Blingy things and big screens

I promise to resume regular programming very soon. Let me at least give you a peek into what's been occupying all of my free time these past couple of weeks (along with the usual job, grad school, etc.)

For those of you in the DC area, come visit the wondrous Holiday Shop at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church in Alexandria on Saturday and say. They have very high-quality crafts and the most helpful volunteer organizers.

I did this event last year and it was lots of fun. (Read about my Kumihimo-ing in public here.)

This same weekend is the Alexandria Film Festival. This project is a labor of love for my friend Patti, who launched this event six years ago, and a labor of friendship by those who love Patti and want to support her. I've been helping out with advertising and publicity.

There is a fabulous, eclectic lineup of local, international, ethnic, provocative, offbeat, outrageous serious, haunting and hilarious films. Many of the filmmakers will be in attendance.

It starts Friday and ends Sunday night.

Now from reading about those two events, you might reasonably assume that I live in Alexandria. I do not. I live on the northern side of DC, in a Maryland suburb, and I always get lost when I drive to Virginia. But such is the power of my friend Patti, who does live in Alexandria, that I brave the border.

For those of you who don't live in the DC metropolitan area, it may be hard to fathom how Marylanders and Virginians feel about crossing the Potomac. I am more likely to drive to Baltimore than I am to cross over to Northern Virginia, which is less than half the distance. Every Marylander I know feels the same way, and every Virginian I know feels the same about venturing into Maryland. It's like DC, which separates us, is a kind of DMZ.

Rings and running in circles

Ack, I wish I could blame Hurricane Sandy and a power outage for my lack of posting. She's partly responsible, in that she delayed my return from Texas by two days last week.

Amazingly, we had no loss of power. (I say "amazingly" because every piddly thunderstorm seems to knock out power in our leafy suburb. Above-ground power lines and mature trees are a bad combo.)

But my graduate class is in full throttle (paper due tomorrow) and the Alexandria Film Festival needs some of my attention. Plus I have a craft show coming up in two weeks. Oh, and I decided to throw an Election Watch party. So let's just say posting will be erratic for a little while longer and I'll get back to my I Might Make That! Mondays and Need a Laugh Wednesdays when things calm a bit.

The pic shows off my handiwork at Lexi Erickson's class in metalsmithing at Beadfest Texas. Most of the students were way more experienced than I was. But still it was a great intro, and I got to use a jeweler's saw for the first time, and learned proper hammering, filing and finishing techniques. The real biggie was that I got to use an acetylene torch in my first attempts at soldering.

In addition to making the three sterling silver stacking rings shown here, we made copper triangles cut from copper sheet metal that were supposed to be turned into earrings. My triangles were a little lopsided (but full of character), so I plan on using them to make a focal at a future point.

Sneak-peak at a WIP

Hi everyone--just a quick note to say that I won't be posting for about the next 10 days or so due to travel--some work, some play--and the post-travel catchup I can already foresee.

Here's a kumi lariat I am working on right now. I'm doing this one on a foam disk, not the marudai, because although the marudai goes faster, it's not as portable, and I was able to carry this from room to room while watching TV, listening to the radio, etc. over the past week.

This is about 36 inches, made with size 8 seed beads and C-Lon cord, and I'm about ready to tie it off.

Procrastination humor for Need a Laugh Wednesday

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Susanne on Pinterest

Just sayin'.

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via cathie on Pinterest

Source: indulgy.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: straighten-up-now.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: designeriphone.tumblr.com via Judy on Pinterest

Source: pentagram.com via Karmel on Pinterest

Going to Bead Fest Texas!

Hey gang, is anybody out there going to Bead Fest Texas next week?

I'm combining a business trip to California with a stop-off in Austin to see my lovely daughter for a couple of days, then a weekend in Arlington to attend Bead Fest.

I've never been to one of these shindigs before. There is one in Philly every year, which is much closer to where I live, but for the past several years I've had schedule conflicts. I'm determined to go to the big Kahuna (the Bead & Button Show ) in Milwaukee someday, but I think our summer vacation plans will interfere with this year's show, so that will stay on my bucket list for now.

In Texas, I'm scheduled to take an all-day workshop on metalworking with the fabulous Lexi Erickson. (Maybe I'll learn enough soldering skills to attempt that copper jewelry display I blogged about yesterday!)

I won't be blogging next week while I travel, but I promise to show off my stash when I return, plus my metalsmithy attempts.

Craft show display ideas for I Might Make That! Monday

Garden trellis--and perhaps a craft show jewelry display--from Reader's Digest

Source: the-artistic-garden.com via Geneva on Pinterest

OK, smart reader that you are, you have deduced from the photo that I am not offering up jewelry tutes this week. I have craft shows on my mind, because I'll be doing one shortly before Thanksgiving. I spotted the above--a garden trellis--on Pinterest recently, and my first thought was that it would make an awesome jewelry display. Add a base, a few more horizontal bars...

Given that I have only about a month to prepare for the craft show, and I need to concentrate on making stuff, this is not going get done before mid-November. But for anyone interested, the instructions are here. They are not very detailed. It's really a supplies list and some tips, such as flattening and soldering the pipes together if you can't find four-way fittings, and mention of a glue that works on copper. But I'm filing it away for the future.

In the same vein is this display, which the pinner is using as a bathroom organizer but I think would make a great table display for jewelry.

Source: thiscasita.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Instructions are here (do you really need them?), and the tutorial shows some versions made with ceramic plates.

Oh Pinterest, you know I can't quit you.

Serving up leftovers for Need a Laugh Wednesday

It never fails that whatever I choose as my topic for Need a Laugh Wednesday, invariably I later find something brilliant on that theme I wish I had included. So I'm serving up leftovers today.

My very first Need a Laugh was devoted to Beading Humor, so here's another serving. (I think I saw this on Mortira's Inspirational Beading Facebook page last week).

That was followed by some grammar gibes. So here's another heap o' snark:

Source: mlkshk.com via Geneva on Pinterest

And here, let me freshen your coffee:

Source: media.photobucket.com via Geneva on Pinterest

When I featured cat humor, I meant to include this video. At the time, our rascally kittens were really into unrolling the toilet paper roll every chance they got, and I was sure they would graduate to this trick. Luckily, they haven't yet!

Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew the bills weren't representative of their actual usage, and no matter how they tried to conserve, the high bills continued. Although they could see nothing wrong, they had everything checked for leaks or problems; first the water meter, then outdoor pipes, indoor pipes, underground pipes, faucets, toilets, washer, ice maker, etc., all to no avail. One day Jim was sick and stayed home in bed trying to rest but kept hearing water running downstairs. He finally got up to investigate and stumbled onto the cause of his high water bills.

Source: youtube.com via Monica on Pinterest

And who among us has not mixed different leftovers together to create something new? Behold, a serving of combined grammar-cat humor!

Source: mlkshk.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Some seasonal Pinstrosity:

http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-to-help-husband-hazards-halloween.html

And for dog lovers (all pet lovers, really), I'll share this link, which was whipping 'round the Web a month or so ago and is both funny and sweet: My Dog the Paradox.

Stretch cuff bracelet for I Might Make That! Monday

Stretch Cuff Bracelet from Pretty Quirky Pants

Source: prettyquirkypants.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Today does not feel like Monday to me. I had to work on Saturday and got today--Columbus Day--off, so it feels like Sunday instead of the end of a three-day weekend.

Normally I write my posts on Sunday evening, but this installment is coming to you in real time!

I discovered this lovely stretch cuff bracelet on Pinterest. The designer is Pretty Quirky Pants, and if you click on the link, you'll see step-by-step photos and instructions.

I like stretch bracelets because I like a close fit (I spend too much of my time at a keyboard to have something jangling around on my wrist with every keystroke.) The multi-strands of this cuff would give this extra security, I think. Note that these are plain cubes, not two-hole Tilas. The squares provide a nice texture.

I will also provide a tip about stretch bracelets that I haven't tried myself yet but definitely will. I thought it was part of this pattern, but I must have seen it elsewhere in my Pinterest-surfing. Many people complain about the knots on stretch bracelets coming loose, even if you put a dot of glue on them. I have had this happen myself. Last year, I read about using crimp tubes to secure stretch bracelets--i.e., you treat the elastic just like it's beading wire. I did that last year for some bracelets I made for some holiday craft shows, and that seemed to work pretty well.

But that's not the tip I'm passing along. One ingenious artist--and I wish I could credit her--suggested that you knot and crimp. She strings a crimp bead on each strand end, ties a knot, then threads the knot ends that you would usually trim back into the crimps on either side, then crimps them (trimming the extraneous ends at that point). That sounds really secure to me!

I don't give a font! for Need a Laugh Wednesday

Source: trfling.com via trfling on Pinterest

Every journalist I know who came of age when people actually read newspapers has a love affair with typography. So for my newshound friends, as well as my designerista friends, I present:

Source: themetapicture.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Source: thehandmadehome.net via Geneva on Pinterest

Source: shweiki.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Source: failblog.files.wordpress.com via Bert on Pinterest

Source: flavorwire.com via AlexanderInteractive on Pinterest

Source: behance.net via Geneva on Pinterest

Source: google.de via Shannon on Pinterest

Etched metal focals for I Might Make That! Monday

Rings & Things' copper etchings

Whew boy. Real life has set in--work (including a few Saturday commitments), school demands, a few extraneous volunteer commitments, building inventory for a mid-November craft sale. I intend to keep blogging through it all, but expect a lot of short, quick posts like this one for the next few months.

Here's a great tute on metal etching from Rings & Things that I'd love to try. Lots of pics and lots of links for those who want to read more. Has anybody tried this? Share in the comments if you have.

(Yes, I know I've fallen behind in keeping my IMMT!M archives current. I'll catch up eventually.)

Yom Kippur

Good yom tov to all observing Yom Kippur. It doesn't seem appropriate to post a Need a Laugh Wednesday on a day of atonement, so I'll do one later in the week.

Post earring roundup for I Might Make That! Monday

"Easy Peasy" post earrings from For the Love of Beads

Yikes, I'm discovering that this Monday feature is now competing with my Monday-night class for my precious Sunday hours. (Because, of course, I could do my reading and other homework over the course of the week, but inevitably put it off until Sunday night. Ditto this blogpost.)

Anyway, enough whining. I have been on the search recently for some earring tutorials. Tutes for ear wires, whether you mean French hooks, old-fashioned kidneys, or something more arty, are fairly easy to find. But frankly, I prefer to wear post earrings (either simple studs or something with a smallish dangle.)

Tutes for post earrings are much rarer. Most of what I found in my Internet quest involved buying posts with flat pads like this and then gluing a cabachon, half-drilled pearl or even a cute button onto. I have some of those findings, and yes, they're fine, but not terribly original.

Here's a roundup of some different looks.

The pic at the top shows some square spiral post earrings from the blog For the Love of Beads. I wasn't familiar with this blog, but the author is a glass artist. She has some other tutes, many of them lampwork-oriented, at this link.  (She throws in some hot dish recipes, too!)

Spiral Wave earrings by artless

In a similar squiggly mode are these earrings at left. They are called "Spiral Wave." Here's a link to the tute, which isn't free, but the price is only $3. The designer's name is listed as "artless."

And continuing on the spiral theme (I'm not going to post a pic for the next one, because I've mentioned the site before), WigJig has a tute for simple spiral posts here.

The next tute isn't a free either, but it's absolutely lovely. A steal at $6. The artist is the very talented Nicole Hanna.

Nicole Hanna's stunning geometric post earrings

If you're not familiar with Nicole Hanna's blog, she's very funny. This link will take you to the site for purchasing instructions to make what she calls "Geometric Post Earrings."

Below is a free pattern I found on Craftsy. I love this one.

Gailavira's Beaded Spiral Post Earrings

The designer is Gailavira. The link shows it in several variations.







And I'll finish up with this one. It does start with one of those flat-pad post findings, but it's unusual enough to include here. The designer uses poymer clay and nail polish to create an unusal finish for these studs.

Chic Metal Earrings from Quiet Lion

And if I do wind up making my own ear posts, I now know how to use a cup bur to file the ends, thanks to a great post by Pearl of Beading Gem's Journal on sanding and filing.

Need a Laugh Wednesday: Gone to the dogs

Source: bijouandboheme.blogspot.com via Geneva on Pinterest

As I shared in my recent tribute to cats, I haven't had a dog since childhood. But I certainly like dogs, and I understand the appeal of their unabashed loyalty.

So here's equal time for the canines.

Source: iwastesomuchtime.com via Geneva on Pinterest

(If you're not familiar with the Tumblr blog Texts from Dog, check it out!)

Source: google.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Source: epicfail.com via Geneva on Pinterest

xxxxx

Source: memebase.com via Geneva on Pinterest

Ok, now the image I'm about to share is, hands down, the funniest thing I've ever seen on Pinterest.

















Not the funniest dog pin, the funniest pin, period.
















So put down your coffee mug so you don't snort coffee out your nose.

















If you're at work, be prepared to stifle your giggles.


















It still makes me laugh every time I see it.


















Readers, I present to you:

Source: Uploaded by user via Geneva on Pinterest

An honor to be nominated, and a tribute to my nominator

(Mandy of Beads for Brains' Blogger
profile image)

Recently, Mandy of Beads for Brains nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award!

I was both honored and flattered to be recognized by her, and to be included among the creative and talented bloggers she gave a shout-out to.

Because this award is similar to the Kreativ Blogger Award in which I already shared seven random facts about myself, I'm going to hijack the award rules and instead list seven awesome things about Mandy:

1. She and I have never met in person, but she exudes such warmth and humor through her blog that I feel I know her.

2.  I learned about her 365-day project (in which she took on the challenge of trying a new bead project every day) from some other beading site, when she was at about day 60, and I was so intrigued by it that over the course of a couple weeks, I back-read her posts all the way to the blog's inception.

3. What I liked about her blog was that at first she was a newbie like me, so I could relate to her experimentation. But within weeks she far, far surpassed my ability. She is a poster child for how accomplished a person can become through sheer practice and diligence!

4. Her relentless online search for beading patterns has taken all over the world, where she has promoted the work of bead artists from Russia, Hungary, France, Italy and elsewhere. Thanks to her, I installed Google Chrome on my computer so that I could read the (amusingly wonky) translations of these patterns. And she taught me that with a good schematic, words aren't that important.

5. Through her, I discovered a number of great beader-bloggers, such as Sally of Wild Sally Road, as well as some non-beading blogs, like Clutter-Busting. (Unfortunately, just reading a blog does not put stuff away. Still working on that one. But this post is about her, not me.)

6. A few months ago, she published her first pattern--in Bead & Button, no less!

7. A rough patch about a year ago has prevented Mandy from finishing her project in 365 consecutive days, but she is continuing her beading journey on her own schedule, and I continue to look forward to every installment. I hope she knows that there is an army of beader-bloggers out there cheering her on to the finish line.

Seeing double for I Might Make That! Monday

I promised a double feature last week, so here are two patterns for two-hole Twin beads.

Although these have been on the market for awhile, I have not purchased any yet. But I already know I prefer their rounded, more organic shape to the square Tilas. (I did get a small packet to play with when Preciosa Ornela staged a giveaway, but haven't had a chance to experiment. There were enough beads to make a focal, but not a full bracelet.)

But I have been collecting Twin patterns. To the left is one for a bracelet featured on the Preciosa Ornela website.

Click this link for a downloadable PDF of it.

During the Olympics, the company also published the pattern at right. I'm not sure what the "support the athletes" headline  is about. Apparently the Czech and U.S. flags have the same red, white and blue color scheme and it just refers to showing team spirit; I don't see anything about actual money going to the Olympics.

Besides promoting the Olympics, Preciosa was also using the pattern to introduce its new pressed-glass Twins, which allows the company to manufacture them in many more colors.

I think this pattern has the worst name in the world--"bracelet with small bells"--because the junky jingle bells are the most forgettable thing about it. What's really cool is the illustration that shows the beaded beads done up with spirals, stars, zigzags and diamonds. (The pattern schematic shows only the spiral, but once you made that, maybe you could decipher the patterns for the other designs shown.)

I'm highlighting only two patterns here, but there are many more on the Preciosa Ornela Twins website, plus an inspiration album.

[Previous I Might Make That! Monday entries can be found by clicking the widget at the top-right corner.]

Non-Profit Humour for Need a Laugh Wednesday

Non-Profit Humour

After a long career spent mostly in hard-nosed daily journalism (no, I did not keep bourbon in my desk drawer, but at both the AP and Washington Post I knew people who really, truly did), I entered the nonprofit sector in 2008.

(Insert joke here about newspapers having become nonprofit organizations too.)

Nonprofits, I soon learned, have their own lingua franca. "Donor engagement." "Impactful." (I refuse to acknowledge that one.)"Aspirational peers." "Planned giving."

If you have also ever worked for a nonprofit, you will appreciate the humor of the excellent blog Non-Profit Humour. (It's Canadian, hence the "u" in "humour.")

Here are some recent headlines that I found amusing:

Hospitals fight over last remaining volunteer under 60

Street fundraising gets results with leghold traps

Charity's YouTube video just makes them look even more lame

Some other observations about the difference between nonprofit work and journalism:

1. Once, after I'd stayed way late and knocked myself out to meet a deadline but discovered that no one else had met theirs, a colleague said, "We view deadlines as, well, aspirational goals."

2. People who work for nonprofits generally do not swear like sailors.

No I Might Make That! Monday! today

I was traveling all last week on a last-minute trip. I was organized enough before I left to write and schedule last week's posts in advance, but not prescient enough to plan something for today as well. I promise to post a double installment next week!

Need a Laugh Wednesday: Pinstrosity

Is uber-snarky Regretsy one of your guilty pleasures? Are you addicted to Pinterest?

Then let me introduce you to the metaphorical offspring of their unholy union: Pinstrosity.

I stumbled on this site a month or so ago, and it cracks me up on a regular basis.

I guess it's not really fair to compare it to Regretsy, because that's a site in which the editor(s) make fun of godawful stuff they discover on Etsy, and the people submitting to Pinstrosity are sending in their own failed attempts to recreate a Pin on Pinterest. There is usually good-humored discussion about what went wrong (and it usually involves a confession of not quite following directions or a creative approach to substituting ingredients.) Occasionally the authors report "Pin Wins"--successfully duplicating a Pinterest project.

I haven't seen too many jewelry experiments yet--mostly food flops and craft fails. Have you seen that Pin that shows you how to create a flower by gently melting plastic spoons into petal shapes? The picture sequence is too long to republish on this blog, but here's a link to the Pin and the Pinstrosity.

It's nice to recognize that most DIY projects don't come out looking like a Martha Stewart staged shoot.

Here's one of my favorites from recent weeks:

You can read the full post here.

Soldered pendant for I Might Make That! Monday

Soldered pendants from Stampington & Co.

Does a soldering tool count as a power tool? A while back I wrote in one of my IMMT!M features that I got into beading because it didn't require special tools, then I found myself coveting a Dremel drill when I saw what other crafters were doing with them.

Although I grew up in a household of three brothers and a sister who was handier than all of them combined, this was still the eras of Girls Take Home Ec Boys Take Shop Class and I never learned how to use the simplest tools, like a soldering iron. (Is it called an "iron" or a "gun"? See how clueless I am?) There's been nothing stopping me learning how as an adult save for lack of motivation, and I happened to marry a man whose lack of skills matched mine. We do our best to support the local handyman industry.

I knew lots of jewelry makers used this technique, but I always assumed soldering to be part of advanced metalsmithing that I would need to take classes in. (I have to confess, I was much more interested in learning why it is pronounced "sah-der" instead of "sole-der" than how it was done.)

But whoa, Eva Maria Keiser just posted this video on soldering on her blog a few weeks ago.



I'm sure soldering is more complicated than this demo makes it look, but the fact is, I had never even seen soldering done. This looks easy! And look how girly this soldering kit looks!

So maybe I'll give it a go. Please share your soldering experiences too!

New/old work ... and some more cats

Here's a piece that I actually began working on in early July, when we went to Chautauqua, New York, for a week. On the long car ride there, I attempted two or three bead combos but didn't get anything I liked, and kept frogging. (Do beadweavers say "frogging," or is that strictly a knitting term?)

Once we were at our destination, I played around a little more and got this Cellini spiral started, and worked on it on the drive back. Once I got back home, I found my bead swap beads from Dot waiting for me, and knew I shouldn't distract myself from creating my bead soup necklace, so this has set on a corner of the bead table. But I can pick it up again now.

Interestingly, the beads Dot sent me were in mostly browns and greens, and I already had pulled out all of my beads in those colors for this experiment, so they were easily accessible for adding to the bead soup I made for Daphne of the Woods.

And I do have one quick update to the cat humor I featured last week. I learned from the FB post of a friend who lives in St. Paul about the Internet Cat Video Filmfest at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. (I thought it was a spoof, but no!) Here's a link to New York Times coverage of the event.

And below is the winner of the Golden Kitty award!