I got a very nice invitation in my inbox today, from my spectacular Mom.
And, holy shit did it bring up a lot stuff in my brain today, as communication with my Mom sometimes(often) does. And this was just an e-vite…that’s it.
But it was an e-vite to a home jewelry party, for a company that sounds like it was named after a steamy, Latin dance step, that specializes in ‘hand-crafted’ sterling silver jewelry. Low growl. Groan. Facepalm.
To be honest, and that’s all I’m being here, while I totally want to hang out with my Mom, and would do so at a ghastly home sales party if it was the only opportunity to see her (awww…) I really wouldn’t attend a home jewelry party like this because of a few reasons. First, my ego. I’d totally look at everything thinking “I could prolly make that” even if I couldn’t. I’m kind of irritating that way. Secondly, my doubt.

Yeah, I know. That’s the last time I posted…

At this point I’m just going to be honest and say “I have no frikken idea what to post about.” I have blog-block. I have pseudo-performance anxiety. I have had next to no spare time, my life has served me a series of hugs and bitch-slaps, I have a deep need to stay the f**k away from my computer on weekends, I have too many excuses…

Screw it…the best thing for me to do is to repress the rising feeling of blog-barf itching in my fingertips, ignore the assumed need to write about every last thing that has happened to me in that last 6 months and instead focus on something succinct, creative, concrete…and a bit geeky-exciting…well, for me…

Hello blog. I’ve missed you.

I have decided that instead of rehashing the trials of the past 2.5 months, it’s just best to look forward to the awesomeness that is now and to come. In short, here’s what has happened: a death, a breakdown, a resignation, a new job, reconnections, a rest, a holiday, a new commitment, and January.

See? That was easy!

(oh wow, I wish the 2 and a half months could’ve been, seriously…)

I have a new job, which is awesome. I am beyond thankful. Antoinette Design has taken a back-seat to the rest of my life for the past while, and while I miss it enormously, I’m sure at some point I will note that the break was a good thing. I have been working on a lot of designs and directions in my brain while I push a mouse all day…and I read a lot of blogs on my lunch break, which really inspire me.

Hi! I'm Erika! I'm tired! Buy my stuff!

(Due to a lack of wireless connectivity at the White Oaks High School Craftapalooza show earlier today, I decided to ‘tweet’ my first holiday show experience of 2009 into my notepad app on my iPod. Allow me the luxury of offering a little context for you: I am completely exhausted, went to bed at 2:30 this morning and was up just before 7, was missing bits of inventory that I wanted to have completed for the show, have had 3 unbelievably stressful weeks in a row with no ‘breaks’, no luck, and very little money. I am, in short, very close to unhinged…so because I am a sucker for punishment, I put on my bravest face and decided to peddle my pretties to the world today.)

Oh…this made me happy tonight. Right after I finished posting my War and Peace-sized post below, I got an Etsy convo from my lovely SATeam-mate  Caron (of Beadsire) telling me that she had chosen one of my necklaces as part of her awesome, inspiring and oh-so-fresh Etsy Treasury titled “4th Chakra Anahata – The heart chakra – air, social identity, oriented to self-acceptance.” Click here to see it (this link will be active until Oct. 26 or so, I think Treasuries are active for 48 hours.)

How cool! What a great theme for a Treasury! Be sure to check it out, this is one of the most creative Treasuries that I’ve seen, I love absolutely everything in it!

Thanks Caron!

The top 2 rows of the 4th Chakra Treasury by Caron...a beautiful collection

The bottom two rows...I looooooooooove the yoga image so much...

Having grown up in a bilingual area of Québec (as an anglo) I have been a relatively decent french-speaker since I was about 10 or so; meaning that I could get along well enough to translate for my parents who barely spoke french. Once I hit high school, I was in the immersion program and discovered that really, I didn’t have a whole lot of support available to me in terms of homework help because of my anglo family, so I just futzed my way through with the help of my friends, and actually managed to graduate with a provincial bilingual designation at the end of it all. I lived for a month and a half in Brittany, France with a french-speaking family, and then in the heart of Paris, and thrived happily in french. I now work as a bilingual customer service rep, and answer technical questions and prepare quasi-legal documents in french…and…am generally less terrified about doing all of that than I was 6 months ago. What is truly amazing, however, is that despite all of these efforts and experiences over the speaking-years of my life, I don’t think I ever, ever knew how to say ‘Thanksgiving’ in french…

Good morning, Erika speaking...

Ridiculous, I know. Everyone loves blogs. They have become so common-place that it’s probably not even cool to actually say that out loud. But honestly, I love them. They remind me about that I still (generally) like humanity. And, they have kind of saved my life these past few days. Because I answer phones to pay the rent (until my darling Antoinette starts bringing home the bacon! One must have goals!) the internet, specifically a few glorious, wonderful, warm and wooly blogs help keep my sanity in check on those days when the general public has convinced me that the sky is indeed falling…and that it’s somehow my fault. These blogs are my lunch-time dates when I can’t bring myself to go to (or fight my way to) the gym, they are the musings that I munch my cereal to in the morning, and are sometimes the last words that I read before falling into bed.

Beauty will save the world...

NOTE: I didn’t write the following. I wish I had. All I did was find it, tacked to the wall in the lunch-room of my p/t job, with a sign in red marker above it saying: “Artist friends, please read this. Do not undervalue yourselves, you are necessary, rare, and highly needed!!”

So instead of reading it right then and there, I photocopied the article so that I could read it to Mike when I got home. The discussion that resulted sparked a mini-revolution in both of our brains. If you freelance, if you are an artist, a crafts-person, a designer, a builder, an inventor, a performer or a maker of any description, EVERY word of this article will ring like a bell to you. The attitudes that this article brings to light are often formed in our early years as artists, and are further perpetuated by the colleges we attend, the people that we mentor with, and often, in the friendly company we keep. This has to end. There is this long-held notion of having to “pay our dues” before we’re allowed to figure out (and charge!) what we think we’re worth. My question has always been “when do we stop having to pay our dues?” You have to make that decision for yourself…this article, as I have transcribed it verbatim from the photocopy, makes a great case for that decision, and it’s timing… (now.)

I hope it sparks a revolution for you too…I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to whoever it was who initially wrote this article, and also to whoever posted it so that it could be found after CraigsList removed it, and to my coworker who was thoughtful enough to post it for me to discover. If anyone of you know who originally wrote this article, please please please let me know and I will joyfully add links and credit, as it is greatly due.

— e.

I’m a self-employed graphic designer. In the old days, when I was greener than a leprechaun’s testicles, nothing would make me consider suicide quicker than a potential client who was, in fact, just some deluded jackass. The hook was usually, “If you do this job cheap, I’ve loads more work for you!” and I bought that line more times than anyone with an ounce of sense ought to have.

This morning, the following was posted on CraigsList. It’s been doing the rounds on design boards and blogs in a big community whoop because it captures and excoriates so perfectly the ignorance and arrogance inflicted on designers by design morons.

Yesterday was the annual pilgrimage to the Oasis Bead Show in T.O. Wait, that makes it sound way more arduous than it really was…honestly, it was just a GO trip and some Skyway hiking…but you know me, I have a penchant for drama.
I go to this show every fall, and sometimes to the Spring show as well (I went this spring with Ms.ThisDuality and had a great time, but didn’t find a whole lot of stuff to write home about.) The fall show kind of marks my ‘anniversary’ of starting my business, so it’s kind of a fitting ’start of a new year’ thing to do.

This year’s trip was made with my dear pal Field, who is soon to embark on an amazing creative biz herself (details to be posted here soon!) and so she was in need of sparkly and beady type items. I needed findings, some little bits of inspiration, and some time in a room full of prettiness. Both Field and I are self-described colour whores, so the train trip in to Toronto was full of anticipation.
The show was pretty similar to how it always is, but the best part was going with someone whose deal-hunting prowess was on par with my own…half-way through the 2nd room, and 2 hours into the trip, we were both yawning incessantly because of the colour/sparkle/girlie overwhelm of going through table after table of pretty, pretty stuff.

Field found tons of stuff to get started with, and I found some truly inspiring finds…which was a nice change, ’cause normally I walk out of there half-assedly congratulating myself for staying on budget and only buying the findings that I needed, but not really all that hot-shit excited about the things that I did pick up. This time was different. I scored, big time. Because of my general excitement over my loot, I have taken photos! And because I really want to get into the studio asap to take advantage of this hot stuff, here’s the abridged version!

Oh Kyanite, if you were a person, I would vote for you for President of Awesomeness...One of my most favorite, favorite, favorite stones. EVER.

This might be the last coral I ever buy as I understand that it is getting increasingly ecologically impactful to harvest, but my god, I couldn't resist it this time. It's pure candy.

I don't think humans deserved to find such a pretty stone. Chalcedony is made of magic, I swear. People are hypnotized by it.

Seriously...this was a crazy deal. I'm not even going to hint at how crazy this deal was. But it involved me doing a dance as I paid for them. Clockwise from top left; mini turquoise nuggets, facetted garnet coins, carnelian briolettes, iolite rondelles.

Ok, I didn't get these at the show. I bought them months ago, but found them when I was emptying and repacking my purse to take the show, so it's *almost* like I got them at the show...almost...

ARRR, matey! Hands off me fool's gold!!! Hey, indulge my crapass Pirate-speak, I did buy these on International Talk Like A Pirate day...geez...

Oh god, 10 bags of random sparkliness for $10...I totally caved. A lot of these are vintage-y, and I have an enormous weakness for sparkle of this style and caliber. I know, I need help.

See? How can you say 'no, I won't take you home, delicious $1 bag of awesomeness!" to this? See? How could you? I'm not to blame...not at all...

BEHOLD MY ANVIL!!!!!

My tiny, tiny anvil!!!! I can't believe how totally, over-the-moon in love I am with this tiny perfect anvil. It is easily the best thing that I bought at the show, and it's usefulness is only eclipsed by it's cuteness. My hands itch to start hammering! Even Mike is completely nuts for it...I would wear it around my neck each and every day if I wasn't already so severely height-challenged.

A match made in smashy heaven! I had to buy a new tiny hammer to go with my new tiny anvil.

Quite obviously, I suck at blogging. My last post was quick and dirty and way back in June. It’s now September. True story.

Considering that few people stumble upon/read these words, I have actually felt kinda guilty about not posting for most of the summer. I have spent an inordinate amount of time greatly concerned about everything I haven’t managed to do this summer, thereby pretty much ignoring everything I have managed to do…which is actually a lot.
So, in classic grade-three, first week of school-fashion, I present to you the highly-pictorial (as all good school projects should be) “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” edition of my seldom-updated, often fretted about, but never forgotten-about blog.

1. I started a new job. Technically this started back in April, but really, the learning process was so involved and so intense that it has felt as long as the summer. But I have been able to keep up, get better and be happier with it than I initially thought, so I suppose that counts for something.
2. I exhibited at two amazing shows; the Glamour in the Glebe jewelry show in Ottawa in May, and then in August, my usual annual stint at the Oakville Art Society’s 44th Annual Art in the Park.