Bandanna Madness and Jewelry Hugs!

Happy Thursday...I know, I know, I say it all the time, but where the &#$%&*@ did the week go?

Anyway, I'm furiously getting ready for the next go round of education, both for Ranger and for myself at stores!

I'm doing a last-minute, surprise(!) demo at my buddy Kris' store, Rubberbuggy on this Saturday. I'm going to show everything Bandanna! We're going pigment it, wrinkle free it, crackle it, grunge it, you name it, I'm doing it, with a little more emphasis on the new pigment inks. They're the focus of Ranger's home page this month, with a bunch of samples with instructions that are, by chance, ones I made! The plan is to get there in the morning, set up and be ready to demo by noon. If you've got nothing else to do, why not come by the "'Buggy"...it will be fun, with some surprises to boot! (photo credit: Bandanna)

I also wanted to share a sad, but neat story. One of the things I love about CHA is getting to catch up with my friends that I've made over the years. I always like to make bunches of jewelry to give to vendors that have worked with me through the year as my way of saying "thank you" as well as just giving some to friends, "just because."


I had a breakfast meeting with one of the industry "people" that I can clearly call a friend. I happened to be wearing one of my newer soldered pieces, complete with a flying bird on one side and a butterfly on the other. (Photo Credit: Timothy K. Hamilton) She remarked how she liked it and I took it off of me and gave it to her. Little did I know, until an email that I had received from her on Monday, how my little gift was one of comfort. She suddenly lost her brother to illness right after the show. She brought the necklace with her and wore it during the funeral mass, stating:

Part in part because I love it but also, because of the butterfly and bird on each side. The butterfly is the symbol of new life and so it was important to me that I have this for [my brother's] funeral. The bird, a symbol to me of spring and rebirth so again, most appropriate. The day of the funeral mass, I wore your necklace and Robin, in some very strange but real way, as I would hold it and play with it in my hands during the mass, I found some comfort in it. I know when you gave it to me, neither of us could have imagined that it would bring comfort during a very hard time but, I wanted you to know this. And, I wanted to thank you again. Strange to look back at moments at a later date and see how very important they are. I remember you taking it off during breakfast and asking me if I would wear it. Little did I know where I would wear it and what it would mean.


Needless to say, I was floored, and it also put so many things in perspective. Life is too short, do what you love, enjoy the time you have with your friends, family and other loves in your life and don't sweat the small stuff. All of the things that many times I don't do. What it did do was confirm my love of taking the time I do to make these little soldered pieces to share. Remember that your love of what you do and make is also appreciated by others. Not that others' attention is always needed, but it's nice to know that they "see" what you "see", right? (Photo Credits: Butterfly, Swans)

Enjoy the rest of your day! Robin