Life and such have been pretty crazy (in a good way) since early February and already it's mid-late April! I'm getting ready for the BIG TEXAS show May 6-8th in Dallas. Clair and I are exhibiting at the Design America Texas show, www.designamerica-tx.com. It's big time for both of us and we are VERY excited to go. I don't use all caps much, so you must know it's a BIG DEAL !!!
To the title (instead of to the cloud)....there is something about 7pm for me. I have a difficult time settling down to the bead table during the day. There's usually a nagging feeling that I should be ordering supplies, sending that email, taking/editing pictures, calling that person back, the list goes on. However after dinner if I'm able, I sit down and can really produce. Suppose it's my natural clock at work. I love to crank the music up, tonight it's "The Heavy" station on Pandora.com . It plays lots of Squirrel Nut Zippers, Billie Holiday, Django Reinhardt, etc.
So tonight I'm working in my "new" studio and finding I really love it. The room I chose was my Grandmother's bedroom (and mine too when I stayed over). It's quite large and used to fit her double bed with my twin right next to it. She and I share the same clock, love to stay up late and sleep in. In high school I would stay out late and on the drive home I'd go past her house, there'd usually be a light on!
I'll keep you updated I promise on the upcoming show. It'll be a relief to get it all packaged up and sent off, then I'll do the same for myself!
Happy Trails,
Michelle
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
"Fuss & Feathers is a Fine Thing"
In the Pendleton yearbook for 1925 my grandmother Marie is quoted "Fuss & Feathers is a Fine Thing". I smile every time I think about it. She was a very stylish woman and loved clothes and jewelry. She would buy prom dresses from the Goodwill store for me to play dress up in. She'd give me the ok to dig through her jewelry boxes full of sparkly rhinestone pieces that I still treasure. Her days of selling Avon meant I had lipstick samples to try on. We had a fantastic time!
I grew up spending my days with her in the big house her parents bought in 1912. The rooms and closets were filled with amazing things that I loved to explore. She lived to be over 96 years old and passed quietly in that same house. I miss her very much, however I "talk" to her often and sometimes feel her around me.
It took a lot of work to go through all those wonderful things but the house was finally emptied, cleaned, painted and a few things updated. I made the decision a couple weeks ago to move my apartment and jewelry studio into Grandma's house. At first it seemed very strange to occupy her home with my things, however I'm sure she's pleased (from the other side) that I'll be there.
The last few years of her life I was living in Hungary. When I came home for a visit I would stop by every day. She loved it when after a trip to the bead store, I would bring her what I purchased and spread it out on her bed. She decided that she would like memory wire bracelets as they stretch and are comfortable. She could see and enjoy them. She suggested one using Turquoise and Crystal. I hadn't thought of that combination but it was beautiful! We would wrap a couple bracelets on her wrist for her viewing pleasure.
I'm excited to get moved (the after part, not the packing and hauling part!) and set up. I have a feeling her spirit and my designs will come together to make beautiful and stylish jewelry!
Happy Trails,
Michelle
I grew up spending my days with her in the big house her parents bought in 1912. The rooms and closets were filled with amazing things that I loved to explore. She lived to be over 96 years old and passed quietly in that same house. I miss her very much, however I "talk" to her often and sometimes feel her around me.
It took a lot of work to go through all those wonderful things but the house was finally emptied, cleaned, painted and a few things updated. I made the decision a couple weeks ago to move my apartment and jewelry studio into Grandma's house. At first it seemed very strange to occupy her home with my things, however I'm sure she's pleased (from the other side) that I'll be there.
The last few years of her life I was living in Hungary. When I came home for a visit I would stop by every day. She loved it when after a trip to the bead store, I would bring her what I purchased and spread it out on her bed. She decided that she would like memory wire bracelets as they stretch and are comfortable. She could see and enjoy them. She suggested one using Turquoise and Crystal. I hadn't thought of that combination but it was beautiful! We would wrap a couple bracelets on her wrist for her viewing pleasure.
I'm excited to get moved (the after part, not the packing and hauling part!) and set up. I have a feeling her spirit and my designs will come together to make beautiful and stylish jewelry!
Happy Trails,
Michelle
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Beads, Their Addicting Qualities & Shopping
My personal addiction (I truly believe it qualifies) came about slowly. While living in Portland Oregon in the 1990's I would wander into a particular store. The overwhelming amount of colors, shapes, tools, findings (ear wires, wire, clasps), stones and glass paralyzed me. The person working in that store I must say, intimidated me, I didn't even want to ask for help!
When I moved to Hungary I needed something to do. During my visits home I decided to check out my hometown's bead store. What a difference! I soon became friends with the owner and she patiently helped me. Those first steps were with stretchy cord and seed beads. Each trip back to Hungary would find my suitcase weighted down with my latest stash. Six years later when I moved back to Oregon, I was amazed when the boxes arrived how much I had really transported one trip at a time!
My first trip to Tuscon (which is considered the pinnacle of bead shopping) was incredible. Think about what one bead store contains....now think about a football field sized tent, completely filled with tables, each piled high with strands and bags of beads.....sigh....it's heaven. Here's a view from the parking lot. This is at the Gem Mall location, and it's only a small slice of the whole pie.
In order to gain entrance, you must have shown proof of your business and you get a badge and lanyard.
Once you're in, here's a small example of what you'd see.
Comfortable shoes, a rolling bag to carry your purchases, a bottle of water, handi wipes (beads are dirty!) and LOTS of stamina are required. When I'm there, or at any larger scale bead show, I'm in the zone. I don't pay much attention to normal needs such as food or water and I don't sit down. At the end of the day you return to your hotel and start organizing. You need to make sure of what each strand cost, get it labeled, then into shipping boxes. During the day when you're shopping, you can almost forget what you've bought 3 hours ago so it's really fun to see everything again.
In order to go thru all of this, it really does require a passion, a love and a slight addiction to those beautiful amazing fascinating beads. I do believe that love comes through in my designs. I need to design, it makes me happy. That happiness increases when I hear a customer tell me how excited they are to wear their Jewelry by Day piece!
Happy Trails,
Michelle
When I moved to Hungary I needed something to do. During my visits home I decided to check out my hometown's bead store. What a difference! I soon became friends with the owner and she patiently helped me. Those first steps were with stretchy cord and seed beads. Each trip back to Hungary would find my suitcase weighted down with my latest stash. Six years later when I moved back to Oregon, I was amazed when the boxes arrived how much I had really transported one trip at a time!
My first trip to Tuscon (which is considered the pinnacle of bead shopping) was incredible. Think about what one bead store contains....now think about a football field sized tent, completely filled with tables, each piled high with strands and bags of beads.....sigh....it's heaven. Here's a view from the parking lot. This is at the Gem Mall location, and it's only a small slice of the whole pie.
In order to gain entrance, you must have shown proof of your business and you get a badge and lanyard.
Once you're in, here's a small example of what you'd see.
In order to go thru all of this, it really does require a passion, a love and a slight addiction to those beautiful amazing fascinating beads. I do believe that love comes through in my designs. I need to design, it makes me happy. That happiness increases when I hear a customer tell me how excited they are to wear their Jewelry by Day piece!
Happy Trails,
Michelle
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Hill Tribe Silver, what is it?
Another one of my favorite topics is Hill Tribe Silver. It comes from Northern Thailand. I've been designing with it for several years and absolutely love the results. Where most silver beads are cast and are .925 silver content, Hill Tribe is made by hand and is .99 silver. The higher silver content makes the metal more malleable so hand tools can be used to shape it.
The term Hill Tribe refers to people who typically have migrated from another country (not all however) and live in the hills or mountains. The Karen Hill Tribe produce most of the beads and jewelry you see on the market today. I have heard different stories about the people and silver production.
One person informed me some importers of the finished goods pay only after the items are made. This forces the craftspeople to finance the raw silver themselves. This can lead to problems if the interest charged or terms are unreasonable. The company I buy from have advised they pay for the raw silver in advance, then again for the finished beads/jewelry. This eliminates potential financial problems.
The beads come in all sizes, shapes and finishes. Just as it's become with Turquoise, my eye has learned to spot Hill Tribe Silver in all it's forms. Their designs incorporate amazingly well to Western styles and I use them for my Western line often.
These beads represent a few of the several different finishes and designs
The price of silver lately has really skyrocketed. This has changed the landscape of what is produced as some designs require an increase in price that the market will probably not bear. Regardless of the outside world and it's fluctuations, I'll always love Hill Tribe Silver!
Happy Trails!
Michelle
The term Hill Tribe refers to people who typically have migrated from another country (not all however) and live in the hills or mountains. The Karen Hill Tribe produce most of the beads and jewelry you see on the market today. I have heard different stories about the people and silver production.
One person informed me some importers of the finished goods pay only after the items are made. This forces the craftspeople to finance the raw silver themselves. This can lead to problems if the interest charged or terms are unreasonable. The company I buy from have advised they pay for the raw silver in advance, then again for the finished beads/jewelry. This eliminates potential financial problems.
The beads come in all sizes, shapes and finishes. Just as it's become with Turquoise, my eye has learned to spot Hill Tribe Silver in all it's forms. Their designs incorporate amazingly well to Western styles and I use them for my Western line often.
These beads represent a few of the several different finishes and designs
The interesting shapes make it so easy to design
The price of silver lately has really skyrocketed. This has changed the landscape of what is produced as some designs require an increase in price that the market will probably not bear. Regardless of the outside world and it's fluctuations, I'll always love Hill Tribe Silver!
Happy Trails!
Michelle
Monday, January 10, 2011
The tag says "Turquoise" but is it?
When you shop around for Western jewelry you see a lot of pieces with the word Turquoise on the tag, but is it really Turquoise? This is a topic I love to educate customers about. I believe there's a lot of confusion about what is or isn't Turquoise. Let's start with a bit of information. It is chemically a hydrous (containing water) phosphate of copper and aluminum and is found in arid environments such as Iran, the American Southwest, Egypt and China. It's a porous stone and is typically "stabilized" with plastics or epoxy using pressure.
Quite a bit of Turqouise on the market today is from China. There are a few mines in the United States still producing and their prices can be higher than stones from China. It's not by any means foolproof, but I've found over time my eye has learned to see the differences between what the two countries produce.
Some people believe that only matrix free Turquoise is real and that is not true. Matrix are those lines and spots in stones and they come from the different minerals present in the "host" rock that a stone formed within. Minerals also influence the color of Turquoise. When iron is more prevalent the color will be more green, while copper will produce more blue shades.
The most common imitators on the market are usually either Magnesite or Howlite that have been dyed. Magnesite in natural form is a creamy color with lots of darker brown matrix. Howlite is a whiter stone with mostly grey matrix. They easily take on colors and many on the market are not only a turquoise color but pink, green, red....you name it! I have in my studio one bin of Turquoise, one bin of Magnesite dyed a turquoise color and a few Howlite bead strands dyed a turquoise color. I show customers these bins so they can really train their eye to spot the differences. Their response to this new information is very satisfying!
First we have the real thing!
This is a natural Magnesite bead on the left next to a dyed Magnesite bead.
Here is a natural Howlite bead on the left next to a dyed Howlite carved rose.
It can be very confusing when you see, typically online, a jewelry piece listed as Howlite Turquoise. Now it's neither Turquoise nor even a turquoise color, but that's what they've called it. My guess is that's a ploy for keyword search or to make the consumer feel as though they are really buying something with Turquoise....?
Some consumers care very much about the stones and if they are real, others just like the way it looks. Both ways are great and it pays to learn about what you're buying either way. You certainly want to make sure you're paying the correct value of the piece because Magnesite and Howlite are vastly less expensive than Turquoise.
Thanks for reading, I hope this has shed some light on a stone we all love to wear!
Happy Trails!
Michelle
Quite a bit of Turqouise on the market today is from China. There are a few mines in the United States still producing and their prices can be higher than stones from China. It's not by any means foolproof, but I've found over time my eye has learned to see the differences between what the two countries produce.
Some people believe that only matrix free Turquoise is real and that is not true. Matrix are those lines and spots in stones and they come from the different minerals present in the "host" rock that a stone formed within. Minerals also influence the color of Turquoise. When iron is more prevalent the color will be more green, while copper will produce more blue shades.
The most common imitators on the market are usually either Magnesite or Howlite that have been dyed. Magnesite in natural form is a creamy color with lots of darker brown matrix. Howlite is a whiter stone with mostly grey matrix. They easily take on colors and many on the market are not only a turquoise color but pink, green, red....you name it! I have in my studio one bin of Turquoise, one bin of Magnesite dyed a turquoise color and a few Howlite bead strands dyed a turquoise color. I show customers these bins so they can really train their eye to spot the differences. Their response to this new information is very satisfying!
First we have the real thing!
This is a natural Magnesite bead on the left next to a dyed Magnesite bead.
Here is a natural Howlite bead on the left next to a dyed Howlite carved rose.
It can be very confusing when you see, typically online, a jewelry piece listed as Howlite Turquoise. Now it's neither Turquoise nor even a turquoise color, but that's what they've called it. My guess is that's a ploy for keyword search or to make the consumer feel as though they are really buying something with Turquoise....?
Some consumers care very much about the stones and if they are real, others just like the way it looks. Both ways are great and it pays to learn about what you're buying either way. You certainly want to make sure you're paying the correct value of the piece because Magnesite and Howlite are vastly less expensive than Turquoise.
Thanks for reading, I hope this has shed some light on a stone we all love to wear!
Happy Trails!
Michelle
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
It's now a necklace
Today the sky was just right for outdoor photography, not the weather though it was windy! It made it a challenge to hold that camera steady. I've steered away from outdoor pics in the past, preferring the jewelry to stand on its own with a plain backdrop. Sometimes you can get carried away with over styling the shoot. Then you wind up with wondering what the photo was for, the pretty flowers or the jewelry? However I would like to put together a nice look book for potential wholesale clients and want to be more creative.
The sky had a thin layer of cloud, just enough to diffuse the direct sunlight but still bright. I drove out to my folks' house on the 'Rez (technically the Umatilla Indian Reservation) where I grew up. Went down to the pasture to do some location scouting and found a dead tree that had been cut way down. It was perfect to hang my latest necklace which is made from Clair's amazing pendant and faceted smoky quartz with brushed silver. I've seen the blouses the Pendleton Round-Up Queen and Court are wearing and these stones really popped against the satin.
So anyhow, as I'm kneeling down trying to get the best angle and not wiggle the camera in the very windy conditions, I feel a little nuzzle on my left shoulder so I turn to look, this is what I saw....
Sophie, my sister's very sweet (and a little naughty sometimes) filly. She was very interested in whatever I was doing. Of course I had to take time out and scratch here and there and tell her how sweet and pretty she is. Then I snapped a few more, I love the next one.
After that I moved on to other parts of the ranch, got some interesting ones by the barn and corral. Also got some good shots down by the creek on a nice flat rock. I think now I'll try more outside shots with still making the jewelry the main focus. With Western jewelry, the rustic backgrounds do really make a difference. Oh yes, and of course I'll have some four legged help!
The sky had a thin layer of cloud, just enough to diffuse the direct sunlight but still bright. I drove out to my folks' house on the 'Rez (technically the Umatilla Indian Reservation) where I grew up. Went down to the pasture to do some location scouting and found a dead tree that had been cut way down. It was perfect to hang my latest necklace which is made from Clair's amazing pendant and faceted smoky quartz with brushed silver. I've seen the blouses the Pendleton Round-Up Queen and Court are wearing and these stones really popped against the satin.
So anyhow, as I'm kneeling down trying to get the best angle and not wiggle the camera in the very windy conditions, I feel a little nuzzle on my left shoulder so I turn to look, this is what I saw....
After that I moved on to other parts of the ranch, got some interesting ones by the barn and corral. Also got some good shots down by the creek on a nice flat rock. I think now I'll try more outside shots with still making the jewelry the main focus. With Western jewelry, the rustic backgrounds do really make a difference. Oh yes, and of course I'll have some four legged help!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Leather!
I can't believe it's been a year since I last posted! Time goes by so fast.
I'm so happy to report that at long last I've found a fanstastic leather person. Let's start with the history of this whole leather thing. A couple years ago I was taking leather carving / tooling lessons and came up with the idea of leather pendants. I soon realized this is a craft that will take years to become decent, lots of tools to purchase plus aching shoulders and back!
The search was on to find someone to make them for me. I've met and/or emailed plenty, had a few made, some were good, some not. After being referred time and again to someone new, I was given Clair Kehrberg's contact info. She sent me the most amazing pendants! It's reinvigorated me to get this project really going. The picture is one she made that the Pendleton Round-Up Court will be wearing this year. I plan on using beautiful faceted smoky quartz with accents of silver and gold. It will be very exciting to have these necklaces worn to all the major rodeo events this year!
Keep watch for what Jewelry by Day and Clair's Saddle Shop come up with next!
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