Tangible Tidbits 2012 #4: Beaders and Birthstones...

Hello, readers! Well, I've had two interviews for the IT position since I last posted. The first one was with HR last week, which was pretty informational and only lasted about 20 minutes. The second one was this morning with the Manager to whom I would report if I took the position. She and I had never really crossed paths before, so I was curious to see whether or not we would be able to work together. I've had difficult bosses in the past, but I really don't think I have the emotional and/or physical energy to go down that road right now unless it's absolutely necessary. At this time, it isn't. ;) She's very nice, and seemed genuinely interested in my jewelry-making...she even asked me for a brochure! LOL I'm glad I don't have to keep that part of my life "quiet" anymore. For a long time, I didn't talk much about it at the office because I didn't want The Powers That Be to think I wasn't focusing on my job. That hasn't been a problem since I got back, and I'm glad it doesn't seem like it will be one if I make the transition. :) In any case, I hear there's one other person applying for the job, although I have no idea who it is or how we compare. I'm not really worried about it...if I don't get offered the position, I know my current superiors will be relieved! :)

Do you believe it's already February?! :o I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it's pretty mild here for this time of year. I can't complain, although I think it's supposed to dip over the next few days and we might even see some flurries. As long as they don't stick to the ground, I'm okay with that! LOL

At the upcoming Bead Society of NJ (BSNJ) meeting, members will have the opportunity to bring in items to sell to other members...not a lot, just what will fit on the table in front of each person. Since the membership consists largely of beaders, I was thinking of bringing some wire-wrapped pendants, handcrafted link and wire knit chains, and handmade wire beads and coils. There are a few people who work with wire in the group, but the majority of them are into working with seed beads. They probably don't want to buy pieces made by other people that they can make themselves (I know I don't!), so I want to offer items that are more likely to be of interest to them. Jewelry-makers are always looking for different and interesting items like beads, chains, and pendants, so I think I can probably stand out in that area. I'll let you know how I make out after February 16. Wish me luck!

I'm still working hard to get my unfinished projects cleaned up. The February BSNJ meeting is also a UFO (unfinished object) night, so people can work on unfinished projects at the meeting. February can be difficult because potential snowstorms could interfere with a lecture, so we opted to have a "low key" meeting instead. Ideally, I'll find something that I can transport easily, and hopefully I can finish it in the one night! ;)

The new Focal Piece of the Month should be going up this week. For the February birthstone, I created an Amethyst pendant on purple silk. I happened to find a sale on selected birthstones at Beaded Impressions last week, so I stocked up the rest of the year's stones that I could find. I may still be missing one or two, but I'm pretty sure I have the ones I need for the next few months, at least. :)

As always, thanks for reading and have a great week! :D

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Tangible Tidbits 2011 #42: A Little "Working Hard"...and A Little "Hardly Working!"

Hey, folks! I took this week off from the office -- if we don't use all of our vacation and personal time by the end of the year, we lose it...and I'm not about to let THAT happen! ;) I have some personal goals for the week, like taking the air conditioners out of my bedroom and the computer room and putting them in the attic, getting my flu shot, etc. I already got my hair cut on Saturday...that was loooooong overdue! LOL Anyway, I also hope to get caught up on a few orders that I have received in the past few weeks, and perhaps fix and/or finish some of the UFOs (a term for "unfinished objects" used by craftspeople) I have laying around.

As I mentioned last week, I had a very social weekend last weekend. On Saturday, I met with a group of ladies for an equine session at a stable in western New Jersey. The idea was to work with the horses, and observe your interactions with them. The theory is "how you do this is how you do everything." I have to admit, I did see a pattern in my attitude and demeanor. We were trying to get the horse to follow us each individually. I started out polite and respectful, but then...the more frustrated I grew, the louder my voice and harsher my words became. I absolutely do that with people, too! LOL Anyway, we went into Frenchtown for lunch afterward and walked around a bit. The author of the book, Eat, Pray, Love owns a shop there, so we checked it out. All-in-all, it was a very nice day! And on Sunday, we had an 11th birthday party for my youngest cousin. I partied a bit more than I should have, which is part of why I didn't post a new message last week. :p

The 1978 Maplewood Arts Center is holding its B.A.N.G VI (Buy Art Now Guys 6) exhibit during the first two weekends in December, and I've signed up again this year. I have to decide what pieces I want to display and price them accordingly -- since it is a not-for-profit, they request prices be whole numbers only to facilitate transactions for the volunteers. I also have to start figuring out what I want to bring to the Third Annual Jewels of New Jersey show in Monroe Township in November. Last year, I pretty much brought everything I had. That is completely unfeasible this year, so I want to pick items that are more likely to be sold (or ordered, but preferably sold to decrease the volume of my inventory). ;)

I started working on another contest piece this last week -- the theme is "falling leaves," and the contest is hosted by Beadaholique. I'm calling my piece "No Two Are Exactly Alike," as I figure leaves are not unlike snowflakes. ;) It's going to take a bit of time and effort on my part, but I'm hoping the result turns out like the picture I have in my head! :p I have a couple of weeks left before the deadline, so I'm hoping to get a fair amount of it done while I'm home this week. :)

By the way, I've added Hatchlings nests to both the Something Tangible LLC and Something Tangible's Virtual Mall pages on Facebook for those who play. All traffic is good, n'est'ce pas? ;) Also, I just found some photos from a workshop and the two craft shows I worked last year; I've posted them in an album on the Something Tangible page. I have to remember to always bring my camera with me and take a few shots whenever I do something like that. I don't have photos from BANG 5 or the workshop I held at 1978 -- the one that ended up in the newspaper -- because it didn't occur to me! ;)

A quick rant before I go...Blogspot is irritating me! They changed the format somehow and now whenever I write a post, I have to insert the HTML code manually for space breaks between paragraphs! Otherwise, it shows up as one big paragraph...how STOOPID is that? >: I keep forgetting to do it as I'm writing, so I always have to go in afterward and insert them. :\

On that note, I will bid you all adieu. Have a great week!


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