alankarshilpa

Valentine Wire Bracelet for Him

2012-01-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

A Valentine wire bracelet for HIM I can say.

This Viking knitted wire bracelet was my answer when a dear friend asked me if I make jewelry for men.

Why don’t you make men’s jewelry, then I could solve the problem of gift giving this month – she pouted.

I have never considered it, because all the men in my close circle and family do not wear necklaces or bracelets and I never thought they would appreciate jewelry as gifts from me.

But I gulped my short coming. Give me a few days – I pleaded.

For the next whole week I researched extensively and to my surprise came to know that there is considerable demand in this line.

Studying styles I learned that the mouse rolling computer engineer has very different style from the guitar playing musician or the sun worshipper surfer. But they do wear bracelets! Yep.

The websites that helped me were Pearl’s wonderful website and the Fusion beads site.

And many others like www.instrucable.com/id/Jewelry-for-Men/

I pulled my own resources, style and capability and ended up with five pieces.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91208133/valentine-wire-bracelet-for-men-under-40

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91312812/leather-bracelet-for-men-with-silver-and

Out of them one is sold.
Two others are in my etsy store

Which one do you like best? Do you think the price is right?

I need your comment and feed back please. Thank you.

How to Make a Wire Wrapped Earring for Valentine Day ( a Tutorial)

2012-01-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

How to make a wire wrapped earring for Valentine

I made this wire wrapped earrings by weaving wire and using swarovski crystals and garnet beads.

I got so carried away that I made quite a few pairs with different colors and sizes. The thing I learned that you have to keep the inside circle beads smaller than the outer circle beads. You’ll know what I mean when I show you the tutorial.

Materials used:

15 pieces of 4 mm pink swarovski bicones (Fire Mountain Gem H – 20- 9757 CY)
5 pieces of 3 mm size garnet beads (Fire Mountain Gem H-20-6917 KX)
28 g silver plated wire (Fire Mountain Gem H-20-1451WR)
2 French sterling silver ear hooks (Fire Mountain Gem H-20-4902FN)
2 heart silver beads (from Just Bead It, my neighborhood beading store)

I have no monetary affiliation with any of these stores. I am giving the reference because these are what I have used.

Tool needed:

Round nose pliers, chain nose pliers, flush cutter.

Procedure:

Cut the wire to a length of 12” (30 cm)
Bring the two sides of the wires closer with both hands.

String two pink bicones at the left hand side wire.
String one garnet bead at the right hand side wire.

String another pink bicone at the left side wire.
Pass the right hand side wire through this pink bead.
Pull tight.

String two pink bicones at the left hand side wire.
String one garnet bead at the right hand side wire.
String another pink bicone at the left side wire.
Pass the right hand side wire through this pink bead.
Just like last time.
Pull tight.

In the same way string all the remaining garnet and pink bicone beads, each time pulling tight so that it forms a nice circular shape and the wire does not show.

Now let the right hand side wire go through the closest left side bicone bead. Pull tight.

With the fingers of your non dominant hand hold it tight, close the gap if there is any. Now gradually twist the two wires to a single twisted wire. Twist quite a few revolutions. I did about ten or twelve until you have it nice and tight and also enough length (like a couple of inches)

String the heart bead now.

Make a wrapped loop http://www.firemountaingems.com/beading_howtos/beading_projects.asp?docid=652t

Cut off excess wire.

Cut off excess wire.

Insert it into the French ear hook loop.

Make another one to complete the pair.

Voila! Your Valentine earring is done.

Bead Storage and organizing my work space finally

2012-01-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

Bead storage and organizing them is a big job for me

This is how it looked last Saturday at 12:14 . I was so furious at me to bring it to this condition...

But the other me whined - Laa...ter.

So I set a timer and decided to race and see how much can be done in half an hour.

Not bad, eh! The table top is much controlled.

Beads are put away according to color in proper zip loc bags.

Then I put another half an hour timer setting.

Look

At this point my husband came to take a peek. Tres formidab.

He asked if I'd like to go out to get a bite in the neighborhood cafe.

No.

I have gotten the momentum.

I changed the table covers with the single bed sheets I bought in India. It reminds me of the local artisans there. Besides, Black and white is my theme.

I made a place where my finished jewelry are kept for loading at Etsy.

Now my one resolution is to keep it this way, and that is a hard one I know.

A book Review on Making Money through Etsy

2012-01-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

A Book Review on How to make money in Etsy by Timothy Adam

I bumped on to a book today while I was in the library. It was the book I just mentioned above. I checked it out and as I was going through it I found I wished I could renew it, but this book is in demand.

Therefore, I decided to quickly jot down what I have learned and start my home work for the immediate future- the “ to do list”, you know

This book is valuable for novice and veteran Etsians, both. In the beginning the author will take you by the hand to show all the different features of Etsy. I knew those but there were so many things I did not know!

The things I was not seriously aware are:

* Importance of Key words search before putting them on for title and tags. From now on I’ll research the google key word search tool, the Etsy competition, and all those before I list an item. I had read it in storque before, but the author showed me the exact meaning of these terms. I understood the importance of a niche now.

*Importance of the consistency in blogging. I knew it but now I really understand how vital it is (even though I also know how hard this commitment is).

* The fact that blogging is not talking about YOU but about writing what PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW and HOW to give it to them.

Here the author also helped to find out the most important things people look for in blogs. I’ll try to remember those ten things and give them in my blog.

*My next home work is understanding the Face book Fan page thing and work on it.

*And then for making some money for my blog , I’ll have to look in to Project Wonderful. I have not done it yet, but going to.

I have become a fan and follower of his blog handmadeolgy.com.

I highly recommend this book. Please be informed that I have no monetary affiliation with Tim’s book or his site. I just think he did a good job and that’s all.

Wire artist Ruth Asawa

2012-01-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

Wire knitting artist Ruth Asawa:

As I work with wire knit and crochet techniques I wanted to see some master pieces in this field and I came across the name Ruth Asawa.

This was around October last year. I was fascinated seeing her art just in two dimensional pictures. I became more interested reading about her in Wkikpedia, about her early life in the Japanese interment, how she bloomed despite all the struggles and how art played a significant role in her life, in her survival.

Ruth Asawa said - " Art is for everyone" and she carried that message in her art activism.

Ruth Asawa, a Bay Area living artist inspires me and one of my dream is to meet her in person someday.

Atleast, I wanted to see her work. The first one I saw around Christmas time in the Ghiradelli Square- Andrea's Fountain. I came to know that Ruth Asawa is also called as the Fountain lady!

Yesterday Nina ( my daughter) and I went to the De Young Museum in San Francisco to see her work. It is mesmerizing.

Look at this picture

A wire knitted piece of about 3 or 4 feet diameter is joined with several spherical and hat like structures is hanging from the wall. The whole piece is about 10 to 12 ft long. This huge piece is probably created with 15g or even thicker, may be 10 g wire, otherwise it would not have supported the structure. But what a delicate and lacy look it has!

I compare it with my lame puny one that I had made . The same viking knitting method is used here too, it seems. Correct me if you think differently, please. I did it with 26 g wire with the Lazee Daisee tool sitting on my lap.

alankarshilpa.etsy.com

How on earth did Ruth Asawa manage to create this humongous piece with such ease? What did she use to start with? I am totally blown away. I bow down to this artist for what she had given to us.

Do you make wire art? Wire knit or crochet? Then, I'd like to feature you. Just let me know in your comment.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year my friends.

May the new year 2012 bring much happiness to us. But hey, what is happiness really? They say happiness is more important than any thing- fame, power money, even health...

Really! Yes. Statistics show that an old person with much pain and ailment may show a bigger smile than a pretty young person who is always running to check off items from her TO DO list.

But I am a To Do check list person too and in order to achieve happiness I need that tool, my dear friend. If I can't measure it I can't prove it.

Recently I came across an interesting book named the Happiness Project.

The writer Gretchen Rubin brought all kinds of great minds starting from Aristotle to Dalai Lama to define what this term HAPPINESS means. She divided the whole year into 12 broad category and decided to tackle each item every month.

For example, January is for energy, February for love - relationship...etc etc.

Here I got a bit confused taking her footsteps and using her template for achieving happiness.

I thing yes, taking first thing first is an idea, but if I am all absorbed in LOVE for one month the other aspects of my life are going to feel like orphans. Am I going to stop exercising for the month of Feb, or drop my resolutions about my infant business until August ? How does it work?

Well, this best seller book must have gone deeper than that and I must have missed something.

For the time being I will go back to my old ways of being happy. Just go back to my mirror to bring a big smile that I may give a bit to each person I meet today, to the whole world, no matter what.

Did you have a chance to go to this website of Happiness Project or read this book? I'd like to hear your feed back. Please leave a comment.

P.S. Here is an interesting blog on this topic Take a look

October Jewelry

2011-10-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

What are you doing for Halloween?

This Halloween I miss going to the pumpkin farm trips that I used to do with my little preschooler friends in the Montessori school. What astonishes me most is the wonder in their eyes. Seeing such a vast mass of orange color, the weird sizes and shapes of the pumpkins and a trip where they could show off their family to their teacher and their teacher to their family was such a special treat for them.

It is that sense of wonder that I want to hold on to and take into my life and never lose it. This is what my little students taught me.

As I was thinking about these things I did manage to knit a necklace with carnelian chips and antique gold swarovski crystal beads with very thin gold filled wire. The various shades of orange in the carnelian chips made me happy, a feeling of October that I could pass on to my jewelry creation!

A friend came over last weekend and he is so nice, he took some pictures of my just finished piece. He is quite a photographer and many of his landscapes are published in magazines! At the bottom of this picture you see his web address, not my store:)

Wasn’t that thoughtful of him to give me this precious gift, appreciating my creation and taking pictures?

October ornament

Walking further down the memory lane, I remember the smell, sound and images of my home in India, where I was born and brought up. This is the time of Diwali.

It is that time of the year when we clean, paint, fix our homes and renew it with beautiful things. New clothes are bought for each member of the family, including the helpers. Sweet meats cook in the kitchen. Friends and relatives visit with greetings. Children light fire crackers.

Cities dress with garlands of light. Each house is lit with lamps and candles. We pray to banish all darkness from our mind and fill it up with goodwill.

This is the time to give.

In my store too you’ll find a coupon for Diwali Special.

Just put the coupon code DIWALI10

It is valid until Nov 10, 2011. Diwali will be on the new moon night, October 26th , this year.

Wish you Happy Diwali and Happy Halloween too.

EtsyBloggers Team: Productivity -- Blog Carnival

2011-10-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

EtsyBloggers Team: Productivity -- Blog Carnival

http://alankarshilpa.blogspot.com/2011/10/time-management.html

Time Management

2011-10-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

How do I manage time?

How do I get more hours out of the twenty four hour day?

And am I a multitasker? or, do I rather prefer to finish one project before starting another? These were the questions my Etsy blogger friends asked.

It reminds me of a workshop I had taken a couple of years ago. We were to fit a jar with some big stone pebbles and a bag of seed beads. I found to my surprise that when I poured the seed beads first I could not fit the big stones any more. When I started with the big stones and then the seed beads, they somehow all managed to fit in the same amount of space.

My 24 hour day is like the jar. When I started with the big jobs first, I could manage to squeeze in the small jobs (seed bead like ones ) too. The analogy is great. But the challenge is to understand which ones are the important pebbles and which ones are seed beads.

To me I prioritize in the following order: health, immediate family, career and job, home and hobby, extended family, neighbors and friends. Some times I do get side tracked and waste the whole day browsing in the internet.

I do use a to do list, a google calender, an organizer binder and a kitchen timer to keep me in track. Believe me, with out these tools I would be lost.

But today, this Sunday afternoon, I stop to ponder how important is it to accomplish those to do list? It is equally important to slow down, take a break to smell the rose, enjoy a cup of hot coco and just do nothing. That makes me more aware about life and living and what I value in this journey.

That helps me to prioritize the to do list for the following days.

Well you asked - am I a multi tasker?

Heck yeh! Some times I am like a whirled wind maniac, tangled with many projects at the same time. Especially,when I am beading other ideas come and I can't stop. And all the beads and findings make a huge big mess like this -

I hate this but I am so caught up playing with the muse, I just can't help it.

But I really do not like that. I like to take one job at a time and like to be nice and organized, having a place for each thing and every thing in its place.

Life is not quite like that with me. So while the washing machine tumbles I wind up coils to creat earring. I use the 30 minute timer to see how much time each jewelry project takes. This helps me to price them too. Then I must get up to give my eyes and back a break and load the dish washer.

While the stew simmers I catch up writing my blog or upload in Etsy shop.

But the best thing I like is to sit down with a bowl of yummy munchies and check on the comments my friends leave in my blog , which is multi tasking. Isn't it? :)

A Jewelry Story

2011-09-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

I'll remember this jewelry story for a long time and after I came back from the wedding party ( that I went to attend this weekend) I was itching to put it down in my blog. It deserves a post in my journal. Sorry, it took two and a half days.

I met a wonderful lady last Saturday in a wedding party. She was a School Principal and I was in the school community for some time too, so we had many common concerns and topics to share. We were worried the way the school districts are cutting Art Programs. It is always the" budget " to blame.

I told her I was going to participate in an Art Fair on October 1 and 2 as a jewelry artist and this fair - the Art in the Park Fair, sponsored by the Alamo Danville Art Society ( ADAS) is contributing 10% to the school district. Actually we, vendors are giving 10% of our sale to the local San Ramon school community for restoring the Art program.

It is a great thing that ADAS is bringing the artists and the community together to solve this budget problem. Art is essential to many people especially children, we both agree.

Coming to know that I make jewelry she told me a beautiful story that I want to share today.

Why do we wear jewelry? Well, to show power. You know who is the king or the royal heirarchy from the crowns they wear; to show STATUS - that is why people go for expensive jewelry; just for the sake of BEAUTY, for EMOTION - that's why you wear your wedding ring and now I learned that you also wear jewelry to remind you a special message.

Here is her story:

Long ago when gold was only $35 an ounce, Helen went traveling with her husband and bought a moonstone. In this far away land this precious stone was a great buy she thought and perhaps her husband bought it to her lovingly as a souvenir. But what will a round moonstone do unless it is set?

Much later, another day on their walk, they came to see a small sign saying JEWELRY REPAIRING or something like that.

They open the small door of the shop. It creaks. A man with a heavy foreign accent appears.

"How may I help?"

They showed the moonstone and asked if he could set it to a ring.

"Yes, of course, I'll put some tiny Hyderabadi pearls that look like grains of rice around it ...How'bout that?" - he asked.

Helen could see it in her mind's eye. Perfect.

"But you'll have to pay for the customs, mailing and a small charge for my labor" - said the man.

They agreed.

Many days passed. Helen really did not expect it will ever come. It is one of those things we get into when we buy souvenirs in foreign countries, she thought.

Then, one day when she had almost forgotten about it, the door bell rang.

"You have a packet Ma'am from a foreign mail"- said the Mail man.

It was that moonstone ring surrounded by tiny rice pearls!

Helen showed me her ring. It is beautiful, but more beautiful is when her eyes glistened.

-" It reminds me not to lose trust in people. Never to lose hope! That's why I wear it."

**************************************
In the mean time I am working extremely hard for this show. I'll show you what I had been doing until 2 in the morning yesterday night:

Here I tried to integrate the Viking Knit of the West with the Bali beads of the East

Here I tried to integrate the Herring Bone Wire work that actually came from Old World Basket weaving with a present day twist.

New beads - new attempts

2011-09-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

I got some interesting beads . But I was not looking for them. I went to buy a Lazee Daizy Viking tool. Lately I am into Viking knit. I bought a spool, the French spool kind of thing, but it did not do what I wanted. So I was dilly dallying.. should I buy this plastic tool for $29.99? what if it does not work in my hands any way ? But I did and just before going out these black and white beads rolled into my hand. The designs are so pretty I could not leave them.

Here is what I did with them.

Then to match with the bracelet I created a whole set:)

I am getting quite carried away. I am making some more. They are soon going to go to my etsy store. But I am keeping one for myself.

Interesting pictures from the Smithsonian Museum

2011-08-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

I have some interesting pictures to share with you from the Smithsonian Museum.

Yesterday we went to the Smithsonian Art Gallery These pictures are in the West wing where they have the Renaissance and the early works.

Here is an interesting one :

What do you think these women are talking about? Now look at this:


OOh! Adam is caught. God has seen it.		And now Adam is saying : " It's not my fault Father, It's all that woman Eve!

Craft Fair- Is it Worth It

2011-07-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

The Craft Fair – Is It worth It

Craft fairs for artisans are a way of life. You pay the booth fees, mail your best pictures, and then anxiously wait for the passing score. Okay, you pass. Then you e mail one hundred friends and fans (!- well they really don’t care you come to know that gradually, yet this is the rule of the game. You shrug off and do that again any way).

Then for a week or so you worry if you have enough inventory and stay up until 2 pm until your eyes burn and neck falls off. Then in the morning you panic – do you have enough white space! So, you keep on practicing the display on your kitchen table disrupting your family life annoying everyone, and then you make several trips to Jo Ann and Michael’s craft stores brushing your credit card over and over and then get upset with your own self…

Then the final day comes. At the dawn break you haul your tent, tables and all that and get ready for the elbow grease. You put up the tent successfully. Yeh! (By the way, my crafty friends, I bought a new tent after extensive research and it has made us quite happy so far)

Before it all starts

My friend, Kathy (another jewelry artist) and I usually do the shows together. I don’t know what I would have done without Kathy! No, we are not at all threatened by each other; our styles are rather complimentary, not competitive. That makes our neighbor, Ann (another jewelry artist from the next booth) and the others from close proximity pause to think and then they nod in approval. True, we all have unique styles, and people do need lots of jewelry. So now we all feel confident and comfortable and wish each other.

Our Booth is done

It’s warming up. The music is in full blast now. I don’t know if I can take this rap until 6 pm. But I see Kathy is swaying with the beats. A bunch of teenagers enter with ice cream cones in their hands. One of them humming “baby baby…” Is it part of this same song? I can’t tell.

All these happy humming, swaying, people laughing and having good time kind of bring a positive mood in me too, they wash away my doubts and I am kind of liking this punk rock or whatever...

Kathy says, “I am glad that they are not playing country”

They are frying fish or something. It’s delicious and my stomach is growling. Besides, Nina told me I should not miss Bake Sale Betty. But people are coming like crazy. And you know what is sweeter than honey!

Visitors are coming

So we munch on dry almonds and trail mix and sip water. It is not polite to talk with your mouthful and you may have to do that any minute. I am glad things are moving from Kathy’s table too quite swiftly.

You need to take a potty break. But there is a long line even in front of the port-a-potty. So you have to decide to stop sipping water.

I crane my neck out the tent when it is a bit less busy. There are so many vendors with so many cool things. But there is no way I can go check them out. We are all busy with our own booths. So many of them are in wheel chairs selling hand made products. We out source jobs from this country. Now, this is another America I see. I would not have known it had I not involve me like this.

An elderly lady approaches. She is looking for earrings. I think she spotted one. A young girl exclaims “ Nona, this one!”

“YES”!

It is an earring I made last year with a Breast Cancer Awareness bead and a twisted wire design that is actually an error, a deviation from the tutorial instruction I was trying to accomplish. But I liked the mistake and made a few earrings in this style.

The lady asks for a mirror and then with a happy smile brings the earring to me.

“I had been looking for something like this for a long time. This is the best one. I want to buy this.”

I was touched. “Is it going to be a gift?” I ask.

“A gift to mysel"' she replies " to celebrate my first anniversary from Breast cancer. One year cancer free today”

“In that case I give you a 10% off”

“God bless you” she said.

“You be healed completely soon” I say.

She nods with a smile. Kathy and I exchange glances as she walks out. We feel our eyes misty.

“She made your day” Kathy remarks.

After the show, this morning with the morning cup of tea in hand my husband comments – “Boy, you slept like a log “ True, I did. I was sooo tired.

The way your adrenaline flows …before, during these craft fairs …it’s something. It takes a lot of energy, physically...”

“Physical, emotional spiritual…” I add.

Is it worth it? I wonder.

Absolutely yes. One hundred times, for sure.

Champoussin - a charming village in Switzerland

2011-06-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

Champoussin is a charming village in western Switzerland. Where is it? Well, you may not find it in an ordinary map but it is close to Geneva airport- about two hours away in car or train. If you find Geneva try moving eastward along the lake Geneva. You may find Lausanne, Montreaux and in a smaller font a spot called Aigles.

You may take a AOMC train from here. This rather tram like train will take you to Val d'Illiez station in forty minutes. Then you take a bus up to the Champoussin village.

We landed in Zurich airport and took a train ride to Aigle. It took us about three hours. The view from Lausanne to Aigle is spectacular. The train track is right next to the lake.

We saw tiny back yard gardens, tranquil lake with boats floating on them. Then again even Switzerland has its share of concrete walls and graffiti on them.

When we reached the Val d' Illiez station we expected to find the bus at 4:30 but today it is Saturday and there are no school children so no bus!

We were assured that there will be one at 6:30 though- the last one. We were hungry and thirsty. A lady came out of a restaurant to help us out and made us cafe latte and a very delicious dish of grilled cheese on thick bread. She knows as much English as I know French but we made it finally and she made a call for me to the hotel to confirm that we'll reach with the last bus. When the bus finally arrived, she went and told the driver to wait for us. We were the only two passengers.

Champoussin is awfully pretty and tranquil. It is an out of the world place. The little log cabin room where we stayed in was very cute, comfortable and basic. You can see the snow capped mountains from the little veranda and the rolling green hills. It is so quiet here- with only occasional cow bells tingaling from time to time . There is a farm on the top of the hill where they also make home made cheese.

There is no wifi or telephone in the room, but you may find them at the hotel lobby .

There is a grocery store at the bottom where you may find basic things and home made bread. Things are expensive here . Like an egg cost me a dollar! There is also a restaurant, para gliding things and thermal baths. This place is a ski resort in winter time.

But it is equally pretty in summer. The lupins are in bloom. There is a smell of fresh sweet milk and pine mixed in the air. You hear the rustling of the leaves and slow moos of the cows and their cow bells.

It is a happy place with simple beauty.

A day in Vienna

2011-06-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

The ceiling of the Opera House in Vienna- see the 24 k gold work on the ceiling

June 23, 2011- Vienna

Had a wonderful day today with Rinka. Though the day started with a shrill alarm at 5 o clock in the morning and we all had to climb the five floors of stairs, nothing really was that dangerous. After half an hour later everything seemed safe and sound (less- no pun intended) and we all climbed up in the elevator (!). No fire truck really did show up to save the residents in this diplomats’ unit. Any way it was a weird chance to meet Rinka’s neighbors.

Rinka took us to a nice café and introduced me to a drink which was a mix of coffee, chocolate, lots of whipped cream with a swirl of caramel sauce. Yummy. I had a soft boiled egg and roll with all kinds of jams.

We took the tram and came to Belvedere Museum. Here I focused on Klimpt. I love his The Kiss but I did not know so many things about this picture. Gustave Klimpt chose bold rectangles in the pattern around the male figure, and roundish motifs for the female. They have their differences but those differences are trying to melt for something soft, loving… the figures are surrounded by flowers and gold dust. The Kiss is soft and beautiful.

Other pictures worth mentioning are “The Bride”, “Adam and Eve”, “the Meadow “ where he showed how the poppies in the fore ground stood out merging the big tree with oranges in the back ground. There is a picture by Van Gogh- a landscape. He shot himself two days after painting this picture.

The garden is fantastic.

Here you see the inside of the stage of the Opera House - A rare thing. As a holiday there is no rehearsal going. So we could see the inside of the stage

From here we went to the Opera House and we took a guided tour. It is a holiday today so there is no rehearsal and we lucked out to see the inside of the stage.

It is magnificent. The hall, ceilings and the whole place give you goose bumps


The inside of the auditorium

After lunch we had gelato. It was so good. Rinka knows all these little nooks and corners of Vienna. My senses are so stimulated today.

After we came home it started to rain and get cooler.

My Mommy and Me

2011-05-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

My Mommy and Me

My Ma and Me - probably my first picture

On this special Mother's Day I was thinking about my Ma. There are so many memories, so many moments to cherish, laugh about and feel serious about. What message did she leave for me to pass on? consciously and unconsciously?

She was very beautiful and as a young child I used to get awestruck seeing her getting ready for parties. She paid attention to beauty . I remember her saying to me one day,( on one of those morose teenage days) - "Go pretty yourself up" - she even wanted to share her lipstick! "and see your self in the mirror with a big smile" Phew! I said that day. But you know- I found later on - IT WORKS.

She paid attention to beauty around her too. Much before green living became vogue, she taught me - the want less, waste less mantra and to give away generously. She showed me how to pretty up the surrounding with simple things.

She was a great friend, a good friend, my Ma, and when I miss her, deep inside I feel that she is right there inside me. I have not really lost her.

The Help - a book that I am reading

2011-04-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

I am reading a book named "The Help" . It is so interesting that I cannot put it down. It is one of those books that you really don't want to end. Therefore my beading, business and other house hold things are at stake.

This is the author's first book and it is going to be a movie I hear. I got it as a birthday present from my daughter.

Lately I did not read much. And I was thinking my concentration is getting poor or some thing. Why can't I just stick to the one I am reading and just finish it? I was kind of mad at my self. I found the answer.

Spring has sprung

2011-04-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung. Look at our wisteria tree and oh, the smell.

I am enthused to create two earring pieces too. The first one, a knitted piece was when I got inspired by a cob web and the dew on it.

The second one - I name it WISTERIA.

I was motivated to do this from Mystic Pesto's blog.

You can join in the celebration by visiting these participating blogs!

Mystic Pesto

BooBeads

Handcrafted Baubles

My Life Under the Bus

For My Sweet Daughter

What did I do with my buttons?

2011-04-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

What did I do with my buttons?

I'm late, I'm late - I feel like that rabbit in Alice in wonderland. I live in California, so my day starts out a bit later than most of my blog hopping friends. On top of that I spent a whole lot of the day today thinking about the design, then creating my bracelet ( yes, I am one of those last minute persons...I don't want to be...but

When I was kind of satisfied I found the day light is almost gone. Well, still I took advantage of that slanting last beam of the afternoon sun ray on my window sill and I'll show you in a minute what I did.

I started with the lady. I name this piece "She- and her dreams". This button is sent by Cat. It took me a long time to find out what I want to put in here. Then I thought that keeping it most simple, knitting it with waves and waves of dreams and thoughts is what this piece should be all about. I thought of my mom (who has passed away in 2007) as I was making it.

I am so anxious to see what the others have done with their buttons. Please do hop on their blogs too. Here is the list and a short notice from Michelle who kindly arranged this whole BUTTON project.

Here is Michelle's note:

You might also want to tell your readers about the giveaway--if readers comment on any (or all) blogs, they can win a set of buttons. The full rules will be on my blog, but basically, each comment on a different blog gets them one entry. So if they comment on all posts, that would be 25 entries! But if they comment 25 times on Lori's blog, that only counts as one entry! The giveaway is open to everyone.

As always, feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Thanks,

Michelle
www.michellemach.com/blog/

******************************

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1. Cat - Boo Beads

2. Cindy - Sweet Bead Studio

3. Cory - Art with Moxie

4. Cyndi - Beading Arts

5. Dita - Alankarshilpa

6. Donna, Marti, and Michelle - Beads & Books

7. Erin - Treasures Found

8. Hope - Crafty Hope

9. Inca - Zerenity Design

10. Katrine - Army of Sock Monsters

11. Krista - French Elegant Jewelry

12. Kristie - Artisan Clay

13. Linda D. - Lutka and Co.

14. Linda L. - Linda's Bead Blog

15. Lody - Lody's Beadworks

16. Lori - Pretty Things

17. Loretta - Loretta's Boutique

18. Malin - Beading by Malin de Koning

19. Mary - MK's Creative Musings

20. Maryanne - Zingala's Workshop

21. Melinda - Melinda Orr Metal & Clay Jewelry Designs

22. Saskia - Perlendistel

23. Shannon - For My Sweet Daughter

24. Shirley - Beads and Bread

25. Stephanie - Confessions of a Bead Hoader

Yeh! My Buttons

2011-04-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

My Buttons

I was in this button swapping project. I had to choose some buttons for my partner Cat from boo beads and send it to her.

Similarly I received a nice pack of buttons from her too. Like her, I love buttons made of natural materials too.

Aren't they beautiful? Cat made the copper one herself and her mom made the one with the letter D. I am so touched to receive hand made buttons.

O, I forgot to mention that I found some vintage copper buttons from an old jacket. I discarded the jacket but saved the buttons to share with Cat.

Cat and I both saved one sample piece of each button for our selves and would share later what we did with them. In the mean time, my head is working more than my hands and that is the hard part. Now I just have to carve a couple of quiet hours when I can totally immerse in the creative process.

Well, it is 9:39pm now. The night is still pretty young to me. I should rather be beading than blogging.

7000 Bracelets For Hope

2011-04-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

7000 Bracelets for Hope- What a touching thing to organize. Every time I visit Lori's blog I get some thing new and enthusiastic.

The project is that we have to make a bracelet with BLUE ( Denim blue is their awareness color). This bracelet then has to be sent to the Global Genes Project ( The address is:
7000 Bracelets of Hope /Global Genes Project
24701 La Plaza Suite 201
Dana Point, CA 92629 .

The Global Genes Project, an advocacy group for children's rare disease awareness is going to send it to the seven thousand families having children with rare diseases to show them love and support. You may visit this site to see how you can help.

112 jewelry artists have already joined knowing it from Lori's blog. You can see their wonderful work if you visit Lori's blog to get the links.

I wanted to be a part of it too. So what if I am late! Better late than never. So, I started thinking about my blue bracelet.

My thoughts took me to Sedona, Arizona where I went last year. I was pretty sick at that time. I remembered buying some turquoise beads from a bead shop and then I was sitting facing the red monolinths, waiting for my husband.

An interesting feeling came to me. I had heard about the vortex power of Sedona. I closed my eyes and prayed that may the beads in my hand have magic power to heal and cure the wearer. I don't know who'd get these beads in future, but I had known the healing power of turqoise.

I prayed for myself too, may I be cured soon, so that I can sit and do my beading. My prayers were answered. I hope the rest be true too.

With these thoughts I created this bracelet with tiny turquoise and silver beads. They are individually strung and then I knitted the silver wire part with a pair of very thin knitting needles to form the half circle part. At the end I finished adding some oval turquoise beads and silver adornments as you see in the picture. There is an extender to accommodate different wrist sizes.

I'll send it soon to the address given with a note and my prayer. May it heal a child.

Going Green

2011-04-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

Go Green

As the signs of spring hop in, tiny new leaves on the branches, the wisteria blooms with lovely lavender blossoms and the gold finches swing on my bird feeder I feel like giving Mother Earth one big hug again. Thank you for being so beautiful.

I become extra vigilant to protect her. I take oath to think more how to reuse and recycle more the things I already have.

I have to ship some one a box . I was going to buy one but then I found a box just across the room that had brought some materials for me the other day. I decided to use this box. I repacked it using some nice contact paper.

Now I save the bubble mailers that were posted to me and just put a nice piece of contact paper on it and use it to ship my things. I save money in buying the mailers which I'd rather use to buy a delivery confirmation when I ship something. In my etsy store it will not make a difference that way.

I learned a lot of tricks from the Eco etsy site and their ideas stimulate me to think new ways of going green.

Check out this interesting thing from Rings and things

2011-03-18T13:51:00.001-07:00

Take their challenge

A humble offering to Japan's refief

2011-03-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

My humble offering to Japan:

I get immuned and numb when I see the same pictures over and over on the T.V screen.

On quiet moments if I zoom out, and try to think that it is just not two dimensional, what happened to those people is real, I shiver. So many people have lost their homes, lost their loved ones, so many children can't find their parents or food...

It could happen to us too. Can I fathom that?

Japan is such a beautiful place. I have been there several times on my way to India. Yet, all those sky scrappers, modern equipments and highways look like a child's toys, as if a child is playing with his lego set, in contrast to the vast ocean when you see it from high above - when you take a bird's eye view.

We human being are so small, so insignificant against nature's vast force!

I have high regards for that nation. They are so disciplined, hard working, spiritual people. They are resilient and will recover, but right now what are they going through.

As I watch out, I see our cherry tree in full bloom through the window. I think of Japan. I was first introduced to flowering cherry trees in Japan. Being a young girl from tropical India I had never seen a cherry tree before that. And I planted a wish that some day may we have a cherry tree in our home.

My wish was granted. The tree is full of rosy whisper soft bloom today.

My eyes well up as I work on my beading project. My knitted wire work gets blurry. I wipe off. I put the last crimp to secure and decide to offer this humble creation with my prayers to the Japan relief fund.

Agony of artist's life

2011-03-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

I had been reading about Renoir and how he painted. It is interesting to note that even artists like him had to go through such misery concerning money.. The story opens , Renoir with a broken limb trying to manage painting. He broke his arm trying to paint part of a house and fell down from the ladder

In his dreams he visualizes known people, common people as his models. He murmurs to himself never to waste time doing things that you do not love to do.

He wants to sketch normal life, happy stories of his time in history...but the agony is, he has to compromise to things that pays him more. He hated to take salon commissions and paint aristocrat families all seated on velvet sofas but that is where the money was coming from.

Do you feel like that some times? Do you hate the marketing and selling aspect?

I do when I have to make the same pieces over and over. I try to stay away from that. And since I am not that famous and no one is really bugging me to do the same pieces, I do have the luxury to not do what I hate.

Actually at this phase I kind of like when people asks me to do custom order. A friend of mine asked me to make some thing for a girl born in October. She bought a turquoise in copper book marker I made earlier.

So I made two book markers this time. One with tiny pink tourmaline beads and the other one with rose quartz chips both knitted in silver heart.

Rose Quartz in silver heart

Now Pink Tourmaline tiny beads in knitted heart

Both are October birth stones depending on the Zodiac signs - Libra or Scorpio
Which one do you think she'd like? Which one do you like better?

Knitting with beads and wire

2011-03-15T23:41:00.000-07:00

Knitting with beads and wire is my new passion now. I used to knit a lot when my girls were little, then I picked up beading. Now I find that I am inclined to knitting with beads and wire.

Knitting with wire is quite different from knitting with yarn. Wire knitting can tense your fingers. Now it is getting better each time. The wire loops will not be the same as working with yarn. Then again knitting with wire has its own good things. It is much forgiving in terms of shape.

My very first book was Knitting with Beads which I got as a Christmas gift in 2009 from my daughter .I did not see too many books in this area. So this time from the library I brought some craft books ( March is National Craft Month, I came to learn) and one of them really caught my eye. It is Element of Style by

I think I'll try quite a few designs from here. I came to know that there is a yarn named Habu which is just what I was looking for. I knew it exited but I was not sure what to ask when I go to the knitting store.

Now I am a person who cannot really follow a recipe or direction all the way. If I am not really judged or tested, once I understand the basic I deviate. So this is what I tried from her book

and this is what I came up with.

Did you see any books on bead knitting? Will you please let me know?

The Modern Anna Karenina

2011-03-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

The Modern Anna Karenina

Would a girl kill her self like jumping on the train track, the way Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina did?

I was thinking about that as I woke up this morning. Yesterday night we watched Anna Karenina, the black and white version of the movie.

Just a few days ago, we, ladies were gossiping about a girl we all knew. Her life resembles very much like Anna Karenina. Let’s call her Mia.

Mia had a caring, loyal dutiful husband, Greg and a sweet little boy Tommy. But, Ryan, a character, all on a sudden barged into her life like a comet and topsy turvy her whole being. Mia’s tranquil, safe life was changed.

Mia found a spark in Ryan’s eyes, a different kind of caring, some irresistible attraction that brought a new meaning in life to Mia. Mia came to know what she was missing.

When she was confronted with the choice of her safe, secured married life with Greg and Tommy, as a bonus in one hand and Ryan on the other, she chose Ryan. It was hard to leave Tommy, yet Ryan won.

Like Tolstoy’s Anna, Mia hung onto Ryan and whispered in his ears “Remember I have nothing else except you”. Ryan kissed her back.

Couple of years passes, now Ryan wants Mia’s divorce papers to settle in the society rightfully. Mia cannot manage to get them. Ryan changes.

Mia finds that it is nothing but time that takes away that special spark. Ryan and Greg are basically very similar.

Mia is a lonely single woman struggling each day over this issue. Would she crush herself like Anna Karenina did, I wonder as I knit absent mindedly.

May be Mia will find that there is more to life. Of course she did the right thing listening to her inner self, leaving her secured life for challenges. Of course she did the right thing leaving Ryan too. Mia, I salute your strength for following your heart for what you think is right. You have a lot of hurdles on your way, but believe me, don’t you quit now.

May the morning sun beam embrace you with its warmth, may the hungry humming birds in your feeders remind you that you are needed. May there be a little boy waiting for you at the corner of the road like Anna found one in Venice, who stretches his hand for you. Let there be something to show that you are valuable, you are needed. May you hear these messages inside yourself.

May you find that there is more to life that just men’s appreciation. Don’t you kill yourself like Anna Karenina.

My knitted jewelry piece is done now. Here it is:

Inspiration for art

2011-02-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

Inspirations for art

Inspiration is everywhere, especially today. It’s one of those days. First of all – did you watch the Oscars yesterday? I am talking about Natalie Portmans dazzling dangler. Oh what a design! That red-purple tassel brushing her soft shoulder kept me up for quite awhile yesterday night and the first thing I did this morning is visiting my STUDIO ( I mean my bead storage) to find what do I have to create some thing like that?

Well. As soon as I come up with something, I know it may be quite different; I assure I’ll share it with you.

In the mean time I hopped two blogs and was just mesmerized with all the things they have to share.

Lori was talking about this sumptuous Bead Soup event. I wanted to be part of it even not knowing exactly what it’s all about. But I did it. I learned how to put it in my web blog. I can see your smirk. But hey, I am learning. I am not techno savvy okay!

Then I went to Mortira’s blog and oh my, I hopped from one link to another, reading all the book reviews she had and found that I have spent the whole afternoon. The sun is down, I did not fix supper, did not clean the dish washer… my house is a mess.

But hey, there is some thing I can share too from last few weeks– my knitted jewelry

These days I am doing a lot of knitted jewelry. I got inspired from a knitting blog and got hooked with the needles but could not let go my wire or the beads ….so this is what is happening.

When Life is Messy

2011-02-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I stumbled upon an interesting blog article. It is about Life is Messy.

True, there are too many things to do, all cluttered in the head, and too short time in a day.

The author says, some of us are not successful, not because these people are stupid or dumb, we are just not consistent.(Look at my last blog post...rings a bell!) Then some times these people even do not have a plan. No direction or goal where they want to go.

May be they even are not clear what they really want out of life.

I remember of a class assignment that I had taken years ago. I was asked to find five things that I consider most important in life.

After that, we were asked to document how a normal day flows in our individual lives. I mean, we had to document all that we had done over the whole day. Surprisingly, we found, at least I did, that it had no correlation to those five most important things.

It is as if my life is driven by some one else and I am experiencing it passively. Well, to go where you want to go you need to drive your own life, like driving your own car. Of course, some times I like to be the rider, just enjoying the show and not worry about the to do lists.

It has its pros and cons. So we have to find a fine balance.

Now talking about having a plan, here is a wonderful product this gal has made and she very graciously is offering it free as a give away.

Here I want you to know that I have no commercial affiliation with these products. I am sharing just what I found interesting.

I was amazed to see how much thought she had put into it. Not only a daily,planner, she thought about a weekly and monthly goal thing too. Also a goal setter including all the areas of your life. If you go there you'll be able to see what I mean.

I know, it is just not winning this fabulous product ( I have never won any lottery ever in my entire life), or just buying it for $20. It is implementing in life. It is training my self to be disciplined to think about those important five things and weave it into my life with some regular pattern.

It is to visualize the whole big quilt - the life quilt and then go through every detail, make individual stitches count to accomplish it.

I came to know about these artists from the tweeter vine fields , through another talented artist Jess Van Den.

Jessica says somewhere, if you are a writer do write. If you claim to be a jewelry artist then go to your studio and create some thing every day. Be true to yourself.

True. So this is what I created today, Jesse.

About the big life quilt, I am thinking... will share with you soon.

The Modern Native American Indian Artist

2010-10-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Did I meet my modern Native American artist?

About 15 to 20 minutes away from Sedona, if you drive down HWY 260, you'll see a badly posted sign that says "Tuzigoot" What is that?

Tuzigoot was an ancient Indian village or pueblo made by a culture known as Singua. They lived here in the Verde Valley for four hundred years, from AD 1000 to 1400 and then disappeared.

Today,as you follow the signs you find yourself driving up hill leaving a huge expanse of valley, and a thin silver line of a river called the Verde river snaking somewhere far away. You'll see some marsh land meandering lazily through the valley.

It was not like this when the Native American Singua people lived here. It was green with lush vegetation that provided habitat for many animals and birds, even parrots.

Now it is barren. As you park your car in front of the museum and climb up the stairs you reach at the roof top. It may seem like you are rather on top of a fort.

Spanning the valley you see the ruins of the old pueblo that consisted of more than hundred rooms made out of stones, and were two or three storied high.

You may feel any minute those people may return on their horse backs. Those people who were mainly farmers, knew very well how to use the irrigation from the Verde river water and cultivate corn, maize and so on.

They were great artisans. You have seen their pottery in the museum and the incredible tools they made, out of bones, to make shell jewelry. They had great trade relations with people hundreds of miles away. How can they be vanished just like that?

When they return what riches are they going to bring? What stories to tell?

Instead you hear a shrill cry of a bird - may be a blue heron or something. This place is an Audobon designated site today, for watching rare birds.

Where did those people go? Why?

May be they could not deal with the diseases that the European foreigners brought

May be it was the great drought of the late 13th century that dried up every thing and the people fled from here leaving their beloved home and village to an unknown territory. The 14th century was a time of great migration, conflict and ultimately amalgamation.

The Singua people merged with other tribes like the Hopi, Acoma and Zuni and became one of them. I read all these in the museum and other books.

When the Europeans met them in the 16th century they did not give much credit to these Indians or their art. I can visualize how the Spanish looked at their jewelry styles and workmanship- the smirks,the disparaging nods.

The Native American artists gulped it. And rather learned from the Spanish silversmiths and eventually created their unique style the squash blossom design.

The squash blossom design necklace

The Europeans decided to cultivate and educate these native people and take them to missionary schools ostracizing them from their own families and culture. When they fled the "Indian schools" they were penalized and punished.

Frustration set in. Alchohol soothed. Alchoholism broke the families.

When there was no money, no food in the house, these native artists took whatever they had, their precious jewelry to the pawn brokers which were never retrieved

These are good deals today if you can find an authentic one.

My heart feels heavy thinking why do these people always had to flee? It was theirs land to begin with, but what destiny... they had to give away their home, their art, their pride and run away to some where else.

This is when I met my modern Native American artist.

We had to stop at a rest area for a bath room break on our way to Phoenix airport.
Here, near the WOMEN sign I find a girl sitting on the floor with a rug stretched out with jewelry pieces.

I stoop down. They are made out of silver beads and semi precious stones like moon stone, turquoise chips, tiger eye, coral beads, hematite and agate.

"I use quality 49 strand silver beading thread Ma'm. Look at the clasps...This is a dream catcher and here this leaf is good luck - it chases away your bad dreams."

"Don't you go to Art Fairs? You don't belong here near the bathrooms. These are quality stuff and you have good workmanship." - I say.

Her face lit up. "I make them my self Ma'm. I can't afford the booth fees and... too expensive." She smiled sadly.

Her name is Bear. She is a Navajo. Bear has learned making jewelry from her mother, who had learned it from her mother. They were an artist family. "My great grand dad made great jewelry" she said.

In my mind's eye I could see a jewelry box that is kept high on a shelf in their home. In it lies a squash blossom necklace with sleeping beauty blue turquoise, bordered with tiny coral dots framed in beautiful silver.

That is saved for Bear's special day, when she'll be a bride. Bear's grand ma's grand ma had saved it.

When the pawn broker came in and asked -" What else do you have that is worthy? any jewelry?"- she nodded- No, Nothing. For years they remained hungry and had to put up with many hardships but she never let go of that squash blossom necklace.

Bear will give it to her daughter and it will always remain with them. It would never be sold.

I was startled - "Ma'm, please take this set. I'll make it $18 for you instead of $20."

I had seen the same design selling for $69 yesterday in a posh Sedona shop at Tlaquepaque with a big SALE sign.

"Do you take credit card or is there a ATM? I spent my last bill."

Bear's face dimmed.
Her mom came running. "The security is here, hurry baby"

Wait a minute. There is something like a crumpled piece of paper in my pocket. As I take it out and unfold - it is a $20 bill. Bear shines up.

"What would you like- the dream catcher or the dream chaser?"

Then she had to quickly roll up her rug and run to a bitten up car to flee somewhere again.

The Spirit of Sedona

2010-10-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

We were not sure if we'd make it to Sedona after all with my weird back problem. But we took a chance - rather we embraced positive thinking and bought the tickets to fly any way.

I had heard that Sedona is a magical place where artists flock from all over to catch their muses. Hurt people go there to heal and couples to find their romances.

The place has something called " Vortex". Scientists try to explain with the high magnetic fields this place possess. It is a hard concept to fathom- because I think it is a right brain , left brain concept too.

For example, we met a young waiter who was from Alaska originally. He tried many places and said Sedona has something strange- "Every time I had a problem and thought I have to quit, somehow it got resolved. No other place ever did that to me". WOW!

Sedona is about 90 minutes away from the Phoenix airport. When we landed at Phoenix a strange weather approached us. It was pretty warm and sunny, but then it started to shower and a huge rainbow greeted us with a big smile all across the sky.

With in ten minutes torrential rain, clapping of thunder sand frequent lightning scared the hell out of us. The desert city is not well equipped with this kind of strange rain. With in an hour there was flush flooding, the highways were clogged and traffic stood still. We were stuck and finally reached our destination resort seven hours later at eleven at night.

The drive was one of the scariest experience in my life. The two- lane highway, now pitch dark with high beams from the opposite lane cars and occasional lightnings made us dizzy.

Any way, through one such lightning spark I had a strange experience- the rocks revealed for a second, which I later learned was called "The Cathedral". It was magnifique!

The next few days were beautiful with lots of sun shine. We experienced the grandeur of Sedona. Red rocks and monoliths cradled by indigo blue mountain ranges far away, were splendid. The dirt is pink here, the cacti has pink rouge on their cheeks.

Tlaquepacque (pronounced as Lack pack) is a nice touristy spot with cobble stone pathways, Italian and Spanish flair. High end beautiful shops and galleries boast their tastes. I had a wish to interview a Native American Jewelry artist.

I had done my homework. Learned a lot about the basic history and designs like Squash Blossoms and so no. There was a web site that even invited to give a call to meet and speak with a real artist.

I did. The artist on the other end responded which in brief is very understandable - Ma'm if you are really not interested in buying my products that starts from $799, please do not waste my time. I have to make jewelry, write blogs, social net work, take pics, talk with dealers do marketing, bla bla bla

Exactly what I do in a much smaller less granderous scale. I understand perfectly, sir.

Still, my husband insisted that I try more.

I rather window shopped, bought myself a nice ice cream cone and enjoyed the natural Sedona that is free.

As I sat in front of those magnificent rocks and thought about the vortex, the Bell rock in front of me spoke.

Do not take Sedona for granted like a tourist, my child.

It showed me the power of nature, the beauty of nature in the darkness of night through those electrifying lightnings. There is a strange commonality and a fine message about life.

Interestingly, I realized that I could handle sitting for more than eight hours at a stretch with out pain that day! How did that happen? The vortex may be!

And did I meet a real artist? I'll tell about that in my next blog. So stay tuned and come back soon, in a week.

The Promises of Blues

2010-09-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

God has a strange way of talking to you. I'll get to that in a little while. Before that let me answer you. I can see in my mind's eye, you all crowding around me , my dear friends, you are curiously waiting to know - How are you buddy?

I know, it's been a long time I had written.

Well, the answer to your question- good, and not so good. It's kind of strange coming from me... many of you know me as "Ms. Positive".

This time I am feeling impatient. Though I am getting better each day, the progress is way slow. It takes me at least a couple of hours to warm up in the morning. Can't do my beading for more than half an hour at a stretch, which is hard, especially as many shows are coming for the holidays.

So, what do I do all day? 70% of the time I am either on my tummy surfing the web or on my back stretched out doing exercises.

I throw out my net to see whatever catch I find in the internet ( no pun intended) and come to the conclusion that the common doctors just shut your mouth with pain killers which really do not do much to heal or solve the real problem.

So what's the cure? I look into alternative medicine and found a balm , a ball and some knowledge on "creative visualization".

I became a disciple of Sakti Gwain, befriended and became face book fans of many hot shots in this line. I became a firm believer of The Law of Attraction.

And in the process while walking in my creative visualization path I met my God.

Shh.. it is a secret. But there are some secrets you want to tell the whole world , the reason why you write as Maya Angelou had said, I have to tell you this.

She is with in me, like a tiny glowing light with all the colors of the rainbow, or a flame, that I had seen first time in the Bunsen Burner in the Chemistry lab as a kid.

She is also like a fairy with a pixie dust wand , like a fire fly that resides in the bosom of my heart. She protects me and guides me. She is part of my mother, who has left this earth, but left this little seed for me, in me. And this is what I'll leave for my grand daughter when I am no more.

It is a hard, abstract concept to fathom, I know, dear friend. It is hard for me to explain with words. I just feel it.

Any way, now does this God or fairy of yours solve your problem?- you ask- My tiny flame with in me just smiles.

So, what am I doing these days? I write. In my head, with out a pen.

I look out side in the late afternoon, I see that the school bus is dropping the children. The new school year has started. In my empty nest there are only memories of those lovely golden afternoons.

I think of my Montessori teaching days... those fond songs that the children used to sing to get to know each other.. those Back to school nights and Open Houses.

Thank God, now I don't have to worry about getting ready in the morning to hurry, with this back, to go to teach!

The long rays of the afternoon sun kiss me tenderly on my shoulders and with all the warmth, caresses- September has come, summer is gone for the year... now the days are going to be shorter.

In this journey with pain there are times when I feel relaxed. Like, when I hear the clanks of pots and pans. Oh, so my husband is putting them in the dishwasher or unloading them. It was my job for all these years. Not that he did not know how to do them, but I was too fussy and bossy too, criticizing that it is not done the proper way ( meaning my way!)

Now I don't care any more. I know that I am not indispensable.

A bunch of blue flowers greet me. They whisper the loveliness of life.

I come back to my work shop that I call STUDIO and hunt for my bead tray. The fluorite chips with its rainbow hue agree what the blue flowers had whispered. The indigo pearls promise good luck and the tiny seed beads giggle and nod - of course life is lovely. Its delicious. Crunchy!

I name this piece - "The Promise of Blues"

Epidural et al

2010-07-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

It has been just seven days since I had my epidural shot. What a difference in pain level. The mornings are much better, I can eat now sitting down with the help of a Relaxo Bak chair pad- not for too long but for fifteen twenty minutes. I am walking half an hour in three ten minutes time slots.

Today I went for a ride with my husband to the library and grocery but in forty minutes I was exhausted . I am not pain free yet, There are two or three attacks every day at the pain scale of 7/8 but it is much better.

One thing - I find myself easily in tears , I get too sensitive and I am breaking down in sobs which is
so embarassing. I am not like that. My mind has become so fragile too!

I am reading a log t of books because I can be on my tummy only for so long to write, right? So these are what I am reading, all from Amazon

I come to realize that healing has to do with the other part of the brain, not the logical side. There has been enough treatment done logically but the other mysterious half is totally untouched.

This part of the brain deals with emotion, intuition, imagery and it has to take part now to heal me. I was reading this book named Guided Imagery, where the author shows how our brain really works with all the neuro motors, which is fascinating to me.

See, when you are asked to touch your nose you can easily do it. Now you are asked to salivate. Is it that easy unless you think of a juicy lemon cut in half, then squeezed onto your tongue? You have to give that imagery to your brain.

This is because while the central nervous system governs voluntary movement, the autonomic nervous system regulated salivation .The autonomic nervous system does not readily responds to ordinary thoughts, you need to give your brain the imagery and then it responds. (I think I understood it right)

Similarly, if you have the keys to open the secret doors you can lead your mind to do the healing. Of course it is not that simple but it is do able and a highly effective, safe system and I am sure my healing will come through that door.

So let me go deeper and tell you next time how I am doing with that. In the mean time I am immersed in this study.

The Journey Through Sciatica

2010-07-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

The Journey Through Sciatica

I am on this Sciatica journey, I don't know which station is this. Lately the ride is bumpy, the climb is steep. Are we there? Did the return journey start? Hope so...oh God! please ...hope so.

It is a journey of intense pain, only my husband witnesses what I go through in the morning , crawling all over the bed to find the right spot that'll pick me up. He tries in vain and realizes that what he takes for granted is not an option for me. He stands patiently with his stretched arms. When I find strength I throw my self on him. Now he is the walker that back strides until I reach the the bathroom. Then I am on my own.

Once I can walk I walk ( Newton's third law of motion)..I try to take advantage, fool the Sciatica monster and walk at least three hundred steps that take me ten minutes in the hall way.

The tea kettle whistles, the smell of toast is in the air. I come down stairs to have my Earl ray tea... no not yet, I take a cup of milk and a Vicodin. My last Vicodin was at 3 AM in the morning,. so my leg muscles now wear out .The sciatica monster reminds me - after all you are still my slave.

I go upstairs to lie down. An hour later I find I have some strength to be sunny side down. Yes, I reside in the den these days, on the floor, on a child's sleeping bed with lots of Treasure Trolls prints on it , some how it escaped the Salvation truck donation box.

I open my lap top- ZZ on my page saver gives a big smile...You'll be fine- I hear the message. I give her a kiss.

Friends want to come to drop food. I push them away. I can't sit for even ten minutes. Yesterday it was so sweet of A (my husband) - he brought my favorite Thai food for dinner and lit a candle. We missed a wedding today that I really wanted to attend. This would be our way to celebrate.

I couldn't even sit to eat. I threw a tantrum because there was no milk or something. Why does he forget these things. Tears rolled down my face. He was upset that I saw only what he could not do.

My god! No. My tears were coming from absolutely different source. I was touched at his tenderness, but the outburst was weird, out of my control.

My alter ego drew a chair and started defending him, how hard it is to see loved one suffering, don't you remember how helpless you felt when he had the flu for two weeks last winter?

Ms Alter Ego reminded me of the blog posts I read the other day from a Sciatica site, how a young 27 year old girl was suffering - not only physically, but mentally too as her marriage was falling apart, her career and self image... how the old lady in her eighties was handling it in India , taking care of her ninety year old invalid husband while their grown up children were abroad in U.S and Australia.... When you look down you find your misery is not so serious.

The Oriental Lilies have come out. They peek- a boo their faces out with coy from the Shasta Daisy bush - Remember the October after noon last year when you planted us ? Here we are. Where are you?.

Well, this evening if I can, I'll go down and smell them before they wilt for this year. It is getting pretty hot lately.

Yes, my MRI report has come. A typical case of degenerated hernia

The gel between the two spinal discs ooze out and is tickling the Sciatic nerves. The Sciatic nerves have poor sense of humor - so they made a big fuss and is flaring and trembling and throwing a fit. A shot would be given to them soon Jul 22. That should calm them.

66% of the patients recover with this shot. I should too. I pray for that. And all who care for me when they do that too , it'll make a big impact.

To keep my sanity I do blog hopping all over the world.

The picture of the beautiful necklace is created by Emin. She probably lives in Japan. I came to know about her work through blog hopping. Just wanted to share her work as an appreciation of her art. Her website

At the End of the Tunnel

2010-07-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

Finally I am brought in front of the MRI tunnel machine. The guy asked - "You are not claustrophobic are you?"

Yes, that lovely lady's been replaced with this cut and dry, matter- of -fact guy. "You are going to go in that tunnel" - he showed me the tunnel. If you feel you are passing out, squeeze this ball. He gave me a tiny rubber ball with a tube attached. " And here, take these ear plugs ...the noise may be pretty..." he made a face.

"I can hear you fine though. So.".

"Well, whatever."- Again another "attitude" face.

He leaves me. I go in the tunnel. I thank my friends who have gone through it, and were thoughtful not to scare me giving me all the strength that it's child's play... you'll be fine.

But my weakness is- I am super imaginative, easily can bring thoughts that make me cry , shiver in horror or fly in joy. So I try to bring all the images that make me fly like a kite, play with Zoe and all those darling faces blowing candles for my birthday.

Bang. bang, (Oscar the grouch banging on the garbage can thinking of a band)...HRRR... (you are now dropped into Niagara falls)... Dhata, ghata, ghata ...in enormous loudness shaking my whole brain like machine guns going on ( as if I am invited to the Iraq war or something)

I think -what if the machine fails now? How long has it been? Twenty minutes seems like eternity. I succumb myself to my fate trying to stay calm and recite "I'll be fine...I'll be fine..."

All on a sudden it stops. Utter silence. Uncomfortable stillness. Did the machine really fail and is stuck? This is really scary. But I must not squeeze the ball. I'll be brave.

Then tringa ling ling ling...goes the sound , as if I am on a tram going to my grand pa's house in Tollygung like I used to do as a kid in Calcutta.

The tram pushes me out to light.

The guy came out and said - you did good.

I knew it. There is always light at the end of a tunnel. No matter how much I am suffering soon it will pass.

I make drawings of earrings when the pain is sane, these designs are mostly extensive , extremely elaborate wire work designs,( I'll show you one day when I can sit to take pictures). My fingers laugh out loudly-" "Are you kidding? You expect me to make these some day?"

"Yes- says my brain".

"Just wait until I can sit, I'll show you "- talks back other parts of my body.

Work-life balance

2010-07-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Recently I finished the book Women, Work and Art of Savoire Faire by Mireille Guilliano, the best seller author of the book-French Women Don't Get Fat

I did not read the second book yet but would like to share my impression about the first one-

Women Work & Art of Savoire Faire:

Guilliano already admitted in the beginning that this is not one of those How to books - ( How to bring killer traffic to your blog or Three best ways to find the most profitable keyword..). This is a book of stories and annectdotes.

Well, now that I am done with the reading I find with a surprise that I can not remember a single story - not a single one really stayed in my mind- and it is only three days. Rather, subconsciously I noted some important points for "success" that she mentioned (even though she mentioned that she does not like the word "success" really.)

1. Dreams and ambitions do change with different stages of life. While having a red convertible sports car may be the dream in late twenties, in your thirty you might find that it has shifted. Now all you want is a family and motherhood! Therefore, enjoy each day with style, the French way, keeping this valuable advise in mind weave your life planning in bite size short term goals.

2. Take time for yourself. Cultivate healthy habits, stylish grooming rituals, attractive manners, proper etiquette etc all along- as these are the gold stamps on the passport for making lasting impressions.

3. Define clearly what to expect from you and what you do expect too, both to your family and business circle. Both circles will appreciate . Always promise less, rather over deliver if possible.

These are winning styles- the French way for maintaining the work-life balance.

Did you happen to read any of her books? I'd like to know your comments.

Irony of the Wedding Bangle

2010-07-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

So, finally my doctor is convinced that I should take an MRI and see a spine specialist. Well wishing friends are relieved- good, at last the American Medical system is paying attention to their poor, suffering friend.

-But, do poke the MRI appointment desk, they advised.

With in an hour at 1:30 pm the phone rang. - Can you come at 3:30 pm today?

I was only half way through my lunch sandwich...my husband yelled- Take it.

Okay- I gulped.

-Did you have brain, heart, spine surgeries before?. - No.

-Are you claustrophobic?

-What do you mean?

-Well, your body will be put through a narrow tunnel- tube.

How narrow? But I gather all my strength and try to think of all the known faces that came out straight after an MRI. I take a deep breath and say - I think I'll be fine.

-Well then come, no jewelry, no make up.

I can deal with that.

So, after a million baby steps from the top of the roof parking lot, ( yes, everyone and their cousins are sick today probably, all are here in this hospital), through the green belt ( checking out sign post arrows), down to the basement, finally we arrive at the registration desk. My thigh nerves are really flaring angry now.

In a few minutes with perfect pronunciation I hear my name called - Anindita Basu! - by a cute looking nurse. I am impressed.

-No bobby pins, no jewelry, okay.

-Well...mmm I have this wedding bangle that I can not take off. See I was much younger, much slimmer thirty five years ago and I have never taken it off.

-Oh it's beautiful...why, sure. Look at the design, must be 22 k gold? - she calls a friend.

-Yes, but it is iron clad.

-What? Her eyes popped.

-Yes, it is very auspicious. The iron part is believed to protect my husband from evils. It is for his well being and I have never taken it off.

-How sweet. Does he have one for you

No, but I don't say that to her. I remember my feminist friend's remark- They are just iron shackles. In those days men could marry several wives and live under the same roof with all of them, each wearing an iron wedding bangle for His Highness. Damn it. Chauvinist pigs! Why would a modern wife wear it? I don't.

But I don't see it like that. It is a sweet, auspicious, sentimental symbol to me. - Can't I just wrap it with a cloth or something?

-Honey, It is a very strong magnet. Come see for yourself.

She is definitely much younger than me. But I liked her affectionate tone.

As I approach my wrist close to the tube - OH MY!!!

OUCH. I have never felt such a gigantic pull. The monster with its red lighted licking tongue looked at me - I WANT IT!

I understand. The nurse looked at me with all her tenderness. - See, Sweety, You don't want to get burnt. It will scald you. Go to a jewelry artist and take it off. Then come here. We'll wait for you.

I took an appointment four days later.- Will you be there then? I kind of got attached to her magnetic personality.

But she drew me away gently. No, my dear, but whoever be there will help you.

I came home and went to my studio. (see I call it studio- I AM the jewelry artist.) Easily with my flush cutter I could cut the gold part. But the iron part is tricky.

My engineer husband declared that there must be a split in the iron part too. His tool box arrived.
The blue veins in my wrist , delicate under my pale skin makes him nervous. But I am fearless. -Yank it out - I say. And with all his manly force he did.

I am free. What a sense of relief. Now I can take it off when I wish. I have gone through every security post to be ostracized, poked and touched in all private parts - yet I took it for granted for these thirty five years.

Now I am free. I believe I'll always be wearing the protective bangle for him - visible or not: and I trust that he has it too for me - visible or not; each couple who love each other must be wearing such protective bangles - visible or not.

Yet, I pick it up. How can I fix it so that I can wear it easily? The vines of hope design on the gold glisten with glee.

.

A Pain in the...

2010-07-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

I am knocked out with a pain in the... you know what. The name of the monster is Sciatica. It arrived, with out notice. I heard that is its nature ... it will go away on its own too with out proper good bye after oh may be two to eight weeks.. some where there. It has a tendency to visit you again if it likes your BODY too much.

Well, it has been four weeks now. It really gets on to your nerves- from the back of your thighs to all the way down. It bites, squeezes, pinches, chews, gnaws, shakes, rattles, even numbs you until you cry, reach for more pain killers and then fall asleep.

You can't sit, you may barely walk and stand. But you may lie on your tummy and write rubbish like I am doing now, or lie on your back with your feet propped up on a pillow and day dream.

Things are worse now than it was a couple of weeks ago.

Yes, I remember that I had a craft show. Would I be able to make it? Well it will take me at least three hours in the morning to get ready to be presentable in walking condition. Mornings are the worst time when you wake up and have to go to the bathroom. You would rather crawl than stand on your own feet!

Couple of nights before the show I came across a blog where the author was describing one of his first craft shows. Sorry, I forgot the link now. It was an out door show. The day was gloomy, at one time the sky showed its angry colors and roared every now and then. The wind demonstrated its powers. No buyers came. The vendors started taking down their tents. It was still three o clock, still two hours left before the closing.

Our jewelry artist author, a starving artist then ( a very successful one now) stayed put. It was his principle to keep his promise. To serve until the end. He was just starting to establish his work ethics.

Around 4:50 a miracle happened. An elderly lady with an umbrella showed up from no where.

"Good, at least some one is open. I need to buy a bunch of gifts. I am going to a family get together after twenty years. Who knows if I'll see them again....Yes give me those earrings, yes six pairs for Jenny, Sally, Nina....and those bracelets -two will be fine for the two new brides and show me that necklace..."

Our staving artist made enough for his whole day's worth of waiting.

The article motivated me. So I woke up at 5:30 in the morning next day ( very unusual for me , I am not an early bird person) and did everything I could- hot shower, massage chair, all the exercises I was taught, back and forth pacing in the hallway for twenty minutes so that I came to walking condition by eight thirty. Yes, I forgot to mention. I did a lot of praying.

My prayers were answered. I could make it till the end. There were buyers in my stall. And most important- I overheard appreciation from unknown people, who did not know me and gave compliments to my work. Now I know what people like even if they can not buy it that very moment.

I thank them with folded hands silently. You have given me the push to move forward. You have stretched your hands to let me stand when I need it most.

Namaste.

Healing Blue Apatite

2010-05-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

Do you know the power of the healing gemstone- Blue Apatite?

"Isn't this Anindita?"- chime the lady next in line. I try to place the face.

"Lady Brabourne College, remember? I am Anjuli.-- she added.
"Of course I remember, Anjuli" I give her a tight hug.

My, Anjuli must have gained a hundred pounds!But I bite my tongue before blabbering out -You have changed so much. Instead I say, "How long has it been, Anju- thirty years?"

Anjuli was our college queen (like the Prom Queen, here). She was the tennis champion, college representative for Debate Tournaments, and the most popular gal in the campus. I was not in her close friend circle, rather one in her fan club.

I fancied keeping track of the gossips that hummed around her- how different suitors and young men tried to approach and catch her and how with swift swings, spins and smashes she handled them like her ping pong game.

"Remember the guy who held a bet with his friends to show off that he knew you?'- we chuckle.

"So who's the lucky winner finally? Is it Ron?"
"Yes, Ron." A shy yet strange smirk rises and fades.

"Have time today? I have to kill an hour before I pick up my child from his S.A.T. tutorial.

"Absolutely. I have to make time. There is so much to catch up"
So, we find a tiny table in Barbara's Bakery. And this is where I looked forward to find her every Wednesday for the next few weeks. We opened our lives to each other over cups of lattes and the gourmet goodies Barbara could offer.

From the best student Anjuli became the best mom, best neighborhood volunteer and the best home maker in town. Then the Supermom syndrome hit her when she found that she had nothing else left for herself.

"I was exhausted, you know." With several surgeries and health problems pounds piled up upon her.

"It was not that I was unaware. I tried different diets and each time it sank me a bit more at the end. It was like I was walking on a quick pit.

When I look in the mirror, I wonder who is this? My face has changed." I lost myself, Anindita. I hide myself from me. I choose clothes that hide my body these days,can you believe that? It was just the other way round one day, you know.

Then I hid myself from Ron. I tried to escape from him until our marriage withered and died.

It's all me, it's all my fault. I don't blame Ron a bit. But in reality, in action I did it everyday. I blamed, blamed, blamed him everyday for everything- from squeezing the tooth paste the wrong way, watching the wrong T.V.shows to spending his own earned money the wrong way.

I left him. I tore down the nest that I had built with so much care one day."

She paused. Then fixing her gaze some far away she added:

"You know- deep down I felt that Ron does not deserve this Anju. It's not fair to him. He's my first love and perhaps I love him more than myself. But he'd never know that.

Then, you know who comes to rescue, to comfort, to put emollient on my wound?

This soft cream on the warm bun." She took a long slow lick with her eyes closed. Then abruptly with a jerk she shoved off her plate across the table.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. I held her hand. It was time to go. It was time to let go.

Next week she agreed to my proposal of taking a walk around the block instead of visiting Barbaras while we caught up with our stories.

I told her about my ecstasy of doing jewelry (the career change) and the agony of the financial struggle of doing what you love to do, no matter what they say.

Next week we found a Weight Watcher meeting place that existed at the other side of the shopping center.

A month later Anju achieved her first 5% weight loss goal. We celebrated it having French manicure done on our nails. We discovered this beauty parlor only nine blocks away on our walking route.

Very soon Anju will be on her 10% loss goal. She is almost there. I am making a knitted wire bracelet for her to celebrate that. It is with blue apatite gemstone beads and mid night blue fresh water pearls knitted with silver wire.

I have studied that apatite is a balancing stone that helps suppress food craving. It helps in concentrating and meditation. It helps with anger and negativity and restores the physical, emotional and spiritual balances.

Pearl brings good fortune, love and a general sense of well being.

With these thoughts and a prayer that may the healing stones show their promises I'll offer her my humble creation.

Of course I'll make one for you too or your loved ones. Do check my etsy store. And I'll make one for myself too- I promise.

.

Most Embarrassing Moment

2010-04-14T00:20:00.000-07:00

"In Art man reveals himself, not his objects"- Rabindra Nath Tagore

My most embarrassing moment?

Then I have to rewind many years. Ready?

I was seventeen. He was probably twenty two. We lived seven houses apart. One day, with my woman's intuition I kind of felt I've been watched.

One day when the door bell rang and my mom opened the door, it was him. He came to see my dad, to get some official paper signed, (at a certain position as a Govt Officer my dad had this authority)

"He'll come tomorrow again- he said , when your dad is home. This young man is a neighbor of ours, lives in ... is going to USA, so he needs those papers signed."

"Oh I see". I went back putting the mascara meticulously. I hate clumps. In the mirror I noticed a faint smirk on me - hey my dad is not the only officer in town to sign that paper. But in the process I came to know his name. He goes to the same university where I go and yes it is the same house that I suspected is where he lives.

Several months passed. Sometimes we catch a glimpse of each other while passing each others house. For safety sake when I turn my head to make sure no cars are coming from behind, I see he has hopped from one veranda to another. Well I admit, I was caught several times doing the same thing too.

More months passed, nothing major happened other that hopping from one veranda to another.

That October, with my family I went to a very beautiful place named Ghatshila. The vacation house we stayed in was the most beautiful one. It was right on top of the river Subarna Rekha. Translating Subarna Rekha will sound like- the golden line. It was exactly that, especially at the dusk.

I found a friend there too. Her name was Anita. I call her, Unto. She was exactly six months older than me. Within days we opened our hearts to each other, shared our secrets, worries, knowledge about hush- hush things, film stars, movie songs and everything. We took long walks in the ripened rice fields and dipped ourselves in the cool river and had water fights.

Soon the Durga Puja and Diwali festivals were there. The beating of the drums, the lamps shining on the Goddess' face, the smell of incenses kind of transcended us spiritually. After our prayers Anita asked me, "Were you sure exactly what to pray?" I was .

"Silly you, what does a seventeen year six month know about life? Wait till you become eighteen! Besides, prayers only work when it is combined with action.What is your mode of action?"

I don't know.

"Send him a greeting card."

Now Ghatshila was not at all a place for cards. Besides, going shopping involves grown ups - too complicated.

"Make one."

We couldn't find any art material in that vacation house. She brought me an Inland post paper with a stamp on it and a terrible dot pen. The quality of the paper was so bad she suggested not to use ink.

Here is what is so embarrassing. I could have drawn a design or something. But I found my self finishing up with a bird - kind of an ibis looking creature with a long beak and neck standing on one leg in a swamp. The reflection of other water plants are apparent. Now why on earth did I come up with that!

"Very good." Encouraged Anita seriously. She must have worked hard hiding her laugh. "Now write whatever you want inside and the address on the out."

I wrote- "Bijoya greetings." My name and my address in the inside.

After the letter was out of my hand, given to the mail man, I had the worst, most severe embarrassing feeling attack. Why did I listen to her? I was a shy, proud and reserved kind of person at that age. That image shattered right in front of me every time I faced the mirror.

Now my new prayer is -let that letter be lost. The rest of the vacation was terrible for me naturally. Unto could not figure out why I was getting so short tempered with her. At the end we even did not exchange addresses to keep in touch.

Several months past, nothing much happened other than hopping verandas.

On the seventh month through the grape vines I came to learn that he has gone to USA.

Good. I hope I can forget the whole thing quickly now, I started praying with my ears all red and hot.

Next October I got a post card- the sky line of New York city in dusk- as if this American city is all dressed up for Diwali. There was only one line - " Greetings and Best wishes to you and your family." His name and his current address.

Five years and about a hundred and some letters later, we became husband and wife and I came to USA.

Thirty five years later, we share the same life with two daughters and a grand daughter and the same home. Today right now, I can see him across the same room, stretched out on the lazy boy chair, the news papers on his lap, and the afternoon sun is glistening on his silver streaked temple. As I put the last crimp bead, I try to hide the memory of that embarrassing day,oh that silly ibis....

Some times I think of Unto. Where is she? How is her life? I lost all touch with her after she was married a year later I met her, when she was only nineteen. It was an arranged marriage.

She does not know how embarrassed she made me one day and also what a gift she had given!

The picture you see is taken from the train in 2010 - Passing Ghatshila 42 years later.

It's About Time

2010-03-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

Let the Muse refuse
Just hold on to her shoes.

It happens.

You come up with a great idea. You can see part of it and you are so anxious to see the rest- how is it going to turn out when it is finished- but then something happens. You fail to grab the moment, the Muse leaves.

May be you just wanted a few more minutes to bask in the warm afternoon sun, on your soft couch and linger the cat-nap a wee bit more. When you wake up you find that your idea has faded.

Or, you got caught in a million of mundane things, washing the dishes, folding the laundry or wiping the kitchen counter top the 87th time. The inner child in you tugs you by the end of your clothes - please , o please, let's go and do it, let's get lost in the creative process. (I say let's because with in you exists more than one entity, You have a child self and a grown up one, who always scrutinizes and criticizes)

The child in you loves when she can lose herself in creating something. That is when she forgets about herself, her ego, the sense of time, or the fear if it is going to be a success or not. At that time there is only one thing- the process, the action or total concentration.

This is when time stands still even though the sun goes from the east to the west, from one end to the other over the horizon.

But who cares? It was a day well spent. Well worth living. You have gone through that experience and you know what it is.

Author Rice Freeman-Zachery in Creating Time and Space: Making Room for Making Art asks the readers in Chapter 1 - What exactly does "time" means to you? and then at one place comments "Dreams and ideas are timeless- you've felt that, waking up from a dream that lasted for weeks only to have the clock insist that you had slept for only half an hour."

So true.

We like it best when we can lose track of time like a child, but as a grown up we have lost it. We have learned the value of time. Understood how precious it is and how to spend it wisely!

Art Bead Scene Blog: About the Art Bead Scene

2010-02-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

Art Bead Scene Blog: About the Art Bead Scene

I Beg Your Pardon...

2010-02-11T20:23:00.000-08:00

I had to yank the shopping cart hard to untangle. Succeeding, my eyes met a fellow sitting on a near by bench at the entrance of the super market. I smiled.

"Maam"

A couple of steps later I hear again - "Maam... "
I turned my head.

"I AM HUNGRY."

How old is he? Fourteen or fifteen, may be. This young Afro-American boy, his face all bundled up in a black parka hood, is announcing - "I am hungry!" - As if I am his mom or auntie or a close neighbor.

I am startled. Yet I pause.

"May be when I get back". I answered. The boy nodded his head "Okay".

Believe me, I am quite good at ignoring these "spare a change?", "will work for food" kinda messages.

I used to see a woman sitting on a low wall of a church with all her possessions in a shopping cart. She wore decent clothes. Every Friday after grocery, on my way back home I would to see her - for quite a few months.

Some times I thought of stopping and talking to her. If I bought her a sandwich or give a box of crackers would she mind? - I thought. But I never did.

I grew up in Calcutta. I have seen all kinds of begging strategies.

Once, a lady - quite properly dressed, came to our house and asked to see the lady of the house. She told my mom her story so convincingly that we were mesmerized. Her husband had died recently from a stroke. Her only wage earning son, had a car accident and is in the hospital. She is new to this strange city and had no option other than going door to door for help. She wiped her glasses with the end of her shawl.

Ma gave her a robust donation.

We smirked and ridiculed Ma for how gullible she was and how easily she could be fooled.

"Well, then I pay for her superb acting"- She replied.

When all these beggar women, with a skeleton child on their hips cluster around our car, as we are stuck in the Park Street traffic jam - they stretch their palms for "a Paisa" (coin), I can easily roll the window up and direct the driver to remember to stop at the "Flury's" - the best baking shop in Calcutta

But today something happened. It was almost 3:40 pm and I have not had lunch either. My stomach was growling. The words echoed louder and louder in my head - " Maam..I am hungry, I am hungry."

As I was snaking through the aisles picking up stuff from my list, I was also unconsciously thinking of this boy.

Finally, I picked up a bagguette and a small cup of cream cheese and asked the cashier girl to bag it separately and stick a plastic spoon too.

I came out. The sliding door closed silently.

He was no where.

This is the first time I was refused by a beggar.

A Wish from A Genie

2010-02-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

I came across an interesting term- RAS- acronym of - Reticular Activation System.

What I understood is- it is the part of the brain that acts like a strainer.

Suppose you are in a busy air port or train station and there are all kind of noise and cacophony. But you can manage to snooze. All on a sudden you hear- "Ms. Dita Basu - you have a call in the white courtesy telephone"

WHAT? Your antanaes are up. You are not sleepy any more.

So, my brain could let pass all that is not so important but just capture and hold onto what is important.

Experts say that this knowledge is applicable to any goal setting strategy. Athletes in Olympics use it, successful speakers and performers use it. They can visualize their success and train their brain to note it as a very important thing.

If you can manage this part of your brain, or rather you can understand the full power of this tool that you already have - you do have unlimited wealth and potential.

Oh My! That's why they probably say - you have unlimited potential, you just don't know about it.

So here, decide what is the one and only one thing that you can give your heart and soul and desire most? Can you dream it?

Oh No! I am in trouble. The Genie has come . "Quick Dita- Think of just one wish. One and just one thing ."

Traffic in my blog? Nah.

Clicks in my affiliate marketing? - Nah nah.

Just one wish - it must be more valuable than that.

"I want to give all that I know- Give me that wish"

The Genie smiled and turned his head. "It is all up to you. Remember RAS?"

He leaves.

I am left alone. I grab my bead box and create a necklace piece.

Knitted garnet teardrops in silver wire.

Oldest Jewellery Design

2010-01-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

I was thinking of the oldest jewelery design on earth, as I was finishing up my latest jewelry project. It revealed some extra ordinary fascinating facts.

The oldest jewelry design goes back as far as some forty to forty five thousand years ago. If we consider that the first human dates back about six to seven million years,evidence of the first jewelry designs happened some forty to forty-five thousand years ago.

Scientists believe this time frame correlates with when humans could use language or appreciate symbolism. Jewelry was worn to show some kind of symbolism just like it is used to day - to show power, status or some thing like that.

Shell beads were found in ancient Turkey , ostrich egg shell beads in Kenya, they all had deliberate holes for designing jewelery. They all are contemporary, though far apart in geographical sense, they show the same time period - about 45,000 years old.

Recent findings shake this theory. Three beads were found that were over 100,000 years old. Shell bead found in Blombos cave, on the southern tip of South Africa are75,000 years old.

These beads all have deliberate holes, and definitely do carry symbolic message- says Prof Henshilwood of the University of Bergen, Norway (Ref: BBC News: "Oldest Jewellery" - June 22, 2006 )

This dramatically pushes back the dates for the first clear proof of using symbolism by human being. That is what sets human apart from animals.

Then, even before we could talk(which is around 45 to 50 thousand years ago) were we making jewelry designs? Why not? It is very possible that the urge to make beautiful things came even before we learned to talk.

Like art, jewelry design opens the window of the human soul just to point to the mystery of beauty!

You Are Invited

2010-01-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

I feel that this blog spot is my home in the web -land. Here, even though we ( you and I ) may not be able to shake hands literally, or even see each other ever in person, yet we get to know each other; know each others' passions and struggles.

Here, I may not be able to offer you a cup of tea or my favorite sherry cake, but can offer you the recipe.

This holiday season was really nice for me, (thanks for all the holiday wishes!) especially I got to see my little ZZ and her cute family. Of all the fun things that had happened to me , I'll mention one today.

It was making the wreath.

This year I did not get to buy a wreath for our door. After the Christmas tree was brought in, my daughter announced that we had quite a bit of greenery from the cut out branches of the bottom of the tree.

It was drizzling outside, besides the pine greenery had such heavenly smell we just wanted to fiddle with them inside.

I remembered the wisteria branch from last spring. Its supple, malleable nature let me bend it and twist it until I made a full circle of that lanky branch and then tossed it somewhere in the shed. Yes, it was still there!

Let that be our base for the wreath. Then with my ample jewelry practice wires we attached the pine leaves and branches. There were hollies and berries from our side yard that the birds had planted and we carelessly never attended them. Those adorned the green branches with red kisses.

It was the best wreath. And the best part was everything was from our home and natural.

Here, now I open my door. Please come in. Have a little chat. Say something, so that I'll know that you came and left your foot prints.
And please visit again. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

2009-12-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

"You Alone Are You"- Shakespeare

It's interesting how sometimes things happen as if there is a pattern that is invisible.

Here, we are all busy to make others happy. We are cleaning the house for guests, thinking of the wishes of our dear ones and working so hard to be the Santa Claus. In the kitchen we are baking, cooking and constantly cleaning and wiping. Days pass by swiftly, afternoons succumb to nights quicker than ever before. The thought of going for the walk vanishes as we struggle crossing out the jobs from our to do list.

My friend says,- " But I had no time with my kids. Before I could sit and tell how my days are it was time for them to leave. They are more interested in their friends. Do you get into such feelings sometimes?"

"Oh yeh, of course. And then I am the one who has to drag me out from that hole - no body knows me better than I do." - I say.

I overlook the wrinkles and silver streaks on my temple and love the face I see in the mirror, because -"To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance"- Oscar Wilde.

All these quotations one by one are dropping on my lap for the past few days.

This morning I was reading this book - "Life Lessons for Women". It is one of those Chicken Soup series book.

I want to share one story(from the book- not mine, mind you), but I'll tell it in short and in my language.

"I was looking for those free days, the days when my dear husband and I would be retired, the kids have their own lives, and we are free. We'll do lots of traveling, and do all the things we wanted to do .

But life happened differently. A chunk of our savings was drained out for taking care of our dear aged parents in their last days. My husband lost his job and sank into great depression after the 9/11 .He became a total stranger to me .

Our only daughter's marriage did not last too long. Now, she came to live with us with a baby while student teaching in the day time and working as a waitress at night. She was trying to get her teaching credential.

There was no one to care for the baby. We calculated that it will be cheaper for me to quit my job as an assistant special education staff than putting the child in a day care.

I lost my job of eleven years with all the pension and other things, yet it was the right thing to do I felt.

There were times when I felt down and depressed.

One such day while I took Allison, my grand daughter for a walk I remembered how my dad used to take me on his nature hikes. How I helped him plant in the garden- how he connected me with nature and the fact that I love nature.

I was almost unaware of this fact, it seemed. Now every day as Allison and I go out for our walks we discover new things. How the leaves turned yellow, orange, crimson-red and burnt - cinnamon in crisp autumn days until one day all the leaves were gone.

Then we found tiny bird nests tucked in those bare trees. Looking closely we discovered how hard the birds try, some times sowing leaves with thorns to make a nest, sometimes lining them with mud. Still some fail, and there are broken eggshells.

Yet, they try and start the mornings with chants. Still they show their glee with tweets and chirps.

One day I saw a huge v -shape on the sky made by the snow geese. One goose for some strange reason deviated from the group and got lost. In a while I saw the whole flock turned around looked for the stray missing member and picked her up. Then they went flying again. How amazing."

It brought tears in my eyes. This simple wisdom of the birds gives me a profound sense of the meaning of a family and a strange sense of self .

I hope I can help my friends who are feeling a bit depressed during this stressful time of the year.

May the spirit of the season perk you up.

The Knitted Galaxy

2009-11-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

There is so much to share. I spent almost a month in D.C. with my new friend little ZZ. She is about nine months old. She gave me a big welcome at the airport as soon as she saw me. She had been waiting in the baggage claim area with her dad.

She gave me a big toothless smile waving her all four arms and legs like a little joey from her dad's kangaroo pouch.

We went to see many things in D.C. in these three weeks which will be unfolded here one by one and I want to tell you how it affected me in my creative process.

One day we went to visit the NASA museum where ZZ's mom works as a post doc in the field of Astronomy. I was amazed at the stories and huge pictures/models of the galaxies. Many things were explained to me, but those mathematical, analytical info went over my head. I was dumbfound at the magical beauty and vastness of the whole thing. It kind of transcended me spiritually.

My inside wanted to create something as an ode to the Supreme Creator. That night I had strange dreams.

When the morning sun beams peeked in, in that wee hour, while every one was still sleeping I created my first piece of knitted jewelry.

I made it for little ZZ. A tiny bracelet- only 2 1/2 inches long. But it gave me some ideas, practice, gauge and dimension sense that I could count on, and the next few days I was creating knitted jewelry like crazy. Here I show two- (at the right of this page.)

Check my etsy store as I am going to upload each day.

FREE SHIPPING for this week until December 2.

If you do not want to go through etsy, or live close by where I do not need to ship you, I can pass the saving so that you don't have to pay sale tax. I'll pay for your tax. My way of saying THANK YOU for the THANKS GIVING occasion.

I also have a craft show this month :

Saturday, December 5, 9 am - 2:30 pm
in a church-19001 San Ramon Valley Blvd. San Ramon CA.
I'll be happy to see you there.

The Soul of Somanya

2009-11-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

My beads from Africa have come!

Look at them! Aren't they awesome?

These black and white beads are called Krobo beads. They are made from recycled glass ground up in large mortar and pestle by hand, then fired using traditional techniques, that is, home made clay molds, home made clay ovens fired with wood, and then hand painted and again fired after each color is applied.

No, I did not do all that stuff. These beads are created in Africa.

The Soul of Somanya is a small organization entirely staffed by volunteers. They are located in Somanya- Krobo in Ghana's Eastern Region, where they are working to develop sustainable employment opportunities in the field of bead work for working -age orphans and other young people whose job prospects are very limited.

These decorative ear wires either sterling silver or copper, are designed by these young orphan artisans. They incorporated traditional Ghanian Adinkra symbols into the head pins. Each symbol has a special message or meaning.

One means Safety Security and Love, another- Friendship and Interdependence. I have elaborated them in my etsy store with the respective earring.

After I bought these, Melody, one of the organizers wrote to me- "...your first order allowed us to pay eight artisans a living wage for a whole day of work".

I wished I could do more. That will only depend if I can sell them. By the way shipping is free if you order between November 25- December 2, 2009.

After I got them in the mail I was so emotional. How beautiful these wire designs are..
. simple, yet so complex!

I integrated ox red ruby quartz in some, wood spacer beads in another and added autumn- copper, dark Czech glass beads to another set. Each one is unique.

The whole afternoon spilled into the evening hours and then into night until my dear husband asked if I thought about cooking dinner tonight or should he get some take outs.

I felt embarrassed.

Well, Happy ThanksGiving !

Wrapped in love

2009-09-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

I am studying about gemstones and it is very interesting the way they are opening up to me. I had some turquoise beads and I learned that the turquoise has the power to open up all the chakras, allowing the stone's power of love and communication to flow through the entire being. However, the healers associate it primarily with the throat (5 th chakra) - the center of communication, creativity and spiritual bonding. Turquoise can also help open up for giving and receiving love. Its true blue color sybolizes the spirit of sky source for spiritualists.

There were some lapis also on the tray. I came to know that the lapis makes the wearer aware and wise.

I grabbed some silver gray pearls.

Looking at them all I visualized a young girl who has fallen in love, can't quite make sure if it is right and at the same time cannot overcome the shyness.

It is for her I'm going to create this piece. I'll wrap them with silver and pray may she get all the help from these healing beads and then speak up for what she stands for. May she get all the luck and all the courage to win.

Fall Business Women Online Expo

2009-09-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

Gee I am learning so much. There is no school to attend but I have never done so much home work in my life- trying to learn how to do networking to sell jewelry on line.

Well, here we are having a gala On line Expo. Dee came up with this grand idea, so that we can help each other. It amazes me to see how the world is becoming smaller this way, how we are all getting related like we are all spinning a huge web to sustain it.

So do visit our shops , give us feed back and buy hand made meaningful things.

This is going to launch from September 26th 2009. So keep checking. There is more info to come.

TETHY'S TEARS

2009-09-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

Tethy was the sea -goddess in Greek mythology, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. She was the wife of Oceanus, but then, unfortunately his sister too.

She was the mother of all the rivers and lakes but her name mockingly only meant "the old woman"

Tethy had the power to control the stars and the planets and all the constellations above. She'd never let them touch her water. That is why the stars only circle on the sky, over and over forever, but can never drop below the horizon, or touch the surface of the sea.

Here, she raised her daughter,Hera, protecting her from all evil and harm.

Tethy perhaps wished she could fly like the birds and the bees, have wings like the fire flies or the angels. See she has wings on her forehead (in the illustrated mosaic).

But poor Tethy was strangled with sea weeds and surrounded by her thousands of children-the sea creatures, with the destiny of a sea nymph.

I come to feel that Tethy must have shed a lot of tears but was too proud to let the world know. Sea shells and many sea creatures knew those stories but like faithful friends never gossiped about them or, never told them to any body.

They held her tearful secrets in their own bosoms for millions of years which has become drops of pearls today.

While I was making this bracelet with the pale pink pearls then a pair of earring and then a necklace to match, I was thinking about Tethy's story.

What price tag should I put on ?

Jewelry in Treasure Trunk

2009-09-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

My friend Kathy and I had a Jewelry in Treasure Trunk sale last Saturday.

When we found out that we were too late to apply for the craft show in our community Kathy suggested why don't we just open our trunk on our drive way? I liked it and why don't we be just kind-a laid back (or lazy, shhh) and see what happens.

Well, for the first six hours nothing much really happened. I mean all the known neighbors even did not show up. I don't know where they went, because the bay bridge was closed for retrofitting any way.

Kathy and I decided we learned our lesson. Only two customers showed up and a little girl with a dad who purged everything he had in his pocket but he had only very limited money.

Then around quarter to five a lady zoomed in from no where, "Wow, this is great, I saw just like this in Nord Strom,... this is even better... your price is great..."

We assured her that since we did not make it to the craft show and did not have to pay for the booth fees we decided to pass on that savings to the buyers.

She started piling earrings and necklaces in one area. I thought she'd make a selection from them but no, she bought them all. We packed them all in nice organza gift bags. She said she is done with her Christmas shopping.

We were very happy. She made our day. We are thinking if we should give another treasure trunk sale on our driveway again!

Do you have an experience lately selling your jewelry? I'd love to hear that and share. Please do leave a comment. Thank you. Dita.

Happiness in a package

2009-08-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a fair- Holistic fair. There were many vendors with healing jewelry, palm readers, fortune tellers with a twist, meditation scent sellers , peace sound making Tibetian bowls and what not.

But then a guy with a smile came and sat under a tree where we were sitting . This little out door hangout seemed like a nice shady place, here there are chairs in a semi circle. Another couple also came with their lunch plates and sat down.

Well this guy said I am going to talk about HAPPINESS and then he showed that he wrote a book about it which mainly says (what we all know) that when you stop chasing "HAPPINESS" you'll find it has landed right on your shoulder like a little yellow butterfly.

He talked for a good twenty minutes giving many formulas and theories and anecdotes.

HUH! Actually the listeners summed it up much better when they were given a chance for the open discussion.

Any way, I was thinking about how we get scared when we see dark clouds that gradually approach and we feel- here, it is going to gulp all my happiness, all my sunshine. But doesn't that make sunshine more precious? Don't the clouds have beauty in themselves?

When I move back a few feet, move back from ME, I happen to see the beauty,truth. Happiness is a much bigger thing.

With all that memory and feelings I create something . A necklace piece. I have not given it a name yet, but how about if I call it VERDANT- some one who is inexperienced in judgment , yet young, unripe, innocent, and fresh?

Yes, that is what I feel when the sun beams go through those transparent tear drops. And the green little crystal beads glisten with glee.

Mythology

2009-06-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

"Artists don't make objects
Artists make mythologies" - Anish Kapoor

I wake up from a strange dream.

I was swimming hard upstream, against the current. There were many other fish swimming like me. All trying too hard, sometimes pushed back way behind to start all over, some landing somewhere with a loud thud.

Yet, their shimmering bodies glisten with the moonbeams. Sun rays make rainbows. I am enchanted.

I am exhausted. My throat is dry. A gush of water like a huge waterfall, frightening, yet my only quench of thirst wakes me up.

I get a drink of water. Analyzing my dream I came to the conclusion that I was probably worked up inside, thinking how to survive in this home business. How are we going to pay the huge medical insurance when it will soon be all on us. Where would I sell my jewelry. If I don't sell them how will I carry on with this passion?

Then also I felt so small the other day when I went to see the Art fair last weekend. Am I there yet?

I try to think of my style. I want it to manifest itself. I don't want to stamp a brand too hard. No, I never feel satisfied working from a given pattern or kits. I mish mash many ideas, inspirations, experiments and come up with my own hodge podge.

Looking deeper I see that it has a trace of past - my style, I mean. Memories of my mother's, aunts', even grandma's jewelry- that have the touch of antique India in them.

Then it is mixed with wire work, recently learned, bead chips, Bohemian and Czech glasses, swarovski crystals, all that I take from the new age and the new world.

We have come such a long way- I was thinking as I had been crimping the last bead for my necklace the other day. I name this necklace- Mythology

I wanted to make this necklace piece to go with my Chevron danglers.

It shook me up. The story of the Chevron bead- that it used to be traded to buy slaves.

Then strangely yesterday I came across an interesting article, flipping through an old Bead and Button magazine. Here, Melody Mc. Duffy, an American beader is writing about her experience in Ghana where Krobo beads are made.

Of course the Africans villagers did not greet her with open arms in the beginning. It started with a lot of suspicion and doubt but gradually the spirit of Art brought them together and from a common interest of beading they shared their passion, knowledge and helped each other. The Soul of Somanya was born. Visit www.soulofsomanya.org to know more or help in this project.

Who Am I

2009-05-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I was trying to write "My Profile".

There was a time when I was known as- so and so's daughter. Then, I was Mrs....-so and so's wife. Even the last half of my name was chopped off and replaced by some unknown family link. Then I was recognized as so and so's mother, which went for awhile - a decade and a half.

Now I pause to think -who is this "Me" person really, that I am supposed to write a referral for?

What are the values that I cared for most, that I carry on in my daily living? Or, are they just big, pompous hollow word in my wish list.

I wanna be ...

Is it the same person who greets me every morning at the mirror?

I remember the day when in college we had to write about our values. We had to cherry pick only five qualities that we value most out of a list of hundred wonderful character traits. They were all super qualities- like honesty, sincerity,punctuality, artistic ability, popularity, beauty...etc.

I wondered why couldn't I choose all? Why only five?

Do I remember those five now, twenty five years later?

I think I can remember ... sincerity, art and the ability to love...

No, I don't remember the rest. Now I know why they asked to choose only five!

Of course I should have chosen slimness, money, intelligence... but no I was confused and I did not choose them.

I have a quote in my "studio" It says - "Art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life." by Picasso.

Isn't it beautiful?

In this vein I remember another event. I was a child then. I went to a very humble house in rural India with my dad. It was a mud hut. But in the entrance there was a beautiful design drawn right at the door step. It is called an alpana The design was drawn with simple rice paste, grinding rice added with water and the finger tips were only used. No other tools were involved.

At the end of the day most of it was gone, faded with foot steps and the wind.

I commented "What's the point in taking so much trouble to make such a beautiful thing when it's life is so short?"

The lady was shocked. "It's a welcome design. Shouldn't I do it? I'll make it again tomorrow. It doesn't matter if it doesn't stay forever."

What stays forever? Really!

Have you ever seen the Sufi monks dance? They go round and round with their limbs stretched out. One palm stretched up to the sky, the other one points downwards to the ground,as if they want to say -

Oh Almighty, Omnibus -make me thy messenger. Give me your omnipotent power and through me let it be passed to the next generation, to the world.

Bestow thy grace and blessings on me so that I may carry it to my fellow brothers and sisters. Make me selfless and let me forget my ego.

Yesterday I found a couple of Chevron beads in my bead box. These beads used to be traded in the slave industry. Buy human beings trading these beads! It gives me a chill. It used to be produced only by the glass artists of Italy.

Now they are made in China too probably! I got them in a small shop in San Luis Obispo. At least they looked just like the picture that I had seen in the wikipedia for Chevron beads.

I made a pair of earrings with them and now I am in the process of making a matching necklace integrating those colors.

Mother's Day Abuse

2009-05-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Do you know that Anna Jarvis, the lady who first started the tradition of celebrating the Mother's Day in North America, had to spend all her inheritance money and the rest of her life fighting against the abuse of this holiday? Nine years after the official Mother's Day, commercialization became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become. She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while protesting for this exploitation and abuse of mother's day celebration.

In the jewelry business 7.8% of the annual revenue in 2008 came from this one day event sale. According to the National Restaurant Industry this the busiest day in the whole year.

Anna was furious and called it laziness when moms were given store bought cards.I verified these information from the wikipedia.

Interviewing ten mothers separately, and informally, I came to this surprising conclusion that nine out of ten did not want to head to the crowded restaurant this day. Rather, they wished that they were treated with some home cooked goodies, or to a picnic, a movie or taken to a theater.

This Mother's Day I miss my Ma very much. I lost her two years ago. As I was thinking of her, something strange happened. As if a small voice within me whispered - who said that she is gone forever?

She is right here in me, my daughter, my baby grand daughter. She is gone but a new baby has come . This is how it happens. The fruit falls , then from the seed another baby plant grows. The basic tree does not vanish! It was strange that I was solaced so easily and became so philosophical.

After that, I took my bead box and created a jewelry . It has all our birthstones of the four generations.

Zoe - amethyst, me- crystal in lieu of diamond, Rinti -ruby and for my mom- sapphire.
The central stone is a cloisonne with designs of a vine. It is wrapped with gold filled wire in a special wire work that is called the divine eye.

My eyes welled up after I finished the piece. I know it was not from eye strain .

Then I mailed it to my daughter.

WireBlissMei: Iza Malczyk - Jeweler

2009-04-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

WireBlissMei: Iza Malczyk - Jeweler

Obsidian

2009-04-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

"Obsidian is basically a lava rock. When volcanic lava cools rapidly, it forms a shiny black glass known as obsidian. It is typically dark gray but may be pure black and opaque with a vitreous luster...."- gabbed the guy from the other group.

We are in Yosemite. The huge El Capitan stands straight and strong. The Half dome is half draped bathed in the afternoon sun rays. The Bridal Veil falls with voluptuous abundance . What a breath- taking beauty!

I look at the giant red wood tree fallen right in the meadow, now horizontal, half burnt in a fire, all roots gone.

She lived a thousand years. What message does she tells me?

But no, I back off. I must not go too close. They have very fragile root system, I might hurt her. But she has no roots, silly!

I read that out of a million acorn seeds only one may have the potential to be a real red wood tree. Most of them don't make it.

Yet, there are baby trees growing all around the dead giant, full of promises. The wild lupines adorn them with royal purple gowns.

I remember the picture of the Native American old lady, busy weaving her basket who used to live here some hundred years ago.

I come back home, light my table lamp and look for a round obsidian bead.
I drape the bead with silver wire in a basket weaving fashion. It is called the herring bone pattern.

As I look at the dark obsidian in the center her vitreous lustre and fine lines whisper all kinds of gossips and stories of the yester years.

Legacy

2009-04-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

I was trying to do some spring cleaning while an old letter fell on to my lap from the book case. It is a letter from my father, written about fifteen years ago. I started reading it. It is a long letter . Here he was talking about his childhood and about all the people in his life who made an impact on him and helped shape his character.

There were several beautiful stories which I plan to share with you little by little. Today I am going to pick the one about my grand father.

The year was some late eighteen -something. My grandfather was hit by a car while he was out on his morning walk. It was very early in the morning, there were not too many people in the streets of Calcutta. But two people witnessed that the driver was a British guy and he did not use his horn .

My grand dad had to lose two of his fingers in his right hand for this accident.

People, especially his lawyer friend urged him to sue the driver. The case was quite simple to win , ready with witnesses who also were upset with the driver's attitude.

My grandfather could not care less. He said, "I am an old guy, short of hearing. The sahib has no grudge on me to harm me. It's just an accident. I don't have the time to waste my energy on anger."

Rather he started practicing writing with his left hand and gave all his time and energy on writing for anti malaria projects. Soon he became the editor of that anti- malaria magazine.

Today, it's my father's birthday. He was a great guy. Most of all he was my dad. He gave us so much. What did I give him? All I can do is pass on the legacy to his grand kids who unfortunately may not be able to read his works. His books are written in Bengali.

Not only that, I wanted to share it with the whole world . My only request if you happen to land here please do drop me a comment. That way I'll know that you came to visit me.

My Purple Heart

2009-03-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

So I came up with another creative urge.`Another necklace -My Purple Heart was born.

Here, I have chosen the amethyst glass beads which are actually very very tiny teardrops,(the most delicate, tender, forgiving shade of purple) as the main thread. This will be holding the playful bunches of pink bicone crystals.

Look at the wires at the end of the swarovski crystal bicones.. They are individually wrapped with unique twists.. No easy quickfixes with commercial headpins.

Here, I played with the light and dark shades at the two sides of the locket. Oh, by the way I learned this new trick of wire work that I have applied in wrapping the locket. Did you notice that? This locket is a highly faceted Czech glass briolette crystal. It is so capable of splashing beautiful rainbow hues just agreeing with your mood.

So, how do you like it? Did you like Pinky Princess better or My Purple Heart? None of them? - Really!

A Beadazzled Day

2009-03-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Finally I got a chance to play with my beads and was quite busy the last two days. The memory of the tulip fields that I had seen in Kukenhoff, Holland visits me this time of the year in early spring. Ribbons of purple, lavender and pink stretched all the way up to the horizon. I can still see them if I close my eyes. Then I get up and fetch my bead box. I am inspired to make some thing with those colors.

I had seen a picture of a necklace some where. It had an amber drop in the middle and on the left side there were swarovski beads from the cool family, I mean the blue, green purple... all united. The right side was rather ruled by the hot stuff- yellow, orange and red.

Hmm! That's an idea. But how about keeping the main tone PINK but play with the translucent and the opaque beads? So I mixed up fresh water pearls with pink and copperish swarovski faux pearl with the crystals. The metal is sterling silver though.

Now after making this I felt happy. I named it PRINCESS PINKY.

The next day Princess Pinky took me by the hand and made me open the bead box again.

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here, my home was anxiously waiting for me too, as I was for her. The tiny crocuses are out and the yellow daffodils greeted me with a warm nodding of their heads. The cherry tree that we had planted thirty two years ago in the back yard on our anniversary date is in full bloom now.

The rolling hills across 680 look so green and soft .Yellow mustard flowers and California poppies are happy to see me back.

Tomorrow I am going to organize my workshop and start making jewelry. It's been such a long time I haven't played with my beads.

My first real snow experience

2009-03-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

One day it snowed. I saw it all from the very beginning. In the wee morning as I was rocking Zoe in the rocking chair, I watched it falling very slowly, very gently like soap flakes falling from the sky. The sun has still a couple of hours to come and the sky is steel gray. It is amazing how quickly the snow covered the whole alley and buried the cars and every thing that were parked at the street sides.

Then icicles hung from the awnings, the schools declared a snow-holiday, children gathered and came out for snow rides and tobogganing.

Later, much later the sun came out eventually and the snow from the awnings are quickly evaporating now. It looks like flocks of cloud going up back to the sky.

We are stuck inside but it is lovely watching all these and sip hot coco.

Zoe is a month old now, her cold is much gone and she makes all kinds of funny faces and plays with her hands and fingers, pedalling up in the air with her legs.

I am now writing from California where it is not snowing of course.

I miss Zoe. I miss their cozy, tiny N.Y.home and her mom and dad.

The Valentine Gift

2009-03-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

This Valentine Day I was presented with the most precious gift- my first grand child. Zoe Shona Zych landed safely on the planet Earth on the morning of 14th February 2009.

Hearing the news we flew to N.Y. and for a whole month I had been busy grand mothering my precious Zoe.

In these thirty two days she learned how to gulp after a coughing fit, handle hiccups and burps. Though she loves to hear mommy baby talking to her and daddy's deep voice, she feels a bit perplexed at the sounds of siren and smoke alarms which are quite abundant at the 81st street apartment ,N.Y.

Then there are lights. Some are nice like the warm glow of sun rays that come through the window and play peek-a boo with her in the morning but those two kitchen lights- they are just awful- too harsh to look at. And those weird smell that comes from the kitchen when Dido cooks- make Zoe sneeze, sneeze, sneeze. Why don't they rather have mommy's milk instead and mommy's smell...mm! That's best- even when she's sweaty and stinky That's what Zoe'd say if she could talk , I think.

In the mean time I have learned that though sneezes and hiccups are harmless, coughs can be serious matter for little newborns like Zoe. And she did catch the cold from her mom. So we had to keep her almost vertical all the time for those few days. The only relief we could provide was taking her to the steaming bath room and pray.

I gathered a galore of knowledge from the lactation workshops when I accompanied my daughter and was wondering how do the mammal infants and their moms do in the third world countries where there are no La Leche support group or breast pump renting shops!

Bamboozling in Beijing

2009-02-10T16:11:00.000-08:00

I was pretty upset when we were stuck in Beijing on our way back home to California from Delhi. The plane could not take off for dense fog and we missed our connecting flight and were stranded for thirty six hours!
The airlines (Air china , though horrible for customer service ) provided for hotel and food and transportation. We took advantage to see Beijing for one day.

It's a very clean, organized city. People are getting quite conscious for going green. Our guide Xiang (Jane) mentioned that one week in March the whole city plant new trees.All the children from the schools, families and businesses get involved. I could see rows of bare branch trees on both sides of the freeways. All the roses are meticulously pruned.

We saw the remnants of the Olympics and the Great Wall of China.
We took a trip to a jade factory and a cloissone place of which I had written in detail in my other web site http://www.Bead-z-mommys-business.com

We were taken to a tea ceremony and came to know that drinking some tea can lower your blood pressure and cholestrol. In fact we did have that tea and it's true we had to go to the bath room much more!!

But I loved the lychee tea the best. It's so sweet smelling.
Beijing is famous for three things said Xiang. Can you guess what?
The great wall - yes she nodded.
The cloisonne works that were only for the rich kings and emperors one day . And the third is the Peking Duck!

Well a taste of this and little taste of that and it was time to go home.
So see, being in Beijing was not so bad after all.

Don't you forget to check out the new jewelry sets I created after my visit to the jade factory.

Autumn Flowers

2008-12-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

Autumn flowers for autumn jewelry fashion- yes, that's what I was looking for: asters, chrysanthemums, pansies or may be autumn crocuses. But what I found instead were the leaves and the trees.

All the way from our neighborhood streets in Walnut Creek, California to the tree studded streets in Central Park, New York I found spectacular burst of colors. (I went to visit my daughter, Antara for the Thanksgiving holidays.)

Shades of orange, crimson, sienna, yellow ochre,burnt cinnamom mesmerized me. I couldn't wait to create something with this energetic inspiration. I could not wait for mail order deliveries either, so I went straight to our neighborhood Concord bead store- Just Bead It and bought some fabulous glass leaf beads.

I played with them for awhile, mixed them up with some left over amber teardrops from another project and with gold filled wire I created my autumn necklace and then a pair of matching earrings too. I gave them to Antara.

I was a bit unsure if I did the right thing adding the ambers though I liked the yellow hue it radiated, but Antara said those ambers made it special. I liked the way it fell right under her collar bone and the hollow of her throat. (I chose the length 16'' )

Check my web site Bead-z-mommys-business where I plan to put the instruction about how I made it and other resources.

See, I went to look for autumn flowers, for their form, texture and color to incorporate in my autumn jewelry design, where I found them were in the wholesomeness of the colorful trees. It reminds me of a line from my favorite poet Rabindranath Tagore:

I travel far away to see the mountains and the seas. What I miss to notice is right at my doorway- a drop of dew on a blade of grass.

Down to Business

2008-11-11T12:41:00.000-08:00

One fine morning finally I decided to get into business with my jewelry hobby. No, it'll not be in my name, I'd rather name it ALANKARSHILPA. In my language Bengali, (and in Sanskrit too, the ancient sages' language of India) it means the art of ornamenting, making things beautiful.

So, I went to our county clerk's office, paid $30 and filed the fictitious name. They call it DBA (Doing Business As). I had to pay $50 extra to run this auspicious news in local papers for four weeks.

I joined a free small business starters' seminar. There were many fellow starting arts and crafts entrepreneurs. I, being a bit shy (yeh right!) didn't talk much. But from their discussions and stories, came to know that most cities around here donot require a city permit. So I am safe.

Lo and behold! Few months later I received a letter from the city office Hey! you are doing business without telling us? Where is your city permit?

I hurry to the city office. The lady hands me a long form which with many questions asks how much did I sell? "None, nothing so far, Mam.' I reply.
"Well, then you have to pay the higher rate option which is $305. If you anticipate to sell something from $1-$10.000 you pay $23."
"Of course, of course I will, at least by the end of the year... I hope" I gulp.

"Very well, then. Go downstairs and get your Home owners' permit. They may want to visit your residence before granting you .." Oh my!

So I go down, fill up another form which inquires - Are you planning to have clients in your house?
"Yes Sir, I plan to have jewelry home parties sometimes, may be two or three times a year."

"Nope. You can't have a bunch of cars in front of your house. That will be very inconvenient for the neighbors"

"But Sir, my neighbors are my customers and they come any way,...walking."

"I know, I know. You are honest. I like that." He winks through his bifocals.
"But let's pretend no customers. Okay? I'll cross out this part." He grins.
"Are you going to have shipments?"
"Some times may be Sir, Not too much, just one small packet through the postal service " I shake defensively.
"How many times?" He growls.
"Just once in every other month, may be Sir. "
"That's not too bad. But remember no signs, whatsoever. Okay?"
"Yes Sir." I nod like a good girl.

Then with a big thump he strikes the stamp on the paper. APPROVED.
"Sir, Are you going to come to my house?"

"Nay! May be when you have your party only. Good luck." Hay, hay, hay he gives a belly laugh.

I climb upstairs to pay for the city permit, $23, home owners permit $48, "Now where is my City Permit paper?" I demand.

"You have to go to Oakland (30 miles away) and get your Seller's Permit so that you can charge sale tax to your customers. Then come back here again."

Phew!!

Research is everything.You've got to find where you fit into the puzzle.
Mikal Ali.

To know more about starting a business please check out my entries on Business or Hobby and Working from Home at
Bead-z-mommys-business.com
Do you have such stories to share. Then please put it in the comment post. Wish you all the best- Dita.