earthtones rock!

just hanging around!

i did some exercises at home the other day, and i thought it was so funny, to be able to hang from my ceiling - just like cirque du soleil. albeit a klutzy version. i was like, "jason, take a picture, take a picture!" unlike last month, when i was jumping around and sprained my ankle, THIS TIME, i hung on real tight!

joy made this petite wire wrapped bracelet featuring a multitude of teeny weeny gemstones. i wanted to share it's dainty cuteness with everyone :) it's so tiny, i want to wear 50 of them!

really though, it made quite a statement. i saw it "vibrating" on her wrist as soon as she walked up to the counter the other day. it drew me in!

i'm a movie-making mama!

know what this is?? it's our JUST FINISHED dvd project! michelle and i just wrapped up the final edit of the enchanted leaf earring dvd, YAY!!! jason's gonna burn these suckas tomorrow, yee haw :)

speaking of which, he got this dvd printer just for my dvd projects. he's so supportive of my new hobbies, i'm so lucky! it's a plastic thingy with a cd slot, that you feed into your color printer and it prints right onto the dvd and makes it look all "professional". i didn't even know something like that existed!

guess what's next? the treasure trove!!!

jolene's riveted ring

jolene, girl, you da bomb!

*announcement* she made this ring in Metal w/ Michelle TODAY! it was her first time riveting and making a sterling silver ring, and it's a wow! michelle, you are such a patient and detailed teacher... i'm torn between asking you to SHOW me how to make one, or just asking you to make me one!

OR

jolene, i'm a size 8...... BIG smile :)

my pretty amethyst

these look good enough to eat - straight out of a willy wonka bead store!

it's chunky juicy hunks of amethyst - so pretty! i've never been an amethyst fan - not in the 15+ years i've beaded, UNTIL a few months ago. don't know what came over me, but all of sudden i really am attracted to amethyst. the nice kind :)

just wanted to show my latest bracelet - good for spiritual protection and purification, especially handy in meditation.

***

***a special message of love to my brother's boyfriend, Dan. He was assisting as a volunteer fireman in 911 (Jarret and Dan live in New York), and whatever stuff he breathed in has left awful damage - he suffers unbelievable headaches and spends so much time in the hospital. they are in the e.r. again this month, at this very minute, and my bro called me in a panic.

please send out your message of healing and love to them, as well as to your loved ones :)

much mahalo!

jamie

lanyard in the air!

our new friend, sue ellen, a flight attendant for alaska popped in last week on a 1 day layover to make a quickie fix/project. she came in with a lanyard that wasn't holding up well, and also not in a design that she liked (we wished we did a before and after photo!)

just by adding a few new beads, a strong beading wire and crimp covers, she was DELIGHTED, and ready to hit the skies! another happy customer, and another HAPPY DAY at tbg! yay~!

jamie, where you stay??

kumu karen at the byodo-in temple

maren, kat and melissa: my lomilomi ohana

aloha kakou!!

hey, this doesn't look like the bead gallery!! where in the world have i been? learning to do lomilomi, so when you come to tbg with stiff shoulders, tired hands, tight neck or tummy problems - i'm your girl :) well, sort of. there's a couple more classes i'd benefit from.

really though, tomorrow is my last day of lomilomi class and it's been an awesome experience. my kumu, karen carroll is awesome, not just because of her techniques and abilities, but in the way that she teaches and shares with all her heart. it's amazing, inspiring and it's refreshed my perspective inwards and outwards. please check her website at kapuaokalani.com if that's something that interests you :)

hope you are all doing well, i'll be back......... this weekend!

luv and LOTS OF ALOHA! jamie

sunrise at waimanalo

day two of my lomilomi class was held in waimanalo. kumu karen invited us to be there for the sunrise, so jason and i poked our heads up out of bed at 4:30 and headed down to the east side...

wow, it was beautiful! gotta jam to class... going to visit the sacred places of Hawaii.

teacher teacher!

lynn k. (one of our longtime/favorite teacher friends) learned how to make this cutie crystal apple in michelle's beadweaving class - just wanted to show it off before she gifts it away!

why do we give teachers apples anyway?

golden herringbone

isn't this beautiful? sandy rosa (my needle and thread assistant teacher) made this and then, sad to say.... SHE GAVE IT TO MICHELLE! What?? HELLLO??? It fit me!!!!

well, i DO get to wear it at work... i love it.. it's so pretty!!! the seed beads have real gold lining in them too, shazam!~

today was a great day at work. lots of nice people came in, cathy o. had an awesome art clay class, akiko made like 20 charms in class.... and i limped around with hardly any pain. jon came in and re-taped my sprained ankle so it's all good now! i think i'll blog about my sprained ankle next. bye bye!

penguin party

this is what you get when a bunch of pipsqueak penguins get together and ROCK OUT, under a temari disco ball! thanks gina, for a super cute pic!

click on the pic to see a larger image, it's silly!

kids hurt too, but not at TBG!

we hosted a beading event at the store this week, where the participants of this program came to play at the store! They made over 40 bag/cell phone charms that they'll be selling this weekend at a plant sale at Thomas Square to raise money for Kids Hurt Too! http://www.kidshurttoo.org/ It was a LOT of fun :)

special shout out to Kim of Jujubeadz and Calvin Orr. They donated handfuls of handmade glass beads that the kids got to use on their charms - AWESOME!!!

confessions of a non-bedmaker

so i've heard lots of people look at our store and say things like "wow, it's so clean", or "wow, it's so organized", etc. and i laugh cause i don't think it's my true nature. cleaning house sucks! i'd rather read, or cut paper, bead or tweeze my eyebrows. what's strange is that i somehow keep trying to tidy up.. i'm almost 40.. and i still ain't got it together. what's the point!!

here's amanda being crafty in my "living room". she sure looks super happy amongst the mess. i think that life shouldn't be about being clean and tidy.. we should be TOO DARN INVOLVED IN BEING HAPPY to worry about those things. agreed?

mini clarine's crystal weave bracelet

when clarine made the first "clarine's crystal weave" bracelet for me over 10 years ago, I was soooo impressed... I thought... wow, how clever to combine a basic beadweaving with a diagonal crossover! It was one of our most fancy samples in the whole store!!

it's a classic design that has been made in so many versions over the years, and i'm so thankful to clarine for creating this pretty for the bead gallery!

i was browsing through some pictures and found this one that Michelle made (more recently than a decade) and thought it was such a cute combo of crystal bicones, rounds and pearls :) just wanted to share!

jujubeads rock!

jujubead news flash!! alert! alert!

kim will have a bunch of beads this upcoming weekend at the Shirokiya summer island craft fair

Friday, July 10th 9:30am - 9:00pm

Saturday, July 11th 9:30am - 9:00pm

Sunday, July 12th 9:30am - 7:00pm

i'm proud to say that i made those two cute samples above. though, as i get older, i LOVE to say that i made the samples in the store, ESPECIALLY if it's a cutie, and even if i didn't make it. the end.

under lock and key

look at my new necklace!! it's got a little silver plated padlocked heart and tiny key! i'm so into the whole key thing!! the key to unlocking the mysteries of life, the key to my heart, the key to the puzzle... i love to say, "the key thing is..." or... "the key to doing this is....."

we have gold and rhodium plated antique keys, silver plated keys (as seen above), sterling silver keys, and keys inset with faux diamonds.... don't you feel like you have a lot to figure out? that we hold the key to our own happiness!!

wear a key as a reminder that YOU are the answer :)

alesa's treasure!

this super beauty is chock full o gems!! Alesa M. made this treasure trove with pink tourmaline, kyanite, moss aquamarine, blue topaz, and white moonstone (check out this stunning one-of-a-kind kyanite clasp!)

want to make a treasure trove? it's a great beginner's project (i kid you not!) and you can make one too! just let me know ;)

call me jamie spielberg!

pretty bracelets, i love you!! AND, i just finished this Curvee Bracelet DVD that shows how to make these puppies!

i must admit that i NEVER thought i'd be making DVD's, but with a lot of 1am apple web tutorials, and michelle's daily prodding, i finished my 3rd one, yay!

I really must admit, that i'd rather shoot, edit and produce the videos that make all those beadweaving samples.. i think i'd go blinder... or blinder.

*The biggest and best reason to watch this particular dvd is for the blooper section I added to at the end.. inspired by the many jackie chan movie ending bloopers that i've loved for so many years. you can hear me snorting, breathing hard and trying not to laugh, and the camera shaking while i'm laughing, as michelle valiantly pokes at the ant sized beads... haha!