01.14.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:17 pm by Jude
Hi all-
Looking back on 2007 has been mind-boggling. Never have I worked so hard for so little money, LOL! It was a struggle and also a blessing for me to make each and every chrysalis that went out.
I made about 60 of them, which is a shadow of my old production levels, when I would fill orders for 8 dozen to one nature center alone! Yet if you think about it, 60 is more than 1 a week, and my weeks have been stuffed full with twin baby raising. Everyone says the first year with twins is the hardest. Hopefully that’s true, although so far I don’t really see a huge upswing in my production anytime soon.
I say it was a blessing to make what I made because although I’m a first-time mom, I’m also 36 years old. I spent a lot of my life getting a grip on who I was and how to express that. My jade chrysalis are a special part of me. They give me so much joy not only to make them, but to send them out knowing how much joy they spread. Being able to still do my artwork, even at a tiny fragment of the old, helped me remember who I still am under the stress, and laundry, dishes, and chaos of momhood.
For now, it is still only jade chrysalis that I can offer to you. My other work is off the table and I’m not anxious to start it up again until it feels right. It may be hard to understand, and trust me, it’s hard for me too, but I need to be true to my beliefs. I believe that Life itself is Art. Even my laundry tasks have a poetic rhythm to them. Taking care of my babies while they are so young and innocent is an art too, and one that will affect all of us in society.
If you got this far, thanks for reading.
Jude
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11.28.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:15 pm by Jude
Hi all. Just an update to let you know Christmas production in jade chrysalis is still going. I will be shipping until December 15th Priority Mail. That gives the Post Office 7 full working days and therefore it should get to you in time for a Christmas present. You receive a package in a giftbox all ready to wrap and present.
After the 15th, we’ll need to talk about options. I am very far from a Fed Ex drop-off, so it may take a little maneuvering. I could use Postal Express Overnight though, if need be.
Of course, if you don’t need it by Christmas, I will be able to ship anytime. I am taking the week of Christmas off though. Thanks so much!
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09.26.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:55 pm by Jude
Please note:
I am able to make chrysalis but only in very small quantities. Time is at a premium, so all almost-born chrysalis production is halted until further notice. Jade are still very available, especially since Christmas season is around the corner and they make such a powerful gift.
Thanks,
Jude
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09.11.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:28 am by Jude
Hi all,
Lately I’ve been blessed enough to have people find me just by Googling and searching for Monarch jewelry. It seems so natural, doesn’t it? Seeing that chrysalis and wondering if someone has turned it into a permanent artpiece?
So I thought it would be fun to write my story of the first time I saw a chrysalis and decided to make it into jewelry. I was 25. My then boyfriend who is now my husband was far more knowledgeable about nature than I by far. I was a city mouse and in retrospect, pretty clueless. We were in a field and he thought to look under some milkweed leaves just in case we got lucky.
Wow. I remember being astonished. I remember being moved. I even remember being angry. How could I have gone so many years without knowing such marvels existed? I also remember wanting to keep it-the chrysalis. I wanted to hang onto those feelings and that beauty forever. It was an epiphany that day. I was determined to start opening my eyes and start really getting to know this beautiful earth we are so lucky to live on.
We gathered some caterpillars the next summer and put them in a bug house. It was the year Lady Diana died so it must have been 1997. I remember because we named one of the caterpillars Diana. I knew I wanted to make a chrysalis necklace from the first time I saw the real thing, but my artist skills were seriously lacking. If my memory serves, I wasn’t even working in the stained glass studio yet. I was working at a florist’s. I think clay and glaze were on my mind…I had already decided not to use jade.
Anyhoo, the day came for one of the chrysalis to hatch. We were in a different room and my cat India was awfully excited at the new flapping moving thing inside the bug cage. He batted it and knocked it over. We were very lucky he didn’t hurt the newly hatched Monarch. (Sorry-can’t tell you if it was Diana or not). We let it outside but there was still the problem of what to do with the remaining chrysalis. It’s silk had come unfastened from it’s hanger and it was just lying down. Not knowing much about the fragility of the pupae or lack thereof, I got out a needle and thread. I swear I felt just like a forest elf as I sewed a new thread for the pupae to dangle from. We took it outside to my flourishing morning glory vines and hung it up. That would guarantee a safe hatching far away from India.
Actual pic taken that day the chrysalis up by my neck and a pic of India taken 9/11/07
My husband took a picture at my request of the chrysalis hanging from my neck like a necklace. I had said, “See, This is exactly what I’ve been saying. It’s a perfect necklace!”
My heart just sang and I knew I wasn’t going to give up until I had turned this thought into reality. Shortly after, I started working at the stained glass studio and learned about flameworking. I had finally found the proper medium-glass. It actually took many years before I became truly happy with my jade version pieces-I grow chrysalis every summer to improve my design and become inspired all over again.
The almost-born actually came out of peoples’ strange comments about the jade. They had no idea what it was i was trying to make. I decided showing the next(last) phase of the hatching transition should help. It did in a way, yet from then on I had to defend myself as people started asking how I got the butterfly ‘in there’. They thought it was real instead of solid glass and I was some butterfly murderer. Sigh. It’s a wonderful symbol anyway; the final moments before a whole new life is launched so I like to keep it going.
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06.12.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:56 am by Jude
Hello all. I’m surfacing out of the deepest, most intensely sleep deprived days of my life and coming up for air. I now have 4 month old twin boys, Sean and Seth. They justifiably are still taking up most of my waking and non-waking existence. It’s great though and I can see I’m in for quite a ride.
I never expected or ‘planned’ for twins. I’m very much a supra multi-tasker and can accomplish a dizzying amount of things per day, but now those skills have been stretched to their limits. I have learned to make very small goals so as not to get upset with myself. Trust me, getting through the day a step ahead of twin babies is success enough.
That said, I can’t really stay away from torch for long and do have some jade chrysalis available in VERY small quantities (like one or two). I have decided my almost-born designs have gone the way of doing my husband’s haircuts. I will resume someday, but not until a distant future where I can spare the time it takes to do them.
If you have stumbled across my site as a passionate butterfly lover, feel free to contact me.
I strongly recommend e-mail [juderose at juderose . com], which I check very often. We can talk on the phone for CC nnumbers, etc, but I have a hard time remembering to check the darn thing these last several months.
When will I be in full swing production for new galleries and nature centers? Oh boy, I don’t think I will be taking on any new clients for at least another year. Right now I can pull off small orders for existing clients, so go ahead and ask. I guess this is good; it shows how rare and special my chrysalis are, but frankly it’s been tough saying no when I really would rather say yes.
If you got this far, thanks. I miss my full-time artist days and meeting all the people who love to show off their individuality. I know those days will return someday and I will be a deeper, more passionate woman and artist than ever before. For now I’m creating an entire reality for two little innocents that will shape their lives forever and for now that’s enough.
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01.06.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:11 am by Jude
Hi all. Well, I’m still very pregnant and doing very well. So far I’ve successfully passed many milestones for twin pregnancies but still have my fair share to navigate.
All orders, wholesale and retail, have been shut down until the birth which ideally won’t happen until February, and then after that? Who knows. Another 3 months for sure, I imagine.
In the meantime, I’m working on some upscale bail designs as well as writing articles. Hopefully this whole experience will make my work grow to whole new levels! Hooray!
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12.01.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:11 am by Jude
Hi all-
Once again a long wait between updates. Well, it’s cuz I wasn;t ready to tell the world I’m pregnant for the first time. And good thing I waited. At about 5 months along, we found out they are twin boys! Holy crap!
It’s been an adjustment, but I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so we’ll just have to wait and see how it all pans out. It’s affected my strategy for getting back to work, for one. I just don;t know what to expect and need to play it really loose. I mean, there’s TWO of them! It’s not like I can sneak away when one is sleeping and make some beads, you know? I plan on sending a nice mailer to all my clients when I have things figured out a bit. I know I will be introducing some great new designs and most likely will have a new improved bail system for the handmade beads.
But noone’s born yet. We’re talking February if all goes well. In the meantime, I am still happily taking individual chrysalis orders-there’s plenty of time for Christmas delivery (that will remain true until December 15th). I hope anyone who comes across this post is having a great day and hopefully a wonderful Winter.
Cheers,
Jude
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09.28.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:31 am by Jude
Boy oh boy. What was supposed to have been a simple domain name trasfer went from being a 5 day project to a one month b.s. fest.
I am amazed at the tenacity of some people-the ones who were still able to find a way to contact me. Thank you!
Not much for updates right now. There’s something in the works, but that will have wait just a little longer before I reveal it. In the meantime, just trust I’m happily secluded in my little town in Wisconsin filling orders, fixing up the house, and Being.
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06.14.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:50 am by Jude
Hey guess what? I got a sneaky idea today. I was perusing some of my lampworker friends’ websites to catch up and see what was new in their lives and it occured to me that I am the worst blogger in the world. But that’s o.k.
I have them! They are MUCH more fascinating than me and definitely more organized.
We have JC Herrell
Cathy @ Aardvark Art Glass
and Cindy of Full Circle Galleria
If these three awesome, quirky women don’t satisfy your thirst for blogs by artists, you may need to accept that you’re a bit high-maintenance.
As long as I’m here though, I’ll bring you up to speed. My hopes for living in the country and having live chrysalis simply come to me have been exceeded. I have only about 6 milkweed plants and some crazy Monarch laid about a dozen eggs. Unfortunately, I learned through experience that catepillars will fight to the death if they’re vying for the same plant. And typically they both die. So I have my hands full if I want to prevent rampant catepillar wrestling in my yard. They’re just eggs now, so I time to figure out a plan and find some more milkweed.
In other catepillar news, I found a luna moth cocoon! I am so hoping I will be home to see it hatch. What a treasure. I’ve never seen one in real life and feel so lucky.
I am an artist too, really. It’s just harder for me to get excited about capturing nuances of nature in glass when nature is right there in person outside the door. It’s my fuel and there’s just no lack of projects at our place. The rabbits have declared war and I sent the troops out. My cats caught 5 bunnies in one morning! It’s a good thing I don’t have a little kid here to try to explain THAT massacre. Ew.
O.k. I’m going to go be good now and do some torching. Besides, it’s nightime.
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04.26.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:48 pm by Jude
Oh boy. I just got linked from another bead maker’s website in her blog, and just look at the place. All messy and down-dated (that’s the ultimate opposite of up-dated) and I’m not even dressed.
Here’s the site: www.blackberrybeads.com
Thanks for the kind words, Donna and Annik and Jaime.
Anyhoo, I guess I’ve neglected my site because I was so frustrated with how busy things got. I was sure I would have time to redo the site, but alas, it’s just not feasible. I now am represented in over 65 galleries around the country and world and they keep me a-hopping.
And, if I am to be 100% honest, I also tend to fill my spare time with gardening if at all possible. This is my first Spring in my new house-a 1/2 acre of yard to sculpt and play in-and, well, the computer doesn’t call to me as loudly as it tends to in the Winter. Funny that. It’s not going to end anything soon either. There’s a full dumptruck of topsoil coming next week!
Toodle-loo. Plant some milkweed, everyone. That’s what the Monarchs need.
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