|
Got a question? Got a comment? I won't know unless you
let me know!
Hotspur: 1992 – 2007
I had to put my cat Hotspur to sleep at the very end of February, just before I went to the Tucson Gem& Jewelry Show. If you’ve checked out our About Us/Who We Are page then you know I refer to my pets as our “Support Staff.” Fortunately, the dogs Puck and Lily are fine. But Hotspur was 14 ½ years old and very ill with diabetes, pancreatitis and who knows what else. He’d been with me a very long time – longer than I thought he’d be given that I’d had to put his brother down five years ago due to massive kidney failure.
Why the pet discussion? Because they become such vital parts of our lives and families. I often work late into the night; it’s a very quiet and creative time for me. Those hours never feel lonely or empty for me because all I have to do is put a hand down and, in a moment, there’s sure to be soft, warm fur beneath it. When I’m stuck, creatively or otherwise, they’re always good for a laugh. And watching them interact has taught me so much about human behavior. We’re all pack animals, after all, and the patterns don’t differ widely, species to species. It amazed and touched me to watch Hotspur, a cat, gently groom the head of Lily, a neurotic dog at any other time. But when Hotspur would lick the top of her black and white head, Lily would just close her eyes and give in to it. I know the followig is a cliche, but it bares re-stating: If only the human species could get along the way these different species can.
Creatively, I can’t say they inspire my designs directly. But I, like a lot of other artists and designers, do my best work when I’m relaxed and in a content state. All I have to do is watch my dogs play and I’m set. You can’t watch dogs at play and not be happy! Their joy is infectious, their silliness more entertaining than any SNL I’ve ever watched.
It takes the pressure off and makes playing with beads fun again. Petting that soft fur is a great comforter, too, as we all know.
For those of us without children, our pets provide a place to exercise our desire to nurture. And pets are exactly like little kids. For example, I’ll let Puck on the couch only when guests are over. The other week, I’d been watching television for several minutes after my neighbor Sharon had left before I realized Puck was still curled up on the couch. When I looked over at her, she lay perfectly still, her eyes purposefully looking everywhere but at me – just like a little kid hoping her parents won’t catch her in the act if she’s doesn't make eye contact.
Hotspur was notoriously friendly and demonstrative. It was his Siamese nature to announce his desire for attention with a loud, raspy meow. Even my father, who's allergic to cats, couldn't resist Hotspur's noisy entreaties.
My sweet feling had been going downhill for a while, but got substantially worse throughout January. I’m not the kind to talk to my pets, but I actually had a conversation with Hotspur, telling him he had to make it obvious when it was his time to go – and amazingly enough he did just that. I’ll spare you the unpleasant details, but I was so grateful it was truly clear and that his steep decline didn’t happen while I was away.
The dogs have adjusted well enough. I even took them with me to the vet because I thought they should be there as Hotspur passed on. (I was also a little whacked out that morning, to be honest.) I’m slowly getting used to being a cat-less household. And I still have the Puckster and Lilyputt to keep me entertained as well as inspired. If you’ve read all the way to this point, I thank you for allowing me to indulge my love of all things four-legged and furry - and my habit of naming them after characters from Shakespeare. (Hotspur comes from one of the Henry IV's, but I'll be damned if I can ever remember which one...)
Tucson!
I’d heard that the Tucson Gem & Jewelry Show was huge – but it literally takes over the entire city, and for two entire weeks! Unfortunately, I only had two and a half days to do my buying, but I went to as many of the venues as I could and learned as much as I could so I could pass the info along to you.
First of all, be forewarned that the Tucson show is primarily for those who buy for re-sale (or retail) purposes – in other words, buyers with resale numbers and licenses. It’s only during the last few days that they throw the doors open to the public. However, if you know someone with a resale number, they can simply list you as an “additional buyer” on their registration form and you’re in. Whether you have or know someone with a resale number or not, it’s definitely worth going if you can get to Tucson because all the important suppliers are there and the prices there are the best you’ll find anywhere else all year.
The first venue I went to was one featuring international suppliers. Honestly, I wasn’t interested in buying from them as much as finding out what nations, besides China, are in the jewelry supply business. India is – no surprise there – but Thailand, Mexico and Brazil also had strong presences. Even Greece had a few booths there.
Having finished that bit of homework, I was now free to shop ‘til I dropped. Because there were so many, many venues to choose from and because this was my first foray to this massive show, I had, prior to leaving Los Angeles, paged through the two-inch thick Tucson Show Guide and flagged the venues where my favorite suppliers from the L.A.-area shows were situated.
I had a long chat with Yuli Lee who runs Splendor Jewelry based in Whittier (I think), who was exhausted from nine straight days of selling. She said all the Europeans attend the show the first week, buy buy buy, then fly home. (I did encounter one residual Irish buyer who said she was traveling home with five suitcases so loaded with beads she was worried about the zippers holding up.)
I’d planned to put off buying from Yuli until she comes to Santa Monica in March – but she had such wonderful stuff – and amazing prices - I couldn’t resist.
I took Laura, one of the friends I was staying with, along part of the time and it was truly interesting to hear her comments. Laura’s been making jewelry for the past few years but strictly as a hobby, not as a business. She’s been buying from bead shops as, I’m sure, many of you have. Laura was astounded to discover that the 6mm. rose quartz beads for which she’d been laying down a quarter and more per bauble could be purchased for $3 per 16-inch strand, or about 22 to 25 beads. “I’ll never buy in a bead store again,” said she. (I hope I’m not upsetting any bead storeowners with that anecdote…)
The biggest part of the show takes place in and around the Holiday Inn, or Holidrome, as Tucsonians (?) call it. Mind you, it’s not just in the meeting and ballrooms of the hotel. Most of the show exists in vast tents laid out across several surrounding acres. I just can’t describe the vast array of beads, stones – precious as well as the semi-precious rocks we work with here at Half the Sky – metals, glass beads, crystal beads, resin, expensive, inexpensive, and soooo much more. I’ve been buying at bead shows for years now but even I felt thoroughly overwhelmed. I tried to be as efficient and frugal as possible and wound up doing fairly well, budget-wise. I went slightly over, but less than I feared I might, once I saw the enormity of it all. (A hint: each night I went over what I’d bought and how much I’d spent that day, then determined what was still left to buy.)
The reason it can be difficult to hold to the company budget for this kind of foray is that I’m looking specifically for things that are new and unusual and, at a show such as this, there’s such tremendous variety and surprise that it was tempting to invest in every single new thing I saw. Normally, I’d first scout the entire show (just as I recommended in a recent blog) and then go back for those items that really stuck with me. But, in this instance, I had such a short time to shop this citywide show that I had to make immediate decision. I’d decided prior to the show that what I’d really concentrate on was finding unique pendants because the beads for the rest of the necklace I can usually find at the local shows or from Fire Mountain Gems. We now have some wonderful new pendants and some fantastic rhodochrosite – the Jaguar of stones – to work with.
I’m very happy with my bead buys and can’t wait to share the designs we make from them with you in our upcoming Traveling Boutiques!
Shows, Shows, Shows
 Why is it that all the major trade shows have to happen within the same 3-week period from mid-January to early February? The California Gift Show ran the weekend of January 20th, the Craft and Hobby Association Convention was this past weekend – and now I have to pack my bags and head for the big Tucson wholesale bead show this coming weekend!
And to think I expected things would slow down after the holidays…
So you’re probably thinking all these shows sound the same…or completely different…or who really cares anyway? If you’re of the latter mind, I don’t blame you. Ignore the rest of my blather and head over to the cool new Project Monthly, our Daisy Chain Necklace. It may look a little intimidating, but challenge yourself! You’ll be glad you did.
But for those of you with a more curious mind, I’ll glady explain the differences and idiosyncrasies of each show as best I can.
January 20 – 23: The California Gift Show is for retailers looking to find the latest in all things boutique-y, like jewelry, handbags, spa stuff, knick-knacks and some clothing (though there are big-time apparel shows especially for that). It takes over the entire LA Convention Center twice a year. Truth be told, I attend under false pretenses. I pose as a retailer looking for wholesale goods to purvey. But, obviously, I only sell the work of two designers – Christine and me. The reason I go is to raid the Cash & Carry section where some of my regular bead suppliers lurk. I can buy there and walk out with what I’ve purchased. The bigger convention halls, on the other hand, are for wholesale orders only that must be shipped. No taking the merchandise with you. (My apologies to those of you who know all this stuff already. But I was a complete innocent when it came to this sort of thing until recently.)
January 28 – 30: The Craft & Hobby Association is the national organization dedicated to the arts and crafts trade, an industry now generating over $30 billion in sales per annum. This year, the convention landed in Anaheim, which is my neck of the woods. This show’s vital when it comes to keeping up on what’s new in the arts and crafts field, product-wise.
To be completely honest, though, most of my time was spent socializing. I visited my friends from Stampington & Company, the extraordinary company that publishes Belle Armoire and Somerset Studio magazines, among glorious others. It was so fun to see Michelle Flores (editor of Belle Armoire and Art Doll Quarterly) and Jenny Doh (editor of Somerset Studio and Altered Couture)! Jenny is graciously putting another shoe design of mine in the upcoming Altered Couture 2 – and it’s a wild pair, let me tell you. I call them my N’Orleans Jazz shoes. They’re a cross between a brothel and a Mardi Gras float. My friends at Stampington are very tolerant of me and my predilections…
And who else did I run into but Jennifer Perkins, host of the DIY Network’s Craft Lab! I hadn’t seen her since I shot my two episodes over a year ago, so it was great to catch up. She was wearing an amazing jumper that her younger sister had hand-painted. Yes, Jennifer wore a horse with an elaborate Native American headdress across her tummy. It was beautiful! Okay – maybe you had to be there, but it really was beautiful. Jennifer was looking fabulous and was full of spitfire as always. ADORE that woman.
I was also thrilled to catch up with Paige Gilchrist, senior vice president of Lark Books, the wonderful company that’s publishing our upcoming book Beading Vintage-Style Jewelry, available in bookstores in May. Lark rescued our book after another publisher went belly up and Paige was instrumental in seeing this project through. Seeing her gave me the chance to tell her how thrilled Christine and I are about the results! Lark truly did a superb job with the book. Not only did I get to tell Paige that, but I also was able to convey our gratitude to Lark’s head honcho, Carol Taylor. It was an honor to meet her because she’s been publishing spectacular arts and crafts books for years, long before the DIY industry blossomed into what it is now.
And – if you’ll allow me a “moment” – I had the amazing honor of introducing Carol to the aforementioned Michelle Flores and Jenny Doh of Stampington & Co., whose magazines have a level of elegance and sophistication unparalleled by any other craft magazine publisher. As it turns out, Carol’s a huge admirer of their magazines and they, of course, were glad to meet the head of Lark Books, considered the gold standard in crafts book publishing. How privileged was I to introduce them? Especially when I think that I first wandered the CHA Show only two years ago without knowing a soul. I can’t fully express how grateful I am to have had the privilege of working with these extraordinary people.
But enough about socializing at the CHA Show. This convention is truly a vital venue for those of us in the arts and crafts industry. As you can tell, all the major (and minor) publishing players are there from the book and magazine fields. Martha Stewart was the CHA Show's keynote speaker - talk about star power. But the bulk of the show is all about the supplies you and I use to make whatever it is we make. About the only things missing are power tools. Everything else – paper, glue, beads, anything sparkly, metal foils, unfinished wood stuff to paint on, paints, brushes, easels – yes, everything else artsy and crafty is there.
The scrapbooking suppliers alone take up about three-fifths of the show! From a business point of view, it must be incredibly difficult for them to differentiate their products one from another. There are all sorts of samples to be had, but no Cash & Carry section. Just as well - I wind up filling my roll-along halfway through the show!
Finally, the humongous Tucson Gem and Bead Show begins this weekend. I haven’t been to it yet – this weekend marks my first foray. But it is THE wholesale show to go to. Bead and gem purveyors basically take over the entire city of Tucson for two weeks and sell everything to do with jewelry-making. I can only attend the show for three days because of our Traveling Boutique schedule, but that should give me time to get the lay of the land and trade some loot for a whole lotta beads. I feel that going to this show means Half the Sky’s graduating to a new level. It’s all quite exciting, and I promise to tell you more about Tucson upon my return next week.
Bead Show Lowdown
Two wonderful women have come on board to help us make some of our jewelry! Sandra and Stacy Carlos are a spectacular mother-daughter duo and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have them working with us. Their energy is amazing and they keep me laughing the whole time we’re stringing beads together. I told them about a bead show that’s coming up February 9 through 12 here at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and started giving them my Bead Show Lowdown – which I shall now share with you.
First off, what the hell’s a bead show, bead fair or gem show??? Local bead shops are wonderful if you just need a few beads or some tiger tail wire. But if you’re looking to load up on beads, nothing beats a large show for insight and inspiration as well as materials. These shows are wonderful places to get good deals on beads and jewelry-making supplies – so long as you shop smartly. Two companies that frequently offer shows here in Southern California are Gem Faire and the International Gem and Jewelry Show. I’ve gone to any number of their shows and always found a spectacular collection of gemstones and such to choose from.
The trick is finding what you want, finding what’s new and exciting – and then getting the best price for both. The following are Marty’s rules for first-time bead show attendees:
Rule #1: LEAVE YOUR WALLET IN THE CAR. Do as I say, not as I did! Or, if you’re with a companion, trade wallets and don’t hand them over to one another until you’ve heeded…
Rule #2: WALK THE ENTIRE BEAD SHOW FIRST BEFORE BUYING. You’ll save yourself soooooo much money and frustration this way. There are so many tantalizing beads near the door that you’ll be certain you must have. However, there are just as many tantalizers waiting in the far reaches of the show – and they may be less expensive, given their real estate.
If you find a pendant or strand of stones that’s an absolute must-have, you’ll remember where you found it. Trust me. If you doubt me, then get out a pen and ask the vendor for their business card. That way, you can note where the booth is and what you want to return and buy. It’s not a bad idea to ask the vendor how much they’re charging for the item because when they see you walking away, they may offer you a better price. Take note of that improved price and make them stick to it if and when you return to their booth.
Rule #3: REFLECT BEFORE BUYING AND BE REALISTIC. If you’ve followed Rules #1 & #2, you may now retrieve your wallet. As you’re walking to and from your car, you have time to reflect on all the glories you’ve seen. Take a deep breath and be realistic about not only your budget but what you’re truly committed to making. If you’re new to beading, don’t overdue it. There’ll be other bead shows and better to leave yourself craving more. If you return home with beads by the pound, you may inadvertently overwhelm yourself and shut down creatively. No kidding!
Rule #4: IT'S OKAY TO DICKER with the vendors but not to the point of being insulting. They want new customers but they need to pay for their booth space and inventory. They need to make a living and if they say it’s the lowest they can go, don’t bully them. If you like their beads and their prices, you want to build up a rapport with them. Christine and I have made friends with Yuli of Splendor Jewelry. She’s not online and she doesn’t have a catalog – she sells only at shows. But she’s such a sweetheart to those of us who are her loyal customers and always gives us amazing discounts on what are already low prices. If you’re in Southern California, look for Splendor Jewelry at the shows because their quality and prices can’t be beat.
Now for a few tips. Obviously, if you buy in bulk, you can get a better discount. I’d call “bulk” at least $75. If you buy with cash, even better, especially if you don’t have a resale license. Since they don’t have to run your card, they may not charge you tax.
If you don’t know what a stone is, ask! Educate yourself. You may go home, make a necklace or two and run out of that particular kind of bead. By knowing what kind of stone it is, you can ask around for it at the next show, at your local bead shop or look for it online.
For those of you who don’t live in the cities that Gem Fair and the International Gem & Jewelry Show visit, buy an issue of Bead & Button magazine. Every show imaginable is listed in there somewhere – either in the ads or in the classifieds at the back. If you still can’t find something in your area, let me know and I’ll see what I can find out for you.
So head for those shows and be inspired! Take a friend too. If she says she’s not into jewelry, assure her it doesn’t matter, because all those colors and shapes will enliven any eye. Who knows? She might just catch the beading bug after all.
New Year’s News
Two thousand SEVEN…two thousand SEVEN…
It always takes me a while to get used to the numerical change. How’s about you? Hard to believe it’s a new year already, but it’s one I’m looking forward to. First off, January offers our first magazine cover, and it’s a beauty! I couldn’t be more grateful to Belle Armoire and its wonderful editor Michelle Flores. (She even called me a "fashion outlaw!" LOVE that.) If you’d like to know a bit more about it, you can read last week’s blog. If you’d like to buy it, head over to the publisher’s website at stampington.com. I highly recommend getting a full subscription to Belle Armoire. You’ll be freshly inspired with each new issue – promise. Check out Stampington’s other magazines while you’re at it, including Art Doll Quarterly. Michelle Flores edits that one as well.
This April will feature two more milestones – Half the Sky’s third anniversary and the publication of our first book, Beading Vintage-Style Jewelry. Granted, the title it’s been given is a mouthful but we’re elated that this book’s our very own. Christine and I received the color proofs in mid-December and are thrilled with the job Lark Books did in putting it all together. We’d seen the black-and-white galleys in November and could already tell it would be eye-popping in color. We weren’t disappointed!
What most readers don’t know is that authors generally have very little say-so in how the book itself is designed. We weren’t there when our jewelry was photographed, for example. That decision’s up to the art director (in this case, Susan McBride) and photographer (Keith Wright). So, while Christine and I were very pleased with the jewelry that would be featured, we had no idea how the pieces would ultimately appear on the pages. Fortunately for us, our book couldn’t have been in more capable hands. It’s clear from the results that great care was taken with the composition and setting of each photo, as well as how it’s positioned on each page. Even the type fonts are whimsical and perfect for the vintage theme.
Later in the year, we’ll be featured in Jewelry and Altered Couture 2, both special issues published by Stampington. At some point, my second episode of Craft Lab will air on the DIY Network. And, of course, we’ll be doing Traveling Boutiques galore come Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. I also plan on improving our online jewelry collection – I just got a new photography studio set-up and will get to work on that straightaway.
So that’s what will definitely be happening in two thousand SEVEN. As for what else I hope we can accomplish, I’d like to begin establishing a wholesale market for our jewelry and to get another book in the pipeline. Wish me luck! And I wish you a very lucky, fulfilling and creative New Year.
|
