September Updates

Well, I have been a bad blogger with no updates for the month of September. Considering there were many blog-worthy posts that could've been written and many camera phone pix that could have been uploaded...well, better late than never :-)

1. Train NYC - I am a budding metalsmith/jewelry designer and decided to venture out into a major market - New York City! A shot of my booth is below.

This exclusive show has an international flavor and was set up in such a way that each designer had a chance to get face-time with buyers. For example, other shows have 100+ jewelry designers, which makes it hard to stand out in a sea of an already oversaturated segment. If I hear one more person tell me that their cousin Barbara Beader 'makes' (translates to assembles) jewelry...or their dog makes jewelry...really...

This show had just the right mix of designers in hats, shoes, clothing, etc...The Train section featured International Desginers and had a more high-fashion / couture flavor. The show was held in Terminal Stores located in Chelsea.

The 1891 warehouse space was, in its day, one of the only spaces with road, rail, and river access to accomodate freight from incoming cargo ships and rail cars. In the 90's it was turned into a club called The Tunnel and today it is a mixed use property used for a myriad of commercial endeavors.

Today, the ancient brick walls, heavy beams, and giant windows facing the Hudson River offer a unique atmosphere complete with rich history.

The show ran from 9/13-9/15. As I sat in the airport on 9/11 waiting for my flight I could not believe that the months of preparation and planning were about to come to fruition. My friend and fellow jewelry designer Anna Balkan were on the same flight and we departed from her parent's Brooklyn apartment (thanks Irina and Roman!) early in the morning on 9/12 to head to the show and begin setting up. On our way we stopped at the famous Gray's Papaya for a dog and some famous Papaya juice.

Show day arrived and the excitement was intense! Looking back the three days, and the whole trip, flew by! Some good business was written and I am happy. Ten fabulous boutiques across the country will now be carrying Dana Ruth hand-crafted jewelry - hooray!

We reserved 9/16 to make sales calls in the city. Anna and I walked all over the place and made contact with Barney's NY, Henri Bendel, museum stores, and a few more exclusive boutiques of notable mention. YAY!

2. Norcross Art Fest - I am getting ready for a great show being held 10/4-10/5 in historic, Norcross, GA. This show features work from the best and the brightest in the contemporary craft movement. Check out this small piece of press about some of the artists being showcased in an article written in Inside Gwinnett - http://tinyurl.com/3fcxkn

3. I had a nail in my tire so I brought it into my local NTB. After leaving I noticed that the technician who had worked on my wheel neglected to place it properly on the machinery, resulting in deep, horrible scratches on my rim :-(

A quick visit and chat with the manager yesterday and VOILA! A mobile rim refinishing/repair dude arrived at my studio today and re-finished my rim - YAY! I wish it wold not have happened in the first place, but it was handled to my satisfaction and in a timely manner without any hassle. Thanks Mike @ NTB - you rock!

4. My parental units arrived last week and we had a lovely visit! I always get a lot of stuff done while they visit and this time was no exception! My dad installed a security camera at my studio and hung up a great sign in the front of the building where I have space. My folks also sat and worked on some jewelry itmes for me and my mom helped me straighten up the mountain of papers and crap that accumulates on my desk and tables in the studio. I threw out 4 bags of old papers and garbage in the office loft and visually/mentally I am ready to tackle my 4th quarter and knock it on its ass. I am fighting tool and nail to not have to seek another cubicle job and this last quarter is pretty much all I have left.

Gustav From Space

Currently, Hurricane Gustav is churning in the Gulf of Mexico barreling towards the coast of Louisiana. Residents of New Orleans were ordered to evacuate since the city would be on lock-down once the storm hits in order to prevent the same disorder that followed Hurricane Katrina, just 3 years ago.

Conditions are continuing to deteriorate with winds and rains steadily increasing. As the storm moves onshore each rain band will produce stronger winds and heavier rains. I hope that all fair well through the storm.

Here is an image of Gustav from space.

A "PEACE" of History turns 50

Did you know that the peace sign turns 50 this year? Created Feb 21, 1958, the symbol was originally used by the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (DAC). Shortly after, it was adopted as the international symbol of the 1960's anti-war movement.

The symbol itself is a combination of the semaphoric symbols for "N" and "D" standing for Nuclear Disarmament. The semaphore system is used for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands.

This timeless symbol is one of most widely known in the world. This groovy, hand-crafted necklace is available at Dana Ruth. Ring is available at Dana Ruth - Rings.

Bigfoot In Georgia

This just in...Bigfoot has been found. Two men claim to have the corpse of the beast in a Georgia freezer. Most sitings have been reported in the remote NW so it is a mystery of how the creature ended up in the Peach State. During today's noon press conference both Matt Whitton and Matt Dyer will prove, through DNA results and photographs, that the corpse in their freezer belongs to Bigfoot. True or hoax? Stay tuned to find out more on this gripping story!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sydney!

Today is my dog's birthday. Today she turns 11 years old. She looks good...not a day over 6...She will get a special egg breakfast, an extra long walk, bark park visit, and a belly rub. Happy Birthday Syd. You rock.

It is a lovely day here in Atlanta. We have had 3 days of temperatures in the high 70's. No complaints out of me...especially in the middle of August :-)

The August Apparel Market is this weekend at the Americas MART so I will be working the show hoping for a few orders.

I also get to deliver custom bracelets that I worked on for a client. She had a bracelet that she wanted to modernize so we unset the stones, turned the gold into bezels, reset the stones, and hand-forged the bangle bracelet. I had met her daughter after the commission was underway and decided to turn the design into two bracelets - one for her and one for her daughter.


Off to the Bark Park for a birthday romp and also some photography of new pieces which will be added to this post. This evening I will be attending the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert with NG and BV :-)

Tweeple - People Who Tweet or Twitter

Twitter is a social networking / micro-blogging tool where users answer the question: What are you doing? I try to post a few times a day. I think the more you Twitter...the more you Twitter. I am such a Twit that I have hooked up my Twitter account to update on my blog.

I first heard about Twitter in a news story where an American photographer was freed after being jailed during an anti-government protest. His status update, or "tweet," was simply "Arrested." From then on word spread through his network and the wheels were put in motion to grant his release. Here is the link to the CNN Article.

With that said Twitter has become one of the latest digital phenomena. A rather funny parody has been floating around and I thought I'd post it. The scenes are from a German war movie and the subtitles match up well in a Mystery Science 3000 way. Apparently, even Hitler gets his Twitter on and becomes upset that the service is down. Move along through the slow parts - there are really funny bits in there. Enjoy!

Houston...We Have Alignment

Hallelujah! The Celestron 9000 is one step closer to stargazing! The finder scope is finally aligned with the main scope! Hoping for clear skies tonight!

Backstory on the scope is this: BV has a pretty swanky Celestron GT telescope, affectionately nick-named - The Celestron 9000. It has been residing in storage and I thought that with some effort and work it could be properly calibrated and aligned, affording me the opportunity to see some pretty spectacular things in the sky.

Later that evening our hard work and persistence paid off! Jupiter has shone extremely bright in the night sky for a few months now. BV used the finder scope to find Jupiter and we held our breath while we looked through the main scope...

WOW! There it was...the giant planet, Jupiter. It appeared a bit bigger than a pencil eraser and its atmospheric rings were clearly visible. We will be exploring getting another hand control for the telescope so that we can utilize its 'tour of the skies' feature. Apparently, the hand control that came with this unit had been mistakenly discarded. A new one costs $150. Hopefully, Celestron will respond to the question of whether or not the hand control is necessary to control telescope or can we load and use the available laptop software.