tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72367990053337297932024-03-13T11:36:36.876-04:00Bonnie L. Blandfordmy name tag says I'm an artist...Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-87646398050733415612016-02-13T10:47:00.002-05:002016-02-13T10:48:42.327-05:00One year later...<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Imagine my surprise when Facebook showed me that my last blog post was a year ago today. For someone who always has an opinion and something to say, this was unexpected. So I'm firing my blog back up!</span>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-49930878104011888742015-02-13T18:23:00.000-05:002015-02-13T18:23:21.866-05:00Do you really want me to open your e-mail???<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"I just unsubscribed from your e-mails and for only one
reason. They come in from Arts Business Institute and the subject is always just…
Arts Business Institute. There is absolutely nothing there to make me WANT to
open it. Tell me in the subject line something about what it’s about. Make me
WANT to open it rather than just delete every single one without opening. When I
get hundreds and more e-mails every day, I do a quick skim and I’ll open just
those e-mails that interest me. Unfortunately even though I’ve been a longtime
supporter, I haven’t opened one of your e-mails in a very, very long time." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is what I just sent to the Arts Business Institute. A good organization but they don't know the first thing about sending out a good e-mail that will be opened. I don't have all the answers but this one is easy. <b><span style="color: red;">If you want someone to open your e-mail, give them a reason to want to! </span></b></span></div>
Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-61587588815298874132015-01-06T00:33:00.000-05:002015-01-06T00:36:00.914-05:00A little clay from the Garage Sale Art Fair<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today I finished posting the pictures of the accepted artists for the 19th Annual <a href="http://www.garagesaleartfair.com/" target="_blank">Garage Sale Art Fair</a> that I run with Michael Kifer down in Kalamazoo (on Feb 28). Then I just kind of sat back and smiled at the images from all the wonderful artists that will be joining us this year, some for the very first time. Then the slight feeling of panic sets in. It now rests on us to do everything we possibly can to insure that these artists leave our show happy with their sales and the show itself. Now to find a "good weather" dance that actually works...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From the top, John Bauman, Kristy Jo Beber, Fong Choo, Eric Strader and Brian Beam. A little bit of clay from the show.</span><br />
<br />Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-30062470857362824622014-12-28T12:47:00.000-05:002014-12-28T12:47:31.518-05:00White Sheets<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For those people doing art fairs as part of their life, hotel rooms become an integral part of the whole equation. I don't really ask for much. I want the room clean with a good bed and a decent shower. All the other things are an added bonus but not crucial. So the latest trend in hotels upgrading their bedding is a great bonus for me because I dearly love snuggling under good sheets and a wonderful comforter. Now I rarely stay in the rooms that add the fluffy comforter but even the lower end hotels have nicer sheets now. Which brings me to my search for crisp white hotel-like sheets for home. And do they exist?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1GPtVEgvd-PieyCx2FYnMfLJ2YLAhhN6N5ha3Plml-67r7LMwZlPCLCe_rRT1D-5ybHcCaljPdr03BObUBo4uWoB_B-Qwo76yiEGIknp_BN5mIvJNqSW0ff8W4epC2gnx8jJry0vMfM/s1600/bed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1GPtVEgvd-PieyCx2FYnMfLJ2YLAhhN6N5ha3Plml-67r7LMwZlPCLCe_rRT1D-5ybHcCaljPdr03BObUBo4uWoB_B-Qwo76yiEGIknp_BN5mIvJNqSW0ff8W4epC2gnx8jJry0vMfM/s1600/bed.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So far my quest has left me disappointed but I search on for those crisp but soft, smooth white sheets that just about guarantee you a great nights sleep because not all of life's goals have to be lofty ones!</span><br /><br />Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-55820169536311574232014-04-25T20:25:00.000-04:002014-04-25T20:25:22.371-04:00Break time is over<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the first time in my entire career, I took a break from the studio this winter. I concentrated full time on the small show Michael and I run until the first of March and then concentrated on home life and other things. For fun I took an enameling class at Kendall College of Art & Design to add more color into my life and my work. Now it's time to get back to the studio because I have a great schedule of shows coming up and I have lots of ideas for new work. But I will look back on this winter as the best winter I can ever remember. What a gift!</span>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-31405819519381109442014-02-02T19:16:00.000-05:002014-02-02T19:16:16.904-05:00What I've learned about having your ears pierced... <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After watching thousands of women try on my earrings over the last 37+ years, I've learned a lot about having your ears pierced and what's really important.</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Finding someone you trust to do the actual piercing is the most important. Whether it's a Doctor or the store in the mall with the piercing gun, make sure they follow sterile procedures. And my first choice would be a Doctor that uses the gun since it's quick, sterile and as painless as any piercing can be. Do not use the self piercing earrings that I did because I thought my Mom wouldn't notice. Trust me, waiting for parental consent is much easier.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Take someone with you, regardless of your age. Yes they can hold your hand but more importantly they are looking at your earlobe from a different angle and can tell you if you're putting that little dot somewhere weird. What may look great to you when looking straight into a mirror may be the totally wrong position when you go to actually wear earrings. And don't put it too far down on your lobe because as you age your ears keep growing and if fashion ever dictates heavy earrings again, you're asking for stretched out or torn holes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pay close attention not just to the position of the dot but the angle that the piercing goes in. Both up and down and side to side will affect your entire earring wearing life. If you ever want to wear hoops, be especially careful or you could have hoops going in two different directions. And trust me again, it's not a good look.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">They'll let you choose your starter earrings so choose carefully because you have to love them for at least 6 weeks last I heard. And there are very few earrings that I could love that long!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And then there are all those instructions that they give you for after care. Those things we tend to not listen too because we're too busy admiring our freshly pierced lobes. Listen to them and follow them exactly. If they tell you to turn them a certain number of times a day, do it. Because it hurts like heck to do it if you haven't been doing it regularly. If they say leave the earrings in without changing for 6 weeks, don't do it a minute earlier. In fact if you can hold out another week, do it. You want the best possible results for long term use.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Finally the time comes for you to take out the starters and put in sparkling new earrings. Make sure they're clean. Make sure your earlobe is clean. Change them often. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And of course, the best place to find interesting earrings is at an art fair. Handmade by the artist in the booth who can adjust them if you put them on and discover that despite all your diligence, your holes are crooked... </span></li>
</ol>
Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-17380271474728735912013-10-31T11:30:00.000-04:002014-02-02T21:28:15.465-05:00Cancer - or lack thereof<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">5 years ago today I had the mammogram that saved my life.
Couldn’t feel it even though they said it had been growing for 6-8 years. But
the mammogram found it. I looked at the images before I left and I said to the
tech, oh that doesn’t look good. She said they would call me if it was
something and I got the call a few days later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For some people this is a life changing experience but I was
lucky. For me thankfully it was more one of those little bumps in life we all
get. A touch scary but eventually over other than the drugs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But last night it interrupted my sleep. There’s such a fuss
made over the 5 year mark and even though I haven’t quite made it there, it
will be here soon. My hope is that I’ll be able to stop the nasty drugs and
then I won’t have the daily reminder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But I’ll always remember the day it all started because it
was my birthday present 5 years ago. Even though the spot I saw on the images
wasn’t actually where the cancer was…</span></div>
Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-28883354007263978062013-10-03T12:50:00.000-04:002013-10-03T12:50:33.100-04:00You took my breath away<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had my world shaken by one person's images while jurying an art fair.</span></span> Today was the jury for the art fair that Michael Kifer and I run in Kalamazoo Michigan. Because this is a different type of art fair (the Garage Sale Art Fair), Michael and I jury the show ourselves. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's something I'm very comfortable doing and really enjoy. This time it was even better.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Without permission I can't use the person's name but I will tell you that I wish the images of my own work evoked the strength of the feelings that these did for me. Just when you've seen your fill of overworked, over Photoshopped images, one person's work comes up on the screen and reaches up to grab you by the heart. I caught my breath and just drank it in. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There's a lesson to be learned here for all of us. Make your images speak. Let them tell a story. Don't worry about making those big expensive pieces of your work because you think that's what a jury wants to see. Let the jury feel your work and they will get it. And you'll probably get into more of the shows that you want to do. I know I'm rethinking my own images...</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-50356306594818883742013-07-17T00:27:00.001-04:002013-07-17T00:27:58.239-04:00Leaving Ann Arbor behind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAo1yarCcMXuZfFPmz6uKZp8uNtFm5ONK197rpV2uRY_TY0HU4VRdkOBTYMedxOBv1RM8kjUsjWPrEMiXPVykQrZqxLCDVWHCWhc8ykL6Bw78a_BeKi7xIIKKkOVmwJz9fP-apgomdJE/s1600/BoothZapp2012cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAo1yarCcMXuZfFPmz6uKZp8uNtFm5ONK197rpV2uRY_TY0HU4VRdkOBTYMedxOBv1RM8kjUsjWPrEMiXPVykQrZqxLCDVWHCWhc8ykL6Bw78a_BeKi7xIIKKkOVmwJz9fP-apgomdJE/s320/BoothZapp2012cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What you can't tell by this picture is that it was my most perfect Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair booth, and it may well be my last one. This was taken last year when Jon Hecker was my roadie for the show and he "tricked out" my booth so wonderfully. What you don't see is the fan situated up in the rafters so it was like having air-conditioning in the booth</span></span>. <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or the carpet runners in front covering the holes in the pavement. It was quite the booth!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew it was time to take a break from doing the show. For almost 30 summers my entire year was measured by "before Ann Arbor" or "after Ann Arbor" and it was a huge part of my life. The money I made at the show used to be what got me through winter but times have changed and the show has changed as well. It felt like it was time to move on.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMqpRY1T2fb3xivhQf31AGqcj6kgu5ZN09krJRWmxL31NDyL9jlql2WQHn-oa5lykdgqx0AkXCdbtnTzqPZyuSoHWfaTWfJ-PRUi3ehpIPjIfIp6kaYh1wIxOJMzlFmgs7kofWTiI1DA/s1600/Ribbon+and+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMqpRY1T2fb3xivhQf31AGqcj6kgu5ZN09krJRWmxL31NDyL9jlql2WQHn-oa5lykdgqx0AkXCdbtnTzqPZyuSoHWfaTWfJ-PRUi3ehpIPjIfIp6kaYh1wIxOJMzlFmgs7kofWTiI1DA/s320/Ribbon+and+sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were high points like the fun I had with all the people who helped me over the years, especially Nancy Martin and Shoaleh Mansour and the awards I won. All the years when we had custom tee shirts made with new job titles on the front and sayings on the backs. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The one year Michael Kifer was the poster child for the show and we had tee shirts made that said Michael was next door with arrows pointing to his booth. </span>Three of us crammed into a 10' x 6' booth with the jewelry cases and a couple of chairs but no time to sit down. But I can't forget the year that I fell in the street while helping to lay out the show and broke my leg. During the show Nancy plopped me on a chair outside my booth with my leg up, a fan blowing on me and took over while I was highly medicated and having fun with all the friends who came to visit. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, lots of good memories were made at the show.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This years show starts in about 9 hours and for the first time in almost 30 years, I won't be there. I wish all my friends cool, dry weather and great sales. I'll miss seeing them but this was the right decision for me this year. We'll see what next year brings... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-77464530643218210102013-05-16T19:33:00.001-04:002013-05-16T19:33:46.738-04:00On the road again...It's been a long time coming but today I finally set out for my first outdoor art fair of the year. Instead of the typical last minute scrambling to get things done and get every last possible thing into the van, it was very calm, very organized. Without even really trying I left on time, even slightly early. Once I was on the road this weird sense of peace came over me and left me smiling. It's a beautiful sunny day and I'm off to a wonderful art fair with my van packed full of brand new work being shown for the first time. I love what I do!Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-33105358221875724672013-05-09T00:34:00.001-04:002013-05-09T00:34:47.254-04:00What I learned from "the Flood"<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today was my first day back in the studio since "the flood". Not like the
big huge floods that happened around our area but bad enough. So what have I learned from the experience?</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have way too much "stuff" which is what made dealing with the flood so much harder.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wet carpet tiles are really, really heavy.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Life does go on even without being able to save the yummy, cushy carpeting that covered half the floor and saved my back and knees.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I learned that vinyl floor coverings are really, really ugly and way too expensive for how ugly they are.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have way too much stuff...</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Sell, donate, recycle or dump" became my mantra. It's amazing how much left the studio in one of these ways and how good it felt. Kind of a fresh start in an old space. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My job now is to concentrate on making jewelry but once I have a break in my shows, I'm back to clearing more things out, both studio and home. This feels good...</span></span><br />
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<br />Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-12262270435851404942013-02-07T16:19:00.000-05:002013-02-07T16:19:14.180-05:00After jurying 3 art fairs in 2 days, this is what I learned...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqjtxY7NefwnZQG-PrEm6OAHUY8idcDE6OIVkK3SbVbIKsnHSoG3VSVFDMLLCqmXBaMiJlm-AX1qlP0EydPQaGwGKVhLuI_yxQ9sC2yYQDyXqb0hib69m2Q7hdofj6ROP5VrvKcfU1tY/s1600/PICT0159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqjtxY7NefwnZQG-PrEm6OAHUY8idcDE6OIVkK3SbVbIKsnHSoG3VSVFDMLLCqmXBaMiJlm-AX1qlP0EydPQaGwGKVhLuI_yxQ9sC2yYQDyXqb0hib69m2Q7hdofj6ROP5VrvKcfU1tY/s320/PICT0159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You’ve applied to hundreds of shows over the years. You know
what to do and not do with your images. ZAPP and JAS have made it really easy
to quickly apply and not really think about it. BUT, when was the last time you
went into ZAPP and checked your profile? Checked that all your information is
correct? Checked your capitalization, spelling and punctuation? Have you
checked your artist statement to make sure it’s current? </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The same things are important on JAS but on there your
artist statement is even more important. When you’re being juried on JAS (monitor jurying), your
artist statement is right in the center of the page, easy for the juror to
read. And you wouldn’t believe how many people make mistakes in there. The
wrong words, extra punctuation, missing letters and the big one is your name!
Sometimes just the first name, sometimes the full name, “James does this”, “Mary
Smith likes that”. I was shocked during my latest jurying how many statements
had names. Have you checked yours lately? </span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your artist statement should be current and if you want a
juror to read it, it should be short. I don’t need to know where you went to
school, what your life’s path has been or how many years you’ve been doing
this. I need to know anything critical to what you’re showing me in your
images. This is not your resume, please don’t list all the shows you’ve done.
Short, readable and to the point.</span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And then there’s the old issue of a name in the booth image.
There are still many, many booth shots that have either the artists name
showing or the business name. Please, please remove it. It will not help you and
it may hurt you. Take down the booth signs that the show gives you even if you
can’t read your own name on it. Anything that distracts from what you want the
juror to be looking at which is your booth and the work in it. Leave the chair,
that doesn’t bother me at all but get out all the signs.</span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And I’ve learned a couple of new things in this last round
of jurying that I’ve done. Photographers as a group have the most odd looking
booth images of anyone. Many of them look like they’re 20’ x 20’ booths and
amazingly they show under 10 pieces with no flip bins! Wow! Please don’t take
offense if you’re a photographer because it’s probably not you I’m talking
about but you probably know someone who fits this. Just something to think
about.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The other thing I’ve learned is that sterling silver must no
longer be a precious metal. No one told me! Jewelers - if there are two categories,
precious and non-precious and you work in sterling silver, fine silver pmc or
gold, you belong in the precious category. And trust me, you don’t want to be
in the non-precious category if you don’t belong there. There is some
absolutely wonderful jewelry being made these days without the use of precious
metals and you don’t want to be competing with them if you don’t have to. Of
course if you’re applying in the non-precious category then I’m not competing
with you for a space so maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this…</span></span></div>
Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-24731047778012767192013-01-30T13:38:00.001-05:002013-01-30T13:38:04.506-05:00Borrowing from the Duggan Sisters I'm not sure what the proper etiquette is when you want to share something from someone else's blog. This from the <a href="http://duggansisters.com/blog/2013/01/29/beckman-post-mortem/" target="_blank">Duggan Sisters blog</a> just hit home with me so I wanted to share it. They write a great blog and this is just a snippet from a wonderful both sad and uplifting post. Click the link to read the entire post. They have just come home from a show and write: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHf7FA70oPM3aq8x_Dvlsdde_ql_zaiGZTOVOrlcsEtP3PijrNCdLnCsgnHK7anfknYQ69b2NwCPvH8bUk4uUBC3aq9eYCz7-cs90Fw5MAE6s7H5F0dM0YdFtxd8XPn-602Wja39c9RQ/s1600/art+fair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHf7FA70oPM3aq8x_Dvlsdde_ql_zaiGZTOVOrlcsEtP3PijrNCdLnCsgnHK7anfknYQ69b2NwCPvH8bUk4uUBC3aq9eYCz7-cs90Fw5MAE6s7H5F0dM0YdFtxd8XPn-602Wja39c9RQ/s320/art+fair.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"We are so tired that we’re nauseous. That is what a show, wholesale or
retail, does to every single artist every single time. You assemble a
singular and stunning booth showcasing your wares. You stand and explain
and educate and sell and endure insults and ignorance and accolades.
You do it indoors under lights too bright with unforgiving concrete
beneath you. You do it outdoors in wind that sometimes becomes a
microburst or a tornado and you stand shivering in snow in early October
and you get rained on until you are soaked to your kneecaps. You
sometimes sell big and sometimes hardly get noticed in the crowd. And
then you disassemble your perfect booth and pack it into a van and drive
to your home which might be across town or across many state lines. You
are an artist. These shows are absolute bread and butter essential and
they kill you every time."<br />
<br />
I really related to this. All true statements...so why do I love this crazy business so much???Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-70764390553913404642013-01-29T10:01:00.000-05:002013-01-29T10:01:09.688-05:00True confession time... <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, it's true. Although it's not something I normally talk about, I love breakfast at the Waffle House! The most important thing is that you have to sit at the counter, right across from the grill because the high point is watching them cook. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-siHTyk2-7-LnU5JunIgzVqxvnkyddELlUf95WTRhDUcJ5DoTXfKOk4mopn1FK8VSWhkq50B0MWxr9CcxqwUEcPZmrO5-5Pnb7U0SW3-SzniBuNceTmGTls1WjiCyHkL2I2yKa3QPLtQ/s1600/waffle+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-siHTyk2-7-LnU5JunIgzVqxvnkyddELlUf95WTRhDUcJ5DoTXfKOk4mopn1FK8VSWhkq50B0MWxr9CcxqwUEcPZmrO5-5Pnb7U0SW3-SzniBuNceTmGTls1WjiCyHkL2I2yKa3QPLtQ/s320/waffle+house.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">They have a really interesting system in place for remembering the orders. The waitress calls the order to the cook who actually never sees the order in writing. As I learned yesterday, the jelly packet on the far end of the plate means eggs over easy, near end is sunny side up, one side is over hard and so on. If the jelly packet is turned over it means something totally different. They keep track of absolutely everything in the order by little clues the cook puts on the plate! Considering the dozens of ways you can get hash browns there, it's quite a feat. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I learned all this from the cook (wish I had asked her name since she was wonderful) at the Dublin-Granville Road Waffle House in Columbus Ohio yesterday. She went through the whole system for me, talked about all the variations and then I learned that the system was actually developed by the franchise right there and is now used franchise wide!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So after breakfast it got me thinking about how I could incorporate that kind of thinking into what I do. Not jelly packets but more the organizational end of things. I dearly love that life is made up of all these great little moments. And no - I've never had a waffle at the Waffle House.</span></span>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-81881120749725998272013-01-19T10:47:00.001-05:002013-01-19T10:47:26.688-05:00Missing art fairs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx_tuOVh5fCSBbo6mm8l2h0BF6vWIqC4rK4PXkN-AKZRN2_06gZcJI3t1B4P_htcyeD7PzqXxGfQsuS2J9QYi_i5BrbQO_O0rnXljcNgGjHBGDG3hzxsgYCmreO9bkgSC96Y8t9gOTDQ/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx_tuOVh5fCSBbo6mm8l2h0BF6vWIqC4rK4PXkN-AKZRN2_06gZcJI3t1B4P_htcyeD7PzqXxGfQsuS2J9QYi_i5BrbQO_O0rnXljcNgGjHBGDG3hzxsgYCmreO9bkgSC96Y8t9gOTDQ/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There's something special about people who sell their art at art fairs. We tend to be this wonderfully tight group of people all trying to make our living in this strange, probably out-dated way. We look out for each other and want the best for each other. We even celebrate when others get into great shows that we didn't. Or at least try to! My closest friends are those that share this experience with me since it's unique, wonderful and hard to explain. But someone please remind me of this warm fuzzy feeling when I haven't sold anything, it's pouring down buckets, the wind is high and I'm trying to keep my booth from flying to the next county...</span></span>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-3626612879746470252013-01-18T10:57:00.000-05:002013-01-18T10:57:09.533-05:00Things you don't think about...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs66fRQqkEnnvuN5iTpc8kqiDMjPobIJ6DF1Cp0Y0kYmDGVmySGnocBycRfH3pY40XTUOhLENE28hJwPRnfWshPbRlj0o-ysZ6EntQ0iQ_oDMyP9NABgC_JCxrCWJfEws196KndJ0QxA/s1600/IMG_0841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs66fRQqkEnnvuN5iTpc8kqiDMjPobIJ6DF1Cp0Y0kYmDGVmySGnocBycRfH3pY40XTUOhLENE28hJwPRnfWshPbRlj0o-ysZ6EntQ0iQ_oDMyP9NABgC_JCxrCWJfEws196KndJ0QxA/s320/IMG_0841.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Jewelers you should recognize this. You're in the middle of selling something wonderful at an art fair and you realize...you're out of earring stoppers! Or, you're out of care cards! Or bags!!! What have those elves been doing back in the studio, slacking off? Since now I'm also the elf, this winter I'm restocking all those little things I might not think of during my busy times. Putting 2 little earring stoppers in little tiny bags and adding the instructions turns out to be kind of a fun project. One of those mindless jobs best done in front of the TV. So how many will I need this year? Since I'm planning on a really good year - so I did tons! Now it's on to stamping the bags...</span></span>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-66966117294980842162013-01-13T22:35:00.001-05:002013-01-13T22:35:45.028-05:00Two Weeks In...<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Two weeks into the new year and one thing is certain. If I don't set more of a schedule, all this great time off from shows will be gone and I won't have all kinds of wonderful jewelry to show for it. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But I'm getting things done. My office has had a major clear out and deep cleaning. It's fun spending time in here again. There's still much more to do but it's a great start.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next big job to tackle is the "clean" side of the studio. Just the word "clean" in the same breath as my studio causes major laughter. For the last probably 3 years I've been just dumping things in there, leaving it for "later". I think later has now hit...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Then I get to go back into the working side of the studio and do what I love - make jewelry. I have lots of new ideas and I have the time to "play" with them and make them wonderful. I'll keep you posted!</span></span>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-67909604283632549592013-01-01T15:23:00.001-05:002013-01-01T15:23:39.536-05:00Goodbye 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Looking back is always interesting to me and 2012 had some wonderful
moments. This is like that annoying letter you <span style="font-size: large;">used to get in your Christmas cards from all the people <span style="font-size: large;">you hadn't seen all year. I loved those letters...</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I stayed more local for my art fairs and loved it! One of
the things I love about doing art fairs is the travel but I miss the time at
home. 2012 was a nice mix.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Got to know some wonderful people better:</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://patriciamccleery.com/" target="_blank">Patrica McCleery</a> during our
time in St Louis.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://fatponystudios.com/" target="_blank">Julie Kradel</a> who makes my old
friend <a href="http://www.stephenkostyshyn.com/" target="_blank">Steve </a></span><a href="http://www.stephenkostyshyn.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Kostyshyn</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> so very happy.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://marilyngreenwood.com/" target="_blank">Marilyn Greenwood</a> and her husband
Ken who, along with the <a href="http://www.heckerdesign.com/" target="_blank">Hecker’s</a> and <a href="http://www.westmichiganclay.com/?page=info/index" target="_blank">Mike Taylor</a>, made the time on the
Pensacola Beach between shows so much fun.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Became "Boonie" at the Boston Mills ArtFest which made me
laugh even in 100+ degree tempuratures.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Had the easiest Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair ever because <a href="http://www.heckerdesign.com/" target="_blank">Jon Hecker</a> was my roadie! My booth has never been so wonderfully engineered and due
to his “fan work”, it was like having air conditioning!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Made my favorite ring ever – then sold it! When will I learn
to just keep the darn thing when I really, really love it. I sold my last “favorite
ring” right off my finger 20 years ago…</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My jewelry won some awards!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Had some really bad pumpkin pancakes for my Halloween
birthday but I was with my best friends the Hecker’s which made it great!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On a personal note - Got to watch my favorite/only nephew
graduate High School and go off to college.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And…</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Had two wonderful weeks off from everything with my very
best friend Dick in our favorite place (other than home).</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wow – sounds like a year where nothing went wrong, no
struggles, no tough times! Nope, it was a tough year, the hardest was watching
my best friend struggle with health issues and not being able to help. But I’m
focusing on the positives from the past year and looking forward to having even
more positives in 2013.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to a great 2013!!!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-56052038555300081902012-10-07T12:36:00.000-04:002012-10-07T12:36:01.005-04:00Inspiration<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.chuckclose.com/" target="_blank">Chuck Close</a> would say "not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work." He also says, "all the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I don't know Chuck but I wish I did because I love this quote. I'm pretty sure I'd really like him.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> My best work comes from spending time in the studio, working the metal, trying new things. I'll work on something and if it doesn't speak to me, it gets set aside. Sometimes for months, sometimes years. At some point it may get pulled back out and it all comes together. Or it doesn't and it gets melted down! But actual hands on with the metal results in my best possible work.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Time to get back into the studio...</span></span>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-32409249776848457912012-07-03T09:35:00.000-04:002012-07-03T09:35:15.065-04:00Rings, rings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTYs1dM3Ouujyn75ON0ll-ec5Y_RW8JHAkUt6tZPDCJBAvPckUm1ata6t1trVhnNAhIsyDFA2uucuQy3I4jZskQD0wGQ2GsiVYLtFqOkGCm6w2aUyojVyLJvUFD_bf56PV51_0MqAFf4/s1600/photo+%287%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTYs1dM3Ouujyn75ON0ll-ec5Y_RW8JHAkUt6tZPDCJBAvPckUm1ata6t1trVhnNAhIsyDFA2uucuQy3I4jZskQD0wGQ2GsiVYLtFqOkGCm6w2aUyojVyLJvUFD_bf56PV51_0MqAFf4/s320/photo+%287%29.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I love making rings! Decided to do a few of my signature rings based on the same size "base" with each one being a little different with different tiny stones. Terrible picture but fun rings - just in time for Boston Mills ArtFest! This is only the beginning...</span></div>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-21343333113342740812012-06-27T12:47:00.001-04:002012-06-27T12:47:32.692-04:00Love this time of year!<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is my time of year! Constant art fairs, constant time in the studio, pushing to make new work. Changing the display? No, leave it the same but add new touches. Quit trying to reinvent something that's working just fine. Get new postcards ordered to get them printed and out, advertising where I'll be. Trying to remember which I've sent, which ones need to be done and what about the e-mail blasts. Too many hot shows means the jewelry needs to be spiffed up between shows. Hot sweaty fingers and beautiful jewelry don't mix well and that doesn't even count the customers trying things on! Oh geez, what do I need to make next? Spread everything out and see where there are holes. Try to find a clean surface big enough to do this. Ordering supplies constantly and cursing when they no longer ship quickly which means I'm waiting, waiting... Do I have any clothing that is cooler than what I wore at my last show??? Do I do curtains or panels at my next show? Yup - love this time of year!!!</span>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-7683488598146864852012-06-18T23:48:00.000-04:002012-06-18T23:48:13.904-04:00Sue Blandford 1929-2007<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a few hours it will be the 5th anniversary of my Mom's death. I was just going through some documents on my computer and found something called Mom2 and being curious, opened it up. It was the rough copy of the eulogy that my sister Karen gave at Mom's memorial service. She was chosen for this "honor" since she had a better chance of holding it together than I did! And she did a wonderful job, Mom would have been proud of her. Reading this over made me smile with remembering and cry due to missing her so much. Here it is... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"I was a teenager when a group of women held a roast to mark
my mother’s ascendancy as the first woman President of the local United Way. One of
the women, unknown to me now, told me something about my mom being perfect.
Perfect. Well, yeah, I could she how this woman might think so, even if she was
exaggerating just a bit. But her comment intimidated me enough that I could not
get up and deliver my one joke about boys I dated being scrutinized about their
donating habits – completely untrue, by the way.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But this woman saw my mom as perfect because for a woman in
that time, she had it all. She was pretty and powerfully smart. She dressed
very well, had a handsome and sweet husband who adored her, co-owned a
successful business, lived in a beautiful home she designed herself, and had
two children that had not been arrested. She was opening doors for women all
around her – she was always the leader and had a lot of “firsts”.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But perfect?<span> </span>Well,
no.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My mother could not sing. She sang all the time, of course,
but she couldn’t find the right key or keep from going flat for the life of
her. But she loved to sing, and she did it anyway.<span> </span>She would sing silly songs, road songs, and
camp songs with my dad. He actually has a very nice singing voice, but he’d
always sing along in the same style as my mom. Loud and joyful. Every birthday,
my mom and dad would call around breakfast and bellow out the Happy Birthday
song. It is our most precious birthday ritual, and we will miss her voice
terribly. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mom traveled the world, and often told me how lucky she felt
for having the opportunity to do so. <span> </span>When money was tight but love was plentiful,
our family started camping. Many of my absolutely favorite childhood memories
came from our family trips and travels. When money was less tight, Mom and Dad
traveled not quite to every continent, but close. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So she traveled the world, but she could not find her way
across town. She had the worst sense of direction of anyone I have ever known.
If Mom said to go right, you knew you should go left. Dad equipped her with the
best maps and directions. She did not let her total lack of direction stop her
from going places, but she always had to leave extra time for getting lost. She
was ahead of her time – the perfect customer for Mapquest and GPS systems
before they were around.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She was a gourmet cook. She followed Julia Child’s career,
and we spent many a childhood dinner trying the newest creation. She read
Gourmet magazine and cookbooks for fun. For us girls, she made the cutest
little salads that looked like mice using pears with clove eyes. She was
inventive, healthy, and rarely made the same thing twice except the family
favorites. But she was patient with Bon who wanted one meal a year,
Thanksgiving dinner to be the same, year after year after year.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span> </span>One of my favorite
gifts to give my mom when I was little was fresh watercress. She taught me how
to identify it, and she knew how much I loved what we called fiddling creeks.
The thing about watercress is that it grows in cold water. Really, really cold
water. So I would bring it to her with frozen little fingers and she’d accept
it as if it were the most precious morsel on earth, which perhaps it was.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">She also canned foods, making jams and pickles and
provisions for winter storms. She called it “keeping the wolf from the door”,
and it worked. Who knew wolfs were adverse to pickled peaches? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mom had a birthday a couple of weeks after I moved to Maryland. As her
present, I boxed up a huge quantity of steamed Maryland Blue Crabs on ice, then
hightailed it the 12 hour drive back to Michigan
to surprise her.<span> </span>We covered the table
with newspaper in the shore tradition, got our little wooden mallets together,
and started whacking crabs. At the end of the feast, my dad had a respectable
mound of shells in front of him. My sister had no shells in front of her
because they were looking at her so I had to pick her crabs, which made my pile
was pretty big. Then there was my petite Mom, sitting behind an ENORMOUS pile
of shells, licking her fingers.<span> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But was she a perfect cook?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No. There was one time – yes,
just ONE time – that she oversalted the stew. She was disgusted and threw it
out. And we’ve been teasing her about it ever since.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My mother dressed beautifully.
She read Vogue and knew fashion, and although conservative in style, she was
always fashionable.<span> </span>I remember one day
looking at two gowns she had bought for a major dinner party. They were the
fanciest things I had ever seen – the skirts swished when she moved. When she
got dressed up, I thought she was a fairy princess come to life. We’ll always
think of<span> </span>Mom when we smell Chanel #5</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But there was another side, too.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were up at Bayview once
summer when Bon was little, and the Bayview School was having a “Dress Up Like Your
Mother Day”. She had these really cool plastic high heels, all glittery and
shiny. Right before she was to go, she broke the heel off one of them. She was
in tears. Aunt Jeanne came to the rescue by saying “That’s OK honey, your mom
always goes barefoot!”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She was a good – no a great –
mom.<span> </span>She sewed us matching dresses –
much to Bon’s embarrassment and Kare’s delight. She read us stories every
night. She helped us with endless crafts and in the care of a parade of
animals. She packed picnics to the Lake and Townsend Park.
When we skinned our knees, she would draw flowers on them in Mercuricome. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But was she a perfect mom? No. I
can recall two times she made a mistake, and my sister, being older, can recall
three. It would be impolite to name them here. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our mother was a perfectionist.
She set extremely high standards for herself, and met most of them. But one
thing we loved about her is that those standards were for herself, and she did
not impose them on us or anyone else.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She did not raise her daughters
to be perfect – and she succeeded in that, since we fall far short of
perfection.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So today we celebrate the life
of our mother, the most perfect imperfect mom we could ever imagine." </span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-77342257799218806232012-05-26T09:33:00.001-04:002012-05-26T09:33:37.357-04:00Hard Decisions<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">My show is starting...and I'm not there. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The expected weather did me in. It's only May and the forecast has been an unchanging mid-90's with high dew points. In May. On downtown streets without shade. My body physically can't handle that safely anymore. Is it worth the toll on my health for a one day art fair which I really love? The decision this time was no, it's not worth endangering my health. But it was an unbelievably hard decision which I'll probably spend the day second guessing. But it's done and now today is just another studio day...</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-43834083675820997802012-02-10T14:24:00.004-05:002012-02-10T14:28:39.556-05:00Want change? 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</style> <![endif]--> <p style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">Last night I was a juror for the East Lansing Art Festival. Many of you may be surprised to hear that based on how vocal I was about their $40 jury fee. As I said, I would not apply myself with that high of a jury fee. So what’s the best way to effect change? Get involved. Don’t just complain about something when it’s within your power to try to do something. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"> After we finished jurying, I talked to both the Director and a Board member about the high jury fee. The Board member was surprised to hear that it was considered high. I think they were both surprised to hear that people might not apply due to what I was calling the unreasonable cost of the jury fee.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"> The result? They talked about lowering it to $25 next year! How artist friendly is that! As they said last night, they have two purposes as a non-profit organization. To bring a great event to the community and to serve their artists. That was GREAT to hear. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"> One of the other things they had to do this year due to money issues was to raise the booth fee $50 to $300. It was a hard decision and something they didn’t want to do (but I asked and the booth fee hadn’t changed for 4 years). One thing that money gets them is the ability to offer all day Friday set-up for their artists. Yes, another artist friendly thing that they’re doing. And it was a really hard thing for them to do according to the Director but they had to. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"> If they lower their jury fee next year, I’ll be the first one out there pointing out that they listen to the artists. I can’t wait!</span></p>Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7236799005333729793.post-35565094491436338442011-11-28T21:48:00.004-05:002011-11-28T21:53:37.500-05:00LagniappeWhen we checked into our hotel in Slidell Louisana, we were given a small bag that contained a bottle of water and some snacks. It had this card attached.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCHBO_OTsuA-Wi4sL_6Z2jHceKIuTOe1gqLWFKhRlTwK7gltkBi9EuFWHU_CvnMVgYARq78nWIx_H7c6fmAjsnLpe2H1UhzisabWkKNgXfVvrardGnsgmihjGdFcPBMFBNX_xd7itvCE/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCHBO_OTsuA-Wi4sL_6Z2jHceKIuTOe1gqLWFKhRlTwK7gltkBi9EuFWHU_CvnMVgYARq78nWIx_H7c6fmAjsnLpe2H1UhzisabWkKNgXfVvrardGnsgmihjGdFcPBMFBNX_xd7itvCE/s400/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680245126403601154" border="0" /></a>I was so tickled with the whole idea that it's something I'd like to incorporate into my own business. Not sure how yet...Bonnie Blandfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028105604093471643noreply@blogger.com0