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2006 Diary - previous year 2008 Diary - next year About Us - Find out more about Nancy Kamp and Jane Marie Beading - Main page and Table of Contents Books about Beads, Beading and Jewelry VeryShinyObjects.com - Watch Nancy's jewelry business grow! |
On a happier diamond note, the 2.37 carat Star of Thelma was discovered in Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park. By an individual. Who choose to spend his time looking for diamonds. Without a gun to his head. He got to keep what he found. January 16, 2007: The weather got me again. Tonight's bracelet class at Francis Tuttle has been cancelled. Grrrrr. I don't bother watching entertainment award shows any more - call me when they have heavily hyped waitress or garbage collector or single parent awards. Anyway, helpful TV and other media outlets show enough of the clothes and jewels so I get a good idea of what is in fashion. Two things I noticed on last night's Golden Globes Awards were Angelina Jolie's gold necklace and the huge chandelier earrings so many wore. I like the idea of taking the eye up with giant earrings, but I remember my days of clip on earring pain and wonder if huge earrings wouldn't be ear killers too. The Megan Mullally Show has been cancelled, but I sometimes have TV in the background while I do idiot work that doesn't require my actual attention, and the show is on as I type. Patricia Heaton, who was a deposition summarizer before she became rich and famous, said Megan made jewelry to supplement her income in her early days in Hollywood. Megan sold necklaces to Faye Dunaway for $20 that FD expected to buy for three times that amount. Hmm.
January 19, 2007: I've been indulging my need to bead lately with orders to several online sites. Today's chosen store was http://beadbabe.com/, and I can't wait to see what I've got coming. (OK, that could work out in a number of ways, but I've been pretty good lately, so my karma should be equally good*.) I need to make lots of rings and earring for the upcoming events Jane Marie and I are planning to do. *Why, oh why haven't I won a lottery? January 23, 2007: New York City's Fashion Week indicates the layered look will continue for necklaces. And now the annoucement of the Oscar nominations has been made, we can all start strengthening our earlobes as the heavy dramatic earring look will, no doubt, dominate the red carpet. February 10, 2007: There aren't many bead shows in this area, so I will be adding a section on the Bead Class Links page to list shows as I come across them. February 13, 2007: The March issue of Lucky has a brief article on Bakelite jewelry, the original plastic from the last century, which is much beloved of collectors. They say it has a "clunk" sound when tapped together and smells like formaldehyde (yuck) when rubbed vigorously. Also, don't store it in today's plastic. Thanks, Lucky. The same issue of Lucky says clip on earrings are back. And just last night, a student asked if I taught a class on clip ons. I don't. But I remember how my ear lobes throbbed after wearing them. I will never suffer for beauty in that way again. February 26, 2007: I promised Cary we would watch Flyboys last night, so naturally we all sat glued to the Oscars - like any of us really care. I have always maintained there should be media-packed awards for those whose jobs truly make a difference like 911 operators or bridge maintenance workers. I study the clothes and jewelry though. While there were some spectacular necklaces, it seemed to be an evening of bare necklines and great (Could people really have been wearing clip ons? Oh, the pain, the pain.) earrings. And I do wish I could have seen Kate Capshaw's necklace up close, but I didn't care for Meryl Streep's casual stones? I have to admit being pleased for Jennifer Hudson. She seems like a nice (and talented) person. But what was with her jacket and Nicole Kidman's bow and Anne Hathaway's black bow thingie? Beyoncé, Penelope Cruz, Emily Blunt, Portia de Rossi, Jada Pinckett Smith, Jodie Foster, Helen Mirren and Reese Witherspoon won the best dressed pool at our house. February 27, 2007: I neglected to mention all the great bracelets at the Academy Awards. Stacking bracelets is fun and a way to wear more jewelry, because more is more, right? March 5, 2007: Color forecasting has been centralized for all fields of design at Pantone. For a fee you can see the colors the experts say we'll love in 2008. March 11, 2007: Yesterday's craft show was a failure. I should have heeded the omens, but no ... An evil portent was revealed when I attempted to follow Rena's advice to fire retard my table cover (April 1 entry, an irony not lost on me) with a Borax® / boric acid solution. I thought I followed her directions and ended up with a crusty cloth I had to rewash in the washer. The day of the show dawned bright and clear. Things should have gone well, but all the vendors said people weren't buying. And while good weather and lots of local events could have been the problem, everyone agreed you just couldn't tell how a show would turn out. Still, I learned a lot and met some great people, so ... March 14, 2007: Luxe Jewels keeps evolving. Over the last few weeks, I've been concerned about the direction the company was moving, but now the big picture has been revealed. Here is the gist of an e-mail I sent to an old corrrespondent: "I am still with the company and very glad of it. They've just taken on a new CEO who comes from another direct sales company that had over $1B in sales last year. His job is to grow Luxe like crazy. All kinds of incentives are in the works for consultants who help him do this.
"The new catalog is out and reveals a 2nd product line of ready to wear jewelry as well as jewelry you order in your choice of beads. Kits and make it yourself beading materials have been upgraded and redesigned.
"Since we corresponded, the cost of becoming a consultant has increased to $189, but the intention is to give a new consultant the ability to sell jewelry from the day her kit arrives. It now contains 3 completed necklaces, a kit, bead samples and several tools.
March 15, 2007: This page isn't just about Luxe Jewels, but their new Design Club is super exciting. You get discounts, great ideas and so much more. Sign up begins April 1. April 18, 2007: I've been beading in secret, but the taxes are finally done, and I can tell you I never stopped making jewelry. I just hid my tools and sat in a corner instead of sifting through paperwork. Now, of course, I have to clean up my workspace, file a bunch of papers and make more jewelry. If you like rocks, click on this link <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/photogalleries/giant-crystals-cave/index.html> to see the most fantastic cave ever. If you weren't traveling to Mexico in the near future, this place could change your mind. May 1, 2007: Any day a new bead book comes in the mail is a special day for Nancy, but I have to say I was thrilled to open Easy Beading Volume 3. I stopped thinking about the two articles I had to write and immediately grabbed some beads and started making earrings. Score another great book from the good folks at Kambach Publishing. Easy Beading Volume 3 follows in the footsteps of Easy Beading Volume 1 with lots of interesting projects, clear and simple directions, and good illustrations. If you are building a bead book library (and even if you hadn't considered it until now) Easy Beading Volume 3 is a must buy. May 8, 2007: As part of my clean up the ole office program, I've been resorting beads. I've always gone strictly by color, but now I'm sorting by type - crystals, foil-lined, shell, etc. Mostly this is part of my strong conviction that daughter Jill will return home from China with tons of pearls for me to work with. Also, my mother-in-law is convinced I will be unable to escape the room in case of fire. I've just signed up to be an affiliate with Nix Creations because of the bead overlays and paints they sell. They also have a tutorial on how to build a box to improve your jewelry photos. May 13, 2007: I just got back from Jelcy Romberg's Bead Soup Ring class at the Oklahoma City Bead Market. Jelcy is a good teacher, the class was fun and reasonably priced, and I learned a new skill. I bought a few things at the Bead Market, but it wasn't a big bead show. And the promoter needs to practice her shooing-early-bird-customers-out-of-the-way technique. Those of us who'd been warned off spent a satisfying several minutes making not quite kind remarks to amuse each other while we waited for the unintelligible announcement that the show was open to the public. I will take another class from Jelcy next time she's in town, and I will go to another Bead Market show despite the cool welcome, so all in all it was a good beginning to Mother's Day for Nancy. Bead Show Tips - lower right column
May 28, 2007: I'm just now able to sort through jewelry photos from last year's trip to Europe, so here is the best of those taken in Rouen, France. I love the rich color palette. Please blame Microsoft and several other software companies for the publishing delay.
June 4, 2007: I was listening to some old Luxe Jewels' (use ID VeryShinyObjects) training calls and heard from Melissa from Arizona say, "Your mouth is your office. If it's not open, you're closed for business." This is a clever update of a popular quote I now like even better.
June 27, 2007: Attention those with metal allergies. Nickel silver and silver and gold plate are not safe and may irritate your skin. June 30, 2007: The other day I got a copy of an excellent new beginner bead book, Cool Jewels by Naomi Fujimoto (see right column). I also received the latest issue of Bead Style magazine (see page 19 of the July 2007 issue for the Luxe Jewels ad and contact me at nancy@greenlightwrite.com). The book and magazine share a publisher, Kalmbach Publishing, a company dear to beaders everywhere for the quality of the bead and jewelry making information available within books and magazines. You can learn a lot from Kalmbach. I have. July 3, 2007: One of the dogs (she knows who she is) attempted to eat a roll of 26 gauge Acculon beading wire, ruining several yards in the process. We left the wire on the coffee table after the DF used up all my masculine looking beads in a sad attempt to make himself a bracelet. Version 2 also failed, but I think he has the bead bug. Now if he would just take direction ... July 23, 2007: The Luxe Jewels Convention is only a week and a half away and I'm not going. They will announce, show, reveal, demonstrate, and so on, and I'm not going. Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhh. August 15, 2007: Kazuri beads are made in Kenya. Their purchase benefits the women who make them with high wages, health insurance and school uniforms (essential in Africa) for their children. Also, the beads are beautiful. I got my new Luxe Jewels samples and catalogs. The company has come a long way, but WOW. I don't know that Jane Seymour's book, Making Yourself at Home, would have been published if it hadn't been written by Jane Seymour. It's pretty light on the home decor tips, but there is one that might interest bead and jewelry fans - Ms Seymour drips her jewelry through her rooms for sparkle and texture. Hey, why not? August 23, 2007: We sent our Jill off to China yesterday wearing her Christmas / birthday / we love you present, a necklace from the new Luxe Jewels catalog. There are tons of charms to choose from in the Sentiments Collection so I got the Journey charm and a letter J on a 20" sterling chain. Jill loves it.
September 23, 2007: I'm getting ready for the fall craft show season and beading my little heart out. However, I did take time out to read Turquoise Girl by Aimée by David Thurlo, the 12th novel in the Ella Clah series set in Navajo country. Turquoise Girl is part of the Navajo myth pantheon and lives on Mount Taylor, aka Turquoise Mountain, in New Mexico. It is sacred to the Navajo people. October 2, 2007: I stupidly booked a craft show for OU-Texas game day in Norman, OK. I sure hope the promoters know what they're doing, but seriously, what were we thinking? Luxe Jewels has announced a jewelry design contest to benefit breast cancer awareness. Get details here and use my Luxe ID - veryshinyobjects - if you decide to enter. October 3, 2007: 3200 goldminers were trapped underground near Johannesburg, South Africa, without food or water today. I wonder if all safety precautions were observed. I wonder how many of these man and women will be rescued. [All were rescued!] I wonder how badly we need gold. October 16, 2007: I managed to skip the weekend's bead show through sheer will power, though I managed to suggest to everyone we met that parking right outside it would be a better thing. They didn't take the bait ,and I didn't blow the budget and wonderful beads I didn't need. Craft show insight: You have to match your product and taget market very closely. If you sell upscale bridge jewelry (not junk, but not precious stones and platinum either), do not bother with small church bazaars because your customer base is not attending those events. November 6, 2007: I just got the latest newsletter from trendwatching.com. It said turquoise, the color, was the new black, which bodes well for those of us who love it and the gemstone itself. Just remember, almost all stones are treated these days - find out what you're buying before you pay for garbage. Unless, of course, you want garbage. The most disturbing trend was that many people are dumping their little dogs. They followed the craze and then found out they'd taken in needy little beasts that were too much work. So, lots of animals are going to the pound. November 7, 2007: Turns out the info that prompted yesterday's entry was a hoax. I should have been tipped off by the fact trendwatching also said people were attracted to boringly decorated hotels because bland is comforting. I am such a chump. But I still like turquoise. December 19, 2007: I've been making up last minute projects and considering my schedule, it occured to me to consider how much my skills have grown in the past year and how unlikely it is I will get around to saluting everyone who has contributed to that growth. So, thanks to you all, teachers, customers and students. And thanks, too, to the authors of some great new bead books: Beth Stone's Seed Bead Stitching is not a book I would have picked up on my own because seed beading has never been my thing. But there are simple projects in this book that even I can do with flair. And the designs are clever and creative, brick-stitch striped rings, anyone? This is a great book. (read Beth's note to me in January 1, 2008 entry)
And then there's Complete Guide to Making Wire Jewelry from Art Jewelry Books. I've been focusing more and more on wire jewelry, so the arrival of Wire Jewelry was perfectly timed. The techniques are not only skill builders, but the results are pretty. I can't wait to complete each project.
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