Music & Snowflakes

Here are the beads I promised to show you...music beads with sheet music lines that are thinner than any stringer work I've ever seen on a bead! The artist is Saskia McKenzie-Fisher and she's not only talented but very sweet as well. She made other sets in a pale pink glass and also in blue. I am so excited to get these into a bracelet. My husband said I just have to keep them for myself since they are so spectacular. I'm waiting for a few more of those small rosette rounds and once I get them and assemble the bracelet I'll show you pictures.

Here is the Pink Snowflake bracelet I completed this week that is all pink and white glass with a beautiful Rose Swarovski crystal and sterling silver tab style clasp. The dangling bead is a fabulous scrolled egg shape that is a star all by itself.


On my next blog post, I'll show you the final music note bracelet and (fingers crossed) the beginning of the new cupcake jewelry line I mentioned in the past.

Until then,

Marching on

March....wow. Sure came up fast! March reminded me of a local music event called "Marching On". My son was in an amazing high school marching band that is quite famous in California, the James Logan Marching Band. The high school itself has just over 4,000 students so the band, plus color guard (flag twirlers/dancers), totals over 200 performers. They were and still are the largest band of its kind over here.


This second photo shows just the trumpet section, 35 of them! My son is in there SOMEwhere.

Each year they and the other local school bands performed in an event called Marching On where everyone displayed their talents. To see this band just march onto the field is an awesome site at 220 strong! They would always be the last band due to their size and for 11 straight years they have held onto their championship status in the WBA. They work hard for it, though! To be as good as they are with that many kids is a feat that is managed by a super duper team of teachers that are committed to excellence.

I had NO idea what a big deal this group was until my son took his first out of town band trip. I drove him to the school, dropped him off, then as I turned a corner, I saw, for the first time, their SEMI-trailer truck set up to carry all the band equipment! Seeing a professionally applied banner on the side of this gigantic truck just blew my mind...this was serious stuff! Dang. no wonder they had to get there so early...they had to load that truck! I got choked up with pride...really, I did.

I spent 2 seasons helping to set up food tables at band competitions so that these kids could have a hot meal. But really, the most wonderful part for me was watching their bi-weekly rehearsals after school and listening to the choreographer over the p.a. system (the band was so huge, the guy needed to use the p.a. system to talk to all of them!) guiding each section work out their marching drill. To be able to play an instrument well shows talent...to do it while marching in a neat and specific pattern is genius. These are NOT band geeks! They still use that term amongst themselves, but these kids played neat and tight and near professional level.

Their band director was very strict. I don't know HOW he got them to do so well when many of them said they didn't really like his manner much. He did SOMEthing right to keep them champions for 11 years! I did experience this sour feeling once when I saw and heard him chastising a boy for wearing a suit and not a tuxedo. They were outside the band room, with kids coming and going and EVERYone heard him embarrass this kid...it was kind of awful.

Once when my son couldn't march for several weeks, I told him we would attend one of the local competitions so he could experience just how good the band was. Watching videos just didn't capture their sound.

He said that his band director never showed them videos because if we decided we thought we were really good, we could easily get lazy. I said tough, we are going. That night, we climbed the stands at San Jose State stadium and wrapped ourselves in blankets. We sat way up high so he could have that fabulous view of his band. Out they marched and then performed. He was completely silent. When they finished I said, "well, what did you think?". He replied "wow...we are really GOOD!"

I said, "See? You should KNOW that for your SELF! Wasn't it great how the flag twirlers were in sync with the band"? He replied, wide eyed, "I was only watching my trumpet section!"

I loved that he was in awe of his band. So was I!

Surprise Revealed

Here is the finished product from the previous post. It was a surprise birthday gift for my sister.

Aren't the beads amazing?

I created the bracelet and then wanted to give it a musical flair since Sis is co-owner of Lightning Joe's Guitar Heaven in Arroyo Grande, CA. So I added polymer clay music beads. Not sure which way I prefer the finished look, so if Sis likes the first version best, the clay beads are on a jump ring & can be easily removed.

Of course, it looks different laying on a table for a photo than it does on the wrist.

Nice surprise, huh?

Locked and loaded

Do you recognize these beads? They were featured in my blog entry titled "I know I know" from August 13th.

Well, they have been transformed into a full 3 piece set of jewelry titled Treasure based on the focal that reminds me of a find in a treasure chest. It's chock full of color...thanks to my friend telling me to get more light flowing through it for better photographs!

I'm finishing the photography today and should list this on Etsy by tomorrow so be sure to visit me there to see the end result. I'm still surprised at the range of depth and color from light to dark that all work together. Quite spectacular, or "delicious" my friend tells me.

So I'm beginning to think that with all the traffic that has come to this blog since I posted my previous entry regarding Chihuly that I should just say Chihuly in every other post as that seems to be what gets people here! 42 visitors in one day...uh...people, from 5 a day to 42...that's quite a jump!

Hey, locked and loaded...moving on from the jewelry world and into our real little world of every day life I have to share something with you that just blew my mind. How many of you know that on foil and plastic wrap boxes there is a little lock on each end to keep the product from rolling out of the box???

I did NOT know this...neither did my sis when I asked her and I just couldn't beLIEVE it! I've included close-up shots for you and have to say that "press" as instructed just doesn't work: you have to get in there with a knife to slice two sides of the tab to get it to pressing state....so simple and unbelievable that it's been there all this time.

I mean, come on, who hasn't had a roll slip out and onto the floor. Now, what's the rule on THAT? 2 second rule? 5 second rule?

So it just goes to show you that you never know what you'll learn when you visit this blog. Gosh I'm just full of important knowledge...LOL.

Okay, gang, I want to hear your comments. I should take a poll on this box lock situation just to see how many of you were in the dark with me!

By the way, the day AFTER we visited the (I'll say it again:) Chihuly exhibit there was a gigantic 3 day concert in Golden Gate Park called Outside Lands...just below the museum we had visited. I didn't find out about it until its first day was completed. I don't know how I missed that when checking the area activities to decide what day to visit Chihuly. I only knew that I didn't want to go into San Francisco on a Friday or into a weekend....and this is why!