CraftOptics

The better to see you with, my dear!
Just got a pair of CraftOptics lenses. Wow these are cool!












They are naturally a bit more to wear than just normal glasses, but the soft silicone nose piece makes it really comfy. There's also a little light which works off a small battery pack that clips onto your pants or whatever, like a cell phone would. The light slides right onto the optic part for targeted illumination. Clever! The light cord runs through a clip on the arm of the specs, and has a small spring action clip to attach to your shirt so it stays out of the way. VERY nicely engineered. (My lenses look lit up in the photo but it's just a reflection from my laptop screen.) AND they come with croakers, the soft cords that slide onto the arm ends like the kind of eyeglass cords surfers wear, with a button that slides on the cords to adjust the specs to stay put or let them hang down.

The magnifier part flips up to reveal my personal prescription. The glasses are nice and large so it's easy to look up through the top part to see normally, and then look down through the optic part for magnification, as you need. It's all very well thought out the way these work.













Great for my eyes and especially my craftsmanship! I expect to be using these on Beads, Baubles, and Jewels segments taping soon, so you'll be able to see them in action–rather, see me in action using them–when the episodes go on the air. I'll let you know when they're on!

And yes, mine are purple.

Leslie's Almost Annual Home Show 2010

I have an Almost Annual Home Show to sell my work before the holidays. Some friends wish I had these shows more than once a year. I love you guys! I love everyone who comes to my shows and those who track me down at dance or elsewhere to buy from me if they miss the show.

In this photo you can see a third of my display, set up in my living room. At the time we had no furniture in the room because we awaited having our floors redone. It worked great having all the extra space. The walls wrap around in a semi-circle allowing for maximum crowd visuals. The panels are MD display panels, (look for them online they are the best) with table runners (the black and tan areas) with my earrings on cards (designed by my fabulous hubs Mike), and bracelets and necklaces on tree branches and hooks I fashioned from copper 12 gauge wire. Notice the overhead lighting--constructed from Abstracta display rods and clip on lights. Good lighting is as important as good work. I also had displays on a table in another room--next to food and wine! And, I put up small cards on the display with tidbits about myself and my work--why I do what I do, about the materials in the pieces, etc.

I SO recommend hosting a home show to sell your work! It's fun just having all your different circles of pals together oohing and aahing over your work--a great marketing event to see what people like most. I send both emailed and snail mail invitations with directions to my house, and extend the invites to friends of friends.

Exhausting? You bet. But worth every ounce of energy! Fun and profit can go hand in hand.

PS: Getting a merchant account to take credit cards is a must.
Happy holidays everyone!