Thursday, August 27, 2009

Heading Home-for one day anyway!

Well, I guess you've guessed it, since I'm updating my blog, that means we're in the car heading somewhere. Actually, we're heading home. We're only home long enough to unload, reload, teach a couple classes and then we're off again. I'm going back up to William Holland to teach an intermediate cold connections workshop, which is actually more of a mixed media workshop because I include a little soldering for bezels, pin back, earwires etc. We had a very fast few days at the beach. We didn't actually make it on the beach, but our place is just 2 streets up from the beach, so we saw it plenty. Norm bummed his knee up some how, so he was on crutches. We just sat in the golf cart and watched the beach. It's just the being here and away from everything else that's relaxing. I'm not much of a sunbather anymore. I get skin cancer too easily, and I'm not going to play that game again. I'll live much longer pale. Hopefully! But I do love to walk on the beach in the early evening and at night.
I'm hearing back from quite a few of my Philly students. I really enjoy hearing from them. The ones that are writing seem to be very happy with their newly aquired skills. That's the most I can ask for!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Beadfest Philly

Well, we are on our way home from Philly. The Beadfest Philly show was great! I still can't believe it when people come up to me and say, "You're Kim St.Jean, I love your jewelry!" It still seems like a dream! I was actually interviewed on Beads and Baubles this weekend! It will be aired this spring. I'm so psyched, I'm ready to start submitting and working on new designs and articles.
We went to dinner with one of our good friends, Kim Paquette, of Create Your Style with Swarovski. She pursued a differnt line of jewelry for a while, but now she's back and we are thrilled, and to make it even better, she's now our sales representative. We talked at length about the Create Your Style with Swarovski's Ambassadorship, and I am excited to be doing more with my ambassadorship. I challanged a fellow ambassador, Fernando DeSilva, by gifting him with a couple of fold formed metal pieces. I asked him to design something fabulous with it. I have metal on the brain right now, so I'm kind of in a crystal slump. I'm hoping that Fernando will be able to get my creative juices flowing again by showing me how to incorporate my metal into something glitsy and glamorous using Swarovski Crystallized Components.
I wanted to say "Thank You to all of my outstanding students, and all of our great customers. I traded watch parts with Linda at Susan Lenart Kazmers booth for her new resine "Ice" and I can't wait to give it a try. I bought the new Upper and Lower case script and Upper and Lower case Typewriter font letter stamps, and a new annadized(sp)aluminum stamping block that doesn't dent and is light and QUIET! I will have these for sale in my classes as well as the letter stamps. I also got 29 different brass texture stamps for the rolling mill which I am also going to begin selling in my classes.
In short, a really fun show!

r

Monday, August 10, 2009

I went to bed and it was March, I wake up and it's August!

Well, I was reminded again by someone that I haven't made a blog entry since March. I really can't believe it has been that long. I had all good intentions of keeping up with it better this year, and here it is August and I haven't made an entry in 5 months "ish." Is "ish" a word in Websters Dictionary yet? I really think it should be. Is there a suggestion box for Websters Dictionary? We're speeding through 2009 at ludicrous speed. I am working everyday on 2010 show proposals, and I got one the other day for 2011, yeah...freakin' 2011! I'm still waiting for 2009, and it's whizzing past me. What ever happenend to the lazy hazy days of summer when we were kids. And speaking of being kids in summer...were there this many mosquitoes when we were kids? I don't think so. Do you remember riding your bike behind the DDT truck as it sprayed the neighborhood for mosquitoes? Now, those were the good ol'days! DDT, no bike helmets, drinking water from a garden hose...oh, where was I. O.k. back to work, I'll probably write agian in 5 months or so!!