Missing Tucson

Once again I am missing Tucson. Why, you may ask, do I care about Tucson and what brings me to state this in my daily blog? Well, right now Tucson is the heart of the gem and bead-buying nation with the Tucson Gem Show going on now and most of the bead shows scheduled for this coming weekend. Fortunately I still have gemstone material from my last major trip that I can work with in my own work, but it was always a nice break from winter, to head down to the (relative) warmth of Arizona, look at amazing rock, gems and beads, and catch up with friends. My DH and I have wanted to go together to the show for many years. When we retire, I'll try to get us down there just so that he can have the experience of it. It is a unique, fun, and overwhelming experience that I always enjoy, no matter how much or how little money I have available to spend.

Aren't these crystals amazing? Just a small part of the Tucson Gem Show that people will be seeing this week.

I started reading through CB's story yesterday. I committed to do some illustrations for it, so I'm plowing through it as quickly as possible, marking some possible passages for illustrations. I still need to finish the burning waters for another piece, and I'll trot my "Lifelike Portraits" book along with me today to review before starting the next batch of illustrations. I have three pending stories also, guess I won't be bored for a while :-)

And in miscellaneous...I finished reading Lionheart yesterday. Highly recommended to me and I pass that recommendation along to all of you. Well worth the read. Apparently robberies of smart phones is very high, even attacking people to steal them. One more reason for me not to upgrade, even though it would be fun it would be more money than I want to pay. Enjoy your Tuesday, you are one day closer to your weekend :-)

Buying in a Tight Economy

Yesterday was the spring "wholesale" Gem & Mineral Show. This is a GLW show for those of you familiar with them from Tucson or other smaller venues. The basic requirement for entry is a copy of your resale (sales tax) license and a business card or check. Since my state gives out resale licenses so easily and does not charge for them or have expiration dates on them, a lot of my customers also attend the show. This can make for an uncomfortable shopping experience.

I went because I did not go to Tucson this year. One of my vendors exhibits both in Tucson and here and I hadn't purchased from him in more than 2-1/2 years. My stock was VERY low. So I went to shop with him and then to see what I could get for my own work. I got what I needed, and found some nice druzy free-form cabs to play with, along with a few lower-end (but nice) gemstones to set. It was a successful day, even though I didn't spring for the Pariba or the nicely colored Tourmaline that I also wanted. It did seem that the numbers were down and that people were being much more careful about what they were buying. Several people mentionrd that they would not be attending the fall show (which I always miss because it comes during the Renaissance Festival season). A few also mentioned that they thought this show would be their last unless the economy (i.e. their own sales) improved. So things are still hurting for people. And that is sad. But I do have faith that people are resiliant and they will pull back and land back on their feet. It's a rough sea right now, though.

Tucson - Wish I Was There

Every year the world gathers in Tucson for the largest Gem & Mineral Show in the world. The show itself takes over more than 40 different venues across the city and extends for most of a month in length. Many shows are 3-day or 5-day shows, others are multi-week shows. Most of the shows are "wholesale" shows, but their admission documentation varies and often that definition of "wholesale" is quite broadly painted. I love the excitement, the sights and smells, and the beauty of stones and materials that I can't find elsewhere. BUT, I'm not there this week. In fact, I haven't been in Tucson for the past several years. The last time I was in Tucson I purchased a lot of material for my work. And I'm still in really good shape with my raw materials. I simply didn't need enough new material to justify the trip expense and time. So....I'm here in the snowbelt when I would rather be fighting the crowds, the road construction and the parking mess. But, maybe I can go next year. There are some pieces of equipment I would love to see and try out (and maybe bring home to my own workshop), and maybe I'll have had an opportunity to use up more of my overstock so that I'll need new stones. A girl can dream.....

And on the enameling front, I have been getting project backup lately. The past two weeks I have not had the time to fire up the kiln, so I have necklace components for my Beading For A Cure 2010 project waiting for their first experimental firing. I also have decided on a six-panel sequence for my cigar box project and am working on the storyboard for it. I might bring my magnification projector to the shop with me today and start the storyboard work there so that I can see what things will look like at the proper size. That will help me determine the best way to get the imagery onto the copper. Some of the designs are quite complex and I will need to determine how to get that detail through in the glass. What a fun quandry :-)

Enjoy your Friday - create some beauty today.

Tucson Dreams

A lot of my friends are off to Tucson this week. The annual Tucson Gem Show is going on. For those unfamiliar with this show, it takes over the entire town in more than 40 different venues for a month. The bead-oriented part of the show occurs next weekend. I attend the show every few years, and in fact had originally planned on attending this year. But finances being what they are, and the fact that my DH is very ill with the flu...well, I'm not going this year after all. It's just as well. I know I could pick up some of the the merchandise that we really wanted to get for the store, but we'll just have to order on-line later in the year when the economy has picked up. And if we don't get as much....that's OK too. We are over-stocked right now and streamlining things is not a bad idea.

I do feel for my poor DH though. He hasn't been this sick for many years. He's under two quilts and two blankets and is still shivering with the cold. He is coughing, his nose is running, and his muscles and sinuses hurt. I don't think he has taken his temperature yet. I'm not sure he will at all. But I think he's probably running a fever and has the flu. Unfortunately, I have to go to work today, so he'll be on his own. Hopefully he's going to spend the day in bed and try to sleep this off. He doesn't need to be at work today, so he's fortunate in that respect.