Name: Aimee

Shop name: Jewel Street Designs

Blog: http://jewelstreetdesigns.blogspot.com

Location: Maryland

A little bit about Aimee:
I'm twenty-something.Seriously, I can never remember how old I am, but I know I'm getting ready to hit that thirty mark. I'm not married, but I am in a relationship. And, I have a 9 yr old daughter.

What do you sell that would appeal to the guys?
I create and sell modern and Art Deco style jewelry. I think it appeals to the guys. I try a lot of my ideas out on my own boyfriend and his friends. Plus, I'm always open to creating custom pieces. Don't be afraid to ask if you have a great idea.

Where do you sell your stuff?
I sell my pieces on Etsy, other online shops, and in galleries.

How long have you been in business?
I've been in business for about 3 years.

How did you get started?
I got started in jewelry for a purely selfish reason- so I wouldn't go stir crazy. I stayed) at home with my daughter who was born with a soft cleft palate. I've always been very creative and thought I would try my hand at something I hadn't done before.

How do you get the word out about your shop?
How don't I get word out about my shop?! I do a little of everything. Word of mouth, advertising on other sites and in print, business cards. I recently had a tutorial published in a national magazine. Plus, I tell everyone I can about Jewel Street Designs.

What's your creative process?
Hmmm. That's a good one. Sometimes I dream an idea, sometimes I take pictures of things I like the shape of, like plants. I watch old movies too to get ideas for Art Deco pieces. Architecture is a big idea maker as well.

What do you want people to know about your work?
My copper pieces are probably the most unique items in my shop. There is no other metal quite like copper.

Restored by Foster and Partners between 1997 and 2000 for J C Decaux.

So I walked to the NGV: International, it wasn't open yet so I got some knitting done while sitting on the edge of the moat, and then checked out the Art Deco exhibition. I enjoyed the exhibition for a full hour* before heading to the upstairs coffee shop, and was pleasantly surprised to find it has been remodelled. Last time I was there it had all the charm of a hospital cafeteria, now it is smaller, less clattery, and has some comfier chairs. I had a ham and cheese toastie and a hot chocolate and I didn't share either of them with any small children. Marvellous. (Non parents may be reading this wondering what's so fantastic, but trust me, it's rare)

Then I headed to Genki, and looked at things in my own sweet time without keeping my eyes on anyone who might be breaking things, and was particularly fond of these cakey toys, then I walked up Flinders Lane and looked in the windows of all the places that are closed on Mondays, and confirmed that Craft Victoria is one of those places. This was particularly annoying since they are also down a flight of stairs and therefore inaccessible with a pram (unless you're capable of carrying the kid in the pram, which I'm not). Their building does have a lift, but you have to go either up or down a flight of stairs to get to it. Seriously.

Then I walked to Smith St, and pondered jewllery in Queen, and was able to have a long look and hold things up in the mirror and play and consider my options before choosing my birthday presents from the Bloke, who didn't quite get around to choosing them himself. I now have funky clips (I've been growing my hair), a badge of a photo of the Flinders St Station underpass tiles, and some maru earrings.

Then I walked home, ate lunch by myself uninterrupted and without sharing, and knitted for a while, until I remembered that I am a responsible parent after all and I collected the kid from childcare.

None of this would be particularly worth mentioning except that it's been several years since I spent a whole day just doing whatever the mood took me to do next, and I was a bit over due. I now have blisters on my feet, I checked google maps, and it turns out I walked about 15.7km. Exercise and cultural engagement all in one day. Phew.

* The last couple of exhibitions I've been to at the NGV I haven't enjoyed, primarily because of the exhibition design, this one I could actually see. On a toddler friendliness note, almost everything is in glass cases, so it would be a low-ish stress exhibtion to take littlies to if you're that way inclined. Head in early in the morning on a week day if you can for small crowds.

Es un interesante cortador de puntas de cigarro fabricado en Alemania en cobre martillado que conserva su pátina original. Se inserta el cigarro en él y se presiona para cortar.

En su marca se puede apreciar un triángulo con una cigüeña dentro de él y debajo la abreviatura de Gesetzlich Geschutzt (ges.gesch.) que significa marca registrada. Esta sigla fue usada en Alemania y Austria.

Otros ejemplos de cortadores de cigarros

El extremo cerrado o cabeza de un puro es la parte final que se pone dentro de la boca. Lo primero que se debe hacer es cortarla. Cuando un cigarro es enrollado a mano la cabeza está rematada por la perilla, que es un trozo de hoja que cierra la cabeza del cigarro y lo mantiene enrollado evitando también que se seque. Un cigarro no se debe cortar hasta que esté listo para fumar.

J.D. Hogg "Boss" en Los Duques de Hazzard

This is an antique hammered copper cigar cutter in art déco style. Has great patina. As you can see in the picture, it is spring loaded. Insert the cigar, press down and cut. The cutter accommodates two different size cigars.

Country: Germany or Austrian

Year:c1920

Marked: stork (in triangle) – Ges. Gesch. (The abbreviated form of Gesetzlich Geschutzt: legally protected, patented, copyrighted, used in Austria and Germany)

Another examples

• The closed end (or head) of a cigar is the end that you put into your mouth, but you have to cut it, first. When a cigar is hand rolled, a cap is put on the head of the cigar to keep it from unraveling and drying out. A cigar should not be cut until you are ready to smoke.

J.D. Hogg is the "Boss" in The Dukes of Hazzard

There are many good books that can give you the instructions of the Peyote Stitch.  My favourite is a small, spiral bound book by Judith Durant & Jean Campbell:  'The Beader'sCompanion" , printed by Interweave Press, Inc. ISBN 1-883010-56-X.  Here is a link to Amazon.com where you can pick up this great little book and at a reasonable cost to yourself.  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Beader%27s+Companion .  There is also the 'New Beader's Companion' at this same site.

In this and the next lesson, Niki, I will give you 2 different ways to start the peyote stitch tube:  the generally accepted way and then my way.  You can try both and decide for yourself which you prefer; you may even make a 3rd method which would be the Niki.Tasha way.

1. Cut a length of thread 2 yards long.  Thread your needle and pull both needle and thread through the Thread Heaven® or beeswax a couple of times.  Then, stretch the thread as you run the needle and thread through one hand several times.  Believe me, this really helps cut down the kinks and knots as you are stitching.

2. Put 1 bead on the thread a tail of about 12 inches from the end and run the needle through the bead a 2nd time.  This is the 'stop bead' which will help keep all your beads on the thread.

3. String 84 beads on the thread.   Check and double check your count.  This tube is an even number peyote pattern and these 84 beads make the first 2 rows.  The beads must be held loosely on the thread.  The slack will be taken up in the next step.

NOTE:  You must ensure the beads have lots of room because they will shift as you add the next row.  Calculating how much space to give these beads comes with practice and I admit I have never been able to figure out just how much slack is needed.

4. Run your needle through the 1st two beads, from right to left, beside the stop bead to create a tube.  ... If you are right handed, Niki, you will be working from right to left.  But, if you are a leftie like me, your needle and 'working thread' will move from left to right.  ...  Add a bead on your needle, skip a bead on your tube and run your needle through the next bead.   Add another  bead on your needle and skip a bead, and run the needle through the next bead.  Continue in this way, adding a bead and running your working thread through every 2nd bead, until you return to the beginning.   Slip your needle through the first 2 beads of the row just finished. 

Niki, you may now remove the stop bead if you wish:  I prefer to keep it because it will indicate the beginning and ending of the original row.  That helps when working your pattern.  It also acts as a weight on that 12 inches of tail thread which helps keep it out of the way of your working thread.

5.  You have now recognized that the Peyote technique is an offset pattern.  Following either of the 2 patterns offered on the last post, only 1 portion of the design has been graphed.  It is up to you whether or not you repeat the design on the backside.  Your stress level will be lower if you work the back in one solid colour.  Once you get the hang of things, you can add a 2nd full design on the backside or mix things up any way you like.

Ending and Beginning a Working Thread:

6.  Don't work your design until you have run out of thread.  Allow at least 4 inches of working thread to use in ending the thread.  Run your needle through beads, one at a time, in a downward diagonal line.  Every 3 beads run the needle through the bead immediately above the bead your needle has just exited.  One at a time again, run the needle through another 2 or 3 beads.  Double back as before until a) you run out of working thread, or b) you are satisfied that the thread will not work its way loose. 

NOTE:  Some beaders add a discreet knot or 2 during their finishing a thread.  A small dab of glue is added by some beaderswith steady hands.  I have had great success with my method without the knots and the glue (my hands shake too much).

7.  Your 2nd and all other threads need not be nearly as long as the first one.  I like to use a thread 3 ft in length.  Leaving a tail of about 3 inches long, run the needle through your beads in an upward diagonal manner exactly the way you did to finish a thread.  You will double back several times and check to ensure the thread is not going to work its way free ... tug on the working thread.  Bring your needle up in the exact same spot as where you ended.

8.  Continue working until you run out of pattern.  The last row must be even all around - don't end in the middle of the row.  If you have lots of thread left in your needle, don't end and cut the thread off.  Jump to Lesson 8 - Bottom's Up.

6.  The designs I listed in Lesson 6 have no colour notations.  It is your choice what colours to use.  As mentioned, if you add your favourite colour as the basic, you will enjoy the process a whole lot more.  Keep a balance of bright shiny beads and flat matte beads.  The play of light on the different bead finishes adds to the design.  But, a little goes a long way. 

I hope you enjoy your first project, Niki.

GLOSSARY: 

Tubular Peyote Stitch:  A technique in which a hollow tube is created by adding a bead in the space between 2 beads of the previous round.

Stop Bead:  A bead through which the needle passes twice  to keep all the beads on the thread.  After the first 3 rows it acts as a weight to help identify  and keep the long tail away from the working thread.

Working Thread:  The thread going from a bead and through the eye of the needle.  It becomes evident once some beads are added.  'Working Thread' becomes a helpful shorter term when describing complicated needle movement.

Copyright © 2008 Helene Turnbull.  All rights reserved.  No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproducted or used in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without written permission of the author.

The Midland which has lain derelict for over a decade is now up and running again and has been heralded as being a catalyst for the regeneration of Morecambe and hopefully will now help to attract other big developments into the town.

The Midland Hotel is an art deco architectural masterpiece and is a great landmark which can be seen for miles standing proud on Morecambe’s seafront. Urban Splash has really gone to town and no expense had been spared on restoring artwork by Eric Gill, Eric Ravilious and Marion Dorn.

It is a shame that Urban Splash, who not have only renovated the hotel but also still own it, do not invest the same amount of attention on its employees. My son has worked there since June and is still waiting on receiving his first wage slip.

Despite large volume of calls to the hotel management and the accountant at Urban Splash the promised “cheque in the post” has still not arrived.

I will post more on here to let everyone know how this develops. My obvious concern is that my son may lose his job over this but I really don’t know what else to do.

I came across french illustrator George Barbier when I was shopping for art prints; and loved this image of the two skiers so much, I saved his name in my mind and looked him up later, hoping that print was a tiny piece of a larger magical world he had painted in that same style.  Hmmm..... google: George Barbier..... yes.  yes, it is.  

I felt like I discovered a hidden gem.  There's really not much information about him, and at times his name is spelled georges rather than george, but there are lots and lots of prints uploaded for those that search google images instead of google web.  

His work spans art deco posters to fashion illustration, and he's considered one of the most important illustrators of the early 20th century.  After his first show in 1911, he was commissioned to design costumes for ballets, illustrate books, and draw haute couture fashion illustrations for designers.  Barbier was even responsible for the romantic charm of silent film dream Rudolph Valentino, as he was hired by Valentino to design costumes for Monsieur Beaucaire.

Barbier began a very fashion-forward group of artists from the Ecole des beaux artes (included in this élite circle were Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Pierre Brissaud, Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape andCharles Martin), they were knicknamed by Vogue "knights of the bracelet".  Barbier went on to write essays for art magazines, design jewelry, and design sets for the Folies Bergere, a Parisian music hall with such guest performers as Josephine Baker.  At the height of his popularity in 1932, Barbier suddenly died.

Last week I was more thoroughly introduced to the carpet company Mansour and their sister company Mansour Modern. They have beautiful antique carpets under Mansour and Mansour Modern has contemporary designs that make use of some really cutting edge materials -- they're using aloe fibers, doing new things with hemp, cotton and linen, animal hides, etc. Visually the carpet above straddles their old and new collections. It's an antique, listed as an Art Deco design from the France, circa 1930. I guess it's Art Deco in the sense that France was getting really excited about African (and Native American) aesthetics and incorporating that into Art Deco interiors and facades - ? That aside it could easily be mistaken as a custom design on a contemporary carpet, circa 2008.

Pyrene Building, Great West Road, Brentford - 1929-30 - Wallis, Gilbert and Partners

Former fire extinguisher factory, opposite the Firestone Factory.

That was back in February, and although not exhausted, the campaign is still continuing, but may be guillotined if Aberdeen City Council shuts the door on the campaigners.

A protest petition is said to have delivered thousands of names in support of the baths, and The Friends of Bon Accord Baths want to take over the running of the venue and operate it on a not-for-profit basis.

Aberdeen City Council leaders are now being urged to give supporters of Bon Accord Baths 60 days to come up with a viable business plan to re-open the pool.

The Quarrier Diner has been closed as long as I have lived in Charleston.  I have always thought that it could be a great restaurant again.  Bob Schwarz reported that it is up for sale in the Charleston Gazette.  It is in desperate need of some love.  This is a challenging time for restaurants and Charleston.  The economy and fuel prices are pinching consumers and making less funds available for meals out.  Then again the same gas prices are going to bring people back to live in Charleston and the East End.  I hope it doesn't get swallowed by the new library.

HOPE SPRINGS - 36"x24" Original painting

JUST A BREATH - 36"x24" Original painting

I know, right? These absolutely gorgeous chokers effectively reference victorian, gothic and art deco design. In addition to these gorgeous chokers you'll also find bracelets, scarves, hats and pendants at TotusMel. Learn more about Pamela Quevedo, the creative force behind these designs in the interview below. 

Tell everyone about yourself name, shop name, location, anything personal you want to share.

My name is Pamela Quevedo and I’m TotusMel and like so many other Etsians, I’m a stay at home mom to two small girls. They are the biggest challenge to creating on a daily basis.

How did you first get involved with your particular craft? Is there any history behind needle tatting you'd like to share?

I’ve been a lifelong crafter, a jack of all trades if you will, but I only discovered tatting a few years ago. It started as a diversion from my usual activities of knit and crochet, but evolved into my most creative endeavor to date.

Tell us about your influences, inspirations to your craft.

Most of my tatting begins as a vintage pattern for something else entirely. I try to create something new and wearable out of them. I have been designing my own pattern more and more and they are influenced by the steam punk and neo-Victorian movements.

Describe your creative process how, when, materials, time spent, etc.

I usually start with what kind of piece I want to make, then I scour my pattern collection for a pattern or inspiration. I almost always use cotton thread and spend most of my T.V. time with the needle in hand. While some of my pieces can be completed during morning cartoons, most of them require a few days and a scarf of hat can take weeks.

Share your best promotional tip.

I hate social networking and I have no knack for advertising, but I can tell you that simply hanging out in the forums for a while can go a long way.

What other hobbies, passions, interests do you want to tell us about

outside of your craft?

When I’m not tatting, I’m playing video games and reading comics. I’m hopelessly addicted to popular geek culture.

Do you enjoy reading? What are your five favorite books?

I honestly haven’t had much time for reading since I had kids, unless you count picture books. My favorite authors are Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman.

Music? 5 favorite bands/albums

I listen to a lot of cartoon music…I have kids, but when I get to choose, I listen to mostly industrial and electronic music. Some of my many favorites are:

Smiths

Nine Inch Nails

Depeche Mode

VNV Nation

FischerSpooner

Movies? Top 5 please.

I’m a movie junkie so this one is really hard to narrow, but here’s a few:

Hellraiser

BoonDock Saints

Shaun of the Dead

Equilibrium

Princess Bride

Who is your favorite Beatle?

Don’t have one, they work best as a group.

Do you have a favorite childhood memory you'd like to share?

…can’t think of one in particular

Where do you picture yourself five years from now?

Hopefully with a few more minutes to myself, but I’m certain I’ll still be tatting regardless of whether anyone wants to still buy it or not!

One last question, how did you come up with your shop name?

TotusMel is latin for all honey. That's what my name, Pamela means. I picked that moniker when I started my first online adventure in 1995 and I guess I was trying to be pretentious and not be DragonGirl42 or something, so I went with Latin and I've been TotusMel ever since.

Thanks for the interview Pam! If you're interested in learning more about Pam and her work, life, thoughts, etc. check out her BLOG 

• The 4th of July lock-in, where we lost the key for the room we stayed in and spent 5 hours looking for it in the apartment and ended up trapped.

• Beautiful art deco houses in Miami Beach

• The slowest drive in the world to reach the southern most point in America in Key West

• Flesh-eating mosquitoes and a lack of manatees in the Everglades.

• Scary married women wanting to buy me a drink

• Almost breaking the car whilst failing to pull off a U-turn.

• Being homeless and having to sleep on the floor of a posh hotel room with only curtains for warmth.

• A personal encounter with an alligator.

Added to my cache of ephemera:

• Venice - lots of fabulous old (tiny) photos
• John Shuttleworth postcards
• Art deco travel postcards advertising holidays in France and Spain
• Edward Hopper
• Audrey Hepburn
• And loads of artists I've never heard of, but absolutely stunning images

What a treasure trove it is! And a sign perhaps? Maybe it isn't Rome I should visit, it's Venice. A friend did say that autumn was the best time to go there. Hmm!

I've started a collage of all of these images and once it's finished I'll post a photo. :)

Fingers and toes are crossed in the hope that a complete edit and restoration will be released by the Criterion Collection. The quality of their releases is second to none, which keeps me buying them despite being unable to playing NTSC dvds on my laptop. One day... This still-shrink-wrapped copy of Pandora's Box will get watched one day, as will Charade, my favourite film of all time. But until then, I shall admire the quality and care that has gone into their production.

Bristol has a well-respected Silent Film Festival every year - this is something I can so see myself getting into. There are too many words and not enough silence in the world (but I'm just speaking for myself, obviously!)

All Trains - Riverside and San Bernardino, originally uploaded by Introducing Nancy.

Another from my outing to Union Station (see more). Anyone going to Riverside?

Natwest Bank, Gillette Corner, Brentford -  architect tbc (possibly Sir Banister Fletcher ?) - date tbc (possibly 1936?) - I'll keep you posted once I've done some rrrresearch.

Built in 1930, the Chrysler Building by William van Alen is a monument that represents art in transition. Unlike painting, literature, or music, architecture is practiced within the confines of real-use application, and depends the most heavily on science among the above-mentioned arts. When architects and engineers gained the ability (and desire) to build higher, for example, they had to keep human/social aspects of the use of spacing in mind. For example, New York adopted zoning rules which required super-tall buildings to be tapered at the top so that the street level wouldn’t be suffocated by the blocking of sunlight.

The Chrysler Building as seen in 1931. The building is placed at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 42nd street, Manhattan, New York. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Gallery: www.nypl.org/digital.

As I interpret it, the building clearly does not conform to its surrounding aesthetic, and neither does it convey the notion of clarity and logic through straight lines and industrious spacing that would characterize later works. To this extent, The Chrysler Building is a transitional piece. Ian Sutton’s contribution to the “World of Art” series, Western Architecture, places the building in such a context:

Between the purely commercial products of Art Deco, the Odeons and the Roxys, and the more serious, high-minded Modernism of Gropius and the Bauhaus, there is a middle ground which shares something of both. Like the latter, the architects in question also believed in the future (or at least the present), but for them ornament was no crime. The new materials, steel glass, reinforced concrete, were an opportunity, not a discipline. They favoured the curve rather than the straight line (the style was nicknamed ‘Streamlined Moderne’); it was chic, it was up-to-date, it was avant-garde with a touch of elitism, the perfect background to the jazz age.

Speaking of the jazz age, a few auteurs—notably Fitzgerald—come to mind. And actually, I can see how this building for some New Yorkers might have represented an embrace of futurism, technology, and success (even in the midst of the 1930s). For four months, the Chrysler Building was tallest building in the world (a title overtaken by the Empire State Building. (I am reminded of today’s climate in which the status of tallest building—whether in Taiwan, Dubai, Chicago, etc.—changes hands during and shortly after construction). The building is decorative, romantic, non-economical. Sutton describes the technological environment that made such buildings possible:

Three new inventions made it possible to build higher One was Elisha G. Otis’s perfection of his elevator, an essential requirement for tall buildings. Another was Sir Henry Bessemer’s new process of manufacturing steel, an alloy that provided greater strength with less weight and had tensile properties lacking in cast iron. Both these inventions date from the 1850s, but their effect was not felt until the 1870s. The third was the development of fireproofing for the iron (later steel) frame.

The Chrysler Building under construction in 1929. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Gallery: www.nypl.org/digital.

In the future, I will look at architecture characterizing periods before and after the Chrysler Building’s reign. Though, the building remains one of the tallest in New York City, which implies that such a reign never ended (if you are judging such things by height). Later buildings would be less decorative and seemingly more judicious in its use of space. It is possible that the spirit which inspired the building’s was stifled in part by the economy (the depression erupted in 1929), or other more “pragmatic” reasons for not producing such buildings.

REFERENCES
1. Sutton, Ian. Western Architecture: From Ancient Greece to the Present. London: Thames & Hudson; 1999. 311, 322.