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My Bead Journal

July 25

The craft fair in Wichita seemed busier than previous years, though that did not seem to have a positive effect on sales as I had hoped.  I was able, however, to find several other jewelry artists to commiserate with, despite the many booths of mass produced stuff.  The main debate among us was whether craft shows held any promise of success for those of us whose work is so time and labor intensive, in such a competitive economy.  Sounds kind of dreary, but we also had lots of laughs and I fell in love with several pieces, as usual.  I made one great friend in particular, who I feel must be mentioned.  I hope to see her again next year. 

July 27

I am very happy to be a sponsor for Beads of Courage, a program begun by Jean Baruch, a nurse who wanted to help kids going through serious illnesses cope with emotional stress.  Creating the necklaces is fun and therapeutic ( as we all know) and also gives the kids tangible evidence of their bravery and accomplishments.  They receive colored beads to represent procedures and milestones they experience, some amassing to 20 or 30 feet of beads!  This program serves thousands of children in hospitals all over the country, and is funded entirely by private donations, so please check them out, as it is a cause near and dear to my heart. 

July 28

Katie Hacker, the new host of the PBS television show, "Beads, Baubles & Jewels", and whose project is on the cover of the BeadStyle July issue, has teamed with Beadalon to design a line of great new components called Katiedids.  I was honored to have received a preview of some of these pieces and I really recommend them, and visiting Katie's blog for video examples of how to use them.  She is pure beading greatness, and generously shares the techniques she's learned.

July 29

I truly enjoyed my guest teacher role while in Kansas City teaching lampworking.  It has long been my obsession, from the first oddly misshapen glass ball I ever created.  For those new to this art, lampwork is glasswork that involves melting rods and tubes of clear and colored glass with a gas fueled torch, and then manipulating the molten glass with tools or gravity.   It was wonderful to see some of the advanced students excel at this ancient art, and how creative their work is.  I'm including some pieces that make me smile, and hope you will send me some of your favorites as well.