Tillerman Blog

While talking with my sister the other day about beadmaking and the pressure that beadmakers are under by the cheap imports from China and India, she commented that it would probably get the point across to people if we put signs up at the bead fairs that the beads Mike makes are ‘cruelty-free’.  They don’t involve the use of underpaid workers, sweatshops, child labour or anything other than one person making beads with deliberate care and enjoyment.

It’s probably not something that everyone will understand but I think it’s a great idea.

In the summer we did have a trip to London, but we didn’t get a single peek at the Queen, instead we followed her to Windsor, where she spent time in the castle and we watched from the opposite hill at LegoLand.  Who knew we travelled in such exalted circles?

Anyway, here we are again, posting at irregular, infrequent and random times that resemble the train timetables far too closely.

Mike’s been busy, we’ve been to many fairs, teaching takes up a lot of his time too.  He’s been invited to demonstrate his skills at beadmaking at the first UK Flame-Off this April.  Should be fun!  Lots of beadmaking talent there, and of course, a bead fair too.

It’s been fascinating over the past few years watching beadmaking grow by leaps and bounds.  People who weren’t even making beads are now becoming very talented artists on their own, and some have moved to teaching their skills to others.  It’s all good, really, the more people who make their own beads, the less the bead-buying people have to rely on *ick, ptui* cheap imported lampwork.  But  the best part is that the bead buyers over the past few years have said more and more that they’re learning the fine art of determining how good a bead is, and knowing what to look for in a handmade bead is vitally important.

I’d repeat the most valuable bit of advice that I’ve ever heard, from Kandice Seeber.  Never sell anything but your best work.

Cheers, and best wishes from the TillerPeeps for happy holidays and a wonderful new year.

I’ve put some of the jewellery made using Mike’s beads on Etsy, now, we just have to hopethat this works:

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I’ve put a few things up in the Etsy shop.

I have an Etsy Mini code but I have NO idea how to link it here. Suffice it to say if you could see it you’d be stunned by its magnificence.

For now, you’ll just have to go HERE to see the shop. *sigh*

I’ve been re-doing the show calendar for the remainder of 2007 and starting the one for 2008.  You can see them on the website on the ’show calendar’ page ( http://www.tillermanbeads.co.uk/welcome.htm )  Up to almost 20 shows already next year and at least ten more to be listed/booked!

Mike’s been playing with new glass, when the beads are out of the kiln I’ll put up some photos.  Just for fun, here’s a pic of a bead in the flame, I liked the way it came out showing the glass melting as the mandrel turns to wind it up.

We’re thinking of doing some simple photo tutorials for the website, if you have a suggestion for something, let us know.

Well, we did to go to London but the Queen was busy and couldn’t meet us for lunch, so we had some time on the river instead, and in the museums, and on the open-top bus and Legoland!

We’re finished with the summer ‘break’ which is more of an ‘entertain the small child who wants to play Lego StarWars on the Playstation YET AGAIN!  I now know how to make Chewbacca wear a top hat.  It’s a life skill I never imagined I would have.

Beads.  You might have come here to see them… ok.  So, here some are.  Mike’s really enjoying the new glass I’ve been ordering, we have more Reichenbach in reds so in the next week or two some more yummy cherry red sets might make their appearance, but for now, these are pretty tasty.

He’s enjoying working more with masking dots with other dots, and this is the result of his playing with offset dots.

More asap.  I promise.  It’s my end of summer resolution, to keep the blog active.

Stop laughing in the back.  Yes, I mean you!

Ok, here it is, Kandice Seeber is the one who did it.  Mike claims no responsibility for the answers below…. but hey, if he would use the computer more he’d be the one to tell his dark secrets, such as they are.

Here’s Kandice’s background to the tag:

Awhile ago, my blog was “tagged” by a sweetheart named Fay (her blog here).  I had to, of course, ask her what the heck that meant!  Well, apparently it’s kind of like a really cool blog chain letter.  You tag some cool people, and then answer the questions sent to you by the person who tagged you.  Whew!!

So…..if I understand correctly, the tag started here… I could be wrong, though - it’s so freaking confusing!  What the heck is a meme tag, anyway? Feel free to add your comments.

Anyway - on to the fun part….the questions.

1.  What were you doing ten years ago?
Just moved onto our boat and were getting used to it, blissfully newlywed and not yet late-in-life parents.

2.  What were you doing one year ago?
Wondering if things were ever going to get sorted out with life, the universe and everything, and Mike made beads, of course!

3.  Five snacks you enjoy?
Mike: Pints,  scones  (not with the pints), banananananaanaas, crisps and chocolate

Su: Chocolate, peanut butter cups, Cheetos, chocolate and CHOCOLATE

4.  Five songs you know all the lyrics to?

Mike: A Pirate Looks at 40, Fairytale of New York, Have I Told You Lately, Crazy and Sweet Baby James

Su: Bunny Foo Foo, Margaritaville, Suzanne, Amazing Grace, Big Butter Jesus

5.  Five bad habits?
Mike?  Naaah, no bad  habits.  No, really.  Well none that I can say or else there’d be shouting.

Su: Chocolate, tea, snacks, reading and sleeping late

6.  Five things you like doing?
Making beads or watching Mike make beads, boating, playing games on the Playstation with our son, and the guilty habit of surfing online too much

7.  Five things you would never wear again?
Lycra.  Five times.

I know most of the people Kandice used for her tags so I thought I’d do the fun thing and find five people who blog that I don’t know.  You never know……  you might find something you like.

-Su

And now the tags!

Tag - you’re it!

Aspiring Arts

Lampwork Art

Wild Sage Lampwork 

Perlefryd

And one I do know and whose work I just LOVE!

Lavender Creek

Mike was fortunate enough a few weeks ago to have someone come to the studio for a lampwork course, and was given a fabulous gift of a photograph of the studio in a panoramic view. Our thanks to Dave Castle for the most wonderful view of Mike and his world. We’re dead chuffed! He kindly gave us permission to put his work up on our site.

We’re the target of a spammer using yahoo.co.uk email addresses to send out Nigerian-style scam spam to people asking them to help us ‘process’ money from the US to the UK.  Hellooooooooooooooooooo!

There is no way that we’re going to ask people to process money for us in the US.  And people who ask really need to simply read the email, ask themselves why some guy named Murray would ask them and why the email isn’t a genuine email from tillerman.co.uk but instead from yahoo.co.uk

Help us out here, use some online and virtual sense and delete that crap along with the other spam scams.

Thanks.  Now go make something nice, preferrably with beads.

…. thanks to the wonderful folk at the Ken Spelman Rare Books shop at 70 Micklegate, York YO1 6LF (so you can find them too!).  We purchased a copy of the fabulous Margaret Guido book on beads in Britain from them, the book is amazing and so was their service.  Now I’m on the hunt for the second one, the Anglo-Saxon volume.  Fingers crossed!
Thanks for the help and the book!  Mike’s been reading like mad all day, the info in there is so intense but also very inspiring.