An Awesome Art Work

It was the first Tuesday of the month and the De Young Museum in San Francisco is free to general public that day of each month. Nina, my daughter asked if I'd like to go see the glass art exhibition by D.Chihuly there.

I always love free stuff and going to the city from our suburban Walnut Creek is a treat to me. So I jumped at her invitation.

I had no idea that Chihuly's art work is so awesome. I knew it would be great but not to this extent. It surpassed all my imagination and expectations. Now I don't have any appropriate word in my vocabulary that can justify the depth, beauty and the greatness of the artist and his art.

The very first image that I'll remember is a bowl of fruits. Here the bowl is even bigger than my dining table that can sit six people. The size of the apple was may be 2 feet in diameter. And it is not just the size but the softness and suppleness he created in those glass fruits, that is just amazing.

We went to several rooms full of extremely gorgeous art work. Sometimes they are like in a valley of gigantic icicles, at another point an illusion of sea creatures under the ocean - radiating electric lights or something like that.

I am aware how difficult the process of creating glass art could be.I had seen a few demonstrations in Murano when I visited Italy few years ago. So, what Chihuly had done with only eye (unfortunately he lost one ) is really incredible.

Somewhere I read that art transcends. It can have the spiritual power that scaffolds you to a higher plane. It does not happen very often but quality art does have that power.

And I felt that after I came back home. The images resonated inside me and I had to open my box of beads.I found a few glass beads from Murano.

Perhaps I'll make something beautiful tomorrow.

P.S. Check my etsy store at alankarshilpa.etsy.com. There are some new ones uploaded.

Marketing and Networking for your Home Based Business

I thought I could be spared.

I'd be able to hop and fly like the grasshopper or the butterfly or any other bug in my garden and would not be caught in the web.

I was mistaken. I just wanted to make jewelry and be happy with that. But I soon learned that in order to sustain that, I need to sell them.

My friends were generous and supportive. They volunteered to be buyers and I could make just enough to cover my credit card bills for the materials. My idea of working at home started to sprout.

One well wisher, seeing my glee, drew me aside and whispered in my ear - "This clientele of yours is soon going to dry up. You need to have a web site."

Web site? How do people do that? My exposure to the web at this point is limited to e mailing friends and yes, I knew how to enter a search word in Google. But web sites, blogs, my space those are for kids, not folks like me who have just started getting AARP magazines in the mail!

Soon I learned about Etsy and now I have a web site there: alankarshilpa.etsy.com. But as Tammy Powley says, you have to spend as much time in marketing as you give in making jewelry, (if not more).
TammyPowley-About.com

I learned more and more about working from home - new buzz words as social marketing, social networking etc. Well, I have come a long way.

Rena Klingenberg in her wonderful website
home-jewelry business-success-tips.com. took me by the hand to show what its all about and I am so thankful to her.

Social marketing, what I came to know , seeks to influence social behavior, to benefit the target audience and the general society.

I like that. It's not about only money and profit and more money and greed. It's about people, feelings, consciousness. It's about finding out what people need and helping them to find that if you can.

Like, what my dad used to say- create something beautiful, write your best for the sake of art, for the sake of people. My dad, Mr. Narayan Sanyal was a prolific writer in India and had written 139 books in Bengali. His subject matters were diverse. He focused on writing and never worried about money or profit from his work. Well, he was also a civil engineer by profession. With several awards in his life time, money followed him any way. Even after he was gone, his royalties are still alive and robust.
I wish I could give something like that to my readers.

I remember that back in India people dropped by unannounced for a cup of tea. Women with their on going art project used to flock at each other's
backyard. Basking in the afternoon sun they showed off their needlework or knitting project, talked about their worries, savored gossips and laughed at silly corny jokes. Art was a way of life.

Days have changed but aren't we doing just that when we visit each other's blog site? hey, the web is not such a scary horrible place then, hm?

We can't offer a cup of tea but we can offer a link.It really feels nice when I find someone came to visit my blog and left a note.
So if you do happen to come to my door please drop me a comment so that I know your presence and get a chance to know you. With all the best - Dita.
P.S.
In the family picture you can see my dad and ma- both have passed away recently, my daughter Nina, and there is me too. We were in Yosemite.

And, by the way, yesterday I finished a necklace with wire work. It was a lot of work but I was happy. The other picture is of that recently finished necklace. It's going to be in my etsy store at alankarshilpa.etsy.com

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How to make a simple one strand beaded necklace

Beaded Jewelry Pattern for the Very Beginner

Necklace with pearl and amber gemstone beads

This very easy necklace is the one that I made when I had very limited tools. The pearl-amethyst necklace came out quite pretty and I got a lot of compliment on it. If you are a beginner beader you may like to try this pattern.

Materials: needed:
* 24" beading wire (I used .012 Beadalon from Michael's. .012 thickness is important because the gemstones and the pearls have very small holes some times.)
* 2 silver crimp beads
* 2 silver beads
* 1 sterling silver toggle clasp (I got it from Fire Mountain.com) check www.firemountaingems.com
* 1 16"string of Sea Opal glass briolettes (from Fire Mountain)of which I used 14 beads
* 1 string of 2mm size rice pearls with light pink shade of which I used about 90.
* 15 amethyst glass teardrops 6mm
* 1 16" 3-4mm faceted amethyst gemstone beads (from Fire Mountain) of which I used 20 beads.

Tools:
Chain-nose plier and wire cutter (diagonal flush cutter) and one set of Crimp pliers.

If you do not know how to crimp a bead to start here is a tutorial:


Beading Instruction:
1. Cut 24" of beading wire. My finished necklace is 16". Cut more or less if you want to modify the length.

2. Take one end of the wire and one of the two components of the toggle clasp.

3. Let the wire go through the loop of the toggle clasp component.

4. String a crimp bead and then a silver bead.

5. Tighten the short end of the wire that has gone through the loop , the crimp bead and the silver bead.

6. Now crimp the bead. And put a crimp cover if you want.

7. String an amethyst gemstone bead and three rice pearls. If your beads let both parts of the wire go through their holes, very good, if not this is when you have to cut the short end of the wire with your wire cutter.

8. String the pearls and the amethyst beads maintaining the pattern of one amethyst bead, 3 pearls, one amethyst bead, 3 pearls .. until you have 10 amethyst beads in your pattern. Here you may repeat more if you want to make the necklace longer or repeat the pattern fewer times if you want it shorter.

9. After you have 10 amethyst and 30 pearls string one more pearl, an amethyst tear drop, another pearl and one sea opal briolette.

10. Repeat the pattern of one pearl. one amethyst teardrop, one pearl and one sea opal briolette for 14 times so that you have 14 sea opals. Finish with one pearl, one amethyst tear drop and four pearls.

11. Repeat the pattern you had before introducing the sea opals.That is: one amethyst, three pearls, one amethyst, three pearls... until the length is equal to the other side.

12.End with one silver bead, one crimp bead. Let the beading wire go through the loop of the other toggle clasp component.

. Pull the thread so that there is no gap. Now crimp the crimp bead.Cut the excess wire with your wire cutter.

Voila! you are done.

Healing Qualities:

Amethyst makes one gentle and amiable. It brings good luck. It is believed that pearl brings good luck too and love.

As I write this I visualize you making this necklace and finally wearing it or giving it to your loved ones.

Please drop me a comment so that I know your presence and get a chance to know you. Your feed back is important to me. With all the best- Dita.

Beaded Jewelry

A Free Jewelry Pa

Gemstone Hessonite and its Healing Power

I love the honey color hessonite gemstone. It is a rather rare and expensive garnet with all the hues of the yellow orange family. The shades may range from a shy transparent beige all the way to the daring dark crimson. I knew hessonite is auspicious and especially important in India according to Hindu astrology.

I remember one of my uncle was recommended to wear one when he was having a rather bad time in his life. I was then just a child, growing up in India. My folks used to say "He has the bad effect of Rahu and now a gomed (hessonite garnet) is needed to change his fate".

Well, what is this Rahu I thought. I got my answer today, so many years later after some studying, as I finished my necklace with the hessonite garnet.

Astronomically, Rahu is the north lunar node - Rahu and Ketu are the two points of intersection of the paths of the Sun and the Moon as they move in the celestial sphere.

Astrological significance is - the effect of Rahu can cause lethargy, greed, low esteem , bad speech. extreme worldly desire and fame, obsession, dementia and inertia....

Mythological significance:
In Hindu mythology Rahu is the culprit and the reason for solar and lunar eclipses.
Long ago the devatas (gods and goddesses, the deities, I mean) and the danavas (demons) decided to go and obtain amrita - the elixir . It will make them indestructible and immortal. They made a truce that they'll work together. But as soon as it was obtained the danavas rushed to grab the amrita. The devatas prevented them. Narayan (an important god) transformed himself into a female beauty, Mohini and distracted all the danavas with her charm. There was one sly one- Rahu, who could not be fooled. He waited for this opportunity and managed to drink the amrita. He took just one big gulp when the Sun and the Moon spotted this and quickly reported to Narayan. Narayan, using his sudarsan chakra(super disk) cut his head off.
Lo and behold, the head had the amrita and could not be destroyed. So the head of Rahu hangs forever in the celestial universe. Ketu is the other half of his body.
Rahu's vengeance for the Sun and the Moon never changed. He rushes to gulp them whenever he gets a chance and that is when the eclipses happen. But the Sun and the Moon are rescued as soon as they can pass through his throat.

Hessonite can help brings calmness, positive energy and raise self confidence and appreciation for others even in messed up lives.

The Divine Eye

I am all wired up and for the last few days since my last blog I have learned so
much.The Herringbone pattern that I have talked about made me create a set of earrings and a bangle. Though there is room for improvement, I'll show and tell. I call it The Divine Eye

Isn't it interesting that I happen to meet another Etsian from India who also has the same Herringbone pattern in her shop? I say that because this is not a very common pattern and I have never seen it before. She calls it The Eye of Nephthys.

Susmitha, my new friend from Bangalore has awesome creative stuff at artbysusmitha.etsy.com

I have also taken two tutorials from Eni O Kens and came up with some earring designs. The second tutorial, The Netted Cap was pretty darn intricate and I might have deviated from the main pattern at the end, somewhere. Well, I created something my very own.

After a lot of wrestling with the wires at some point the muse take you by your hand to some undiscovered cove, to some side track trails and you get surprised by your
own discovery. You see a very new pattern, that is unique, just very much your own.

I don't mind if it is not the real Netted Cap. I made quite a few earrings with this new pattern. The one I showed in the picture I call it Garnets lost in Sea Foam

To take a break and thinking of a little friend who loves to wear bracelets I made a very simple one with the tiniest hematite hearts and pearl.

Two important things have happened to me also.
1.I joined an organization acronamed SRAJD
Self Representing Artists and Jewelry Designers.
2. I decided to be part of the women for women .org project who helps women entrepreneurs and artisans from Afghanistan, Africa and such places.

I am happy to see that there are like minded people who value hand made products over mass commercial stuff, who respect people who are trying to make a living using their hands and their talent.

Where the hands go there the eyes should follow
Where the eyes go there the mind
Where the mind there the feeling
Where the feeling there the mood.

-An old Sanskrit saying.