The Goldsmith

If you've ever been to Bahrain, the odds are pretty good you've been to the Manama Souk.  The first time I went was in (gulp!) December 2002.  (Just a few months after the 9/11 attacks.)  The United States Navy has been in Bahrain since the late 1940's, but due to cultural differences and general common sense, I (read: any female) was not allowed to go anywhere without a "liberty buddy."  There is no way I ever would've found the souk without a liberty buddy, given the lovely, honest taxi cab drivers that Bahrain is so well known for... unless you can convince them you're a Brit, Aussie, or Canadian.  Good luck with that- the British presence in Bahrain predates the U.S., and they also see tons of Australians and Canadians in a multitude of capacities...  I guess you could just make friends with an expat or local and let them do the talking.

Manama changed a lot since that first visit.  There are lots of protests and demonstrations that gather in the area around the souk entrance in the evenings.  Since I prefer to shop alone and could easily go weeks without seeing the sun thanks to my workaholic working hours, I didn't make that many trips to the souk while I lived there.  I did enjoy my time in the souk though.  Love the noise and the bartering and wandering around slightly lost...  By the way, vendors can tell when you're lost.  But, I digress.

On my first trip to the souk, I bought gold jewelry.  Gold prices were low and I had money burning a hole in my pocket for the first time in my life.  I'd show you a picture of what I bought, but it was all stolen from my home in Hawaii, a few summers ago.  

This time, my search was not for finished jewelry, but for supplies.  There are some very beautiful stones in this part of the world, and you can still get some very good deals if you shop around a bit. 

Just some of the Yemeni agate I brought back!

A childhood visit to Yosemite sparked a lifelong interest in stones... and it goes hand in hand with making jewelry.  In all honesty, I don't wear a lot of jewelry.  If I had money when traveling, I'd buy jewelry that was either characteristic of the region, and that marked something special in my own life like a promotion or milestone birthday.  So now that my skill level is high enough to make my own jewelry, I decided to shop the souk for supplies.  A co-worker mentioned he found "a guy" in the Gold Souk with a lot of "really cool old coins and stuff with a couple of rocks like [I] was looking for."  So one day after work, we went.  Um.  The entire front display of the store was strands of beads and stones.  There was one small tray of interesting but not valuable coins.

There was an old man minding the store who offered me some tea, which I took.  (It's considered rude not to- I wish someone had told me that during my first trip!)  After chatting a bit, I asked him if he had any cabochons.  He showed me jewelry with cabochons.  I said I wanted to see plain cabochons so I could make jewelry.  He said, "Sure, I make for you."  I said, "Ok, you make for me one, but I want to practice too."  And then he lit up... "You make too?"  Out came the satchels of rocks.  I had to laugh.  If you're a crafter, you have a stash- the stash that stays in the box under the table or in the closet until you meet someone else with the same hobby... and that's when the stash comes out! 

As it turns out, the old man is a goldsmith... his family has been doing this for generations, and his work is displayed in the Royal Palace and the National Museum.  He also mills and rolls his own wire and sheet, which is just AMAZING.  So even though his English was not great and my Arabic is almost non-existent, we drank tea and looked through his collection for hours over the next several weeks.  I brought him a few of my beach glass pieces, and he was  thrilled because none of his daughters learned metal smithing.  Much of what we talked about needed pictures and demonstration due to the language barrier, but he was nice enough to help me solve some of my more difficult challenges in design.  

Near the end of my time, I picked out my favorite stone and asked him to make me a pendant.  He asked me what style, I told him pick what he thought was nice.  This is the finished product.  I typically wear VERY simple, small jewelry.  But I absolutely LOVE this piece.  The work is exquisite.  Well worth every dinar, and something I will always treasure.

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Interesting Blog: 100 Days of Rejection

A major aspect of being a military spouse is having to change jobs whenever your active duty spouse gets Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Orders.  I'll be perfectly blunt - this summer, I had to quit a 6 figure job that I enjoyed in order to keep the family together.  It really sucked because I knew there were no comparable jobs for the highly specialized type of work that I (used to) do in the area we now live and I'm essentially unemployable thanks to my Reserve obligation.  (Even seasonal retail jobs were out of the question with my departure date being prior to Christmas!)  I could have pitched a fit and insisted my husband take a crappy set of orders in Hawaii or stayed behind in Hawaii with the kids until I either mobilized or found something in Virginia Beach (we also own a small house here), but if you've ever prayed for an answer and come away with a response that wasn't the one you were hoping to hear, then you'll understand why it wasn't a difficult for me to accept that it was time to leave that job even though I didn't want to.

They are interviewing candidates for my old job this week, and since it was such a unique job, anyone who knows me professionally could guess it was my job and some folks who were interested in the job gave me a call or email.  Needless to say, I did my best to help anyone who asked without compromising the integrity of the interview process.  (IE I did not contact the hiring panel with any recommendations, but I did let them know who I was speaking with.  I also did not disclose interview questions or discuss other candidates that I knew were applying.)  In the end, I have nothing to do with the experience or qualifications of the candidates anyway, and I would be doing the same type of "homework" if I could even get an interview around here.

The interesting thing is that while everyone asked me what the worst part of the job was, only one person asked me what I liked most about it.  Explaining the worst part of the job was easy- I often got tagged with all the random stuff other people in the office didn't want to deal with.  (You know, the "other duties as assigned" clause.)  It made me feel like the boss didn't think I had enough work to do and that what I did wasn't as important as what everyone else was doing.  Explaining the best part was harder- my job was essentially to figure out unique, common sense, no-cost solutions to cover our capability gaps by trading favors with other organizations.  It's really rewarding to get a crazy request and figure out how to make it work.  (In retrospect, I guess that's why I got all the crap jobs, but hey- whatever.  Just because I like independent problem solving does NOT mean I should have to deal with the pain in the ass work that other people don't want to deal with.)  And that's why I "get" the lady in this video.  It's fun to get those unique requests and make them happen.  I loved my job the most when I was free to actually do my job.

Just as interesting as the Krispy Kreme lady who wouldn't say no to the crazy customer, is the guy making the video.  He decided to film himself doing "100 Days of Rejection Therapy" and blog about it.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I have been turned down for at least that many jobs since leaving active duty in 2008.  (I've been offered and accepted 2, and been offered/low balled/turned down maybe about 3-4.)  Most of the time I don't get a response at all, and if I do get something, it's rarely more specific other than, "You are qualified but not the best qualified," or some non-committal BS.  I used to take it personally but not so much anymore.  (I actually just got one of the automated rejection letters this week for a job with duties I had previously held and gotten an award for doing!)  It's not that I'm applying to jobs I'm not qualified to do.  I just don't have any friends who are in a position to help me professionally here because of the specialized nature of my experience and other people do.  Fortunately, I have some savings and I've been able to replace a portion of my income through part time hours via Etsy.

What's interesting about the videos is that while on the first couple of days he's really shy about asking for stuff and getting turned down, now that he's in week 2, he's starting to kind of wheel and deal/bargain a little bit, trying to turn "no" into "yes."  Lately, I've been resentful of having to leave the career field that I enjoyed, but maybe it's time to stop taking the job hunt so seriously/personally and start looking for the hidden opportunities.

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Buy Local?

Image via WikipediaIt's no secret that the cost of living in Hawaii is extremely high.  There's very little competition and virtually all of our goods are imported.  You can get some great produce locally, but for the most part, small business owners around here tend to provide services or cater to goods that would appeal to tourists.  There are also some GREAT eateries and wonderful artists.  One thing I love about living on the Windward side of Oahu is the variety of small businesses in the community.  You can find all sorts of creativity from hobby shops to older clothing recycled into really great accessories.

However, the big box stores are starting to creep in. I've got mixed feelings about that.

As a consumer, I like the idea of not having to make a 30 minute drive to get some of the items that the shops here don't carry.  There are also some local businesses who took advantage of the lack of competition for many MANY years by jacking up their prices on items we all use, such as construction materials and some groceries.  Oddly enough, now that the bigger stores are here, those businesses- the ones that claimed the price gouging was necessary- are still around, but I digress.

On the other hand, as a hobbyist who peddles a few items here and there, I can appreciate the small business and the amount of work it takes to run them.  In particular, hobby supply and and other specialty shops which bring in items readily available online.  One day, I think it would be fun to be an entrepreneur.  Maybe as a retirement project or something.  Local businesses really should be the backbone of a thriving economy, not these huge conglomerations.   However, I've found that we simply can't afford to buy all the things we use in this household at local shops... so much of our shopping is done at larger national chain stores and online.

I come from a family full of civil servants- teachers, state and county workers, and military... we serve our communities on a daily basis.  (And before that my family worked on plantations for literally pennies a day.)  So when I get lectured by someone who sells a lot of product (we're talking SEVEN figures), criticizing me for not supporting local businesses, I get a little pissy.  Do not EVER accuse a mother who has deployed in defense of her country of being socially irresponsible unless you want to make a scene.  There is A LOT more to supporting your community than just throwing your money around in it.

Crafting is what I do with the "extra" spending money leftover after we take care of everything else.  This certainly is not how I make a living, and quite frankly, if my friends want something I can make for them, I would prefer to just give it to them because to me, the joy in is in creating- not making money.   There is also fun in discovering that someone else values your work enough to part with some of their hard earned money.   But you see what I'm getting at- I do this for fun, not to make money.  And so, if I bought all my stuff locally from local run stores, I couldn't afford to keep progressing along with skills and techniques at a rate that would be creatively satisfying.  At the same time, I can appreciate the amount of work and thought that goes into starting and running a local business, particularly in this economy.  I also believe that small business is vital to our economic growth, and competition is a key factor in capitalism.  So if I can afford to buy local, I do.  But if you're going to charge me double what the same item costs online, guess who's getting my business.



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What's In Your Bag?

Roo, over at Nicegirlnotes.com, asked the question, "What's in your bag?"  If you'd like to play along, click the spiffy banner below:

In case you were wondering, here's what's in my bag:

One change of clothes, size 5T (top) 3T (bottoms), my wallet (Thirty-One wristlet), a tube of topicane, bandaids, two bags of organic bunny fruit snacks, 4 bags of Haribo gummi bears, a small case of Huggies Naturals wipes, one pink Pull-Up, a notebook, two pens, a spoon, 4 rubber bands in various sizes, two bags of Rainbow Goldfish, a box of 4 crayons, a cup of mini-Oreos, 2 Leap Pad games, and 4 combs.  Can you tell we're potty training?




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Caleta Cifuncho

I think most of my friends already know this, but my first ship ran aground.  Hard.  As in, stuck on a mountain in a foreign country, needed to ballast, wait for high tide, and get a tow boat...  I guess the good thing is we weren't stuck on the reef outside of Waikiki in view of our home port and wrecking the coral reef for days.  Not that it was a fun time by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely a learning experience that I am grateful for.  Then again, it's easy to feel thankful when the entire crew somehow made it through unscathed.

LMC in Cifuncho Bay

Considering the damage sustained by the ship, it is a miracle that no one was seriously injured and a true testament to the crew that she didn't sink.  Trust me.  I spent hundreds of hours learning every tank, valve, and piece of engineering equipment on that rust bucket.  People gave me lots of shit about how badly the ship was damaged and I laughed along because I didn't want to argue with someone who wasn't there, but the truth is, it's really not funny if you know how close we actually were to sustaining catastrophic personnel casualties.  It feels odd to say that was over a decade ago.  I can't get over how young we were back then.

Us, on the LMC, in Cifuncho Bay

Exactly one month after we ran aground, the USS Cole was attacked.   They were not as fortunate.  I've met people with permanent head and other injuries, unable to return to serving at sea due to the attack... and they considered themselves lucky compared to those shipmates who didn't make it.  
Sometimes it seems like life is pretty random.  I used to feel extremely guilty about the fact that we didn't lose a single person when the Cole lost so many.  But as the years have gone by, that guilt is mostly replaced by gratitude.  Not because they were in harm's way and we weren't, but because we have all learned so much from their experience.  (And to a lesser degree, folks have learned from ours, although we are mostly a tale of what not to do.)

LMC the following year.  Target practice.

When we were stranded in Cifuncho Bay, we thought that was more or less the worst thing that could happen in the Navy.  9/11 occurred one day shy of the anniversary of the LMC grounding.  By then, we'd all moved on to new assignments and I was on a completely different ship in a completely different capacity, suddenly getting ready as fast as we could to deploy when the call came.  Our expectations and perspective changed dramatically.   Now, I look back at those pictures in Cifuncho and smile wistfully because it all seems so innocent compared to what lay ahead.

Remembering the lessons of the past is not the same as living in the past.  Sometimes mistakes don't erase very cleanly, but that's okay too.  We choose to be thankful or resentful for where life takes us. 

************************************************************************************

The Navy Hymn

   Eternal Father, Strong to save,
  Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
  Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
  Its own appointed limits keep;
  O hear us when we cry to thee,
  for those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and power!
  Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
  From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
  Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
  Thus evermore shall rise to Thee.
  Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

And when at length her course is run,
   Her work for home and country done,
   Of all the souls that in her sailed
   Let not one life in thee have failed;
   But hear from heaven our sailor's cry,
   And grant eternal life on high!

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Happy Birthday to Me!

Yeah, that's right. It's my birthday! Yay! Look how tiny I used to be...

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Stationed in Hawaii with Kids: Island Hopping- Kauai

A couple of weeks ago, we packed up the fam-bam, hopped on a plane, and visited some family on Kauai.

One of our favorite places to go on Kauai is a little beach called Salt Pond.  It's got a natural breakwater with some great tidal pools to explore.  So it's relatively safe for the little ones but still interesting to the older ones.

On this particular day, we got there at low tide.  When the tide is high, the waves do break over this area, so smaller kids shouldn't be walking around on it.   But, today was a low tide, low wind, low key day.  Here are some kids trying to catch fish using a net.

There are lots of different, colorful types of seaweed growing on the breakwater, which attracts all sorts of critters.  On this particular day, we saw baby fish, sea cucumbers, a couple types of urchins, opihi (limpets), a variety of small crabs, among other things.

Can you see the little baby fishies?  They're just above the edge of the rock.

There are at least two dozen little babies in this shot...

And the world's tiniest baby crab.  This guy was about the size of a dime, legs and all.

And here's a shot of the other side of the beach, where the stand up padders, etc are.  The airfield is in the distance behind the beach.

There is also a deeper side which is commonly used by surfers, kite surfers, stand up paddle board folks, etc.   It should be noted that this is not like Waikiki Beach in that you will not be able to show up and find someone to pay to teach you how to do any of these things.  There aren't lifeguards here to bail you out if you do something stupid or reckless.   Sometimes you can buy lunch or shaved ice out of a truck, but don't count on it! 

But that being said, there are a number of picnic areas, a nice sandy beach with some shade and grass to set up camp on, and all in all a nice family vibe to it.  If you happen to already be in the area (there is a small airfield nearby where most of the helicopter tours run), this would be a great place to round out a relaxing day with the family.


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Another Kind of Busy

The good news is that the hubster made it home in one piece and the household is starting to readjust back to the two-parent norm around here.  Our landscaping project is done (except for weeding and waiting for the grass to grow in).  I also received a LOT of supplies ordered with the intent to start building inventory for some craft fairs.  (LOL, I was trying to get them to arrive prior to his return, but oh well.)  Anyway, it should keep me busy for some time.

The bad news is that I haven't had time to blog for about a couple of weeks.  I promise all is well here.  Just busy.  We are running errands, getting our quality time in, and reconnecting.  The summer PCS season is also upon us and we are trying to catch up with old friends either before they depart or assist others who are arriving.

So I hope you don't mind terribly, but this space won't move very much for about another week or two as we come up with the "new normal" around here.  
  
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It's Deja Vu All Over Again!

This past week, I've been sucked back into my old office to work my "regular" (not reservist) job.  Although I enjoy the work and have some great friends there, it feels a lot like Groundhog Day.  They are still working through the same issues over and over.  After my 4th 12 hour shift dragged into its 14th hour, this is about where I was at: (ready to say "to heck with it" and drive my stolen truck off the canyon.)

I don't want to apend a lot of time venting, but need a break from the office politics.  Up until now, I've been playing nice, keeping the "regular" job as my backup plan.  It is clear to me that I will always be overworked, underpaid, and micromanaged.  I am not happy with my job, overall.  I like the actual work and REALLY LIKE the people... but this job is starting to take away more time from my kids and not getting us any closer to where we want to go as a family.  It is increasingly clear that I have to leave my "comfort zone" again.  *sigh* 

The answer is out there and it's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to.

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Counting Down the Days

I swore I'd never use this phrase, but... back when I was a Midshipman, one of the things we had to memorize was called "The Days."  When asked for "The Days," you were supposed to automatically recite the number of days left until certain events.

For example:
There are 14 days until Thanksgiving Leave
There are 22 days until Navy beats Army
There are 47 days until Christmas Leave
There are 152 days until Spring Break

And so on.

This was supposedly a coping mechanism to get through the year, so we wouldn't crack under the stress of deployments and other things once we hit The Fleet.  But these days, deployments aren't set in stone.  Even if you have orders, you know they're subject to changed based on a lot of different variables.  Ever wonder why there are so many "deployed dad suprises kids" videos?  Because the first time you tell your kid, "Mommy or Daddy will be home in 184 days" and it turns into "185," it's not so bad... but then it becomes "188,"  and then "186," and then "192."  And not only are you going nuts, but your kid is falling apart. 

When I was the deployed parent, I used to count paydays.  The number was smaller, which I found less depressing and easier to count.  This worked well for me, but the kids really don't see that.   So now that I'm the one home with the kids, here's what we count:

That's right, we count down bags of dog food.   In our house, one 35 pound bag of dog food lasts roughly 2 weeks, depending on how much we run the dogs.  Feeding the dogs is my 12 year old's job.  So each day, he scoops out two bowls closer to having his step-father back.  My 2 year old can see the food going down in the container, so it works pretty well for her, too.   And rather than focusing on a fixed number of days, this helps them visualize the "guesstimate" aspect that always comes with the end of deployment.

We are down to two bags of dog food left in this deployment. 

Thank goodness!


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Teacher Appreciation Gifts?

This week is Teacher Appreciation week at the boy's school. 

My son never brings flyers announcing these things home and I always get caught by surprise.  So two weeks ago, I made bottle cap magnets using Japanese washi paper, real starfish, and resin, and planned to put it in a handmade card with the "Starfish Story" in it, plus a mug and wrapped tea bag.

They sent a flyer home last week with themes for gifts on each day of the week.  Now, don't get me wrong, teaching is an important job... but my son goes to a rather pricey private school that I couldn't afford if not for financial aid and two jobs.  I am pretty sure these teachers get compensated fairly well and I know all of the classrooms are very well equipped.  It bothers me that the school not only requests three different gifts for all teachers, assistants, and special aides (in my son's case, this means 8 items per day for a total of 24 "tokens of appreciation"), but that each day has a specific theme - none of which includes classroom supplies or other practical items.  I think we will pick one or two days to participate and leave it at that.

So here are the questions:
Teachers, what kind of appreciation gifts are actually appreciated? 

Parents, how much time, money, and/or effort do you think is appropriate?

And am I crazy/cheap/ungrateful for not wanting to participate in the PTA's themed program?

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Where Were You: The Bin Laden Edition

This morning, I poisoned the weeds in the yard before the kids got up. Then I took some photos for listings and Skyped with the hubster.  Nothing all that spectacular.  The Boy finally got his butt out of bed to talk and I can tell he felt better.  The Princess misses her Daddy and changed into her Georgia Tech t-shirt after we were done.  It was a pretty normal day.  We were trying to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, when I saw the news.  The bottom of the screen read:

BIN LADEN KILLED
BODY IN US CUSTODY

And I thought, "What the heck does THAT mean?   How do you kill a body?  Did he detonate a suicide bomb on someone in US custody? How does that even happen and since when does Bin Laden push the button? And why does THAT preempt Extreme Makeovers: Home Edition?" 

The news people kept blathering on and on, but none of it made sense until someone said President Obama was about to make an announcement.  

And then I finally figured it out.  They meant, "Bin Ladin killed, COMMA, body in U.S. custody."  I promise, I'm not a moron.  I just haven't evolved into the whole intentionally-misspelled-speak-in-cool-acronym-no-punctuation English yet.  I was so excited, I nearly started crying.  I chased my son out of the shower to watch President Obama make the announcement, and then I called my parents. 

Changing the topic slightly, my "normal" day today is VERY different than my "normal" day on the morning of 9/11, that's for sure, although my kids are 9 years apart so my son was about the same age my daughter is now.  I think I've told that story on this blog before, so I won't go into a whole bunch of details now.  But I do wonder whatever became of my old upstairs neighbor who played this song way too darned loud, non-stop, in the weeks that followed:

 Um, yeah... not so much.The guy also watched internet porn a little too loud.I think maybe he was deaf.

Where'd Monday Go??? HF community: Monday Meetups

The 2nd and 4th (sometimes 5th) Monday of every month, watch this space for a few questions that you can take, post and answer on your blogs and THEN LINK BACK HERE so that we all can come around and visit.

This adventure is OPEN TO EVERYONE!  You DO NOT have to be a part of the Homefront Team.  We just ask that when you leave your link here, you TRULY have a post that pertains to the set of questions.

OK so....

This Week's Questions come from 

Sarah of Florida Scarf

Sarah's links:

Etsy

Blog
 

1. Where is your favorite place to go for inspiration?  

I love the beach.  A hot, sandy beach with no boardwalks and no vendors.

2. What is your most embarrassing moment as an operator of a small business?

Actually, I don't have one yet since I only have time to sell via Etsy.

3. What is one thing that you have to do everyday that you dislike?

As a mom, I have to run a mini-boot camp to get the kids out of bed and ready for school on time.  I really wish I could get them out the door more efficiently by being friendly... but apparently that just doesn't work.

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My Secret Guilty Pleasure - MIOBI

Now, I know this is totally ridiculous, but I am SO excited because Make It Or Break It is starting up again on March 28th.  Don't ask me why I like this show.  The girls are obviously too old, too heavy, and too tall to be Olympic hopefuls by current standards.  The "stunts" are obviously being done by "real" athletes who don't really look like the actresses.  The plot lines are predictable and contrived.  But I still love this show!!!

That being said, it's a little scary to think of all the pressure on girls who really are Olympic hopefuls.  When I was a little kid, gymnastics enthusiasts were always approaching my mom about starting me in gymnastics.  It always interested me, but there was only one coach in town.  My friends hated him, and when a one showed up to school with two broken arms (in the first grade), that sealed the deal for me.

Who knows what might've happened, had I decided to give it a go?  Eh.  I probably would've sucked.  Falling hard is not my idea of fun.  But, it's cool to watch other people flipping through the air.  (Yes, I also watch figure skating.  Shhhhhhh...)  And the show is actually interesting- at least, it is to me!

So now you know my little secret!  There went any cool points I might've had.


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Adventures in San Diego, Part I

During soccer season, one of my son's teammates' parents said she pulled her kids out of private school in order to travel and homeschool for a year. She got the idea from another friend (their family blog here). At first, I thought the idea was a bit unstructured and a little crazy, but it grew on me after I had some time to absorb the concept. Trust me, we are not rich by any stretch of the imagination. Our home is very old and small, and while we don't scrape by to pay our bills, we do have to keep an eye on where our pennies are going. But although we can't afford to take a year and travel the world with the kids, I still think it would be great to take the kids on shorter trips...

When the reserves insisted on sending me to San Diego for a week to do some admin processing, I decided it was an opportunity for the kids to see something new. Personally, I wouldn't mind being stationed in San Diego. It's been a long time since I've been there, and I was never there long enough to see anything beyond the Gas Lamp Quarter. :) So this time, I was determined to take the kids to hit all the major high points, with the help of my parents. On our first full day in San Diego, we hit Legoland.


My two year old was an inch shy for most of the smaller kid things. My nearly 12 year old wasn't able to make it into the one workshop he wanted - the Mindstorms. However, we did have a nice day.  Both kids enjoyed driving the cars and boats, and checking out the Lego sculptures around the park.

There's also a great little toddler playground in Duplo Town... so it wasn't a complete loss for the 2 year old, but I think the older one was a little old for Legoland. (He might've been ok if he liked rides, but he doesn't.)

Anyway, I think we might bring the little one back again someday, but leave the older one to do something else.

KumiLoom (Kumihimo Disk) Braiding with Beads

The Bead Gallery has some really great classes and kits for learning various jewelry and beading techniques. The problem I have is that it takes me 35 minutes to get to their store and parking is a little tough since it's in town.  So with Bead It! Kailua only a few minutes down the road, I have yet to find the time and motivation to make it all the way over to The Bead Gallery for their classes.  Fortunately, they were at the Soft Flex Bead Show this past weekend and that's where I learned that they're now producing DVDs of their classes.  Their Kumihimo with beads DVD looked super interesting.  Unfortunately, my 2 year old pitched a fit just as I was about to purchase one at the fair and with my eyeball rolling, grounded for not doing his homework 11 year old sighing every 3 seconds, I had to leave...

But, they do sell the DVD's online... so I ordered one.   I wanted to order the 3mm Swarovski crystal kit to go with the DVD but it's not available online yet... but that's easy enough to fix since I have tons of 6/0 seed beads and those are less expensive to practice with anyway.  (Maybe I'll get their kit when I'm ready to try braiding over $65 worth of 3mm crystals!)

What is kumihimo?  It's a Japanese style of braiding cords... it's decorative as well as practical.  The most often quoted use is for lashing together samurai armor, but I see it around most often with kimonos.  There are multiple techniques, but I snagged this video off of youtube so you could see why this is so interesting...



So anyway, the challenge here is twofold- not losing track of 8 different strands when plaiting, and keeping them all weighted evenly so the pattern works out correctly. We'll see if I am able to figure it out!

Where'd Monday Go??? HF community: Monday Meetups

As you know, I'm part of the Homefront Team on Etsy... and every other week or so, we do a question and answer thing called Monday Meetups.

This Week's Questions come from 

Deb of Lilac Ave 

 

  Oatmeal and Honey Soy Candle Jar - 10oz

1. Are you an Urban, Suburban, or Rural living fan?

I think suburban.  I could do rural and be happy most of the time but I like having other people around me.  I definitely would NOT like living in a high density area, though.
2. Do any of the above types of places inspire the creative side of you?

Well, I'd definitely have to say I'm more creative in natural settings rather than big cities.  Big city living is suffocating to me.
3. If you could live anywhere (jobs and money not a factor), where would you live?

I would REALLY love to have a beach house somewhere between Kaneohe or Kailua.  I love this area, but it would be even better if the beach was our backyard!  :)

Deb's Shop

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Navy Blue & Gold Flat Spiral with a Twist

My college years were more or less the four most miserable years of my life so it isn't often that I pay homage to my alma mater.  However, when I saw the two-toned 3mm fire polished Czech beads in yellow and blue, I immediately thought of the jonquil AB Swarovski bicones and 3mm Magatama Toho beads in my stash.  I realize that probably doesn't mean much to folks who don't bead.  The bottom line is that the pattern evolved into a summery flat spiral in the my college colors. 

(You can find the listing for this flat spiral bracelet here.)

This particular flat spiral actually has a lot more dimension that the standard flat spiral weave because it uses 4 different types of beads (and some are intentionally asymmetrical), but it still flows very nicely.   This bracelet does look different from various angles, though.  Don't let the name of the technique mislead you- this is a three dimensional bracelet that is interesting to look at even from the side!

One of the problems I ran into while designing is that I ran out of the two-toned Czech beads.  Those are sold by the strand and I didn't want to buy an entire strand because I only needed a few more to make the bracelet a standard length.  So I improvised by using the seed beads in a modified right angle weave on either end of the flat spiral as a decorative way to attach the bail and lengthen the overall beaded length at the same time.

Another lesson learned by selling one of a kind beaded bracelets online is that it always helps to have an extender chain.  So I added one inch of sterling silver cable chain and added a faceted moonstone briolette dangle to the end.  (I think it makes it easier to put a bracelet on when the side opposite the clasp has some weight to it.)

Even though the moonstone appears flat white in the photos, there is an iridescence which is picked up by the blue tones in the beading.  I'm really happy with the way this pattern turned out.


Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, handcrafted in Hawaii!

Monday Meetups #2

The 2nd and 4th (sometimes 5th) Monday of every month, watch this space for a few questions that you can take, post and answer on your blogs and THEN LINK BACK HERE so that we all can come around and visit.

This adventure is OPEN TO EVERYONE!  You DO NOT have to be a part of the Homefront Team.  We just ask that when you leave your link here, you TRULY have a post that pertains to the set of questions.

OK so....

This Week's Questions come from 

Leslie of Heart Adrift

Leslie's links:

Etsy

Blog
  Fan page

Go Army Magnets - Set of 3 

 

1. Do you like to celebrate Valentine's Day or do you cringe at the thought of Cupid?

I'm ambivalent about Valentines' Day, but I get small things for the kids and hubby anyway.  Actually, I do like Valentines' Day in that it prompts the hubby to buy me a small present.  :)

2. Are you a flowers or candy kind of person? Or do you prefer something handmade?I'm the crafty one of the family.  I love handmade stuff, but candy or flowers are also appreciated.  Anything other than perfume.

 

3. What's your most memorable Valentine's Day story?

I can't say that I really have one.  More or less until I met my husband, I never had a Valentine and when I did, I was in a long distance relationship or someone was deployed so I was alone anyway.  My husband is not a "grand gestures" once a year kind of guy.  He is the "little things everyday" kind of guy.  Just one of many things I love about him...   

To see what the rest of my teammates had to say, check out the Homefront Team blog!

It's a Hawaii Thing

As you know, Artbeads sends me some items to review from time to time. The theme for this particular iteration is "Holiday Traditions." So rather than the standard Swarovski crystal wreaths, Christmas trees, and candy canes, I decided to go with a charm bracelet of foods my family eats during the holidays.  From left to right, we have mochi (we pound ours by hand), shaved ice, red fish, Maui gold pineapple, a bowl of rice, and a bowl of ozoni (mochi soup.)

Hawaiian Eats Charm Bracelet

I had to make the bowl of soup in a 10mm round sterling silver bezel (lined with a small piece of white mulberry paper), using a small button pearl for mochi, a green bugle bead for the vegetable garnish, and three of the tiniest Swarovski xillion flatbacks for carrots. Instead of mixing resin, I used Judykins Diamond Glaze to hold it down. Here's a close up of my improvised soup and a photo of the real thing:

Technically, the rice in the bowl shouldn't be perfectly round.  (That's the shape used to make food offerings to your deceased ancestors.)  Also, the kazari style mochi on the far left should have a tangerine on top (which is more of an oblong shape, not a round like an orange).  :)  But I made the rice bowl, pineapple, and mochi charms entirely out of supplies I had on hand.  The "carrot garnish," red fish, and shaved ice were made of items received from Artbeads as part of the product review.   (I also got some gift tins, which I originally intended for use with this project, but I changed my mind.  You'll see those later this week.)

In particular, I really liked the quality of the silver findings used for the shaved ice.  (I used a Bali silver bead cone and one Bali silver headpin.)  Nice and heavy, great worksmanship.  (Incidentally, the bead cone used to make the "bowl" is on sale this week for 15% off.)  Obviously, these items aren't to scale, but this was a ton of fun to make.

What kinds of foods remind you of family gatherings?  Do you have a specialty dish?

**Note: I received some of these products free of charge from Artbeads.com in exchange for an honest product review. I have not been paid for this endorsement as it pertains to the products received.

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, handcrafted in Hawaii!