Tangible Tidbits 2012 #31: Membership Has Its Privileges

Hello, all! Well, I never got a response from my friend about the Polymer Clay Guild, so I didn’t go yesterday. Instead, I worked on an elastic Swarovski Crystal Peridot birthstone ring. A long-time internet friend sent me a message over the weekend inquiring about the Focal Piece of the Month Peridot ring for her friend's birthday. She wanted an elastic band because she's not sure of the size. I can switch the shank easily enough, but I'm pretty sure the ring is likely to be too large and bulky for her friend…the focal piece is 1-1/8" by 1-1/8" by 1/2". Since I had recently purchased a birthstone set of Swarovski Crystal bicones, I decided to try to make something similar but smaller for her. I really like how it turned out, but it may not be what my friend wants. She may want the gemstone Peridot in it, although don't have any on-hand. The Swarovski ring is very close to the color of the gemstone ring, and a little cheaper. I emailed her a little while ago with the costs and a photo of the Swarovski ring, so we'll see what happens. Fingers crossed! ;) I may decide to enter the ring in Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Swarovski Elements contest, but I haven’t decided yet. :|

Speaking of contests, I entered the bracelet I mentioned last week in the Rings and Things Challenge with Swarovski Elements, and two items – my Pretty in Purple and Bodacious Butterfly necklaces -- in the Beads category of the 2013 Saul Bell Design Award Competition presented by Rio Grande. I've already filled out the online application and paid the entrance fee, but I still have to submit my photos and descriptions via mail. Unfortunately, the matte photo stock paper I have does not fit in my new printer for some reason, so I had to go out and buy thinner photo paper. :( The matte photo paper box says it fits in HP printers, so I don’t know what the problem is. However, the printer has made strange set-up noises ever since I hooked it up, so it may be an imperfect printer. :-/

BTW, I did decide to add a second necklace to the Lark Books' application. It's a new necklace I made a couple of weeks ago. It looks like kind of like a vine covered with leaves, so I call it the EnVined necklace. Now, I just have to wait and see. :P

Earlier this week, I learned about 1978 Maplewood Arts Center's 3rd Annual Members' Show, which is coming up Sunday, August 12 through Sunday, September 9. I didn't realize they had one, so I have not participated in the first two shows. I also had not joined as a member, but they do allow you to do that in order to participate in the show (hence, the subject line for this post :)) ). We are limited to two pieces for submission, and I decided earlier today to submit my Falling Leaves necklace and Evil Eye Chan Luu-style bracelet. There will be a reception on September 9 at the end of the show. If anyone from the area wants to attend, let me know! ;)

At the suggestion of a coworker, I've inquired about having a display in the cafeteria at the office one afternoon to enable employees to check out my stuff and hopefully make some purchases. People used to come in years ago and display purses and such, but it has been a number of years since that has been done. It would be a great opportunity for me, but they may not allow it anymore because it distracts employees from their work. :-O

Here's a link to this week's social media poster. I made a few more last Monday, so I have enough stockpiled to post one a week for the next three weeks. As time allows, I will create more so I don’t have to come up with something at the last minute. ;)

Not much to report on the personal front, so I guess I will wrap up for now.

Take care and have a great week! B-)

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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