Beadedbear's Nonsense and Complete Waste of Time

Intermission From the Copyright Melodrama...

2012-01-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

Still sitting and waiting. Tomorrow should bring more news. So in the meantime, a different topic.

Since I have been to India, I feel quite inspired by some of the jewelry I saw Indian women wear. They wear some amazing jewelry, just for every day, and especially for weddings. Just seeing what some of the women were wearing while shopping was breathtaking. They take a lot of pride in their jewelry.

So, I thought, why not take some ideas from the jewelry I saw. See what I might be able to come up with in seed beads instead of the gold and metals of the original.

Here are two pieces of Indian Jewelry.

I liked the design concept of the top one. A simple triangle with layered flowers on top. Or at least what looks like flowers to me. I made one of these elements. A base of larger seed beads, layered on top with Delicas and small flower beads. Once I made one, I didn't think that making 3 of these for a similar necklace was what I wanted to do. I never want to copy/imitate something exactly anyways, no matter how ancient the piece may be.

Then I saw the second piece. I liked the way the strap was made. To me it carries just a little of that Art Nouveau feel with the bottom portion curving down from the main strap. So I gave that idea a go.

So put the two together and below is what I got. I am not done yet. I still have the strap to finish in some fashion and I want to add some sort of fringe to the pendant.

It's a LOOONG Wait

2012-01-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

When dealing with a copyright infringer (thief) such as I am, each day feels like forever. I become obsessed with checking emails for responses that never seem to come, or come with information that I wasn't quite looking for.

I got a response from Go Daddy within a few hours that they do not host wholesalebeaded.com as we thought. But I think we found the right Host. I put in my complaint on Thursday. I am still waiting for a response.

My complaint to the US Customs responded with information of another address to lodge a complaint.

Internet Crime does not respond, you just gotta check your complaint status.

I am still waiting to hear from the publisher who published my book.

Would you believe the infringer has 50 variations of my designs??

So it's sit and wait....try to be patient, and try not to let it all get to me. Meanwhile the idiots must feel like they won the battle since they have not heard from me in days.

On another not so happy note:

I have sad news for anyone who may have known Veon Schuntzel through her books. She passed away a couple years ago.

Marching Bravely Forward

2012-01-25T18:57:00.000-08:00

Reporting from the Battlefield of Protecting-My-Copyrights. If you are just joining, the story started a few days ago. Catch up if you must.

In this continuing Copyright Melodrama that rivals a Greek tradgedy, I did get a response this morning (today was the deadline).

They asked me for my Copyright Registration on the designs. Which I do have.

WHAT!!??? Can't they see the book is published? Can't they see the designs are mine? Don't they know that the designs they are using are not their own? What the F!@# is F@#$%ing wrong with them!!

First impulse was to send it to them. Luckily it was not within arm's length, and I had to rush off to my day job.

Fester fester fester....how should I handle this???

Fester Fester Fester....some of you will understand this, many of you may not (the festering, that is).

Why do I have to prove to them that they stole from me as well as others? They should prove to me that they have the rights to use the designs (snowballs in hell stand more of a chance of growing to become glaciers)

Fester fester fester.

I am not being productive during my day job.

Finally after the fog of sour emotions cleared, so did my thinking. I need a plan of attack.
Here it goes:

Plan of attack #1 Contact Eagle's View Publishing who ALSO holds a copyright on the book itself (I have it on the designs). Status: AWAITING ANSWER

Plan of attack #2 List all of the earrings that they used to complain to Go Daddy. There were 45! Plus since then I found (missed) 5 more. Status: DONE

Plan of attack #3 Inform one designer who I know is also being used by them (still looking for Veon Schunzel. ANYONE know her whereabouts? MANY MANY of the designs they use are hers). I informed her. She has 6 designs that they were using. With a little persuasion, I enlisted her in my plan of attack 1 and 2. Status DONE

Plan of attack #4 Email my copyright attorney for advice. Have him send me paperwork for a retainer in the event I need it. Status: DONE Got good advice, feeling well armed.

Awaiting further developments. And trying to maintain a sense of humor

Signing out from the Copyright Battlefield
your battered reporter/soldier

Gumshoes Investigative Work On the Perp...

2012-01-24T17:22:00.000-08:00

A blog reader who is familiar with the area that my copyright infringer is operating out of in Herndon Virginia contacted me. This is what she says:

My rental is about 180 miles from where I recently moved to so I can’t just run on over there. BUT, I just googled their address and it looks like they’re doing

their shitty little lying, thieving, filthy business out of their townhouse. I know that little community and it AIN’T zoned for business; so my uninformed guess is

they are doing internet stuff only. If I’m up there in the foreseeable future and discover anything different, I’ll let you know. Hmmmm…..I went and looked up their

property assessment stuff; they are indeed running this thing out of their townhouse (funny cuz I notice on their website they include “Suite 101” which must be

the their basement; I guess the main floor would then be “Suite 201” and so on. Anyway, the townhouse is definitely zoned Residential so no storefront.

This does not surprise me. Does anyone else live in the area? Maybe they should be flooded with calls...emails...

I bet the India address is that of their relatives who help orchestrate the bead sweatshops, or those women who are taken advantage of who bead in their own homes for pennies a day.

They have until tomorrow to respond. My next step will to try to complain to their web host and have them taken down until there is a resolution. Then there is always my high priced (but worthy) arts/copyright attorney.

I won't give up without a good fight!

The Continuing Copyright Horror

2012-01-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am sure many of you are wondering what is going on with my story about the company stealing and mass producing my beaded earring designs.

Below is the communication thus far:

-----Original Message-----

From: sig wynne-evans [mailto:beadedbear@earthlink.net]

Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 12:19 PM

To: support@wholesalebeaded.com

Subject: earrings

I have found your website www.wholesalebeaded.com. It saddens me to see that you are using a few of my copyrighted earring designs. The dragon fly earring e17sb2 and 8 and the Tutankhamun E 18 SB 18 are from my book Earring Designs by Sig.

I have also noticed other designs copyrighted by other artists.

You do not have the license to mass produce my earring designs in any form. Just by changing the color does not change the copyright ownership. The design is still under my copyright.

If you wish to sell these earrings, you must license the designs or remove them to prevent legal action.

Please advise me of your intent.

Sig Wynne-Evans

http://www.beadedbear.com

Hi,

These are made in India. We do custom beadwork for our customers and many of the designs you see here came from our customers that we resell on our website with their permission.

If you are a designer, and, you think that these designs came from your book, we respect that; if this helps, we can give you credit by adding your name in the description.

Please let me know what you think about this. If you have any other thoughts that are beneficial to both, feel free to share.

Regards,

Ruchi Gupta

BEADS CORNER LLC

Ph: 888-278-3889, 703-831-7687

Fax: 703-436-6464, 888-278-3889

http://www.wholesalebeaded.com

mailto: support@wholesalebeaded.com

Ruchi.

I have read on your website that the beadwork is made in India.

I have now an additional concern. You state “…many of the designs you see here came from our customers…” How are the designs supplied to you? And how do you supply these designs to your beaders? If the designs are photocopied, or transmitted in any way from my books to you, and you again reproduce the printed designs, both you and your customers have violated the copyrights I possess on my designs. I would like to know who the customers are who are sending you the designs so that I could have my attorney contact them as well.

Your offer of crediting my name to the beadwork using my designs does not compensate for the infringement your company is actively engaged in. I make my living selling my designs and from my own beadwork. Also with respect to the other designers patterns you are using that I recognize, to set precedence of allowing a mere “Credit” in the description is not only a disservice but disrespect to the designers and giving you free reign to continue to violate copyright laws.

Designer /authors such as myself create designs so that the average crafter can use them. They were NEVER intended for mass produced commercial work, particularly made in countries outside of the US or the author’s origin to be imported back into our home countries.

If you wish to use the designs in this manner, I may be open to a financial agreement set out per design, per year. I will not agree to you using ANY of my designs in ANY way until an agreement is met. I am insisting that you remove ALL of my designs in every color way until such time.

The designs I have noted that are from my book Earring Designs By Sig Vol 1are:

Dragon fly earring e17sb2 and 8

Tutankhamun E 18 SB 18

Elephant E14 SB14 and 13

Yellow Thunderbird" is actually "tropical fish" in my book E16, SB18

Polar Bear E12 SB 5, 21

Turtle E8 SB27

Brown White 4 square (Desert Tapestry in my book) E16 SB 28

Red Green Octopus, Orange Yellow Flower, Copper yellow flower (Poinsettia in my book Earring Designs By Sig #2) E16 SB 34, #6SB 51 and 58

Brown Cat, Tutankhamun (Koala in my book) E8 SB3 and E 7 SB 11

Attached is the cover of Earring Designs by Sig and a copy of the Polar Bear Earring from your website which you can see is on the cover of the book.

Please advise of your intent to respect my copyright and come to an agreement of either removing the copyrighted material or coming to a financial agreement for the commercial use of my designs.

If I do not hear from you by Jan 25, 2012, I will take the appropriate legal remedies to protect my work.

ARRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Copyright Rears its UGLY UGLY UGLY Head

2012-01-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

If you are not a designer who tries to make a living either entirely or in part, you might never fully understand the feeling of finding out someone is violating the copyright on your work. It is a sinking feeling at first. Then it feels like a knife driven in your gut. It makes you feel sick. Disheartened, totally violated and its enough to make you just say "to hell with it all" and make you quit. Why should a designer put all her/his hard work out to have someone profit from that effort by violating the copyright law and steal from us?

There are many things I accept. There are many things I turn a blind eye to. There are things about the copyright laws that I do not like, but I know that it is what it is despite what my fellow designers or myself would want it to be. If you have read my copyright series a while back, I think you know what I am talking about.

But this is over the top. It makes my blood boil. How can this NOT be a violation? A company in India is making beadwork by the hundreds (thousands?) of copyrighted material. I have been around for a LONG time so I also noticed designs by other designers who perhaps many of you may not know/remember such as Veon Schunzel.

Sure, these designs may be old (back from the 1990's). The books may be out of print (mine is still available from Eagle's View Publishing) but that does not mean that the copyright has expired. It is still valid until 70 years after our passing away under current laws.

These earrings are massed produced in India. I don't think anyone can argue that this is not mass production. If you know me long enough, you know I never had a quibble about crafts persons making a few dollars selling at craft fairs, but I always stated "no mass production".

Then of course, insult on injury...notice the prices.

It's a sad day in my beading world.

I have written them an email telling them of their copyright violation and that I demand that they remove the earrings or pay me a license fee. I would be surprised if they answer me. If they do, I will let you know.

Below are 2 designs they stole. Both are from my book Earring Designs By Sig, published in 1992 by Eagles View Publishing.

This is the website: www.wholesalebeaded.com

The Tutankhamun Earring on top right
is the one they copied/changed colors. But
bead for bead the design is the same

This is the dragonfly design. The

publisher did not include a photo

of this earring in the book.

Amazing Update On Previous Post

2012-01-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

My Jan 12 2012 post "You Better Shop Around" was of interest to many of you. I received several emails expressing surprise, even shock about the price of SoNo at Fire Mountain Gems as compared to much smaller retailers.

My dear friend Cathy decided to take it a step further. She contacted FMG with the price analysis I wrote.

As a result, FMG dropped the price of SoNo.

Amazing!!

It does beg the question as to why it was so high for so many years. At least for all the years I have bought SoNo. But I am happy to report to you that the price is in line of where it aught to be.

If you would like to read the correspondence from FMG, read the comments in the Jan 12, 2012 post.

And a BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE to Cathy for taking the effort to contact FMG regarding this!!!

What a Difference a Day Can Make!

2012-01-19T18:14:00.000-08:00

Eastern Sierras on SR-395 near Mammoth Lakes CA

My day job can have me driving over 9 counties. The most far reaching drive is to Mono County which is on the east side of the Sierras. It is a beautiful drive, but a bit troubling in the winter.

This year's weather has been strange. No rain (snow in the Sierras). But when I got the assignment to go to do an inspection in the town of Mammoth Lakes, I started stressing. It is a long 4 hour drive or more to get there. Using the Tioga pass, it is just under 10,000 ft, the second choice route the Sonora Pass is about 340 ft less at the summit than the Tioga pass. There is one more mountain pass I have not been on, but I am sure it is nearly has high, and just as windey as Tioga and Sonora passes. All three passes are closed in the winter, which would leave me with a choice of going through Tahoe (nearly 350 miles) or to go south through Bakersfield (over 400 miles).

View of Half Dome from the Tioga Pass

Pretty High!

As I said, it has not rained/snowed in my neck of the woods. All three passes were open. But that could change at any moment. Pressure was on me to get the heck over there to do my job. SOON.

Really?? Is that Cavelier supposed to
climb this grade on the Sonora Pass?

Next stressor for me in this assignment was the vehicle to get there. My assigned state vehicle is a Chevy Cavalier with 100,000+ miles. The engine light is always on and the mechanic just cant seem to find the problem. I did not have much faith in the piece of shit car getting me there and back in one piece.

My own personal car is a 1999 Honda CRV. A good car, but it has over 123,000 miles....and why the hell should I use my own car on state business for a lousy 50 cents per mile. If I got a flat or any other mechanical problem, the state would not help me out. The 50 cents per mile is supposed to cover it all.

That left me with the only option I could see. Rent a car on the state's dime. They won't really like it, especially since I insist on a substantial vehicle (SUV) to get over that way, should there suddenly be white stuff falling from the sky. A Presis just wont do.

Monday night, I picked up a Jeep Cherokee from Enterprise. Then I went and got chains to carry in the car just in case. Hey, I gotta be ready for every disaster imaginable. I packed blankets and food. You know just in I case I drive off the cliff and get stuck in a snow storm and need to do a re-enactment of the Donner party I wanted to be able to survive a week before I BBQ'D the old fart (Steve) for dinner. He would probably taste skanky anyways

So Tuesday morning before the sun came up we got into the car with enough provisions to feed and warm an army and I noticed a strange light on the dashboard of the Jeep In my opinion, strange lights shining brightly on car dashboards is not a good thing. Especially if you have no damned idea of what it means

I pulled into the nearest parking lot. I thought I pushed a button I should not have. After pushing everything I could find multiple times and looking for the Eject Button for my passenger who at 5:30 am has the remarkable way of having the skill an energy to royally pissing me off, I decided it had nothing to do with an unknown worthless button.

Looking at the drivers manual proved it to be as worthless as the mystery button. It wasn't even a full manual. It was the quick start guide. Not one word about warning lights.

(Oh shut the F-up Steve. I will BBQ you and feed you to the bears)

Fine. I turned off the car. Maybe the light will go away. No luck. Still there.

I am ready to belt Steve he is really pissing me off. Ok Boss, I know You meant well suggesting I take him along. I might put you on my spit too!

I turned the car off again. Let it sit for a couple minutes then turned it on again. There! If I blinked I would have missed it! Words flashing faster than I can spend my money say "low tire pressure" and then disappear.

Now tell me how should I know that an icon that looks like a coffee bean means that? I fail to see the connection.

So do I fill the tire (which one ?) and go on? Or do I wait about an hour and half till 730 till Enterprise opens?

Being intimidated by tires represented as coffee beans I opted for the later. I told the guy to check out the light and all four coffee beans. He didn't understand at first. But then ran it to the back for the mechanic to check out.

He came back with the Jeep a few minutes later and said "Strange... It was down a full pound pressure It was just checked before we gave it to you last night"

Just as he reached the keys to me we both looked at the coffee bean tire. We both notice a grey glint.

A nail!

He pulls back the keys and says "Let me get you another car"

Great idea! !!

Now I have a Nissan Pathfinder. A GEM of a vehicle with every bell and whistle imaginable. I LOVED the car.

The Pathfinder got us there with no problem. I did my inspection, then we went to the hotel. Then drove up the the Ski Center to have a look. By this time it was about 4pm. Darkness would not be long. We decided to go back to the hotel and had dinner at the restaurant next door.

Mammoth Lakes Ski Area

Watching TV later that evening got us a little nervous. A storm was brewing. We thought we should hit the road fairly early to get back to the central valley.

Wednesday morning, we left the hotel by 7:30. When we got to the Tioga pass it was CLOSED. Oh crap...

Second alternative, lets go towards Sonora Pass, about 40 miles to the north. Luckily it was open. Yes luckily!!

Trying to get home on SR-395

We got home without a problem.

For grins this morning, I checked out the road conditions. All 3 mountain passes are closed. Travel advisories are in effect for the Tahoe region (don't travel if you dont need to).

Yes, what a difference a day can make. So glad I didn't wait any longer to do my inspection!!

Bragging Rights: Creations by White Wolf

2012-01-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

Creations by White Wolf did my "Nikki" pattern (found here: http://www.beadedbear.com/pat_ani_down.htm

She did a great job! I would never have thought to make this into a pin. It WORKS!! It would look stunning on a jacket, a bag...or anywhere else.

You can see this and more of Creations by White Wolf on her Etsy site. She has some wonderful beadwork.

Visit her here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CreationsbyWhiteWolf

You Better Shop Around...

2012-01-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

My favorite thread is SoNo thread. I wish it came in long lasting cones like Nymo does since I go through a lot of thread.

For my current project, I am using black SoNo. I am near the end of the little 100 meter spool. I thought I had a cone of black Nymo that I could jump into, but I think it sunk into the black hole of my messy bead-room. Ok…messy HOUSE!

So it is time for me to order more black SoNo. I might as well order more white while I am at it since I am also on the last spool. Since I go through a lot, I order no less than 5 spools at a time.

If you use a lot of something, it really does pay to shop around. It amazes me how much the price can vary. I have no problem if prices vary a little, but when they are nearly double, I think we are being robbed!

Here is a sampling of the prices for a 100 meter (109.36 yards)spools of SoNo that I found just by putting “SoNo Thread” into Google:

Fire Mountain Gems (www.firemountaingems.com)

The price break downs are according to how much you buy. The most expensive price is $13.99 per spool the least is $7.23. Shipping is additional also add a "processing fee".

Amazon.com $12.50 per spool plus shipping

www.thebeadcottage.com $4.99 (plus shipping I think, they aren't currently taking on line orders)

www.beadsandcharms.com $4.99 plus shipping

ww.BelloModo.com Black $4.30 each, or $3.79 if you order 5 or more

White $4.30 each or 2.90 if you order 5 or more

Shipping was FREE!

Can anyone tell me why there is such a difference in price for the same exact item?I have no big quibble on the difference of $4.99 vs $4.30 per spool. I think that is acceptable difference between retailers. I also do not have a problem with reasonable shipping charges. However, the difference between the highest and lowest prices I found for SoNo I think is robbery.

The cheapest price at Fire Mountain is $7.23 once you meet the high volume requirement (order 200+ "assortable" units). The most expensive (buying only one spool) from Bello Modo is $4.30, or looking at a percent difference, it is about 68% more expensive at Fire Mountain at their least expensive price. For a bigger shock compare the highest prices between these two outlets. Fire Mountain is about 3 times (300%) more expensive than Bello Mundo. ($13.99 vs. $4.30). Don’t forget to add the $2.56 processing fee and $6.85 flat rate FedEx shipping.

Of course I ordered 5 of each color from Bello Mondo. With free shipping the cost was $33.45 for my 10 spools of SoNo.

The same exact order (5 spools of each color) at Fire Mountain Gems would have cost me a whopping total of: $149.31!!

I figured that gave me enough of a savings to buy little Norm the Gnome in the Know (remember him??) charms and a cool button to play with from Bello Mondo too with money left over!!!

BTW Bello Mondo has some really cool stuff!

Pics of My Trip to Bhutan, India and Nepal are Now Posted

2012-01-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in seeing just a portion of my 4000 trip pics, they are now viewable here:

http://fantastictravel.topdoggerwebcentral.com/

Just scroll to the bottom for the India trip

Give Me That Old Time Religion...Or Not

2012-01-08T13:00:00.001-08:00

Love this flow chart.

No comment as to where I wound up...

Click for larger view

Miserable Mabel on Pet Food

2012-01-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since Miserable Mabel has contributed to this blog. If you have forgotten about her, or if you have not had the dubious pleasure of reading her earlier posts, let me remind you that she is a foul mouthed, hygiene deficient, good for nothing opinionated frump. If you are easily offended and lack anything resembling a perverted sense of humor please do not continue reading.

You have had your warning.

Ok, now I think I have heard it all. On the radio, I heard an ad for a Mediterranean diet based food for cats and dogs. What the fuck!!??

I know, we spoil our damned pets. You can buy toys galore, fluffy blankets, posh beds, cutsie outfits and all sorts of treats, not to mention wet and dry varieties of every type of protein we humans eat in a mind boggling selection of brands which all claim to be the best for your fur ball.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe Fido should get quality food. He should have the nutrients he needs to keep him healthy for many years. And God knows I always worry about my Pussy. I would not want my Pussy to become ill from malnutrition or to become diseased. I take care of my Pussy best I can, dammit! It would be most inconvenient to have my Pussy sick and laid up where I could not stroke her until she purrs so much it sounds like she is choking. I am all for giving my Pussy the best I can so that she can keep me happy and entertain my friends with her little Pussy games.

But a Mediterranean diet? Shit!! Dog and cat food with olive oil? Really? If we are to believe the manufacturer, this brilliant idea was conceived by a trip to Italy, when over dinner which included bread with olive oil they decided that dogs and cats should live like Italians. I would also guess a little too much sun and vino also played a part.

So the idea took shape. And gullible pet lovers buy into this idea line hook and sinker.

I know a certain inspector who had a circumstance which led her to inspect a facility which processes the “meat by products” and “eggs” that go into pet foods. Before you think that this was a substandard place, let me say that a huge portion of these “processed ingredients” went to a highly picky and demanding pet food processor in Japan.

Vats of animal flesh not fit for human consumption, swimming pools of beef blood, sacks of dried eggs (coming from other swimming pools of not-fit-for-human-consumption eggs), and truckloads of fish parts were the lifeblood of this company.

The various animal parts where grinded, mixed, and whirled, and cooked. Then these were dried to exacting demands of the customer who would then use it to make their brand of pet food.

I was told by this inspector friend of mine, that the sight alone could make you wretch. The smell (which could be detected a ½ mile away) would be enough to make you run. The two together could cause you nightmares if it didn’t cause you to puke your guts out.

But the average idiot person thinks that their pet food is wholesome. Pure. Perhaps even a stand in for human food. You've seen that commercial where the Pussy is fed her food in a crystal bowl.

I am sure that this particular manufacturer of Mediterranean pet food gets their “ingredients” from a place similar to the one my friend visited. You don’t really believe they put prime cuts of meat into this stuff, do you? If you do, you are a damned idiot.

Now we are to believe that this Mediterranean Pet food is something special. Why would Fido or even my Pussy need such a “diet”? Do you really think they would know, or appreciate it?

Fido licks his ass, and on occasion eats his own “street sausages”. My Pussy goes out at night with an alarming regularity. She catches some rather distasteful animals during these nightly hunts. My Pussy brings these unsavory characters home, and since she had her lips around these nasty catches, her breath smells not so minty fresh, but quite putrid. Is she that desperate or just lacking good taste?

No matter...

I do not think either variety of pet is that picky concerning what it eats. They are not gourmets.

If you look at the nutrition that dog foods and cat foods offer, many are more than similar. Don't they have to meet minimum nutrition requirements? Even for pet food?

I say it is all bullshit. And those who buy into it, deserve to be taken for their money. It is simply another way to get the gullible to open their wallets and spend more than they need to.

Hmmm perhaps there is a business for me in the making….I have a Happy Caribbean diet for your furry pet. A little rum soaked pork with a little green herb (which is illegal in most places) sprinkled on top for extra flavor for your pet will keep him more than happy. My Pussy enjoys this concoction nightly. And she does more than purr.

Anyone interested?

I Bead Therefore I am Happy

2012-01-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

Special Happy price for 1 week only.
Regular $5, get this bracelet pattern here for $3.50 until Jan 9, 2012.
Pattern will be emailed after order is received.

For peyote or brick
1.3 X 6.2 inches
8 colors

Book Review: A Bounty of Bead and Wire Earrings

2012-01-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

I got a little behind on my reviews. Lark Crafts/Sterling Publishing sent me this book right about Christmas time.

A Bounty of Bead and Wire Earrings

By Nathalie Mornu

2011 Lark Crafts

ISBN 12:978-1-4547-0018-0

paperback, 144 pages $19.95

If you are in need of inspiration for creating fun, festive earrings this is the book for you. There are ideas in here which my crazy dreams could not come up with. Many left me thinking, "Why didn't I think of THAT!!" Which is really great because a new idea often spring boards into something else new and fun.

There are innovative ways to use wire, hoops and chains for fun whimsical earrings and also downright dressy elegant ones. The choice is yours.

Each of the 50 projects has a supply list, great directions and beautiful photos. If you can't find something in here to stimulate your creativity, then have someone call the paramedics because you may not be amongst the living!

This is a great book for any jewelry crafter's library! Don't miss it!

New Project: Dragonfly Earring Kit Anyone??

2012-01-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with some beads I had in my bead stash, and a few I just bought.

This is what I came up with.

Would you like a kit for this earring?
Cast your vote on the side panel

What do you think? Would any of you be interested in kits for the earrings? I am thinking of buying several varieties of this the focal bead. But before I get to crazy buying lots for kits, I thought I would check to see if anyone would be interested.

Because of the cost of beads, I am predicting that the cost of the earring kits will be in the $45 neighborhood.

Survey is on the side panel. Cast your vote.

New Pattern: Tiger Tapestry

2011-12-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

Tiger Tapestry

This pattern is on my website.

Inspired by Chinese Embroidery, this piece catches the the beauty and the power of a tiger.

Charted for Delica beads, this piece is approximately 9.3 X 15.2 inches and uses 39 colors of Delicas.

Graph is provided as a Word Chart with easy instructions on how to work with a word chart.

For Peyote.

48 pages for download

Santa's Bad Day

2011-12-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this story, which I thought was worth sharing!

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others... had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor.

He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Since you asked: Fruitcake recipe

2011-12-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

Almond Fruitcake

3 cups mixed dried fruit ( I have used combinations of chopped apricots, sour cherries, golden raisins, and cranberries)
2/3 cup Amaretto
1/2 cup Bacardi Gold rum (or use Brandy if you prefer)
1 tablespoon honey

mix all of the above in a sauce pan. Heat until hot. Let stand until liquid is absorbed. 24 hours or longer.

Batter:
1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup almond paste
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plus 1 Tbs all purpose flour
1/4-1/2 cup toasted silvered almonds roughly chopped

Mix butter, almond paste and sugar with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and salt. Then add the flour (reserve 2 Tbs of flour to add to the fruit) a bit at a time mixing well until it is all incorporated. Fold in the nuts.

Drain the fruit if there is any liquid that is not absorbed. Save it to baste the cake later.

Add the reserved 2 Tbs of flour to the fruit, then fold the fruit into the batter.

Butter a 8.5 X 4.5 inch loaf pan. You can also line the pan with parchment paper so you can take out the cake easier.

Put the batter into the pan and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 15 min. The reduce the temperature to 300 degrees for ah hour and 40-45 min.

After it has cooled for about 20-30 min remove it from the pan. Then brush the cake with the liquid drained from the fruit or with fresh Amaretto/Rum. Use about 4-5 Tbs of liquid. More if you want.

Best if you let it sit a day or so before eating.

Seasonal (not so ) Guilty Pleasures

2011-12-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

I will come out of the closet.

I LOVE fruitcake.

The poor delight has been the brunt of many a joke, more insults have been hurled at the poor fruitcake than has ever been thrown at a drunken hillbilly.

I will say that the commercial fruitcake with its neon colored tidbits is not so tasty. But then I never like the commercial mass produced baked goods anyways. Cookies from the cookie isle? Only if I am desperate. Boxed cake? Not on your life. I am a baked goods snob.

I stopped at Trader Joe's today to buy dried apricots, extra special golden plump raisins, dried sour cherries, almonds, pistachios and marzipan. Then I stopped at BevMo to buy a new bottle of Amaretto. The fruit will be cooked in a mixture of Amaretto and rum. It will soak for 2 days. The nuts will be roasted. Then the batter will be made with marzipan so that the dough is moist and has a wonderful aroma and taste of almonds. What is not to like about a good fruit cake? It is wonderful.

It is one of my guilty pleasures of the season.

Others?

Stollen A close relative of Fruitcake. The difference is that the fruitcake is a quick bread (baking powder is used) where Stollen is a yeast bread. The other difference is that I put a rope of marzipan in the middle. It is not mixed in the batter.

Latkes with sour cream and apple sauce. This is comfort food that I love any time of the year. Potatoes grated with a bit of onion. Add a little flour and an egg. They are essentially a cross between hash browns and potato pancakes.

Beet and Herring salad. This may be an aquired taste. I grew up eating this along side the Latkes. Simple to make. Buy a jar of pickled herring. Drain the juice. Put all the rest, including the onions that are part of the pickled herring contents in a bowl along with some beets. Mix in some sour cream and dill into the herring and beets. It has a delightful color and it is insanely delicious with latkes or on toasted rye.

Mozart Kugeln Joy in a little chocolate covered ball! A center of pistachio, this confection is a sheer delight.

Marzipan It is not the Chanukah/Christmas season without this tasty morsel. It comes in all sorts of shapes and colors, especially important is the marzipan pig. Without the pig, the new year will not bring luck. Think of marzipan as an almond flavored play-dough. You can mold it into any shape. It is sometimes flavored with brandy and covered with chocolate and shaped into "breads" or logs. I love the stuff.

Eggnog I wonder who it was that decided to take pancake batter, omit the flour and add brandy instead. Some druid perhaps who lost his camp fire and couldn't cook his breakfast and decided to drink it instead? Nonetheless, this is the one I hate to admit that I like. Sweet, thick, the spice of nutmeg...yum. And the brandy to help it down to warm your insides.

I don't know about you, but I intend to enjoy every calorie of my tasty pleasures of this season. Without an ounce of guilt!

What are YOUR tasty pleasures?

Re-Run

2011-12-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

I woke up in the middle of the night with the 12 Days of Christmas running though my head. I don't particularly like the song (long and dull) and I am in an especially bah-humbug mood this season. But still, I thought of rewriting the words to fit to beading somehow.

As I mentally twisted the words, it all started to get too familiar. Deja vu? Hadn't I done this before. Once I got up, I thought I better check. Although my take this time is a bit different, why repeat the same nonsense.

Sure enough. I had done it, during my first year blogging. So...in case you missed it/forgot it and want to sing along, here it is:

Beadedbear's Nonsense and Complete Waste of Time: 12 Days of Christmas (Bead Shopping)

I guess some posts should (never??) be repeated.

Do you have any posts that you particularly liked? What where your favorites?

Book Review: Lark Studio Series, and a Chance to Win!

2011-12-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer:

The books reviewed below were sent to me by Lark Books/Sterling Publishing. I am not paid for the review, nor am I influenced in anyway to write an opinion, good or bad.

Lark Studio Series

This is a nice little set of 8 books. Each book is about 5 X 5 inches and about 204 pages. They are affordably priced at $12.95.

Each of the titles feature different crafts. They are the favorites of the 500 series with the corresponding titles. If you don't have the 500 Earrings book, you might wish to pick up the Lark Studio Series: Earrings for the creme of the crop! (or any of the other series).

Of course I favor the Earrings and Pendants books, but I also love the Handmade Dolls and Art Tiles books. For me, there is something that I am inspired by. The craftsmanship and artistry should be inspiring to you as well.

I know it is getting late for Christmas. I just got these in the mail yesterday. But just the same, these would be great stocking stuffers and easy gifts for your favorite artist. At this price, it makes a great gift! Buy one for yourself while you are at it.

Would you like a set for FREE?? I will select 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is take advantage of a sale. How great is that? A buy 2 get 1 free sale will enter you into the pool for a chance to receive a full set of these lovely books (I am running out of bookshelves, so I will pass the two sets on).

Select anything I have (kits, patterns, books) at the buy 2 get one free offer. Email me at beadedbear@earthlink.net for more details if you are interested. Hurry, this offer is valid only until Dec 23, 2011.

Bragging Rights: Linda Rosenthal

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Linda did a wonderful job combining some of the Art Nouveau tiles. What I love about these tiles (as the Mexican ones) is that you can easily create your own unique tapestry which no one else will have, unless they copy you.

Each of the tiles is small enough so they get done quickly. If you want to try your hand at it, check it out by clicking HERE

Great job, Linda!!

The Condition of Being Human

2011-12-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

Mistakes do happen to the best of us. It is an imperfect world
and I am one of the imperfections.

Funny how being human can cause problems.

I am fully human. That comes with all the imperfections that are inherent with that condition. I have my moments of being happy, of being frustrated with myself, with being sad and sometimes moody, and sometimes silly. Sometimes I have a sense of humor that is not appreciated by some. Sometimes I am too sensitive.

My most human condition is that I am not perfect, not everything I do is without error.

Unfortunately, there are those who expect perfection from me.

All the time.

It happens at times, when there is an error on one of my patterns. With all the patterns I have, it is bound to happen, albeit fairly rare. With well over 2000 patterns it can be expected, no matter how careful I am.

Perhaps there is a code missing for one of the colors. Perhaps there might have been a slightly better color choice for one of the beads. Or perhaps I used a color which is discontinued (but I still have in my stash so I THINK it is still available). Once in a while a computer glitch, or striking the wrong key on the keyboard creates a mistake that was not a result of my own active choice.

Imagine making a mistake where a digit is dropped when transferring the number of beads stated in a bead count on a pattern. This is a terrible mistake that can cause deficiency in the number of beads required by a significant amount. Imagine needing 12,300 beads and the “1” is dropped by some unexplained reason while cutting and pasting. The required amount is off by 10,000 beads. It is a bad mistake. But is it the end of all good things?

Has this ever happened to me?

I did say I was human and subject to making an error. Yes it has happened. I made such an error, regretfully.

When this was brought to my attention today, I realized that making an error is not my only human trait.

When under attack, it is human nature to get defensive. Knowing that this is a natural reaction, I tend to push aside those instances where I am attacked and answer at a later time so that I do not react from an emotional base. I received a lengthy, very angry email from a person who discovered my mistake, and who stated in no uncertain terms how “furious” she was that she now had to order more beads. She went on to say that this inconvenienced her greatly because she lives in a place where the beads will be subject to customs, a lengthy transit time and the worst of all: what if the beads are of a different dye lot?

I wrote back (after a bit) stating that the pattern had been beaded by many. (I wondered to myself why no one had mentioned this to me. Apparently they figured out the deficiency with no ill effects). The color that was off was DB 310 (matte black). I told her that in all the years I have used 310, I never noted a color/shade difference (which may rarely happen with other colors). Since she recently ordered the 310, a reorder will likely be of the same batch anyways. So there was no need to worry. It would all work out fine. No worries.

I thought that would be enough to sooth her.

It wasn’t.

The next email was a further furious attack. Name calling ensued. I was called arrogant. I guess because I did not crawl on my belly and proclaim what an idiot I am. Or that I did such a horrendous thing that I should stop designing entirely. She did receive an assurance that I believed all would work out. But that was not enough. I guess belly crawling would have been the best reaction.

Arrogant I am not, I assure you of that. I do make mistakes. Most times I compensate for it in some fashion. But not when someone comes off at me like I am a pile of dog excrement on my best day. How could someone be that angry when she stated that she has done other patterns of mine that have turned out, in her words, “fantastic”?

Maybe this person needs a reminder of what it is to be human. That people do make mistakes. That when under attack, physically or verbally, it is human nature to become defensive. That name calling never gives good results in any situation.

And more often than not a mistake is not the end of the world. I am sure that the next batch of DB310 will work perfectly fine for her project.

And just maybe she will turn out to be happy to have an excuse to buy more beads.

And just maybe I will quell yet another one of my human traits and not allow such negative emails and name calling get under my skin.

An Experience in India Which May Be of Value to You

2011-12-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

I debated whether or not to share this with you. What the heck...(or some other 4 letter word) I thought...I will never see most of you, so I would have no reason for embarrassment, and besides...it might be of value to you if you should find yourself with the same opportunity given to you.

Also, I think some of you would like to know a little more about what happened on my month long trip, and it will be a while before Steve and I get the webpage of that trip up, so why not put a few interesting tidbits here? Right??

YUMMY!! One of our many meals

I took part in a taste test that I think many may benefit from. Mind you that my participation in this test was quite unwilling. In fact, it was a splendid waste of time. I could have done other things not least of all, having a good night’s sleep as it was done in the middle of the night.

The actual site

I conducted this taste test whilst sitting on the porcelain throne and under the glare of the bathroom lights. While it sounds harsh, this was the optimal condition for the job at hand. I would not recommend doing this taste test on a bus or any other public place.

Product 1

Pepto Bismol

This product has a bright pink color which is only meant for Barbie and her accessories. That is the only place this color should exist. Ok...perhaps it would be pretty as a flower. But not anything that enters the human body. This is clue number one that all is not right with this product.

Pepto Bismol has a very chalky mouth-feel that lingers for a long time. The taste is reminiscent of the kindergarten paste I used (and tasted) when I was a kid. The taste also lingers for an unwelcomed amount of time. But then, I discovered the reason why both the chalky mouth-feel and taste continues to coat the tongue for an eternity. When the contents of one’s stomach are expelled through the same route (but in reverse) as the capful of Pepto Bismol, it masks the taste and feel of the partially digested goop that was the inspiration for conducting the taste test.

Perhaps that quality is not such a bad thing after all.

Product 2

Kaopectate Cherry Flavor

With a color which more resembles food which can be found naturally, it is much more appealing from the start (not that I would want to include it in my daily gourmet diet). It has a flavor remotely similar to cherry yogurt (emphasis is on remotely).

The mouth feel is much like a yogurt drink. It does not bring back the unpleasant memories of sitting on a kindergarten chair which one of my classmates put paste on. Nor of eating a cracker which the same classmate put the same paste on, telling me it was cheese.

The product went down without causing a gag reflex, which was a welcome quality as I was already having an easy enough time expelling what I thought was a perfectly good meal.

However, I did not have the opportunity to resample the Kaopectate in the opposite direction since I think there was nothing left to go up. There was only dinner (or whatever meal ) that had to be evacuated through the other direction. It was a good thing that there was nothing left at the top, because when both ends are demanding attention, you just know it won’t be pretty.

In addition to the two aforementioned products, I was also testing the toilet tissue for its softness under conditions that are far more frequent than the average user. I will spare you the crappy details, lucky you. It will suffice to say the toilet paper failed.

Results

The 4 star Delhi Belly rating goes to Kaopectate Cherry Flavor by a butt-slide

Cathy, Ron and I prior to the second part of my taste test

BTW….Since I was accused of having a bias because of my tormented Kindergarten experiences, I had to repeat the taste test once again, under slightly harsher conditions. My evaluation remains unchanged.