, they will ship me a replacement for the next business day. Not a bad deal...except the printer I was planning to buy used the same ink cartridges I already have. The new printer does not, so I had to buy new ones and I will send the others back. I'm told I can send an email to someone at HP and request an even trade on the unused cartridges. I'll recycle the used and partially used ones; they sent me a prepaid envelope for them. I can also return the old printer with a prepaid label, so HP can recycle it. The new printer arrived at the end of last week, but I didn't have time to set it up over the weekend. That's on the top of my my To Do list for tomorrow. :)

As you know, I attended the Networking Charity Brunch Image Forum yesterday in Morris County, NJ. I sold one ring, and it was a cheap one at that. :( The other vendors I spoke with didn't do any better, so I don't feel as bad. Still, it was not worth the six hours of prep time I put in on Saturday and the six hours I spent there on Sunday, not to mention the time it took to schlep everything to and from the event. 8-| I actually ended up losing $28 for the gig...which is less than it could have been. Regardless, I will not be attending any more of these events in the future.

A coworker likes a pair of earrings another coworker wore last week that I had made, and she asked me if I could recreate them in other colors. I told her I would see what beads I have and get back to her. Earlier today, I found a few color combinations that may work, so I will bring them in to her tomorrow. I have no idea what colors she wants...but she may like some of the beads regardless of the color. I don't have much that are identical to the ones she liked, but hopefully I have some that will inspire her. ;)

I was supposed to have another NAET treatment this coming Saturday, but I forgot it was Memorial Day weekend when I made the appointment. #-o Since I was invited to a barbecue on Saturday afternoon, I changed the appointment to early June. :P Lately, I've been itching a lot more than I had been...I guess I still have to be more careful than I thought. I was hoping I could eat more of a variety of foods since I've cleared a number of food groups in the past few months. Apparently, I haven't cleared enough to stray too far from my usual. :(

One of my horoscopes yesterday said something about perseverance..."If you don't give up, you can never fail." Here's to not giving up! Take care and have a great week! B-)

Tangible Tidbits 2012 #19: Better Late Than Never!

Hey, all! Sorry I'm later than usual. I was fighting with a project that I was hoping to put on display at my chiropractor's office tomorrow. I finally abandoned it, at least temporarily. :-q I still have a few pieces to price out for tomorrow, unless I display some older pieces instead. I may look at some of my earlier work and use some of those, since I also have to get organized for the Networking Charity Brunch Image Forum on Sunday. I have to decide how much to bring, price the items, and pack them up. We also have a BSNJ meeting this week, so I'm gonna be busy! :P

Well, I never heard back from my friend at MSU about the professor's contact information, so I looked him up in on whitepages.com. I found a mailing address and phone number. I would have preferred email, but I opted to send him a note via snail mail. I felt funny calling his home out of the blue, and since I have a month before the scholarship deadline, I decided mail was best. Hopefully, he's still at the same address. :-/

Over the weekend, I finished the pendant I wanted to wear to the BSNJ meeting on Thursday, and I also made a crystal and seed bead ring. I'm still putting the final touches on the ring. I also worked on my Bead Challenge project for next month's BSNJ meeting. I'm really pleased with how it's turning out! :)

Part of the reason I've been so productive is because I made a big decision the other day. I'm shutting down the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the Virtual Mall as of tomorrow, May 15. It's been 18 months, and it's just not worth the time investment I've been putting into it. The Virtual Mall page on the website is still up for now. I can use that time more effectively doing other jewelry- and business-related activities. So, that's what I will do! ;)

I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day -- as a Mom, with your Mom, or remembering your Mom. :x We went to my sister's house for dinner and ate on her patio. The weather was perfect! My sister made a three-course fondue dinner like we've had at The Melting Pot in past years. Apparently, the restaurant changed their menu and it was less appealing to my sister, so she decided to do it herself. Plus, her kids are fussy eaters, so it made more sense to feed them stuff they would eat rather than "force" them to eat something from the menu, and pay through the nose to boot! 8-| We all had a good time...we even managed to play a round of croquet between courses! :))

Mom and I started watching Lifetime's The Client List on Saturday. We saw Cybil Shepherd on The Revolution on Friday, and thought it might be something to see. Jennifer Love Hewitt stars and Cybil is her mother. It's pretty good...enough to make me tune in last night at 10:00 p.m. after catching up with the first five episodes On Demand. We'll see if I keep up with it...I think there are only three episodes left of this season. :|

I still have lots to do, so I will sign off now. Have a great week, everyone! B-)