Keeping It Real

      To say that we are living in troubled times is an understatement. The country is in the midst of a state of turmoil that we have never experienced before. The core of the issue is that truth has become subjective and most of us are in a constant state of discerning the truth from a lie. I don't like this new national order. I don't like waking up every morning anxious to know what craziness has happened now. I don't like have absolutely no confidence in the current administration and feeling like we are the world's joke because a highly unqualified person has been elected to our highest office.                  This country is being revealed to be a very, very ugly place. People have become more inclined to show their hateful side because they think that their political choice has given them license to do so. Why in 2017, are people still discriminating against other people? Why is there still hatred based on skin color, race, gender, religion or sexual orientation instead of ignorance, intolerance and indifference? How is it that one group of people can believe that they know what's best for another group of people? I am 59 years old and I have seen and done a few things and one thing that I have learned is that this thing called life includes all of us. We all have skills, talents, experience and gifts to contribute. This country was built on the backs of all of us, so for one group to think that they don't need the rest of us is ignorance in it's highest form as well as a recipe for extinction. This is what I find so baffling, that in spite of the fact that amazing accomplishments have been made by people of all races and nationalities, one group continues to advocate segregation even at the expense of their own demise. This, in my opinion, is the root of what we are experiencing in this country now. People hell bent on advancing their own selfish agenda have brought us to this place. Under the guise of wanting what is best for this country, they voted for a person totally unqualified and inexperienced, why? They ignorantly believed that putting a businessman into the nations highest office would somehow make 'America Great Again'. Newsflash!! Businessmen are in business to make money by making the smallest investment to get the biggest gains. It's no surprise to me that severe budget cuts are being proposed that will decrease or even eliminate programs that benefit the country in order to reappropriate the funds to keep the wealthy wealthy and the poor poor.  I'm not knocking businessmen, I know there are some very successful one's, most who know that the true secret of success is being willing to reinvest back into their business and their people who help make them successful, they offer higher than average wages, benefits and a good work environment and they just care about their workers, they create loyalty instead of demand it.                                                          I chose to be a democrat because history has proven that this party invests in the country and it's people. The most stupidest thing I have heard lately is that defunding social and national federal  programs will in so many words create jobs because people will go back to work. I say let's see how many government officials that support this can live on the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour without food and housing assistance. How many of their children will be able to afford to attend school and or college. They should be the example and show us how to afford astronomical medical costs with their 'unaffordable' healthcare plan. You see it's very easy for those who haven't lived the struggle to think they can control the lives of the people that do. In the beginning and still sometimes even now, I feel so discouraged about the state of our nation, but I have hope, that when it is all said and done for the current administration, we the people will recognize the necessity of and elect an experienced. well qualified, knowledgeable and articulate person to represent all skin colors, races, cultures, religions and sexual orientations, as this current administration does not represent me in any way shape or form.

Newest Finds

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, been getting back into the swing of cab driving, but I have been able to get a few nice thrift store finds. I've been determined to radically downsize my travel bead stash which is always a work in progress but I found a nice case to hold my books and magazines. It was a cassette case but I took the plastic holder out and presto, a nice book case. Being an avid bag buyer, I look for several features now. First of all it must have 2 working zippers to close, a nice sized outside pocket, multiple outside pockets is also a plus as long as they are functional,  I prefer a spacious interior with or without inner compartments and preferably a shoulder strap. My bookbag is perfect, it holds several books as well as my netbook and laptray. I also found some jewelry I took photos of as well as 5 very nice bead bargain bags. I'm really trying to limit my thrift store shopping but its so hard. Today I found a bead and wire book for .99. Sometimes the finds are just too good to pass up.

These are the bead bags. 

This is after I sorted them.

 These are round and rondelle shaped glass beads. They were the most in all the bags

This is a bead watch, awesome components, even has crystals. 

This is a necklace, the bead looks like a dark blue catseye .

This is the book I got, paid .98 and it retails for $21.95. It's got a lot of really good instructions and tips. It's written by Mark Lareau. 

I have been working on my chain maille a little. I realized a few things that are a little hindering. I like making my own rings but saw cutting them is very time consuming and its really difficult to cut my colored wire without scratching off the finish in the process. I've been researching the Koil Kutter which seems like it would make things a little easier but I'm not able to afford it just yet. There aren't any ring suppliers here in Newport News, the bead store that does have them sells them for 10 cents per ring which is way too expensive. My only alternative is to order them online which I may do in the future. For now I'm just trying to learn and understand Aspect Ratio and some new chain patterns. Hopefully I'll have a photo of something I've made for my next post.

Well it's dreary and raining and I'm home doing nothing right now. I really want to get my beads and supplies organized but the more I try, the more stuff I find and I just don't have the space. I really need a whole beading room with entire areas entirely for beads and a large bookshelf for my library of books and magazines. I did begin sorting through my collection of bags and totes, I have packed up 2 large boxes up so far and I still have more bags in the closet to sort through. I also found more beads inside of some of the bags so I still have a lot to do. I think I'll post a few pictures and show you what I have. I am truly amazed at how much I have accumulated. It's really a daunting task but I believe that it will all come together for a good purpose in the long run. Here are just a few photos of my bead stash.

 This is a roll up make up bag that I thought made an excellent bead case. It has 4 zippered compartments and worked great. I actually found 3 of them at the thrift store and they all are full.

                                                    This is a view of how it looks closed

                                   Most of these beads are bracelets and necklaces from the thrift store

 Here are more of my cases and bins, also full of beads.These were my first buys, when all of my beads were able to fit in the boxes.

                                                               More beads in a container

A few of my magazines. I really like using crates because I can just keep adding on, and they were free. There are also beads in the containers op top, including the 2 aluminum tins.

These boxes  are actually 4 separate cases that connect with 12 bead boxex in each. There's a total of 24 boxes each holding 24 sepatate bead containers, all full of course, you do the math! Unbelievable!

These are just a few of my books and magazines, I have more inside of bins and boxes

Is There Such A Thing As A Bead Thrift Store?

One unfortunate side effect of being a thrift store junkie is the mass accumulation of stuff. Since I have more real time at home now, I have been trying to make some sense of all the things I have amassed, and it's not an easy task. For one thing I live in a 1 bedroom apartment with my 26 year old daughter and her 2 year old son. Fortunately she doesn't stay home much but the space I need to move things around is occupied by her bins and my grandson's toys, so needless to say, it is a bit crowded. The bulk of my stuff is beads and bead related items, like bead boxes and cases, books and magazines, bags and totes that seemed to be ideal at the time but are no longer practical for one reason or another. While browsing through my things, and since it seemed like I was in my own personal thrift store, I started thinking, eventually, I would like to own my own business, and since I had thought of opening either a bead store or thrift store, the thought occurred to me, why not open a beaders thrift store? If most beaders and crafters are anything like I am, they probably have scores of supplies and tools that are still good but just not used. When it comes to beads, a serious beader can never have enough and we always want the next newest and greatest thing, I know I have plenty of beads and supplies that I could donate. I really like the idea and I'm going to do some research on it. My idea would be to offer donated beads and supplies as well as new items. I would like to have to have a classroom area and even have a display where jewelry makers can sell their work on consignment. I think it might also be a good idea to have a trade table where beads can be brought in and traded for other beads, the same can go for books and magazines. Has anybody ever heard of a bead thrift store? Well, I want to do a little more organizing before it gets to late, and I think I'm gonna do some googleing.

My how the time does fly. I haven't posted a blog since July of 2009. I didn't run out of thoughts, just the desire to take the time to post them, but be that as it may, I have decided to revive my blog and focus my "penny thoughts" on one of my passions, beading and bead finds. During my hiatus, lol, I have developed an interest in beaded jewelry and I have created a few pieces, I wear peyote beaded ring bands that I made thanks to Leslie Rogalski, and I have even sold a few. I've made a beaded bracelets and I am learning to make chain maille to include in my bead work. Jewelry making is most certainly a skill and an art that requires dedication, patience, perseverance, imagination and above all time. I haven't had a lot of time to devote to beading due to working as a cab driver, but something interesting developed as a result of my need to be able to bead in a small space, and having the ability to shop at will, I managed to amass an extraordinary amount of beads and supplies as well as numerous bags, cases, boxes, tins, and any other thing that I thought could help me transport my most precious finds in the limited confines of my cab. Ironically, some of the containers I found that I just thought were cute or suitable, were actually made for beads! I found numerous beautiful beads in thrift stores, yard sales and estate sales. Although I was not always able to bead as much as I wanted to, I could always stop in a thrift store and look for something unique. I also acquired many of my beads from stores like Michael's, JoAnne Fabric and AC Moore, taking advantage of sales and coupons, but I always find it most rewarding to acquire really nice beads in a piece of jewelry that I can take apart and remake, usually for under $5. I began photographing them which I will post. Most still have the price tags on them so you will be able to see how inexpensive they were. I also discovered that certain types of makeup bags are perfect for traveling and using as a make shift beading kit. I'm hoping that as I continue to post, I will also start making jewelry from my multitude of beads to post as well. Enjoy.

The Perfect Cell Phone

I am in search of the perfect cell phone. I like new tech and gadgets, but why can't someone just make a decent everything included cell phone? I have 3 cell working cellphones. One is a basic flip with minimal features, I bought it before all of the touch technology exploded. It has unlimited minutes but the contract is coming up for renewal and I'm going to let it go to save money. My second phone is a Blackberry, bought on a whim because I qualified for it and I wanted one because at the time President-elect Obama had the issue of whether or not he could keep his at the White House and since he didn't want to do without it, I wanted one. I like my Blackberry, it's a decent phone with lots of great features but I really wanted a touch screen so I researched and although the iphone is cool, it lacks some of the features I'm looking for. The Blackberry Touch was also lacking. I really wanted a the HTC Diamond, but it doesn't have expandable memory so that was a deal killer for me, I eventually decided on the HTC Touch which is a cute little phone with nice features but I would like a physical keyboard which I know comes on the Touch Pro, but I can't afford to buy an unlocked version or pay retail for it, so I'm waiting. In the meantime, I'm picturing in my mind what the ideal perfect cell phone would be. So this is what I want, I like the rubberized body of the touch because it helps to keep the phone from slipping out of your hand. I want the body of the phone to be small enough to fit in my small hand, not too weighty, with a physical keyboard that isn't too small and doesn't add bulk to the phone when closed. Of course it has to be touch screen, at least 4x3 inches, with the ability to scroll by touch, with a stylus included. I'd like at least a 3mp camera with a flash and video with extended memory capability. WiFi and Bluetooth with a jack input for headphones. Long battery life. I'd like to be able to choose my own mobile browser and be able to upgrade as necessary. Access to plenty of apps that can be easily downloaded and used. A universal mini USB port, and activation with or without a sim card. I'd also want it capable to download music, videos, you tube, live tv, gps,etc. As for the carrier service, I'd like to bundle the unlimited minutes, data and text plan for one price. I'm probably forgetting something, but this is as close to perfect as I can get. Hey, I know it may never happen since the object of the game is to keep the consumer investing in a new cell phone every couple of years, but who knows?

Religious or Spiritual?

I often hear these terms tossed around interchangably as if they are one in the same, but the truth is they are as different as night and day, depending on the context. Surely one can be both spiritual and religious, or just spiritual or just religious, but there is a difference. While watching Anderson Cooper yesterday, he made a reference to it which caught my attention and caused me to ponder. I consider myself to be spiritual and not religious because I believe that there is a spiritual creator and that because I consider myself to be a spiritual being, meaning I have a spirit within me, I choose to believe that my (spirit) or life force was created by a like-same (spirit) or life force, just as my physical being was created by like physical beings. I choose to believe this for one simple reason, it is a proven fact that the physical body can live without the soul or mind and even without other physical functions, such as a severely brain damaged individual on life support. The body is kept alive even though it cannot function on its own, however death is the separation of the spirit from the body, and the body cannot live apart from its spirit. So I think it must be true. Religion on the other hand, in my opinion is any doctine that one chooses to follow, such as Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc. Each of these 'religions' observes and performs specific actions that pertain to their beliefs as part of their worship. I believe in God and that Jesus Christ is His son through spiritual and physical connection to one another for the purpose of allowing those that choose to believe to have a more meaningful and closer relationship with them, but I don't embrace following doctine and rituals in order to achieve my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I'm not knocking religion, in some ways I find it admirable that some people are that seriously committed to their religion that they kiss beads or kneel to pray in a certain direction among other demonstrations of religion. I just like keeping it simple, I'm thankful for my life, I do my best to look out for others and help whenever I can, I hope for the best for myself and others, and I believe that all things are possible and that faith changes things.