A Chance Encounter

The weather has been so beautiful that I've been walking to the shop for the past few weeks.  Last night, on my stroll home, I had a chance encounter with one of our neighborhood turkeys!

There is a flock of them the roam the area around my house.  The other morning, my sweetheart encounter seven of them crossing the road on Main Street.  He said they seemed unconcerned with the traffic.

When I reviewed the video, I couldn't help chuckling.  The turkey was crunching through the leaves.  I guess it was enjoying the lovely fall evening, too.

Ear Worm

Most days finds JPR playing on the radio at the shop. It's there for background noise, a sound to break the silence of a rather quiet building. We can't play Lady Gaga full blast because the neighbors would object, they're massage therapists and want QUIET!! So, we listen to the radio... quietly.

JPR has an eclectic mix, from blue grass to reggae, and all points in between. Occasionally I'll catch a song that is a blast from the past, and find I'm infected with an ear worm. The only known cure for an ear worm is to listen to the song all the way through, preferably alone so you can sing it out at the top of your lungs.

Here's my top of the lungs song from today:: Trip Through Your Wire by U2 from The Joshua Tree released in 1987.



I wonder what tomorrow's song will be.

Imagination Required

...String Optional

from TED.com

"Janet Echelman found her true voice as an artist when her paints went missing -- which forced her to look to an unorthodox new art material. Now she makes billowing, flowing, building-sized sculpture with a surprisingly geeky edge. A transporting 10 minutes of pure creativity."

The video is a fascinating talk about the journey of an artist and a visionary. I'm inspired by the light, color, and technology.

Sixteen Inches

...went a long way to making me a very happy person today!

For the past few months the walls of the shop have been closing in around me. Even with the addition of the seed bead room, it seems as if the inventory is constantly outgrowing the space. Any time we have an event there is a major shuffle to get ready. Our little closet under the stairs begins to resemble Fibber McGee's, and I find myself constantly reorganizing it.

Recently, J-me and Guy from Wild Things Beads gave me a display rack they thought I might want to use. My first inclination was to use it to hang bead strands, but the more I looked at it, the more I realized it would be a great display for finished jewelry. The only problem was placement.

That's where the sixteen inches comes in.

Jeff and I moved the bead cabinets, and the large columns sixteen inches closer to the classroom today. We also moved a couple of cases. The display rack for the jewelry is now at the front of the shop sporting some earrings, and waiting for more jewelry. The best part of moving everything is that we can now open the front door completely! It no longer bumps into the column.

The space feels larger, and balanced. I'm looking forward to feedback, and spending time observing how it functions for all of us. There is still some fine tuning to do, but for the most part, I'm really pleased with the changes we made.

I Know This Cat

Matilda vs Rick the Relentless

While trying to record a version of "Waltzing Matilda" for his daughter my sweetie encountered the stunning vocal prowess of a cat completely on the wrong side of the door.

Video of Completed Expansion

At long last our expansion is done! From start to finished front window, I've stitched together a series of videos and still shots. The background music is "Neanderthal" by Kaki King.

I hope you can stop by one day soon to see the transformation in person.

Dancing Beads Expands!

February 28th was definitely an exciting and busy day here at Dancing Beads... we tore down a wall, and expanded the shop! As the day went along, I shot videos to capture the highlights.

It's fascinating taking things apart in an old building. My landlord told me he'd never seen the room Dancing Beads occupies without the doorway walled over, and he's owned the building for more than 25 years. There was no way to know what we'd encounter.

What we encountered was an extremely professional job. It was done with a great deal of care and attention to preserving as much as possible in the structure. When the wall came out we were amazed to discover the original threshold as well as all the original door trim, and moldings. The framing to hold the sheet rock was installed with only four nails!

It was fun to discover that at one point in time the room had been painted a very deep red (think drying blood). Painting over the sage green before opening the shop was hard enough, thank goodness I didn't have to paint over all that red!

The contractor was delighted with the lumber he pulled. The 2X4's were all old growth, and the sheets of plywood were of a quality that's unheard of these days. He's going to use as much of the wood as possible to build the cabinets around the room.

Work continues today. I'm hopeful that the slatwall will be up before the day ends, and that the cabinets will be started.

Memories

Lampworking Class Video

Yesterday was a fun day at Dancing Beads. From 11:00am until a little after 5:00 there was a lampworking class. Throughout the day (and between customers), I'd pop in with my little video camera to film beads having their birthday.



The first scene is Persis demonstrating pulling stringer. Stringer are thin rods of glass used for applying surface decoration to a bead. In the next scene, Kori is busy forming her first bead. The last scene is Kori hard at work making her last and largest bead. She chose really bright colors, and after applying red dots, she went for an organic look by dragging vivid blue, and green stringers onto the surface of her bead. As you can see in the still shot of Kori's handful of beads, the big one is now two cabochons. A huge air bubble in the center of the bead caused it to sheer in half.

After class, I talked to Kori about her experience. She had this to say:: "I had a lot of fun! Persis was a wonderful teacher. She's calm, and really patient. I liked that. I'm so glad I took this class. Now, I have a real appreciation for lampworking, and what it takes."

Persis was equally pleased with her student. Kori did a great job, asked terrific questions, and quickly grasped the techniques. I was impressed by the size and shape of her beads.

This was the only beginning lampwork class scheduled for the Spring Session. Persis will be offering another class for our Summer Session. We limit seating for this class to no more than two students. It's a day filled with personal attention, creativity, and wonder.

Just ask Kori!

... and if you're interested, the music I used is "Sunday" by Nick Drake from his Bryter Later album which came out in 1970.

Beading Circle

On Thursday afternoons the table in the classroom is open to anyone who would like to come in. We work on projects, get advice, share finished pieces, and chat about beads, life, future projects, or anything that comes up.

I've made a short video of the group, and the projects we worked on.

A How To Video

Have you ever wondered how a Byzantine Chain is made? I found this video in my wandering this afternoon.

Dancing

Since 'Dancing' is an important part of our name, I thought I'd share one of my all time favorite dancing videos.



Happy Friday!

...and if all goes according to plan there will be a project posted tomorrow.

Tonbo-dama

More years ago than I care to admit, during my early teens, I lived in Japan. The years spent there greatly influenced my aesthetics. From the color palette I prefer, to my love of stylized natural forms, and simple design, those were very important years.

In February, 2008 I traveled to Tuscon for what I believed to be my last Gem and Mineral Show. I went to say good-bye to people I'd worked with, and I went to buy some treasures for myself.

While at the Best Bead Show, I encountered a group of Japanese lampworkers and fell in love with the pieces they were offering. The bead pictured above was made by Yuka Kawakita, and is one of my treasures. I was also able to purchase a bead by Ryo Ono on that lucky day.

Tonbo-dama translates to "dragonfly ball." It's thought that the name came about because when the molten glass is applied to the core bead it resembles a dragonfly's eye. The actual origin of the term is unverified.

Lampworking arrived in Japan during the Edo period, (1603-1848) when trade was started with Portugal and Spain. Beads have been made in Japan for about 400 years.

Early 'lamps' were charcoal burning furnaces shaped like a volcano, which concentrated the flame at the top. While American and European lampworkers use a flame they work behind, Japanese lampworkers still work over their flames. Modern torches are shaped like Bunson burners, and are designed especially for Japanese made glass.

...and since a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a video of a Japanese lampwork artist. Yep, it's in Japanese, but it's still fun to watch.

A Video

Using my rather shaky footage, and some very imaginative still shots, my nephew Adam created this video as a way to introduce the new shop. I've posted it on the Facebook page for the shop, and now it's here on the blog.

I think he did a terrific job! Hmmm, I wonder if he'd be willing to help me shoot some 'how to' videos.