I Tried to Answer the Television Remote Last Week

It's true (she admitted sheepishly), the phone rang and I picked up the remote, pushed the select button and said, "Hello?" At first, I tried to swear my son (who witnessed this early-onset Alzheimer's incident) to secrecy, but then he handed me the electric pencil sharpener and suggested I call my mother. It was at that moment that I knew the jig was up! I'm praying that this (somewhat) errant happening is due to all the stuff I'm juggling right now. There's just so much going on! Here are two of the ga-zillion hot topics:

Submit a jewelry design to my upcoming book gallery. Calling all wire jewelry designers! Check out Lark Book's site for the link and how-to's for submitting a piece/s to my upcoming book, Iron Wire Jewelry (working title) http://www.larkbooks.com/submissions/artist-submissions.

I've also promised a few designer friends some tips on iron/steel/rebar wire and how to clean and finish it. Without giving the book away, here are a few tip-arino's:

1. Get the wire (also called tie, stovepipe, or dark annealed steel wire) at your local Home Depot/Lowe's (for the 16 gauge stuff in the ce-ment/rebar rod area) or True Value/Ace Hardware (for the finer diameters packaged in smaller amounts).
2. Work it as you usually do (it's dead soft and dirtier, but gives you a lot more flexibility except when hammered on top of itself).
3. Clean it with a brass or steel wire brush or fine steel wool.
4. Finish it with an archival wax (like Renaissance).
   

Check out Jane Konkel's blog entry. It's all about me! Jane has wonderful taste in jewelry and in friends. Hee! Associate Editor of BeadStyle magazine, Jane Konkel is on my Mutual Admiration Society Top Ten as well. Seriously though, when I browse through the magazine and see a piece I'm particularly drawn to, it's most always hers! She's got this Anthropology meets 'lovely' meets Jane thing going on.

Anyway, we've been working on a fun recycled glass bracelet for the magazine's May issue and an accompanying video demo showing how to make the wrapped linen loop. She tells me that it will also be posted on YouTube (I admit this part is a bit daunting). Ay yi yi! Check it out! http://cs.beadstylemag.com/bdscs/blogs/beadstyle/

More on my antics later; I realize that I'm pretty darn entertaining (albeit in a geeky, sort-of-scary way). I'm thinking of writing a book querie themed A Day in the Life-The Goofy Side of Me next (only half-kidding).