The Prism Dragon

Friendship Bells

2011-08-19T21:53:00.002-06:00

One of the things that I love doing this time of year is something called Friendship Bells. I discovered it through scouting with my daughter when she was a child in the 1990's. Women and girls around the world have collected Friendship Bells for many years. Some people have used the same type of bells since the 1960's and 1970's on their backpacks to scare away bears and mountain lions while hiking. The use of the bell is an old custom from Thailand (not to be confused with the island of Taiwan). The Thai believe the sound of the bell pleases the good spirits and brings good luck, great fortune, health, and happiness. They also believe the sound of the bell drives away the evil spirits. I discovered recently that bikers attach Guardian Angel Bells to their motorcycles to "ward off" evil spirits or to trap them inside the bell to where the constant chiming drives them insane/crazy and the evil spirit falls off. One website suggests that this is the reason there are potholes... They mount the bell as low as possible on their bikes. It is also said that when the bells are given to another person for their bike, it makes the guardian bell stronger.

In scouting we exchanged them with others troops/units or made them to give to each other for special ceremonies or events. At a camp we attended, the following ceremony was used for exchanging the bells:

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Have one bell for every person participating in the ceremony. Pick 4 people to represent the 4 directions of the compass. They will make up "the tree" that you will hang the bells on. Have them stand back to back or shoulder to shoulder to face the 4 directions of the compass. Have them extend their arms up (one arm high, one arm low) and spread their fingers wide. You will hang the bells off their fingers. If doing this with children, it's easier just to have them hold a couple of the bells in closed fists with the rest of the bells spread at their feet or in a box. Have the rest of the people make a circle around them.

You can be the "the caller" or choose another person to do it.

The caller says "Bells to the North" and the person who is facing North, bows and straightens up.
The caller says "Bells to the South" and the person who is facing South, bows and straightens up.
The caller says "Bells to the East" and the person who is facing East, bows and straightens up.
The caller says "Bells to the West" and the person who is facing West, bows and straightens up.
The caller says "Bells to the Ladies/Girls/People" or whatever Group its is that you have and the people encircling "the tree" come up and take ONE bell.

This is best done at the end of the meeting or camping trip so there are less lost bells and less noise.

*******

Of course, if you are going to make a hobby of it, you will need a bell cord to put them on. The easiest way to do it is to get a metal shower curtain hook and macrame cord using a square knot.

Here is what mine looked like after a few years, of course it's much larger now.

I made a video for YouTube the other night while making Friendship Bells for a scouting troop. The bells I made were approximately two and a half inches long. Click on this link to see the YouTube video: Friendship Bells

Yes, this means we will be adding assorted bells to the store for additions to the Awareness Bracelets and Book Thongs. Right now I have jingle bells and assorted Holiday (shaped) Bells. My next project involves getting them photographed and added to the shop. If, and that's a BIG *if*, I can find a supplier, we will add the larger brass and silver colored bells as well as the Guardian/Angel biker bells too.

Have a great weekend! Don't forget to join our blog here and our Facebook page as well as our Twitter page to keep up-to-date! You never know where we will be posting a flash sale or a contest.

Hello again. :)

2011-01-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since either of us has posted here! What with all of the various holidays, webpage adjustments, and life happenings... well, it's been a little busy. But, Happy New Year! Time to start prioritizing, and working on new things.

For those of you who know me in person, you know that my son was born with a defect of his left ear called Microtia-Atresia. For those who don't know us, then I'll explain just a little bit about it. Basically, his ear didn't form all of the way. So, while he has an inner ear, an ear drum, and even a little bit of a folded up ear on the outside... he's missing all of the parts in between. Since his right ear works perfectly fine, this isn't a completely end-of-the-world type disability.... but it does have its problems (like unilateral hearing loss, for one. haha). I don't like to go on and on about it and my son functions as if it doesn't even exist. Of course... he's only 4, so he hasn't quite gotten to the mean teasing stage found in most schools.

So, long story short, I read a publication that I get through the mail every month called "Hands and Voices Communicator". It's kind of a little newsletter for members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in my area. It's cool... but usually there's not a lot in there that applies to me and my family. This month though, there happened to be a cool little article about Microtia-Atresia, and falling through the medical "cracks". Yes! Finally, connection! Someone else, in WRITING, actively talking about it! AND she had a Facebook group! Yes! So I joined, and was immediately welcomed, and given advice... and have tons and tons of articles to read through just waiting for me in the group... all within the first 24 hours. Awesome. :)

By now, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you all of this (other than: Just because I can! muaha!). Well, that's the cool part. There's a lady in the group that is selling Swarovski Crystal support bracelets in order to make money to adopt a child who has Microtia-Atresia. (If I could find her info, I'd give it to you... if anyone knows her info... let me know!!!) She has a GREAT cause... and if I had money to send her, I would totally do it.

However.... this got me to thinking. While MA is not exactly a Common birth defect... it IS known. And there's only the one single lady out there making support/awareness jewelry for it... and I can't even FIND her outside of a couple people mentioning her goods. There's no color code, there's no ribbon, there's not even a recognized symbol for the disorder (other than the ear, since that is what is most often affected)! So, now I want to make some. I don't wear bracelets, and I rarely wear necklaces (I'm a tshirt and jeans kind of girl. Most of my jewelry doesn't go well with that kind of wardrobe. :)) But this one? Yeah....

This one I'd wear.

Interested in joining the group? See: Microtia-and-Atresia-Support-Group

I learned a new word about myself!

2010-08-19T21:24:00.000-06:00

That's right... I've come to the conclusion that "Masochist" now applies to me. Don't know what that is? Well, to save your precious brains from the rule of the internet that states "DON'T GOOGLE THAT!" I will explain it as: Someone who enjoys pain. Though in my case... it's all based around beads.

Why? You ask... (If you didn't ask that then you either don't really care, and thus have no reason to be here..... or you're in the same boat as me. haha) Well... in general beads are small, hard to see, and make me wrack my brain to come up with new designs. Then I go and add a webpage into that mix, that I am coding entirely by myself, PLUS purchasing new stock and coming up with NEW designs, making friends through facebook, AND running a blog... and my brain starts to explode a little. Or maybe it just oozes at the seams. Either way... I just keep coming back. Why? Because I'm addicted. Yeah... Bead addiction was something I knew about myself YEARS ago. Pretty Shine'ys attracted me from every angle, and I was happy to label myself with those words.

But this new word? Yeah, that comes entirely from these multiple bead mixture packs we buy sometimes. No matter how many times I spend two days bent over them sorting through every single bead, I still keep going back for more!

There's no way around it... I have to admit it, and add one more word to what makes me "Me"... I am truely a glutten for punishment.

~*~Lanine~*~

Busy!

2010-07-22T10:38:00.002-06:00

Happy Uh... Thursday? Well, hey... at least it's not Monday, right? :D

We have been *BUSY*. Busy with Business, as well as Busy with "Life". I just wanted to drop in and let you know we haven't forgotten about you... our 4 VIP readers. :D

In parting, I offer you the same advice one of my favorite bloggers has given her readers... Go outside and find your closest patch of grass, take off your shoes and feel the blades of grass between your toes. Tilt your head up to let the sunlight stream down on your face, and remember a time when this was all it took to make you happy.

New Happenings

2010-07-05T11:36:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday! I hope everyone in the US had a great Independence Day, everyone in Canada had a great Canada Day, and everyone else in the world had an awesome weekend (Or anything else you may have celebrated! Feel free to clue us in under the comments... We'd love to hear your stories!) Between the torrential downpour we had here in Colorado last night, and the lightning and thunder, my family chose to stay inside and watch the fireworks from our balcony. :)

So! Back to work. :D As many of you may know, as you are fans of our Facebook page, I joined a group on Facebook called It's Better Handmade Group. They have a really awesome goal... which is to connect people who make handmade goods to new customer bases via OTHER people who make handmade goods. The idea is basically that you can post your goods to the group's wall... but you have to share someone else's link on your own wall in return. It can be a little bothersome to some people on your friend's list that really don't want to see a constant slew of advertisements... and so I promise that.. unless I REALLY REALLY like something and REALLY REALLY want to show it to you.... I will only post ONE link per day... if I even get around to that much. :)

On that same note.... because Sandy and I can't afford the listing price on Etsy at this moment (yes.. I know it's only like 30c per item... but trust me, it's out of our budgets right now), all of our sales go through the webpage. And because of the coding that I use (frames, and ancient debunked HTML mostly) linking to individual pieces while preserving the whole webpage is not exactly possible right now. I'm working on it.. and researching some new codes (and trying to figure out how I can make my husband go back to Computer Graphic Design school, so that he can relearn Java and Flash for me. hehe), but it may take me some time to figure out and implement. SO... I'm going to start spotlighting different pieces here, on the blog. Not only will this give me a linkable place that I can share with others, with a direct link to the main webpage... but it will also give me a place to TALK about the pieces; what they are made of, why I love how they look or feel, what I did to make them.. and it will allow YOU to give ME feedback on each piece as well! AND It will keep my procrastinating lazy bones hard at work on this blog, instead of letting whole weeks go by without a post. :D

In parting news, the cancer bracelets were a hit at Sandy's office, and we had to order some new findings in order to make more! So as soon as those arrive, look forward to some new merchandise on the webpage. I hope you all have a great Monday!

Cancer Bracelets Amongst Other Things...

2010-06-27T14:07:00.001-06:00

Wow! It's been quite some time since I've posted! We've had a lot going on recently, including family being in town, and my husband's birthday, plus father's day to contend with! But finally, things have (hopefully) slowed down to a normal pace again, and other than dealing with the summer heat I should be all set and ready to spend some more (much needed) time with TPD!

So, by now you should know I've been working on some Cancer Bracelets for Sandy's office. After a LOT of thought (More than I should have spent, but for some reason my brain wasn't working right..) I've come up with a look, feel, and cost that I'm comfortable with.

I'll sell these pretties for $5.00; they are made mostly out of plastic and pewter, and are strung on an elastic cord. They supply that less expensive option that was lacking from the supply out there, while still looking nice enough to wear with almost any outfit. I'm also working on some Chinese Crystal bracelets that will run between $10.00 and $15.00, and those are the ones I'm going to be able to offer a donation from.

While I'm originally only making these for the cancer patients at Sandy's office... Look forward to the option to purchase these (and many other) awareness bracelets on the webpage, soon!

Also, don't forget to friend us on Facebook, or if you're reading this from Facebook, make an account and join us on here! It always makes it easier to keep up with projects when you know someone is paying attention. :D For those of you on Twitter, we also have an account @ThePrismDragon! (And to give you a hint on my OCD Perfectionism... I seriously just spent the past 10 minutes trying to come up with a way to fill this space so that my blog post wouldn't look so weird under this picture. No wonder these bracelets took so long to come up with!! In other news: Hah! Mission Accomplished. :D hahaha)

International Gem and Jewelry Show

2010-06-19T09:08:00.005-06:00

Last Weekend, Lanine and I had a horde of family come in and invade my brother-in-law & sister-in-law's home. Yes, we really did brave the rain and wind and cold and head down to Larkspur to the Colorado Renaissance Festival. At one point we could see our breath as the temperature plummented before noon. The sun tried valiantly to push through several times but the clouds won in the end. It wasn't muddy until later in the day. I ended up with a new hat to help keep the water off my head halfway through the day but tucked the feathers away for later. Like Lanine said little weather couldn't stop a family tradition. We had a blast.

So back on topic for this post. Lanine and I are headed to the International Gem and Jewelry Show today. We are going to look for some more beads and findings for our old and new projects. One of our new ones is way more expensive than I had planned so we are looking for the best options without being low quality. Who knows, we might even attend a beading class as we will have no tagalongs with us. Of course we will probably have a bizillion phone calls asking "aren't you done yet?" unless I confiscate my daughter's phone. hehehe In March I found a great deal on some beads that are angel wings and dragonfly wings.
I will have some time in July to do some more organizing of my items so I can get them online for you to purchase. Last week, I found some of my gemstones, leather goods, and assorted other items while unpacking clothes for the renaissance faire. More and more goodies will be appearing on our website so be sure to check back at least once a week in July. We will be certain to announce them here as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

So, for now we are off and running to the gem & jewelry show! We'll be sure to share the treasures we have found! After all, I promised to share my photographing techniques .... which reminds me .... what did I do with that silver colored, satin piece of cloth/drape/sheet I bought a few weeks ago ........

Colorado Renaissance Festival!

2010-06-11T12:06:00.002-06:00

That's right... this weekend is the opening weekend for the Colorado Renaissance Festival. (Does anyone else stumble over renaissance when trying to spell it?! I always want to put two N's in as well as two S's.... haha) My family (and extended family) attend almost every year, rain or shine (and thankfully this weekend looks like it's going to be rainy. Yay!) and this year is no different. Of course, the birth of my cousin's first born makes this year a little different, because we finally get to meet her and her mommy, but for the most part it's still the same. The same shops that have been there since I attended the first time (that I remember) at age 11, some of the same shows even!

But we don't just go for the Steak on a Steak, and the entertainment. We also go for IDEAS. Not that we'll be stealing anyone's jewelry ideas, especially since we tend to avoid those shops due to their overpriced manners... but everything around you can give you an idea. The ribbons, and flowers, and colors, and designs. Leather, bone, fur and silver studs for the biker gangs barely disguised as Vikings. Satin, Canvas and Tapestry for the nobility, floating around like Galleons awash in a sea of tourists; A red rose with a black lace ribbon upon their breast to show that they are staff and not to be approached by the scummy underlings like us, who can't tell the different between a Gunne Sax hippie wedding dress, and a full Tudor period dress complete with all 7-15 layers of costuming designed in as accurate of a manner as possible to the real thing. A smattering of black, red, and gold.. and some rotted bone thrown in for Pirates and their wenches. Bells and coins and the sheerest of silk for the scantily clad, and oft overweight, "Gypsies" (who are really nothing more than over glorified East Indian belly dancers). Glitter, gauze and shimmering wings, and not to forget the flowers, for the little fairies who act touched in the head in order to attract a larger crowd to their odd behaviors and tricks. The shiniest of metals, and colored coat of arms for the brave knights who bash each other theatrically for the joust (3 times a day!). The rainbows caused by misters constantly spraying water under decorative lattices woven with silk flowers to cool off weary travelers who have started to feel the particular exhaustion caused by heat and nothing but beer to sup on, since water costs $5 for a 10 oz bottle.

You'd think, to hear me talk about it, that I wouldn't bother going anymore, since I obviously don't enjoy it. But really, that's not true. While my appreciation of the entire thing has definitely morphed into a more cynical eyed view, I still enjoy dressing up in my (as accurate as possible, and just as painful to wear) Tudor period gown that I bought for my wedding day (and never got around to wearing in that capacity, since we never had an official wedding ceremony) and carting my husband and son around to see all of the acts, and ye olde shops. I go to pick up hints of glitter and subtle design, and let my brain work them all into a whole that I can later turn into a piece of jewelry, or a bookthong, or a short story in the back of my head. I go to see family, those who I only get to see once or twice a year. And I go to escape the often times over whelmingly mundane lifestyle I lead. When I have money I do some light shopping, and when I don't I window shop and plan for the next year that I do. I put on all of my jewelry, no matter how gaudy, and I flaunt the wares that I've made and am proud of.

But really? I go for the Steak on a Steak.

My Goofball family in 2006.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"..About that time two young and lovely girls just happened by
And one says to the other with a twinkle in her eye
See yon sleeping Scotsman so strong and handsome built
I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt.."

Organizing stuff

2010-05-30T16:25:00.011-06:00

This weekend, I'm staying at my brother-in-law's house. I forgot my beading stuff and asked Lanine to bring it to me when she brought her hubby and son down for the day (read late afternoon/evening). The best time for me to work on it is when we have a family gathering as there are more hands to help sort as we buy stuff in the bulk. Lanine always shows everything neat and tidy in the white plastic bins. I decided that you needed to see the chaos that is always going on at my house. I'm not nearly as organized but can pack it up quickly and take it almost anywhere without mixing it all back together. Here are some pictures of my sister-in-law's table with the plastic beads we are currently organizing.

I'll post more later when I have more time and I am at home with my "fail" and "success" photographs. This way, I'm also no longer the silent partner/funding only. After all, this *is* a mother and daughter business *and* we've both been really busy this last week with family things (and me with my other job). My hubby and his brother are wanting me to finish making the lasagne.

And while you're at it, please do your job.......what's that you ask? Create a login to blogger so that we know we have more than 2 followers. If you have a Gmail/Google entity/email, just use it or Real I.D. (even Yahoo has that). Thank you to all of you that have joined/liked our Facebook page too!

{*hugs*}

Sandy

}¡{

A Mascot is Born.....

2010-05-25T11:52:00.000-06:00

Before we started a webpage, Sandy and I sat down (in Y!M) and talked about names, logos, color scheme, website design.... and a mascot. Not happy with anything in the clip art section, or any of my previous creations... I sat down and penciled a dragon. I spent at least two days working on him, making sure he looked just the way I wanted him to... and then I scanned him in, loaded him into photoshop to "ink" his lines... and then I promptly gave up. He was a mess. Smudge lines everywhere, and no easy way to color his lines in without losing too much detail and spending at least another day cleaning him up. So... he sat in a folder, alone, waiting for the day when I might get around to coloring him. I opened him up a couple of times.. dusted him off... but still didn't feel confident enough to make him look the way I wanted him to.... so I always put him back and let him alone until a better time.

But then we got a domain! (*yay!*) And I really needed something more than that little clip art dragon that used to be in the corner of the webpage.... and so I pulled our little prism dragon out again, and got to work, and finally, after several hours of work.... he was inked.. and colored, and ready to be placed on the webpage!

Which is, of course, when everything went down hill. I then spent the next two days working on code, and trying to get the measurements right, and the frames to work, and ARG STAB ARG! until... FINALLY... on the morning of the third day... I threw everything out the window, and started over. haha And it was glorious... and now you too can see the glory of the Prism Dragon that I spent so long working over. Or maybe you can't.... because Internet Explorer makes me stabby, and refuses to leave my frames alone. So the coding may be a little wonky for you.... and if you have a resolution less than 1280x1024, I'm sorry... his wing might not show up as well as it should. But again... IE makes me a little stabby, and I can't figure out how to fix it right now... so for now that's what you get (until I can figure out a better method!). But rejoice! For you can see him in all of his glory, here, so you aren't missing anything that anyone else is seeing. :D

Please welcome our new Mascot... the Prism Dragon.... and know that he will eat anyone that displeases him. >:D

Exciting New News!

2010-05-23T22:20:00.000-06:00

Guess what! Guess what! We are now hosted! Change your bookmarks, because we can now be found at http://www.theprismdragon.com/!!!! Yaaaaay!

Bear with me a couple of days... I need to fix a couple of links and pages... but the site should be fully functional, otherwise. :D

Perfectionist.

2010-05-23T10:50:00.000-06:00

So I'm having a perfectionist moment. Or maybe it's Artist's Block. My muse has abandoned me for more interesting people. Or maybe... yeah, probably just a perfectionist moment.

I have created and torn apart at least 3 awareness bracelets this morning. I don't like the colors, I don't like the beads, I don't like how scratchy it is... take your pick! They just don't... look... RIGHT. I wouldn't sell these to a 5 year old with a quarter. And the worst part about it? I can't figure out how to make them BETTER. Maybe it will come to me tomorrow... or the next day. Or maybe I should just give it up and sell subpar stuff. Maybe I should let you decide? Maybe I should be more dramatic about it, and I'll get a more dramatic response from my psyche? (*snicker*)

This is the only one that's survived this morning, and even it is destined for the chopping block because the elastic I used is too tight, so it scrunches up. I'm not very happy with the different shades of pink, and the silver findings just don't look right with the rest of the compilation. But... I can't come up with anything better that will cost 5$ or less, and not be scratchy. (*pulls hair out*)! Not Happy, Bob. Not. Happy.

P.S. I told you you would be seeing more of my little new hand. :D

P.P.S. If you don't know what the Not Happy quote is from, watch The Incredibles. Then let your 2-4 year old watch The Incredibles. Now count the seconds until your 2-4 year old picks up "NOT HAPPY!!!"

Beads!!

2010-05-20T10:39:00.001-06:00

So, if you couldn't tell by the picture I took last post x2 ago, then I'm just gonna say it. We have a LOT of beads. Big beads, and small beads, (and some as big at your head! hahaaa.... errm ok. Sorry.) and shiny beads, and dull beads, and glass beads, and acrylic beads, and wood beads, and yes! YES. Even BONE beads.. though we won't sell you those unless you ask for them. Yes, they are cow, and supposedly they were hand carved by monks, and if you're interested, send me a message and I'll tell you all about them... but that's neither here nor there. :) I have many favorites that I try to work into every piece I make, when appropriate... and I have others that I cringe just to think about. We've purchased several bargain variety packs over the years, and there are usually a LOT of variety in those. Different shapes, sizes, textures, and quality.. and sometimes there's only one or two of any different type. The worst ones are the Pony Beads.

Of course, It's mostly because of Girl Scouts that I have this very strong aversion to Pony Beads. You know, those large plastic beads with the large hole that can fit almost any type of string? They come in about a bajillion different colors and shapes, and they can be found in almost any store where crafts supplies can be found. In Girl Scouts... we used them a LOT. Like, A LOT a lot. They are cheap, you can get them in bulk, and you can do almost anything with them with short stubby little kid fingers. Out of all of the containers from that picture two posts ago, only ONE of the large blue containers held round pony beads (the ones I hate the most). I may have two or three other slots or containers holding stars, or hearts, but they are few and far between.

Now, as you may have remembered from my first post (not the welcome, but my first real post), I recently got the chance to make a necklace for a co-worker of Sandy's. The necklace was for a teenage boy, who was very active in sports. This wasn't something I could just throw some glass beads at, and expect them to last very long! So... I had to revert to Pony Beads. My revulsion to the whole idea made me desperately try to find an alternative, which I finally succeeded at finding 5 of (out of 16 needed). I made the necklace twice before I figured out an appropriate pattern for the beads I had chosen, and still I was unhappy. But after I'd finished off the last knot, it occurred to me that it didn't really LOOK bad... it was just my prejudice towards this overly used bead kicking in that made me dislike the necklace so much. Who in the world was going to look at a boy's hemp style necklace and say "Oh, how poser. You used PONY beads. Ugh. Doesn't EVERYONE use those?!" Kids are mean to each other... but I really don't think the beads I used were going to be the issue. So I tied it off, and handed it over to Sandy. Her coworker loved it, and her son wears it every day, so obviously I did something right! I still don't LIKE Pony Beads.... but I've come to the conclusion that they do have their uses. :)

So, what about you? Do you have any unreasonable hatreds towards any inconsequential, inanimate objects??? :)

Tsk. Falling behind already.

2010-05-18T23:41:00.003-06:00

Well, day 4 of the blog, and I'm already falling behind. Of course, I had a good excuse today since I was out of the house most of the day, and then we had company. :)

As far as business goes.. today was spent brainstorming "Cancer Bracelets". I've had several ideas rattling around in the vast empty acreage of my mind for a while now, concerning Ribbon Bracelets/Necklaces/Bookthongs. You know... those little ribbons people love so much that change their colors depending on their meanings? This is.. similar, but a little bit different. Instead of "Awareness", we're looking for "Support" and "Hope". Another one of Sandy's co workers said that it would be ok if we made several cancer related items to sell at the front desk of her office, for patients to buy. You see, Sandy works for an Oncologist, which is a Dr. that specializes in Cancer (and all of it's associated things).

So the goal is to make bracelets, or light weight necklaces, or key chains, or... or.. whatever that just happens to give the patients, or their family, or friends some kind of... hope. Something to make them happy. Something for them to concentrate on when they have their chemo therapies, or are feeling sick, or are just having a really bad day. Something to prove that they are a survivor, or something to give them the strength to live another day, another hour, another minute. I want to find materials that are light weight, and moderately inexpensive so that I can offer them for a very low price... and who knows; if they work out, maybe I'll donate a portion of each one. We'll just have to see. :)

Tools of the trade

2010-05-17T17:30:00.002-06:00

So I made a goal for myself to at least *try* to come up with something to post here every day, or at least every couple of days if life got busy. I was grasping for something to post, being new to this whole blog thing, and then decided that I would blog about my poor man photography tricks. But then... all I really had to post was "I use a gold edged Edgar Allan Poe book, and some paper. Voila!" So I figured that I would leave the photography tips and hints up to Sandy to post. She's been trolling the internet for years now coming up with fancy new things to do with her newish Canon SLR Camera (More or less the same as mine, but about 5 years newer with all sorts of new stuff. haha), and has pointed ME towards all of the ghetto tricks I use, so I didn't think it was right for me to pull that spotlight from her. :)

Aaannnnddd... I still didn't have anything to write about. So then I thought "Hey! I can take a picture of all of my beads and talk about them some!" And then it turned into extras including findings and glues, and then tools, and then papers, and then the box I hold all of my bookthongs in, and that stupid Edgar Allan Poe book, and the floss I use for the braids, and then I had somehow accumulated an ENTIRE COFFEE TABLE OF STUFF!!!!! And that was about the time that I realized that my life was really weird, and no wonder my hutch always looked crowded, no matter how much I cleaned. And, jeeze, do I have a lot of stuff.

And there it is. All of the stuff I use to make all of the stuff I make. Ok, not all of it; I know for a fact I'm missing a couple of things, but I had to save it from the boychild and didn't want to risk taking another picture. :) Also, for anyone wondering why I haven't finished the "Custom Bookthong" section of the webpage, count those opaque plastic containers: the larger ones on the corners are 4 rows deep, and the smaller ones in the middle are 3. Each and every one of those slots is full with a different kind, shape, or color of bead, finding or charm. Now add in about 1/2 of the medium containers with the blue lids, and all of the smaller containers with blue lids, the purple lids on the left and right, the four small flat containers on the right, AND the four large tubs in front. I'm not exactly good at math, but I came up with a whole freaking lot. So, you know... it may take a little time to catalog all of those, take pictures, and then turn them into HTML. But I AM working on it. :D

Any of you have any additional ideas on how to store embroidery floss, by the way? The little plastic baggies work well enough, but it's not exactly aesthetically pleasing. haha

Exciting new things...

2010-05-16T09:24:00.000-06:00

Exciting new happenings! Yesterday I went out to the local Hobby Lobby with my Mom, Dad, and the Boychild to pick up some new organizers for the large amount of beads Mom had picked up a couple of weekends ago. Soon after walking in to the store, I happened upon this lovely black hand figurine. It was in the glass section so I didn't figure it was going to be affordable, but then I noticed the 50% off sign right next to it. Really???? 50% off, you say?? I looked at the price tag, and my heart sang with joy. It was TOTALLY affordable.

So why in the world would I want something like this, and how does it pertain to TPD (The Prism Dragon)????? Other than the fact that it's just plain AWESOME... it's a jewelry display. That's right... it's something to hang jewelry from, and then take awesome pictures of it. Or just to set on my desk and stare at every once in a while. Whatever!

Now, I *could* use this for the bookthongs, but really it's designed for jewelry. "But Lanine," you say "You don't HAVE Jewelry to display!" And that would only be partially true. True, I don't have anything up on the website, but that doesn't mean I don't have anything laying around waiting to be photographed. AND that doesn't mean that I don't have piles and piles of beads that can't be used for bookthongs because the holes are too small! Just lying around... staring at me forlornly, making us both wish that I could make something with them. But now I have a display, so you will probably be seeing much more of this little hand. :)

On the same note.. (backwardsly speaking) a co-worker of Sandy's (Mom's) saw my bookthongs, and asked her if I could also make necklaces. You see, her son liked the LOOK of those little hemp necklaces, but just couldn't handle the scratchiness. So I thought about it, and researched the different knots and beads and materials, and finally settled on black waxed cotton as an alternative. I made several 'experiments' in order to figure out length and bead placement, and then I got to work. And guess what?? Her son loved it so much, she ordered a SECOND one (shown on the right. The first one was blue in a similar pattern, which was only supposed to be a guideline because I hadn't really measured it, but she liked it so much she wouldn't let me have it back. haha) So, kind reader... is this something you might be interested in? Something I should be making more of?

Welcome!

2010-05-15T10:42:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the official blog for The Prism Dragon.

What IS The Prism Dragon, you ask? (or maybe you didn't. Doesn't matter, I'll tell you either way. :D) Why, it's a store. Well, sort of. It's really more of an outlet with vague dreams of occasionally making money.

You see, once there was a Mother and her Daughter. They did the usual girly things like Girl Scouts and crafts, and both grew to love pretty shiny things, while still enjoying the tom boy side of life with horseback riding and camping with the whole family. For (almost) all of the Daughter's school life they were involved in Girl Scouts. The Daughter, of course, hated it. But that's the way of children.

All of those years of the Mother being first an assistant, and then a Leader, and then a Camp Director led to having a whole bunch of 'stuff' lying around the house. Beads, and cloth, and glue, and glitter, and popsicle sticks, and pom poms, and BELLS, and paper, and stamps, and markers, and.. well, you get the point. There was a LOT of stuff. Of course, after the Daughter turned 18, there wasn't a need for it anymore, since finally she was able to leave the Girl Scouts forever (or so she thought, until the Mother decided that the perfect graduation present would be a Life Time Membership to said Girl Scouts. This didn't make the Daughter very happy, but she still carries the card in her wallet for some unknown reason.) And now the daughter is grown, and has a boychild of her own. So the stuff just sat there, collecting dust. Occasionally pulled out for special occasions like special meetups with Girl Scouts and Girl Guides who happened to be in town, the Daughter's baby shower, and baby's first Christmas.

Until one fateful day when one of the Mother's favorite book authors blogged about a neat little bookmark idea called a "Book Thong". As both the Mother and the Daughter were avid readers, this sounded like a cute little project they could do. And of course, we all know that crafting leaves it's mark. The Daughter also braided. Everything. Anything she could get her hands on. A gift from her Grandmother who used to braid horse hair for jewelry, before arthritis had set in. So the Daughter made a book thong. It was rainbow colored though it showed more red and pink than anything, and the beads were very expensive and mismatched. It was sparse in decoration and highly simple. But it's the bookmark she still uses today. So the Mother decided to pull out the beads, and they sorted through them until they found just the right ones, and then the Daughter made some more. And some more. And then she gave some away; to family members, for a baby shower, a wedding, and a couple of birthdays. She had so many she didn't know what to do with them all, but she absolutely loved making them, so she was happy. They kept her entertained while the boychild napped or played by himself, and she was finally stretching creative muscles that had begun to atrophy over the years.

But then someone bought one. Suddenly the Mother and Daughter were buying more beads, and more floss, and more buttons, and more tools, and making more custom orders for people, and making a webpage (http://www.dragonroseadoptions.net/store/prismdragon.html which is still only partially finished), and coming up with more ideas, and making new plans. Thus The Prism Dragon was born.

And then.. the Mother also happened to see a post from someone online, asking how they should go about making a blog for their beads... and WOW, that sounded like a great idea. Thus this blog was born. And hopefully everyone will live happily ever after... but I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out. :)

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So what is this BLOG about? Yes it's a craft blog, and yes it's specifically for The Prism Dragon... but it's not just to sell you things. It's where we can tell you about each item that we make, Mother AND Daughter, because we enjoyed making it so much. It's about where we can teach you how to make some of these yourself. It's an outlet for the scars that being all crafty and girl scouty have left on our psyche. But best of all.... it gives us something to do. :D