Silly seed beadiness...

I don't know why I keep making these, but the kids like them and are buying them, so.......... here are some more:

It's very difficult to figure out what people might want at any given time, and I often wait for people to request things. On Saturday, I got a request for eyeglass holders or necklaces, whatever they're called. But it has to be lightweight she said. Unfortunately, the patchwork seed bead necklace she wanted was the perfect weight but several inches too short. I'll be doing another one of those for her this week, but in the meantime I started one with these multi-seed beads to see what she thinks. 

I only need a few of the rubber grips for the arms of the glasses, but had to buy a bag of 100 in a local store. I could to the next town and buy a few, but then have to account for gas and driving time. Cheaper to buy the big bag... I guess I will be making a lot more of these. I remember seeing a whole table full of them at a craft show several years ago, and while I thought they were really beautiful, I don't remember ever seeing anyone wearing them. Is it because more and more people have progressive lenses these days and don't need to be switching between different glasses? Quite possibly, as per this customer, the original ones I saw were too heavy to actually wear. Sunglasses have lived on top of my head my whole life. Currently, they're the kind that are worn over regular glasses so I can dispense with needing prescription sunglasses.

What's taking me time right now is figuring out how to make these holders multi-purpose. I'd like people to be able to take off the rubber thingies and easily turn their holder into a necklace if they want.

I also got an order for a dreamcatcher for a guy's rearview mirror. For the past couple of days I've been researching how to make them, as well as find out if there is any significance to the weaving patterns or other considerations. There are some really gorgeous variations out there. He kind of left it open as to what I end up doing: he likes my style, do whatever I think is best. I can hear all of you who do commissions immediately thinking, "Uh, oh... Been there, done that, don't do it anymore." He likes my style, does he? Hokayyyyyyyyy...

As well this week, I will be going ahead and making another solar quartz necklace with "peacock" dyed freshwater pearls for another tentative commission. This should look really interesting and a total contrast to the one with the natural pearls, the natural pearls picking up the white of the quartz, the dyed pearls picking up the centre patterns in the quartz.

Stay tuned for photos... and thanks for looking!

This is true.......... plus some Solar Quartz pictures

"The most pernicious aspect of procrastination," says author Steven Pressfield, "is that it can become a habit. We don't just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed."

Got this today from Robert Genn's newsletter, The Painter's Keys. Subscribe today: http://painterskeys.com/ Doesn't matter what you do, this is an always inspiring and interesting newsletter with contributions and commentary from all over the world.

I've been thinking about this recently, how most people seem to be living their lives increasingly vicariously. It used to be through other people's lives, maybe in a book or a magazine or something we saw on television, but close the book or magazine and it's gone. They were often jumpstarts to our own adventures, careers or interests. I remember when televisions used to go off the air at midnight and not come back on until 6 a.m., and we could only get a few channels, maybe an extra one if the weather was right, certainly, there wasn't that much on that was that interesting to everyone all the time.

Now it's non-stop roaming, hypnotically flip-flipping, click-clacking away our lives virtually, online, not in reality, not in the here and now. It's like there's now no need to make a change if you don't like the way things are going. I know I do it myself! A couple of days ago in particular, the six hours I spent online went by before I realised it, gone forever. I didn't work, I didn't make jewellery or draw or paint or sew; worst of all I ignored my beautiful dog. I also ignored myself in a fundamental way because I don't remember what was so important that I could devote six hours to it. I had nothing -- zero, zip, nada -- to show for that 6 hours. That's the part that gets me. The goneness of time.

I really resent computers and the Internet now for the way that time lines and deadlines have been compressed, with the resultant stress and inhumane expectations that have been created. Are we really that much more efficient now? And I've always hated television and telephones. Cell phones with their texting/mini-computer/gaming capabilities? Don't get me started. People have always asked me (with suspicion, of course, like I'm some kind of liar, even though the results are there in front of them -- like they've completely lost belief and/or trust in their own senses and I'm trying to trick them) how I do all the things I do, take the courses, work the jobs, join the groups, produce the volume of artwork and now jewellery. Well, let's see. First, I don't spent 40+ hours a week in front of the television. This is now the accepted average that children spend in front of the TV and computer. What on earth are they watching? What are adults watching? That's watching, not doing.

But let's go with 40 hours. 40 x 52 = 2,080 hours per year of free time. Say we sleep 8 hours a day, so that leaves a 16-hour day in which to do things. 2,080 / 16 = 130 days. That gives me 130 "extra" full days per year that I have per year to do stuff that the "average" person does not because they're watching television/on the computer. I can take a second or even a third part time job. I can volunteer. I can take college/university/special interest courses. Learn a language. Do my art, make jewellery, sew. Et voila.

Or I can sit here and write this blog. I'm not a Luddite. The ability to stay home and make my living, avoiding endless hours of commuting every day if nothing else, is only possible via the computer and Internet. Everyone tells me/us that social networking is the way to success, that we have to "be" everywhere. I see all these different means as colossal timesuckers, nothing but "other"-sanctioned procrastination that means I'm not making jewellery, I'm not doing a damned thing other than posting pictures to add to the billions of pictures that are already online and adding yet more words to the already gabillions of words that are out there. Tell me again, how does this work for me/us?

For now, I'll stick with the blog, deviantArt and my much-neglected website. Oh, and not to forget the endless novella-length emails to my pals! And the Saturday market. Novel concept these days, innit? Face to face with real people. Not to mention reeeeally good food there.

I went to the wholesaler on Wednesday. I had so much fun, as usual. My newest treasure to play with: something new to me called Solar Quartz.

What is Solar Quartz? According to http://www.fortunatenumberjewelry.com/: Solar quartz is a natural colorless, white or gray agatized quartz cut from stalactites. The centers of these stones are translucent with dendridic mossy inclusions. Probably the most versatile multipurpose healing stone, quartz amplifies energy and healing, draws and sends energy, and stimulates natural crystals in the body’s tissues and fluids to resonate at new healing frequency.

Solar Quartz is very, very pretty. These have been dyed, obviously, but I picked the most tastefully "enhanced" strings I could.


Solar Quartz I: centre bead is about 1" high, smallest beads are about 1/2". The colour is fairly accurate



Solar Quartz I: closeup of two beads. The colour is fairly accurate.



Solar Quartz II: centre bead is about 1 inch high, smallest beads are about 1/2 inch high. Colour is fairly accurate



Solar Quartz II, closeup. Colour is fairly accurate

If anyone wants to buy either string (and note that these are presently on temporary strings; they're not finished jewellery) please email me at bemacdougall@gmail.com for more details. Each string is $20 plus postage.
Now to get out of here and do some work, dammit!