Ovenfried Beads .. Poly Clay and Seed Beads in Cincinnati

Other People's Stacker Beads.....Part 6

2011-05-12T08:34:00.000-04:00

(Note: There is an issue with some formatting today, so I cannot present direct links through my text or make the end of it look particularly easy-to-read. Just check out my Etsy shop, which is listed on the sidebar, if you want to get a tutorial of your own.)

So my Stacker Tutorials have been selling like crazy, but I've been getting very few responses as far as follow-up photos by buyers. I suppose some folks just don't want to send pix for whatever reason and that's okay. Some may be taking their time to perfect it before they send them, and that's fine.

Well last week I received photos from a buyer who had received the tutorial less than a week prior. I thought I was looking at my own Stacker beads! I looked at them and marveled at how well she fine-tuned the technique in such a short amount of time.

This "she" I'm talking about is Marty McGraw, of Indiana. She says, "I sell my finished jewelry at Of Switzerland County in Vevay, Indiana (www.vevayin.com), The Artisan Gallery in Madison, IN, Shoppe on Main in Warsaw, KY, Arts-a-Poppin' in Indianapolis, and The Enchanted Sleigh in Centerville, IN. I used to have an Etsy shop, but it's currently not open. I don't have a very impressive web presence!" She may not have much of a web presence, but she does get her stuff OUT THERE where people can touch and feel and see it in person.

There are a couple of things that she demonstrates in the photos that is something I point out in Step 3. If you switch around the order of the 5 colors that you choose, you will get different beads. She also had some great feedback about some other steps. If you don't have the tutorial, these steps will mean nothing, but if you decide to get it, refer back to this.

~ In step 6, pretend the stripes in the ball are going from left to right, 90 degrees compared to the picture in step 5. That is the position that you will roll the ball so that you get the great long striped cone in Step 7.

~ After you cut and created 2 stacker beads, go back and continue step 6-8 with the remaining fat end of the cone. You will get more stacker beads that way. Any small scraps can be rolled into tiny balls to complement the rest, as Marty demonstrated in the second photo.

Thank you VERY much Marty for sending me your pictures and feedback! (And for the excellent feedback! I hope to edit the directions once my current stack of printed tutorials is sold out)

Right now my tutorial is on sale....as of posting this blog, I have 6 left at 20% off!

Beaded Boombox with a New Friend

2011-03-10T16:48:00.016-05:00

This first photo is a picture of Kathy Brannigan. She is an artist from Visionaries and Voices, an art studio in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio that provides a place for adults with disabilities to create and sell their original art.

Kathy is one of many artists who are being paired up with established artists of many mediums who are creating collaborative pieces of art to be auctioned at a gallery fundraiser on April 23. She is holding the finished piece that we made. I took one of her existing drawings, copied it exactly onto some heavy interfacing, then embroidered it with colored seed beads. I worked on it between 45 minutes-3 hours per day for 3 weeks.

This second photos is a picture of me and Kathy, taken about 2 weeks ago during a followup visit. I sat and embroidered the piece while she worked on other art.

Here is the first photo I took of the beading process. The boombox on the left is a photocopy of her original drawing. You can see on the piece on the right that I got about 2 beads on there.

This photo shows where I beaded the main outline. There are also some long waves of white beads on the white interfacing, which is kind of tough to see in this picture. I beaded the entire white background before I was going to start ANY color in the picture itself. I thought it would never end.

Here you can see where I started the red. She wanted the segments to be solid colors. I used small shiny dark red seed beads and shiny bugle beads in a broad horizontal stripe pattern. She was able to be confident that metallic corners would be nice, but I had to move forward on color selection due to some schedule conflicts. I always thought, "What would Kathy want?"

I did a LOT of beading between pictures. In this photo you can see the stripes in the red sections, the metallics in the upper corners, and the green center area and the handle. Notice how the antenna stops at the top.....it didn't stop there!

Here is the gold!

And here is the finished piece. I filled in the very round center with metallic silver and grey beads inside a blue-violet square. The antenna popped right out of the top and extended beyond the 6"x6" limit I imposed. It will be professionally framed.

Today (March 10) I dropped it off and was surprised at the small twinge of sadness I felt. It was so great to get to know Kathy during our visits and become intimately familiar with this drawing of hers. While she thanked me over and over for beading it, I had to thank her for drawing it. I plan on visiting her and hopefully doing some more collaborative work with her. Her drawings speak to me, so translating them into beadwork is a cinch.

I really hope to be invited to do this again. With the success of the piece combined with the new friendship with Kathy, I'm sure this won't be the last time! Thank you V+V (Nick, specifically) for inviting me to do this.

If you would like to purchase this piece, attend the Double Vision gala in April and be the highest bidder!

Stacker Beads from France!

2011-01-11T09:40:00.005-05:00

Here is the first submission of photographs from a nice gal in Cournon d' Auvergne, France. Her name is Isabelle Sebillet, and she has a blog you can check out. She really uses color and shape in ways that I never have. Many pieces are just outright out-of-this-world! Thank you Isabelle for sending me photographs. I love to see what people do with them!

Click here to purchase the tutorial that Isabelle got on Etsy. Make your own, then send me photos!

Stacker Bead Tutorial now for sale

2010-11-03T10:48:00.008-04:00

Hello there!

It's been a wild fall. Lots of crazy things on the personal, professional and spiritual fronts. Sorry I'm not so good at keeping up with this. I've spent the majority of my time working the day job, and filling in the rest of it getting amazing new work made for a big show I'm doing this Saturday in Cincinnati, in Clifton.

Anywhoo, I received many emails from folks seeking a tutorial on my Stacker beads. I responded by having one created by my good friend Aimee, a great artist and designer. Though the layout is simple, it explains how to make the beads, with photos that go with each written step.

I have opted to have it printed on real paper rather than just email a PDF, because I am including a couple of Stacker beads with the tutorial so you can have one in hand to study and hold in person. Any kind of craft like this is so tactile, and just emailing a file didn't seem like I was offering enough for the money. I want you to get a fun package in the mail and not just another bill!

The tutorial is $15, and it includes the printed steps, the beads, and the cost of shipping for customers in the US and Canada. International customers will pay $1 for shipping....which is less than it will actually cost, but will help defray some of my costs as well.

I am selling it through Etsy, though you are free to contact me if you want to order one directly. I accept Paypal, which you can use with your credit card or a check without joining. The tutorial is an affordable alternative to taking my class on the subject, especially for folks who can't get to Cincinnati!

Thanks for checking it out...

New Stacker Jewelry!

2010-08-04T17:46:00.003-04:00

It's been forever since I made Stacker necklaces and bracelets. This summer has been so stinkin' hot that even the thought of trying to roll them out is enough to make me go jump in a lake. BUT I enjoyed some fan-nage and cold water and whipped up these pieces yesterday....and posted them on Etsy.

This summer is starting to bum me out, because I have stacks of ideas of things to do...new tools....and more Stacker beads, now that I used a bunch of 'em up!

Thanks to Cynthia for posting my chevron beads on Polymer Clay Daily today. It's always a great surprise to be on there.

First Barefoot Run!

2010-07-19T11:53:00.006-04:00

Whelp, today was a pretty big day for me. I literally "stepped" into a new direction with running.

My brother is lending me the book Born to Run, and I'm almost near the end. Right before he gave it to me, he said it changed his life. So I'm almost through it, and I too am a new addition to many runners (millions in the world) who run barefoot.

There is one close park where I'm comfortable "getting my feet wet" as I learn the technique and allow my feet to adjust to the big bad world out there. Friendship Park is located on the east end of the riverfront in Cincinnati. It has a 1/2 mile helix-shaped cement/concrete sidewalk that winds through a beautifully manicured and landscaped park. Lots of gorgeous flowers and plants you just don't see all the time everywhere. The helix is rolling...but the ascents and descents aren't a big deal. The surface is very smooth...no cracks or crumbling areas that could pollute the rest of it. No broken glass, nothing except the occasional pebble (I stepped on one the whole time). In other words, if you run there in your bare feet, you won't leave with gashes and holes in your soles. I can't guarantee you won't stub your toe though!

SO, I've been pumping myself up for this for a few weeks. It's pretty nice out...cloudy, so the sidewalks weren't hot by 9am. I dressed in my normal running outfit, but with flip flops. Drove down to the park, left the flip-flops in the car and started walking. As soon as I realized how smooth it is, I started to jog. It was so nice...I haven't run outside in a few days. The flowers looked great, the birds sounded great. Almost had the whole place to myself. Earlier I had planned to switch between walking and jogging, just to be nice and safe.

After about a half mile, I started noticing some things that were SO different than when I run in my Asics.

~ Breathing:
WHEN I RUN IN MY SHOES, I tend to run faster than I should. As much as I try to slow down, it's hard to because it's uncomfortable. So, I usually end up huffing and puffing through, trying to keep up a nice healthy pace that I can maintain for a bit. But I find it very hard to synch my breathing with my pace...I have to force myself to do it.
TODAY, I didn't even have to think about my breathing. I just breathed what I needed to. Because I was running at a better speed that was coming naturally, my body just did it's thing. I could actually enjoy the colors and scents, all while keeping a careful and frequent eye on the concrete ahead of me. Today I paid closer attention to my body and what was happening to it, but in the future as it becomes normal, I'll probably spend more time paying attention to the world instead.

~ Posture:
WHEN I RUN IN MY SHOES, my back tends to hunch a little more as I lean forward. The cushions in my shoes make me work harder to propel forward, so I have to kind of push myself off of the bouncy cushioning and try to also be strong on my feet. My head seems to wobble more, too, probably because I'm going faster, bouncing around.
TODAY, there was an immediate change in my body's posture. My back was straight, chest forward (and for me, that means FORWARD), head was up, looking straight ahead. This made the whole running experience so much easier and more pleasurable. It felt so right.

~ Pain:
WHEN I RUN IN MY SHOES, my arches burn. (I had "corrective" surgery 15 yrs ago that gave me totally flat feet.) My ankles and knees get small twinges of pain. My right hip sometimes burns. My lower back also gets really tight and un-comfy. I get regular side stitches, too. The other day...like 3 days ago....I started getting shooting pains up the front of my left leg.
TODAY, the only discomfort I felt while running was some tightness in my lower right calf. Completely normal part of the transitioning to shoelessness. There will be a lot of aches and pains as I slowly re-train my feet and the unused muscles that have been "protected" by shoes for so long...and likely re-shape them into what they were before I had my central tendons cut. But most of the aches and pains today (it's been a few hours) are in my legs. I'll probably pop an OTC painkiller before work, just to take the edge off.

The way you land on your feet is completely different than when you are in shoes. Shoes allow you and encourage you to thrust your feet in front of you and land on your heel, which transfers a lot of shock straight up the leg and through the back, resulting in a plethora of potential injuries and health problems down the road. Barefoot running doesn't allow landing on the heel. The impact on the rest of the body is diminished because the foot is taking in the pressure. All of the pain symptoms I listed above didn't exist today. SO, instead of switching between walking and running for one mile, I ran a whole 1.5 miles straight, and could have gone farther. Having been warned by my brother than the day after is rough, I followed up with some hot tub, swimming some laps and the dry sauna at the YWCA around the corner from my apt.

I will likely buy a pair of Vibrim Five-Fingers (function over form, folks) so when I run in the winter or at Lunken or on trails while I'm re-training my feet, I won't get discouraged by rough surfaces on my soft skin. But I do plan on doing it totally barefoot as much as possible.

If this whole idea disgusts your or intrigues you or makes you want to try it today, I found this awesome site by an old-timer barefoot runner (who was the only one doing it in races in the States for decades). He has lots of great information, and answers to a lot of the questions that people have.

Another fabulous side effect of barefoot running is the money I will save by not replacing shoes and socks. ;)

Wow, so much.

2010-07-16T00:29:00.002-04:00

It seems like every time I blog, I have some kind of "news" that I feel like everyone on earth (who cares about what I have to say) has to hear. Well, I don't have any news, but I know that I haven't updated this for a while. SO.....

Classes: You will just have to wait until I re-post about this, because I don't want to give out dates and times until the hosts of my show (the Forest Hills Community Education program) confirms the info on their own website. It'll come soon, don't worry. Hint: The three classes I'm teaching are Millefiori Cane-building, Stacker Beads, and Seed Bead Embroidery.

Fitness: Some of you who are on Facebook know that I like to talk about my fitness stuff. I love to talk about running and working out. Though I'm far from a skinny athlete, I'm almost 50 pounds lighter than I was last year (and the majority of my 30's). Some folks have asked me how I've done it. Simple: Eat healthy, Exercise regularly. Sometimes as I walk by a dark storefront and catch my reflection, I still don't recognize the shape I see. Yet I know I'm not "there" yet, and that keeps me motivated to keep going.

My exercise of choice (and most enjoyment) is running. Running is hard. That's why you have to start easy and slow. I recommend the Couch-to-5K program, which will turn a non-runner into a 5K runner in 9 weeks. Now, I've been wearing some Asics to help me become a runner. Asics are designed for running, and aren't available at Walmart or Target. You have to go to a running store to get them. Or online. Having someone who knows about running shoes and who can look at your form, helps in getting the correct shoes for you. However.....

I'm in the middle of reading Born to Run, a book that my brother is letting me borrow, and that I find hard to put down. In fact, as I write, I'm listening to Diane Rehm's program from last week about Running in America, which features the author of the book, and with an emphasis on barefoot running. I live in the city, and I don't want to cut myself on some broken glass. However, there are some great parks with safe sidewalks that I look forward to experiencing without shoes. I'll need something in cooler weather, too, at least since I'm starting and I probably don't have the thick skin that will keep my nerves from burning in super-hot sun. Lots of experimentation to be had. (And money to be saved!) When it comes to inclement weather, including cold, I will always have this option.

So much of the energy that I used to put into creating jewelry or art or whatever has transferred to physical exertion. I don't work out 7 days a week, but I do keep it consistent, with proper breaks between runs/weights/cycling. I do fit the art into my time, but not so much as a profession. Hobby-status seems to be a bit less pressure, and I like that.

Ovenfried Beads Dot Com is almost gone

2010-06-09T13:17:00.002-04:00

I want to keep this brief because I have some housework I need to do in the extreme near future.

Ovenfried Beads Dot Com (my website) is slowly being shut down, and it's slated to disappear altogether on June 30. Today all of the photo galleries and the Stacker bead tutorial were removed. All that's really left is a mini-Etsy for both of my stores and some information on where you can find my work, and me, outside of that site.

I'm simplifying my life in a lot of different areas. The site was a fun little project for a while, but ended up costing me more money than is coming in. I spend way more time on Facebook updating on my Etsy stores, shows, and other things. Plus I send out an e-newsletter letting people REALLY know what's going on. Feel free to sign up for that!

Anyway, gotta run! (links to my other media outlets are listed to the left.)

Anticipation is killing me!

2010-05-19T18:02:00.005-04:00

This weekend on Saturday is the 2nd annual OTR/Gateway Quarter Summer Celebration....an awesome festival that I am so happy to be part of again this year. The weather forecast has been scaring me a bit, with thunderstorms possible/likely/maybe/wtf? Having a booth at a craft show in the rain is a drag. Especially if it's windy. I can handle some tweaks here and there to my booth to make it more bearable...centering the tables in the middle, or toward the back so that folks can huddle underneath when it rains. What I don't like is when people don't come because of the rain. I can kind of understand, but man, this show is FUN! I can't wait to steal away 10 minutes to peruse the Gargantuan Gay Garage Sale across the street!

My stock is insane. I have two large shoeboxes of jewelry. One of them is for newer work, and the other is for pre-2010. I have jewelry that is still in great condition, but is a few years old and needs to find a home. The new stuff is really fun and more contemporary, as far as Ovenfried Beads is concerned. The older work is going to be marked down for the last time. What doesn't sell will likely be donated to some charities as the opportunities present themselves.

What I'm so excited about is my new focus on making just beads. When loose beads are the focus, the quality improves. When I have to think to myself "how can I use this in a so-and-so?", I skip steps to make them more unique and appealing. I have posted pictures of these new beads on my website, as well as Facebook, for all the world to see.

OH, and on top of the whole early morning booth setup, I'll be running the 5K race that is starting the same time as the festival. Boy am I glad there will be a beer booth there for post-race-calorie-replacement! Today I ran 43 minutes....about 3.45 miles. That's about a minute more per mile as my first 5K in January. Since most of the route will be flat (as opposed to today's run, which was full of up and down, stairs, etc), I hope to beat my original time of 35:45. THEN I'll get to go be Miss Beadmaker in her booth. I literally cannot afford to bomb this show. If I'm lucky, the gods of weather will part the clouds, bring in lots of bead-hungry people and they'll clean me out. Unrealistic, obviously. But I know that either way I'll have a fantastic time, as I did last year when it was 90 and sunny the whole day. We baked out there. Saturday will be much better I think. Hope to see you there....you won't be disappointed!

New work now online!

2010-03-26T14:06:00.007-04:00

Do you know the best way to annoy your Facebook friends?

Post your new Etsy items...each and every one of them....

Often several a day.

And hope that someone will buy something.

My Great Aunt's Notes Feb 1-7

2010-02-03T21:05:00.004-05:00

This evening I was looking through a box of old books when I found an ancient devotional that my mom's aunt Evelyn kept for decades. Each page had a date and the religious devotional that went with it, and Evelyn wrote notes about things in the margins. They were like an "on this day in history" entry. I leafed through and I'm really fascinated at the things that she wrote....some were big history like "war started", and sometimes it was just the weather for that day. It's her own personal history book!

Does anyone do that anymore? We always plan ahead and jot notes down about what we will do, not what has happened. Even worse, so much of it is digital, and it's often deleted forever.

Each week I will post the things that she wrote so that I can understand her more as the person I really didn't get to know, as well as remind us the big things in history that we have forgotten or didn't know at all. Sometimes I added words to clarify what she was saying (such as the word "degree" instead of the little circle next to the number, for which there is no font). If I wrote it exactly as she did, much of it wouldn't make sense.

Feb 1:
~ Fire and Burglary system comp installed today Thurs-1979 CDAlarm - dumb thing to do !
~ 66 degrees Wed 1989 record since 100 years ago (65 degrees)
~ 63 degrees Sat 1986
~ 10" snow - 1966 home at noon
~ Rev Nussbaum's last Sunday - 1953 Wonderful services

Feb 2
~ Bill in Deaconess, Mon 1987 Pneumonia + 105 degree temp (to Feb 8)
~ last car 3-31-1988
~ SOLD '87 Dodge! Oct 1992
~ Owned my first car as of today 1950 Dodge 1959
~ Mrs Miller moved in Sat 1957 (apt vacant 3 months)
~ Tues 1954 - retired - Rev James Sanders
~ Wed 1955 - retired - Rev Harold Walker

Feb 3
~ 1852-1996 Saturday McAlpin's downtown CLOSED
~ To 32 cents Jan 1995 (postage)
~ To 29 cents 1991 from 25 cents
~ Bought my first home! Saturday 1962 $15,500.00 5.5%

Feb 4
~ 71 degrees - 1962 Record breaker
~ 61 degrees - 1986

Feb 5
~ 8 degrees - 1962
~ Mom's landing Fri 1971
~ New partial Sat 1966 $125.00
~ New green rug in mother's room + replaced August 1975
~ New green rug bought for mine.

Feb 6
~ Margaret Berenford passed away Mon 1990

Feb 7
~ Helen Beigel with Lord - Tues 1984

(Update: March 26, 2010....obviously I didn't follow my big dream of posting everything in her book. Frankly, her handwriting is pretty darn hard to read. )

The End of One Era and The Start of Another

2010-01-15T21:04:00.004-05:00

It's Friday night and I'm eating asparagus for dinner, the way my great friend Susan taught me. I'm washing it down with a Miller High Life....cheap, drinkable beer that I can buy across the street for under $7.00. My usual choice would be Blue Moon, or Christian Moerlein, or maybe Sam Adams. They don't sell those across the street.

Work today was like night and day in one 7 hour period. For most of the day, we had a steady stream of people but it never got overwhelming. Then, at almost exactly 4:15pm, both doors opened and people gushed in like tidal waves that crashed in a sea of fabric and beads. I can't remember the last time I cut so much fabric, so quickly. All of the fabric is 75% off, starting today. I suppose people still had to work, which is why the slam came so late. Even though we technically close at 5, we still had people in line at 6:20pm. I was cleaning up the aftermath and noticed that yes, we are selling out of stuff, and it will be gone very soon. It was the longest 9 hour day I've worked in a very long time.

There was a moment of zen when I looked up in the crowd and saw about 8 of my favorite 50 customers all shopping. I felt like something part of something bigger, like as souls we were supposed to cross paths for a while. Had I thought about it longer, while I caught my breath and cleared my head, I would have surely started to cry. I have helped all of those people over the years with their quilting and beading projects....and have been able to get to know them more as people and not just customers. And nowhere else would I have met all of them. It was St Theresa Textile Trove that brought them into my life over and over again. Fortunately in the last couple of days I've been able to say goodbye to many good customers who I've always enjoyed having around...lots of sincere hugs and thank-you's. Tomorrow is my last day there, the cap on 10 years of intense work in the best store in Cincinnati. It'll probably be so busy because of the sale that the day will fly by before I can feel the looming sadness of the loss of such a great store.

But really, lots of great stores and come and gone. Remember God Save the Queen and Woodsprite on Vine? Aquarius Bookstore (over 20 years!) on lower Main? Lots of hardworking people have had great shops and have had to close their doors for whatever reason, but we all just keep on keepin' on. And new awesome stores will open up when the void gets to be too big.

So Monday is my New Beginning....a Clean Slate. I'll be starting over at the bottom. Which is really where I need to be now. Being "in charge" for so many years has been rewarding and challenging, but honestly, now I just want to be told what to do. I want to learn the ropes of Half Price Books starting with the floor, then proceeding to the corners, then the walls, then the shelves, the books, the signs, the everything. I look forward to a broader customer base in a different part of town, working with lots more people (including MEN!...I haven't worked with guys for 11 years....luckily I get along pretty darn well with that half of the species). I look forward to an expansion of my peer group, and even a new circle of friends. This change couldn't come at a better time....and I'm so ready for it. Many of my regular Trove customers have vowed to follow me to Half Price Books. I believe them, and I will smile and help them find the book or DVD or CD or vinyl record or whatever they are looking for, just like I helped them at the Trove.

St Theresa's will literally be a memory in a very short period of time. It's unlikely that I will get there between Sunday and the 31st...the official last day of business. All of the staff is going to be there on the 31st....I imagine we will be sipping wine between customers, reminiscing, crying, laughing, enjoying our one last big HURRAH before the paper goes up in the window. I wonder how many customers have no idea we're closing. Once the store is closed, I wonder how many people will drive x number of hours to shop, only to find us empty. (Note to reader: If your favorite store has an email newsletter, JOIN IT. That's how you find out important stuff like this.)

All I can say at this point is that it has been an honor and a privilege to work at the Trove. It has certainly been a character-building experience, and I know that much of how I work at Half Price Books will be a direct result of what I learned at the Trove. I hope that if you Cincinnati locals are able to stop by tomorrow, that you will. I'd love to see you. It may be crazy and I may only be able to squeeze in a desperate "hello", but I will remember that you came by!

Antique Mall = Perfect Birthday

2009-12-31T14:43:00.010-05:00

Freaky mannequin.

Great beadwork. One of several beaded pouches.

Lovely cabinet.

$65 glass snail.

"Being John Malcovich" nesting dolls.

Marionettes.

Happy orange mugs. Should have bought these.

Warthog and butterfly. How cute, and only $280!!

All but abandoned Etsy

2009-12-17T22:28:00.005-05:00

Man oh man! Life has thrown quite a few curve balls my way this year. I can't wait til it's over. 2009 (especially the last half) has been the least productive year for me regarding new beads and buttons. Seems like I've had the same jewelry for years and years...who knows how many. I just don't feel like literally sitting down as much as I used to. My mind is restless, and it's very hard to focus on creating. Sales have shown it, too. I have no idea what 2010 will bring....what distractions will keep me away from the escape that making little treasures provides. Or maybe my definition of "escape" is changing. My Etsy sales this month have been: zero. I'm sure if I were able to invest the time into Etsy or my website that I could, if the following life events haven't kind of taken over, I would have better sales. But honestly, I don't really care. After I post this blog I'm going to go into my studio and work on making some jewelry, I guess. See? If I use "I guess" after stating something that involves creating, you know I must not be feeling the mojo.

My distractions:

Fitness:

Running, lifting weights and doing pushups (or any physical exercise, especially challenging exercise) are a really effective way to dissipate stress. My diet has gone to hell over the holiday season, but I am keeping active. The other day I bought my January 2010 YWCA pass. Since I have no clue if I'll have gainful employment in February, I figure that if I buy the pass this far ahead of time, I'll be more likely to afford February's and maybe even March's monthly pass. It would be cheaper for me to commit to a year, but I'm not feeling that risky right now. Paying $55 for full access (no restricted hours) to a gym that's 2 blocks away, during the crappiest months of the year weather-wise (lugging all the "stuff") is well worth it. Last night, my brother and I went for a run on the most dreary, drizzly, damp, cold day possible. And it was exhilarating! I probably could have gone for another 10 minutes, but his calf was hurting and I didn't want to make him sit in a steamy pickup waiting for me. But I can say that it did whet my apetite for more cold-weather running. He estimated I ran about 2.75 miles.

Mom:

My mom is the best. She has had to transition to living in a nursing home....though she can still get around, has her mental faculties pretty much intact except for short-term memory issues. This could have been a really bad situation.....but she has accepted the situation and is now thriving more than I remember in past years. Next step is to get her apartment cleaned out. That will occupy much of my "free" time over the next month.

Work:

St Theresa Textile Trove is closing in just 6 weeks, which is coinciding with my 10 year anniversary there. I have started submitting my resume to places...one in particular is a job I'd REALLY like to get, but will have to wait to find out if they're interested. On top of everything else going on, I need to keep on the job search. I just don't have the resources to tide me over until I find new work. Part of me is a little scared, I have to admit. I haven't been unemployed for more than 2 weeks since probably the early 1990's. And as much as I'd like to be able to support myself with my craft, I really need to interact with other people. I like being out in public, talking to different folks.

So, I'll get going now and start making something, for someone, somewhere.

6 months later

2009-12-09T17:27:00.005-05:00

Some folks have asked me for a before and after photo. These are 6 months apart. The one with me smiling was taken today.

Bottom line: Eat healthy, keep your body moving. Period.

Very strange week! I mean, creepy.

2009-12-05T22:53:00.009-05:00

Ok, so I'm kind of freaking out just a tiny bit. Listen to this:

1) My maternal grandma loved clowns. She didn't go overboard or anything, but she did have some figurines and an old clown painting from the 1960's that my mom painted, using a guidebook. When I was a child, I remember her playing "Send in the Clowns", that depressing song, sung by Carly Simon.

Before I could correctly pronounce "Grandma" as a young child, I started calling her Ranga. That name still sticks. It's like "Mee-maw" or "Na-na". Noone that I've spoken to has ever heard of that as a name for anyone.

Last week, a traveling clown, a cute French older woman collecting donations to further her work in children's hospitals, came into St Theresa Textile Trove, where I work. She really was very nice. Not creepy at all. She had a nametag with the name of a doll attached to her front....the name was Ranga.

2) Tonight I was checking the store's email, just to see if we've had any orders over the weekend. There was one from a customer, responding to an email my boss sent her. She signed it with a picture of my cat, Kitty. It is a small thumbnail image with the lady's website beneath it. I KNOW that photos was not on my computer. She had to have sent it. I wonder if it was ever on my old Myspace page. Really shows me how far one of my own photos can go. Makes me very very happy there aren't any pictures of me doing anything embarrassing floating out there. I sent the customer an email asking her where she found that...the curiosity is killing me! I'll be sure to let you know.

UPDATE: The customer told me that the image she attaches to her emails is a photo of a raven. Makes it even weirder, that her image is different than what is showing up.

By the way, her quilts are amazing. Please visit her website and see how gorgeous her site and work are!

Two times this week something very symbolic occurred...a sign only I could recognize. I wonder what it all means. And what will be the next "coincidence" that will knock me out of my own shoes?

********************************************************

While I'm here, I might as well post the results of my first 5K running race. 35:43. I'm damn proud. That guy is my brother...he was 21 seconds ahead of me at the finish line. Thanks Jay and Mike for the pictures!

I look forward to warmer races in the spring, that's for sure!

I'm tired! Goodnight!

Secret Artworks Postcard!

2009-11-21T08:10:00.006-05:00

This image is of the postcard I made for Cincinnati's Secret Artworks fundraiser. Nearly 2000 postcards were submitted. The revealing of the postcards was at the Westin Hotel on November 20, and hundreds of artists and art patrons got together to view and purchase the postcards in person. It was my first time doing this at all, and I must say it was one of the most fun evenings I've had in a LONG time. Lots of my arty friends were there. One of them saw my snail sell within 2 minutes of the doors opening. Makes me feel good that it found a great home fast!

I'm having a sale in my Etsy stores, ovenfriedbeads and ovenfriedbuttons, this weekend, through December 1. Might as well jump on the "great deals" bandwagon. I'm feeling particularly in need of funds to prepare for my days of possible joblessness.

Good news: I finished the Couch-to-5K running training program the other day. For the past 9 weeks, I ran 3 days per week, following a series of timed walks and jogs. First day of the program I was running just 1 minute at a time. Now I can run over 30 minutes straight, and have begun the One Hour Runner program. A couple of days ago I also started the One Hundred Pushups program, too. Yeah, I'm working on becoming a lot stronger and fit than I have been the rest of my life before now. I'm still overweight, but life is better now that my body is getting in shape. My first 5k race, the Jingle Bell Run in Cincinnati, is next Saturday. Weather may be iffy, but I'm going to run it anyway.

Ten Years is a Very Long Time.

2009-10-28T22:45:00.007-04:00

This image is of a large quilted banner that the staff of St Theresa Textile Trove made so many years ago. Each of us pulled a letter (or a few) at a staff dinner at Benihana in Cincinnati, and made our letters independent of everyone else. I like the "ransom letter" effect.

The store has been in business since 1994. I've worked there since January 2000. It's going to close for good in January 2010. I have managed the store for about 5 years.

Probably the main thing I would say on a personal level about the Trove is the intense education I have gotten from it. Not only have I learned a boatload of information about international and domestic textiles, beads, buttons and what to do with them, but also creative problem solving, accounting, computer skills, customer relations (because we do forge relationships with our customers), merchandising, and the list goes on. I hope that any future potential employers will look at that and consider hiring me...because I will need a job after January. I will dearly miss so many of the customers who have dropped in during the years. I know I will run into many of them in Cincinnati from time to time as I continue to vend at shows and teach beadmaking classes.

I know that we will receive many sad emails and calls about our closing. But let me assure you, Becky and I are feeling much relief. She has really put her entire livelihood on the line to keep the store open. As I like to say, "Love doesn't pay the bills." If it did, we'd have franchises all over the country. The store has been on virtual life support for a very long time, and that's not a healthy way to continue doing business. We are not going to dwell on sadness for what is lost....rather we will look forward to the adventures that God/the Universe will have in store for us.

Ovenfried Beads will remain alive and well through and past this transition. St Theresa Textile Trove was my career, but Ovenfried Beads will hopefully step up a bit in the queue.

If there is anything that can be learned from all sides of this situation, it's this:

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES.

What does your tree look like?

2009-10-24T21:12:00.003-04:00

A few days ago I went to the laundromat to clean my clothes, and while the wash cycle was going, I took a walk at Stanberry Park in Cincinnati. Colorful fall leaves and photographs were my main treasures. The photos above are from a huge tree that has been carved through the decades. I didn't notice any obviously new carvings, but one thing that was so obvious was the age of the carvings. About 10 feet high, old lovers' initials were stretched and spread out. The bark continued to grow, and the lines filled in. Almost the whole circumference of the trunk is covered in scars. If you have a chance to check it out, I recommend it.

The photos of the carvings inspire me to think about what kind of scars or carvings there are in my own personal spiritual tree. What events, relationships, dates, times and places have left a permanant mark on my own history? How deep are they carved, and how legible are they? Equally important...what kind of tree is it? Trees are so symbolic in so many way, and the answers are completely subjective.

New Items on Etsy today!

2009-10-12T18:45:00.009-04:00

Stacker Necklace Deluxe

New Earring Design. Pretty! And fun to make!

Nice Green Stacker Necklace.....31" long!

Weight Loss Update

2009-10-05T07:57:00.004-04:00

Since I started talking about my weight loss a few months ago, I haven't been very good at keeping up with it. In a way that's probably pretty good, because I certainly don't see the point in blogging about losing a pound. I noticed that my last post was August 21, when I was 16-18 pounds lighter. Well as of today, it's 30 pounds. My weight is hovering around the 200 mark, give or take 3 or 4 pounds depending on what time of day it is and if I'm nekkid or not when I weigh myself.

My weekends tend to be more relaxed as far as diet is concerned, but I do work out just about every day. Yesterday I completed Week 4 Day 2 in the Couch-to-5K program for new runners. In the beginning of this program I thought "oh my GAWD I have to run for 90 seconds straight?". Now I'm running a 3 and 5 minute run, twice in a workout. Later this week it will be all 5 minute segments, then 5 and 8 minute segments, then a full 20 minutes nonstop.

I need to get back on the South Beach wagon if I want to speed up this weight loss. I've become too lazy, though I still eat much healthier than I used to. Tomorrow is my visit to Hoxworth Blood Center for my 8 week bloodletting, so I'll get to weigh myself on a proper doctors' scale AND get my cholesterol screening. I'm pretty pumped about that!

No Before/After pics as of yet, so I'll leave you with this photo of a little collection of items I've found on the riverbank.

Shameless Plugs

2009-10-04T17:17:00.014-04:00

The 2010 Polymer Clay Calendar by Marjorie Oxman is now available for purchase! I'm Miss September. Rather, my Stacker Beads are Miss September. You can order it here if you want a copy, and they are 25% off through October 11. Use the promocode "FALLFOTO" to get the discount! I ordered mine this morning!

December 5 is the Jingle Bell Run/Walk in Cincinnati. It's a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation, but even more importantly, I'll be running a real race for the first time in my life! I've been training for the past month, and hope to be able to do the run comfortably by the day of the race. So far so good! Anyway, if you feel inclined to sponsor me and support Arthritis Foundation, click here to see my personal race page. You can have your name flow down a continuous contribution ticker! I will post my results in this blog. The race is still 2 months away, but that's about how much time I'll need to be ready!

One more thing.........If I haven't already mentioned here in my blog (and I obviously haven't checked), I enhanced my Stacker tutorial page with text to help folks with tips, tricks and hints. I hope the new page will help folks learn how to make them! Initially I wanted to avoid too much text, because automatic translations across the oceans of the web could really do a botched job of it. However, maybe not.

Fall Directions

2009-10-03T09:32:00.013-04:00

For the last couple of months I have pretty much neglected my Flickr page and blog. I guess I just don't "feel" the internet thing like I used to. After being on Facebook for a couple years, I kicked myself off after experiencing almost drug-like effects. My friends on there were for the most part pretty darn interesting, and I was always wanting to see what they have to say. Long story short, I want to spend more time doing life than talking about life. Since I ditched FB I am creating more things and being more creative.

John and I have been spending a lot of time in my attic, getting it ready for art-making season. I make art all year round, but the art in my attic is predominantly focused on my found objects/trash that I collect on the streets and the riverbank. One evening I gathered all of my finds and organized them. My attic is a wonderful, dark, inspiring place. Even though I can hear the city streets outside, I cannot see them, so it's almost like a protective coccoon. The photo above features some river finds on a square board. It's my "temporary art" board where I do simple quick meditations of arrangements of the items. This one shows a mountain landscape, with a moon, a second planet, a brown cloud and a rocket.

Yesterday I compulsively started a new bed quilt. My second one, about 3 years after completing my current one. It's turning out exactly how I imagined it would. I'm taking 9"x9" squares of my very favorite organic-y, cellular, biological-looking images. Some of them remind me of patterns one would see through the lens of a microscope, while others may mimic leaf vein patterns. Also, I am using fabrics that I swore I'd never really use, because they were perfect the way they were. Initially I expected to feel uncomfortable cutting these whole fat quarters, yard cuts and multi-yard cuts for a square I can never replace. On the contrary...I felt relief, like by using it, I'm setting it free.

This photo on the right is my cat Sweetie walking on the newly ironed pieces. Like the typical cat of a fairy tale, she tried to pry a pin out of two layers of fabric. Then she nestled in a pile of folds she made from it.

At any rate, I finished this much of it in two nights. Last night I cut about 65 squares, and tonight I cut the black strips and sewed two rows together. It will be roughly queen size. There will be either 96 or 104 squares in all. I think.

I'll try to post blogs more often. Stuff just happens so fast that I can't keep up with it!

Other People's Stacker Beads .. Part 5

2009-09-01T22:09:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I received an email from Maika Martinez from Pamplona, Spain. She has been making Stacker beads, and I must say that she's doing just great! One thing I really like about her Stackers is her use of white. All except 4 of them have large doses of white or very light yellow. The "multiple effect" is great. They look good enough to eat!

Maika's Flickr page has lots of great work. She likes to experiment with different techniques, and she does them well. She is also a member of the APE, a.k.a. Association of Polymer clay of Spain.

Thanks Maika for sharing your version of the Stacker bead.

I invite more folks to show me theirs. If you want to give it a try, visit this page.

If you go to my archives from May and April, you'll see others who have done the same!

What a Summer!

2009-08-21T19:30:00.010-04:00

Man it has been forever since I posted here. Since the previous post, where I started the South Beach Diet, I've lost between 16 and 18 pounds. I exercise every day, and feel absolutely terrific!

This new routine has transferred mental energy, too. Where I used to want to just retreat into my art studio sanctuary and get lost in the potential of polymer clay, I am now thinking about a new route to take on my bike, or how far I think I can jog. Food also takes up a LOT more of my mental energy, too. Cooking is so much more exciting, so I am always thinking of new ways to prepare my favorite foods. Nowadays I'm eating so much more veggies....probably more in one day that I used to eat in a whole week before I changed my ways. White potatoes have been totally deleted from my diet. My favorite veggies are asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, red bell peppers, orange bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, spinach, garlic, green beans, cauliflower and cabbage.

Here is one of my favorite photos I've taken with my new camera. Yes, this is my third camera in the last 5 years. This is a dried seed pod from a water lily. This has been in my collection of natural items for a few years. Picked it up at Cowan Lake near Wilmington.

My brother took me to Cowan Lake a week ago for my first kayaking trip. It was perfect. And so much easier than I thought it would be. Granted, the surface of the water was like glass....zero current. But the big "field" of waterlilies and the creek that connected to it were just gorgeous! (Sorry, no pix of that!)

This picture is a recent one of me...taken earlier this week. My friend Alyssa and her mom visited the shop. Alyssa is I think 13 years old (her birthday was July 4 but I forget what number she turned!) and is a real natural at designing earrings. She brought in a container of them to show me and hear my professional opinion of them. I think they're great. I can tell she thinks them through. She was sweet enough to give me two pair as a thank you for encouraging her. You can't see them in this picture, but they look damn good.

Green beans at Susan's! She invited me over for dinner last Sunday. It was one of the best dinner's I've ever had. These green beans were so good!

These are little scraps of aluminum and other metals I found on the banks of the Ohio River. The artisitc possibilities of stuff like this kind of just blows my mind.

Well I better get going. I need to do something to prepare for a show I'm doing Sept 26 in Anderson Township. A Fair of the Arts. Be There.

The Incredible Shrinking Beadmaker

2009-07-20T09:57:00.003-04:00

Well, that title seems a little preliminary, but I thought it seemed a little catchy.

Today is my 3rd day on Phase 1 of South Beach Diet. I've never been a yo-yo dieter or try every goshdernit diet invented, but after seeing my friend Susan shrink to a hottie bod, I decided to give it a shot. I read her whole South Beach Diet Supercharged book before I began it. Then she lended me the first one, and I read most of that too.

What amazed me the most is that I already eat most of what one can have anyway. My biggest weaknesses are bread and potatoes, not sweets. But I do have some sugar-free candies on hand for sudden urges. I can feel my cravings for chocolate and other carbs quickly going away....I have to make myself eat the snacks between meals that I'm supposed to have. My skill in the kitchen is getting better....I can't wait til I can have root veggies so I can add them to my big veggie soup recipe.

My perception of my body feels different too. Granted, I've been doing a lot of exercising the last week, so of course I feel physically better. But my mind is so clear...my awareness is very sharp. I don't feel or look physically lighter (yet), but I do feel mentally lighter. The thought of buying myself a bikini for my 40th birthday is very enticing. I've been plus-sized since high school....not severely, but I've always heard "you have such a pretty face" and "you have such a great personality". Clothes shopping is sucky. I don't expect to start wearing really slutty or revealing clothes when I lose it, but I do expect to have a much better selection to choose from.

So for the next 11 days, I will eat no bread, no fruit, no sugary items, and low fat everything else. I'm eating lean meat like chicken and sirloin, lots of veggies like red peppers, mushrooms, onions, spinach. Can't wait to sink my teeth into a nice Gala apple!

Polymer Clay Class 2009...the out-of-towners!

2009-07-13T10:30:00.014-04:00

These are my new friends! All 4 drove from pretty far away from Cincinnati .... 3 from the east coast, and one from Texas! Here they are, having fun making beads.

Ok guys, here is how you make Stacker beads. Cut a thin slice fom 5 different colors of clay, right off of the brick. Stack them on top of each other, cut that stack in half and then stack the two half-stacks on top of each other. Got that??

Roll the cube of stripes into a ball, then begin to roll it so that you create a striped cone. Remember, don't roll it back-and-forth...just in one direction. You want it to be kind of like a cone-shaped barber shop pole.

Determine a good place to cut the striped cone. This spot looks pretty good!

After you cut the cone down the center from the point to the fat end, start to coil it onto itself, kind of like a snail shell, except the fat end is in the middle instead of the tiny end. This keeps the beads solid and strong.

Before you know it, you'll have a tray chock-full of Stacker beads, ready to be drilled! These gals were Stacker bead experts in just a matter of a couple of hours.

Thank you Marie, Leah, Carroll and Helen for coming so far to spend time with me, sightseeing, eating, swimming, beadmaking, laughing, driving, exploring and creating. I hope you can come back to Cincinnati again next year.......... for Part 2~!!

When People Use My Work, I Smile

2009-07-07T19:28:00.004-04:00

Recently I got a nice stack of orders from this gal, Stephanie Hovsepian of Mine Hill, NJ. I was wondering, what the heck would someone need so many buttons for? Who is knitting sweaters in the middle of a hot summer? Then she sent photos, and it all made sense. Visit her Etsy shop to see more! Thanks, Stephanie, for your support of Ovenfried Beads! *(and ovenfriedbuttons on Etsy.)

Making Progress

2009-06-17T08:58:00.003-04:00

Last night, in preparation of the show where I'm vending this weekend, I completely cleared off three of my work tables in my studio, folded them, and set them aside. Considering each one was piled full of crap before they were cleared, I call that Making Progress.

I found my list a couple of days ago that I made so I could get to sleep. They say if you have problems sleeping, make a list of your next-day chores, so your mind can let them go and actually get some productive rest.

Here I will bore you with the list I made. Some items have been packed...some haven't...and none of the little square boxes I drew next to each item have been checked. If you can think of anything I should bring, please let me know by Friday. This blog is just to take up space and keep it current. My next one will likely be about the show, after the fact.

Show list!

- change for box $200.-
- calculator
- credit card slips
- ball point pen
- mini-clipboard
- Sharpies
- packing tape
- lint roller
- table cloths
- chair
- extra cigar boxes for display
- pliers
- display tree
- mini display couches
- small bowls
- spinning rack
- lazy susans
- drill (charged)
- cooked canes
- business cards and holders
- fabric bowls
- ear plugs!

Pendleton

- framed piece
- earring rack
- other display items
- necklace and bracelet holders
- magnet board
- type tray

YART Sale on Etsy, June 10-14 only!

2009-06-10T08:20:00.005-04:00

Hey Etsy buyers! Starting today, ending Sunday, is the annual YART sale on Etsy, where sellers can have great deals and specials, sales and bargains, all at the same time.

My merch in my ovenfriedbeads store is all 20% off, and regularly-priced buttons in my ovenfriedbuttons store is also 20% off.

Remember, it's only through June 14~~!!

Artist Spotlight at Glendale Handcraft Gallery

2009-06-01T16:05:00.002-04:00

Visit the website of Glendale Handcraft Gallery to see the interview featuring Yours Truly!

I sent a ton of Stacker jewelry to the gallery and it is on the sales floor, ready for eager Stacker-seekers! Tomorrow I will be sending them a box of buttons, pendant necklaces and more earrings to replenish what has been sold, plus some.

Thanks, Jennifer, for putting so much energy into promoting my work!

If I Were Ever Incarcerated.....

2009-05-27T18:06:00.004-04:00

...I would immediately request to lead a crafters group. Give me my polymer clay, tools, seed beads and fabric and I would have a whole gang of women (no pun intended) creating a line of Prison Gear.

Creating small treasures is about as close to Nirvana as I can get on earth. Art is a therapist.

Above is a new pair of earrings......polymer clay cabashon made using the Stacker method, with Czech faceted glass and seed beads. Earwires are Saki silver. You can buy them on Etsy or come buy them at the Pendleton Art Center this Friday. I'm having a great sale....

Buy One Get One Free on ALL BUTTONS.

Buy Two Get One Free on ALL EARRINGS.

Visit my website for more info about Final Friday and my work.

Sermons that Knock You Off Your Feet

2009-05-24T11:00:00.008-04:00

This morning I attended church where I used to attend and serve for several years. It's one of those insanely huge, modern "megachurches" called Crossroads in Cincinnati. I took time off from it for several reasons, but the main one was transportation issues. After visiting last week, I knew I had to come back, and boy am I glad I did. If I grab a 7:45am bus, I can get there in plenty of time to not miss a minute. The other services are just not in synch with the bus at all, which was why I stopped going. It was too "inconvenient" to get up to go that early.

Today's sermon was about reconciliation....in relationships with each other and with God. A minister I hadn't heard preach in a LONG time was Chuck Mingo, and I am really glad I got up at the crack of dawn to get there to see him. Just an hour there this morning packed a punch that I just couldn't take my mind off until I could talk about it here. Communion usually isn't celebrated during the weekend services, but it was today as part of the reconciliation message.

I had been craving communion since last night, when I watched Passion of the Christ. Holy Moly. People had talked about how much of a "bloodbath" it was, and they were right. As a follower of Jesus, I was totally emotionally WRAPPED UP in it. I was a mess. Part of me had been craving something that severe to wake me up again. I bought the DVD at the library book store for five bucks. Worthy price.

The tattoo above was applied about a year before I was baptized at Crossroads in 2006. There were periods where I thought I may have made a mistake. But now I'm so glad it's there. It is more like a reminder for me where I come from than a cool cross tattoo.

Other People's Stacker Beads ... Part 4

2009-05-19T19:19:00.005-04:00

Margit Böhmer, from Gera (Thuringia), made these Stacker beads months ago. She contacted me about them, and when I saw this picture I remembered that it was probably the first Stackers I saw after publishing my simple tutorial. After a little tour of her Flickr page, I feel so inept in my variety of techniques. Margit is one of those clayers who can do so many things so well, probably partly because she's a member of the same German guild as the others I've featured here so far. I'm particularly attracted to her African-inspired beads (or should I say as-close-to-African-beads-as-one-can-get). The store where I work, St Theresa Textile Trove in Cincinnati, has many of these beads (but are not featured online...sorry!), so I can attest to their accuracy not only in design, but how they're strung.

Thank you Margit for contacting me! If there wasn't an ocean between us, we'd be claying together for sure! There must be something in that European water.

Other People's Stacker Beads...Part 3

2009-05-15T09:13:00.007-04:00

Greti Botka made this lovely bracelet out of her Stacker beads. I just love this photo. What a clever background. Greti is from Austria and is also a member of the German Guild, like the other featured Stacker bead makers. To see more of Greti's work, visit her Flickr page.

I decided to stop using tags or labels for my blogs. The program wants to plug in words I don't want to use. Example, suppose I want to use "Art" as a tag. When I write in "Art", the word "Art Beads automatically fills in and can't be edited. If you know a way around this, please let me know.

Other People's Stacker Beads...Part 2

2009-05-13T19:47:00.008-04:00

Today I got a great email blog post from Polymer Clay Daily which seems to fit perfectly with my coverage of Stacker beads made by other people.

Listen to this:

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic.

Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to."
- Jim Jarmusch

The Stacker beads above are from PetraTornack-Zimmermann from Germany. She is a member of the German Clayguild. Her Flicker site has lots of great photos of her polymer clay, clothing and ATC's. Her Stacker beads look eerily like mine....but I'm so glad because there's no way I could provide Germany with all the Stacker beads they need! Clearly she didn't "steal" my idea...nor did I come up with it myself. It was a combination of timing, circumstance and past information all rolled (literally) into one technique.

Other People's Stacker Beads...Pt 1

2009-05-12T08:16:00.010-04:00

Shortly after I posted a free tutorial on how to make Stacker beads on my website, photographs started popping up here and there on Flickr. Once I saw a couple different people do it, I decided to feature their own Stacker beads, just to illustrate how we all can take something that's a fairly precise method and make it our own.

The above Stacker beads are from Gaby Birrer of Switzerland. I think her photo here was the first bunch of Stackers I'd seen that weren't mine. Don't they look just good enough to eat? I think they look like chewy fruit flavored candies. Perhaps it's time for me to go make breakfast!

She also does some great extruded beads that get me pretty excited.

If you too decide to make Stacker beads, or have already done so, let me know! Just send me your name, where you're from, your websites (up to 3...like Flickr, Etsy, your own, etc) and a JPEG image of your Stacker beads. I will let you know when I feature you.

Second Sunday on Main - Mother's Day

2009-05-11T10:26:00.011-04:00

This little girl really really wanted my snail hairclip. She was SOOO adorable. I forget her name, probably because I was hypnotized by her total cuteness. When I took this photo, she was saying "Happy Mother's Daaaaaay. Happy Mother's Daaaaaaaaaaaay" the way people say "Cheeeeese". I had a great time at Second Sunday, but she was the icing on the cake.

This is part of my display. I've started doing some new packaging and display tactics to help protect my work, make it easy for people to handle and keep the cards clean. I carved stamps to create labels....kind of primitive looking, but when you see 60 of the same exact "Ovenfried Beads" labels, it looks pretty good.

These items are by members of my church. One of them, Sue Cline, is a potter. The prints are by another girl whose name I can't remember but starts with "A". They were provided by a couple of members who are collecting donations for Cat Rescue. (The one on the right is called "Angry Chick" and the one on the left is called "Squirrels with Guns".) Near the bottom of the screen are some of my fabric postcards.

More pottery by Sue, as well as a fantastic book called One Hundred Miles from Home by Carol Rainey of Cincinnati. It's about the nuclear contamination of the Ohio Valley from 6 nuclear plants that operated during the Cold War. Pretty disturbing.....you may think the park you hike in is clean, but in most cases it's likely not. Carol does not have a website promoting her book, but since I've read it I've been the "big mouth" trying to get the word out about her book. If you're interested in purchasing one, please contact me. They are $19 each and worth twice the amount considering how much information there is.

I was exceptionally stoked because The Hiders were the first band to play on the stage. I. Love. That. Band. I hope to totally do SSOM again next month.

Dental Work is Great When Your Dentists are Smokin' Hot

2009-05-06T17:57:00.007-04:00

Today I had my bunk tooth all wrapped up in pearly goodness. A root canal and the placement of my new crown on tooth #14. Some folks will question why I would blog about something like this. Here is why:

I take great care of my teeth....no cavities in over 15 years. When #14, a molar, started getting really sensitive, I found out it had cracks in it. Then it started hurting worse. In order to avoid a potentially awkward and painful moment (ie, spitting it out after biting into one of my favorite foods....probably in public because I rarely cook for myself), the Universe decided it should be dealt with by professionals.

Well not only were the dentist who carved away my crumbling tooth (Dr. Jerry Paul) and the endodontist who did the root canal (Dr Timothy Kreimer) FANTASTIC at keeping away the aches and pains, they are both totally model-worthy. When I was a kid, my dentist was not model-worthy, and he had halitosis to boot. These guys are calm, collected, VERY professional and I'm totally satisfied with their service.

Anyway, the thing that shocked me the most about the root canal was the lack of noise during the procedure. I didn't have an iPod, but there was some boring European football game going on. The sound of jackhammers filled my brain beforehand in my anticipation of the procedure, but it was so....quiet. I knew Dr. Kreimer was threading all sorts of micro-screws up in there, digging out the source of my pain, but it didn't bother me. Even the burning smell didn't bother me, when they were doing whatever root canal-givers do. No, I didn't suck on a tank of nitrous or be given a shot or pill to calm me down. In fact, I almost fell asleep. Go figure.

So I walked a mile or so to my dentist after the root canal, hoping to squeeze in my new crown cementing-in, and it worked. Years of sensitivity are over, after my week or so of tenderness. My boyfriend and I are making soft foods tonight for dinner. Yummy!

If you need a root canal and have never had one, don't be freaked out. It's nothing. Think of it as an 'enhanced filling'.

And if either Dr Paul or Dr Kreimer read this post, don't be embarrassed about me outing you as totally gorgeous. I have a boyfriend and I love him very much.

Treasury!

2009-05-04T22:08:00.006-04:00

I'm probably the only person who has trouble capturing a screen shot on Etsy, even after reading the directions! So I took a picture instead. With my camera. My earrings are featured in the center of the top row. What a great surprise!

Had a long day today.....spent time mentoring a great kid. We had a blast, walked all over downtown Cincinnati and Newport, KY. Now I must shower and head to bed so I can have some energy to work tomorrow.

Oh yeah, dentist visit tomorrow too. Yay.

First Needlefelted Project

2009-04-30T08:51:00.006-04:00

Last night I took a class at St Theresa Textile Trove in Cincinnati on how to make this needlefelted flower. I had never felted anything before last night, and was so surprised how easy it is to make something complex. (This flower is what I'd consider complex, for a beginner). Each student made their own design....the teacher, Sarah Miller, taught the technique. Sarah is a natural teacher....very very good indeed. She is teaching a class on a Magical Mushroom House, and I think that will be a great class if I can take it.

I want to start incorporating my own polymer clay buttons with needlefelting, but I'm not sure what exactly I want to make. I have an idea!

Newest Finished Pieces

2009-04-29T08:59:00.016-04:00

This bracelet/earring set is a new bead design, derived from my "baby snail" design I've been doing for years. The sphere is basically flattened, creating a place for the swirls to be focal. I like these more than the round ones now, so I'm going to make more.

This nice ATC is a gift for a girl in India who I sponsor through CCF. She'll be 14 in August but I'm going to mail it to her sooner. I think I got the batik at Hancock Fabrics.

Living downtown, I'm a real downtown snob. This pin is for folks who love Over-the-Rhine, the neighborhood just north of proper downtown. The gorgeous architecture, colorful population and the rich history of the neighborhood makes it a real gem. I tried to represent the vibrant life in this pin. It was for sale on Etsy until I noticed the black string underneath the clear glass beads in the letter "R". Just WAY too obvious of a flaw. In the meantime I'm slapping it on one of my purses to show off, and hopefully get orders.

Newest finished pieces

2009-04-27T08:40:00.012-04:00

This fish is not a funcional 'thing' right now....just has a backing that looks like water. I could attach a barrette finding or hanging apparatus on it, but I think I'll wait . One of my BIG DREAMS is to create a whole school of these embroidered fish. How many lifetimes would that take? Probably just this one, if I stopped making everything else. BTW all of my fish eyes are a single Stacker bead. You can buy it from my Etsy store. Check out my links on the left for the link.

Newest Stacker bead necklace. When I was sick a couple weeks ago I went nuts making Stacker beads. I have to make a few hundred of them to have a quality selection to choose from. Not all Stacker beads are great, but I do pick the best ones for the powerful pieces like these. It's for sale in my Etsy shop. If you would like a shot to make your own, visit this page.

Combining my polymer clay focal pieces with seed bead embroidery is one of my favorite challenges. The two just seem to go hand-in-hand. This brooch is also for sale. Mokume gane is my favorite polymer clay technique. It takes practice to know when your loaf is gonna look good or look like shit when you slice it. Some clayers just take all their scraps, slice off a chunk and call it mokume gane. But no....it's a bit more refined.

New OTR Bead Painting

2009-04-10T17:50:00.009-04:00

Here is my newest "bead painting". I would write an elegant description about it, but I am totally exhausted from a 9 hour road trip from Washington DC. Click on the title "New OTR Bead Painting", and you will be taken directly to the Etsy ad where I posted it. Yes, it is for sale.

I will write more about my trip this weekend. As for now, I need a shower and a nap!

The Dogs

2009-04-04T12:27:00.005-04:00

Last week I dog/house sat for some friends from church. These three dogs are HILARIOUS. One of my favorite times to watch them was when they would rush out the doggie door in the garage up to the kitchen to eat dinner. They were literally blurs, and sometimes two of them would try to fit through the door at once, and one of them would have to back down.

They're powerful protectors. Not everything going on outside grabs their attention, but the important things do: other dogs, Fedex deliverers, and paperboys collecting two dollars. I pity the fool that steps in that front door uninvited.

And then they're so submissive, too. It doesn't take long to make Sadie almost melt in slow motion onto the floor on her back. She's so strong and muscular. (She's the dog in the middle pictured above). But she can be overcome with just a touch of the forehead.

Aspen (the white one on the bottom) is older. I can tell by her eyes and her back legs....stiff hips. She's also not as quick to run the long distance around the backyard, at least not this week. Maybe she knew it was muddy. Her growl sounds like a bear. When she and Sadie were roughhousing my first night there, they both sounded like fighting rhinos. It was hilarious.

Bobby, the black dog above, is really the underdog. The others are so much larger (or at least taller, which means something in the animal world), so Bobby tends to be last. At feeding time, I have to get Sadie and Aspen on their own bowls so Bobby has a fighting chance to eat. Those dogs INHALE their food.

Anyway, thanks for letting me chill with your dogs, Pat and Burk. I had a lovely time. Can't wait to show you my newest bead embroidery piece I made largely in your dining room.

Today's color is BLUE

2009-04-03T15:38:00.008-04:00

Today I posted the above earrings in my Etsy shop. It's all I'm putting up today. In fact, it's all I've put up all week because I haven't been close to my computer all week, at least not for enough time to get online.

Earlier today I dropped off a MASS AMOUNT of earrings and other jewelry to a new shop opening up in Glendale (small town just north of Cincinnati). It's called Glendale Handcraft Gallery. It's a cute spot...small but well-lit in an easy-to-find location. I wish the owner, Jennifer, all the best of luck. It's SO refreshing to see someone opening a NEW business (especially in the arts) when all the news you hear is that the financial sky is falling. My friend Sarah once said I'm "excessively optimistic"....and I am especially that way now, even when uncertainties of my professional future linger. If you live in or around Cincinnati, or will be visiting Glendale soon, please visit the shop and support it if you can. They are aiming to open on Saturday, April 11.

I can't wait til the next over-60 degree day! This spring seems like November!

Downtown at Night

2009-03-26T22:51:00.005-04:00

Walking downtown is one of my favorite relaxing thing to do. I don't do it often, as I usually prefer to walk with John and not alone. We were walking from his place to mine last night. My camera is constantly with me, so when I see opportunities for cool photographs, I totally take advantage, even if people wonder what the hell is so interesting. There are so many beautiful things that I'm afraid I'll miss something really important. Or something I'll want to re-visit once the need for inspiration arises.

Classes at Home

2009-03-24T08:25:00.006-04:00

On Saturday I taught a beadmaking class to one of my biggest fans as well as two of her friends. It was a total blast! At first I had pre-show jitters...walking around nervously making sure all the clay colors were out, tools were in place, lighting was good, and polymer clay books were arranged. I think I'm going to start advertising more for this kind of getup. Since I ditched my car years ago (yes I miss it for doing shows), transporting pasta rollers, bags of SculpeyIII, ovens, ceramic tiles and my decent-sized collection of polymer related publishings is a Major Pain. But doing it in my place is easy.

My studio is a really interesting place to create, which is probably why I'm so prolific. My apartment has 'belonged' to many artists, and the vibe is great. I like the rawness of it. It's excellent location in downtown Cincinnati with super-easy parking, close proximity of some nice affordable, healthy restaurants and the library make it even more appealing.

So I guess if one would like to take a beadmaking class at my place, just shoot me an email. I'll give you more details.

I'm back. New computer.

2009-03-23T19:22:00.005-04:00

I had a blog for a little while. It was kind of fun, but pretty annoying because my million year old Millenium Edition couldn't handle this website and it kicked the bucket and I had to get a new one. Three weeks without a computer really taught me a lot of stuff. Get a lot more work done. My home was cleaner. I started projects that only resided in my head for months or even years. But n0w I'm involved in the internet again, on a much more limited basis regarding my Favorites list of websites I visit often.

Anyway, I'm in the middle of making some Stacker beads and listening to some music from the band Lush. Takes me back I say.

If anyone has advice on how to manipulate uploaded photos, let me know. I'm having a terrible time making this look good. This will likely not be as full of pictures as other people's blogs are. You can go to my Flickr page to see those.