Bead loom

 There is various bead looms on the market.  I learn how it work with this one:
http://www.amazon.ca/Beadalon-Jewel-Bead-Loom/dp/B00M8OZAD8/ref=sr_1_215?ie=UTF8&qid=1410619889&sr=8-215&keywords=bead+looms
It was a class at the craft store, the one that is neared of my home.. I remember, when I was a teenager.  At the time, I didn't knew about bead looms.  It wasn't available where I lived (in the deep deep wood).  So, I was wondering how it was made. I thought it was made on machine or something on industrial level.  I had a nice piece at the time.  I didn't wanted to destroy it to see how it was made.  No close examination either.  I was curious but not hungrily curious.

Now, I am a bit more knowledgeable.   I know how it can be done.  I also have everything to do it.  I have given some projects I had to two people.  I know there is some videos on the internet on how it is done.  How to get started on various kind of looms.  I think I am ready to try on other looms.  To see which one I like the best.  Maybe I will end up liking each one for a specific type of projects.  I possess another loom that I want to try.  It is also very portable and light.  I think it will be great for narrow projects. 

Now that I know how it work (in essence), it will be easy to adapt myself to the loom.  With some big holidays coming, I may end up doing a project on it.  I just want to have an different project to do on a loom, to vary the gifts I give.

Thinking about fabrics...

I am reading about sewing.  I am amazed to see all we can do with fabrics.  I learned it could be on walls and used in upholstery.  I am a bit curious about upholstery.  I think I may investigate that more.  I know someone who studied furniture finish in a school.  Last time I saw her, she was employed in the place she did her internship.  I don't know if she know more about upholstery.  I know she worked on wood and wood finishes.  I may ask her question next time I see her.

It is quite recent that I saw some brief moments where people where doing upholstery.  I always wondered how they where doing it, even if I didn't knew the word for it.  I didn't thought they would tack fabrics on the structure of the furniture.  Makes sense after seeing it.  I wonder if it is easy to do.  Sometimes, doing it makes all the difference.  It may look easy seeing it but be another matter doing it.

I wonder if there is a place where we could go and be able to try that kind of thing.  A kind of museum.  It could house various area of artisanship.  I would love to be able to try various thing before seeing if it appeal to me.  I would see if it is worth investing money.  I remember when I tried lapidary.  I was wondering what it was.  I also try to do some.  In the end, I wasn't really interested.  It takes a lot of patience.  It also takes abilities.  I was more interested in the people who took the workshop than the material itself.  I don't know if it was the responsible of the workshop had something to do in my dislike.  By chance, that workshop was a short one.  It is a rare time where I wasn't trilled of learning a new technique.  The good thing I get from this: it had refine what I liked, didn't liked and what interested me.  I am interested in stones but not in shaping them.

Some creative people, Magic Realist Press.

 Here is the Baba Store:
http://baba-store.com/
I love their products.  They are the same people who are behind of Magic Realist Press.  They have a lot of interesting products.  I have a soft spot for their tarot.  Their latest publication is the Alice Tarot.  I love the box.  It is really creative.  It open up like a small jewelry box.  It is also sturdy.  What I like the most is their cards.  It is really amazing what they can do, on the visual side.  It must have taken them a lot of time to end up with so much beautiful picture.

They have a channel on youtube.  Here is a few videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bsdxciL9Oc (love the ending image)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJFZ0Blf320 (my favorite)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGIsi6mGTMA (love the music, lot of atmosphere)
In those last two videos, we can see two previous and gorgeous tarot deck they made.  The first is the Tarot of Prague (out of print but oh a so beautiful collage!).  The second one is the Bohemian Gothic tarot (this one is my favorite, even if their other tarot are as stunning).  The Bohemian Gothic is also out of print, both editions.  I think they have a good reputation and  makes beautiful fast selling decks.

I like to encourage small presses.  Magic Realistic Press is one that deserve all applause.  Until now, always been happy to buy their deck.  I am really pleased with the deck I got from them.  I didn't expected to like so much their latest (the Alice tarot) until I got it in my hand.  I haven't used it yet but I will sure study it in the near future...

Bookbinding

 I just saw this clip on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1VjQeGJmB4

It is very short, 1 minute 15 seconds.  The person don't say much.  But I do love the binding.  I just wish she would enter in the detail of the Coptic stitch,  I would like to know which eyelet she used, the same with the cord.  The cover is nice, even if she put some emphasis on it.  I was more interested in the binding than the cover.

I was in luck because I found two video on the Coptic stitch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue52htX3j0k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2FRKbQI2kY
It is always a good thing to have suggested videos on the right side.  I wouldn't not have found those two videos.

Now, I do have learned something new today.  I didn't knew about that stitch.  I ain't much familiar with needle work to begin with.
I even found how to make a book with sea shells:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgg0lQP8Ytw

It gives me a few ideas on the subject.  It been a while that I have bound a notebook.  I have done it in my book repair class a few years ago.  It was the first project we have done in class, I think.  It made us understood how a book was made.  I haven't given much thought since.  Seeing those videos give me the little push to try my hand at it again.  There are printed document that I have that would need some binding.  I could do it myself.  It would be a very good excuse to use them to practice the Coptic stitch at the same occasion.

The Platinum Post

I am curious by nature.  I found a video, on YouTube on how Platinum is made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X09zSQSUXDk

Here is six facts on Platinum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFqsJprJFVc

Platinum VS White Gold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImEEVD4nXuA
This one, I wish to have seen it sooner.  I do have a white gold ring with a diamond on it.  I had the dilemma between platinum and white gold.  I have been told it would be more economical to go with the white gold.  I didn't knew there was other consideration.  I knew, at the time, that platinum was more expansive than white gold.  Nothing more.

Platinum journey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6fj5FfaeeA
It is a bit sugar and sweet.  I was wondering where it was mined, where it's origin.

I think I learned a few things with these videos.  I didn't knew it needed extra special experience to work with Platinum.  I worked a lot with silver, which is my favorite metal.  I thought that platinum was cool too, but more for stones that can't go on with silver.  I never got the chance to work with it in the few classes I took.  There was no ones who worked with platinum in the classes I had.  I thought it was mainly because it was expansive.  Now, I wonder if there was some who tried to work with it but got turned to other options.  I wonder if platinum is sold.  I know I had bought silver.  I never ask or probed for platinum.  I feel knowing more.  At the same time, there are a few things that have a wonder after taste, while I think back.  I may ask a few questions if I take a jewelry class, one where I will work on metal like platinum and silver.

Stongest materials

Recently, I was looking at a top ten of the strongest materials on earth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aprrlqd-TU
I find it very incredible.  There is the usual diamond.  I knew that,  It is one of the strongest gems known to us,  It can break if it hit on one of it's cleavage but it is an hard stone anyway.

I also found a video on the top ten rarest gemstone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37rI_BWmOI4
Again, there are diamonds there.  Nothing to surprising that diamonds are on both. 

Here are the top ten most expensive gems of all time.   Pretty much as the above list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4-fVLvACO8
With this list, I fell a bit of a repeat.

My point with these lists?  There are some of those gems and materials I would like to work with  Would be great, just for the experience of it.  Do I have enough experience to work with them?  For sure I haven't have enough experience.  I feel a bit of a starter in jewelry making.  There is so much to learn and practice.  I haven't have all the tools to makes fine jewelry.  I can dream about those nice gems.  I like rocks and gems.  I don't like all gems nor all rocks.  But there is many of them that I love.  I like obsidian and lapis lazuli.  Emerald and peridot too.  Sparkling opal and nice aquamarine.  I would like to work more with them, on a professional level.  I hope to attain my dreams one day...

Jewelry can be easy.

 Sometimes, when people think jewelry, they think about various gems in precious metals or just precious metals.
I found a project on craftsy:  http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/08/how-to-make-a-mala-bracelet/
It is beads in a bracelet.  It is dumb easy.  Not terribly expansive.  It makes me think of prayer beads, you know, each bead equals one prayer.  The fun with that kind of project is to choose the beads.  It can be gems beads or wood beads, as you wish.  Bone-like beads would put a nice tribal look to this piece.

It even can be a project for children. I remember, as a child, I loved stringing some colored drinking straw-cut piece on yarns.  Hours of fun.  I don't remember there was beads available to use.  At the time, I didn't thought to use beads.  I was having too much fun with the drinking straws to think about what I could used instead.  In a sense, it was a good thing.  Now, I return to that fun but on a more evolved level.  I still have the sense of wonder while testing beads and colors when doing necklaces.

I do like very much doing wire wrapping necklaces.  It is this kind of upgraded project that reconnected me with what I liked as a child doing stringing with straws and yarns.    While doing necklace, in a sense, it makes me connect with my grandpa.  He was the one who show me how to do the straw stringing.   In  a sense, I have a debt to him.  He show me something that I later discovered was an interest.