Personal Quotes
from Vincent D'Onofrio.

[on acting] "Some scenes you juggle two balls, some scenes you juggle three balls, some scenes you can juggle five balls. The key is always to speak in your own voice. Speak the truth. That's Acting 101. Then you start putting layers on top of that."

"I took a route of acting, rather than starmaking, so it cost me a lot financially."

I looked through youtube for an example of something I could put on here for you all so you could watch him in action, but he is SO INTENSE that I remembered even little clips, and was quite disturbed by that at times. So if you want to see him, go on and check him out over there for yourself! Until then, see you later!

jean!

Artbeads.com has a massive collection of romantic Swarovskis, which I love to combine with other items (or use just by themselves--they are that great!) The color selection is lovely and the cuts are very up to date. Note the new Xillion cuts. I added a funny little story to my design here, because, as I began working on it,
it seemed more and more historical looking
as I worked away. The Cuplink chain looked so sweet, dangling around the pretty heart Pendants,
and as an added
tiny surprise the little dangles on the bottom look like flowers! Marie Antoinette loved flowers, perhaps she would have liked these!

Check out these and many other Beads from Swarovski from Artbeads.com! If you like, read my story below.

Dear Marie Antoinette : Forgive me for writing you in this slopoee manner. I paid a thruppence good copper for a learnerd fellow who promised to me he know how to write true in order to contact you. My heart beats in the hope that you are reading this missive. I work in your Hameau de la Reine, in the Petit Trianon. I love to hear you laughing there. I do not wish to be forward, but I have a gift for you.
Before we lost the small amount of money which was in our family coffers, I was apprenticed for a short period of time to a jouaillier in the family was familiar with. He was just beginning to teach me the trade when we alas, ran into dreadful times and all I was left with was this one pair of earrings I had made. They are made of glass of the finest sort (*note: at that time faux jewelry was made of paste but this is a "tale"). It looks quite real! And my heart wishes you to own them as a token of my esteem for you.
Veree truly Yours:
rest of missive ripped off...
...we will never know his name

Hi! Last year I had a couple of designs in this (see? it is 2009). My sense
of specialness was enhanced
by displaying one of my designs on the back, too. Therefore, I went for it, again...and again I had a couple of designs appear in it.

The editor, Sharyn, has already sent out the call for designs and I could be too late, but of course one of my designs is once again in a teensy spot which shows it off a bit more than just the usual. You flip open the magnetic front and there it is in the line up along the folding area which measures around 1" by 6 1/2". I'd be 1" ! Look at me! Look at me!
Of course I am chasing after her the way I did last year because of this, now. Vanity, thy name is calendar.

We do like calendars here; one of our children in particular loves calendars, for a variety of reasons. Today he demonstrated why he likes a good calendar. OCTOBER, he spelled out. HALLOWEEN! he then spelled. Then he spelled out ORANGE and I realize he was remembering the time of year that Oreos have Orange creme filling and we both blissfully had a nice walk down memory lane. Then we recalled Christmas and Easter in an Oreo manner.

I love kids!

My grandparents, John E. Bierwirth and Alice Marguerite Von Bernuth, got married near her family home in PA in 1922. Then they went off for a short ( even shorter than they had planned!--They ran out of money!) honeymoon in Buck Hill Falls, PA. Then they moved to Lawrence and that is where they raised their family: John and Nancy. My mother used to try and get me to learn things: here is an example: She would tell me stories of how every week the ice cream truck came around and Uncle Jack would race out and recklessly spend his dime on an ice cream bar, whereas my MOTHER would carefully save hers, and after all that saving, when she married my father, they had enough to build our HOUSE. That is right, 24 years of 52 weeks of dimes added up to our house.

No wonder I was bad at math!

My grandmother was ultra cool. Once I said to her, "you know what?" and she said, "No, what?"

I then told her something I had never bothered to tell anyone else. I said, "Gama, you know, sometimes I look at trees and I see faces...or I see faces in bark and so on!" She got really excited and agreed that tree viewings were common in our family. Then we spent the next hour examining face-type things outdoors happily. I think it was an Authur Rackham deal.

I was her best kid, until my younger cousin came along. Wah! The disappointment of being second best!

I was crazy about my grandmother. My grandfather too! He was the head of a liquor company, and neither of them drank! What a paradox. He worked hard and changed the company within 4 years into a chemical company instead of focusing on the liquor, much more worthwhile. For example, they were the first to introduce jojoba oil primarily at first as a replacement for whale sperm oil, I think. Many things...polyethylene. Titanium. He brought Werner Von Braun over here to be brainy for the "good guys" instead of the "bad guys"!

And boy did my grandparents love us. It was a sweet thing, that family love.

My grandmother adored our little kitchen garden. The one which wasn't "for show". We would often see her (she would sneak over here!), busy, working in a dress and high heels, over near the laundry "fort"<--I can't remember what the heck those are called, pulling crab grass or repainting our garbage cans repeatedly with pretty flowers on them! She was amazing.

She had her own fancy big house she never worked on, but she loved to work on ours! What a lovely woman. And the biggest thing in her life was my grandfather. When he died, she died two weeks later. The doctor said to my mother, "I think Jack's calling her..."

Book Review by Jean:

Contemporary Copper Jewelry

Step-by-Step Techniques and Projects

by Sharilyn Miller

There are very few people who don't know of and/or actually own at least one of Sharilyn Miller's books or DVDs. She is one of the major influences upon jewelry designers, as her style of teaching is original and beautiful, combining the fluidity of the ancients with new influences she has developed herself. Additionally, she has a series of steps to her work which are worthwhile to read and learn.
I find her great!
I spent around two years waiting patiently until I was experienced enough making jewelry to properly understand how to create one of her pieces I had fallen in love with when she was editor of Belle Armoire. I still have that stunning bracelet, and I still love it! She may sustain similar styles, but is never boring.
You would be surprised how many jewelry designers (like me!) make things that never see the light of day as a good way of practicing for future creations they will be submitting to magazines or books. Along the way, they are learning from the best teachers around. People they wouldn't be able to see unless they could fly all over the country. I can't do that.
Therefore, thank you to teachers like Sharilyn Miller for writing great books like this for people like me who are basically homebound.

This specific book is a full-on original: Contemporary Copper Jewelry:
Step-by-Step Techniques and Projects
by Sharilyn Miller

and to be succinct, it is a great set of lessons whether you are interested in copper or not!
We could all use a little spare change these days and copper is great to work with. Silver and gold have lost some of their popularity due to hard times and costs.
Sharilyn, sensing this was going to be happening, put these projects together at just the right time. They are lovely, finished, different and fun. There is one steel project by Richard Salley made of steel entitled "Found Pebbles Necklace" and there are three other contributing artists, but this book belongs to its author. The "Coin-Pearl Copper-Washer Bracelet" is a wonder, and satisfying to view due to the manner in which it is put together. It is so peaceful. Her "Spiral Fibula Pin"--these pins for which she is famous--is one pure clean note of sweet beauty.
The "Cool Copper Bangle" (which employs dead soft sterling with the copper) is a winner as well.

I have neglected to mention the great earrings! One example of these is the "Sticks and Stones Earrings". They are so evocative of the past. This is, as I previously mentioned, something which the author is wonderful at designing. However, as I said as well, they are modern at the same time. Perfect.

A great addition to all the projects is the fact that you will learn how to distress copper, how to cold join, and how to design wire components, as they will tell you on the back of the book.

Sharilyn Miller is one of the most famous teachers in the USA. She knows her stuff!
This valuable, wonderful book is one no serious jewelry designer should neglect to have in his or her library. It is a Wow, and brings copper to the fore! You will quickly realize that more than one or two metals are must-have metals for your toolbox! Contemporary Copper by Sharilyn Miller shows you clearly that copper is right there, blazing with warmth, waiting for you to use and create with. Then when you have designed something, I assure you you will admire it just as profoundly as the silver and gold thought to be the only things we could use seriously and with integrity, before.

Thank you, Sharilyn.

( above, a place they played--)

my son writes, concerning his band: The Ruse (Ruse.music.com)





http://radioshack.com/theshack/

"We're playing San Fran on Sat. at 6PM eastern, and the show is going to be shown live at this website. They are already streaming some shows now if you want to check it out.....

So, if you want to see us play just remember 6PM ET! SATURDAY!"

rainy rainy rainy summer