Everybody gets to go out for Halloween

Happy Halloween!

For librarians and archivists

Just ran across this quote today, that I scotch taped to one of my file cabinets at work - many many years ago.

I wanted to share this with other librarians and archivists; remember I was kinda shy when I first put this up, but now see that it's very true:

"The quality of reference service can vary from day to day as staff are absent from work, and from year to year as archivists change jobs, retire, or simply forget"

(the above image was taken from flickr, photographed byjavacolleen, entitled Northeast Branch Library)

new postcard for the business

Hi, to all my friends out in the blogosphere.

I'm running out of postcards, and thought I'd make up a new design.
Please, I'd love your feedback on this. Here's the old card:

and the new look:

I'll bleed the sides, like the original. What do you think? Do I need to give more info on the card? Have multiple images, or is that too busy? Need to make up my mind soon, and I'd love YOUR opinion. Thanks, {:-Deb

beadweaving beauties

I love the look of beadweaving, and the more I see of it, the more I like it.

My favorite artist right now is Patrizia Tager, from Israel.





Here's a necklace in her etsy shop right now -
I really love the "rope" look to it















Maybe I can learn this technique by making bangles, and see if I enjoy it. You've got to take pleasure in what you do! It looks like some equipment is needed. A loom? If anyone can give me pointers, I'd really appreciate it.

Here's some examples on Etsy, of different kinds of bangles.
This is an interesting one, with memory wire byMariannes :

I know memory wire bracelets are popular - I made two while sitting at a craft show, and they both sold that day!

saraaies crocheted a bangle with felt and beads:


AnnieandOlive covered beads with fabric (I hope that's right):


And then there's the seed bead bangles.
These bracelets look soft (is this seed beads on nylon rope?), by suburbanstash:


This bangle by singingbeads was hand crocheted- not sure what she used as a base, but I love the look.


And this traditional Native American bangle, created by beaglebeads, is with a beautiful diamond design

Colors of Cancer

I was at a craft fair last weekend, when someone handed me this bookmark.

I knew that pink was used when talking about breast cancer - here are colors for other forms of cancer:

(click on the banner to see better)

3rd political debate

Etsy Treasury, curated by Jackie,

from A Keeper's Jackpot. Need I say more?

turning your passion into profit

All you jewelry artists out there!

Wanted to let you know about a good marketing guide I just finished reading.

A quick paperback read, with only 94 pages, Marketing and Selling You Handmade Jewelry by Viki Lareau was very informative and well organized. Chapters of particular interest to me included "Pricing Your Work," and "Selling Your Jewelry at Craft Shows."

It's the kind of book that you read once through, then use as a reference tool when you need an answer to a particular question. The book can actually be used by anyone who creates their own products, substituting their medium for the jewelry spoken about.

Unique Gourd Jewelry

Here's one of "Peggy's girls," as she likes to call them. Her body is made out of scrap gourd pieces. I think they're the cutest things. See them for real at the Museum of the Great Plains in Lawton, Okla.

Baby Friendly Beads, October Featured Etsyblogger

People who regularly read my blog, know that I work in a museum. And most of my closest friends are also co-workers. Debra, our archaeologist, recently gave birth to a baby girl (congrats), and brings Zoe to work three times a week. I noticed the other day that Zoe was a bit fixity, and was grabbing for Debra's necklace. I immediately thought of Jen at Baby Friendly Beads.

Jen, an etsy jeweler and blogmaster of Mama's Magic Studio,
is October's Featured Etsyblogger!

She started selling her baby friendly necklaces and bracelets on Etsy in February 2006, with new mothers in mind.

Not being a mother myself, I never thought about the problems with having a newborn and wearing jewelry. But it makes a lot of sense, and shows just how compassionate Jen is. She recently opened a second Etsy shop called Mama's Magic Studio.

Here are a few of my favorite things in her Etsy shops right now:

Aquamarine and Apricot Baby Friendly Beads Nursing Necklace

Midnight Malachite Baby Friendly Beads Reminder Bracelet
Isn't This the Greatest Idea?

Lapis the Dragonfly

Shop Handmade

Just joined SHOP HANDMADE and my Turtle Treasure
Necklace made it to the front page. All you artists, check
the site out. And thanks Stormy, for telling me about it.

Lions on the Knoll

Leo wanted to
Be chosen to sit atop
The serpentine knoll.

Here's my new necklace, from beads found yesterday in Wichita Falls.  The trip wasn't a complete bust!

You can go to my Etsy shop, and read all about it!

Shopping for Beads

Went shopping today for beads.

Now if you're a beader or jewelry designer, you know how exciting this can be. I went to a chain store in Wichita Falls, Texas called Friendze. Their selection of real turquoise wasn't to my liking. And they didn't have any fetishes to speak of, but of course I couldn't leave the store empty handed. Here's my before pic:

Museum conference in Beautiful Bartlesville

For the October 13th etsybloggers carnival, one of the topics was to write anything about work outside of Etsy. Here's something about a business conference I went to, for my work at the Museum of the Great Plains. Great topic, Joey, and just in time!

Once a year, a different city hosts the Oklahoma Museum Association (OMA) annual conference. This year we went to Bartlesville, in the northeastern quadrant of the state. Four staff members got up early Wednesday morning in Lawton to make the drive in time for a 10:00 AM meeting.



Bartlesville is the land of Phillips Petroleum.



And it's truly a beautiful city, with lots of museums and historic buildings,
which made the conference great for a walker and sightseer, like myself.

Wednesday night, our first planned tour was at the home of Frank Phillips, built in 1909.



Historic interpreters were in every room, and it was great fun walking through the three story neo-classical mansion.



Next we all went to the Price Tower, built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956. (yes, Jackie, we went inside - watch you head!)



Rising 19 stories high in downtown Bartlesville, the leaning (cantilevered) tower was originally planned as an office building for NYC. When Wright couldn't find a buyer, he sold the design to the H.C. Price Pipeline Company, and it was tweaked to fit the smaller city. The Price Tower is famous for being Wright's only skyscraper.

By this time, we were dragging, but food enticed us to the Phillips Petroleum Company Museum, where we had a delicious meal.



After dinner, I walked back to the Hotel Phillips, and fell fast asleep.



The hotel is another historic building, first built for the Foster family (Foster Petroleum Company.) It was sold to the Phillips Petroleum Company to house employees from the 1940s until 1980.



Our sessions took place inside the Bartlesville Community Center, designed by Wesley Peters, chief architect of Taliesin West - the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.



As you can now gather, the city is an architect's dream.


Thursday night was Dinner and Auction at the Woolaroc, a beautiful ranch retreat established in 1925 by, you guessed it, Frank Phillips. The ranch is on a 3700 acre wildlife preserve situated in the Osage Hills.




The extra large museum contains an outstanding collection of western art and artifacts.



We also toured the lodge on the property, which began as a simple log cabin, and got a bit out of hand! Phillips had this piano covered with bark from his favorite tree.



Mrs. Phillips' bedroom walls were covered floor to ceiling with portraits of famous people who the couple entertained over the years. Needless to say, they were both quite eccentric.



The day ended with another great dinner, and lots of fun, as always, at the live auction. This is the first year I didn't buy anything, but I did donate my ladybug necklace.



Friday was a travel day. We arrived home - just in time to put up the museum's tent for the International Festival in Elmer Thomas Park.



Luckily, I was only a weekend visitor.



Thanks, John and Jim, for your bubble making enthusiasm and good sport.

Frederick, Oklahoma Arts 'N Action Festival

Here's my set up at the Arts 'N Action Festival two weeks ago, in Frederick.
Small farming community, with lots of very nice people. 
Had a great show!

Flowers in Water

Here's a pile of beads, that I made into a treasure necklace - Indian agate, jasper, crystal, wood, glass and gold plated beads.  I'll add a link on Friday, when it's listed in my Etsy shop.