A Jewelry Maker's Paradise (part trois)

So... I'm back again to rave about the wonders of the Intergalactic Bead and Jewelry show I went to this past weekend. I've already gone on and on about the marvels that accosted me when I first entered the showroom. Now it's time for me to enthrall you with all the lovely items I purchased and intend to make into beautiful, sellable (Just made a word there. Did you catch that?) pieces. Wanna see pictures? Ohhhh... alright then.

I know. This picture doesn't really do justice to the beauty of these wooden beads and glass beads and pearls and crystals and coral and... Oh... my bad. I find myself getting carried away easily when it comes to jewelry these days. Maybe these individual pictures will do a better job of conveying the reason for my excitement. If not, then I'm afraid you just don't get. And that's okay. Once again, I promise to talk about something you're interested in. (At least once... so keep reading.)

I have plans for you, you gorgeous strands of pearls.

This red coral was 75% off. What a deal! (I know you don't really have any appreciation for that since you don't know the original price but trust me. It was quite a deal.) I've look at some pretty cool necklace ideas using this material but I think I'm gonna start out simple first. After all, I am just a BUDDING jewelry maker. I'm going to make my mom a pair of earrings to match the necklace I made for her last year. Wanna see it? Of course you do.

 Yes, that is me modeling my own work. Please do not be distracted by the cleavage. (What can I say? God HAS blessed me.) I only hope that the earrings and the necklace will not be too matchy-matchy. If so, she can always wear them separately, right?

Seeds Beads

More colorful pearls

This yellow cast in every picture is REALLY not doing justice to the loveliness :o( I thinks it's from the reflecting color of my kitchen floor. How unfortunate. Guess I'll just have to make sure I take better pictures when I show you the fate of each wonderful item. I know that you will be waiting with baited breath. Until then...

A Jewelry Maker's Paradise (part deux)

"♪♪Intergalactic planetary ♪♪ Planetary intergalactic ♪♪" (Anyone remember that song?) Anyway... :o) You guys miss me? I was gone a couple of days. 


Well, ladies (and possibly gentlemen), I went, I saw... and I was conquered. SMH (We all know what that means by now, right?) I spent more than I planned to but less than I could afford (if that makes any sense). I'm planning to show off all the goodies I bought next time. And of course there will be future posts showing all the lovely pieces I was able to create (and hopefully sell) with all the beautiful items I purchased yesterday.


Actually, it was all pretty overwhelming. I thought I'd go to the website prior to going to the show and see what they'd have to offer. That way I'd be prepared. Well... I went to the website. I was NOT prepared. But I don't want to waste anymore time with introductions. Let's get to the pretty and the glittery, right?? Right! How about I start by showing you exactly what greeted me when I entered the Intergalactic Bead & Jewelry Show:

Not impressed yet? How about this?

My lovely friend Eliza

I have plenty of other pictures to show but there are some things I wish to share as well. Because of this, what started out as only one little post is now destined to be a three parter *shrug* You guys don't mind, do you?


This is the trip that involved the 2 1/2 hour drive that I wasn't exactly looking forward to. But it was all worth it and the drive ended up not being that long. Or at least it didn't seem that long. Probably because Eliza and I had each other laughing most of the way there. We have such a great time together and hadn't hung out in a while. This expedition was long overdue.

So we set out on our mini road trip with much excitement and anticipation. Every email that Eliza sent me prior to yesterday about the the bead show would end with "I'm excited!" Hilarious. I was excited too but laughing at Eliza distracted me from that. At least until I saw this...

And a little bit of this...

Eliza likes to call this one "Pearl-gasm". And I understand why. At this table a wide-eyed jewelry maker could purchase GENUINE freshwater (and other types) pearls of just about every shape, color and size for pennies. Alright... not pennies. Actually, dollars. But itty bitty dollars --- $2, $5 per strand. AWESOME! Does anything else need to be said? Don't say yes. Because I could go on. I was truly in a happy place yesterday. And guess what. There's another show in July! Yup. You got it. That means you get to hear about this all over again in about six months. Yay you, right??

Living in a Glass House

Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions asking me why I've stressed REASONABLE sustainable living in my profile. (lol) Okay. Not really. I don't have that many reader yet but I'm workin' on it. Seriously though, I have been giving this some thought. I have an interest in sustainable living and upcycling from an artistic point of view. Have you ever seen a house made of recycled glass bottles?? Where here you go:

I find this intriguing and strangely beautiful. Whenever I see something done that interests me I always wonder how I could do it better. I'd definitely keep the red door and trim. What about this one?

This is the interior of a house in Canada. Doing the inside may be a bit extreme but the result is still rather stunning. I know that the idea of sustainable living is to "save" the planet. Although I'm not really convinced that the planet is in need of saving I do see the planet as a gift. One way to show someone that you appreciate a gift is in the way you treat it. That being said, I do believe it is not wise stewardship to be wasteful with our resources. Just because most things can be replenished is no need to be wasteful.

Not trying to get preachy. Just letting my future readers know where I'm coming from. Don't want you to think that I only like sustainable living that I find pretty. I will definitely go into more detail in the future. (Always promising more)

A Jewelry Maker's Paradise

Even though my schedule is already crammed from Sunday to Sunday, I have committed myself to driving 2 1/2 hours one way to a bead show. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'm just... wondering how I always manage to get everything done. Actually, I know how. We'll get into that another time. (I always say that, don't I?) Well I PROMISE. We will.

"More about this bead show!" you say? Well, here you go. Its held by Intergalactic Bead & Jewelry Shows Inc. This organiztion prides itself on giving buyers the chance to see and feel what they are buying BEFORE making the purchase. Any jewelry maker who ever buys from the Internet understands where I'm coming from. Most of the items I've purchased have been from online stores. And it never fails that I always wish I could have gotten a better idea of the sheen, glimmer or even color of what I was getting. I've only been disappointed one or two times. But depending on what I'm working on that can be one or two times too many! Here's an idea of the lovely things I get to drool over when I go to the show:


Peacock Grey Side Drilled Potato Freshwater Pearl



Copper Brushed Wiggle Disc



Multi Color Fancy Sapphire and Ruby Plain Rondelle

Oooohhh pretty, right? (The copper discs are my favorite.)Well, I also checked some of the prices of these items. So although I do have some disposable income I'm not too sure how much I'll be bringing home. I did see some pretty reasonable prices but there were some pretty steep ones as well. I guess we'll see. I'll definitely keep you "posted". Ha! Posted. Get it? Cuz I'm writing blog posts now?? Yeah, I'm a bit of a lame. You'll learn to love that about me though :o)

I Was At a Loss... But Then I Found Something

For at least the first forty days of this blog my goal is to post something everyday. I have my own reasons for this. Although I keep coming up with awesome ideas, they all seem to require a certain amount of research. Currently, there's a great deal on my plate... and more seems to be added everyday. Therefore, I do not have time to do the research that I wish to do. This leaves me at a loss. Day four and I'm already at a loss. SMH (Shaking My Head for those who don't know.)

But then I thought why not use this post as an opportunity to give my readers an idea of the type of jewelry design that I most appreciate. So today I'm going to talk about an artist that I've recently discovered. I find this work elegant yet fun. The combination of crochetting and beading simply sends me. It's along the lines of what I aspire to do someday soon. This inspiring little shop on Etsy.com is called Imaginuity. Here are a couple of samples of what is offered to the buyer with discriminating taste:



Mossy Amber Beaded Crochet Necklace, Flower Pin




Fire and Ice Statement Bib Necklace - Beaded Crochet



Many of the items available at Imaginuity are convertible meaning that the piece can be worn as a necklace one day, a hair adornment another day and a bracelet the next. Don't know about you but that's right up my alley.

Occassionally, I will spotlight stores/artists likes this for a couple of reasons. First, seeing regular people making their artistic expression available to the public through an online store keeps me motivated about reaching my goal of doing the same. Second, it is my desire for this blog to be a reference of sorts for consumers who are looking for that certain something that was created by that certain someone. So go check out this store. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

No Mo' Menthol Fo' Y'all

While traveling on the BloNo Public Transit, there was an alarming announcement made. President Obama intended to pass legislation banning all menthol cigarettes! This fellow bus rider explained for all to hear that since the President had finally quit smoking he wanted the rest of the country to quit as well. Not sure if this report was completely accurate but I was now curious to find out.


Well, after doing some minimal research, it was discovered that there was indeed a menthol ban in the works. I have yet to see any mention as to whether or not this was initiated by President Obama. Of course, there are a number of  tobacco companies that do not intend to go down without a fight. There is one company in particular, Lorillard Inc., who could see their sales drop roughly by 90%. At least that's what an article in the Wall Street Journal says. According to this article, "An FDA committee is weighing a ban of menthol cigarettes, which have been marketed to African Americans for years." All of that is well and good (I guess) but one thing that is not being considered is the great number of jobs that would be lost/affected by a successful passing of this ban. (an argument being made by Lorillard Inc.) And let's not mention the tax revenue that would be lost when menthol smokers are FORCED to quit. Not quite thinking this thing all the way through, are we?


So... What to think about this? As an African American, NON-SMOKING woman, I am insulted. Would this be because some evil company (possibly run by racist, old, white men) is purposely marketing a product to me that, in the end, is designed to kill me? (PLEASE recognize the sarcasm in that last sentence.) No, not really. Could it be because it seems the general idea is that I (and I would imagine, my "kind") seem unable to discern what is good to consume and what is not so good to consume? *ding! ding! ding!* Being a strong believer in Free Will, I believe it is not only the right of companies to market products to ADULTS with questionable health ratings but also the free will of said adults to purchase those products without someone holding their hand. 


At this point, it is always good to ask "Where does it end?" Is it really to be decided FOR someone that two Big Mac combos a day, five days a week is too many? How about more than three glasses of wine during dinner? When government entities feel the need to decide for the public what will be available to purchase and what will not, it takes away consumer responsibility and turns us into... something less. Not quite children but... well, something less than true adults. 


I am sure that I have not addressed all that could be said regarding this subject. And I imagine there are areas where I would draw the line. I invite any arguments challenging what I have stated here. 

Casting On and Casting Off

Recently, I co-hosted a knitting party. I say co-hosted because although I was the Master of Ceremonies, it was not at my place. Funny. Not usually my thing because I enjoy opening my home to others. But her kitchen is bigger... better. We'll get to that later. Because my job allows me the opportunity to create at my desk, many have seen me knitting and asked me to give a lesson. To many of you, it may seem unprofessional to knit at one's place of employment. But I have to tell you, it keeps me sane and in my little cubicle where I am supposed to be. After all, I am in customer service where I answer the phone eight hours a day, five days a week. So there you go.


All of that aside, this event consisted of what I enjoy most doing with my time. Hanging out with a group of friends, eating good food, pursuing something together and getting to know one another better. This evening we were pursuing the art of knitting with much laughter and sharing of stories. It was my first time (that I can remember) teaching a group to do anything. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. So much so that I'm thinking about doing a few knitting tutorials on this site. Because of course there aren't enough of those on the net, right? We'll see.


Well, also sharing the spotlight was the awesome cuisine that was prepared in my friend's wonderful kitchen with the GAS stove. (Gas IS king when it comes to cooking, you know?) The theme was Spanish food. Not Mexican. Not Tex Mex. Not Taco Bell. Spanish. I'm talkin' tapas with tuna, capers and goat cheese and paella with tender shrimp, bright green peas and fragrant saffron. A majority of the recipes came from Spanish Tapas; we cooked and ate to the spicy sounds of Ottmar Liebert. 


All in all a very enjoyable night. So enjoyable that we've decided to get together once a month. I think I've started my own knitting circle, y'all! It may not sound exciting to you. I understand. Just bear with me. I'm sure I'll touch upon something that you do find interesting. Eventually...

A Bold New Step for a VERY Private Person

Today, it would seem that technology makes all things possible. Okay... how about most things? For a few years now, I've had the dream (one of many) of creating a magazine that addresses everything Life from a CERTAIN perspective. (Hence the title of this blog.) In my mind, this was something that would happen later in life. You know, after getting married, achieving the career and having the babies. Perhaps I would get into it when I was close to retirement, would have the capital to invest and was looking for that new challenge. Well... let's see. Not married... not one baby... and no real career to claim as of today's date. Yet here I am. Writing my first blog post and already telling the internet community more about myself than I ever thought I would. 

What I hope to do through this blog is to discuss views (and possible arguments) that get muddled by what I simply like to call foolishness. (We'll discuss foolishness in more detail later.) Since this IS my blog, I imagine I will be doing a majority of the sharing and teaching. But I look forward to doing some learning as well. There will be plenty of lighthearted subjects such as my excitement over creating a new knitting pattern or learning a new piece of music. But there will also be more meaningful content related to social issues and the responsibility of the People (the true government). And it will all come to you from a Certain Perspective...