'6 Degrees of Separation', Web 2.0 style...

I am well aware of the power of Web 2.0 - some of my closest friends were 'friends' online for years before I met them (and some of them I've still yet to meet face-to-face). I sell my beads online, and I collaborate and network with educators all over the world. But this morning I had an experience that drove home to me just how interconnected the new Global Village can really be.

I received a comment on my last post from Red Rock Creations. She seems to have found my Blog randomly, either browsing through Blogger, or perhaps through the One World, One Heart event - I'm not exactly sure. Having liked the beads I posted here, she has followed the links in my sidebar to my new Artfire store. One of my floral implosion beads has caught her eye, and she has Twittered about the technique. SquareOneBeads is one of Red Rock Creations many followers on Twitter (she has over 1000) and recognises my work. We have been friends for several years, through our association on 2 Glass Bead Forums. We met f2f in 2007 at the ISGB Gathering. SquareOneBeads lets me know on the forum that someone has Twittered about my beads. That's the first I knew she used Twitter, so I search for her username and 'follow' her, and am then able to find Red Rock Creations on Twitter, 'follow' her, and see the original post. Wow.

This whole experience has really made my day. I find it incredibly cool how all of my online social networks came together in this way. And there is a lot to learn from this experience, about connectivity, networking, the lack of anonymity online, and the reality that even in the huge realm of the Internet, someone we know may be 'listening'. So play nice!

Artfire Launch

A little while ago I posted about starting an Artfire account. I spent some time adding a few items to my 'Studio' this evening - pop over and check it out. Here are some new organic focal beads, some of which are up in my new Artfire studio.

And we have a winner!

I used a Random Number Generator to pick a winner for my OWOH giveaway, and it came up with number 20, so I counted the 20th comment, and it goes to Myth Maker! Congratulations! Thanks everyone for playing, and I hope that at least some of you will keep reading, and keep up with my latest glass creations.

There but for the grace of God...

Victoria faces a terrible tragedy today. This weekend (and it continues even now) devastating bushfires have caused terrible loss to life and property across country Victoria. My heart goes out to all those affected - those who have lost homes and loved ones, those who have lost their livelihood and those who have fought the fires, or supported the victims. The current death toll is at 111, with authorities expecting it to rise substantially. Complete townships have been wiped out by the fire.

I could not work out how to load the code on my own blog, but a live map from the CFA RSS feed can be found on the Lifehacker blog. Donations can be given via the secure Red Cross website.

Having lived in a bushfire danger zone (I still do really, some may remember the photos I posted 2 years ago of helicopters dumping water opposite my house) and having relatives evacuated this weekend, this hits very close to home. I am working with my students on understanding and exploring this traumatic event, and I am finding it quite difficult to watch the visuals and listen to the audio we are providing for them.

My SCA group will be holding a Fighter Auction Tourney next Monday night, which will be a fun way to raise some money - are any groups you are part of planning any fundraising?

Life's Good

One week down, into the new school year. With how stressed and 'over it all' I was at the end of last year, it's a bit of a surprise to be able to say I had a fantastic first week back. I defy anyone who says teachers get too many holidays to sit in front of a class of year 9's for a term and not be ready to kill for their term break. But holidays did what they are supposed to, and I am refreshed and ready to tackle a new year. One that is off to a very good start. The kids have been great, the program is going well and we were successful in our application for a rather large grant for ICT. Work life is good.

On the glassy front, I have 2 new venues - the market, and I signed up for an Artfire account today. I was hesitant to commit to a new site, but it seems to have potential, and I was determined not to miss the bandwagon again, like I did with JustBeads and Etsy. So, I'm torching more, which is great, and I'm hoping to attend some classes in the US later in the year.

1.5" Lentil - both sides of the same bead.

And at home, there is a little bundle of fur and energy who alternates between amazing us with his smarts (and cuteness) and trying to tear me limb from limb. We have a slight problem with over excitement leading to puppy fangs embedded in skin.....

I have an appointment in the morning, and the staff have requested puppy pics, so the easiest thing is to post them here. I promise to make an effort not to over indulge in the puppy pics in future... I promise.

Success at last...

It is such a relief that the market last weekend was a success. I'm not driven by sales, as my husband says, glass is a self funded hobby for me, so as long as I can afford to feed my addiction and melt more glass I'm happy. But the downturn in economies everywhere, but particularly the USA, where most of my online customers were from, has online sales drying up to less than a trickle. And as laid back as I am about sales, there are only so many glass beads I can use myself, so having an outlet for them has really increased my impetus to torch and make beads.

I think that having a regular outlet is going to encourage a burst of creativity from me, and the market itself is a fantastic atmosphere, full of creative people producing beautiful things.

Having a face-to-face venue has also meant I need to make some jewellery again - something I haven't done for awhile. So, here are some pics of new bracelets I have made - they are available from the market or through my website - just drop me a line on my website at http://www.solarflarecreations.com.au/

One World, One Heart - Give Away

My Jewellery designing friend Lisa told me about the One World One Heart project. A great range of creative bloggers are offering a give-away this month as a way to 'meet' new readers and discover new blogs. All the participant blogs can be found at the link above. So, here is my contribution. As a welcome to new readers to my blog, the 3 bead set below, handmade by me, is up for grabs. Make a pendant and earrings, or a bracelet - it's up to the lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by 11.59pm, Feb 11th, and a winner will be randomly drawn and notified by email (make sure you leave your blog address/email so I can contact you!).