Actually, I knew! What did I know you ask? I knew how long our road trip from Fredericksburg,Va to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois was going to be. A little over 13 hours with 2 cranky kids and a half asleep husband. Why did we go there you ask? We'll be moving out that way in July. We went during my son's spring break to look for housing and see what the area was like. I have to say that most everything is in close proximity to the base and that there are a few favorite stores of mine that I have missed from previous moves and can't wait to visit again. We also looked for TaeKwonDo studios in the area for my son. He's so close to earning his black belt that we felt it would be a waste if he didn't finish it when we got there. We also looked at schools, but since our new abode will be on base, that was a moot point and all it served was to confuse my already confused 6 year old. Other than that, the area was nice, cold and rainy. I did scope out Archivers' the scrapbooking store and am anxious to see what new goodies they have in stock since my last visit in 06. We just got back last Friday and on Saturday I had a proof session with a teacher from my son's school for a tea party honoring her roommate who will be getting married this summer. That was a blast and we came up with some good ideas. Once she picks from the proofs, I'll post it here. It is a print job, not a letterpress job, but hey, sometimes a job is a job as long as you don't undercut yourself when you quote a price. Which leads me to this great post by Erin Mcall of Sunlit Letterpress titled "Sorry Anonymous":
http://http://adventuresinletterpress.blogspot.com/ If you read her previous post you'll get the point of that post. Unfortunately though, her words may fall on some deaf ears. I used to make jewelry a while ago. I loved all the materials out there, but I have to say that I was a snob when it came to buying materials for the pieces that I made. It all had to be sterling silver, 14k, or gold filled. Also the crystals had to be swarovski. I know they cost more, but each item was a quality item, not a cheap knockoff that broke after wearing it twice. This spills on to lampwork beads which I also made. These beads take a heck of a long time to make and not just that, but to assure a quality bead, they should be annealed in an annealing kiln. When you go to Michael's or AC Moore or Hobby Lobby you will find nice lampwork beads. But Look carefully. You will also find lots of glass pieces from the beads that were in the package because they broke. Not because they were packaged improperly but because they were not annealed correctly or at all. By the way, here's a link to wikipedia's version of annealing: http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_(glass) And the cracking of the glass, trust me, it has happened and not to the people who made the beads but to the ones who bought the beads and made jewelry from it. Look, I'm not here to preach, especially in these uncertain economic times. But if you want something that is truly a quality piece, whether jewelry, beads or art, I suggest in taking the time to find out what all goes into creating said piece and then paying accordingly for it. We all make our living somehow and I try to by providing a quality item at a price that does not undermine the time and hard work it took to produce and works for you. So kudos to Erin from Sunlit and as a stated in my earlier post, she's the first in my blog "Shout Outs" for blogging some good stuff and having great eye candy on her Etsy store! Ok, folks, off my soapbox now and off to print! Don't forget, come back often and when you can't just PRESS ON!
Take Care!
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