Heading Out - I'll Be Back on Monday

Schedule today ... wake up, handle orders and blog, go to gym! Yes, I'm heading to the gym because I'm going to be sitting in a car for HOURS as I ... return from gym and switch out gym bag for suitcases and other stuff for the road, leave, get the computers up at the shop, hit the road. Under ideal conditions, I'll grab breakfast in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, then head onward to Milwaukee. I requested an early check-in of 2:00 pm, we'll see if that actually happens or not. 

I think it's a lot easier to make new friends when we're kids. We
just walk up to a new kid and ask them if they want to play with
you. It's a bit harder when you're adults. Things seem to get in the way. 

Yeah - I'm excited to see old friends and make new ones. More than that, however, I can hardly wait to play with metal and fire once again. It's been too long. The past two years I really focused on wireworking and some very fancy stuff. A lot of fun, but not soldering and creating volume from something originally flat and unyielding. Having the chance to pack my tools once more? Heaven! 

I get too busy to blog while I'm at the show. My bus leaves for the
Tech Center at 7:30 am and I'm often at events until after 9:00 pm.
It's actually a pretty exhausting schedule, but a lot of fun. 

I'll drive back home on Sunday. I'm pretty much on "radio silence" when I'm at B&B, so I doubt you'll hear much from me. I'll catch everyone up with the finale of Project Runway after I get back to the Cities and catch up with the backlog of emails and notifications. 

Be good (but not TOO good), and have a great week! I'll be back on Monday morning. 

Possibilities I'm Bringing to the Table

My Workshop teacher, Andy Cooperman, sent a class-wide email of general "welcome" and minimal "instructions" out to those of us taking his class next week. I finally had a chance to read it in-depth a few days ago and one of the things he mentioned was a desire to have some photos of the items we were thinking about using in our project. So, I took photos of things I'm bringing along to use in my project (or not use, which often seems to be the end result), and I thought I might share them with you too. What we'll get in class are some basic materials - sheet metal of various types of metal including bronze - the larger equipment items like our torches, and bits of this and that. So, here's what I'm bringing to the table. 

This is a selection of items that I'm bringing along to my workshop.
Faceted cubic zirconia stones for setting, 2 differently sized
diameters of copper tubing, a carved face with an owl headdress
made from fossilized ivory (I'm a bit uncomfortable about using
any ivory, even though this is ancient), colored disks (yellow, white and
olive green) of Capiz shell, an old camera lens from an old digital
computer camera, irridescent abalone shell pieces, and two amber
 colored stone beads. 

Here is a photo of the entire array of things I'm bringing to play with. It's not really a lot of stuff. If I bring a bunch of stuff along, I'll spend my three days trying to decide what to work wish instead of just making a decision and rolling with it. I'll probably work with several of these, but many might travel there and back again unused. Let's look at some details, ok? 

Here's a close-up on some of the abalone shell pieces I'm thinking about
using. The left-hand pieces remind me of eyes, eyebrows or tears,
the right-hand piece evokes a nose or a beak. Possibilities exist and I
have a good selection of pieces in my bag. 

Here's some of the abalone pieces I'm bringing along. Abalone is a univalve sea shell with an iridescent nacre cushioning the interior of the shell. Think of it as the inside of an oyster shell, but larger than oysters usually grow. In many Native American cultures, abalone shells are used as vessels for burning sage to smudge rooms for purification. I've been using and selling abalone half-shells, buttons and odd pieces for many years. 

Just look at this piece of abalone shell. Doesn't it have the look of
a dog or wolf? I could quite easily make this into a
representation of the Egyptian god Annubis. 

This one piece of abalone I'm bringing along keeps tugging at me. Doesn't it look like a wolf or a dog to you? I'm seeing this as a side view of the god, Anubis, if I add ears. Fans of "Game of Thrones" might see it at a Stark wolf. It would certainly work for that image and world-view too. Whether I work with this one piece over the next few weeks or within the next few years, this one will be used - it's too amazing to waste in a drawer. 

I disassembled an old camera that was supposed to sit on top of a
computer monitor for using Skype or other interactive communications.
Cameras tend to come built-in now, and with much better graphics
capabilities, so I was going to donate this to my local Tech Dump. But
the depth and rings of the lens really intrigued me, so I tore it
apart for the lens. I would love to play with this. 

I am totally intrigued by the possibilities presented by this old camera lens. It has depth and texture. It's role could be an ever-hungry mouth or a symbol of a journey to inner peace - so many possibilities. I really want to play with this component and by choosing this, figure out the best ways to entrap items that can't handle the heat when combined with metals that require torches. 

These two stone beads aren't super large, and if I'm working on copper,
they might get lost because they could blend too much, but they're coming
along for the ride, because you never know what I might end up
using when push comes to shove. 

Finally, I have these two stone beads, because I am a beader and beads are usually incorporated in much of my work. They are quite different - one a flat, thin tab, the other a rounded cylinder. I love the color and entrapping beads is usually pretty easy - some wire through the hole, secure to a base plate, voila! 

So there you have it - my workshop possibilities. Along with a small carry-all of my tools, I think I'm ready for my classes. Now to actually pack clothing - the idea of no clothes just doesn't appeal to me. I have a few days to toss clothes into my suitcases, so I'm not really worried ... yet! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back on Monday. I might start getting intense about packing on Monday night - LOL. 

I Should Probably Start to Pack

It's my day off and that works out well since it's supposed to be the rainy day of the work week. I can get my errands done without getting too wet, and spend the day at home getting things in line for next week's workshop and vacation. It's hard to believe that I'll be leaving to play with metal once again, and I haven't even pulled a suitcase out of the storage closet. 

I'm usually pretty good at packing for a trip, and this is a trip I've
gone on annually since the mid-1990's. I guess that counts
as experienced - LOL. 

In days/years past I would have my suitcases open on the living room couch and half-packed by this time, my supplies would be selected, and I would be planning my visit to Milwaukee (or other cities in which B&B Show has been held through its' long history). This year, although I'm attending a workshop that I've wanted to be in for many years, I'm a bit too laid back. That's not a good look on me - LOL. I think I have to light a fire. 

I had an old Logitech webcam similar to this, but
older (made to work with Win 98 computers). I was
going to donate it to my local Tech Dump, but
I decided to disassemble it instead. The lens
in the front turned into a really fun component.
It's coming along on my trip with me. 

Since the class is "Innovative Captures", working with metals to entrap unusual items or to use non-traditional settings, my focus has been centered around what I might want to capture. I've manage to collect a rather eccentric grouping of materials - everything from an old video lens to shell pieces to antlers and stones. But I'm still unsure about how to approach this, and that has me concerned. 

I'm very fond of abalone shell, and just had my
associate pack up misc weight bags of odd pieces
to put into the shop. I went through them and liberated
about 20 pieces in miscellaneous shapes before I handed
her the bag and told her to pack the rest. They're coming
to Milwaukee with me. 

Tomorrow I'll take time at the shop and go through my portable tool kit. It's a bit over-the-top right now, and weighs WAY too much. I drive to the show, so I'm not concerned about shipping weight, but I do have to lug the kit with me and lighter would be better with my arm. I'm quite sure I won't need all of the materials I usually have at hand in the drawers, so I'll pull things out for the show, then return them after I get back home. 

I have an assortment of Fretz hammers, but I really only
need to pack three of them - the two Revere-style hammers, and
one that has interchangeable tips. I probably have at least
six hammers in my portable kit. I don't need that many at
this workshop. 

I was good and got two appointments set up with my doctor - one for my arm and a general wellness physical - all happening within the next six weeks. Now my goal is to not increase the tendon damage before getting a chance to see her and get a treatment regime. Spending yesterday away from the pool and just working on the machines helped a lot, but *sigh* I really miss my swimming! 

I have a list of things I have to do today, though, so I'd better get cracking. Have a wonderful Wednesday, and I'll be back tomorrow. My busy day awaits - LOL. 

Thinking Ahead - The Pool and the Workshop

It's going to be a rainy weekend, which will put a hold on many outdoor activities. DH was going to pick up meat to grill on Sunday, but decided to hold off since it's supposed to rain all day. It was raining on and off all night last night, sometimes heavy enough to awaken me. I enjoyed my last day to "sleep in", though. Next week I'm back to the gym again, machines for three days and then ... FINALLY ... returning to the pool on Thursday. The outdoor pool opens on Saturday, hopefully with a temperature outside that's a bit warmer than today's 50 degrees. It is as it is, though. Last year was exceptionally warm and the pool in late May was inviting. This year seems to be a bit colder, so it might be a bit harder to push myself into the outdoor water initially. 

There's something mesmerizing about swimming in the outdoor pool over
the summer months. I suspect that eventually our pool will be incorporated
into a larger swimming area and transformed into a combination
pool area that will be indoors only. That's happened at several of the
other YMCA locations over the past two decades. We have one of
two outdoor pools, and the second one is closing after this season. 

The second push for my eyeliner tattoos worked a treat! Things are still in the healing stage, but I'm MUCH happier this time around, and think Heidi finally accomplished what we had been trying for. I'll know a bit more in another week or so, it's only been a few days, but the difference between the first application and this second one was light night and day. 

For several decades, Andy Cooperman has been making
marvelous and unusual jewelry based on sound techniques
and a quirky imagination. My techniques are a bit rusty,
but I'm hoping to make something I won't be ashamed of
during my three-day workshop with him. 

Of course I'm also planning and thinking about my upcoming workshop and trip to Milwaukee. I've assembled a box of interesting things to potentially use in the "Innovative Captures" workshop, but I haven't firmly made up my mind, yet. DH has been been spending his time working on bookshelves for the house as we continue to merge our life from the shop into our home. We're counting down - still many more months to go, but we're on a schedule. 

Here are more pieces by Andy Cooperman. I don't want to copy
his aesthetic, but I love using non-traditional materials, and
incorporating them into my own work will be fun. I do have to
edit though, it's only a three-day workshop. 

I'm going to take a bit and catch up with my friends postings on LJ and DW, get this posted, and call it a day. I'm looking forward to breakfast and a relaxing hour or two before I unlock the shop doors. Have a wonderful Saturday and a great weekend, I'll be back on Monday. 

Oops, Catch-Up and Future Goals

Yesterday's clean-up day was a very good thing because I remembered I hadn't paid my property taxes for the first half of the year yet! That was a serious OOPS! I admit that I'm not used to this. We've been paying mortgage for 30+ years but it got paid off early this year and not having a mortgage changed a lot of things. One of those things is that I now have to pay the taxes that were paid through the escrow account before. Of course property taxes were due in mid-May and it's now mid-June. Damn! I'm sure they'll assess a late fee penalty and I'll totally deserve it. I've signed up for email reminders and I'll have to put the second payment onto my calendar. I can't mess this one up again! 

Our property taxes aren't massive, but they should be
paid on time. I really messed that one up! 

I didn't get everything done that I wanted, but I did clean up one very important bag. (The second bag can wait a week - it won't hurt anything because it's pretty recent stuff.) I did get the laundry done, and even had a chance to catch up with Aearwen. Last week's conversation ended up totally messed up because of my trip and things going on with her life, so we're back on track. What a relief - LOL. 

We have a lot of turquoise cabs that we've purchased
through the years. We're going through them,
getting them priced and ready to put out for sale. 

We've been going through a lot of drawers and unknown envelopes at the shop and have found a LOT of turquoise cabochons that we purchased years ago for repairs and for our own work. We've been weighing and reviewing them and I'm a bit shocked by today's prices on comparable stones. After a lot of discussion we decided the price point to put on ours and we're going to start getting them out onto the sales floor over the next week or two. There are some exceptional cabs in the group, so my jewelry makers will be quite happy. 

We've been sold out of the three most popular gauges in sterling silver
wire for several months. We're getting that back on order today and
we should have it back for sale by the end of the month. Yippee! 

We've also restocked our sheet metal selection and should have our sterling silver wire in the three most popular gauges back in stock within the next two weeks. We've been sold out of this since before the Holiday season, so it will be wonderful to have it back for our creative customers. 

I love Andy Cooperman's vision. He works in a variety
of metals with unusual combinations and joining methods. 

I've figured out that if I want to take Andy Cooperman's Master Class at next year's Bead & Button Show, I need to try and save $50/week just for that purpose. That's a lot, but I'm going to give it a good go. I'm hoping I get a lot of repairs through the shop's doors because those $20/minimum charges are an important way for me to earn a little extra. 

I've been wanting to work for a few days under the tutelage of
Andy Cooperman for more than a decade. I'm determined to
try and achieve this goal. 

It's Thursday, I'm slightly ahead of schedule (I awakened a bit early and decided to just dive into the day) and I'm looking forward to my morning swim. I'm listening to a good audio book in the pool, and the weather has been great. We're heading back into sauna weather for the weekend, which isn't as great, but I'll worry about that when it happens. Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow!