Miss.Pinkerton Turns 6

Today is Pinky's 6th  Birthday.

We celebrated on Sunday for convenience and to give us a bit of time between her and Rex's birthday on July 3rd. After changing her mind a few times she decided on a pool party (yay. I LOVE to wear swimsuits in public. Really.) and we sent out the invites.

She had a blasty blast.

She is so proud of the fact that she held her breath under water for 10 seconds.

I'm proud of the fact that I remembered to coat everyone in SPF 100.

This is Pinky with her best friend Jamiah. Pinky LOVES Jamiah. They hug when they see each other and they are crazy little girls together. 

Each year I interview the kiddos and compare with last years answers. I wanted to go with video this year because to hear Pinky is to fall in love with Pinky. She has such a way about her that you find yourself with the biggest, goofiest smile stretching from ear to ear. But alas, I am stumped when it comes to formatting video for the blog.

S - What is your name?

P - Makayla Pinky Levart Joy.

S- That's a bit scrambled, Dear.

P- Pinky is my Love name.

S- Alright. What is your favorite color?

P - You know this, Mom.

S - Just checking. Last year you said all different colors.

P- Well, I love Purple with orange and red and silver.

S - But it's still pink that captures your attention?

P - YES!!!!

S-  What is your favorite drink?

P - What's that thick drink?

S - Thick?

P - With the fruit?

S - Smoothies!

P - Yes! Strawberry smoothies!

S - You're a strawberry smoothie.

P - I know, I'm delicious.

S - (Laughing)

S- What's your favorite movie?

P - Hannah Montana

S - Yeah, that's a good one.

S - What's your favorite thing to do?

P - Hang out with you.

S - (I swallow a lump in my throat) I'm a very blessed Mama to have a daughter like you to hang with.

We are homies. BFF's.

P - Best Girlfriends!

(we do our special hand shake)

S - What's your favorite song?

P - Telephone by Lady GaGa

S - Oh.

 P - Don't you like it?

S - No, it doesn't have any subsistence. 

P - What does subs-tit-mence mean?

S - Subsistence means it's real. Lady Gaga's songs aren't about anything real.

P -  Phones are real.

S - Um, yeah, you got me there.

S - Where is your favorite place to go?

P - The beach!

S - Yeah! Me, too! What do you like about the beach? 

P - All the sand and we got to swim as much as we wanted and I liked looking for shells with you.

S - I like watching the rain clouds in the distance and building sand castles.

P - Ask me something else.

S - Right, enough about me. What do you want for your birthday?

P - Drums and a water holder.

S - (oh crap.) Are you talking about the Hello Kitty water dispenser you saw when you were 4?

P - Yes!

S - Why do you want a water dispenser?

P - So I can get myself water and see Hello Kitty.

S - Okay, sorry I couldn't get those.

P - (this is exactly how she talks, I'm not exaggerating at all.)  

Oh, that's fine. A mama can only do what a mama can do.

S - (half crying, half laughing) Thank you for your understanding. I'll try to get you drums and a water dispenser soon. You'll be thirsty after playing the drums.

P - I'm going to dance and sing AND play the drums so I will be very thirsty!

(She then demonstrates this miraculous one woman show for me and I sit back and pray time freezes.) 

Happy Birthday, Miss.Pinkerton! You are pure magic.

   

I'm Upset

I want to tell you about a scam that totally took me. 

This is relevant to anyone who sells online and uses paypal to accept payments.

Just the other day I was thinking how awesome this business is; most everyone is kind, happy to have the thread of creativity running through us all, connecting us across the miles. We encourage each other, we learn from each other and we support each other with advise, personal experiences and resources.

After 5 years in business, I have had very few transactions go bad and I attribute this to putting the other persons point of view before my own, despite personal attack or spitefulness. I treat everyone how I would want to be treated.

Patience. Understanding. Kindness.

But this was out right thievery.I can't leave feedback because this person could very well retaliate and she has several items of mine to leave feedback for, it could actually take down my 100% feedback.  

Grossly unfair. But this is how etsy has decided to remain.

The Set Up;

When a customer purchases an item or several items, pays through paypal (whether through a credit card or their bank) then comes back and purchases more items, again completes payment through paypal BUT requests you to combine the packages to save on shipping;

DON'T DO IT. 

They can reverse the payment, both credit card and bank account payments.

Paypal then only has 1 tracking number for this customer and you have no way of proving that you included all the items in 1 package. Your funds are seized while paypal re-pays the bank that reversed the funds and you are forced to pay the customer the money they paid you, but they keep the items.

Never again will I combine items made from separate purchases to save the customer shipping costs.

She received product, a refund on shipping and now is receiving the money for the product.

(Plus freebies because she was a big buyer) 

Cheryl, you're a thief. And I hope the payback you have coming to you doesn't involve your family like the scam you pulled involved mine.

In the same week, I have a customer insisting that the picture shows something she wanted, but I listed it wrong or I sent her the wrong item. Even though I showed her the listing description and pointed her in the right direction of the listing she should have purchased, offered to accept the item she didn't want for a refund and only charge her the difference in price between the two, she had to manipulate the situation, insisting she wouldn't pay for return postage because it was my mistake.

She purchased 20 gauge antiqued copper wire and received 20 gauge antiqued copper wire, but this was my mistake she didn't receive Violet Patina-ted wire. 

????????

"I know I bought this, and it said it was this, and I received this, but I wanted this other thing so you should send it to me. FREE." 

I explained I couldn't, ignored her attempts to guilt me into a different response and told her I would re-fund the money when the item was returned. 

BUT she needs to find her violet patina-ted wire elsewhere.

She sends the wire back AND includes stamps for shipping the violet wire out.

With a scribbled note about recycling the package that I had to cut open in order to remove the returned wire.

So I am now still indebted to her.

@*^#!!!!!

There are some manipulative people you just can't make happy and will constantly waste time trying to please to avoid any unvalidated retaliation. I do not want to do business with this person, I told her so and she ignored this and sent return postage?!?!

I can just imagine the harassment that will continue and the additional time sucked away if I do or don't give in to her demands.

Seriously, unhappy people trying to weigh down the negative thoughts and unbalance me;

GO AWAY.

Your toxic way of life is not welcome here amongst me and beading friends! 

* Update - To avoid having an un-shipped transaction remain in your paypal account to be reversed by the buyer who is claiming you did not ship it when you included the second purchase in their package; cancel both transactions, refund both of the buyers' payments, create a new listing that reflects the amount of both purchases and send them the link to that listing instead. This way they have 1 payment to make and you have 1 package to ship that includes a tracking number. It's all about the tracking number. Paypal will only side with the seller if they can prove they shipped ALL of the items.

Hind sight is 20/20, huh?

 

Summer Sunrises

With Mike at the shipping table and the kids happily immersed in summer activities, I have found a glorious amount of time to forge and patina a huge batch of metals!

This one is called Sunrise.

Inspired by the yellow glow that glimmers through a soft blue sky at first morning.

What would look awesome dangling in the middle and strung along the chain?

Julsbeads' Tequila Sunrise

Can you see it?

What if we wove this with the chain?

Jamnglass's Beaches Watercolor Silk ribbon.

Oh yesssssss.

I can see it clearly now.

Sunrise Textured Chain. 

So here's to soft sunrises this summer, may all your mornings be glorious!

Speaking Your Truth

Maire Dodd has a new shop.

She is generously offering gorgeous hand crafted components for sale in her shop which she named

"Speaking Your Truth"

 

These are my favorite pieces from her current offerings called Sante fe Discs.

She also has bead caps!

 

How awesome would these look over some hollow lamp work?

I sure look forward to seeing more offerings by Maire!

Necklace Give-Away!

I am giving away A Message From The Skies necklace on Art Bead Scene Blog.

The drawing is done sometime today, so head on over and be sure to leave a comment before the random generator leaves you out!

Bead Soup Party Reveal is Here!

And today is my day for the big reveal!

Here is the package I received from Regina.
I didn't get a chance to create with the red coral flowers but I did create these 4 pieces that I like to call
Earth Gypsy

The necklace is paired with a hand forged leaf from copper, patina-ted in chestnut brown and brushed with opal powder. The green in the flower jasper sang for more green in the necklace so I hung it from a strip of recycled sari silk and a doubled strand of seed beads in a mix of colors. These 2 are braided with chain that has been patina-ted in more chestnut brown.  The clasp is another flower jasper bead wire-wrapped heavily in antiqued copper.

(Can I tell you a secret? I feel sexy with it on, heehee.)

Now the other large flower jasper beads were fascinating with swirls of brown, green, yellow and cream. Each one was unique and their size was substantial enough  that I wanted to make them focal points in other pieces.
So I made 2 bracelets!

This one is centered in a frame of forged copper and wire-wrapped to more green sari silk.

This one is paired with chestnut and verdigris chain with a hand forged clasp and a sweet little faceted green pearl charm.

And finally the earrings!
I took the African jasper and hung them from thin hammered organic ovals. I then created tassels with brass chain, copper headpins and wire-wrapped jade, pearl and glass beads she included in my generous Bead Soup package.
So there's my Earth Gypsy set!

Thank you, Regina! I found this package of beads wonderfully soothing to work with and I love how everything fell together.

Are you enjoying the Bead Soup Blog Hop? I am! I am having so much fun "meeting" new beading friends and soaking in the creativity.
Looking forward to seeing more today!

*In my haste to be on time with my Bead Soup Reveal I neglected to mention where you could visit the other participants!

I am going down the list here.

New things I learned after only 5 YEARS of blogging

I just embarrass myself.

So I couldn't figure out how some of you knew when I posted a new post.

I'm like "How on earth do they respond so quickly?"

Uhhhh, duh. The "subscribe to" button gadget I inserted myself.

 (When you go to your dashboard for blogger, click  the Settings tab. Then click the Design tab. You should be on a page that shows the lay out of your blog with a clickable link that says "ADD A GADGET". Click that and you can look for gadgets that install on your blog. One of them is the "Subscription Link" button.)

And then some of you would answer me over email. But how? When you leave comments on my blog I do not see your email address, so how do you know mine?

Again, Dur/Head Slap!

In settings under comments, you can choose to be alerted of new comments through your email. When you get an email, you get their email and you can respond in a personal way to any questions or what have you. (Which I really try to do but they quickly overwhelm my inbox and I can't leave emails up in my inbox, it's like an ODC thing, where I have to respond, file or delete or I feel the world is closing in on me and I run, run, run as fast as I can away from the computer, away from made up expectations, away from, wait, where was I?)

And the last thing I recently learned after blogging for 5 years?

You're going to laugh....

How to schedule a blog post!

I know, like I said, I embarrass myself.

There is a button under your new post that says POST OPTIONS.

Click and you are given OPTIONS to schedule a post. Set the date and time BUT make sure you hit PUBLISH otherwise it doesn't publish your scheduled post. Learned that the hard way.

Never will I miss posting something like Pinky's kindergarten graduation because I got busy and it passed, or other timely things that mean a lot to me but zoom on by without a chance to express my feeeeeeelllliiiiiings.

Right now I have 10, yes, 10! blog posts scheduled. They are in various stages of readiness; some are waiting for the perfect light to take pictures in, others are waiting for me to do the research and copy the links. But I am PREPARED.

This feels good.

Give-Away Winner!

NUMBER 11; Tea!

(I know! Can anyone be so lucky as to be named Tea!?! )

Tea, I can neither access your blog nor reach you by email so I hope you check back here before Friday the 25th.

Cause the whole shee-bang will be re-done if I can't reach you.

Thank you all for participating. It was so fun reading everyone's comments, a few even gave me some new ideas for names and titles. I think that is the hardest thing for me, naming things. With components it is a little easier but jewelry really has me stumped. I think it is because I want to name my pieces after places and history but I am ignorant. No, really, I've never been anywhere and I can't retain what I've been taught. I just travel through discovery and the travel channel on hd t.v.

Ah well, you have to dream....

Anyway, the next give-away will be in a week and it's titled;

The Pull of The Shore.

Ah! The Shore!

Bead Blogger Sunday

Beading Arts 2nd Chapter Altered Surfaces Now Available!

 

 

Carmi's Art/Life World
A button get's glammed up with tear drop rhinestones.

Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
Cindy touts one of her favorite colors in this week's rewind.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie explores building materials as texture and symbolism in a new set of pendants inspired by a fortress theme

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei got together for a fun beady date with Kerry Bogert, and together they created a necklace!

missficklemedia.com
Come by and visit for a chance to win free Patina-ted Metal Components!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean is fascinated by the beautiful necklace which Jennifer Dangerfield created and reposts her analysis of what makes it so appealing! All jewelry afficionados really must see this lovely piece!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off her necklace design that won second place in the Metal Clay category of Bead Dreams 2010.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
On the heels of his trip to Milwaukee for the "Bead & Button" Super Show, Andrew documents and shares his favorite highlights from the experience.  

A Bead A Day
What do you think about solar system jewelry? Lisa found a ceramic bead strand that looks like it could turn that solar system science project into jewelry!

About.com Jewelry Making
If you are selling your jewelry on-line or thinking about it, then you'll find some of these resources very helpful. 

Art Bead Scene
The June Monthly Challenge is a painting by Toulouse-Lautrec. 

Beading Arts
Do you like Chinese food? Do you like jewelry...?

Summer Hair Cuts and Bead Soup Party Hop starts this weekend!

I like their hair long but when you're this cute you don't need hair.

And in other news the Bead Soup Party Hop has started! Yay! It's finally here!
Thank you to our magnificent hostess Lori Anderson of Pretty Things, she has worked so hard to organize this HUGE bead swap. I am very grateful to be a part of this and can't even imagine the details that went into this with 97 participants! You can find their blog links here.
This party blog hop has been broken down into several days and you can see the schedule Lori set up here.
My day for the big reveal is scheduled for the 24th. I will have 4 pieces to show that I created from the package my lovely partner, Regina sent me.
To say I am excited to start visiting the soup creations is an understatement.

The Last Lavender and Gray Druzy

 

Only 1 kit left!

The next kit made available will be Pink Peruvian Opal with Teal Sari Silk and accents of tiny seed pearls, a sparkling mix of seed beads and copper heishi.

Each kit contains a slab bead of gorgeous Pink Peruvian Opal that measures a whopping 30 to 35mm long and its forged copper frame has been created to fit each individual stone. Yep! The soldering has been done for you!

Here are feedback comments from customers that purchased the first kits made available;

"Glorious Product"

from redhen258 

"This is exquisite!"

from thepinkraven 

"wunderschönes Schmuckzubehör und tolles Tutorial, Danke!!!"

("beautiful jewelry accessories and great tutorial, Thanks!")

from perlenmops

These kits are created to be enjoyed! Original, textural and FUN!

Bead Blogger Sunday

Earthenwood Studio's June 1st Give-a-way Prize 

 Such an exciting week! Check out the activity and new info being offered at these beading blogs;

About.com Jewelry Making

Tammy is getting back to the basics, starting with jewelry making tools. What is your must have tool?

Art Bead Scene

Gearing up for that big bead show coming up? ABS has the top ten tips for your bead buying trip!

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts

Barbe is having a "City of Love" giveaway!!!

Beading Arts

Chapter two of Cyndi's e-book is available for download! "Altered Surfaces" begins the exploration of the exchange between mixed media and bead embroidery!

Carmi's Art/Life World

A handmade bezel results in a new necklace for Carmi called FAITHFUL.

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva

A set of smokey quartz beads inspires a new necklace.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

Melanie celebrates her 1000th blog post with Ten Days of Giveaways!

Jean Campbell

Jean reviews Nathalie Mornu's Leather Jewelry, a bang-up book.

Katie's Beading Blog

Get the 411 about BeadStyle's gorgeous All Star Issue!

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio

Lorelei has been answer some of her reader's questions from a previous giveaway post. Read up on what everyone wants to know!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!

Jean is thrilled to be in BeadStyle magazine's July All Star issue, with pals Tammy Powley, Heather Powers, and Katie Hacker who made the cover so beautiful! Come and see!

Strands of Beads

It's Melissa's turn to review Kate McKinnon's fabulous Sculptural Metal Clay

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

The prize for this week's Thursday Giveaway comes courtesy of Green Girl Studios! Find out how you can get one of these fine pewter beauties!

Waaaaaaay Past Time for a Give-A-Way

So I am making it a good one.

This patina mix is called Canyon.

A base of white oxide, a wash of chestnut brown, heat treatment of russet red and a splattering of burgundy universal patina. It took weeks to develop and I want to share it.

I am combining it with petal shaped links in chestnut brown and a toggle clasp in russet red.

But that's not all!

I am also including 18" of this wonderful, heart shaped vintage brass chain!

Cause I love you.

ANNNNNNND

Some hollow, embossed copper heart beads in burgundy.

Aren't they gorgeous!!?!!

These are the kind of beads that make chiming sounds when they clink together.

I want you to hold them and giggle at them like I do.

Okay! 

Do you think you could make something with these components?

Would you like to try?

Leave me a comment and make sure I can visit you at your blog. I will keep this give-a-way open for 2 weeks (drawing on Monday, the 21st) and use the random generator to pick me a winner!

The Staples in Jewelry Making

Antiqued Copper Swirl Ear Wires

My absolute fave way to show case links or hoops for earrings.

Sterling Silver Ball Tipped Headpins

Many, many headpins!

I like the contrast of bright silver against the ancient look of patinas, I think it makes the piece modern and relevant to today's fashion. For whatever my opinion is worth. :)

Antiqued Brass Swirl Clasp with Soldered Link

Clasping a bracelet by yourself is right up there in difficulty with cutting the back of your own hair.

Which I still try to do.

This clasp is so easy to hold in one hand with the curve open slightly and slip it into the ending link, then press closed, I rarely use anything else for bracelets now. If you are in a pinch the swirl can be opened with pliers and a closed wire-wrap can be wound into the middle, the swirl can then be pressed closed.

Tenara Cording

When I checked in with my favorite jewelry designer Jes Maharry, I read in one of her descriptions that she used tenara cording. my curiosity was piqued and I started searching for what exactly tenara cording was and how I could also utilize it in my own jewelry designs. After several weeks of searching, I found a source but they only sold it in spools that cost $200. I couldn't find it anywhere else!

So after deliberating for a bit, I thought that if it was good enough for Jes then I wanted to offer it. Plus perhaps other jewelry designers would like to use it but NOT spend $200 bucks on a crazy amount of it.

I absolutely do not regret it.

Gore-Tex TENARA is a remarkable thread manufactured from 100% expanded PTFE fiber (commonly known as Teflon).

Gore-Tex Tenara cording is the same fiber used in Nasa space suits. You will not have to replace or restring your knotted designs ever again. UV resistant, mildew and rot proof in addition to being water proof, tenara cording is used in industrial applications such as awning and marina.

It is so easy to use and knowing my jewelry will last forever makes me feel good about using it. 

Antiqued Copper Wire

While I did use 24 gauge a lot, I find it fits through most pearls, 22 is a new favorite for connecting beaded links, attaching clasps, and wrapping silk. I have grown to love the rich warm color of copper so much that I often reach for copper even though I have ounces and ounces of sterling!

And finally we have chain.

Good sized links that open and close securely, adding weight and eye catching movement to your designs.

I always used to bead up a length of necklace or bracelet but after having viewed Chain Style by Jane Dickerson, it is a must in my own jewelry design.

So there you have it! My staples in jewelry design!

Bead Soup Party Teaser

(photo property of Regina)

When I was first introduced to my bead soup swap partner, I went straight to her blog. I was stunned with her immense collection of handcrafted jewelry.

Regina sells on Ruby Lane under the name Sundancegems and has since 2004. Her jewelry is classically beautiful, artfully arranged with mixes of hand picked, wonderfully coordinated gemstones, pearl and crystal. She incorporates 3 types of metal into her designs to accent the natural beauty of the stones and pearls she has chosen. The result is heirloom like pieces that can be passed down through the generations.

I wanted to pick something for Regina that she would be proud to put in her high quality jewelry. Something she would not just enjoy wearing for herself but also something that she would be inclined to place in a piece offered for sale.

I had been fortunate to invest in some quality stones when I received money from my book. Wonderful, unique cuts of chalcedony, tourmaline, iolite, garnet, rock crystal and labradorite. Now I just needed to choose, which beads would Regina enjoy, but hasn't already worked with?
I worked backwards from the clasp. I hoard Green Girl Studios like they will be gone tomorrow.
So I knew that the best clasp to give would be one of theirs; pretty but rustic, a Sunflower in shibuichi. I then let the pendant pick it's self by the deep brown in a piece of jasper. Rhodonite matched the mauve in the jasper, faceted brown chalcedony added another shade of brown and a full strand of freshwater pearls in cream pulled it all together. I really hope she likes it! But I couldn't take a picture because it was so overcast and rainy!

A few days later and I got my stash from Regina and was overcome with GLEE. Yes, GLEE. She must have known I love green because she filled my package with gorgeous soft green! First thing I noticed was a HUGE donut in flower jade. I haven't indulged in buying myself a donut and was so happy to have one! I have thoughts of a back plate in copper with a tab setting holding the donut. Accompanying the donut was oblong beads in flower jade, African jasper, melon agate, more jade, faceted freshwater pearl, and carved coral flowers!
I need to get to work! I have a vague image in my mind of what I would like to create with these special beads.

Thank you, Regina! Everything is just lovely!