Gaffer Glass

I'm loving this stuff! I got it, I finally got it....Whoo Hoo.

Chalcedony, I love you.

Contests!

I love a contest once in awhile and know a few of my friend do to so here is a list of them from that wonderful site Beading Daily: Go to it my friends....

September 2009

Around the World Stringing Challenge
Challenge yourself by creating a stringing or simple wirework project based on a theme. Top designs selected by readers and an "editor's choice" selection will be published in a future issue of Stringing magazine.
Complete Rules
Sponsor: Stringing
Deadline: September 7, 2009

"Sailors' Valentines" Reader Challenge
Sailors’ Valentines are mosaic collages made from shells and other objects, typically housed in an octagonal wooden frame. Make your own mixed-media version and submit a photo of it to this reader challenge.
Complete Rules
Sponsor: Cloth Paper Scissors
Deadline: September 8, 2009

November 2009

Beadwork Challenge
Submit a photo of your best beaded creation. One reader will be chosen to design a project with an upcoming Challenge kit. If chosen, you will have about three weeks to complete your project. Due to international shipping costs, this Challenge is limited to residents of the United States and Canada.
Complete Rules
Sponsor: Beadwork
Deadline: November 20, 2009

March 2010

"Make It Pretty!" Cloth Paper Scissors Calendar Contest
Create a mixed-media square based on the theme "Make It Pretty" for a chance to be featured in the 2011 calendar
Sponsor: Cloth Paper Scissors
Deadline: March 1, 2010

"Flavor of the Month" Quilting Arts Calendar Contest
Stitch, surface design, and embellish your favorite “Flavor of the Month” for a chance to featured in the 2011 calendar.
Complete Rules
Sponsor: Quilting Arts
Deadline: March 8, 2010

Ongoing

Beadwork's W.O.R.D ("What Our Readers Did")
Send photos of your projects to beadwork@interweave.com. Work inspired by projects published in previous issues of Beadwork magazine are especially welcome. Selected submissions may be published in Beadwork magazine on the "Letters" page.

Jewelry Artist Monthly Design Challenge
Each month Jewelry Arist challenges artists to sketch a specific design challenge. A selection of sketches are published in the "Your Turn" section of the magazine. Complete rules and entry information in every issue of Jewelry Artist. Deadline varies (generally the 30th of the month).

Step by Step Beads "Gallery of Reader Work"
Step by Step Beads editor Leslie Rogalski periodically calls for reader submissions on a certain theme. Selected submissions may be published in the magazine or on the website. Submission details inside Step by Step Beads magazine.

Step by Step Wire Jewelry "Wire Works" Reader Gallery
Please send images of your original wire designs to dpeck@interweave.com. Selected submissions may be published in Step by Step Wire Jewelry.

My Favorite Saying

Jennifer Geldard at Rebecca's Studio

These are my favorite class beads from the Jennifer Geldard class.

Adornment Gallery - It's where you walk into Rebecca's Studio - Such great inspiration!

Rebecca, Lynn Mc Govern, and Jennifer

Class discussion about some of Jennifer's Beads

An extremely happy me between two of my favorite people.

I'm definitely late at posting this one. The weekend before the Gathering Susan Lambert and I were lucky enough to be involved in a class at "The Studio". Jennifer Geldard flew in for the weekend and taught.

Since Jennifer is one of my favorite people I jumped at the chance to be included in her class again. She was concerned that she had previously shown me things but she needn't have worried about that. First, I needed remedial work on enamels. Plus, we got to make the birds and I learned another way to use the type of petals we pulled at a Loren Stump class. Jen is always open and gracious with her knowledge

If you have a chance to take her class - DO IT! - you won't regret it.

I've thrown in some photos of our class and Rebecca's Studio and Adornment Gallery. It's an awesome place and she has some great teachers coming so get signed up soon!

Scatching My Head

Nope, no fleas! No lice! Just puzzled as to why a person would go to this length to deflame their fellow lampworkers. I have contributed to this fund and I hope you will look it over and considering doing it too. There is a very disgrunted artist out there who is accusing people of fraud. I know I can be a little Pollyanna at times but this is just plain wrong. Please take the time to check a few things out for yourself -

Here is a link to the blog called : The Artisan Truth Report

Check out this link on Lampwork, etc. (The Lampworker's Forum)

Contribute to the Artisan and Glassworker's Legal Fund

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME! SINCERELY, SHARON

Teaching and Swapping

Just a short post I should have gotten up before. Here is a photo from the Gathering when we were at the Bead Swap on Sunday night. It was so much fun. I will try and get photos of all of the beads I traded for tomorrow and get them posted. Everyone was so generous with their beads and conversation. I don't think I'll ever miss another one if at all possible. I have a necklace planned with some of the beads I received. I was the lucky recipient of a beautiful fish from Karla Klein. She is seated in the photo. And there is Sharon Peters who was so nice to stay in the photo so I could catch her, Ronit Dagan, and Karla together. Ronit had been taking to Karla about her beads. And, I have some wonderful coral pieces from Marcie Lamberson to add to it too. Do you sense a theme here? I thought they would look great in some free-form peyote and maybe some bead embroidery. I have some others to add in that necklace, including my own but I have to go back through the beads first to know which once this "Seaward" theme started to take form. Oh Poop, I can not recall the name of the wonderful beadmaker who is also in the photo. If you recognize her please remind me.

Saturday I was lucky enough to be a teacher once again at the Bead Weasel. It's my favorite local (about as local as I'm going to get) bead store. Viking Knit is such a joy to do and pass on to others that I just love teaching it. I also love Anne Sturdevant at the Weasel. She's having Sharilyn Miller come in from California for a joyous six classes. Sharilyn is one of the true goddesses of wire working. If you ever get a chance to have a class with her do it! She will change the way you work with wire forever.

Well so much for my short post....catch you on the up side.

My Favorite Poster

There is a story behind this one. When I was taking some college classes at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City my printmaking teachers name was Jack. I adored him. It was when I was doing a lot of printmaking. Lithographs, etching, silkscreening. It was all wonderfully new. Anyway, rambling on I am, his wife's brother was the Governor of Kansas (?). I think I'm getting this right. I hope I'm getting this right. so the story goes he was the one who posed for this poster. I have this poster and I think it's great. So far, it's my all time favorite!

Bizarre

Sorry I didn't get a chance to get back to posting the other night but here are a few new photos. It actually felt just a little bizarre to be in Miami and at a bead show. But, it was great fun. Susan Lambert and I shared a table and decided to go for a funky look. Actually for the silly designs on the table came from seeing JC Herrell do a terrifically classy looking table top for Bead and Button. We did anything but! We used colored markers and made a spiral to show off Susan's discs and, of course, my skulls got...a huge skull to sit on. We draped it off the front of the table and put out names there. Last, but not least, were the stick on crystals and sequin crowns we wore. We weren't classy but we sure had a lot of fun and sold some great beads too.

You can see Susan in the corner of a photo waiting on a customer (I think it was Fran from Kentucky - We had a class with her and Bonnie Blincoe about ten years ago in Kentucky) and the lady with the beautiful long hair is none other than Heather Ferman. She is a doll in person and just the same way she is on the phone when you order viking knit end caps. We were next to Annie Made It - she is from Michigan too! And behind us was a lady who was gracious and who's name I forgot (shoot me now!). Kitty corner behind was Trey Cornette - loved, loved, loved, his class - and his beads.

I loved the fact it was a smaller group than usual, although it was difficult for the ISGB to put on the conference for a smaller group. It just it made it easier to meet everyone and talk. Next year it will be Rochester, New York. They sent some representatives from their chamber to the conference who handled out some great literature on the area. It was nice to have some pre-info. The ISGB does a wonderful job of taking care of its members in any way possible and making the conference a blast to attend. If you're a beadmaker (or a designer) you ought to consider belonging.

Contact them and join the FUN! International Society of Glass Beadmakers. There, I made it easy for you to click away!