Life as Normal

Well, it’s day 14. I’ve taken up chewing gum, and I’m beginning to become dependant on the gum now. This is not a good thing. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m thinking that hypnotherapy might be necessary. In the mean time, I’m wearing the patch, and I’m chewing gum. I’m not smoking, so I’m more socially acceptable to most people. And, I’m not damaging my body with the cigarette smoke. Woo-hoo!

I’ve not been up to much except making beads. I got my lentil press - the picture here is one of my new lentils. I’m thinking that I must bore easily because after making lentils for a few days I’ve moved on to other things. I discovered a new shape for me - squashed ovals. I also got Margie Deeb’s book The Beader’s Color Palette: 20 Creative Projects and 220 Inspired Combinations for Beaded and Gemstone Jewelry. I’ve really enjoyed this book.

Today I drove all the way to Acworth, GA, to learn how to make hearts. It was a great lesson, and I think with a little more practice I’ll be ready for the Beads of Courage day at Flame Tree Glass. I demoed hearts for my mother when I got home. She said the beads I made looked like hearts, so I must be doing something right.

I wanted to mention something about the name of this blog - Atypically Me. My mother pointed out to me that the title is a play on words - atypical antipsychotic drugs. I did not do that intentionally, and hadn’t even realized it until she mentioned it. But know that I know, I like it even better. I’m still struggling with how I want to develop my web presence. I’m leaning toward openness. I think it’s easier that way - I just have to remember that if someone has a problem with my medical history, it’s their problem and not mine. Plus, I think there is a lot less stigma toward mental illness now than there used to be. Or maybe I’m just oblivious. I don’t know.

I hope it gets easier!

Today is day six! I’m still craving a cigarette, but it’s getting better. Sometimes I wonder why I decided to quit, but I think I’m really committed to this. Everyone I’ve told has been very supportive- which I’m glad to see since people have been really rude about smoking. I’ve been told that for breaking a habit (or forming a new one), it takes three weeks - after twenty one days the likelihood of the habit being broken (or formed) is much higher. So, I have a ways to go. But again, I seem really committed to this.

An update on the NAMI convention bead selling project: the second day I sold more pendants - in total I sold twenty of the twenty two that I brought. So I was very happy and pleased about that. Pictures of all the landscape beads can be found here. I’ve tried making a couple of landscape beads since I got back, but they didn’t turn out well. I guess I’ll have to try again - maybe today.

My ‘dud’ to ‘keep’ ratio is going up as I try new things. Most recently I’ve been trying to get my lentil press skill up - it takes a while to learn to judge how much glass to put on for a particular lentil size. I find that the ends are especially difficult. But, I’ve been practicing a lot! I have all these little nearly lentil shaped beads that I’ve made. Some I plan to make into a bracelet for myself - I’ve been using my $100 a pound glass to practice with! Oh well, I’ll enjoy the wonky lentil bracelet.

Flame Tree Glass is hosting a Beads of Courage (BOC) day in July - focusing on making hearts. I want to go, but I can’t make a heart. So, I set up a lesson with Diane Kovach to learn how to make hearts. I’m looking forward to the lesson, and the BOC day. I also signed up for a workshop at Flame Tree with Patti Cahill. I’m looking forward to that class too. Wow, I have a lot to look forward to - not forgetting the Gathering. What a change from a little over six months ago when I was spending a lot of time wishing I was dead!

For the Gathering wine stopper contest I was going to make hollow beads with raised stringer decoration, but the deadline is very soon, and I don’t think I’ll master this skill before then, so I decided to change my plans to hollow beads with raised dots. The dots I can do. I’m not giving up on the stringer, but I think I will need a lot of practice in order to perfect that technique. I get so many complements around here when I show people my beads - I tend to forget how new I am, and how far I have yet to go.

NAMI Convention Show

OK, so… I am in Orlando for the NAMI convention. Today I spent some time displaying and selling my landscape beads. Sara Parfait, our affiliate president, graciously invited me to share her space at one of the consumer book sales tables. In the picture, Sara is on the left and I am on the right.

I was very nervous about this endeavor. I only got the confirmation that I would be able to show my beads (made into pendants) a week ago. I spent the time frantically assembling the beads into pendants and building a display for the beads. At this point I haven’t gotten a chance to torch in six days! I knew I was stressed by this when I kept making my chiropractic appointments for the same time as my therapy appointments.

I learned several things from this experience. First, I learned not to distract prospective customers with superfluous items. My mother (sorry mom) insisted on putting a little container out with some hollow beads I had made. The hollow beads were what I call “wonky” or “duds,” and had deemed not fit for sale. I found people would pick up the beads and get distracted.

Another thing I learned from this experience what the power of names. Several people seemed to relate to the beads better when I named the beads… night, dawn, storm, spring, sea, etc. One woman was instantly moved when I referred to one of the pendants as “Alabama Red Clay.” She was reminded of a movie she saw where a little boy expressed confusion about racism using a metaphor of different colors of dirt.

All in all, I sold 14 pendants which was a lot better than I had hoped I would. I made a little bit of money which I have earmarked for more glass and glass related supplies. First thing I am going to do on Thursday when I get home is order a lentil trio press. The rest of the money I made today will go with me to Oakland in August for the International Society of Glass Beadmakers convention.

I am so grateful to all the people who bought pendants from me today. I also am very thankful that Sara shared her space with me - I think a special gift is in order there. And of course, my mother has been so supportive of me and I am so… overwhelmed by her support.

Today has been a great day, better than I had hoped, and it made me think that I might be able to really make a go of this beadmaking thing. I can only hope that tomorrow will be another good day.

Dots

Tuesday was a good bead day. I made all these beads - I was at the torch for 4 hours! That’s the longest I’ve ever spent at the torch. My mother also really liked what I did that day. I felt like I was really making progress - it felt very creative. I picked six shades of blue - three opaque and three transparent - pulled some stringers, and just played with dots. It was loads of fun, and I came out with some nice beads.

Wednesday was not such a good bead day, but it wasn’t bad either. Today was a bad bead day. First I was making a landscape bead, and I noticed that the orifices of my torch were glowing, so I turned it off and had a cigarette to let it cool down. I dumped the bead - I hadn’t gotten very far with it anyway. Then, after the torch cooled down and I got to the landscape bead again, I was almost through when I noticed that the rubino oro I had in the sky had turned grey. So, I turned the oxygen up and reheated - I think I saved the bead but I’m not sure. It’ll come out of the kiln in about half an hour.

Then, I tried to make a couple of fish and they came out all wonky. Then, I was trying to make some encased pink and purple stringer, and I had a time with it. I finally got something I could use, and started on a transparent aqua hollow bead, and it came out round, but not terribly hollow. So, I gave up for the day. *Sigh* Hopefully I’ll have a better day tomorrow.

So, I haven’t posted in quite a while - I’ve been busy with the beads. A couple of highlights…

I went to the Southern Flames meeting on April, 28. It was fun, I met a couple of people and I joined up. I couldn’t make the May meeting because I had bell choir practice. And I can’t make the June meeting because that’s the day that we’re getting back from the NAMI convention.

I’ve spent a couple of weekends with Clay. He is tolerant of my incessant bead talk, and considers the bead making as art. His assessment of my chances is good. He says that I have the two things I need - a genuine enthusiasm and “stick-to-it-ive-ness”.

I went to a Mad Housers work day. I’ve been wanting to do that for years and finally could be in Atlanta on a Sunday when there was a work day. We were pulling down a hut close to the warehouse. It was eye opening - not revelationary, but definitely gave me something to think about and I’m glad I had the experience.

Also, this past weekend, I helped with the NAMI Jacksonville yard sale. We raised a lot of money - more than I thought we could. So, that was eye opening to me too. Then it was the Music at McClellan concert. We always enjoy these concerts. I think they are nice, my mother won’t go so far as to call them “nice.”

Bead Collecting

I won a Sarah Hornik bead on ebay! I’ve been admiring her beads for the last couple of months and I decided that some small amount of collecting was an essential part of being a glass bead artist. A picture of the bead can be found here. I’m eagerly waiting its arrival from Tel Aviv. Whoo hoo!

Weekend Warriors

I went to Clay’s house this weekend to help him put cork flooring on his walls. I enjoy work weekends with Clay - I helped him put down his bamboo floor a few years ago, and that was a fun weekend too.

While I was there, one of his neighbors introduced me to her boyfriend by saying: “This is Robin, she makes glass beads.” And I thought how nice that was - certainly better than “This is Robin, she’s on disability, she doesn’t do anything.” I was just very happy to have an identifying characteristic - even if it doesn’t sound like much at first blush.

I missed church to be in Atlanta, and I was scheduled to participate in the service. Funny thing, the pastor actually talked me out of coming back for church. I was prepared to come back Saturday and do my bit on Sunday morning, but the pastor kept saying he could get a replacement, and it wasn’t a big problem, and are you sure you don’t want to stay all weekend? So, I called Clay, and he said he’d prefer if could stay until Sunday night, so I did.

Studio Pictures!

I have pictures of my new studio up on Flickr. They can be found here.

Done! (Well Almost)

My hose came today, so I rushed out to Lowe’s to get a couple of screws and a canister of propane. Tonight after dinner, we went down and attached the torch to the table, connected everything, tested the connections for leaks, tightened up the connections, and turned on the torch! I made a couple of boro beads on my new torch, turned off the oxygen and the propane, bled the line and turned off the fans. It’s a complicated set-up, but it works!

Now all I have to do is clean up the mess we made tonight putting everything together, and move everything from the upstairs “studio” to the new basement studio. I don’t have to go to Curves, but I do have bell choir practice and Wednesday night supper. So, I should get some torch time in.

I’m going to have to study and play around with this torch - it has a lot more variables than the Hot Head does. I don’t think the beads I made today were very good because I didn’t have a reduction flame or oxidizing flame or whatever. It might take a while to figure out this torch, but I’ll enjoy doing it.

Yay! I got my new torch up and running! Whoo Hoo!

Closer and Closer

Tuesday was tax day, and my mother stayed home to do her taxes. I kept her company while making a mock-up of her mother’s day present. It’s going to be a nice necklace. I made a second mock-up last week, just to be sure I knew what I was doing. Yesterday I started on the real thing and I have the short strand completed.

Wednesday I was feeling very tired and dragged out. I only got a little torching done, but I came up with a fairly nice tree and a couple of floral beads that I’m happy with. That was an accomplishment. Then, I had bell choir and Wednesday night supper.

I didn’t get any torching done Thursday because I was waiting for the propane man to come by and look at the yard. He made a very expensive estimate. So my mother called a plumber who said that they could hook up the natural gas line to the torch. The plumbers arrived on Friday (the air conditioning people came on Friday too), and once he figured out what was wanted explained that to get the appropriate pressure from the natural gas we would need a split meter or something. So, my mother called the gas company and arranged for someone to come out and set that up. Meanwhile, the air conditioning and ventilation people were banging holes in the house to set up my hood and ventilation. It was a little stressful.

We went to Flame Tree Glass on Saturday to buy the torch and hoses and connectors and things. Maureen was extremely helpful. She suggested that we get a standard barbecue tank of propane. After the ups and downs of trying to figure out how to supply fuel to my torch, this sounded like a great idea, so that is where we’re headed now. When we got home, we found that the hose was not long enough. So, I called Flame Tree back and they are going to send me another hose and a connector dohicky. That was a bit of a let down because we were going to do a test fire, but we couldn’t because the hose wasn’t long enough.

Today I read the call to worship in church. I was nervous, but apparently I did a fairly good job because a lot of people said so afterward. After church my mother and I set about painting my studio. I painted the table top and stained the legs while my mother did all the cutting in work in the studio. Then, I did all the roller work in the studio. We don’t have much more to do as far as painting goes, but we have to move a lot of stuff first. Maybe next weekend. The table looks real sharp now. I’m very happy with how it came out.

So, it has been another busy week without much torching. Hopefully I’ll get the torch up and running sometime this week - once the hose gets here. I’m looking forward to it!

Frit Wire Wrapped Bracelet

 
 

I forgot to mention that I registered for The Gathering - the convention for the International Society for Glass Beadmakers. I made hotel reservations today. I’m staying in the convention hotel which will be expensive, but convenient. Now all I need is plane tickets. I’m so excited!

I also forgot to mention that I got my hair cut on Thursday. My hair is still falling out so the hairdresser said the best cut for me is a real short bob, so that’s what I got. I don’t like it, but it looks a lot better than what it was.

Saturday, I went to a wire wrapping class at Beads By Design in Marietta GA. I made the bracelet pictured here and a matching pair of earrings. This was in preparation for making my mother’s day present for my mother. it was a simple thing to do, but the instructor had some great tips. I think it was worth it to learn how to do the wire wrapping correctly. And, people were very complimentary of my beads.

The air conditioning people were supposed to come out today to install the hood and ventilation for my studio, but the sheet metal mechanic had a stroke last week so they couldn’t come out. This is a bit of a set back, and I’m a little disappointed. We worked so hard to get the garage and basement ready for the hood installation today, and now we don’t know how long it will be before it gets done. To use my mother’s words, “bummer!”