First and foremost, check out
VAharoni's blog entry about her visit to the Soft Flex Glass Art & Bead Festival in NYC. It is always a joy to meet online friends in person. I was very glad to meet Valerie in person. I actually recognized her by necklace! She was wearing one of her
Flex Your Creativity Beading Contest entries.
It is always a treat to visit New York for the
Soft Flex Glass Art & Bead Festival (annual October). This year was cold and wet, two things that I am not accustomed to since I live in the desert. I can't say that I was particularly thrilled to tromp through the streets shivering and doing my best to hold my umbrella at just the right angle so that the wind wouldn't destroy it. But, I do have to say that Monday's weather made up for the 3 or 4 gray days. The sun was finally out and it was amazing how my whole attitude adjusted. I guess I am really, truly meant to live in the desert. I love sunshine. Rain or snow are okay for a short time, but I can't imagine dealing with it everyday.
The bead show itself was stellar. I'm not just saying that because I'm a Soft Flex'er. There really is a great mixture of different types of exhibitors at our
NY Glass Art & Bead Festival. There is a little bit of everything and it makes it very fun to look around. I definitely felt inspired. I picked up a few choice items for my bead collection. Some
Soft Flex gemstones. I'm absolutely in love with our
short strands. It really makes buying nice gemstones affordable. I don't normally need an entire strand because I like to mix and match beads. This works out quite well for me. I also picked up seed beads from Jane's Fiber, an adorable owl and bird toggle from
Green Girl Studios and then a few
clasps from Soft Flex. The new FIT location was really nice.
Lisa Kan gave me the most gorgeous set of earrings. They are beautiful. I am so appreciative to have such talented and generous friends. Thank you, Lisa!!! Thanks to Andrew for his generosity as well. I'm so lucky!
We use vacation rental by owner to stay in NYC each year. Since we need a fairly large staff to pull off this show, we have found that this is the most affordable option for us. We usually rent 2 condos and split the staff between the two spots. This year, I was designated to stay in an apartment on 58th St., near Central Park. Unfortunately, the location didn't work out so the rental owner upgraded us into one of the many Trump Towers in Manhatten. It was on 70th Street and Riverside. Here is our subway stop at 72nd.....
My home for the week was on the 19th floor of the tall building at the end of the block. It was a nice walk home from the subway stop, when the sun was out on Monday when this picture was taken.
The best part of our apartment was the view. We had a gorgeous view of the Hudson River. Here is the sunrise view....
Here is the sunset view.....
I spent quality time with my cousin Loretta. She started attending Copper Union in Manhatten this fall. She has been in NYC for about a month and a half now. It was great to see her dorm room, meet her roommates, check out her neighborhood and shower her with winter items like hats, gloves and socks. I don't want her little fingers and toes to freeze off. She is from the desert just like me.
I also got a chance to visit with my boyfriend's brother and fiance. They live in the Bronx and always go out of their way to visit me in the city to have dinner and catch up. They are working hard on their wedding arrangements for a Tucson wedding on January 2, 2010.
All in all, I was cold from the weather but warmed by the love of friends and family. Gave and received gifts, shopped and ate too much good food, enjoyed the bead show and the view....life's not too shabby. The hardest part of traveling is missing Josh & Honey. I was really glad to be back home with them.
One last thing, our friends at the
BSGNY are selling tote bags. I use mine all of the time. It is sturdy and fashionably chic for carrying around a bundle of stuff. It is lightweight and washable. So many tote bags look so cheap. Not these! They are really nice! It is only
$30.00 plus shipping. All of us Soft Flex ladies love our tote bags. You should get one too and support the
Bead Society of Greater New York.
The CPSC has just issued its Interpretive “Statement of Policy: Testing and Certification of Lead Content in Children's Products”, October 2009. The positions taken in the statement are consistent with the interpretations and opinions previously provided by CHA.
"Autumn Calla Lilies - Forest Green"
"Sterling Silver Duo Pyramid Charm Necklace"
"Swarovski Crystal Gold Filled Strung Soft Flex Earrings"
"Autumn Fire Caged Bead Bracelet"
"Seaside, turquoise, freshwater pearls, Balinese, sterling silver bracelet"
"Pretty Pastels - Glass Bead - Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver Bracelet"
The Very Fine wire is so fine, that the three strands braided together are still thin enough to string Peruvian opal 10x5mm rondelles and 10x14mm ovals. The Peruvian opals are held in place with crimp tubes and crimp covers. Because the beads are moderately small, this necklace has a delicate look and feel to it, even with four strands. 
I wore this necklace the last day of the show and it received lots of comments. I love the texture that the braiding gives the piece and the show attendees seemed to agree. Look for this necklace in the next few weeks as a free project idea in the School of Design. If you're interested in experimenting with the Very Fine, especially if you've never used this wire, I recommend using the new Trios set of Soft Touch Very Fine in Satin Silver, White, and Black. It's a great way to play around with fun new ways to use the Very Fine diameter. 
Lisa Kan gave me the most gorgeous set of earrings. They are beautiful. I am so appreciative to have such talented and generous friends. Thank you, Lisa!!! Thanks to Andrew for his generosity as well. I'm so lucky!
We use vacation rental by owner to stay in NYC each year. Since we need a fairly large staff to pull off this show, we have found that this is the most affordable option for us. We usually rent 2 condos and split the staff between the two spots. This year, I was designated to stay in an apartment on 58th St., near Central Park. Unfortunately, the location didn't work out so the rental owner upgraded us into one of the many Trump Towers in Manhatten. It was on 70th Street and Riverside. Here is our subway stop at 72nd.....
My home for the week was on the 19th floor of the tall building at the end of the block. It was a nice walk home from the subway stop, when the sun was out on Monday when this picture was taken.
The best part of our apartment was the view. We had a gorgeous view of the Hudson River. Here is the sunrise view....
Here is the sunset view.....
I spent quality time with my cousin Loretta. She started attending Copper Union in Manhatten this fall. She has been in NYC for about a month and a half now. It was great to see her dorm room, meet her roommates, check out her neighborhood and shower her with winter items like hats, gloves and socks. I don't want her little fingers and toes to freeze off. She is from the desert just like me.
I also got a chance to visit with my boyfriend's brother and fiance. They live in the Bronx and always go out of their way to visit me in the city to have dinner and catch up. They are working hard on their wedding arrangements for a Tucson wedding on January 2, 2010.
One last thing, our friends at the BSGNY are selling tote bags. I use mine all of the time. It is sturdy and fashionably chic for carrying around a bundle of stuff. It is lightweight and washable. So many tote bags look so cheap. Not these! They are really nice! It is only $30.00 plus shipping. All of us Soft Flex ladies love our tote bags. You should get one too and support the Bead Society of Greater New York.
I could toot our own horn about our cutters for hours, but I am obviously biased. Here is a testimonial from well known designer and artist Kate McKinnon on our tools. "The Soft Flex cutters are the single most valued tool in my studio. They have retained their precise edge after years of abuse, and are a joy to use. I really feel as if it is a lifetime tool. Hey, I love it so much that there is a close-up photo of it on the first page of my design workbook!" Our pliers and cutters are top of the line.
For beginners, we offer all of the basics at affordable prices. We are sticklers for quality. So even our $7.95 pair of pliers has been tried, tested and approved by our staff. Afterall, we are beaders just like you. Here are some of our most popular tool categories:
These color tipped bead stoppers are a Soft Flex exclusive. The tips make them so much easier to use and keep track of.
Speeder Beaders are a precision tool. They guide the wire through a bead, quick and easy. You won't need this everyday, but it sure is handy to have one when you do need it.
Free Make-It-Take-Its
Shoppers
Free Demos
Extreme Trios: Iridescent Plume Earrings by Andrea Pusillo
I made this piece with the Mystical Trios wire set, flower charms set with crystals in amethyst, rose, and Siam ruby, a sterling silver flower toggle clasp, sterling silver 3mm crimp tubes, and CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski Elements in rose, light amethyst, and purple velvet. I used one strand of each wire color in the Trios set and strung the purple velvet beads and the amethyst charms on the amethyst wire, the light amethyst beads and the Siam ruby charms on the spinel wire, and the rose beads and rose charms on the pink tourmaline wire. I precounted the placement of the charms and proceeded to braid the wires, making sure to place each wire in the correct spot to keep the beads separated as shown. I'm writing the instructions for this piece today and it will soon be available as a Free Project in the Soft Flex Company School of Design. It would be so pretty in so many different color combinations! 
