Magical Beadstalk - The Artful Jeweler

Creativity Can Be So Elusive

2012-01-04T08:15:00.012-05:00

My plan to write a blog entry each week has fallen flat. Seems difficult to come up with ideas - seems like I am better at one per month.

We are into 2012 and I haven't been in the studio for a month or so. I can't seem to find my creativity - it ran away and is hiding somewhere warm!.

Thought I would write about some of the changes happening in my life and maybe it will provide impetus for me to get upstairs to work..

The biggest event happening this year is that my daughter is pregnant and we will have another baby girl in our lives. That's so exciting for me and Elaine. Alya is now 2 1/2 and looking forward to having a little sister..

Sheryl and I have signed up for a wire-working course the end of January. I am wanting to learn a few new techniques, especially Viking Weave and how to create interesting sterling bezels. Should be a fun weekend for us..

Here is an example of the kind of weaving I am wanting to do. I wish I knew the artist's name but I don't:.

Finding the motivation to push myself to create is up there on my list of goals for 2012. We sold so much of our stock last year (which is a great thing) that we need to be producing to get ready for another busy season. I think last fall I got wiped out, was sick for a lot of it, and am still rebuilding my energy. It's easy to come up with excuses - the studio is so cold in the winter, my mind is blank, I have too much to do..

But in truth, I feel stuck and unable to motivate myself to get off my ass and work. I am hoping that writing this will help open the gates again..

In March Sheryl and I are taking a metal-smithing course, something we both have wanted to do for a long time..

Here is an image of a pendant style I would love to create. It was created by Adobe Sol Designs:.

So there is lots to look forward to..

I'm going upstairs now - wish me luck..

Terry

Jewelry Party with a Twist!

2011-12-04T13:35:00.006-05:00

Sheryl and I had a jewelry party at our house the other week. First time we have had one in our home. Usually we have a traveling road show and go to someone else’s home.

When my spouse Elaine came home from work and saw the house taken over by tables and sparklies – she said it was like walking in to Macy’s during the Christmas Season. There was nowhere to rest your eyes – every inch of the house was sparkling or dangling.

I loved hearing that. I love making people smile.

Whenever we do one of these parties it’s like the old line flashes back “suppose I give a party and no one comes”. Well, it didn’t happen this time. Our house quickly filled up with our friends, who came to shop, to eat, to schmooze and to hang out. Oh, they did lots of shopping and lots of eating, and it was so wonderful to see everyone so calm and just enjoying the evening. Of course, the highlight was our two year old grand-daughter taking folks by the hand and showing them where the “pretties” were. She was, without a doubt, our best salesperson. Who could resist that face of hers.

There was somehow a different feeling to this party. These were “our friends” and though I sometimes can feel I am being judged when people come to our booth at craft fairs to see the work, this time the feeling was stronger and yet somehow less. I know my friends, they will quickly tell me what they don’t like. None of that polite “oh, yeah, that’s pretty” and the walk away you get from some customers. These folks would let me know their opinions. And they did.

And the comments were positive, and they bought lots of things, and we had a great evening. It was exhausting setting it all up and doing the cleaning and the fussing and the cooking. We sat around the house the whole next day. I was pooped.

And I can’t wait to do it again.

Happy Holidays everyone! Terry

New Season - New Direction

2011-10-19T12:04:00.009-04:00

It appears that fall has finally arrived here in Massachusetts. Took it’s own sweet time getting here; we had some almost 90 degree days a week or so ago. And the leaves can’t decide whether to turn colors or just fall off the trees.

In the spirit of changing seasons, Sheryl and I have made up our minds to go with a new direction in our business. We are moving away from the large stones, and chunky jewelry, to our new love, which is freshwater pearls. All kinds, all colors, all shapes, all kinds of wrapping and styling. We are both captivated by the appearance and feel of the pearls and the colors are energizing. But for those who love are chunky, semi-precious stone necklaces, we aren't totally giving it up, so not to worry.

We recently sold a piece from the website which we both loved. It was called “Burgundy Lights”. The person buying it told us she loved the “chaos” of the design. Now, that’s not how I would have ever described it, but somehow it felt right. And it felt right that someone could see something very different in the piece than we saw. And I think that is the magic of pearls. They can be whatever you want them to be.

One of the questions though, is how do you move into a whole new direction in your craft and not become disloyal to those who have been your loyal customers all along. I guess we have decided to make some of the older designs for those who want them, but it is difficult as we seem to want to devote all our energy to the new direction. Should be interesting to see how it all fits together.

Such a dilemma!

Terry

Predicting Trends?

2011-09-28T08:20:00.010-04:00

A friend of mine recently attended a workshop on predicting trends. Her workshop was specifically about predicting trends in needs and services for persons with disabilities. The goal of the workshop was for agencies to position themselves in a special niche of services in anticipation of decreased funding and needs of an aging population.

Listening to her made me think of how I go about predicting trends in jewelry and fashion and trying to position myself to be at the front of the line when new trends surface. What will be the next “have to have” piece?

As most of you probably do, I read fashion magazines, peruse sale flyers, and devour catalogs looking at the jewelry worn by the models, And when all that fails to offer inspiration, I go with my gut. And sometimes my gut gets it wrong.

I decided the new fall season was going to be about smaller pieces with lots of pearls. In all kinds of colors and shapes. So I geared up. That is what Sheryl and I focused on and created lots of pieces of pearl necklaces and earrings.

The show we went to last weekend was the first one since my revelation. We had tons of pearls on display. And you know what happened? The large chunky gemstone necklaces that I made last year were the biggest sellers. Folks wanted the large showy necklaces. Full of color and shape and form.

OK, so not only did I guess wrong, but the catalogs and sale flyers were all wrong too. Or maybe I just need to get better catalogs.

Terry

Love Is In The Air!

2011-09-13T12:37:00.014-04:00

I was paid the greatest honor a few weeks ago and am still overwhelmed. A friend asked if I would design and produce the jewelry for her wedding. It sounded so exciting and I was thrilled to take this on.

Then I got home and the reality of the enormity of the responsibility hit. This was to be my friend’s biggest day of her life. She will be the showpiece and all eyes will be on her. And the jewelry had better be up to the task. Yikes!

I knew the colors of the gown for the Maid of Honor. I knew the size for the flower girl. Those pieces didn’t seem to scare me as much. But the necklace the bride would wear. Holy Thunderbolt, Batman. That’s a biggie.

After a zillion tries and a half zillion color combinations, and a trazillion attempts, I finally came up with an idea I thought would work. Took the sample necklace to the Bride for her appraisal. Would she like the color combo, was the length right for her gown, would the Maid of Honor's necklace not detract from hers, would the flower girl’s necklace appear too cutesey, or not appropriate for a young child?

Guess what, the Bride loved it all. Brought the pieces home, did some final touches to the closures, finished them off and stood back in awe of what had just happened.

Here is the necklace and earrings for the Flower Girl. I wanted to create a piece that she would want to wear after the wedding and this Wish Box Locket seemed like a good choice:

And the necklace and earrings for the Maid of Honor:

Here is the set for the Bride - the colors were chosen to match the Groom's suit, the Maid of Honor's dress, and the Bride's beautiful gown.

Someone had trusted me enough and my sense of style enough to allow me to design and produce the jewelry they would wear on the day they would be the center of the universe.

How cool is that?

Love is in the air!!!!!!!

Terry

Nature or Nature?

2011-08-28T12:25:00.016-04:00

We were recently in Montreal for my family reunion. Lots of laughs, wonderful old stories, great old family recipes. Lots of remembering those not there.

On the way home we decided to drive up Mont Royal. In case you've never been to Montreal, there is a mountain in the middle of the city. From the top, at the lookout, there are breathtaking views of the city itself, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Olympic Stadium, and even Old Montreal (if you squint).

We were doing our usual "oohs" and "aahs" and snapping photos when I was poked to look down at my feet. And there, less than a foot away from my sandal shod feet was a baby Raccoon. He (I'm guessing it was a he - I decided to name him Harry) sat there looking at me totally expecting lunch. Now I live in a city where Raccoons are only thought of as those annoying critters that destroy your garbage cans and toss your recycle across the neighborhood. I chose not to feed him. When he figured out there was no free lunch he waddled off. I went back to taking photos of the city, though it suddenly didn't hold the same thrill.

Cars continued to arrive and their occupants all seemed to head to the ice cream truck. Being nosy, and a bit of an ice cream addict, I wandered over there - figuring it must be the best ice cream in the world based on the crowd.

Well, it wasn't the ice cream drawing the crowd, it was Harry and his two brothers or sisters and his Momma. They were coming right up to the crowd, mooching lunch. The all-knowing ice cream dude said they come out every day at the same time and will eat out of your hand. Mama was the head mooch. She gets up on her back legs, reaches out her paws and takes a granola bar from one person. The kids got her leftovers. Someone ran and got a banana and Harry took big pieces of that. The crowd just kept building and the Raccoons continued to eat.

Oh, and did I mention the sign?

Here we were in this gorgeous spot, with lots of people around us, and 85% of them were looking down. Struck me as so strange. No one was looking a the city or the Seaway or the flowers. I felt bad for a busload of tourists who had driven to the bus parking spot and never saw the live entertainment. They had to settle for the amazing view. We had entertainment.

So the question is - gorgeous rocks and water views and natural nature - or a family of Raccoons mooching for food, furry nature?

Furry won for us....

Terry

Silver Plate vs. Sterling Silver - What to Do?

2011-08-16T08:37:00.009-04:00

Was at a show a couple of weeks ago where there were wonderful pieces of gorgeous jewelry made by true artisans. In the midst of all these talented artists was a guy selling decent looking jewelry who was out in the aisle hawking his wares like he was at a carnival. I kept expecting a teeny car full of clowns to be following him.

His main pitch to prospective buyers was that his jewelry was silver plate rather than sterling silver. His jewelry wouldn't tarnish and was much stronger than sterling. Now you need to know he wasn't charging more for his superior product though - he was willing to sell this advanced product at a price equivalent to the vendors selling sterling just so people would buy his stuff, and once they bought his stuff they would never buy sterling again.

Now this is happening at a time when sterling silver prices are through the roof and I've had to adjust how much silver I can use in pieces to try and keep my jewelry affordable. I have tried working with other metals, but they do not compare to the look and feel of sterling for me.

Now my first reaction was to whip him in the head with something - but I resisted because that's not who I am. My second urge was to stand next to him and yell "Liar Liar Pants on Fire" - but I resisted that too. He wasn't really lying - silver plate doesn't tarnish. He was being a politician - telling a half truth - and "Half Liar, Half Liar" doesn't have the same ring to it. Urge number three was to stand idly by and try to ignore him. That wasn't working for me at all. As the show went on, I noticed that other artists were having a negative reaction to him as well. It was so helpful to not feel alone. We talked about things we could do, but in the end we didn't do anything. The plotting was fun though.

I guess part of my issue is that there should be some courtesy and respect among artists. Last year at a show in New Hampshire I caught another vendor whispering to customers who were looking at my jewelry that they should go to her booth and buy from her. So maybe respect among artists is a lot to ask for. (I did go to her booth later and tell her that she needed to stop or I would report her to the show promoters).

Now this guy wasn't a buy/sell guy. He actually did make some nice jewelry -- but where was his ethical sense? Do we want to sacrifice our loyalty to other crafts people to make a sale? I guess he did. But that's not who I am. And I'm figuring most of you aren't either.

I have had many many wonderful experiences participating in craft fairs and even though there is an abundance of jewelry artists, most of the time we get along very well, helping each other out when we can, especially if someone is working alone and needs a break. I believe customers will come to my booth if they are drawn to it. My openness and desire to communicate and offer great customer service is based on a love of what I do. It matters to me that I am honest in describing the components of the jewelry. That's all I can do, and it works!

Terry

I Am An Artist

2011-07-18T19:44:00.010-04:00

I don't know the types of creations you all make - jewelry, sculpture, photography, woodwork, quilting, painting - but is there some word that others use to describe your work that makes you want to scream?

For me - it's "stringer". I sometimes get called a bead stringer rather than a jewelry maker. That goes right to my little insecure head. Yes, I string beads - after I buy them, envision a piece, select a clasp, try one pendant then three more until it feels right, wire wrap, decide on a statement I want the piece to make, change the color scheme, adjust the length, re-vision the whole thing and then maybe I'm happy with it. Or maybe it goes in the pile of not quite ready.

I imagine for all creative people there is a little insecure spot. We are putting out souls into what we create and then putting it out there to be judged. Will they love my work? Will they think it's horrible? Will they think I'm off?

How can they not see and value the hours of thought and feeling and love that went into that piece. How can they not feel the joy I feel when I look at my work?

What's the word that cuts right to your insecure core?

Terry

When The Muse Has Left the Building

2011-07-12T07:38:00.010-04:00

You know, those days when you get up and you look at all your wonderful supplies and all the bright colors and all the silver and all the pendants and you go, Yuk. Nothing is coming to you, you’ve lost total enthusiasm, and creating something amazing has become a chore. Like mopping the kitchen floor.

Had one of those days a week or so ago. Only that day lasted for three. Just could not muster the creative energy. Creating beautiful pieces of jewelry became a “job”.

That day I was “children sitting” for a 5 year old girl and a 9 year old boy. They decided they wanted to make jewelry. Well, watching them sort through the beads, hold each and every one, turn them round and round in their little hands, rub them against their cheeks, listen to the sounds of them, there was Joy and Wonder and Amazement. They felt the magic I couldn’t find for myself.

They made their selections, they chose carefully, they strung them, took them apart, restrung them, chose a clasp, rejected that one, went for another. And each change brought wonder to their eyes.

I helped with the clasps and the crimps, but the pieces they finished were all theirs. And they smiled at each other and the laughed and they modeled their pieces and they were happy.

And the next morning, the Muse returned!

Terry

The Future of Craft Shows -- Is There One?

2011-07-06T08:08:00.015-04:00

(Photograph from the Mattoon Festival in Springfield, MA 2010. One of the best shows we do each year.)

In the past year we have been to at least two "craft" shows that billed themselves as juried shows. We submitted the requisite details of our process of creating our jewelry and photos of our studio. We were happy to be selected and when we arrived at the shows and finished our laborious set-up, we decided to take a stroll around and meet the other artists. Sharing with other artists is so much a part of the creative process. Makes the creative juices run.

Imagine our shock to find booths full of buy/sell merchandise. At a juried "arts & craft" show? How does this happen? Are there not enough artists to fill the booths? I find that hard to imagine. It is less difficult for me to imagine that some artists have decided that craft shows are too much work for the benefit. Maybe so, but there are so many jewelry artists clambering for spots in shows that for as many that do not want to sign up, there are ten to take their place. Are the vendors playing bait and switch with the show organizers? Could be but then why aren't they being asked to leave as soon as their merchandise is seen? I don't have answers to these questions. Maybe some of you do, and if so I'd love to hear your take on this. I know one thing - when true aficionados of actual hand crafted items show up and see lots of buy/sell merchandise, they leave. And they tell their friends. What's that old saying about restaurants? If you have a great experience you tell one person but if you have a lousy experience you tell ten. Craft show organizers need to take note, and see that in the end they are harming themselves (and their fundraising efforts if applicable) as well as the artists that they purport to support. Terry

Joy!

2011-06-27T07:36:00.016-04:00

The Joy of Creating!

How do you explain to someone the sheer joy you feel after taking a bunch of beads, some sterling wire and some findings and seeing that you have created something magical?

How do you convey the pride you feel seeing one of your creations bring a giant smile to someone's face? To the look of "Wow" you see in their eyes. That's joy!

Oh, I'm sure a painter feels it when they see their finished piece hanging on a wall - but for me it's the feel of the beads - the smoothness, the coolness of the stones, the textures of the rough pieces. Sometimes I can just run my hands through a bowl of beads of different sizes, textures and shapes and feel certain beads telling my fingers "pick me, pick me" and the finished piece takes shape in my head before I've picked another bead. That's joy.

I think what has always drawn me to beading is the number of components that go into making a piece. Pick the beads by texture, color, shape, weight. Pick the complementary colors, the shapes of the spacers that highlight without distracting, the sterling silver wire and beads that complement, and the clasp that adds beauty without overpowering everything else. Finding a balance that's almost mathematical.

The joy of creating! It is Magic.

Terry

I Once Had a Friend!

2011-06-19T08:44:00.015-04:00

I Once Had a Friend –

Well, actually I once had a student. Her name was Gail. It was my first year of teaching in an Addiction Counseling Program in Toronto and I was such a newbie in 1986. I suspected everyone could see how scared I was. Gail was different (I didn't know then how true that statement is.) And she was a good student, who challenged me as much as I challenged her. Somehow we became friends. And over these many years we have kept in touch. As she worked as an addiction counselor we shared horror stories and commiserated about the stresses of the job. We’ve maintained separate lives but have always kept the lines open. Well, Gail gave up her life as an addiction counselor (or, as they write in Canada, Counsellor) and has blossomed into an amazing exceptional artiste.

As she likes to say she draws her work from some of the experiences of her past work. I am hoping some of her pieces are not reminders of the horrors she suffered in my class. To say her work is offbeat would be an amazing understatement. Some of her pieces have given me nightmares. And some have so touched my heart. (My house is chock full of her paintings and painted boxes and painted sneakers. The woman will paint anything that isn’t moving.)

I have watched her grow from an artist who painted in her spare time to, as she says, keep her from sending her husband through a wood chipper, to a private show in a gallery in Toronto, to exhibiting in a juried show in Caledon, Ontario at the Headwaters Arts Festival (www.HeadwatersArtsFestival.com)(this September will be her third year) where last year one of her paintings won a juror's award, to this year where she is in two major shows on the same weekend. The second show is the Silvercreek Open Studio Show (www.silvercreekcaledon.com). Her work has been exhibited and sold from several galleries in the Greater Toronto area.

I love having artists in my life. They fill me with hope, they are there to commiserate when the inspiration has flown the coop, and they are there to share the joy when a piece is completed and someone loves it.

I invite you to visit her website (www.gailprussky.com), or check her work on Facebook, or look her up in the show listing for the Headwaters Arts Festival (www.HeadwatersArtsFestival.com). She is an amazing artist and I know you will enjoy seeing her work.

Painted Bags:

Painted Boxes:

Beat the Heat!

2011-06-17T11:35:00.005-04:00

Blow-Out Summer Sale!

Shop from the comfort of your home. No tents, no rain, no heat, hail or tornadoes. Terry and Sheryl want to make your shopping experience easier this summer. We are having a huge sale on our website – http://www.magicalbeadstalk.com, with 25% off listed items. They are in the Sale Items section of the website, which is on the left side panel. There are a variety of necklaces to choose from. You'll find semi-precious gemstone and sterling necklaces, freshwater pearls, handwoven seed bead pieces, and lots more.

Each piece on sale has the sale price listed so it's easy to purchase. Just click on the item to buy, and you can pay with Paypal or a credit card. Items purchased will be mailed within two days of purchase.

Some of the necklaces have earrings to match, and almost all of them are also 25% off.

Take advantage of the fabulous selection and the great savings.

Happy shopping.

Terry & Sheryl

Business Ethics?

2011-06-12T07:52:00.008-04:00

What do we do?

The price of sterling silver is at an all-time high - (needless to say I can find no logical reason for this jump in price - have to admire greed, don't you?), and silver is a major component in the jewelry we produce.

Because of the high price of silver, it makes it very hard, if not impossible, to price our jewelry competitively. We cannot compete with the $5.00, inexpensively made, produced overseas buy/sell jewelry. And there are customers who do not want to pay for quality handmade jewelry, who will walk right past our booth being drawn in by the “sale” signs at other jewelry booths. I don’t want to discount the customers who come to craft fairs because they are looking to buy handmade jewelry – they are the ones who make it all worth it.

Sometimes it feels like a struggle to get us energized for a show. Even the ones that have juried us in seem to be allowing poor quality jewelry to be sold at booths all around us. Sitting home, creating jewelry, or watching NCIS reruns seems so much more emotionally rewarding. How sad is that?

The ethical business dilemma (you know this had to tie into the blog title somehow) for us becomes how do we price jewelry we have made using sterling silver we bought when it was less expensive to purchase? Now a gas station raises the prices at the pump the moment there's a rumor of an increase in the price of crude oil. If we followed suit, we could charge at current prices -- but do we want to base our business model after people we all consider to be gouging the consumer?

Do we figure the selling price based on current prices to offset the fewer sales we've been having because of the economy drop, and the competition from the buy/sellers?

Do we sell at prices based on what we paid in the past and make a real price jump on the pieces made with current priced silver? This creates another dilemma. If we use up the "stash" of sterling purchased before the price jump, to restock will be more difficult because we won't have made the money from our sales which is needed to replenish our sterling and will have to use less in our pieces - which will be difficult as we love the look of sterling silver with gemstones, freshwater pearls and Swarovski Crystal.

We don't have the answers - but am hoping some of you can offer suggestions, or get us all into a discussion of this.

Business ethics! Is that an oxymoron?

Synchronicity

2011-06-06T07:16:00.007-04:00

Synchronicity is an odd word, defined as two odd, unrelated events suddenly seeming related. I have had that happen several times in my life and it happened again this week.

By far, the hardest part of my business is marketing. And one of the most difficult parts of marketing is keeping up with my blog.

Earlier this week I was being hard on myself yet again about letting my blog become the lowest priority - right after organizing my Q-Tips. While killing valuable Q-Tip organizing time surfing the web, I came across a series of lectures and discussions about marketing and the newest theory that blogging and Facebook are the keys to a successful marketing strategy for small businesses.

Seems that bunches of folks now firmly believe, and they have the graphs and statistics to back up their beliefs that blogging is a very valuable tool - but that the blog must be on a regular schedule and timely in its content.

So I hereby vote to re-direct my thoughts and time to writing my blog.

So, see the synchronicity here? While out surfing to get away from the guilt of not blogging, the web redirects me back to my blog and gives me statistics (and I love stats) to prove I must not ignore my blog.

OK, I get it. A weekly blog. I get it!

Time for Something New

2011-05-20T09:12:00.019-04:00

I've been making jewelry for a number of years now, and have always been drawn to large chunky gemstones, which I typically combine with sterling silver, freshwater pearls and Swarovski Crystal My motto has always been "the chunkier the better".

Here are some examples of the chunkier look:

Since Sheryl joined Magical Beadstalk, the work we create has changed some. It shouldn't have been a surprised to me that when two creative people work together new things are going to happen. We feed off of each other creatively very well. The necklace and earring sets that we recently created for our spring/summer craft shows are quite different from what I typically do. They are light, colorful and simply stated. I am loving them.

Here are some other examples:

I've said many times that having someone whose work I appreciate to work with is a great experience. I love the rhythm we've developed and how we can explore and brainstorm freely together. But, "chunky" will never be out for me!

Vintage Dreams of Flight

2011-04-18T09:04:00.013-04:00

One of the things we love about being an Artbeads Design Partner is the opportunity to create pieces of jewelry that are outside our comfort zone. This time we felt this was really working outside of our "norm". The theme for this blog challenge was to create something with a vintage look and feel. The challenge is called ‘What’s Old is New Again!’. Sheryl and I tend to work with sterling silver, and sometimes with gold fill, but we've not worked together using other metals. Recently we've been talking about incorporating brass and pewter into our designs given the high price of sterling silver these days. So the timing of this challenge was perfect for us.

When thinking of vintage, brass seemed right so we decided to create something with brass. We had such fun looking at all the pendants available in the Steampunk Pendants Section where we found this beautiful Dragonfly Pendant. Seemed like it would be wonderful as a center piece. It didn't hurt that it reminded us of Tiffany Lamps, which often used dragonfly images in their designs.

Next we thought about chain and we found this amazing funky chain that has lots of movement to it. The chain seems substantial yet fine, maybe because the round links are inter-woven with each other, creating a dense looking chain that is light and airy.. This Antique Brass-Plated chain rocks!

We added a couple of small Hummingbird beads and Citrine and Pyrite beads to finish it off.

We love how this piece turned out. Artbeads feeds our creativity and we are always surprised by the designs we come up with. This one is close to my heart, having owned a second hand clothing and funky second hand store in the 70's. Art Nouveau and Deco were what I loved most, and I still find myself drawn to pieces that are from these periods.

Terry

Disclaimer: Artbeads.com sometimes sends us products to review on this blog. We are free to choose from designated beads/findings and are free to make whatever we choose. We do not receive any compensation from Artbeads and we are expected to review their products honestly.

Spring! New Season Begins

2011-03-30T08:41:00.006-04:00

Spring is here, and even though they are predicting a snow storm tomorrow night, I can feel the change in the air. It is a welcome change after a very difficult winter here in Western Massachusetts. Sheryl and I are gearing up for what is hopefully a busy craft show season. We have two shows in April and are looking forward to getting back in gear.

We make lots of great plans each winter to work together on creating new designs, but if truth be told, both of us need a break and once our shows are over we tend to meet less often. It is important that our rhythms match well and that our need for breaks happen at the same time. During the winter we each create on our own, meeting about once a week. Once we are back to meeting two or three times a week, we are so happy to be back into our routine, because working together is more enjoyable and we spark creativity in each other which is fun.

We seem to be into freshwater pearls and have created some beautiful pieces.

There is something about freshwater pearls - I love the richness in the colors, and the unique shapes that when combined together can suit both casual and dressy attire. We've come a long way since the single strand of white pearls my mother used to wear.

Our show dates will soon be up on the website - if you can, please drop by and say hello!

Winter Enchantment!

2011-02-21T12:22:00.021-05:00

It's almost the end of February and clearly it has been a difficult winter for most of the country. At least those of us in New England are used to lots of snow and cold and we are supposedly a "hardy" bunch. I haven't felt all that hardy this winter. One thing that I've noticed is that I haven't felt all that creative, which throws me off balance. And feeling balanced is important to me. As a result I've felt "out of sorts".

So having Artbeads approach us for another blogging event couldn't have come at a better time. The theme for this event is "Winter Enchantment" and Sheryl and I talked for a long time about what we might like to do to represent how we feel about winter and where we draw our inspiration.

Funny that both of us decided on pearls, given that pearls would likely not be a typical choice to represent Winter. I guess our ambivalence shows! A bit of winter, a bit of summer - seemed right for us.

Once we started to look at all the freshwater pearls on the Artbead's website, we knew we had made the right choice. We chose Biwa Pearls and Head Drilled Nugget Pearls from the website.

We used these two beautiful strands of freshwater pearls from Artbeads and added Rhodochrosite and Quartz Crystal beads to make a multi-strand necklace that highlights both the muted colors of winter, the sparkle of fresh ice hanging from the trees, and the longing for the warmth of the sea. And as is our way, earrings are a must to match.

We hope you like what we've created.

Terry

Rememberance

2011-02-18T19:26:00.018-05:00

I find myself sitting at the computer attempting to write about my family, my father Lou, mother Beatrice, and brother Gary, all of whom are gone. Try as I may to write, I keep discarding the copy - nothing seems right. I can write about how important each of them was in my life, how much I miss them, how sad I can get when I realize there are very few people in my world "who knew me when".....Nothing I seem to write does it for me.

So instead I am going to provide a pictorial story of my family - hopefully their essence will shine through. I tried to put the photographs in order of date, but on some I am guessing. I wish I had more photographs of my father when he was a child, but I don't seem to have any.

For Beatrice (1925-2007); Gary (1945-2005); and Lou (1918-1983). You are loved and missed.

Elaine & Terry Spier-Kalmar

Our Daughter Winde and Granddaughter Alya

Our niece Lindsay and Alya

Our cutie granddaughter, Alya

Life continues. New family, new joy!

OWOH Giveaway - Winner Announced!

2011-02-17T12:05:00.000-05:00

Well, the time has come, the 2011 OWOH Giveaway is now over.
What an amazing experience this has been. My thanks to Lisa for hosting the OHOW giveaway for the past five years. I believe she has something new she is planning so keep a watch!
It has been a great adventure, visiting so many blogs, and seeing the variety of work produced by artists throughout the world. And 210 people left comments on my blog - wow! As I said in my previous post, I feel a part of a community which feels wonderful.
I have a winner (which was chosen using a random number generator) and she is:
Cara of Caramakes!

Congrats
I will notify Cara by email, and send the necklace off to her as soon as I receive her mailing address.
Looking forward to visiting many of the blogs again this coming year. It was a treat! Thank you to all that entered.
Terry www.magicalbeadstalk.com

One World One Heart Giveaway 2011

2011-01-30T00:02:00.009-05:00

It's here! One World One Heart Giveaway 2011.....

A bit about me:

I am Terry Spier and I create jewelry. Everything I make comes from my imagination and my belief that jewelry is art – to be worn, enjoyed and loved. I have spent years collecting beads from many cultures that I incorporate into my pieces. I handpick beads based on color, shape and texture, often finding unusual patterning in the stones that I enhance with the use of sterling silver and/or accent beads. My love of natural stone and color is represented by many of the gemstones I use. Sterling silver from Bali, Israel and Thailand complements the precious and semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, handmade ceramic and lampwork glass beads I use in my designs. I am committed to supporting local artisans and use their beads in my work as much as I can.

I am pleased to be involved with the One World One Heart Blogging event. Such a unique experience where bloggers from all over the world participate through their blogs. This is the 5th year of this amazing event and I have felt honored to be a part of this great experience for the past three years. It has given me the opportunity to make some great connections with other bloggers, some of whom I am still in contact with.

I feel like I am part of a huge, worldwide community of creative, interesting people who choose to share their art, life experience, and sorrows with the world. For me it creates a world that is more open, and connects me to people from all over the world. I love the feeling of community that comes from our shared blogging experiences.

The One World - One Heart Giveaway begins on January 30th and ends on February 17. How it works is that if you want a chance to win my donated piece of handmade jewelry, you need to leave a comment on this blog entry, including your email address so that I can inform you if you win. This giveaway is open to everyone who maintains a blog!

If you click the One World - One Heart title at the top of this post, you can learn more about this amazing venture. If you want to be involved and currently maintain a blog, you can also sign on by following the directions outlined by Lisa Swifka, the creative woman who started OWOH.

The giveaway will end on February 17th and the winner will be notified on the same day. I will use a random number generator to pick the winning number. This event is international and all can choose to be involved. I hope that you will go to the website to see the huge number of artists worldwide who are taking part in this venture. We are a vast community of artists, whose work is as varied as can be. Sign on by leaving a message for a chance to win the door prize and visit to sign up at as many participants as you like.

Now about the giveaway:

I call this necklace Banded Goddess!

It's a truly unique necklace of green fluorite beads, spaced with sterling silver and leading to an amazing handmade glass Goddess pendant that is quite striking. She is almost 2" long. This piece is 18 1/2" in length and finished with a sterling silver magnetic clasp. Just so you know, if you have a pacemaker you cannot wear magnetic jewelry.

If you are interested in winning this wonderful piece of jewelry, make sure you leave a comment on this post, and include your email address. Otherwise I have no way to let you know if you win.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Enjoy the ride.

Good luck!

Terry

Seeing Red!

2011-01-26T15:54:00.017-05:00

New England has been hit with a huge number of snowstorms this winter, and it's not yet February. We are expecting another 6 - 8 inches tonight and I am feeling overwhelmed by it all. Between the snow and the cold, it's just too much. I am Canadian and should be able to cope better, at least that's what I keep saying to myself. Other people in my life love pointing out my inability to handle the winter and that I give Canadians a bad rap.

I have two little dogs that are struggling. Their feet freeze up and they can't be out for long. One of them collapses from the cold and I have to pick him up and carry him. I worry so much that I am going to slip on the ice and take poor Eddie down with me.

Enough crabbing? I guess so, although I can't wait for Spring. Funny thing is that I lived in Florida for two years and I hated the heat. I hope it isn't the "grass is greener" phenomenon.

Started me thinking about what warms me up - led me to thinking about colors, and once I got there I thought about RED which is the color that best represents heat to me. I found myself looking at some of my jewelry designs that were red, especially deep red coral which I love. I decided to post some of them here, some are newer pieces, and a few are older but all of them warmed me up when I looked at them. Hopefully some of you will gain some heat from seeing them.

Enjoy!

One World One Heart Giveaway 2011

2010-12-14T09:36:00.021-05:00

I am going to take part in the 2011 One World - One Heart Giveaway. This is a unique experience where bloggers from all over the world participate and connect through their blogs.

This will be the fifth and final year for OWOH. This will be my third year and it's been a blast. Lisa Swifka came up with this idea to bring bloggers together and I have gained so much from the experience, having the opportunity to connect with bloggers worldwide. It's been wonderful. You can read about the OWOH Giveaway on Lisa's blog by clicking on the link to A Whimsical Bohemian. http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/2010/12/annoucning-the-fifth-and-final-one-world-one-heart-event-.html

The dates for the event will be January 30 - February 17, 2011.

Lisa describes the event like this:

"One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only. It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world. In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships (and even one love connection) formed along the way. Think of it as a GIGANTIC open house allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home........going from blog to blog(in various countries) seeing the wonder each one has created and meeting all the fabulous people behind those blogs. As a bonus each blogger participant will offer up a "door prize or prizes"....just for dropping by, saying hello and seeing their world. It's really that easy."

How cool is that? Please check back after January 3, 2011 for more information, and a chance to see what my door prize will be. Then, if you are wanting to participate, come back between January 30 and February 17 and leave a comment, including an email address so I can reach you if you win. The drawing will take place February 18 and I will use a random number generator to pick a winner, who will be notified on February 17.

This is an amazing ride and I hope you will get involved.

Terry

Professional Photos Make Such a Difference!

2010-12-08T08:15:00.009-05:00

I was lucky to meet a professional photographer, Emily Jodoin (EAJodoin Photography), who works out of South Hadley, MA, and who is best known for shooting weddings, babies, and other celebratory events. My initial contact with her was to have her shoot a head shot of me. She was very patient with my nervousness, and by the time we were done, I had two great portraits.

We spent some time talking about the possibility of her shooting images of Magical Beadstalk jewelry that we could use when applying for higher-end artisan fairs. Some shows are very picky about what they require and often they require photographs that push the limited knowledge I have. I think I've become fairly good at shooting images for the website, but for the little extra, Emily's images are perfect.

Here are some of the images she created:

All in all, a fun and interesting process. A great learning for me, although I still tend to shoot in my lightbox on pine. Hopefully I will expand out and try other things - just not there yet.

"Full of Fall" Necklace & Earring Set!

2010-10-13T10:58:00.022-04:00

The fall is my favorite time of year. The air is fresh and the colors are vibrant and lush. It's also our busiest time of year for craft shows and jewelry parties. Sheryl and I have only a couple of free weekends until Christmas. When we aren't doing shows we are creating. We work so well together that we try to find as much time as possible to work together in the studio rather than on our own. We really seem to feed off of each other in creative, positive ways.

Another great thing about the fall is that Artbeads has their fall blogging event. For those of you who regularly follow this blog, you know that for Artbeads blogging events, which happen every three months or so, they have chosen a group of jewelry artist that are offered beads and/or findings from the Artbeads website to use to create jewelry. Once the piece is created, we are asked to write a blog about the piece that we link back to the Artbeads website. Sheryl and I look upon these events as a great time to play.

This time we chose a beautiful hand-painted porcelain and sterling silver pendant from their huge selection of porcelain pendants www.artbeads.com/porcelain-ceramic-pendants.html and Swarovski Crystals at www.artbeads.com/swarovski-crystal-beads to create a 'full of fall color' necklace and earring set. We added Onyx beads and sterling silver to complete the piece. The colors of Swarovski Crystal we chose to go with the pendant were Fire Opal, Olivine Copper, Crystal Copper and Khaki. The crystals seem to bring out the colors of the pendant with amazing vibrancy. Such fall colors!

We were both so pleased with how the set looks and I'm looking forward to putting it up on the website.

Busy is great, but sometimes it's important to take a break, get outside to enjoy the beauty of the day and breathe. Today is one of those days. Once this blog is posted, I'm out of here - enjoy your day!

Craft Shows Begin - No More Free Weekends!

2010-09-08T09:00:00.022-04:00

Sheryl and I are gearing up for another busy season of Craft Shows. Life changes quite dramatically for me, as I am busy most weekends until two weeks before Christmas. Much as I love doing shows, meeting people, selling jewelry,etc., it's also a stressful time. Physically it is demanding, especially the setup and breakdown. We are at the mercy of the weather for the outdoor shows, and it's difficult to know how to prepare, especially with rain or strong winds. Lots of sun isn't much better. We did a show in Historic Deerfield, MA and the temperature and bright sun almost wiped us out. That was when Sheryl and I joked about changing the name of our business to "Two Old Broads Beading!" But we survived, as we always do.

A couple of years ago I posted a blog entry on what I bring to outdoor shows. I was looking it over and see that there are things I missed. I am going to post it here, with the additions I've learned about after another season or two of shows.

I bring:

canopy weights jewelry 4 tables covers busts for necklace, bracelets earring stands credit card machine tools earring backs business cards receipt books earring cards business card holders banner gift bags tissue paper table risers pine boxes to display things on pens anti-bacterial lotion clip board inventory list of jewelry price tags sterling silver "S" clasps in different sizes gift certificates signs - for earrings price; that I accept visa mastercard amex discover, sterling silver, etc. calculator camera sign up sheet for mailing list 2 chairs water hand truck paper towels

And I'm adding:

Hat Sunscreen Sunglasses Umbrella Earring Posts Risers for earring stands Brochures for Jewelry Parties Plastic bags fully charged cell phone sweater rain boots Granola bars

While I was going through pictures, I came across a bunch of shots I took at various shows and was struck by how much the display has changed as I've gained more experience. Most notable is the de-cluttering that seems to be taking place. I'm including some pictures so you can see how the display has evolved - still a work in progress, but better.

You will see by the images, starting with my first craft show, how over crowded my tables were. As time and experience has shown me, the less clutter allows for a better view of the jewelry. I used to have rocks, shells, goddess statues and other funky pieces to display jewelry on, but that's all gone. I have always struggled with wanting to put display too many pieces of jewelry. You can see by the last two shows that I've finally discovered that simplicity is best. Sheryl has been a great help with that. She's got a wonderful eye for display. And I keep reminding myself that less is better and simplicity is the way.......my daily mantra.

MY FIRST SHOW:

MY SECOND SHOW:

ONE OF THE FIRST OUTDOOR DISPLAYS:

BENNINGTON, VT:

STURBRIDGE, MA:

FLEMINGTON, NJ:

SIMSBURY, CT. - One of our favorite shows:

MANCHESTER, CT:

DEERFIELD, MA - finally on the right track:

DEERFIELD, MA:

BOSTON HOME SHOW:

I love what I do and, difficult as it seems some days, I hope to be able to continue for a long time........

Sheryl Machat's Amazing Earrings!

2010-08-12T08:30:00.007-04:00

Sheryl creates beautiful earrings and I thought I would showcase them today. Sheryl joined Magical Beadstalk as my business partner about 1 1/2 years ago and I've loved watching her process as she creates new pieces for our business. Sheryl often uses unusual combinations of stone and color with great results. We are quite different in what draws us, so we create different styles, which I think makes our product line more interesting.

Many people suggested it would be risky to bring in a partner because I would have to share control, but I've not had a moment of concern. If anything she has brought so much excitement and skill to the business that it's been a great boost. Plus I love working with her. We spend a minimum of two days a week working together, and we laugh a lot while getting things done.

Earrings are a big part of our business and we find ourselves moving into higher end earrings, using top quality gemstones (faceted Lapis Lazuli, Peridot and Aquamarine for example) which when paired with the fine sterling silver wire work, produces beautiful earrings that flow and sparkle as you wear them.

Here are some examples of her newer work:

Family Reunion

2010-08-06T08:58:00.006-04:00

Beatrice (Roseman) Spier, circa 1943

I have been a wanderer most of my life, starting when my parents decided to move the family to California from Montreal when I was 5. We lived there until I was 12 and then we moved back to Montreal. I was gone for enough years that I never really bonded with my extended family. I went to family functions, and liked some of my relatives but I was dancing to a different drummer once I reached my teenage years.

I moved to Vancouver, BC at 20 and then was 3000 miles away from family again. I felt an amazing sense of freedom in Vancouver and my 20's may now be somewhat of a blur, but I had a great time. Once I moved to Toronto in 1976 I connected with a few cousins, but by then we all were involved in our own lives and there wasn't much contact.

So it was a surprise and a challenge when my cousin Howard wrote to tell me that my second cousin Eric was organizing a family reunion. I believe he was motivated after finding old films from the 40's and 50's of the Roseman family.

I decided to go even though I never have participated in events like this. To cool for that? Worried about not feeling welcome or accepted? Not sure why not, but I definitely felt like a fish out of water with most of my family when I was younger. I was the black sheep who never bought the party line, always pushing the envelope.

It was last weekend and I had a blast reconnecting. Elaine came with me and I believe she had a good time meeting my family as well. I am so glad I didn't give in to my resistance.

Here is a group shot of us all:

Aging is an interesting process. It amazes me how my perception has shifted. I no longer feel so much an outsider looking in on people I can't really relate to and instead I appreciate each and everyone of them.

Gary & Terry Spier, circa 1954

Back on Track – Creating Again!

2010-07-21T09:42:00.008-04:00

Moving is not a fun experience, even though setting up a new place is a challenge I like. If you don't look at all the boxes in the attic, our new place is looking quite good. I've also been setting up the studio and the space is going to work well, once I can find all the things I seem to be missing. Artbeads let us choose some new beads and it was the motivation I needed to get back on track. Sheryl and I worked and made two great necklace/earring sets which are quite different from each other and include both of our favorite colors. The first one is made with a wonderful Hill Tribe Silver Bumble Bee pendant - which you can find here: http://www.artbeads.com/hts126.html. We used Sleeping Beauty Turquoise and lightweight sterling silver beads to finish the piece. The earrings are quite funky, one of our new designs with lots of little dangles. Not sure why the colors seem so different than in the necklace. The color of the Sleeping Beauty Turquoise beads are more accurately represented in the earrings: We also chose an amazing shell rectangle pendant with a green ivy pattern that reminded us of our logo. You can see the pendant here http://www.artbeads.com/shl-lp137.html. We decided to use Smoky Quartz and some of Artbeads huge collection of Swarovski Crystals in Mocca and Palace Green Opal to highlight the pendant. Their collection of Swarovski beads are at http://www.artbeads.com/swarovski-crystal-beads.html. We decided on making longer earrings to go with the shell pendant for a dressier look: We aren't doing any shows in July and August, which is a good thing given how hot it has been here. So it's a great time to create and experiment with new designs. We are also moving our website to another hosting company and are having the website design revamped. As a way to lessen the amount of product we will have to move, we are having a 40% off sale on EVERYTHING on the website. If you are interested, go have a look and email Terry (terry@magicalbeadstalk.com) with the name and product number of the piece(s) you are wanting and she will send you the cost with the 40% discount applied. There is lots there but you will need some patience, especially if you are an Internet Explorer user because the descriptions do not open up most of the time, which is why we are moving the website. Difficult to have an online business when the shopping cart is cranky and doesn't work most of the time. Disclaimer: Artbeads.com sometimes sends us products to review on this blog. We are free to choose from designated beads/findings and are free to make whatever we choose. We do not receive any compensation from Artbeads and we are expected to review their products honestly.

Changes, Changes, Changes

2010-05-04T14:25:00.003-04:00

Seems like forever since I posted. I am in the midst of some major changes, and am taking the time to try and get through it all with as little freak-out as possible. So my apologies to those who check for new blog entries on a regular basis. My partner Elaine and I have decided to leave our house, where we have lived for the past 9 years, and move into an apartment. It is tough in this economy to run a house, especially when one of us (me!) is trying to make a living selling handmade jewelry. Things were fine until the economy tanked! So I am spending my time packing, and trying to get rid of a lot of things collected over the 9 years. I didn't realize how sentimental I truly am. I remember who gave me the little something I just can't part with, or the tons of books, cds and dvds I've collected. When my mother died in 2007 I kept all her china and it's been sitting in the basement ever since. It seems particularly difficult to sell her things, even the things I don't particularly like. I think I will need more time for that to happen. And then there is my studio......it's packed with beads, findings, boxes, tools and many other things I can't part with. "What if I need those tools for a future project?" is said over and over again in my head. We are going to have the movers come and give an estimate on packing and moving the studio so I won't have to deal with it. Plus it's being moved to the attic, which is a lovely finished room and will be perfect as a studio. Definitely needs to be moved by a mover who is young and strong! While this is going on I am still doing shows with Sheryl, and trying to create some new pieces. I'm in the midst of a very full life and can't wait for it to calm down. I'll be back!

Spring Fling Earrings

2010-03-18T12:35:00.004-04:00

It is going to be 65 degrees in Western Massachusetts today - and likely 70 on Saturday. Spring is definitely in the air. Of course, living in New England, one knows that the weather changes quickly, and we could have snow next week....but for now the weather has been glorious. I am so ready for spring! As Sheryl and I get ready for the craft show season, we've been coming up with some new designs that we are very pleased with. These earrings are one of them.

As many of you know, Sheryl and I participate in Artbeads Blog for Beaders. Every couple of months or so we are given the opportunity to choose beads from different categories of beads and supplies on the Artbeads website to use in our creations. We then write an honest blog post on the process. Last time we made an amazing piece using a Murano Glass pendant that we chose from the Artbeads website. This time we chose Swarovski Crystals to use with some sterling silver chain we had to make some unique, funky earrings.

Whenever we work on the Artbeads creations together we get so excited and energized as we work together from beginning to end. We sit together at the computer deciding what components we want to look at, each of us picks beads we like and then we discuss how they would work in a piece. Once we've decided what we want to make, we send in our order and wait for the package to appear. Once it does, we are like two school girls let loose in a candy store. It really is a fun experience for us. Am i using the word "fun" too often? It best describes the process for us.

We love Swarovski Crystals, of which Artbeads has a great selection, and we especially love finding different combination's of color that we both like and find pleasing to the eye. Sheryl leans more toward Topaz, Golden Shadow colors, and I'm the blue and purple one. As you will see from the pictures the look is totally different in each pair of earrings because of the different color choices, even though the pieces are basically the same design.

New England Home Show - Craft Area

2010-03-04T08:20:00.044-05:00

This is going to be a long post. Sheryl and I were in Boston (February 24 - March 1) for the New England Home Show, which for the first time had an Artisan Aisle. We had planned on leaving about 9:30 am on Wednesday so that we could set up our booth, have a good night's sleep, and then put out the jewelry on Thursday before the show opened at noon. The show hours were brutal - 12:00 - 9:00 on Thursday and Friday, 10:00 to 9:00 on Saturday, and 10:00 - 6:00 on Sunday.

This was the week of hellish weather in New England and by the time we got there it was too late to set up so we went to the hotel, arriving at the show at 7:00 am on Thursday to set up. Turns out our booth was as far away from the doors as possible and we had to walk back and forth what seemed like a hundred times to unload. Our one smart move was that we stayed in the hotel right across the street from the show which was in the Seaport World Trade Center. We were given a reduced rate on the room because of the show and the room was lovely. Of course not until we checked out did we find out that they charge $41.00 a night for valet parking, even though we only took the van out to unload and load but I digress.

I must tell you about leaving the show the first night, which was after 9:00 pm. The wind was so strong that neither of us could make it across the street. We are not small women. The wind was so strong (gusts of 50 mph) that both of us were walking sideways, having trouble getting across the street. I felt like I was in a wind tunnel....and of course it was also raining so we got soaked - and that was just to cross the street!

Here's a picture of the street to the hotel. Wonder where we would have wound up if we were smaller?

Here is a link to the vendors that I think deserve to be noticed. Other than the first two pictures to give you an idea of the show setup, and a picture from our setup, the rest are in no particular order.

Craft Area:

The craft aisle, long view.

Of course I am starting with our display - which looked so good, although I may be a bit biased. You can visit our website at Magicalbeadstalk.com

Great hardwood lamps and vases - northernlights.com

I love the name Cynthia chose for her jewelry business - Original Cyn Jewelry.

These felted designs are gorgeous - I particularly love the trees - Shades of Nature.

Mark's furniture is unbelievable. Talk about a Master Craftsman! Far Beyond Woodworking

Beautiful clay pieces, especially the birds. Visit Flynn Clay Studio to see Sheilagh's work.

Stone Puddles is a great name for these bird baths - they are primitive and wonderful. Their display was so cool - as you can see by the photo they lugged in earth to create a realistic backyard experience. Stone Puddles

Funky paintings that made me smile - love the cows! Kim Forney

Lisa is someone I talked with a lot - one of the many fabulous jewelers at the show. Two Son Jewelry

Beautiful rolling pins in a wide variety of woods. Vermont Rolling Pins

Ted is the artist that was staying in the same hotel. His photographs are amazing, especially the ones featuring the eyes of wild animals. I loved his work. Image Artisan

This was our neighbor at the end of the aisle. His stained glass work, especially the large Green Man piece, was so eye-catching. Chippaway Art Glass

I love Bonsai Trees and it was great to see them in the show. Nature's Highlight

Food Vendors:

Pumpkin Butter to die for! Tyler's Sweet Revenge

This was the best marketing I've seen - people seemed to love the dog treats - of course we all want to buy special treats for our pooches. Annies Pooch Pops

I didn't eat any of these whoopie pies, but I looked at them a lot. I've never seen anything quite like them. ...to the Queen's Taste

I also need to mention the nut guy, who had the best nuts. I thought I had taken a picture of his booth but don't seem to have one. Heitmann's - Gourmet Nuts & Specialties

Boston:

The view from our room of Boston Harbor:

Seaport World Trade Center:

Our hotel:

Boston Harbor:

We expected a lot from this show but it didn't happen. It was the first time that the New England Home Show had a craft/artisan aisle. Some did okay, but the show was not a hit for most of the artists. I decided to write a blog post about the experience with pictures and links to the artisans whose work I respect. I am hoping that folks will go and check out their websites.

There are many lessons learned from this experience. Top on the list is that it's not a good thing to mix Art/Craft Shows with other groups - no Home Shows, Antiques, Wine Tastings and State Fairs.

Sheryl and I joke about changing the name of our business, from Magical Beadstalk to Two Old Broads Beading. We definitely felt like two old broads by the time we had packed everything up and were ready to go home. What a long trip this was, and so physically demanding. Many of the home show folks were saying that they are often in shows that are nine days. Not something I would want to do, nor do I think I would survive!

Artbeads 10th Anniversary Sweepstakes

2010-03-02T12:16:00.003-05:00

Magical Beadstalk is one of the jewelry designers that Artbeads has asked to be a part of their beader blogging list. Every couple of months we receive some product from them and Sheryl and I create a piece together and write a blog entry about the process. It is such fun.

Artbeads also has many gift certificates and giveaways and we try and post the information here for those who may be interested in entering.

This is a great one! But you need to act quickly because it ends Thursday evening.

Win a $1000.00 shopping spree from Artbeads. The contest is open to United States and Canadian (excluding Quebec) residents. You must be over 18 to enter.

The contest ends Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:59pm (PST).

THE CONTEST IS OVER - GOOD LUCK TO THOSE WHO ENTERED TO WIN! Disclaimer: Artbeads sometimes sends us products to review on this blog. We are free to choose from designated beads/findings and are free to make whatever we choose. We do not receive any compensation from Artbeads and we are expected to review their products honestly.

OHOW Giveaway - Winner Announced

2010-02-15T14:19:00.005-05:00

What an amazing experience this has been. My thanks to Lisa for hosting the OHOW giveaway. It is such fun visiting so many blogs, and seeing the variety of work produced by artists throughout the world.

I have a winner, and amazingly, the Random Number Generator chose #1 - the lucky woman who was first on my comments list is:

Theresa, of Faerie Moon Creations.

I will notify Theresa on her blog, and send the necklace off to her as soon as I receive her mailing address.

I hope to spend this coming year visiting all the bloggers who entered the OHOW giveaway.

Thank you to all of you that entered.

Terry

For those who would like to see how the random number generator works, I've included the results at the bottom of this post.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2010-02-15 19:29:17 UTC

2010-01-25T06:39:00.002-05:00

I am a part of the 2010 One World - One Heart Giveaway. This is a unique experience where artists from all over the world participate through their blogs. This is the 4th year of this amazing event and I participated last year and it was a wonderful experience connecting with so many other bloggers who use their blogs for creative expression.

How it works is that if you want a chance to win my donated piece of handmade jewelry, you need to leave a comment on this blog entry, including your email address so that I can inform you if you win. This giveaway is open to everyone!

If you click the One World - One Heart Logo at the top of this post, you can learn more about this amazing venture, and if you want, you can also sign on.

The giveaway will end on February 15th and the winner will be notified on the same day. I will use a random number generator to pick the winning number. This event is international and all can choose to be involved. I hope that you will go to the website to see the huge number of artists worldwide who are taking part in this venture. We are a vast community of artists. Sign on to as many as you want.

Now about the giveaway:

I call this necklace Honey Gold Goddess!

Magic is in the air! The contrasts in this necklace make it a standout. There are beautiful Citrine chunks offset with smooth Onyx beads leading to a handmade dichroic glass pendant of a Goddess figure. This necklace is 22" long and finished with an unusual sterling silver toggle clasp.

If you are interested in winning this wonderful piece of jewelry, make sure you comment on this post, and include your email address. Otherwise I have no way to let you know if you win.

Good luck!

Website & Blog Issues

2010-01-24T09:16:00.005-05:00

I've been having some serious problems with my Wordpress blog and website - seems that open source sites are being hit with a virus and I have a not so friendly worm floating around my site. I've invested so much in having my website and blog hosted together, and here I sit back to square one. As a result, I've decided to join the One World One Heart Giveaway from my old faithful Blogspot blog. I couldn't miss being involved in this incredible experience. This will be my second year. Last year I felt such a connection to so many artists worldwide. I love the sense of community which feeds me. Please get involved. The Giveaway begins Monday January 25, 2010. My necklace that I am giving away, and instructions will be posted tomorrow.

Moving Blog to Wordpress

2009-10-15T09:13:00.003-04:00

Hi all, I'm in the process of moving my website and my blog to magicalbeadstalk.com/blog which is on Wordpress rather than Blogspot. I realize that it is better to have my blog linked to my website rather than Google (which owns Blogspot). So.....My blog is up and running on Worpress and I would love those of you who follow me here on Blogsppot to follow me there. Instead of a list of followers, on Wordpress you can click the RSS icon at the bottom left of the page and subscribe through Google reader or Google homepage. My next goal is to move my website onto Wordpress as well. Up until now I have been using a template through a web hosting company and I want more flexibility than I currently have. I believe that with Wordpress and the fabulous designer Carey Baker, this will happen. I will keep you up-to-date on the changes.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-06T16:03:00.007-04:00

This has been a wonderful long weekend here in Easthampton, MA. The weather has been perfect - mid 70's with no humidity and no rain. Glorious. I sometimes think how great it would be if the weather was like this all the time. But really, I think I would tire of it, missing the seasons changing, which is so wonderful in New England.

I have been spending my time changing all my tags on my jewelry to reflect that Magical Beadstalk is now a shared business of Terry & Sheryl's. I have a lot of jewelry and changing all the tags turned out to be a very big job. In between playing with Alya, who seems to be growing and changing on a daily basis, shopping for things for Alya, and checking out a lot of tag sales for great buys for Alya, I have been spending my time getting all my jewelry ready for the start of craft shows, which begins in two weeks.

I thought the summer would be a time for me to create lots of new pieces, learn and practice new techniques, and having lots of new creations photographed and up on the website. But really the summer has been about my granddaughter, Winde and Elaine, with the added pleasure of having my niece Lindsay coming for a visit. Glad to have had the time with no pressure of shows to get ready for.

It always seems to be more fun to go places when people are visiting. Lindsay's friend Mark is a basketball fanatic so we went to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. He had a blast. I was glad to go because Cold Stone Ice Cream is sold next door. We went to Yankee Candle, and Magic Wings which is like Butterfly World in Florida. The butterflies are all around and it's a beautiful place to see - the plants and flowers are lush and if you're lucky the butterflies land on you!

Fall is just around the corner, and it is my favorite time of year.

Wishing everyone a great weekend.

New Business Partner for Magical Beadstalk

2009-08-09T20:38:00.004-04:00

Seems to be a time of great change for me. I feel my life has been forever changed with the birth of my first grandchild, Alya. It's amazing for me to notice how priorities can shift and change in ways that are not expected. I love how Alya's arrival into my family has brought Elaine, Winde and me to such a great place. What an amazing addition to my world.

I also made a big decision to bring a partner into my business. Sheryl Machat has been my beading buddy for quite some time and we work so well together that we decided to join forces. Her work is very different from mine, lots of bead weaving, and creative uses of wire, and her work complements mine well. She has now joined Magical Beadstalk and if you go to our website you will see some of her work. We haven't gotten much up as of yet, but more is to come shortly.

It's a great benefit to me, who has worked mostly in isolation, to have someone to talk things out with, problem solve with, and share costs of shows and supplies with. I am sure there will be some kinks to work out, but so far it's been a breeze!

It is a difficult time for jewelry artists. I know some have continued to do well, and bravo to them for their incredible marketing skills. But for many of us, a slow economy has meant less sales. As well, more artists are trying the craft show route, and the competition for jewelry spots has gotten even tighter.

I welcome Sheryl into my world and look forward to gaining from her creativity, and having someone as committed as I am to the art of jewelry making, and the development of a small business that we both believe in.

Here are a few pieces of Sheryl's work:

New Logo - The Importance of Branding

2009-07-26T19:32:00.008-04:00

I finally bit the bullet and hired a graphic designer (Allison Biggs, http://www.amdesignworks.com) to design a logo for my business. I've used different elements over the years - some I liked, some not - and I finally came to understand the importance of "branding". What I mean by branding is that all the printed material I use from now on will have the same logo and colors, including business cards, earrings cards, sales tags, letterhead, and mailing labels. Allison did the blog header here, which I think looks amazing. I want it to be that my logo will appear on everything related to my business so that it will come to be recognized as Magical Beadstalk in and of itself.

I think that it's taken me five years to figure this out which seems like a very long time. I went from purchasing a template for my website which was very "cutesy" to having someone redesign it to make it look more polished and professional looking. That led to wanting to change my business card to match the site. Turns out the person who did the website disappeared and I didn't have access to her. So I played around with my limited ability in Photoshop to make decent business cards, but of course they didn't match anything.

Next was to tackle the banner on my Etsy site. I hired someone through Etsy who made a banner for me, which I loved, so then I hired her to design my business card as well. I found myself using the banner design, shrinking and stretching it as needed.

Brings me to today. Now I have a logo - based on the Bodhi Tree leaf, which is an image that speaks to me. I am planning on using this logo in everything I use from this point onward.

I am also planning on starting another business providing Reiki now that I've completed my training and have become a Reiki Master. I will use the same logo but in purple. How cool is that?

Here are some of the great designs:

She's Here - Alia Mae Whitaker - My First Grandchild!

2009-07-19T19:28:00.003-04:00

It's difficult to articulate the experience I had today helping my daughter deliver her first baby, and my first grandchild. In fact I cannot think of what to say, so hopefully the pictures will say it for me. These pictures of Alia May Whitaker were taken within the first two hours of her life.

It was an incredible day for all those there - Me and Elaine, Hashi (father), and Jayne (sister).

Enjoy!

Time for a Break!

2009-07-11T09:36:00.003-04:00

I seem to be on hold these days. I haven't created any jewelry in a week or two, nor have I updated my blog or website. Seems that I focused more on myself rather than my work.

I do go through periods of time when I'm super aware of my physical health, and the need to make some important changes. I've done different cleansings and fasts over the years so I guess it's not unusual that I am again feeling the need to cleanse. The reasons why are many - low energy, tire easily, joint aches, feeling bloated, etc. The list could go on. Maybe I'm just reacting to getting older....

So I've decided it's time to do a serious cleanse. I am off all food products that contain yeast, sugar, vinegar, all coffee and tea, no soda, no dairy. Sounds pretty frightening, doesn't it? Actually it's not so bad once I was through the first day. Seems that if I stay away from sugar I stop craving it. I love sugar......

I started this on Tuesday of this week and I must say I'm not feeling that great. I can feel the toxins leaving my body. But I know it will be great once I finish the first week. I've lost 6 pounds already. Weight loss is great but that's not my goal. I just want to feel better.

In my ideal life, I would stay away from foods with chemicals added - eating mostly fresh, raw foods. When life is busy that's difficult to do.

This is my wish for today - to stay mindful, focused and grounded with my goals.

Michael Jackson - The End of an Era

2009-06-26T10:48:00.003-04:00

What a difficult day. I have many fond memories about Michael Jackson, his music and his dancing. I remember dancing the night away to his music, watching his performances, music videos, etc. His talent was an amazing gift.

At the same time over the years, I've felt ambivalence given the many allegations about inappropriate relationships with young boys, his ever-changing body, how he hid his children from the media, and his erratic behavior.

I seem able to separate the man from the artist. I don't condone the behavior of the man. He seemed like a tortured soul to me and I am not really surprised that he is gone. The complexity of this man was beyond comprehension, which I guess is somewhat typical for the highly creative.

He changed the face of music and dance and I will miss him.

I feel compassion and am saddened. I suspect his death is drug-related and I hope that those responsible will be held accountable. Add him to the list of tortured souls who died with the help of their "helpers", or as I would say, their enablers - Elvis Presley and Anna Nicole Smith - both their deaths are traceable to prescriptions provided by their Doctors. And so many other artists have died from illegal drug overdoses - the talent lost is profound.

I've Won an Award!! - One Lovely Blog Award

2009-06-19T20:40:00.007-04:00

Wow - Miriam of Angel's hair awarded me with a "one lovely blog award" - see her blog @ http://theangelshair.blogspot.com/ I love how she writes and I follow her blog regularly. And I very much appreciate her giving me this award. I was blogging more regularly than I am currently and am hoping to get back into the regular groove....life is seeming very busy and intense these days. This award reminds me that I love the blogging world and need to give myself a push when I seem to move away from it. Thank you Miriam!

Now it is my turn to pass this lovely award on to Bloggers that I follow.

Here are the blogs that I enjoy reading and each of them are being awarded this "Lovely Blog Award"

" One Lovely Blog Award Rules": Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award."

Thank you Miriam for picking me - and congrats to all the bloggers that I follow for sharing of yourselves.

A Wonderful Day Celebrating Our Soon-to-Be First Grandchild

2009-06-13T20:05:00.009-04:00

It's been an exciting time here as our daughter is having a baby. In the past week we've met the Dr., had a tour of the hospital, and got to listen to the baby's heartbeat. What an amazing experience.

Today Winde's friends got together to throw her a baby shower. Now I've not been to a baby shower in 40 years or so, and am not what I would consider experienced with such events. It was a beautiful day. I am posting pictures for those who may want to see how great it all was. I'm a proud mom, soon to be grandma....

Sometimes It's Difficult to Get Motivated!

2009-06-05T07:48:00.004-04:00

I seem to have stopped writing in my blog. My last post was Mother's Day. I'm not sure if there is a connection between the last post being about my mother, and my not writing. I don't think so but I'm not sure.

What I do know is that it is a struggle to keep myself "up" given the challenges I face making a living as a jewelry maker. Things that used to roll off my back are effecting me more these days.

An example of this is that I was not accepted into a big craft show this year that I got into last year. I know how competitive it is for jewelers at craft shows and therefore shouldn't be surprised, but for some reason, this year it hit me harder than usual. Makes me think of the things I need to do to increase my chances of acceptance.

For example, I think I need better photographs to send to shows. My photos look pretty good on the web, but printed they are not as professional looking. I also think I need to add an artist statement to my applications, acknowledging that there is a ton of competition for jewelry makers, and what it is about my jewelry that stands out and makes me a good candidate for their show. As a "beader" it is easy to discount the quality of the work I do although when people get a chance to see it up close, it is clear that the pieces are not run of the mill, given my use of color and design.

So.....I've been in a funk and am hoping that I am moving out of it. I have a show in Connecticut this Sunday at an Art Fair, and I hope that will help. I love talking to people about my work.

Here are a few of my new pieces. I seem to be using pendants more and more, and these are particular ones that I've been hoarding. When I find components that I love, I hang on to them for a while, not wanting them to go.....then after a while I can use them and put them up for sale. I suspect other jewelry artists understand that dynamic!

For Bea on Mother's Day

2009-05-10T09:11:00.004-04:00

Today is Mother's Day and it is a day when I miss my mother with such intensity. She died in 2007 and even though the sadness lessens with time, Mother's Day continues to be a difficult day. My mother loved being acknowledged with a mushy card and a phone call. She never wanted gifts, and would be clear about that if I ever did buy her something. Our daughter took us out for breakfast today - a yearly tradition that is so sweet. And as some of you know, she is due to have her first child in July. The cycle of life is profoundly moving to me. For today, I just want to acknowledge my mother, Beatrice, whom I loved. I love you Mom, and miss you like crazy.

Adapting, Family, and Change!

2009-04-28T07:52:00.004-04:00

I follow a blog that is written by Miriam (Angel's Hair - http://theangelshair.blogspot.com/), a woman originally from France who is now living in New York. I so enjoy reading her blog entries and I noticed this week that she has family visiting from France. She writes about looking forward to showing off her new home to them.

When I moved to the US from Canada I found the adjustment quite difficult, and English is my mother tongue. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to make a move from another continent - let alone not have English as my first language. She seems to have adjusted quite well and I would recommend folks go read her blog - it's very interesting.

I've been in the US for 10 years and I've adjusted, rarely feeling like a fish out of water like I used to. That's a good thing I guess. Although I now feel like a fish out of water when I go back to Canada for a visit. Adaptation is a strange phenomenon.

Here are a couple of her illustrations!

New Beauties!

2009-04-26T17:18:00.004-04:00

I've been hard at work creating. Seems that my busy season swooped down on me and I'm not feeling as prepared as I like. Next weekend I am going to see the Dalai Lama speak and I'm so excited about that. It feels like a once in a lifetime experience.

The following 3 weeks I have 4 shows - one 2-day show in Flemington, New Jersey, a 1-day show in Bennington, VT, Easthampton, MA and Holyoke, MA. Should be an exciting time. I'm sure by the end I will feel exhausted and worried that my stock is too low. At least that's my hope.

How cool it was that a woman I don't know commented on a blog entry and said that she will be a vendor at the Easthampton show as well. I'm looking forward to meeting you Dawn.

Here are some new pieces that will be going up on my website soon.

Craft Show Season has begun!

2009-04-17T15:35:00.011-04:00

Tomorrow is my first show of the season. It is in Keene, NH - a show I do twice a year, lately with mixed results. It's funny that I continue to attend given the mixed results, but I've gotten to know many of the artists situated near me, and it is familiar and comfortable. I must admit, not the best reason for going. I always come out ahead and I like feeling apart of a community.

I have mixed feelings about most craft fairs I attend, especially in the last year - many are a mixture of quality artisan crafts and (for lack of a better word) crap - buy and sell items that are usually priced so low that I can't compete when it's jewelry. There is a lot of mass produced sterling silver jewelry out there. I complain and the promoters say that they were told it was all handmade by the vendor. Hah! 50 rings in various sizes with the same gemstone is one example of pieces made elsewhere. I am sure many of you who do shows have experienced situations similar to this.

One of the things that keeps me up the night before I do a show is wondering if I remembered everything? I am not a big list maker, even though I know keeping a list would be helpful, but do I do it, nope. I guess I like the challenge better. So I thought I would try and list what I currently bring to shows. Once the season is really up and running, I leave almost all of this in my van and only need to replenish things that have been used, which makes it much easier.

I bring:

canopy

weights

jewelry

4 tables

covers

busts for necklace, bracelets

earring stands

credit card machine

tools

earring backs

business cards

receipt books

earring cards

business card holders

banner

gift bags

tissue paper

bed risers

pine boxes to display things on

pens

anti-bacterial lotion

clip board

inventory list of jewelry

price tags

sterling silver "S" clasps in different sizes

gift certificates

signs - for earrings price; that I accept visa mastercard amex discover, sterling silver, etc.

calculator

camera

2 chairs

water

hand truck

paper towels

I'm probably missing some stuff - but that's most of it.

I am going with my daughter who will stay here tonight so we can leave early. I always seem to need to be early, even though I no longer need two hours to set up like I used to. I used to put lots of wondrous little things on the tables - like rocks framed in iron from Haiti, clay goddess plaques, and wooden pieces - that used to add to the funkiness of the table but I don't bring them any more. I realize that it added time to the set up and distracted from the jewelry. I now focus on the jewelry and try not to put out too much because when I do it's difficult to take it all in.

I suspect I am not alone in this constant battle to perfect the best setup. Would love to hear what others do.

One Can Never Tell How Things Will Turn Out!

2009-04-14T09:04:00.011-04:00

Who plans a trip in early April and expects it to snow? Not I! It sure helps that I can flow with change fairly well. It was gorgeous the day we arrived in Shelburne, Ontario for a quiet week away. The day after we arrived it snowed....and snowed....and more snow. We received between 8 and 10" of snow. As you will see from the photos, it was quite wondrous.

Visiting with our friends Gail and Alan and their two huge dogs is always relaxing and fun. I did very little but veg. I did bring some work to do, was quite productive, and I made many new bracelets which I need for a show this coming weekend.

I hope you can see from the pictures that we had a wonderful time.

Just to fill in some info about the dogs - Logan, a Great Dane is about 3 years old and weighs 175 lbs. Rosie (the puppy) is an English Mastiff who just turned 1 and she weighs about 130 lbs. I'm not 100% sure about her weight, but let me tell you - having two large dogs bouncing around is quite different than my two 11 lbs. boys.

Tax Time - Not My Favorite Yearly Activity

2009-04-03T17:27:00.002-04:00

I was reading one of the blogs that I follow, http://imakearrrt.com/blog/ and I had to chuckle. Tax time is stressful for everyone I think, but those of us who throw receipts in a box and go through them at tax time have a higher level of stress because there is so much to do to get it all organized. There is a certain level of panic I feel when I realize that time is short and I need to get focused and moving.

I think I got it together early this year. Today I went to pick up my taxes from the accountant - how's that - 11 days to spare. Next year will be different as I am starting to use Quickbooks. Anyone want to place a bet on whether or not I input my expenses and income on a regular basis????

I was glad to see that Alexia also wrote about tax time, and that she also struggles to get them done on time - I don't feel so alone :)

Animal Lovers Unite!

2009-03-29T15:49:00.021-04:00

When I began this blog I thought that all my posts would be about my work & development as a jewelry artist - whether about running a small business, design of pieces, creative blocks, website design, etc. What I've come to realize is that this blog covers many different topics and areas to my life - jewelry making being a large part of it, but not all of it.

That said, I want to talk about animals, pets to be exact. I live in an area of Western Massachusetts where the MSPCA has had to close in Springfield, MA because of lack of funds. I know that the economy is bad, and cities are struggling and needing to make choices about staffing and funding, but really - cutting the care for lost, sick and abandoned pets?

I've read that people are bringing their pets to shelters because they cannot afford to feed them any longer. I cannot imagine needing to make that decision with my two dogs, Eddie and Diesel. My heart would be broken.

Now there is one less place open to receive animals in need.

One woman I know through the blogging world, Michelle Harvey, wrote about a great challenge called "My FURPOWER $1 Donation Challenge!" to raise money for shelters. Michelle has been an animal advocate for most of her life and is supporting this challenge. It's a great idea and I hope you will check it out and make a donation. You can reach the blog entry at http://www.romeothecat.com/2009/03/announcing-my-furpower-1-donation.html

I also want to suggest that you check out Michelle's blog (http://www.michabellacreations.blogspot.com) - she is one creative artist. I am very fond of her work. Some of the pieces from her blog are shown below:

One of My Favorite Places

2009-03-27T10:26:00.001-04:00

I love Shelburne Falls which is located in NW Massachusetts, close to Vermont. It has a lot of culture for a small town, with an Artisan Co-op Gallery, funky coffee bars where local musicians come to play, The Bridge of Flowers, which once was a trolley bridge I believe, the potholes - amazing rock formations that you can go down to when you want to sit and reflect, and amazing reflections on the water from the bridge that runs through the town. I spent some time there last weekend and love how these photos came out. Of course I should be working on getting new pieces up on the web, and completing some custom orders, but it was a glorious day to be outside and I wanted to post about it.

I've Been Interviewed - that's a first!

2009-03-23T19:08:00.003-04:00

Miriam of Angel's Hair wrote and asked if she could interview me for her blog. I've been following her blog for a while and jumped at the chance! She sent me the questions and after much back and forth on my part, I answered the questions and sent them back to her to be published in her blog.
Today the interview is up and I'm pleased with it.
When I was younger I hemmed and hawed over any writing I needed to do, finding it difficult to get out of myself to write. It was especially difficult for me to write papers at University. I had a friend who would sit with me which helped keep my anxiety at bay so that I could get my ideas out. That seems to have shifted. I love writing in this blog, and seem to have resolved the fears that my writing isn't good enough. Now I worry that I'm not succinct enough and that I've become wordy. Seems like the process of writing remains a challenge.
If you are interested in learning more about me, check it out. Once you are there, make sure to look at Miriam's drawings. Her illustrations are quite wonderful.

Compassion - My Journey

2009-03-16T09:08:00.016-04:00

I seem to be a complex person - never seeming to be satisfied with what is, but always searching, rarely staying static for long. That seems to be my life journey. As I've written before, I am studying Reiki, wanting to incorporate energy body work into my life, as a way to offer healing comfort to others and also as a way to work on myself. My body hurts more as I age and Reiki energy work provides relief.

Reiki is an amazing technique, opening me up in new ways, and has led to a deepening self-evaluation of my spiritual life, or maybe it's better to say, my lack of one. I've always defined myself as an Atheist and have not spent much time thinking about religion and/or spirituality, even though I have "toyed" with Buddhism since my 20's.

On my Facebook page I have written that I am a "Goddess loving Buddhist", which seems to fit, although the Buddhist part has become more central and the goddess piece has moved more into the background. Truthfully though, I've never spent much time thinking deeply about either of these paths I've (sort of) taken. There has definitely been a shift, which I am trying to articulate here, although I'm not sure how successfully.

The Goddess piece is about a connection to the power of the female, and the knowledge of the mystery and power that she holds, in whatever incarnation one looks to. I love her connection to nature and inner strength, although sometimes her strength is directed outward and seems violent to me.

The Buddhist piece has always been about being centered, choosing to focus on being balanced, being able to detach and stay still, refusing to be locked into negative thinking patterns, and believing in the good of people. Not always an easy task for me but I do believe that the more I am able to stay present and focused, the less I get pulled into negativity.

I have now added a new piece which is Compassion. Compassion is central to Tibetan Buddhist thought. Compassion (Bodhisattva) is best represented by Quan Yin whom I believe holds tremendous strength, giving and fortitude. I am including three photographs that show different images of Quan Yin. She is revered in Buddhist teachings. Compassion comes in many forms. I am not always able to be compassionate, nor do I fully understand it fully. But I do think I get it now. I hope that focusing on compassion with stay in my thoughts each day as I go about my life.

So why am I writing this?

I am writing about this because of a blog entry I read recently about a basketball game. Funny connection I guess, but not really. Lori Anderson, one of the finest jewelry artists around, wrote about an article she read about a high school student, who was blind, being allowed to toss all the free throw shots in a basketball game that was a fundraiser. His brother used a cane to tap the hoop and this young man, Matt Steven, was able to follow the sound and shoot for the hoop - he succeeded 4 out of 8 times. How amazing is that? I loved this story, especially that his team allowed him to shoot, even though it might have meant they lose the game. If you want to get the full picture, go read the article which is highlighted on Lori's blog post. You can access it by clicking on the blog entry title at the top of this page.

Sometimes it's not just about winning!

How I Know Spring is Coming!

2009-03-12T16:43:00.003-04:00

It's cold here today in Western Massachusetts, not a surprise - but, the sun is out, it stays light until after 6:00 p.m. which says to me spring is a'coming. I can't wait to be able to put sandals on (no socks) and walk around with bare arms. I so love it when the winter ends and the flowers re-emerge from the earth. One of the other ways that tells me spring is coming is that I get the urge to buy bags - I love bags - at the moment I am very fond of the bags Tilt Creations makes and sells on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5999145). One of the funny struggles in my life centers on whether I should wear leather or not, eat meat, or not, etc. Too many times I have gone "leather-free" and given away my bags and boots and shoes, and have bought cloth bags, Crocs, and other shoes I have found without leather. Works well for a while and then I seem to lose my resolve. So I've stopped giving away my leathered and non-leathered accessories, which means I've built up quite a collection. But if you are like me, there is never too many on my shelves! Theresa also has a blog. Check her out - http://tiltcreations.blogspot.com.

Being Caught Off-guard!

2009-03-10T09:01:00.003-04:00

I had an interesting experience last week that seems to have sparked a lot of thought. I signed up and attended a workshop at my local bead shop with my daughter. It was to be a fun evening out. Another person there was someone I had worked with a number of years ago who came up to me and started talking about my business - wanting to "pick my brain" as she was planning on beading full-time once she retired. I could feel my back go up and I felt trapped, uncertain of how to respond to her request. She also joked that she would go "steal my designs" once she discovered I had a website.

I believe I knew she was kidding and was surprised by the intensity of my reaction. In processing it I realized that for those on the outside looking in, having a small business creating and selling jewelry must seem like the ideal life. It did for me when I was beginning to contemplate leaving my "real" job. Now that I am in it, the reality seems quite different. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what I do and hope that I can continue this forever, but there is a "harsher" reality which is less enjoyable - trying to make a living doing what I love, having the time to do all that needs to be done and still have time to create, creative blocks, etc.

One of the things I know is that I am not competitive with others who design jewelry - even though I am sometimes disappointed when, for example, I apply for a craft show and get told that they've reached their maximum for jewelers. There are a lot of us out there and the trick seems to be developing my own niche - something that separates me out from the crowd. That is not as easy for me and continues to be an ongoing process.

One of the things I love about blogging is that it gives me, and many others, the opportunity to hear what jewelry making is for others - I love feeling a part of a larger community of artists who express themselves in a multitude of ways. It nourishes my spirit.

Nourishment Comes in Many Forms

2009-03-04T21:29:00.004-05:00

Been thinking a lot about ways I nourish myself - the obvious one being food which I need to sustain me - but less obvious are the ways I find nourishment in things that are less conventional. Let me talk about food first. Food has always been an issue in my life, whether it was about the quantity of food I ate, the effect my food consumption had on my weight, or the quality of my food. I came of age in the 60's - the era of Twiggy - and the norm at that time was skinny skinny skinny. I've never been skinny. I have a picture taken when I was in Great Britain in 1971 when I was 20. At that time I had very poor body image, and believed I was extremely fat. Now when I look at that picture I see a normal sized young woman who was so effected by the media and family that she could not see herself clearly. 20 is the age that I got involved in the women's movement, and began working on my sense of self, with great success I think. Not an easy process but I came to believe that my worth in this world was not based on how I looked, but rather on who I was as a person, and how I openly and honestly I interacted with others.

Other ways of self-nourishment that have been important to me seem more difficult to articulate. Spending money has definitely been a problem at times. I have much desire to own things I don't necessarily need. Who has 4 iPods? Okay they may all be different sizes and have different uses, but it's still 4 iPods. And then there is the bead collection - I never seem to have enough - and can always use more. Even at times when I am not feeling creative or productive, I'm still buying beads. When I was younger my mother had a thing about Keds sneakers and I had 15 pairs in different colors and patterns. I must have been about 8 or 9 years old. Maybe that was the beginning? Wouldn't it be great to have someone to blame. Too bad I'm too smart for that.

Healthier forms of nourishment come from being close to people and allowing myself to open up and connect, thereby feeling nourished by them. Not as easy as it sounds. There are times when I feel I have this one down, and then I tank and feel closed off.

Nature is a great form of nourishment for me - I can look at the changing environment as Spring struggles to come, feeling much joy and excitement, especially seeing deer and hawks in my neighborhood. Opens me right up. I am so looking forward to Spring I can taste it - this winter has been harsh and a struggle.

This brings me to my current venture. I've been studying Reiki and have completed Reiki Level 1. I am loving this, finding joy and contentment in the process of energy work. And it opens me up, nourishes my soul and grounds me. I have become a believer and hope to use Reiki on myself and others. The few treatments I have done seem to be successful, in that my "guinea pigs" report feeling relaxed and soothed after their treatments. Funny thing is that I felt the same way - how lovely to give and receive at the same time. Reiki seems to bring me back to my roots - and I am excited about new ventures Reiki opens up for me.

The World of Twitter

2009-02-27T10:07:00.004-05:00

I am feeling engulfed by Twitter - it has become a staple of my day. I have updates appearing on my desktop computer and every few seconds I hear a little sound that lets me know that someone has updated their moment to moment existence on Twitter. I really have to work hard not to continually go and check to see what someone has written.

I'm not sure why I Twitter, in the same way that I'm not sure why I update my status on Facebook. Maybe it's a way to feel connected with a larger community as I work alone in my studio most of the time. I absolutely love hearing from some folks, and others I seem to ignore. What is it that draws me to some, and not others?

Hilary, of Designing Hilary - http://57designstudio.blogspot.com/2009/01/tweet-tweet.html has an interesting perspective on Twitter - she writes that there are different takes on how to use Twitter effectively - some believe use it as a vehicle of self-promotion, and others think personal sharing is what brings people in. I know that I filter out many updates I receive and am more likely to read them when they are personal - in particular ones that focus my attention on what's current, whether on the news or in their lives. I am not wanting to know what someone had for breakfast, or that they have a dentist appointment today. I'm more a feeling oriented person and like knowing how they are feeling, what they are struggling with, needing a break from, wanting to focus on, new learnings, etc. That said, I also read posts that have to do with jewelry making, networking, marketing tips, new ideas for displays, etc. Most importantly it needs to connect to some part of my life. This virtual world I've created is full of wonderful people I likely will never meet, but feel that in some profound way they are known to me and I am known to them.

How cool is that?

Not Enough Time in the Day

2009-02-24T07:39:00.005-05:00

How strange for me to say that there "isn't enough time in the day" for me to get everything done that needs to be done. I don't have a real job, spend all my time (supposedly) playing with beads, and yet feel like I'm leaving too many things undone. How is that possible?

So I thought I would try and break down my day.

I wake up, have coffee with Elaine, and watch the beginning of Good Morning America. After she leaves for work (at about 7:15) I sit for another 20 minutes or so and then go into my studio. First thing I do is put on music - depending on my mood I play folk, reggae or celtic. Then I attack my email - from last night until this morning I had 331 new emails. I am on a couple of very active email groups and there are times when I am shocked by the quantity of email. Imagine if it were snail mail - I would be recycling tons of paper a year :)

Okay, I've made it through my email, now I'm paying bills, looking for craft shows to apply for, letting the dogs out, in, out, in etc. Now it's time for breakfast! I usually play solitaire on the computer while I have my cereal. So now it's 10:30 and I still haven't created anything. By 11:00 I am ready to work. If I have pieces that I've started, I try and finish them before starting something new. If I am starting from scratch, I will open and close my bead storage drawers until something strikes me and I can play around with different gemstones and silver until the right combination hits me. I think today I will work with Citrine.

Now I am focused!! Oops dogs want to go out. Phone rings and it's a friend I haven't spoken to in a while.

Okay I'm back......focused.....humm not sure I still want to work with the Citrine, maybe Peridot, or Amethyst. Here I am starting over again figuring out what I want to do.

Of course it isn't always like this. Sometimes I can sit down and spend the day creating. Especially if I am making earrings - I can make a number of pairs in a day. I sell a lot of earrings and when I have a large stock of them it takes the pressure off me. I feel freed up and can do what I love which is to create necklaces. Necklaces are like a large canvas to create on which appeals to me.

Of course, there are other things I do during my day in the studio - photograph my pieces for the web, write descriptions for each piece, catalog them, update my website, twitter my daily thoughts, try to keep up with my emails, read blog entries, write in my blog.....the bead goes on.

Truthfully there is nothing I would rather be doing with my time. I love what I do.

Unique Gift Cards - with a vintage feel

2009-02-19T08:49:00.002-05:00

I just found this blog, by Kelly of Macaroni & Glue. She creates unique stationary with a vintage feel - there are cards for every occasion. I love them. Personally I'm tired of sending email cards because I'm too overwhelmed, or forgetful to have cards to mail in advance. The computer has led to such a huge shift in how I live my life - mostly for the good, but there are a few things that are not so good! It's easy to be lazy - one of the things I've noticed is that I no longer mail out thank you cards. I don't know about you, but I was taught to always send out a thank you note if someone either gave me a gift, or did something especially nice. My mother would not be pleased to know that I've replaced the thank you card with an email thank you! The personal touch to the note is less palatable with email. I'm going to try and be better at this.

I Won a Wonderful Print on One World/One Heart Giveaway

2009-02-14T14:05:00.005-05:00

How cool is this????

Pam Warden of Pam Warden Art contacted me to tell me that I was the winner of her giveaway. Her giveaway prize had been one of my favorites when I was visiting the different artist blogs involved in the One World/One Heart giveaway. And I won. I rarely win things so it is a double treat. It will be nice to have a reminder of my involvement in this event, which remains a highlight experience for me. Please go have a look at her art - colorful, funky and full of life.

A Winner Has Been Chosen!

2009-02-12T08:39:00.003-05:00

What an exciting ride it has been for the past three weeks, being a part of the Gypsy Caravan - One World/One Heart Giveaway. I know that I've stated it before but seeing how many people got involved, both in offering art, and participating by entering giveaways was fantastic! I loved looking at other artists' blogs and reading the comments from the 358 folks who entered to win my turquoise necklace.

My heartfelt thanks to Lisa Swifka at A Whimsical Bohemian http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com for coming up with the idea, organizing it, and allowing me the opportunity to be involved in such an amazing, worldwide event. Okay - so now I will let you all know who won my necklace. The winner is: Kim Mailhot - (kdebroin at comcast.net) http://queen-of-arts.blogspot.com - go have a look at her wonderful blog. Thanks to everyone for participating - looking forward to seeing you again next year.

Terry

Just 5 hours to go!

2009-02-11T19:08:00.002-05:00

One World/One Heart ends tonight at midnight. I live on the east coast of the United States and therefore the giveaway will end at midnight EST. I will use a random number generator to pick a winner and will announce it tomorrow on this blog.

I must say I am sad to see this all end. It has been a wonderful experience.

One World - One Heart Giveaway

2009-02-11T14:23:00.001-05:00

I am a part of the 2009 One World - One Heart Giveaway. This is a unique experience where artists from all over the world participate through their blogs. I believe this is the third year of this event. How it works is that if you want a chance to win my donated piece of handmade jewelry, you need to leave a comment on this blog entry, including your email address so that I can inform you if you win. This giveaway is open to everyone! If you click the One World - One Heart Logo at the top of this post, you can learn more about this amazing venture, and if you want, you can also sign on. The giveaway will end on February 11th and the winner will be notified on February 12th. I hope that you will go to the website to see the huge number of artists worldwide who are taking part in this venture. Sign on to as many as you want. Now about the giveaway: This is a necklace that demands to be seen. This remarkable 23" necklace of Turquoise chunks is surprisingly light and gently caresses the neck. The necklace is finished with a Bali Sterling Silver "S" clasp. I call it Chunks of Stone. If you are interested in winning this wonderful piece of jewelry, make sure you comment on this post, and include your email address. Otherwise I have no way to let you know if you win. Good luck!

Color!

2009-02-09T16:33:00.004-05:00

I often wonder what it is about bright colors that attract me. I've been drawn to primary colors since childhood. I can remember a long sleeve t-shirt that my mother bought me when I was maybe 15 years old that was bright purple. I wore the shirt until it fell apart. The color was deep, bright and full of richness. My mother giving me that shirt was the beginning of my love affair with purple - I could never get enough - I wore purple shoes, clothes - even put purple in my hair for a short time. Something few know about me is that for a while in my late teens I used a pseudonym - Violet Rush! When I was Violet I was a colorful character, not afraid of anything. I was a teenager in the 60's and Terry was just not colorful enough for me. I used to fantasize about changing my name, but I outgrew the desire to leave myself behind.

My preferences and choices of color have shifted over time. I've branched out one can say. Jewelry making has been a great catalyst for exploring color. In particular, shades of blue and green, from turquoise to kyanite to Larimar, Peruvian Opal and freshwater pearls are some of my favorites. Other colors come into play certainly, but seem more secondary than primary in my jewelry designs.

When I was younger I made jewelry with the gay rainbow colors - partly to show my alliance and commitment to supporting the lesbian/gay community by being visible. But I also used the colors because I loved how they looked together - vibrant and rich. The world has changed so dramatically, especially here in Massachusetts, that wearing my "colors" on my sleeve doesn't seem so necessary. I've gotten older too. As I've aged I tend to wear more silver and less color in my jewelry. I wonder about that sometimes and have decided that it suits my current life. I live in a small town and rarely go out for the evening. Jewelry with sweat pants just doesn't seem to make it.

When I am feeling loose and creative, I mix colors that aren't typically used together. When it works it's fabulous. Here are a couple of pieces that I think really express themselves well through color:

Expanding My Horizons

2009-01-31T08:11:00.006-05:00

I've had a huge response to the One World/One Heart Giveaway, and I loved reading all the comments from those interested in winning my turquoise necklace. So far, it's more than 250 comments - how amazing! I am thrilled to be a part of this worldwide event.

Now my whine:

Working on maintaining a website is a ton of work, and I'm seeing that the gain does not warrant the amount of work it takes to keep it up and current. It is a great networking tool and I would not want to take it down, but it is time-consuming. I have a few pieces on Etsy but no sales. I signed up for ArtFire but haven't used it. It seems complicated and not as user friendly as Etsy. So I'm going to post some more items on Etsy - new pieces that I've made, as well as jewelry supplies that I purchased but haven't used. I've thought of doing this for a while, but have not felt motivated to do it. It seems important to figure out what is keeping me from being pro-active about this. I can come up with a list of reasons, but none seem quite right. I would love to be able to blame the weather, lack of motivation, being too busy, etc. The truth is I really don't know what the issue is. I need to get a handle on this, or I will sink deeper into non-action. Needing my muse to show herself!

Humm, sounds a bit like depression doesn't it? I am not aware of being depressed, but will need to watch out. Depression has not been a part of my experience but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I am a psychotherapist by training and I believe I have the ability to spot depressive symptoms, but it is more difficult to see it in yourself than in others. I do know that this is a difficult time of year for me, full of memories of my mother getting ill on her birthday which was March 5, and my brother dying from lung cancer on March 3. Much as I wish I was someone who could push feelings away, I'm not able to that easily - so here I sit thinking about these two important losses in my life. Wow, writing this was so helpful. Once I wrote this I realized how this is a very difficult time of year for me - and I need to give myself a break and stop being so hard on myself.

On a lighter note, here are pictures of a new set I made that will be posted on Etsy. I must say that I love the colors! My muse is around, just difficult to access sometimes!

Grey Agate, faceted Amethyst. Hill Tribe Silver:

Personal Giveaway

2009-01-31T08:01:00.000-05:00

I am having a giveaway on my website for those that may be interested. I am trying to expand my mailing list - will send out infrequent newsletters, notices of specials and giveaways, etc. For those that sign up, you will be entered into my first giveaway which will happen on February 8, 2009. I am giving these wonderful earrings that I recently made. I will use a random number generator to choose a winner. Go to my website - www.magicalbeadstalk.com and complete the mailing list form on the bottom of the main page. Here is a picture of the earrings: They are made from Black Agate & Swarovski Crystals with Sterling Silver Findings

Lemonade Award Winner, Yep, that's Me!

2009-01-26T16:45:00.004-05:00

I've not won many awards in my life - guess I had too much fun and didn't "try" hard enough to excel. And now I've won the Lemonade Award, bestowed on me by ChezChani. From what I gather the rules are quite simple. 1.Put the logo on your blog or post 2.Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude. 3.Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post. 4.Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog. 5.Nominate your favorites and link to your post. This wonderful honor is now given to the following bloggers, all of whom have enriched my life. Many of these bloggers probably don't know that I follow their ramblings.... Dawn Jennifer Carolee Erin Mei Lainer Gera Linda Lori Robyn Whew! That was tough.

Back to Work! Finally

2009-01-23T16:22:00.005-05:00

I must have been really exhausted after my busy months of November and December because it was such a struggle to start producing again. Finally yesterday the muse seems to have returned and I have been able to make a few pieces that I am pleased with. I have been struck by the huge response of the OWOH giveaway - having received over 130 requests to be entered in the draw for my turquoise necklace. I really didn't know what to expect as this was the first year for me. I never expected such a big response - I thought maybe 30 or so folks would be interested. This truly is an exceptional event - I've loved checking out everyone's blogs - such variety and creativity. It's been a blast. This event makes the world seem smaller and more accessible. I love that. Here are the pieces I've made - all three necklaces are perfect for Valentine's Day:

Freshwater Pearls & Sterling Silver Earrings:

Black Agate, Freshwater Pearls and Hill Tribe Silver Necklace:

Natural Freshwater Pearls, Faceted Garnet & Sterling Silver Earrings:

Natural Freshwater Pearls, Faceted Garnet & Hill Tribe Silver Necklace:

Cranberry Freshwater Pearls & Hill Tribe Silver Necklace:

2009-01-20T12:03:00.004-05:00

CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA

Oh what a day! One that will be remembered by me forever - I cannot believe this has happened in my lifetime. Barack Obama - President of the United States!

Can You Tell I Haven't Been Producing?

2009-01-19T13:41:00.003-05:00

I noticed (even though I've tried not to!) that I haven't posted any new jewelry for quite some time. Seem to be blocked, or at least slowly returning from two very busy months. Rather than give myself a hard time for not producing, I've decided it's okay to work on the "behind the scenes" aspects of this business. Therefore I've been working on the website, chatting on my groups about blogs, twitter, and how to be more visible in the world wide web, and fixing pieces for others. I am having a giveaway on February 1st and am planning what to make for this. Should be fun. But, given that I am not producing much - I am very aware of the changes in the weather here in New England. Yesterday it snowed, today the sun is out and it's 30 degrees - absolutely balmy. We had a piece of snow hang off our deck that seemed amazing so I took some photos. Once I was taking photographs, I took a few of our mountain that I see out of my living room window - Mt. Tom - which is part of the Holyoke Range. I'm in love with my mountain, even though it's pretty small. Elaine calls it Mt. Terry, which makes me smile.