lo and behold

I found each of the artists I am writing about this week through her blog.  And this person, Beth Hemmila, of Hint Jewelry, routinely stuns me with her beautiful and honest writing. Off the top of my head, I remember a recent post about having an open or closed heart, and another about the “every woman’s complex relationship with food.” Both of these posts articulated challenges that are well known to me. Beth shares openly about her failures, her lifestyle, and her business. 

On her blog, Beth describes her jewelry business this way: 

wild west spirit meets far east design :: handmade silver jewelry connecting people through simple beauty, pure craftsmanship, and common stories

On her Etsy shop, the banner says, Stories in Metal. Primarily, her work is making silver charms, mostly out of PMC, and some also in sterling.  Each carved and cast charm has a picture on it that symbolizes a part of the life force – those are my words, not Beth’s, but I think that’s the idea.  Here are a few of the charms that speak to me. The photos and the descriptive text are borrowed from Beth’s Etsy shop, with her permission. 

Prana, mighty life force and healer, come swim next to me in the borderland. Open my body to spaciousness and touch the places that hurt so as to lead me back to the sound of myself — the feeling that sings without knowing why.

Hummingbirds draw on the essence of flowers, extract sweetness from life, and show us the way to find joy in any situation. They are a symbol for celebrating a life fulfilled as well as losses in the form of loved ones and dreams. Deeply woven into the mythology of the Americas, hummingbirds are often considered tiny messengers between worlds, helping shamans keep the balance between spirit and nature.

A tree of life “to evoke the earth’s healing powers of creation, nourishment, and protection” and matched with wire wrapped gemstones in the colors of the seasons. 

Beth sells the charms individually and also uses them in lovely, luscious pieces of jewelry.  She makes some to sell (like the tree of life above), some on request from customers, and this year, she is building herself an “heirloom memory necklace.” Each month of 2010, she is adding something(s)to a necklace that remind her of that month.  I can’t imagine the time she is investing to write and draw and think about her life so beautifully and intentionally.  This is what her necklace looked like at the end of May 2010.

I can’t wait to see where it goes, and I LOVE reading what Beth writes each month about her process.  

As you might imagine, I am very drawn to this whole idea. Poetry in jewelry – that’s an interesting juxtaposition for me, as I feel that my poet self coming back alive but in a different medium.  I love the idea of making necklaces of this type as gifts.  And for myself, I could make a birthday necklace and add something each year.  Or, I could start a necklace now which I could continue to build until I am 50.  It would be a piece that represented the period of my life between ages 45 – 50 in which I feel I am re-birthing myself, or revising myself, or transforming in some powerful way (I don’t have the words yet – maybe something visual will help.)

If I got myself a birthday present from Hint this year, I think I would start with the Tree of Life.  . . . I would certainly add something glass that I have made, and something beaded.  Fun to think about.

I also want to hold Hint in my mind as a model of business.  I noticed that Beth gives away 10% of her sales to a different “good cause” each month, something that I did when I started my Etsy store.  I also wonder if I will find a way to bring meaning to the beauty that I am learning to create in glass.  I’ve thought about it, and sometimes certain ideas come up.  I think I’m getting closer that that ideal, but I know I will have to stay open to the desire and put the time in to really tease it out.  That’s a very good goal, and Hint is an excellent example. 

I’m becoming an artist for my 50th birthday (even though it’s still a few years away.  It takes TIME to become an artist :). 

Today, Valerie Bertinelli is running her first marathon in Boston before she turns 50 on April 23.  She’s running with her personal trainer Christopher Ross Lane for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team. I get emails from Dana-Farber , and they recently sent one in which Bertinelli said, “It has been a goal of mine to run a marathon before I turn 50—which is happening in just a few days! I am beyond thrilled to tackle this famous course on Monday and, more importantly, to represent world-renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. . . . As I run, I will also remember my Aunt Norma who recently lost her battle with colon cancer.” Good luck, Valerie. 

What are you doing for your next big birthday? 

I just realized that in My Own Personal Fake Graduate School, I forgot to plan vacations.  No spring break coming up?!?  No intersession between semesters?!?  I am going to need to talk with the Registrar or a Dean and get that changed.  I’m getting a little burned out – or maybe it’s because I’m writing this just before bedtime.

Classes:

• Registered for Marbles, Buttons, and Beads with Heather Trimlett at Blue Moon Glassworks in Austin, TX.  Marble class got cancelled b/c not enough enrollees.  Negotiated a day-long private class with Jill Symons instead.  So, three days of glass class coming up in April. 
• The decisions and planning and emotion around the class in Austin was so huge, it’s worth at least two bullet points. 
• Next:  I am taking a weekend class with Kristina Logan in May. I cannot imagine better preparation (Heather, Jill, Kristina) for a summer of torching.  

Reading:

• Read Blogging for Bliss and discussed it here. 
• Bought a copy of Totally Twisted.
• Next:  not sure yet.  I may go back to some of my old books like Passing the Flame to study technique.

Blogging:

• 13 posts in January, 14 posts in February, and a whopping 23 posts on March! 
• Updated my About page with a photo. Still there is a second photo I want to add.
• Next: get a new camera.  Even if it’s just another point-and-shoot.  A point and shoot is bad enough to begin with, but a broken point and shoot is just out of the question.  And constantly borrowing the camera we bought my daughter for her birthday just isn’t fair. 

Studio:

• Finally:  met with Jim, our beloved contractor and carpenter. Discussed two options:  1) moving the studio into a finished room in our basement, or 2) building a shed out back. 
• Next:  Talk to some folks in Amherst government about permits and regs relating to business space in my home.  Continue to learn about venting and torch.  Look into oxygen concentrators when I am in Austin and at Carlisle.   

Making:

• Made necklace.  New original design.  Great experience.  Very happy with resulting product. 
• Got Isabel to string a bunch of beads for bracelets so I have lots of portable projects for the plane ride to Austin (see classes above)
• Got back behind the torch for the first time since November.  Spent a few afternoons at Open Studio at Snow Farm.  Cranked up the torch in my garage.  Ran the kiln a few times.  Feels great to be back on the horse. 

• Made great progress on the elusive sphere that I long for – the marble mold!  
• Next:  Torch as much as I can.  Go where it takes me.  Be present and work hard in my classes. 

Professional/Networking:

• Finally joined the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (IGSB). 
• Registered for the IGSB Gathering in Rochester, NY in July.  I’ll be there for about four days.  I’m a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, but what the heck.  Jumpin’ in with both feet. 
• Joined a local newly-formed group called Artisans of Western Massachusetts. Will go to my first meeting in April. 
• Got my Facebook profile updated and added Friends.  Started to use the site regularly.  Jury is still out on whether I think it’s a good thing.  But it has been fun.
• First time – I entered a contest!  Art Bead Scene Color Challenge.  They also have challenges every month, so maybe I will do another one.  Or maybe I will next send something to a publication. 
• I had hoped to set up my Artfire store and do some selling for the Mother’s Day/Graduation gift season. I know it’s a good idea, but I could not do it.  Not without a more functional camera.  I feel bad about this because I really wanted to do it.  Perhaps I can open in September for the holiday season.
• Next:  My focus is going to change over the next two months.  I am moving from winter to spring work mode which means more time at the torch, less time at the bead table.  More hands-on time, less time in books and on the computer.  I am ready to turn myself away from the hard push of self-propulsion I’ve been on for the past three months, and move toward being more open, more receiving of what I can absorb from other <real> people rather than just what I make for myself.  I feel like I can slow down a little and breathe.  It feels welcome to place myself in others’ hands for a while.  My Own Personal Fake Graduate School becomes My Own Personal Real Graduate School for just a little bit.

Health:

• I am pretty much sustaining morning water ritual.
• I am exercising moderately 2 – 3 times a week.
• Experimented with getting up early to write and exercise.  Worked OK, but I am not committed to it right now. 
• Next:  Get back to taking notes in Health Journal.

Happy Birthday, Love!  It may be gray and rainy outside today, but you are my sunshine  Hope you have a great day!

I had one living grandparent when I was growing up, and my kids have four.  I know they are lucky, and I know the kids treasure the relationships they have with their grandparents – as do the grandparents treasure the kids.  The downside:  all the grandparents, and the cousins, too, are no closer than a plane ride away.  And not the same plane ride, either - that would be too easy! 

So, they fly to us and we fly to them, and we manage to get everyone seen at least a couple times a year.  We all rack up a lot of frequent fliers miles, and I am grateful that we are able to do it, and so far, the grandparents are able to do it, too.  The travel for the older folks has gotten harder over the years, I know that.   

One of the grandparent destinations is Florida.  We can hit both of my parents with a flight to the southeast coast between December and April.  We haven’t done it in a while, and my mom has been pushing for a trip to Disney. 

I’ve been reluctant.   I just don’t know if I can stomach the crowds and the commercialism. But this year we got closer.  We crossed into the city limits of Orlando and visited Discovery Cove, a part of Sea World where you can “swim with the dolphins.”  My mother treated her other grandchildren to a similar experience at Miami’s Seaquarium, and she’s been waiting until my youngest was able to meet the height requirement.  Turns out at Discovery Cove, there is only an age requirement, and we were good to go. 

The plan was that only the kids would do the dolphin thing, but at the last minute, all three grown-ups decided to fork over the extra money and pucker up.   

One of the attractions at Discovery Cove is an aviary where birds come and eat out of your hand, or rest on your head, whichever they feel like.  

The exorbitant admission price to Discovery Cove includes a second park, and we chose Aquatica – SeaWorld’s Water Park, and went the next day. We had warmer weather on that day than any in the last two months.  It was a total success.  And no lines. At all.

Here’s Isabel . . . .

. . . .the bottom of this baby!  See those closed tubes at the top, before the big drop? I could not handle that, but I did go on quite a few others!  It was a blast. 

My daughter Isabel reached into the hat and pulled out a name: 

Adrienne Campbell  - Yeah!  You won the surprise giveaway.

My daughter Rachel reached into the hat and pulled out a name: 

Kate from Organic Odysseys – Yeah!  You won a bead crochet bracelet. 

Please get in touch, and we’ll work out the details.  If the bracelet I originally posted isn’t the right size or color, there are lots of options. 

Special thanks, too, to everyone who entered by adding my RSS feed to your blog reader.   The best part (for me) is that hopefully we’ll stay connected and a bloggy friendship will grow.  

This was the first give-away I’ve done on my blog, and I liked it!  I want to do it more; I’m thinking maybe once a month.   One blog I follow, The Vintage Pearl, gives things away all the time, and I love the spirit behind it . She says, “Let’s give one away!” and I hear the generosity and fun in her voice.  I’ll take her as my model. 

And, I’ve been reading about all that One World One Heart stuff. WOW!  I thought about participating in the event, but it seemed overwhelming.  Next year, though.  Talk about giveaways! 

Happy Tuesday!  

I’m getting very excited to see all the creations that will be revealed on February 10th at the Bead Soup Virtual Party.  Eighty-four bloggers are playing along; it will probably take me days see them all – and I do want to see them ALL. 

My bead soup came from Mary Harding.  I let the ingredients simmer for a few days and then began to make components -like the way a soup is better if you sauté the onion, carrots, and celery first instead of just throwing it all into the liquid to boil.  I wanted to work Mary’s beads into my style.  I really admire designers like Lori Anderson whose jewelry can range from Goth to romantic to bright and whimsical to organic and subtle.  I am not a designer who is adept at many different looks; rather I am one with a signature style (if I can be so bold as to say that about myself at this point) and I want all of my pieces to be somewhat recognizable within a style.  Right now, I would say that bead crochet is one of my signature components.  So I went at it:

The one in the back is not bead crochet but that piece of rope will be used in a similar way.  That’s all for now!!

I also decided that in honor of my many new blog friends, I am going to do a giveaway – my first ever.  Since I consider this stage of my artistic life to be more about learning and developing skills than about selling, I love to GIVE my jewelry as gifts and surprises.  One gift is the bead crochet bracelet below, and a second winner will get a surprise.  Here’s how you can enter:

1.  Sign up for my RSS feed so we can stay connected after the party ends.

2.  Leave me a comment telling me that you’ve done it. (There must be a way I can see who has subscribed, but I don’t have that piece of technology/knowledge in place yet – so we’re on the honor system!)

3.  I will collect names from the comments and choose one randomly on Monday, February 15 at 12 noon EST.  I will contact the winners and announce it on the blog Monday afternoon or evening. 

4.  Want a second entry?  Blog about my giveaway, leave me a comment with the link to your post, and I’ll put your name into the pot again! 

Good luck everyone!  See you again soon! 

Tonight for dinner, I made soup from some leftover turkey I froze at Thanksgiving, but this weekend, I worked on my Bead Soup, which was way more fun!  Just ten days until the big reveal when 84 bloggers show off their artistic creations made with beads received from another blogger in the swap. 

There is also a Bead Soup Flickr pool and had a look around there tonight.  I have to admit, I have not yet visited all 84 bloggers and I liked seeing a bunch of soup pots all in one place. 

These two partners swapped components in the same colors.  That happened with my partner and me, but it was total coincidence.  I wonder if it was the same with these two, or if it was planned? 

You might also remember that I got a heart in my package.  Hearts seem to be a common ingredient – because of Valentines Day coming up?  Or just because beaders love to LOVE? 

Visit the Flickr Pool to find out who got and who gave the soup mixes pictured, and come back here later in the week to see some hints about what I am cooking up. 

My kids got their report cards last week, and since I’m in art school, I’m going to get report cards, too. 

Blogging:  13 posts, participation in a blog party with 80 other people = A+

Studio:  acquisition of new tools and a used RedMax torch by Nortel  =  A

Reading:  Torchworked Marbles, Step-by-Step Wire, Jewelry Artist = A

Making: finished a bead crochet necklace, worked on and then gave up a knitted sweater that was torturing me = B

Health:  kept a journal of healthy behaviors, bought and took vitamins= A

I have a bunch of posts coming to elaborate on some of these accomplishments.  Stay tuned to see my torch and hear about an excellent article I recently read.

Goals for Feb: 

• Get my blog on the latest Wordpress platform, continue posting
• consult with contractor re studio
• make piece for blog party, string bead crochet for trip in Feb
• enter a jewelry contest or submit to a magazine
• exercise once each weekend, once during the week

Note to file:

• next year:  attend at least two major marketplace shows i.e. Tucson, Bead and Button, ACC