Road Trip

Greetings beady friends and thanks for checking in.  We've been diligently working on the bead tubes.  It is a somewhat mundane and tedious task.  And we kinda like that:  Rhythm, repetition, and a vague sense of progress. We are "seed-beaders" after all.  Plus, I think it has a healing effect after all the tumult.  

Of course, we like a little excitement too. Hence....the ROAD TRIP.  As I mentioned in the last post, we decided to take a trip to our seed bead supplier.  

Lunch on the Road

Before we left on our trip, I said a little prayer that we arrive home safely and still on good terms with each other, and I am pleased to say that my prayer was answered.  We almost didn't make it,  because the night before the trip both my headlights went out.  But, in my determination, I rented a car and we were off.  Coming home, we had to deal with road closures due to high winds and low visibility.  But that forced us onto ever more remote and beautiful routes.  I noticed the worse our situation got, the calmer and more polite we all became.  That immediate acceptance was new stuff for me, and something I hope to cultivate more within myself.   

Winding Through Natural Beauty

Our trip took us into the heart of what is still called "Indian Country" out here in the American Southwest.  I marveled at the jaw-dropping scenery as we wound our way on 2-lane twisting roads through various Pueblos, Apache lands, and the Navajo Nation of the Dine.  As a native New Yorker* living in New Mexico for 18 years,  it still startles me to find vast stretches of pristine land between communities.  In contrast, the East Coast is crowded with towns that blend into each other and I still expect that. 

Taking out our beads in Denny's

Sometimes you just have to  

Only bead lovers could spend 17 hours in a car for 5 hours of bead shopping and think "this is awesome".  We did stop and all get matching tattoos of a heart with "Miyuki" inside.  So that took a little extra time.  NO, we didn't.  What we did do, was work as a team and review every bead color offered by our supplier.   We have 75 NEW colors chosen, and we brought home a tube of each (see pic above).   We will be introducing them in color palettes when we re-open.  We are excited and proud that we will have the most current selection possible. 

Solange and Julia

Friday, we enjoyed a brief visit from Solange, who is back in town for a short time.  It was great fun catching up with her. Many of you ask about her and what she's been up to.  Solange spent some months traveling in Chile with family.  Now, she is back living in her hometown in North Carolina. She says hello to all her Poppyfield friends.

 

When will we re-open???

Everything needed to re-open has been ordered...security gates, carpet, windows, window frames.  So, now it is out of our hands.  As these items arrive, the physical restoration of the building can begin.  Again, I ask you for patience and please hang in with us through this very strange time.  We are still hoping to re-open in 2 weeks.  But, we all know how that goes.  When we have firmer dates, we will let you know.  

Until then...

 

*For clarity:   people born in New York refer to ourselves as native New Yorkers -  this does not imply membership in a Native American Tribe.  

Delicas Delicas and More Delicas!!

Miyuki Delicas: YUM!

Today I spent the entire day figuring my delica inventory. I bought Margo's entire delica inventory which is quite substantial. In addition I got a list of the most popular 200 colors from one of our nation's major Miyuki distributors. I combined the 2 and added the all the new permanent galvanized colors. This is a new process that is purported to have corrected the problem of fading seen in the old galvanized colors. In the end, the grand total as of today is 554 colors - all size 11's at this time. The order has been sent!!

Tribal Chic Earrings by Julia Hecht

(uses Shaped Beadwork's 2 sided triangles)

I was not a big delica fan myself until I discovered geometrics. I love Diane Fitzgerald's book "Shaped Beadwork" by Lark Publishing. There are so many great shapes to incorporate into larger pieces. The delica's precise, regular, cylindrical shape, neat edges, and interlocking dimensions make the geometrics possible. One drawback with this book is that there aren't many finished projects using the shapes. For most of the shapes, Diane seems to give the basic building blocks and leaves the rest to you. I have created a number of finished projects with geometrics. Some are quick and easy earrings, while others are more complicated shaped bezels.

Blue Sparkle by Julia Hecht

(Fancy Pear Bezel derived from Shaped Beadwork's Teardrop)

I am looking forward to offering some classes using this book, and taking her designs to the next step. I've talked with Diane about this, and she's given me the go ahead. We've also talked about her coming to teach at Poppyfield in 2011. More on that in a future post.

Finally, Some Beads!

Greetings Beady Friends! Things at Poppyfield are moving along nicely. Although, I must confess, not in a New York minute. I love the pace of the NM life, but when I want things to happen, I revert to my Big Apple expectations. I've had to come to terms with the reality that creating a brand new retail space takes time. Not only that, there are about a thousand unexpected kinks that pop up, and I've been learning patience and humility in dealing with it all. Here's a tidbit. Last week I bought some used sales counters from Ooh Ahh jewelry store. They are going to be refurbished. One of them flew out of the truck on the way home. It landed in the middle of the road. Now it will be VERY refurbished. Ohmmmmmm.

It is a good thing I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I made this decision. I probably would not have had the courage to make the leap. That being said, I am thrilled with my decision, excited to see the progress, and confident that great things are in store, in the store.

Phoenix Phlower by Margo Field

Here is a photo of Margo's Phoenix Phlower. It has a sparking rivoli at the center, and her own original bezel, which you will really enjoy learning and applying to other creations. Like all her designs, it is a product of her beady genius. As soon as we open we will begin registration for the class. I will be sure to have all the supplies needed in stock.

An Experiment in Bead Display

Yesterday I finally had a day with the beads. I spent hours working with one of the many boxes of tubes I've got. It was such a joy to finally get a box open and start organizing the inventory. I've been experimenting with displaying the bead tubes in a way that is both appealing and practical for all beaders - newbies to veteran advanced stitch mavens. I tried out these cool trays that hang in the slat wall. What you see are a small sample of bugles and the 6's that I have in stock. I love being able to see the whole tube of beads. But, I am not convinced that these trays are durable and will hold up. I will continue in my quest. Hanging tubes are next on my agenda.

Finally, I've also spent hours getting the inventory organized in the computer. As an avid beader myself, I know some of information I'd like to have when walking into a store. I am working on setting up the system to be practical for beaders' questions. For example when I walk into a bead store, I want to know if 638 (my favorite color) is available in 11's, 15's, 8's, do you have it in frosted? what about hexes? bugles? You'd be surprised how difficult it is to get straight answers to these questions. But I've already got an email in the Miyuki inbox on someone's computer in Japan.

Happy New Year to you all! May the New Year bring you everything you need. And lots of beads, too.

Peace and Beads,

Julia