Private School -- The Story Continues

First, I want to thank all of you SO. VERY. MUCH. for all your stories and suggestions and advice.  I've taken them all to heart and have talked to my husband about them and thought long and hard about things.


Earlier in the week, Rick and I had our school visit and interview, and we were enchanted by the school.  We got to see the classroom Zack would be in, and a girl that Zack went to preschool with would be in the same class.  They were good friends so that's such a great bonus.  We also got his class schedule, and it's got so much more emphasis on art and music and computer skills than he's getting now, plus ample time for recess to blow the cobwebs out.

Yesterday was Zack's assessment tests and tour, and when I picked him up, I asked him what HIS thoughts were.  He loved it and was ready to go.


Today we got the call -- he's in.


So, Tuesday he starts.  I feel like I'm in a whirlwind!


Time will tell if this is truly the right decision, but my gut tells me it is. The class size is small, the headmaster is visible and hands-on, and the opportunities and teaching methods are up Zack's alley. 

All anyone wants for the children is the best they can give them -- of themselves, and of the world.  I know I'm already giving Zack the best of me.  Now I hope I'm giving him the best schooling opportunity.  Who knows where this will take him?




Lori Anderson creates jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things.  She's also a contributor to Art Bead Scene.

A Clarification

I wanted to make a clarification to this post.


When I said my time would be crunched -- I didn't mean my time with Zack.  Right now, I don't make any jewelry when he's home, unless it's jewelry we make together (and he does have an eye for color!).  My first job is being a mom.


What I meant was my time to make jewelry while my son was at school would be crunched.  And my point to that was making jewelry was what would make the money to pay for his schooling, and it was a Catch-22.  I didn't mean I was upset that MY time alone or my time for working was shortened.  Not at all.


I mean, look at this face.  Who wouldn't want to play endless games of UNO with him instead of making jewelry?

A New Focus -- Jewelry, Education, and Finding a Balance

(This is long, so grab a coffee -- I'd love and appreciate your feedback at the end.)


Recent events in our lives here at home have made me take a good long look at my job as a jewelry designer.  How I operate my business, what hours I keep, even how I market my jewelry has all now come under scrutiny.


Being a jewelry designer is my full-time job.  Until now, though, the money that I've made has either been put back into the business or used to finance the extras in our household, like remodeling jobs and new appliances.  It's paid for my lampwork studio, workshops, and bead buying trips.  In other words, I haven't had too much stress over my bottom line.

my booth at an outdoor show

Now, however, things have changed.

My son, Zachary, is seven and just entered 2nd grade at our public school.  He's so smart -- and that's not just a proud mama talking.  Last year he was blessed with an amazing teacher who had a wonderful way of teaching, and the children learned about science and math using hands-on methods, and their reading levels were pushed to where Zack left 1st grade reading at an end-of-2nd-grade/beginning-of-3rd-grade level. 

Over the summer, his reading really sky-rocketed and we kept a summer reading list.  The kidlet read 21 chapter books (some were pretty big hardbacks, and many he read twice so he actually read more) and we worked on worksheets from a Summer Bridge Program I bought.  We've had him in museums since he was two, so he's naturally curious (his own word to describe himself) and he's just a sponge, ready to learn.

Zack, on the left, at Eco Camp

Now that he's entered 2nd grade, though, I've realized that what I saw in 1st grade was the drastic jump from the fun-and-play days of Kindergarten to the settle-down-to-business of 1st grade.  I also realized that teachers are only allowed to do what they're allowed to do.

Zack's 2nd grade teacher is a sweet, caring woman who has been nothing but kind.  Her communication with me has been exemplary.  I have no problems there whatsoever.  My problem is with the public school's education. 

To say that Zack is bored would be an understatement.  Part of Zack's "homework" (I put that in quotes because, well, if you saw the homework.....) is to read a book of his choice for 15 minutes each day.  I have to MAKE Zack turn out his bedroom light after he's been reading for two hours.

Zack at two and a half

Since Zack was in preschool, Rick and I have tossed around the idea of putting Zack in private school.  We were really, really torn.  We didn't have the first clue what to do.  We had friends who had children in all three schools -- the public school, the private but affordable Catholic school, and the expensive private school.  We finally decided to put him in public school because we figured Kindergarten was Kindergarten pretty much wherever you went.

But now, after loooong conversations and agonies between the choices (I even considered home schooling, something I *never* thought I'd be able to do), I made a phone call to the expensive private school.  My thought was to apply for 3rd grade.

Oh wait, the admissions office said.  We have one slot left for this year's 2nd grade.

And I took that as a sign.

So here we are, waiting for our first interview on Tuesday, with a child who is over the moon about the prospect of changing schools.  And herein lies the reason for the title, "A New Focus".

I will be the one paying the tuition.

At first blush, this is totally doable.  The timing is great, because I have four large craft shows coming up, and along with holiday web site sales, they will more than cover the cost.  But then the tuition bill comes around again in the spring, and there is only one show on the books for the spring, and that will in NO way cover the cost.

So for the past few nights, I've lain in bed rethinking how to run my business.  How to manage cash flow.  Where my customers are currently coming from, and where to gain new customers.  How many classes I can afford to take.  How many beads I can afford to buy.

Fortunately, I contracted with a web development company to make me a new web site (which I'm told will launch next week after we test the credit card processing unit), and this includes a new logo, so I'm primed for rebranding.  Included in the package was a ton of different sized logos, letterhead, postcards, and internet ads, along with a healthy course on SEO.  

I've also been pushing myself creatively with my Cup of Bead Soup project, and I've decided that while I'm not ditching my tried-and-true style, slowly adding in my new style might garner new customers.  Actually, this is already happening, as six pieces have already sold when I've posted them on Pretty Things and on Facebook.  I don't think my new designs are that off-base from what I normally make, so I'm hoping they'll blend nicely.

necklace I made with ceramic by Spirited Earth

I may also have to apply to more craft shows.  This year was my "Artist's Year Off" because I drastically reduced the number of shows I participated in.  I don't know if I have that luxury anymore.  On the other hand, I don't know if my health issues will allow me to take on more shows, particularly if they're outdoors.  So I'm researching galleries, online venues, and wholesale opportunities.

The other thing that will change will be the crunch on my time.  The new school expects a certain amount of volunteer time, attendance of functions, serving on committees -- much more than what I'm used to.  I volunteered at the public school and I also volunteer at the humane society, but this is an entirely new level and type of volunteering.

This means I'll have less time at the torch, less time to make jewelry, less time to upload jewelry to my web site, and less time to do paperwork.  It's a Catch-22 -- a vicious circle because in order to pay for the school, I have to make the jewelry.

bracelet in my normal style made with my own lampwork beads

Ultimately, though, it's about my son.  I entered this business when my son was nearly a year old, getting hooked on beading when I was still pregnant with him.  I knew that this business would be what would eventually pay for his college, so I guess I'm just starting early.

I have a business plan, but it's going to have to change.  My advertising plan, for instance, will TOTALLY change.  My budget will also change.  But my main goals will stay the same -- make pretty things that last while being a hands on mom.

Zack at six months.  Photo by Jen Fariello

If you've lasted this long, I'd love to know if you've faced this sort of dilemma, and how you've made changes in your life to accommodate your craft.  How did you handle the added hours, or the change to your schedule?  Did it change how you looked at what you do?

Thanks, treasured readers, for listening.

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things.  She's also a contributor to Art Bead Scene.

I Spy With My Bead-y Eye

I have a new post up on Art Bead Scene about finding inspiration in patterns around us.


Click here to read it!

Wire Work is Hard Work

Something I've discovered about the wire work that I've admired -- man is it ever hard work.


Not only that, but it takes a ton of time. Which brings me to the question of how much do I pay myself and how much do I charge for my jewelry?

Wire work seems to look the best after it's been put in liver of sulfur to turn it black, then buffed so it shows depth.  I've discovered a sincere hatred for steel wool, as it shreds and sticks in the wire and makes a hella mess.  Thankfully, I've discovered a substitute.  When I took a class with Tracy Stanley at BeadFest, she introduced me to Pro Polishing Pads and I've never looked back.  That's saved me some time, but it still takes extra effort that my stringing doesn't require.

Over the summer I've been experimenting a little bit -- and I say a little bit because as I said, this stuff takes time and will end up costing more than my normal work.  The challenge for me will be educating my customers as to why.  Hopefully, they'll be able to just look at it and see -- hold the piece and fall in love.  I haven't strayed from my love of lampwork, so the jewelry isn't too far off track, and I think that's key to adding in new work.

I'm not sure why I'm worried, because I also make chain maille jewelry, and it's priced a bit more than my lampwork jewelry, and yet it sells.  I suppose I should remember that there is indeed a person out there for each piece of jewelry.

Will I keep making wire jewelry?  Yes.  But I'll pace myself.  I haven't had a show since March, and my new web site hasn't launched yet, so I don't know how these pieces will be received.  I know *I* like them -- but will they?  And if they like them, will they want to pay a little more for them?

Either way, I've tried something new, and that's all that matters in the grand scheme of things.

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things.  She's also a contributor to Art Bead Scene.

My New Torch!

Today I anxiously awaited the Man in Brown to roll up in his truck and deliver a most important thing:

Photo via GTT

My new Bobcat torch!

This was supposed to be my Christmas present, but I've been having the devil of a time lately with my current lampwork torch.  Or the propane.  Or the oxygen concentrator.  No one seems to know for sure.  

I'll be going along fine for about an hour, making beads, humming along, when all of a sudden, pressure drops in everything and my flame dwindles.  I've posted this dilemma on Lampwork Etc and had several people give suggestions, and then a local lampworking friend came over to test things out -- and we're all still stumped.

photo by Cindy Wimmer

Soooooo.  The plan right now -- get my Christmas present early.  Next -- replace the propane tank, even though it's not empty.  My friend will come over then and run another test.  Heaven forbid the problem is with the oxygen concentrator, because that's my most expensive piece of equipment, and it weighs a ton so who knows what shipping it off for repair would cost.

photo via ?

Keep your fingers crossed for me.  I was having so much fun melting glass before this flame poofing out on me thing started and it's now just frustrating me to no end.  Of course, it's also been hot as Hades and probably not a good time to even THINK about using a flame, but still.  

(And isn't it cool that my torch is purple????)

Color Inspiration

Art Bead Scene included me in their Fall Color Inspiration post -- this was one of those times when I accidentally fell on my face right into the "in vogue" color palette of the season!  Usually I just make what I like (and believe me, I like this bracelet and hope a customer does, too!) but I wasn't intentional trying to follow a trend.


In case you're interested, here's the fall color palette for the year:

And here was my accidental contribution, using beads I made myself and polymer clay by Floridity:

So maybe I should be paying more attention to trends.  I think I'll clip the color palette and keep it by my design desk.  I must admit, I keep gravitating to bright colors -- in fact everything I made this morning was colorful and fun.  But trying a few more "trend" pieces and seeing how they're received by my customer base might be an interesting experiment!

I learn something new every day.

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs.  She write the blog Pretty Things and An Artists Year Off. 

Book Review -- Blogging for Bliss

I love to write.  I learned to read when I was three years old and when I started to write, I quickly filled notebooks with my little made-up stories.  I remember one in particular.  After consuming way too many Nancy Drew mysteries, I wrote my very own -- "The Mystery of the Missing Mummy".  The only thing it had going for it was the alliteration, but I was so proud of it, especially the crayoned pictures.


All that to say, when blogging came about, I was in heaven.

(photo via imagechef.com)

So when I ran across Tara Frey's book "Blogging For Bliss", I was intrigued.  Why do other people write?  What motivates them?  What is their purpose?


This beautifully written book is also beautiful to look out -- throughout it shows various blogs that inspire by the sheer beauty of its pages.  "Blogging For Bliss" also covers what Frey calls "the tools of the trade" -- how to even start a blog and how to begin learning the ropes.  Will your blog be personal or strictly business? Just what the heck do all those online acronyms mean, anyway?

My favorite sections were about beautifying you blog and finding business via the blog.  I know that I regularly sell pieces of my jewelry off my blog, and I'm constantly working on photos and other "beauty marks".


The last section is so very important.  It covers the courtesy and manners for a good blogger and how to promote a wonderful atmosphere to your readers.  You can still show who you are and ask thought-provoking questions without causing a stampede of unsubscribing readers.

(art by StellaLola on Etsy)

I highly recommend this book to all bloggers, both new and seasoned bloggers alike.  It's an invaluable business tool as well as a source for inspiration.  Check it out today at Amazon.com, and visit Tara Frey's blog at http://www.tarafrey.com/






Lori Anderson creates jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs.  She write the blog Pretty Things and An Artists Year Off. 

New Technique and New Media -- Turquoise and Shells

I normally use bright, colorful lampwork in my work, creating things like these:

But I've been trying to stretch my repertoire and use the extensive drawers of gemstones I've collected over the years.  I love them, I buy them show after show, but I don't use them that much.  I don't know if it's because they're in the bottom drawers, or if they don't lend themselves to whimsical things, but enough is enough.

Some time ago, a bead vendor was liquidating a ton of their ready-to-wear gemstone pendants for a ridiculously low price.  Things that were over $100 were now in the range where I could buy them and use them in my jewelry and still be able to charge my customers a rate they would be comfortable with.  Months ago, I made this necklace, but I just now got it photographed (and yes, that's how this summer has gone!).

click for a larger photo and more detail

The pendant is a large shell, genuine turquoise, a set pearl, and strangely, a set faceted aquamarine.  Color me puzzled on the aquamarine.  Anyway.  I've always admired asymmetrical designs but there's a trick to it -- keeping it balanced when worn, not using too many materials and turning it into a circus of color and texture -- so I'm not sure if I succeeded or not.  

I linked pearls to pick up the color of the shell and the set pearl.  I found some turquoise that was the same color as the pendant (that took forever).  I added one modern sterling silver bead that I picked up heaven-knows-where.  And I finished it out with fringy chain.  

I skipped adding aquamarine.  I just don't get that aquamarine.

I'm charging 158.00 for this, and I hope it goes to a happy home.  I'd be interested to know, before I post it on my web site, if you think I should change anything.  I have to admit, putting this together was a LOT harder than working in my usual color palette and preferred lampwork.  But I see more of this in my future.

Lori Anderson creates jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things.  Ironically, her birthstone is aquamarine.

Come see what I made!

Click here and come see what I made with beads by Barbara Bechtel of Floridity!  I tried some new techniques, including patinating copper, playing with asymmetry, and making my own toggle clasp.

Lori Anderson makes jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and writes the blog Pretty Things and contributes to Art Bead Scene.  She is so glad summer is almost over.

I'm Going to Art and Soul Hampton, 2011!

If you recall, I said that I was going to Art and Soul this year.  Unfortunately, I had to cancel because I was suffering from a week of migraines.  But my friend Cindy Wimmer of Sweet Bead Studio has convinced me to try it again.

(www.artandsoulretreat.com)

This time, instead of taking journaling classes as I'd planned this year, I chose to take an enameling class with Linda and Opie O'Brien.  I think this will help me stretch myself artistically, as will taking my second enameling class with Barbara Lewis this October.


Are any of you planning to go to the Hampton, VA event?  I know tons of people go to its flagship retreat in Portland, OR, but I hope some of you consider the east coast version.


I'm very excited to continue my journey into the next year!




Lori Anderson creates jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things.  She can't pass a bookstore without going inside.

For the love of shoes -- Sanita and Beads

Come on over to Pretty Things and see what shoes have to do with beads!

(photo via Sanitaclogs.com)

Lori Anderson makes jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things.  She loooooves her some shoes.

Update on BeadFest

Update -- I can't go.


I was so excited, but I got an email saying my instructor had taken a bad fall and was unable to teach.  At this late of a date, there wasn't a class left that I felt like taking, so after a long talk with my husband, I canceled my trip.


"But you could shop!" you say.


Yes, yes I could.


But I decided to save that money and now I'm going to go to Bead and Button next year!


So --- who is planning on going???  I'd still love to meet people there!

Are you going to BeadFest?????

Keeping up with my plan on taking classes, I'll be taking a beginning lampworking class at BeadFest in Philadelphia August 22nd.  I'm actually heading up the day before to go bead shopping and hope to see some of you bead artisans there -- and if any of you designers are going, give me a shout so I can read name tags and maybe find you!

Are you going?  If you are, are you going to take classes, or just shop?




Lori Anderson makes jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs, and also writes the blog Pretty Things, and occasionally for Art Bead Scene.  She loves funky, colorful beads.

Enameled Beads

I really should have posted this post here, but I goofed -- anyway!  If you're interested in seeing my tiny foray into enameling, click here!

Bead Soup For One -- Beading with Barbara Bechtel of Floridity

Please hop on over to Pretty Things and see what I made with Barbara Bechtel of Floridity's beads! I decided to challenge myself each month with my own personal Bead Soup Challenge (have you participated in one of my challenges?) and Floridity is the first Artisan of the Month.

Are you a bead maker -- ceramic, polymer clay, glass -- and would like to be a featured artisan? Email me and let's talk!


Lori Anderson designs jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things. She lives on the eastern shore of Maryland.

I'm Trying

I really am trying to make jewelry that's new and cool and different.


But it's hard to make jewelry when iCarly is on TV or MySims is on the Wii. Ah, life with a seven-year old. Love him dearly, but he rules the TV.


So this weekend Rick and Zack headed to the farm in PA so I could have a day and a half of quiet to bead. And of course, I had a headache, but I was bound and determined to make things.


I don't have photos yet, but I did manage to make some new things with Floridity's beads I bought for this month's Personal Bead Soup challenge I set for myself, and a couple of them were totally new designs to me.



But because of the headache, I found that I just had to make what I know -- the tried and true and (sigh) trite. OK, not trite. That's being to harsh on myself.


This morning, though, I looked through what I made and realized, someone's going to love those things. If I change my style too much, and have too many new designs, I'll lose my valuable customer base. The new designs will hopefully gain me new customers, but I can't forget the people who got me to where I am -- able to make this a full-time job.



The point of this post? I'm trying. And that's fine. I think I'll be "trying" all my life. I'll never be "there" because if I decide, "I'm done, there's nothing left to learn", I'm doing myself such a disservice.


So maybe this weekend was a pretty good weekend for beading after all.




Lori Anderson designs jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things. She lives in Maryland.

Jewelry Inspired by Nature and Life

When I was 11, my parents and I took a mission trip over the summer to Colombia, South America. We lived a good 100 miles from the civilization of Bogota, living in a house on a missionary compound called Lomalinda -- smack in the middle of the jungle.


There were two ways in or out. On our way in, we rode in a shoebox-looking double prop airplane that at times sported a wooden wheel, had no pressurization, and no seats. We sat on the floor, along with the cargo, strapped to the walls -- oh and don't forget the slide locks holding the door shut.)



To leave, we took a looooong taxi trip up and over the Andes mountains. We couldn't take the double-prop plane because it was missing a part, and the single prop plane couldn't physically make it over the Andes. That taxi ride was a trip I'll never forget -- four of us squashed in a cab with a very kindly gentleman who spoke only Spanish, and I was the only one in the car that knew even the remotest bit of the language.


Another interesting tidbit about this taxi trip -- there were guerilla check-points along the way, and they carefully examined all our luggage and Dad's rolls of film. I don't think they knew what to do with us other than to wave us on. But they did keep our cinnamon rolls that we were given by the missionaries before we left! Smart guerillas.


It was an inspiring trip for an impressionable 11-year old. My love of travel was spurred by this trip, and my willingness to learn about other cultures as well. Why visit a country if I didn't know at least something about its history?


All that to say, nature and life spawned this piece of jewelry.


The color is spot-on for the green of the jungle. We lived in Lomalinda during the wet season, so we got rains three times a day -- you could almost set your watch by them. The darker spots remind me of the walk to class in the mornings. We traveled through a denser part of the compound, overgrown with trees and vegetation (and ants -- lots of leaf cutter ants). Some trees were so tall all you could see was the bark unless you cocked your neck waaaaay back, and some trees were like Banyan trees, with their dark, hard roots high above the ground.



I added a leaf to commemorate the jungle -- it's not a banana leaf, but ah well -- I can pretend. And the one silver bead is for this single journey into a land so foreign and wild and dangerous that had we known then what we know now, we may never have gone.


But I'm glad we did.




Lori Anderson makes jewelry for Lori Anderson Designs and also writes the blog Pretty Things.

Win a Book!

Head over to Art Bead Scene and you might win this book!


Click here~!

Collaboration with Floridity

On my other blog, Pretty Things, I've run two Bead Soup Blog Parties, and they were really successful. They pushed other bead artists to design outside their box, really made them think in different ways.


To that end, I've decided to pay a bead artist once a month to send me, sight unseen, a set of beads so I could push myself again. Since the next Bead Soup party isn't until January, I felt the need to continually kick start my motor.


Please head over to this post at Pretty Things and take a look at what Barbara Bechtel of Floridity sent me!