Cool Stuff from BeadFest!

BeadFest Philadelphia is over for 2010 and, thankfully, so is the 12 hour drive back home to Indiana.  I rolled in at about 5:30a and have had one or two cats sitting on me since then.

Photo, design and findings by Hip Chick Beads

I was next to Amy of Hip Chick Beads again and it was great to see a familiar face.  Besides making sweet, hand-cast, sterling silver charms, she pelted me with chocolate whenever I looked sleepy.  I bought a nice assortment to work into jewelry for the holiday season and a few goodies for me.  Please check out her designs!

Photo, design and product by SilverSilk

One of the coolest items I saw was SilverSilk!  This is a super-fine metal mesh available in Agentium and copper.  The photo above is of the 8 needle flat version which I bought to stitch around my vessel necks.  I'm kicking myself now for not buying some of the finer, round knit.  Becky Machinski had herds around her demos and lines out of her booth every time I walked by.  This is a really new product and I think they are just now getting it out to bead and jewelry artists but I think it's going to be one of the next trends in jewelry making because of all of the possibilities!  Their website has a great explanation of how SilverSilk is made, some beautiful finished jewelry and some tips and techniques from Becky herself.  Check it out!

Photo, design and product by Easy Earring Cards

Last but not least is Easy Earring Cards.  I don't make much finished jewelry and I haven't used earring cards in years but that didn't matter!  These punches make perfect, even earring holes in any cardstock or business card you choose.  The kit includes both post and leverback/hook style punches as well as 25 blank cards to get you started.  You can order a variety of pre-cut blank cards from their website as well as cards that stand up for display (trifolded) or fold into a gift package.  I can't wait to make earrings now!

I'm exhausted but what a blast!

Studio Pre-do

I'm a fairly organized person and I like to keep things in order so I think I can say with an amount of experience that organization is a journey not a destination.  Anyone who says differently is probably selling something, like a really expensive organization system.  Things don't tend to stay organized for long especially in a space that is used for creative purposes because a person's skill level and interests change as they advance.  So, yes, I'm re-doing my studio again this Fall.  Last year really doesn't count.  I reorganized the closet but mostly I just cleaned. 

I have finally had it with the floor in my studio.  When I first converted the spare bedroom into a studio, I tore out the carpet and painted the concrete.  This might not have been bad but I added no-slip silica to the paint.  Let me recommend that, before you choose flooring, you give more than a passing thought as to how you are going to clean it.  For instance, a painted floor with silica mixed in is going to be impossible to mop since it will shred any kind of mop like sandpaper.  Vacuuming only goes so far especially if you forget to blow the bead release out of your hollow mandrels over the bottle and instead leave aboriginal foot outlines everywhere.

So, new flooring (lineolum) is going in and that means everything has to come out.  Since everything has to come out, why not make a few other changes too.  I need a second tower for glass, specifically Bullseye.  I caught a great sale on it earlier this year and 20lbs of it has been sitting in the box since then. 

The potting benches I've used for jewelry work have, well, never really worked.  They're too high to sit at and too delicate for hammering so I will be taking those two out and replacing them with one solid workbench.  This is also time to separate the bead stringing from the wirework.  Wire tools and stuff will stay but the stringing has been moved out into the new desk (above) in the livingroom.  Ann (Mom) is getting into seed bead work and really needs a better place to store her supplies and projects.  Yeah, if you want to look at it that way, I'm kicking her out.

I will post pictures as soon as everything is finished but for now I need to focus on BeadFest in Philadelphia.  We're leaving before the crack of dawn on Thursday.  If you are attending, please visit me at booth 1237.  If not, wish me luck!

New Identity

It's time to merge all of the acquired personalities into one!  Jewelry by Jules, IndyJules will now be Julie Miller Glass!

I will be changing everything over during the next couple of months.  Facebook has been changed, and I have my Etsy store ready to switch when I return from Suburban Bead Encounter on September 13th.

I will be leaving the old entities up for a year or so to give everyone a chance to switch their favorites or links. I will also be offering incentives for customers to follow me through this change.  I hope the new name will help with any confusion and give me a new start. 

WELCOME TO JULIE MILLER GLASS!!