Storage Worth Coveting

And it's on sale at Collector's Cabinets.  Whoo hoooo!  Read through to the end and I'll point you in the right direction.  :)

A couple of weeks ago I did a post about collecting versus hoarding.  I made reference to my substantial bead "collection" (not "hoard" haaaaaaaaa) and got a comment back to show some of them off.  Well, in lieu of showing the beads in detail, I want to show you how I store them!  These are hand-crafted specially-made cabinets that have spaces for plastic trays that hold just about everything! 

  I divide the drawers up into colors (I looooove my label maker) and then use the stackable little beading bins that can screw together as the spaces for each type of bead or bead mix.  I can include the pricetag in the little bin so I have the values or I put it on a label on that particular bin.  If there is a weird stone or source that are particular to that particular set of beads, I either label it or just slip a little note of paper into the bin.  I do the same with any artisan beads so I can give credit to the right artists.  The drawers are deep enough that I can take the plastic drawers from a hardware set (like you would get from Lowe's to put screws or nails or whatever in) that can hold larger bead sets or just larger items in general.

And, as you can see below, you can take the trays out to work with.  Or, if you need to take beads with you to a class or a friend's house for a big bead night, you can just screw the little bins together and voila, you have transportable storage!

Why the sudden interest in storage?  Well, I want more. More trays and more pretty cabinets!  I went back to my source:  Collector's Cabinets.  I've been chatting back and forth with Sharon, who owns the business with her husband, Dan, to come up with the perfect solution for what I want to store, in the space that I'll have (in my new tiny apartment) and for the price I can handle.

Well, Sharon is looking to sell...they are ready to sell the business, so they're trying to liquidate all the plastic storage trays and to help with that, they've put all the custom woodworking on sale, too.  Here's just a little clip from their homepage at Collectors-Cabinets.com.  I would highly recommend checking out the site and giving Sharon a call if you're in the market for furniture to outfit your workshop or crafting area.  Or if you're up for a new business opportunity!!  :)

Summer Swirlie

Just wanted to share this pic of a recent design.  I'm using the draping methods that I learned from Noel Yovovich to work with a bit of sterling silver and create a casual swirlie slide that I love paired with a simple leather choker. 

You won't find them in my Etsy shop just yet since I'm planning on a little show this weekend over at a friend's house.  She's a big fan and amazing supporter, so wine, cheese, and pretties by the pool is the perfect way to bring my year of school and creating to a close.  If there are any left, I'll bring them on to the cyber world!  :)

Oh, and as I grow my wireworking skills there's always inspiration at the Art Bead Scene...the Carnival post on growth is a great one with some really inspired links!

New Gal on the Blog

My three days of wargaming at work are over, so I can finally get back to my creative blog life. 

I'm proud to introduce an old friend of mine who's now joining the crafty/beady/crazy/pretty world of jewelry blogging.  Elisabeth and her business Beads for Busy Gals now have a blog and an Etsy shop!  I have to tell you a bit about how we know each other...we're both Air Force officers and when we were junior officers a few years ago (haaaaaaaaaa) we were blessed to be stationed at Randolph AFB in lovely San Antonio, Texas with some of the coolest girls around!  The picture below is from around 2000 and since then, these classy gals have in their own ways become Air Force leaders, retirees, moms, and overall high-speed amazing. 

In the photo, there's Tracy, Abbie, Julie, Val, Susan, me, Stella, Elisabeth, and Heidi.  This family of girls and a few others who didn't make it out for Japanese that night have provided an amazing amount of mentorship and support as we've all grown through our careers.  If any of you understand rank structures, at this time, we were lieutenants and captains (O-2 & O-3) and now several of the girls are colonels (O-6) and in command of huge units!  How cool is that?! 

And if you want to see a uniformed pic, Elisabeth and I are in mess dress for a big function back around 2000...look at those little bars!  It makes me feel a little old to be looking at these pictures, but, alas, my own retirement is just around the corner!!

I guess I should get down to the jewelry biz here...Elisabeth and I met up for Bead Fest Wire up in Philly in April and I showed her how to spend serious cash in only minutes.  haaaaaaaaaaa  She's exploring different styles and materials and having a blast with it, so I highly recommend that you check out her work and give her your support!!

Hi Ma!

Happy Mother's Day!

Looking forward to laughing out loud with you a lot more when I'm back in Virginia in a few short weeks.  :)  We've gone from standing on the side of the parade route enjoying funny things to living right in the midst of funny things.  haaaaaaaa  Thanks for all your momness.  Love, Jen

p.s. Happy Mom's day to all you mothers out there...especially my sweetie nephews' moms, April & Julie.  Love you!

Got My Solder On!

A few weeks ago up in Philly, I got some edumacation in soldering from Noel Yovovich.  The class was a follow-on for me to create a flowing silver ring since I had the class a few years ago to do the flowing loopy silver bracelet and earrings.  The draping and silver-working skills that I learned through her classes have definitely helped form my "signature style," if you could say I actually have one.

So, adding heat to the draping and shaping was a pretty big deal.  First, here's my portable work-station (which has a foundation of a jellyroll pan) that holds all the important tools along with some of the shaped rings pre-heat.

And here's my torching workshop slash stovetop.  haaaaaaaaaaa  I needed to have ventilation and that just seemed the right place to have the setup.  By the way, it's not a gas stove so I didn't risk blowing up the whole house with my little sweetie butane super-torch.  I've got to throw out some love to my friend and supply dealer, Jeanette, at Fundametals which is where I got all my tools including the cute little pickle pot.  Just seeing that little pot right now makes me want some warm cheesy queso dip or something. 

Here's a closeup of the work in progress... 

And here's the finished product!!

I'm terrifically pleased with them and can't wait to get some more torchin' on!  Off to buy some more wire...:)

Beads 2010 Project: Calvin Orr

Way, way back in the beginning of this blog in 2008, I took a trip to visit my friends, The Stanleys, in Hawaii.  In addition to sandy beach adventures and wonderful fun just being together, I found the best bead shop in Honolulu:  The Bead Gallery.  Heck, it was my first jaunt into a bead store like that and I was in heaven!!  I think I made Lauren stay in there with me for at least four hours pawing over every piece in the shop.  To share some of that BGL (Bead Gallery Love) with you, here's The Bead Gallery Blog!

Well, while in the Gallery, I found some completely wonderful lampwork glass beads.  Even with a novice eye (haaaaaaaaa, now that I actually made one myself I'm no novice, right???), I knew these were amazing little works of art.  The creator?  Calvin Orr. 

Since that trip, I've treasured this piece that I made with a "Calvin Bead" (that's the name Lauren and I gave to these special pieces) that Lauren gave me as a gift.  It's soft and subtle and bold and unique and orange...my kind of bead.  I actually have this one hanging as decoration in my kitchen...when you have a bazillion pieces of jewelry in your house, they have to go somewhere!  haaaaaaaaaa

So why Calvin right now?  Well, with the recent arrival of the Beads 2010 magazine, I was thrilled to see his name listed among the tons of bead sources.  He has a butterfly piece on the "Bugs We Love" page that is so detailed and pretty!  His bio information on The Bead Gallery webpage include this description from a 1999 newspaper article: 

"The delicacy of Orr's beads are incongruous with his rough, tattoo-covered exterior. Orr's resume includes stints as a computer cable fabricator, janitor and tattoo artist. But it was his work in stained glass that brought him to lampworking."

That just cracks me up!  And it gives so much life to something that could be "just a bead."

It was serendipity, I suppose, that Lauren's birthday was last week and I just happened to have a delicate purple plumeria Calvin Bead from our very special shopping trip two years ago.  In my art bead bracelet way of late, here's what she got for her birthday:

If it looks kind of small for a bracelet it's because she has skinnie-minnie wrists.  :)  haaaaaaaaa  By the way, it fits her perfectly and she loves it!!  Whoo hoo!!

May Day! May Day!

Nothing's wrong in my world today...it's just the beginning of May. 

So, there's a few things that I'd like to say:

My husband shaved his moustache off, so we can all say "yeah"!
I wish I could see it in person, but he's still too far away.
But, he went to Bagram for meetings and sent me some beads today.
Don't know what kind they are, but they'll be awesome anyway.

Soldering's on the agenda today, but I'd be safer with clay.
The cat's chasing birds outside; hope he doesn't run away.
I'm drinking reheated coffee, much to my dismay
But I hate to waste a half a pot that's left from yesterday.

I'm going to a Cinco de Mayo party later on so I can play.
The exciting part is that the host can grill even better than Bobby Flay.
I'll take some wire with me to craft on-demand at the soiree.
Earrings and rings and are great for a giveaway.

Here's a summer necklace that's knotty in a really good way
And it's for sale in my Etsy shop, but not over on Ebay.
I'm gonna go pick some roses for a little kitchen bouquet,
So, ya'll go have a great weekend full of laughs and fun, okay?