This is going to be a long post. Sheryl and I were in Boston (February 24 – March 1) for the New England Home Show, which for the first time had an Artisan Aisle. We had planned on leaving about 9:30 am on Wednesday so that we could set up our booth, have a good night’s sleep, and then put out the jewelry on Thursday before the show opened at noon. The show hours were brutal – 12:00 – 9:00 on Thursday and Friday, 10:00 to 9:00 on Saturday, and 10:00 – 6:00 on Sunday.

This was the week of hellish weather in New England and by the time we got there it was too late to set up so we went to the hotel, arriving at the show at 7:00 am on Thursday to set up. Turns out our booth was as far away from the doors as possible and we had to walk back and forth what seemed like a hundred times to unload. Our one smart move was that we stayed in the hotel right across the street from the show which was in the Seaport World Trade Center. We were given a reduced rate on the room because of the show and the room was lovely. Of course not until we checked out did we find out that they charge $41.00 a night for valet parking, even though we only took the van out to unload and load but I digress.

I must tell you about leaving the show the first night, which was after 9:00 pm. The wind was so strong that neither of us could make it across the street. We are not small women. The wind was so strong (gusts of 50 mph) that both of us were walking sideways, having trouble getting across the street. I felt like I was in a wind tunnel….and of course it was also raining so we got soaked – and that was just to cross the street!

Here’s a picture of the street to the hotel. Wonder where we would have wound up if we were smaller?

Here is a link to the vendors that I think deserve to be noticed. Other than the first two pictures to give you an idea of the show setup, and a picture from our setup, the rest are in no particular order.

Craft Area:

The craft aisle, long view.

Of course I am starting with our display – which looked so good, although I may be a bit biased. You can visit our website at Magicalbeadstalk.com

Great hardwood lamps and vases – northrnlights.com

I love the name Cynthia chose for her jewelry business – Original Cyn Jewelry.

These felted designs are gorgeous – I particularly love the trees – Shades of Nature.

Mark’s furniture is unbelievable. Talk about a Master Craftsman! Far Beyond Woodworking

Beautiful clay pieces, especially the birds. Visit Flynn Clay Studio to see Sheilagh’s work.

Stone Puddles is a great name for these bird baths – they are primitive and wonderful. Their display was so cool – as you can see by the photo they lugged in earth to create a realistic backyard experience. Stone Puddles

Funky paintings that made me smile – love the cows! Kim Forney

Lisa is someone I talked with a lot – one of the many fabulous jewelers at the show. Two Son Jewelry

Beautiful rolling pins in a wide variety of woods. Vermont Rolling Pins

Ted is the artist that was staying in the same hotel. His photographs are amazing, especially the ones featuring the eyes of wild animals. I loved his work. Image Artisan

This was our neighbor at the end of the aisle. His stained glass work, especially the large Green Man piece, was so eye-catching. Chippaway Art Glass

I love Bonsai Trees and it was great to see them in the show. Nature’s Highlight

Food Vendors:

Pumpkin Butter to die for! Tyler’s Sweet Revenge

This was the best marketing I’ve seen – people seemed to love the dog treats – of course we all want to buy special treats for our pooches. Annies Pooch Pops

I didn’t eat any of these whoopie pies, but I looked at them a lot. I’ve never seen anything quite like them. …to the Queen’s Taste

I also need to mention the nut guy, who had the best nuts. I thought I had taken a picture of his booth but don’t seem to have one. Heitmann’s – Gourmet Nuts & Specialties

Boston:

The view from our room of Boston Harbor:

Seaport World Trade Center:

Our hotel:

Boston Harbor:

We expected a lot from this show but it didn’t happen. It was the first time that the New England Home Show had a craft/artisan aisle. Some did okay, but the show was not a hit for most of the artists. I decided to write a blog post about the experience with pictures and links to the artisans whose work I respect. I am hoping that folks will go and check out their websites.

There are many lessons learned from this experience. Top on the list is that it’s not a good thing to mix Art/Craft Shows with other groups – no Home Shows, Antiques, Wine Tastings and State Fairs.

Sheryl and I joke about changing the name of our business, from Magical Beadstalk to Two Old Broads Beading. We definitely felt like two old broads by the time we had packed everything up and were ready to go home. What a long trip this was, and so physically demanding. Many of the home show folks were saying that they are often in shows that are nine days. Not something I would want to do, nor do I think I would survive!

Magical Beadstalk is one of the jewelry designers that Artbeads has asked to be a part of their beader blogging list. Every couple of months we receive some product from them and Sheryl and I create a piece together and write a blog entry about the process. It is such fun.

Artbeads also has many gift certificates and giveaways and we try and post the information here for those who may be interested in entering.

This is a great one! But you need to act quickly because it ends Thursday evening.

Win a $1000.00 shopping spree from Artbeads. The contest is open to United States and Canadian (excluding Quebec) residents. You must be over 18 to enter.

The contest ends Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:59pm (PST).

If you are wanting to enter, just click the link below to enter.

The sweepstakes deadline has passed – good luck to all those who entered.

Disclaimer: Artbeads sometimes sends us products to review on this blog. We are free to choose from designated beads/findings and are free to make whatever we choose. We do not receive any compensation from Artbeads and we are expected to review their products honestly.

Sheryl and I participate in Artbeads Blog for Beaders and every couple of months or so we are given the opportunity to choose some beads from different categories of beads and supplies on the Artbeads website to use in our creations. Then we write an honest blog post on the process. What fun it is.

Sheryl and I looked over the beads in a number of categories and we had a difficult time figuring out what we wanted to work with. Then we came across some Murano glass beads that were so utterly wonderful that we knew this is what we wanted to play with.

Here is the bead we chose:

After looking through our bead supplies, we came up with a number of possibilities for design with this amazing piece of Murano glass.

Here is what we initially came up with as possibilities:

It was a great experience figuring out what we wanted to do with this bead. Sheryl and I have developed a great working relationship where we pay attention and listen to each other’s suggestions openly.  We take the time necessary to come up with a plan that both of us agree with.  I have so much fun working with her.

We decided to do a multi-strand necklace using Gaspeite, Lapis Lazuli, Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver, and of course this absolutely amazing Murano Glass Pendant available from Artbeads (http://www.artbeads.com/mrg-003.html).

As you can see this is one fun, wild necklace, quite different from what we usually do.

Disclaimer: Artbeads.com sometimes sends us products to review on this blog. We are free to choose from designated beads/findings and are free to make whatever we choose. We do not receive any compensation from Artbeads and we are expected to review their products honestly.

I’m sitting here at my computer, thinking about the past year. Many successes and some not so great moments. I am struck by how quickly time seems to move.

I don’t know what more to say about that, but when I think that it’s already 2010 and that I am about to turn 59 I find it difficult to compute. My predictions for how my life would turn out were not very accurate. I thought I knew what Terry’s life would look like – life does throw surprises.

I am sitting in my studio, in Easthampton, MA, living life in a small town with my spouse Elaine and our two dogs. We have a daughter and a granddaughter. My life is full of love, friends, and beauty. A far cry from the hustle and bustle of living a fast paced life in Toronto. So much to be thankful for. Of course along with the positive comes some sadness. The loss of my brother and mother leaves an ache in my heart that will likely never leave.

There have been many things that I let slide in the last year which I want to change. I am planning on beginning the new year with a different attitude and sense of discipline. So, here are some of the things I have planned for the next year:

Stay better in touch with friends and family that matter to me.

Meditate and study daily. I’ve let my Buddhist studies go for much of December and it’s time to get back on track. It both grounds me, and keeps me focused on what’s important in this life.

Spend time each day creating jewelry, and if the creative juices aren’t flowing, work on photographing jewelry, adding website content, blog entries, etc.

Experiment experiment experiment.

Pay attention to the lessons put to me.

Today I feel the shift into winter. Yes, it’s very cold here in Western MA, but it’s also nearing the end of the craft show season. One more show next week and then we are finished for the year. I’ve been joking with my business partner Sheryl that we should change the name of our business from Magical Beadstalk to “Two Old Broads Beading”. It’s a tremendous amount of work setting up and breaking down for shows. I am envious of those who are younger and more mobile than me who seem to move through the transitions easily. Of course, I wouldn’t change the life experience I have had that formed me into the middle-aged woman I am. But I can still wish for greater mobility and energy. Humm, I hear a New Year’s Resolution here.

It’s been a joke in my house that for someone who grew up in Canada, I seem not to have the ability to handle the cold. I find that to be true and very surprising. Every once in a while I fantasize about moving back to Canada, but it never gets too far these days. I’ve been in the USA for 10 years and for the first 5 I was homesick a lot. I remember Elaine and me going to Disney World and visiting the Canada Pavilion where they ran a film on Canada. It was a beautiful film, on a 360 degree screen, and I cried through the whole thing. Elaine kept sneaking looks at me thinking “We’re moving to Canada”. Didn’t happen. The longer I am here the less I feel the urge to move, even though whenever I’ve needed a change, I’ve moved. That’s how I’ve lived most of my life.

There are things here that keep me rooted. Winde and Alya for one. I can’t imagine not being in close proximity to our daughter and grandbaby. Some of my friends here feel like I’ve known them forever and I would not want to be away from them for any length of time. And Sheryl and I have developed a great connection and business and I wouldn’t want to leave that either. It’s my crazy life that no matter where I am some of those I love are elsewhere.

This line of thinking is motivated by finding out two days ago that an old friend of mine in Toronto, Lindsay Ellis, died in 2008 and I didn’t know about it. We didn’t have any friends in common and no one would have known how to reach me. The realization that my connections and friendships have changed so dramatically is quite shocking to me.

So this winter, I want to remember that like the change of the seasons, life also changes and that what is here today may not be tomorrow.

Now it’s time to light a fire, literally and figuratively.

I have been in the process of moving my website to Wordpress and having it integrated with my blog. As we work out the kinks, it seems that things are getting lost. I’ve lost all my images that I’ve posted on the blog. So if you are looking through the blog entries to see my new work, you will find that none of the images are showing up. Hopefully this will be fixed quickly. If you want to see new jewelry designs, have a look at the New Items section of the website – the images are there also.

I have had a great time working with Carey Baker who has done the website – he is one talented person and has been wonderful to work with. I have appreciated his willingness to sit with me and explain the ins and outs of Wordpress – helps me in knowing how to keep it up. And it looks fantastic.

I have been in a slump. I don’t know if it’s the time of year, the result of the car accident I had in September, or just a period of the blahs, but I haven’t been producing much. I’m glad to say that the muse seems to have returned and I am producing again.

Here are a few pieces that I’ve made – take note of the unusual agate in last three pieces – it’s rough and gorgeous. I’m hoping to use more soon.

I’d love to have a discussion with other jewelry artists about creative blocks – seems like it hits most of us at some point or other. When I am not feeling creative, I seem to focus on the business end of the business. Maybe it’s when I tire of that that my creative muse returns…..Any thoughts?

Just added my name to the list of bloggers taking part in Blog Action Day 2009 (http://blogactionday.org/) as a call to action re: the environmental impact of Climate Change.

I am sitting in my studio in New England, looking out my window at the gorgeous colors that one comes to expect here in the fall. And I wonder what it will be like when my 3 month old granddaughter is 20, 30, or 40? What will the world look like then. Will we be saying to her “this is a picture of what a glacier looked like”, or “these animals existed in my lifetime but are now extinct.”

I have to believe that we can reverse or at least stop the progression of environmental damage, not only in the US but globally. If only people listened and made it a priority to protect our Earth. Seems that most who listen do not have the power to elicit change. And those who can do something are not paying enough attention.

Become part of the movement! Each of us can do something. Stand up and be counted.

Sheryl and I have been working on some new designs and this is one we’ve come up with that both of us like a lot. We love using Swarovski Crystals, and these come from Artbeads. You can see them at: http://www.artbeads.com/swarovski-crystal-beads.html. The Indian Pink cubes are amazing, much like Padparadscha but pinker, and the Tanzanite star beads are new to us as well. By incorporating the Swarovski Crystals with sterling silver beads and wire, we’ve come up with a design full of lightness and whimsey. The earrings have lots of chain and Swarovski crystals creating an interesting dangle to the earring.

Please let us know what you think.