Autochthonous Evolved - Jewelry and Lampwork Beads

This blog has moved

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:49:00 +0000

This blog is now located at http://blog.autochthonous-evolved.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://blog.autochthonous-evolved.com/feeds/posts/default.

Boro Recipe Book

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:20:00 +0000

I've started a project this week creating a boro recipe book for myself. Since I've gotten some new Glass Alchemy rod and frit I wanted to have a more concrete method of ensuring great results when I make beads with the new colors. The process starts relatively arbitrarily. I'll pick between one and three colors of rod, and one or two colors of frit. I'll make between one and three beads on a mandrel, all the same with one permutation of the rod and frit selection I've chosen. Once I finish with the bead I write down the process I used - how many wraps, if the wraps were the size I normally make them or not, if I added frit and when, whether I encased the bead, and if I applied any decoration to the surface. Then, I repeat the process with a different combination of rod and frit. After several sets, I select new frit and rods and continue.

Summer Sunrise

Cooking time: 1 ¹/₂ hours
Temp: 1075°F

7mm Northstar Orange opaque rod
#70 Glass Alchemy Triple Passion frit
5mm Simax clear rod

Take the orange opaque rod and, pulling the gather thin, wrap around the mandrel twice. Melt smooth and, while hot, roll the base in frit. Melt the frit into the base, cool slightly, then encase with two wraps of clear.

In order to be efficient with my kiln time I spent two days making beads and cooling them in my fiber blanket so that I could batch anneal them, keeping my kiln at the garage temp (for working, cooler than the annealing temperature) while I made a final set of beads.

Out of this first attempt I got 35 different recipies. I would say about half are decidedly lackluster. Some of these were intentional. For example, I have some plain base-color beads and simple encased beads whose only purpose was to demonstrate whether there was a cracking risk. Some beads I thought would change color in the kiln more than they did, or the frit was too small to give a good visual field of the color. For other beads the color was too sparse. Some of the recipes are pretty good and bear repetition. Some can be repeated as they are and some need a little tweaking or suggest new frit and rod combinations. All in all, I'm excited with the beginning of this project.

The end goal is to pick out the stand-out recipies and be able to replicate them on demand. Having a consistent, quality line of borosilicate beads will help increase my reputation, repeat business, and thus, revenue. Also, with the accumulation of enough stand-out combinations, there will potentially be some demand to purchase the recipies by other lampworkers so they can begin to build consistency in their own commercial work; recipies being a benchmark from which you can examine how your torch skills compare and allow you to improve.

So, what is a great get-to-know-your-glass exercise for me in the present, could become avenue for revenue both in the intermediate future and long-term. Hopefully, I'll learn my lessons well enough to make the information available to others. Good for me, good for the world! :)

The Fantastic Field of Fritology

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:41:00 +0000

As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the things that I've been purchasing in my recent Supply Stock-up is frit. Today I got a shipment from Dragonfly Glassworx. Thank you, Julia! I LOVE it!

Frit is perfectly good glass that has been smashed and sorted according to size. Powder is, well, powder. Size 00 is tiny but visually recognizable as chunks. Size 5 can often be the size of a bead, so is often attached to a spare hot rod of glass, melted, then pulled into long, thin fiber-optic-escent strings called, um, stringers. Stringers can actually be anything up to about 2mm in diameter and are used for surface decoration on beads. In between 00 and 5 are, as you may have predicted, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4; 0 and 1 being the most likely suspects for bead use.

One of the pioneers of frit use in beadmaking is Val Cox, who, looking for a vibrant pink, found the awesome range of COE 96 colors that were used by glass blowers. She began making frit and frit blends available to other beadmakers. Over time other "fritologists" began to make frit and frit blends available. Some vendors began to produce COE 104 frit, since the majority of beadmakers work with that type of glass, but the advantage of COE 96 furnace glass remains: the concentration of color within the COE 96 matrix is much higher than in COE 104 glass, so using small shards of frit won't result in muted colors on the bead. COE 96 frit just looks more vibrant than COE 104 frit. So, from this point forward, when I say frit (unless I'm specifically talking about borosilicate glass, which also uses frit) I mean small glass fragments with a COE of 96.

Let me briefly revisit a point I made in my last post: bad things happen when mix glasses of different COEs ... usually ... sometimes. Remember that the COE stands for Coefficient Of Expansion, where expansion is 10^-7inches/°F. In reality, when you're talking about COE 104 glass and a lead-rich (read: pliable) COE 96 glass and the COE 96 glass is only a little bit of frit on top of an otherwise substantial COE 104 bead ... well, often nothing bad happens (though I do find that I increase my chances of making it work by putting it directly into a garage-temp kiln to await annealing). The point being that many COE 104 beadmakers use frit that is (often exclusively) COE 96 and by using a small amount of frit they get away with it. Wanting to reduce my own risk for cracking, which tended to happen too frequently for my taste, I purchased COE 96 rod to use with my frit. Mixing COE 104 and COE 32-33 is still a WAY bad idea.

As of this writing I've purchased frit from five different frit blenders: from Robin at Glass Diversions, from Sabrina at Val Cox Frit, from Christine at FenG Frit Factory (who also makes and sells her FANTASTIC murrini), from Leslie at That Frit Girl, and from Julia at Dragonfly Glassworx. There are other vendors, too, but my budget is not, unfortunately, unlimited.

All of the small frit providers carry at least two container sizes of frit, usually a sample size then a production size. The sizes of the containers and the prices vary from vendor to vendor. For example, what I like best about Glass Diversions is that Robin will let you choose a "sampler" of six colors in 1.5oz containers for $28; I find that's a really great value for fairly large sample sizes of frit blends. Val Cox also has "Ample Samples," with pretty labels in heavy 2x3" resealable plastic bags for around $3.00, Dragonfly Glassworx has a similarly-packaged similar size sample for a little less than $2, and FenG Frit Factory has her samples available for $1.50USD (USD because she's in The Netherlands). Dragonfly and FenG also have borosilicate blends, which I think is fantastic since some days nothing seems quite as satisfying as seeing the delicate rainbow of colors only boro can produce.

Dragonfly Glassworx sampler

The friendly folks at Olympic Color and Hot Glass Color also sell the individual frit (and cane and rod) colors that come from the furnace glass manufacturers, which is nice if there's a color you really like or use a lot of like, maybe, white, black, clear, or Reichenbach Multicolor ... but the minimum order is a half kilo (about 1.1 pounds) - at least at Olympic Color, where I purchased my last bunch of frit.

N.B.: If you decide you want to buy some "rods" from them (since that's what lampworkers generally call their glass), understand that glassblowers' rods are something like 1.5" in diameter. To use furnace glass in the same manner that you use glass rods in COE 104 glass what you'll want to purchase is labeled 'cane'.

That Frit Girl carries reasonable priced 1 and 2oz packages of pure frit color for those beadmakers not wanting to buy that much. Additionally, if you want to make some beads for the program Beads of Courage, Leslie will send you a free sample of any colors of frit you want to try, so long as you send her the beads back to be sent on to the program. Briefly, Beads of Courage provides beads to hospitals for children undergoing treatment for serious illness. After each treatment, the children are given a bead in a color representing the specific treatment, to string on a necklace. This helps give ill children something to look forward to as well as help them visually document their progress.

So, in my effort to better document my artistic process, I will come back to frit, showing you the different colors I've tried from different vendors and report what I think of their ease of use, what kind of application method best makes advantage of their colors, and other tips I find or confirm. In the meanwhile, I'll leave you with this. These beads were made with Zoozii's Chunky Crystal Duo (love it!) that I got an opportunity to use in Lampwork Etc's Press Game (a major secret I'm letting out!) and some of the newer colors I've acquired, including the most recent set of frit that I got from Val Cox and Olympic Color:

All COE 96 unless otherwise specified.
Top Row, from left: I don't actually remember what the first one is made with - probably Reichenbach Multicolor rod on a clear base, Gaffer Blue Chalcedony rod probably also on a clear base with some other color mixed in, Reichenbach Multicolor frit on Rootbeer transparent base.
Second Row, from left: Reichenbach Multicolor frit on base of clear and a layer of Zimmerman Purple Rose Special frit, (another) Reichenbach Multicolor frit on Rootbeer transparent base, Zimmerman Purple Rose Special frit on a base of clear with Val Cox Fairy Dust frit, Val Cox Fairy Dust frit on an encased base of Gaffer veiled gold lustre/white cane, (COE 104)Double Helix Olympia Rain on a base of black.
Third Row, from left: Val Cox Ferrari Red frit on base of clear, Val Cox Mood Swings frit on base of clear, Val Cox Enchanted frit on base of clear, Val Cox Fairy Dust frit on base of clear and Val Cox Violet Storm transparent frit, (yet another) Reichenbach Multicolor frit on Rootbeer transparent base.
Bottom Row: all Zimmerman Purple Rose Special frit on a base of clear and Reichenbach Enamel White frit.

From one of my history professors I learned that N.B. is an abbreviation for 'nota bene'; Latin for 'pay attention or else ...'

Like Christmas ... But More Glass!

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:35:00 +0000

Today was a red banner day when it comes to getting shipments of exciting new things. The stars have aligned in my supply-buying world. Money from classes, I made another sale, tax refund, and supply SALES! So, I've been ordering glass, tools, and frit blends (frit is little glass shards used to create organic patters).

[COE 32-33] Glass Alchemy borosilicate order, now with SHARDS! Oooooh.

[COE 96] Glass Alchemy order: Zimmerman (no-longer-in-production) z-77 Avocado cane, z-850 Lilac cane, and z-851 Lilac Rose Special cane, z-99 Purple Rose Special rod . Look at those rings of color. DELICIOUS!

It's strange, really, to get so excited about a colored glass rod ... or is it? Take a look at this:

The end of the z-99 Purple Rose Special rod.

The side of the z-99 Purple Rose Special rod.

Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?

Glass isn't monotone. It's reactive, it's multidimensional, it's amazing. Plus, you get to melt it with a torch. Come on! I don't know why you aren't all signing up for my lampworking classes right now. Torches! Alright, maybe I'm the only one with a borderline torch disorder, but I'm comfortable with who I am. But the glass ... well, if you don't see the fascination, I just don't think the issue is on my end.

So, glass. Why do you have to spend good money on it when it's in Prego jars, lightbulbs, or window panes? It's because of something called Coefficient of Expansion, or COE . When glass is heated it expands (for the techies: [COE]x10^-7 inches/degree F). There's a little more to it than this, but more or less, if you melt together two different glasses that expand at different rates everything's good when the glasses are molten, but when they cool ... that's a different story. Of course, exploding glass might be your thing, but it's hard to sell. Because of that, companies spend a lot of time in research testing their glass to make sure every color is compatible with every other color it manufactures. New companies usually choose one of the COEs on the market and make their glass compatible with that. When glasses are tested compatible you can use them together. No one has tested the Prego jar yet.

The main COEs on the U.S. market are 104 soft, soda-lime glass; 96 Furnace Glass; 90 soft glass produced by Bullseye; and 32-33 Borosilicate glass, which is the same as the commercial brand Pyrex. I use them all and each has their charm. 104 is easy to melt and use, has a huge range of colors and brands that are easy to obtain. 96 has uber intense colors, and some of those colors just aren't available in 104, like a wide range of intense pinks. 90 was, I believe, originally formulated by the Bullseye company for glass fusing; whether the rods were originally made for lampworkers or not, we certainly use them now. The advantage of Bullseye's line is the colors are amazingly stable with very little changing or bleeding after heating or applying on or next to other colors. Borosilicate glass ... well, Boro merits a post for itself. It's a metal-rich glass that is highly reactive. Many 'colors' of rod can actually be coerced to produce the entire rainbow of color in a single bead (or sculpture). It's hard to melt, but it's less sensitive to temperature fluctuations, so it's more forgiving in sculptural use than other glass. Beadmakers just love the colors.

Since I have classes this weekend that I still need to prep for, I can't go out and make beads with all of my new, beautiful glass yet ... at least not more than the couple of test beads I was compelled to make. But when I do, wait until you see the pictures! I know you're not as excited as I am, but I hope you're more excited than you were before!

You Rock My World!

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:44:00 +0000

Know how it seems easier to get things done when you have a lot on your plate? You just can't afford to be lazy, so you power through everything and feel great. I feel like I'm on an awkward cusp of that feeling.

Before Sawyer was born I don't think I truly realized - there's quite a lot of time in the day. The realization came after spending most of that time with an 11-month-old extrovert within three feet of me at all times. As an introvert, someone that requires alone time to recharge, sometimes (and the mommy police won't want to hear this) the day just D R A G S on. While I tend to my now-walking-exploring-touching-eating-EVERYTHING adorable little boy, my torches sit alone and unused in my studio.

As an introvert with ADD, jewelry design became an important outlet for both of those traits. It is my solitude. It reinvigorates me. Silly as it might seem to anyone else, it's a joy to wake up and pull cool beads out of the kiln that were just shades of orange when you made them, the last time you saw them. It is also where I go to refocus. If I don't feel like I've been productive in SOMETHING after I've struggled focusing on something else - homework, finances, cleaning - guilt sets in, the cascade effect ensues, and terror follows. Terror? I still have dreams that I have a final tomorrow for a class that I never cancelled and never attended.

Sean is always my savior. After he works a long day trying to write exceptional program code between frantic questions from other software developers he comes home and begins his second job as Dad. It's at that time that I step away from my full-time position as Mom and go to my second job called jewelry designer. Some days I work at the torch, others I work on my website or other marketing duties. I comparison-shop and purchase raw materials, locate out-of-production materials, create class samples and handouts, and sometimes jewelry I can sell. It's the time I need to remember my other facets. The time where I get to use my talents on something other than singing fifty-eight verses of "The Ants Go Marching" or playing "Peek," "Catch-Me-Crawling-Up-The-Stairs," or "Hold Me." I would never say those are unimportant things, but I stop being able to do them well without balance. Thank you Sean!

Of course, when Sean comes home, I've had just as long a day working as he did. As important as it is to use my outlet, sometimes I'm just tired. Sometimes I lack motivation. That's why I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to help me link this blog to Facebook. Thank you for indicating you had even the teensiest interest in reading about the jewelry designer part of my life. You are my motivation. You ROCK my world!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Upcoming Classes

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:04:00 +0000

Next weekend at Sticks & Stones in Mankato I'm teaching a class called Iron-soldered Stone Pendant, which teaches one way to hang a stone without holes and emphasizes how to texture leaded solder, and a basic torch soldering class where we'll be making a simple small-link chain.

The weekend after that, same bat-location, it's a lampworking weekend! I'm ultra excited about that. It's a lampworking refresher in the AM, focusing on making nice shapes, and the many important reasons for learning to layer glass neatly (like even color distribution and pretty hole puckers). In the afternoon we're doing Lampworking III, which will focus on making pendant-sized beads (with the kiln on, waiting for your beads); it will also address silver reactions, using a rake, using murrini, and using bead presses.

Sticks & Stones
1027 Riverfront Drive
Mankato, MN 56001
507-345-7110
call to register

Social Media

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:26:00 +0000

As I was checking Facebook this evening, the lovely GafferGirls were working on linking their blog to their Facebook profile so we, their loyal Facebook friends, could follow their blog though Facebook. How efficient!

Of course I thought ... hum! I wanna do that, too! So, I did and now you can see the option to follow my blog in the right margin. I'm using the excuse that it's new to explain why I'm the only follower ... but you can sign up right now and change all of that and you can keep abrest of all the cool jewelry-and-glass-related fun facts that I'm working on at any given time.

In other news, I recently joined the forum Lampwork etc. (LE), which is amazing. In less than a month I've acquired enough of the out-of-production Zimmerman z-99 Purple Rose Special to experiment for a while, as well as had the opportunity to try Zoozii's large tab press and chunky crystal duo press. Plus, the people are GREAT! Even though I'm still lurking a bit, it's nice just to know there are so many like-minded, fabulous people out there! If you decide you want to give it a try, tell them that AutEvDesigns - my LE username - sent you!

OH! Speaking of news ... The Ocean Waves Beaded Bracelet that you see in the ETSY box on the right? It's going to be published in the WORD section of the June/July 2010 issue of Beadwork! Hooray!

Experimenting with Etching

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:53:00 +0000

In the past nine-and-a-half months since Sawyer was born I haven't had much time to make production jewelry, let alone experiment. The little time I am able to get I usually work on class development and making samples. One new class Sonja at Sticks & Stones in Mankato wanted to be able to offer was etching.

The Bead Monkey, here in the Twin Cities, is also offering etching but, as I understand, they are using Ferric Chloride. This is a great mordant, but only lasts so long and, as with all etchants, needs to be treated as hazardous waste when it's spent. It's also a very dark solution, so you can't see what's happening as the etchant works on the metal. So, for those reasons I started working, instead, with a seed batch of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide, which after etching a couple of copper pieces turns into the reusable, refreshable cupric chloride. Cupric chloride is a mordant for copper and brass, and I still need to see if it has any effect on sterling silver whatsoever, but for the very low cost, lack of trips to the hazardous waste facility, transparency of solution, and effectiveness, I really like this stuff so far.

When you mix a new batch of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide (in a 3:1 ratio, done in a pyrex mixing cup -- a different brand than the kind you might have in your kitchen to prevent accidental switching) the bite it has on the metal is quite fast and deep. Very nice. I've started to notice, now that my solution has turned into the cupric chloride, that the bite isn't as deep. The result isn't necessarily bad. After about 20 minutes, running my fingers over the metal, I can't feel a textural difference, but there is a visual difference. The non-etched metal that was covered by the resist is very shiny, but the etched portion is matte. I think it's a very nice effect. Now, I've left a piece in the solution for the night. We'll see the wisdom and result of this in the morning.

The resist I used in this case I was using DecoColor opaque paint markers in white and black ... both work the same but the white cleans up better. Both require turpentine. When the solution was fresh (HCl and H2O2), I tried using red and brown Sharpie markers. The ink tended to disappear over time, particularly if I didn't go over the lines more than once, but what I had originally drawn was clear in the etch and the gradual removal of the ink may just have been due to the strength of the acid. I still need to try the DecoColor pens with in the fresh solution. I suspect it will be more durable than the Sharpie drawings, but I don't yet know if it will totally resist the mordant or not. I've also purchased some asphaltum (and Ferric Chloride, for that matter) with which I can do some sgrafitto, but the downside is that you need Naphtha to remove the asphaltum when you're done and it seems a little silly to buy Naphtha for just that one application, whereas I use turpentine - needed to remove the paint from the paint markers - for other things, too.

We'll see what we have tomorrow. I'll also edit this post then and upload some photos. Yay!

Color of the Season

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:48:00 +0000

The season is the reason ... 'tis the season ... given the date you'd probably think I was talking about the 2009 holiday season, but in terms of fashion that's a distant memory. Nope, I'm referring to the Spring/Summer 2010 colors, and even then I'm late on board. Color is serious business!

There are several sources for season color forecasts. Pantone is perhaps the most widely recognized, but after a quick Google search I found a website, Fashion Trend Setter, that summarized the PANTONE Colors and also several other color forecasting fashion sites such as Interfilière and Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF).

On the ten compiled images below, I compare the 10 PANTONE Colors with the closest matching colors from those other two forecasts. The large squares on the left are the PANTONE Colors, the rectangles are CIFF colors, and the small squares are from Interfilière. What amazed me was, although each company forecasts a different number of colors - sometimes several palates of color, was that I could find very similar colors in each. The take-away being that there does truly seem to be international consensus, at least, about the tones and hues of color that will be important in design.

Taking these colors, I wanted to write a little about where we can find these colors among the raw materials used in jewelry design. In specific, glass rods for lampworking and semi-precious gemstones, since those are the sources of color I use most. So selfish!

Glass rods, generally being more affordable than stones, were more familiar to me so I knew where to look for specific colors. The glass rods shown in the images come from a variety of companies in different coefficients of expansion (COE). Moretti, Effetre, Lauscha, and CiM are COE 104, Bullseye is COE 90, and Glass Alchemy is COE 32-33. These images come from a variety of websites that sell glass including Frantz Art Glass, Lauscha Lady, Glass Alchemy, and Bullseye. I have personally purchased rods from all of these sources except Bullseye, which I purchase at my local glass store, J Ring Glass Studio.

Finding matching colors in semi-precious gemstones was a little trickier, primarily because stones are never one single color and some vary more than others. I started by looking at websites with good examples of stones, Fire Mountain Gems, and Holygemstone. I then used Google Images to see how much color variation existed for any given stone. If the color in a stone is relatively consistent, I give you the link for the Google Images result.

A semi-precious gemstone with a similar color is Kambaba Jasper. Holygemstone has some Ocean Jasper this color.

Holygemstone has some River Jasper this color. Another semi-precious gemstone with a similar color is Bamboo Jasper or some examples of Ocean Jasper.

Holygemstone has some Poppy Jasper this color.

Fire Mountain Gems has a great selection of Calcite this color. Holygemstone has some Picture Jasper this color.

Citrine often has this color.

Google Images shows a great variety of Pink Coral, which is a great match for this color.

Again, you can see from Google Images that Red Coral, though coming in a variety of hues, often comes in strands this color.

Although Amethyst comes is a wide range of hues, you can often find them with this color. Sugilite, an absolutely stunning semi-precious gemstone, also frequently comes in this color.

I think that the best match for this color is Lapis Lazuli. If you're finding strands that are too dark, try looking for Denim Lapis.

This is another stone with a lot of color variation. Some is a bright blue, but you can find a lot of true color Turquoise, too.

So, if you haven't gotten a start using the new colors yet, and if you actually managed to wade your way through the post, I hope this gives you some good places to start!

Happy Anniversary Sean!

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Yup, today is our 3rd anniversary. That's not normally a bloggable topic except that today, instead of celebrating with my honey, I was teaching a Silk and Stone Necklace class this evening at BeYaGi. Tomorrow, of course, is the Art Show, then Friday we're driving to New Ulm - scheduled as such because I'm supposed to be teaching two classes at Sticks & Stones on Saturday. Doh!

Granted, I'm not one of those girls with my anniversary date tattooed to my brain, which is why a class ended up getting scheduled for today. But now that today's here, and the rest of this week's schedule is what it is, part of me wishes I had a little more time for us today. Alas.

Website Updates

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:29:00 +0000

Okay, so I still need to update the classes, but I have put a new face on the website by revamping the main page. I'm pretty proud of it. It's a little cleaner than the last version and it does a better job of showcasing my work, hopefully providing a better enticement to venture further - giving a little more value to updating the class information. So, if you don't access my blog through the main page of my website, check it out!

http://Autochthonous-Evolved.com

P.S. I own more than one domain name, so you can access my website through two other URLs:

http://AutochthonousEvolved.com
http://AutEvLampwork.com

Classes and Art Show

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:53:00 +0000

So, among some of the other tasks that have fallen by the wayside in my adjustment to being a new mom is that I haven't updated my website with the classes I'm teaching or announced the small art show I'm doing October 8th.

The art show is called the Art Scoop and is held next door to a local ice cream shop, across from Washington Middle School, about six blocks away from where I live. I've been part of the show since the first one two years ago (and the one last year which was switched to coincide with the July Rice Street Festival), so I'm very excited to continue being part of the local art community! I've posted the times, date, location, and some images of the jewelry I'll be bringing with on my website:

http://www.autochthonous-evolved.com/ArtScoop2009.htm

I posted previously about teaching at BeYaGi and the Bead Gallery, as well as at Sticks and Stones in Mankato. So, as I work on updating that information on my website, here's a brief synopsis of the classes and dates I'll be teaching at each place:

BeYaGi (more classes to be added as the demand is assessed):
Silk and Stone necklace (basic stringing/macreme)
- Wednesday October 7th, 6-8pm
Multimedia Accessories (basic loop-and-wrap wirework)
- Thursday October 15th, 6-8pm

Sticks and Stones:
Ameoba Links (basic soldering)
- Saturday October 10th, 10am-12:30pm
Spinner Rings (intermediate soldering)
- Saturday October 10th, 1:30-4pm
Faux Chain (basic wirework)
- Saturday October 24th, 10am-12:30pm
Deja Vous Links (intermediate wirework)
- Saturday October 24th, 1:30-4pm

Bead Gallery - Woodbury:
Beyond Stringing (basic design/intermediate stringing)
- Monday October 19th, 6-8pm
Art Deco Rivoli (intermediate wirework)
- Thursday October 22, 6-8pm
Faux Chain (basic wirework)
- Tuesday November 10th, 6-8pm
Fused loop-in-loop bracelet (basic fusing)
- Sunday December 6th, 1-4pm
More Crazy Wire Rings (intermediate wirework)
- Monday December 7th, 6-8pm
Herringbone Cable (basic beadwork)
- Thursday December 10th, 6-8pm

Bead Gallery - White Bear Lake:
More Crazy Wire Rings (intermediate wirework)
- Tuesday October 20th, 6-8pm
Herringbone Cable (basic beadwork)
- Monday October 26th, 6-8pm
Fused Charm Bracelet (basic+ fusing)
- Sunday November 1st, 1-4pm
Art Deco Rivoli (intermediate wirework)
- Thursday November 12th, 6-8pm
Beyond Stringing (basic design/intermediate stringing)
- Monday November 16th, 6-8pm
Faux Chain (basic wirework)
- Thursday November 19th, 6-8pm

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday!

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:26:00 +0000

Today is my Birthday and we're celebrating 27 for the ... something-th time ... making it a good time to reflect on what's happened over the last year.

I'm teaching in three stores now - four if you count that Bead Gallery has two locations. The newest place is BiYaGi in Little Canada on Little Canada Road just east of Rice Street. The classes I'm teaching there will be really basic classes in the near future, then building up as the clientelle builds up and the skills of the current clients strengthen. I'm extremely excited about all of that. The more I can teach bead- and jewelry-related classes the more I can be home with Sawyer during the day and not completely let my resume go to crud.

I was a substitute teacher for the St. Paul school district last school year, with a long term Social Studies subbing position in February, just before I had Sawyer. I have my first subbing job for this new school year scheduled already, so I'm excited about that, too. The only sticky wicket is that I get paid about what it costs for Sawyer to be in day care, so I'm hoping to find some creative solutions there. It's good for the resume, and all of that, but at the end of the day Sawyer's fomula still costs money if I'm not at home to feed him, so it'd be nice to come out ahead in the financial realm.

Being a stay at home mom has been a lot of work, as any stay at home parent knows. The days that Sean has to work late or has Tae Kwon Do (he's a second-degree b lack belt now) get pretty long. Even the days he's home at 6 I'm chomping at the bit for a break by then. That being said, it's hard to imaging letting someone else take care of him. When I was coaching fencing for three weeks this summer my dad, who was one of the many people who got laid off, watched Sawyer for me, but family is a tolerable option. It's sort of a love-hate thing, particularly since I have an at-home business; when I'm at home I feel like I should be working and while watching Sawyer is work of a sort, it's not the kind that results in a happier bank account, but my handsome little boy always wins out. I am waiting for the time when he's a little more independent and I can work more - hopefully keeping the boy occupied by showing him some age-appropriate jewelry-making and fabrication skills.

What else?

Not a whole lot, really. One little thing is that I made the bridal-party necklaces for my brother-in-law's wedding in July. In the hustle and bustle of last-minute adjustments I forgot to get pictures and will have to see if the photographer got one with a good shot of the jewelry. The bridal party members were all stunning, so it'd be great to have model-like shots for my website.

All in all I've had many blessings this year and I'm thankful for each one!

Three Months Later ...

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:27:00 +0000

I had my handsome little boy, Sawyer Patrick Bowen, on 18 March 2009 at 12:56am. He was 7 pounds 3 ounces and 20.75 inches. We decided to go with the Irish nod in the middle name despite missing St. Patrick's day by less than an hour. He's 1/16 Irish from my side of the family, so we figured it still worked. A few images of the little snickelfritz for your curiosity:

Clean and Sleepy

Downtown Saint Paul with Daddy

Puuuuke

So Serious

Shocking!

Smiley Sawyer

I also have additional photos on my Facebook page, which is public.

I've been teaching a few classes at the Bead Gallery - despite the fact that I haven't altered my website to demonstrate this - as well as two at Sticks and Stones. In my time at home, during Sawyer's increasingly infrequent and short naps, I have had a chance to make some pretties, with some photos also on Faceobook. Take a look!

Still Waiting

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:57:00 +0000

The little one was due on Tuesday, 10 March 2009, but has decided to extend his stay in my uteris. On Tuesday I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced, so it seems my body knows something should start happening, yet here I wait. There felt a glimmer of hope on Wednesday/Thursday night. I was having an odd pain that would wake me up now and then, so I thought I was having contractions - a coming-and-going feeling like a back pain that extended around to my front. But come morning, it went away. And, as I'm sure any week-40-pregnant woman will tell you, it almost feels like the baby is gaining a pound a day. Being that I've only gained less than 8 pounds during my entire pregnancy I know that's not the case, but the odd distribution of weight is definately awkward!

Anyhow. If Sawyer (we're planning to name him Sawyer Colin Bowen) doesn't arrive by next Tuesday I'll get treated to ultrasound #4, a fetal non-stress test, another exam, then we'll schedule induction. At least there's some manner of end in sight.

In the meanwhile, I've been keeping myself occupied by making quite a few things, like this cabochon bracelet:

So, I feel like I've had some excitement in my week; that's something. Wish me luck (and as little pain as possible)!

New Year, New President, New Post

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:15:00 +0000

We're 20 days into 2009 and I've been enjoying it so far. Today particularly is an exciting day with the inauguration of President Obama. I have to admit that I'm pretty excited that our son will be born during the administration of an African American president. There is no doubt that it will impact the way he perceives the world and I think it will positively contribute to his outlook.

I've begun teaching classes at the Bead Gallery at White Bear Lake and Woodbury - one at each store so far with another scheduled tonight. Though that's not really enough to create a sweeping summary, I must say that the women I've met thus far have been fabulous! If you haven't seen the class schedule, I'm teaching one class each of three selections at each store for two months - so 4 each of 3 classes or 12 sessions in January and February 2008. The classes are Byzantine Chain, More Fun With Wire (French Wire), and Crazy Wire Rings. The end products I've seen students produce have been great! So, all in all, I've been very happy with my experiences at the Bead Gallery so far. If you live locally, I'd encourage you to join us for a class! Go to http://autochthonous-evolved.com/classes.htm or http://bead-gallery.com/.

Classes at Sticks & Stones in Mankato are still going strong. We have been focusing on developing soldering classes and it continues to be a strong favorite out of the classes I teach. I'm also hoping to have enough interest to have another set of lampworking classes in April 2009, after the baby is born, so if you live within driving distance of Mankato, MN and want to learn what you can do with a torch and glass - call Sticks & Stones at 507-345-7110 to let them know you'd be interested in April lampworking classes.

Pregnancy has limited my activities otherwise. I haven't been creating as much as I normally do. Moving requires more energy now and since I'm still occasionally experiencing nausea, I've had trouble eating enough to get my energy level up. I know you're all sympathetic ... 'Poor Julie, only gaining 6 pounds total by week 33. I really feel bad for her.' The baby is growing though, so that's all that really matters.

Besides limiting my creation time, I've also been subbing a little less. But, my time in the St. Paul School District has been both instructional and inspiring. Having spent time in both suburban school districts (Minnetonka and Wayzata), and urban school districts (Minneapolis and St. Paul), I'm continually amazed at the similarities and differences between them - the comparisons aren't the ones you'd necessarily imagine. First, the high achievers in both areas are all outstanding - and high achievers exist everywhere in every conceivable package. Second, there are troublemakers everywhere - the main difference being that the troublemakers in the suburbs seem to have more consciousness about the fact they are causing trouble. I find that clear presence of intent particularly frustrating. In contrast, not all urban "troublemakers" understand how they are creating a disturbance, which I must attribute to failings of both the district and community. That is not to say that no urban students cause problems on purpose, but that there is a greater prevalence of students whose home and community cultures are distinctly different from the culture that teachers expect students to emulate within the school. No matter what, it is difficult being a substitute teacher, so I think that the sub's expectations have a great deal to do with their perceptions of and willingness to deal with the obstacles inherent in either environment. Those expectations are certainly shaped by the environment you come from, and I'm all urban all the way. I hope the Obama administration paves the way for some positive changes in the educational arena, particularly an increase in the awareness of the importance of sociological factors in education in contrast to the almost-singular focus on the psychological factors that contribute to learning that have been emphasized thus far.

News Since The Move

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:01:00 +0000

I used to be so optimistic about keeping my blog updated. Now, after reflection, I have to conclude that was silliness on my part. The hardest part about running a business, for me, is putting my work online - the writing of descriptions, coding, taking pictures and editing them ... well, that's a ton of work, and - in the end - the blog always comes second to that. Plus, if you ask any of my friends (if they're still speaking to me) - I'm totally content with the twice-yearly update and don't e-mail much more than that. So an updated blog? Yeah, in retrospect, that might have been ambitious.

Since the move in April we've settled in and in what was, but probably shouldn't have been, a surprise - made a baby due next March. The first few months were horrible with near-constant nausea and being tired all of the time. It's been better for the past three weeks, with only mild nausea in the mornings. The positive view is that, being overweight and not needing to gain more weight than the actual baby/placenta/amniotic fluid, I've (successfully) gained less than 2 pounds so far. This Wednesday we had our second ultrasound and it appears that the fetus has boy parts.

I am now a substitute teacher for the Saint Paul school district (and still Wayzata and Minnetonka), and have learned a lot. My goal has always been to find a permanent job in an urban school, but I think I must have been really sheltered during my own urban schooling experiences. It's pretty rough out there, so I'm thankful that I stuck to subbing here before trying to get something permanent. The skills you need to be successful here are not what they teach you in "teacher college"!

On my off-days, now that I'm not nauseated and tired all of the time, I'm creating. Mostly silversmithing these days, particularly creating bezels and setting cabochons. It seems safer than lampworking because the glass rods all have metal content (especially the lead-laden COE 96 rods that I've been enamored with most recently), which become breathable when molten, and are probably not great for baby-growing. Thus, my lampworking efforts have been limited. I have continued teaching about six classes per two-month schedule at Sticks and Stones in Mankato, which has been great. The soldering classes seem to be the most popular and I've been teaching at least one weekend (two classes) of those per schedule.

For those of you on Facebook, I do have a profile there, and while I do intend to make posts here as regularly as I am capable, that might be the better option for more regular information.

Cheers all!

An Open Letter of Begging

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:48:00 +0000

Phew. A busy day.

I reserved a 26’ UHaul today and picked up 52 boxes. The result of this maneuvering is that Saturday April 26th will be the day we’re moving the majority of our stuff. The truck is scheduled to get picked up in Minnetonka at 9am and to be dropped off in the same place at 5pm. Theoretically, we’re supposed to be able to fit 1500ft³ into this thing, so I’m optimistically hoping for a single trip … though, with the furniture, it may be a two-trip deal. Who’s good at Tetris? Even just coming for a little bit would be helpful. My cell phone number is 612-555-3755 and Sean’s is 612-555-7243 to inquire about our location at any point. (n.b. real numbers have been altered to protect the privacy of the innocent ... and of Sean and Julie).

Dan, before you even ask, yes we’ll have everything ready to go – neat piles of liftable and taped boxes just waiting in the garage. In fact, I’ll have my whole library and the spare bedroom closet packed a few hours from now. Stacey, I know the kids might be a challenge to manage and you may not want to come, but it would be cool to see you if you were just to be at my parent’s house. (Sean’s parents already said yes to a late spring horse expo, but Jordan might want to seal the deal ) If the 26th doesn’t work, we could also put you to work the weekend before (the weekend of the 19-20th) to help move boxes from the rooms into the garage (at least if we don’t have that done by then).

Steve and Crystal, I still don’t know if we’ll be able to move anything into the house at that point (we have permission to move everything to the garage. I’m waiting until after the middle of the month to ask neighbor Dan about the exact move-in date, if it can be before the 1st), but we’ll still have a place for you to stay if you want to stay over until Sunday. I’m just not sure which house it will be. Just let me know whenever you know if that might work for you so that I don’t (or do) pack the necessary things.

Oberlanders all, please don’t feel an obligation to come, but if you don’t have other plans - what an efficient way to see where we have been living and where we will be living … or, at least, one or the other!  (psssst …. Aunt Roseanne … yarn café is very nearby!)

We would, of course, feed you all tasty things for helping. Just imagine … sipping tasty, tasty lemonade under the shade of a very pretty yard tent after a day of good exercise, the smell of tasty meat on the grill, the soft sounds of Led Zeppelin in the background ... ah! Led Zeppelin! So, let me know what works, if anything, for you all. Finally, while I’m in shameless begging mode: I would also like to mention the new forum I added to my website, which you may enjoy seeing: http://autochthonous-evolved.com. I’m hoping to make it really robust with online shopping by Summer. It turns out, people I don’t know actually visit my site! Funny things those web stats.

I feel like a general. I hate that.
XO,
Julie (& Seaneo)

Moving to St. Paul

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:12:00 +0000

After a year and a half living in Plymouth, and several years in Minneapolis near the University before that, Sean and I will be moving back to St. Paul – next door to my parents in fact – at the end of April. We are excited about the move because, at last, we will be living in a house rather than an apartment or townhome with walls shared with others. We'll have a yard! Plus, and this is perhaps one of the biggest bonuses of this particular location, I'll be able to use my dad's glass studio (attached to my parent's garage) for my work. A studio! A heated studio! I'm so excited.

My dad has a glass studio because he is a stained glass artist. The stained glass seems to be more a mode of expression and challenge for him since he has almost never made something meant to suit the tastes of others. I think, partially because others were not immediately attracted to his manifestation of art and beauty and thus didn't buy a lot of his work, he got frustrated and now doesn't spend a lot of time in his shop … so we'll see how that works out when I arrive. Part of me wonders if he'll start working out there more just because he has company, and if so, to what degree he'll just let me focus on my work. Regardless, I am grateful for his generosity in allowing me space to work because, heaven knows, my full range of glass/metal/jewelry interests no longer makes working in the house practical, and the garage studio I use now is not heated making winter very unproductive.

So we meet again

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 22:24:00 +0000

Hello again. It's me.

What do you mean you don't remember me?

Anyway, I thought I'd give a brief run down of my activities over the past few months. In September I started my last semester for my M.Ed. (Master's degree in Education). In October I went to a local art fair, which took a lot of preparation. I've been teaching in Mankato quite a bit - a couple weekends a month. In November I applied to the U's Ph.D. program in Sociology. Other than that, I've been mostly working on my final two projects for school. Here's an excerpt from my Professional Objectives statement from my Sociology application explaining the projects:

The two independent projects that I am completing this semester elucidate the direction in learning and research I wish to pursue as a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology. One project, an independent study to complete my certificate program for Talent Development and Gifted Education, focuses on why such a disparate percentage of minorities are present and successful in Gifted and Talented programs. While it is primarily an extensive literature review helping me define the state of the question, my synthesis of the literature suggests that, by developing cost-effective web-based multimedia to help teachers differentiate education more efficiently, it is possible to increase expectations and achievement for each student. Hence, teachers and parents will have better data with which to measure potential gifts and talents, and students will become better prepared for further academic rigor in whatever form it takes. What my analysis of the literature reveals is that education decisions are more grounded within psychological than sociological data, even when examining differences that have a strong correlation with race or socioeconomic status. Sociological investigation would help educators better understand what success looks like to these students, what tools they lack yet need to achieve success, and how to connect with these students in a more holistic way.

Other than that, let's just pretend I've been traveling ...

New Research and Interesting Finds

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:25:00 +0000

Information- and enlightenment-wise, the last two days have been very exciting for me. Once in a blue-moon-ago I found a podcast in the iTunes library from MAKE magazine about how to ... er ... make things. Yesterday, after attempting some product research and a web-related effort to make one of the project pdfs available to my electronic-engineer-brother, I started browsing over the MAKE site http://makezine.com/ and HOLY COW, is it SWEEEEEET! What's more, in the spirit of sharing information that they embrace, they also had several links to other amazing artists and engineers. Oh, the fulfilling flury of frontal-lobe-stimulating words and images. I was swept away.

Words are both too much and not enough to describe the experience of my recent web-browsing, so with annotations to let you know how I was led through this landscape of learning, I'll let you browse some of these exciting links yourself.

MAKE Magazine
On just the page of this link alone you'll find links and project ideas for a GPS logger, uses for a vibration motor and PSP touch screen and newly-reduced-in-price accelerometers, USB wall charger, Cyclean - the pedal-powered washing machine, and plush irradiated sirloin (microcontroller nightlight), and MORE!

There are some great links ahead, but this might be one of the greatest web-finds of my life! Truly, there is something for everyone on this site, the whole spectrum from crafty to truly techno-dweeby.

In one of the many links available at this site I was led to a Boston Globe article about a philosophical/artistic movement called Steampunk. If you remember the Will Smith movie "Wild, Wild West", then you've seen it - truly modern inventions done to look or behave as if they are fresh out of the 1820s. That led me to other wonderful pages ...

Datamancer, AKA Rich "Doc" Nagy has fabricated a number of wonderful old-timey-looking objects some of which look to become available for purchase in the near future. Definately a very interesting renaissance man. A friend of his is ...

Jake von Slatt of the Steampunk workshop. On this website, he actually shows you how he makes things, which led me to ...

Cedric Green and GREEN PRINTS: etching metal without acid. This website actually brought me full circle as I had spent most of the morning yesterday looking for a supplier of Ferric Chloride to etch copper and bronze for some pendants I wanted to try. It was my frustration with not being able to find a vendor locally, since anyone who had to ship needed to charge an additional $20-25 HazMat fee, and I needed a mental break and decided to check the MAKE magazine link from the pdfs I uploaded for my brother ...

It's so interesting the way some things turn out; the way that unexpected things are very much related!

Teaching Craft Classes

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:17:00 +0000

Teaching a new class is always a learning experience for me. The hardest part is remembering, often after the first unsuccessful attempt to explain something, everyone is at different places in their knowledge of craft techniques and, partially because of that, have different abilities to acquire new knowledge quickly. These classes are being offered on the premise that the students in the class will learn a technique more quickly by seeing how something is done rather than reading about it. I do, of course, have detailed class handouts with text and images that I ask the students to read over before we start - to prime the pump, so to speak - but sometimes it turns out the technique is so out of the experience of some students that none of it sinks in. This, in turn, makes the demonstration a more critical component of their learning process. There are some things, unfortunately, that are very difficult to show. Other things, so seemingly obvious to me - things I didn't anticipate having to explain, require backtracking and demonstration before we can move on to the main project. Strangely, my students always tell me they had a great class and learn a lot. But my experiences in my last two classes made me wonder whether they were just being kind.

I should first explain that I teach classes in a bead/accessory/clothing/gift store about an hour-and-a-half away from my home. I write up class proposals with a draft of the class instructions and submit them to the owner. The owner schedules the classes and purchases the materials I listed in the class proposal.

Two Saturdays ago I taught my first torch soldering class. (before this point I had primarily taught projects requiring a kiln). It went well - in that by the end of class everyone had successfully soldered some joints, most people finished their projects, and everyone reported learning a lot.

With soldering, it is crucial that the joints in question touch as completely as possible. This project required making our own rings out of copper. You wind the wire around a dowel, remove the coil, then cut the rings. Once you cut the rings the ends are a wire-width apart since they were once part of a coil. To close the gap you (just) need to grasp the ends and apply some pressure to the ends in the opposite directions.

While this may not be something that is common knowledge, it is perhaps the first thing that anyone making jewelry should learn. It turned out there were some students in the class that had never made any jewelry. After approximately fifteen minutes of unsuccessfully soldering joints the students asked for my help. Because they had been applying heat to the metal, it had expanded, and the joints were no longer anywhere in the vicinity of touching. This meant that making the ends touch required even more finesse than usual and required much more explanation than how to (simply) close a new jump ring. We got through the hurdle, but it made me stop and think about other basic techniques that were integral to the project that didn't even occur to me as necessary to explain.

Last night I was teaching a class on the Byzantine Weave.

This is another jump ring project. After my experience with the soldering class I felt compelled to explain closing and opening jump rings. The image above was, in fact, a part of the directions this time. Of course, this time everyone laughed that I felt I needed to explain that.

I am a licensed 5-12 Social Studies teacher and am a project away from completing my M.Ed. For all of my classwork (in which I did very well), I still feel like there are a million things to learn about teaching. Perhaps I'm worrying too much. The students do genuinely seem to enjoy the classes and come back for more. They leave with projects well-started, if not finished. Yet, they pay me to facilitate their learning of something new and I feel I owe it to them to make it as simple and painless as possible. Is that silly? Should I be able to anticipate their any learning need? Is it enough to provide basic information verbally? Should I have everything available on a handout? Should I have prerequisite skills in the class blurb, or rely on the staff registering students to gauge student readiness for the class?

Perhaps, in the end, lack of perfection as a craft teacher instills more confidence in the student's own lack of perfection in technique. If the teacher isn't perfect at everything, but can improve with practice and thought, maybe the student can do the same.

Bead Stores

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 03:52:00 +0000

Today I made a jaunt to my nearest bead store in Osseo, MN. I needed some 18 and 20 gauge craft wire for some mock-ups I want to make (trial-and-error projects). To be honest, this store has a lot of supplies other than beads, but their stock and prices aren't really competitive with my online sources. The only advantage is that I can get something I want the day I want it ... if they have it.

In this case I was looking for at least 40yards of wire for my projects. They didn't have it. The most they had was 4 yards of 18 gauge and 6 yards of 20 gauge (the bigger the number the finer the wire. 18 gauge is about the thickness of a toothpick, maybe slightly less.) I bought a 6"x6" sheet of, what I believe is, aluminum (its composition wasn't labeled) for less than $3. The two packs of wire were a little more than $4 each (more than I wanted to pay, but I needed it. I got a really good deal on a sterling silver charm of the Eiffel Tower for less than $4 (less than eBay). So, over all, I was happy with my finds.

What I am not happy with is the lack of a local store I can go to to look at some really innovative materials, I don't know, like wire mesh, a variety of metals in wire, sheet, and tube form that I could shape, form, and embellish to my heart's content; different paints, glues, finishing agents like acid; fibers of different shapes, colors, and textures. A place where I could have the opportunity, perhaps, to have some workbench time to workshop with other artists. A place with an impressive and inspiring variety of examples and projects that would make the most accomplished artist stop and take a moment to process, admire - not just things someone could look at any of the projects for 3 seconds and understand completely how to construct because (s)he had been doing that and more for ages. Someplace Sean could go, too, and not become insanely bored in less than two minutes.

Local stores are good for different things. Some for prices, some for variety of materials, some for specific materials. Is there someone that can do it all? With so many bead stores closing in the Twin Cities (SO many!) - where are the innovations in the existing stores to prevent their downfall? Do they truly believe if the others close that their customers will just come to them? With the increasing availability of internet vendors, that is not a logical assumption. In fact, there is are really wonderful vendors in my links section that demonstrate there are already sources with great prices and selection. Again, one must really exploit the advantages of a local brick and mortar store such as making everything a jeweler could dream of available at one location, to be able to touch, feel, and imagine wonderful things. To make the trip to the store worthwhile for people from everywhere in the region.

You see, my five year plan is to open a bead shop of my own. Trying as I can to be innovative, to shop around and get the most for my money, to play with traditional and unique materials in new and unexpected ways, to expand my boundaries, I want my store to embody that. It may be selfishness on some levels - wanting to get a really good price on the materials I want to use in my designs. However, I also want to inspire people to expand their boundaries. The best online vendors have pretty expensive shipping and you have to purchase a lot to make it worthwhile - so if I have a more broad selection, If I have people with expertise available for advice and conversation, I could still compete. More than the financial rewards, however, I want to do my part in reminding people of the power and viability of living as an artist, the spiritual, intellectual, and emotional renewal that it offers one and all. I want people to know the power of holding a hammer in hand and know they have more than one option for the nail they have in front of them and have the opportunity to give creativity a chance. Once you are given a glimpse outside of the box, no matter how creatively challenged one might feel, it will become easier to see the possibilities - not just for metal, glass, wood, fiber, but for the world. This is what a bead store should do. This is my dream.

Geez, I'm AMAZING!

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:13:00 +0000

So, today has been a busy day. I've been making beads, doing logistics - figuring out supply amounts and costs for upcoming classes, writing class handouts for new classes, polishing up my web page, pondering ideas for a book on the applied psychology of similarities and differences that I started outlining, took photos of Sean for his passport application ... and it hit me: Geez, I'm totally and completely amazing. So, why haven't I put a harness on this raw talent and ambition to conquer the known universe ... or at least this corner of Minneapolis?

Since I have heard that making a plan public can help you stick to it, I will share my little plan for world domination here with my loyal readership. It might botch the whole advantage of surprise, but I'm confident, should that happen, that my overwhelming charm and intelligence will steamroller any incident obstacles.

Step One: Taking Over The Neighborhood.
Sean and I live in a little rental townhome community in the "rough" part of Plymouth. It's like we're a little camp of gypsy vagrants camped in the courtyard of princes. Don't get me wrong, these are nice people, but their children ... now that they are free of school with parents at work ... Ugh! These kids scare me. They break each others' cell phones and launch firecrackers off of people's cars. Let's forget about step one until we have more resources and gloves.

Step Two: Community Action!
Actually ... as I try to ponder possibilities like buying off the local community advisory board, distributing propaganda around local community centers, buying a professional wrestler and a construction crane, my mind is wondering off to the cool fruity iced tea I have in the refrigerator. Oh, sweet, peachy tea!

Step Three: Hire Nicaraguan Freedom Fighters
When in doubt, bring in the mercenaries. I'm not sure what the target will be yet, but I feel strongly that paying some third-world hard-working people a living wage with some benefits is the right thing to do. It's time to make the world economy global!

Hum ... Other than the slight lack of continuity and breadth of vision that may be indicative of my lack of world (or city) power to date, I think it's a great start. If nothing else, I'll have the freedom fighters stage a cage match with the wrestler in a crane-suspended ring of some sort and the people will embrace me for my deep understanding of popular culture. How's that sound?

My Hot Boy Sean

julie@autochthonous-evolved.com (AutEv) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:05:00 +0000

Having previously discussed my finances several times in this blog, I think it’s only fair at this point to answer the question “Aren’t you married and doesn’t he have a job?”

Well, “Yes indeedy” to both. In fact, my darling husband is a successful software developer at a company called Open Access Technology International, just a few miles away from where we live. The main problem is my own overwhelming desire to avoid this “real world” that everyone is always complaining about. After all, if it sucks so much, why bother if you have any other options at all? But, that’s just me. The only problem is that it doesn’t pay quite as well as many (but not all) “real-world” jobs, which seems like such a paltry detail … except that rent and utilities in Plymouth aren’t inexpensive.

I should also make clear, so that I don’t have to sleep in the spare bedroom, that Sean is a software developer (or software engineer), and NOT a programmer. Programmers, who can work with a two-year degree, apparently have an aptitude somewhere in-between trained monkeys and retarded monkeys. (Sean also informs me that I’ll probably get in trouble with saying “retarded,” but that’s an official psychological term for very-low IQ, so I’m sticking to my guns.) I, for one, cannot program like monkeys at all. My programming skills (other than for web-related purposes) are more like those of a dead rat – a smelly one.

Since I’m on my Soap Box of Praise, I should also list Sean’s other sterling qualities. He is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, two section tests and a year away from his second-degree belt. He can also play video games like nobody’s business. (Bleed FF12 monster, bleed!) He hardly ever beats children or animals (translation of sarcasm: he’s uber-amazing with them). He knows the band/singer of almost any song on “good” radio stations (Drive 105 or 93X) after a ridiculously few number of notes. He can also quickly deduce complex conclusions from an amazingly little amount of information, usually on topics that took my classmates and I several class periods to discuss. He makes up wonderful words combining two banal words, creating such classics as “fun-tastic,” “food-tastic,” and “sun-tacular.” (Just kidding, he really does do that, but those lame examples are my own.) He will also watch “girl-movies” with me; he’s such a sweetheart! Plus, he’s totally hot, and he doesn’t force me to get a “real” job, supporting me in my jewelry-/teaching-related efforts.

Just so you aren’t too jealous, I’ll also mention some of his shortcomings. He has very soft and girly feet for a boy in TKD. He says he’s going to make me get a pedicure so I don’t make him look so bad. (It’s not my fault he has to wear shoes all day.) He also does not process information visually, which means that I (with my tenuous grasp of left and right) am the navigator when driving if we want to make it home alive. He won’t wear the jewelry I make unless he can wear it like a tiara. And, lastly, he thinks (“knows”, he asserts) that I’m a bad person. Well, that may be the case, but I don’t know why he thinks I need reminding. One should embrace one’s gifts. I wonder if I should tell him that it takes one to know one?

In conclusion, I have a totally great boy who keeps us out of debtors prison when my hard work does not earn immediate economic benefits (even if he does have pretty feet).