There's Always a Place for Beads--even at Civic Fest

I'm home! Civic Fest is still going on in Minneapolis, as is the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. I'm not involved in either one of these activities any more, so I can now put my feet up and enjoy what I was able to find at the Merchant's Mart at Civic Fest. I was thrilled to again meet up with Susan Jones who is a vendor at Civic Fest. She makes lampwork beads for a living, and what a joy it was to be able to purchase one of her items. I was thrilled! Please check the sidebar for links to her etsy store and her web site. Anyway, since a picture is worth a thousand words, please look at this photo, and you will know why I am thrilled with my pendant strung on a silk ribbon. Thank you, Susan! Gorgeous, isn't it?

Two Great Men of History in the Same Time Plane

Throughout our country's history, we have been blessed with many great leaders! Among those, but not living at the same time, were George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Each man was charged in his time with some of the greatest challenges our country has faced. George Washington lead our newly formed country as Commander and Chief and as our first President. Abraham Lincoln lead our country through a time of great division in the Civil War as our President and Commander in Chief. Today, at Civic Fest, I saw both of these men, together in an unprecedented reunion of greatness. Both George Washington and Abe Lincoln walked the halls of Civic Fest together telling their stories. I asked President Lincoln how tall he was. He replied, "It isn't a man's height that makes him a man, it is his honor that makes him a man." I believe in real life, he was 6'4" tall.




















George Washington was soft spoken but carried himself with the grace and dignity of a man who lead a newly formed country into freedom.













Although, they took off their hats to me, I salute them both, and I take off my hat to them! As a country, we were truly blessed to have been lead by these men.

Civic Fest 2008

I made it to the Twin Cities safe and sound. I even made it to the Minneapolis Convention Center by way of car (and a gps that broke just as I was leaving), light rail, and leg power. Our orientation of sorts was confusing. People who weren't assigned to work in your area were being sent to your team and others on the team were being asked to go to other places. It was very confusing for me. We were shown where our water station was, and the water wasn't there. There were no chairs on which to sit. We were told to go back to the volunteer room to sit. I did. I was offered a diet coke, which wasn't cold. Snacks were made available. They were high in carbs and calories, and nothing you couldn't find in a vending machine. Although the team leaders were doing their best to make everything work, I felt that the volunteer "positions" were more for show than anything else and really weren't appreciated. I didn't do much but stand around for 4.5 hours. When it came time to leave, I was more than ready to go. Some friends of mine drove up for civic fest, so I stayed longer than I planned. We had a good time together. I was able to see some of the sights, and, yes, they were very good things to see and experience. The numbers of people in attendance were very low, in spite of the free admission for the first 5,000 people. I was very surprised at that.
The most popular attraction was the miniature White House. This project is one that James Zweilig and his family have worked at for the last 56 years. This is the last time this fabulous, detailed project will be displayed anywhere, other than in the Smithsonian. I took a lot of photos. It was amazing to see this detailed, miniature version of the White House. It is a current version of what is in the White House today. Everything from rugs to chandeliers is shown in each room. Nothing is different from what it is in the White House if you were to go for a visit. I couldn't get over the amount of time and work that has to go into this project! I've got a few photos to show. The problem is that these photos don't show the fantastic workmanship that has gone into this project.














Looking at this view, you'd think you were actually driving up the driveway to the entrance of the White House. If you'll notice, some of the shades are drawn in the rooms and some are not.
Close up, the shades look like pleated blinds.














This is the side of the White House that most people were interested in seeing. This is the main part of the White House where the President and his family lives and where the most famous rooms of the White House are located. I will show you the Oval Office in my next photo to give you an understanding of the detail of each room.













The rug in the Oval Office is the same rug that is there now. This rug was either painted or stitched. Some of the rugs that were stitched had over a half a million stitches in them. They were exact replicas. In some rooms, there were working tv's. The detail is amazing! If yu look on the table behind the desk in the Oval Office, you will see photos of the President's family. This site, the most popular one, and one in which people had to wait for 2 hours to see, was and is amazing!
When I left for the light rail, I knew I was tired, but I didn't know how tired I was. I actually fell asleep on the light rail. I made it back to my daughter's home, and, other than chatting with Deb online, I fell asleep and slept for 5 hours. At that point, I got up, ate, and went back to sleep. I slept through the alarm. I didn't go in today. My heel hurt. My back hurt. I don't know which one hurt the most. I hope to go in tomorrow. I bought a foot brace and ibuprophen. I had no idea that I could be this exhausted. It might take me more than one day to rest, I don't know. I hope not. I plan to take a nap soon. Maybe that will help me. Once the Advil kicks in, my heel, my knee and my back will be better. I don't know, maybe I just got too old for this kind of work.
Even though, I wasn't happy with everything about Civic Fest, I do think it's worth attending. If I can, I will put the DVD of me taking office and being sworn in by the "Chief Justice." I told the camera man to make sure my jewelry showed. He gave me a strange look. I haven't watched the DVD yet, but we shall see. Until tomorrow, I'll say good night today.

Each Day Contiues to be Amazing!

Today was my day for orientation for Civic Fest. I will be an "exhibit host" at the miniature White House. I will go into more detail on this in later blogs. All I can say now is that this is an absolutely amazing work of art! Orientation was a bit longer than I had anticipated, but I was amazed to find out that a person did not have to volunteer for the entire week. I was amazed at that! I was also amazed that I actually managed to find my way to the Minneapolis Convention Center, with the help of a friendly cab driver and the light rail in Minneapolis. On my way home, I managed to find my way back to the light rail, and, ultimately to my car, with the help of a woman who was walking down the street in Minneapolis. Seems I was going the wrong way, as directed by a Minneapolis police officer, who didn't work downtown normally, but worked in the northern part of the city. However, what is amazing is that, as I was walking down the wrong path on the way to the light rail, I found an amazing discovery! Look at the name on the pub. This is for you, Deb, my Kiwi friend. Until I "met" Deb, I had never heard the name "Kieran." This is her second eldest son's name. What an amazing discovery when I saw this pub in Minneapolis! I'm sure that I will find many more amazing things in the days ahead.

My Assignment and More Jewelry for Civic Fest

The email came this morning. I am going to be assigned to the White House area of exhibits. I don't know which one yet, but I could be assigned to the White House Rose Garden. I guess that this will be at the entry way to Civic Fest. Other possibilities include: First Ladies' Gowns, Presidential Entertainment, the Oval Office and Oval Office Diaramas, and the White House. This looks so exciting! I guess that visitors to the Oval Office will get to sit at the Presidential desk and sign a bill into office. They will also receive a commemorative photo. As a visitor, I hope to do that! I don't know where I will be assigned to work, but I plan to have the greatest jewelry there. How's that for a transition to beads and beading? I have another bracelet and necklace to show you. I made this bracelet by stringing hollows together with bicone crystals between them. The hollows are big and bulky and bright! This bracelet looks great on the wrist!


















I made this necklace by stringing together a lot of left over beads. I used seed beads to separate the beads from one another. I used a toggle to clasp the necklace. It's about 18" long. It really looks great on. The best part of it is that I can put the toggle on the front or wear it in the more traditional way with the clasp to the back. Now how fun is that? I can hardly wait to wear my new jewelry.

Here's What I've Made So Far for Civic Fest

Next week, Civic Fest and the Republican National Convention converge on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. When I first heard about this event being in the Twin Cities or, as we call them locally, the Cities, I thought about the traffic, the people, and the idea that I could volunteer for this event. St. Paul will host the Republican National Convention at the X-Cel Center. Minneapolis will host Civic Fest. When I heard that volunteers were needed for these events, I submitted my name and waited for my security check to be completed. I soon received a notification that I had been accepted as a volunteer for Civic Fest. That's when I decided, I had to have some special jewelry to wear to the event. I still have some work to do, but here's what I have for the event so far. I made a Beaded Treasures Bracelet using Robin Atkins' techniques from her book, "Beaded Treasures." I also made a simple knotted necklace using the lampwork beads I had made for this event. I think I am going to string a bracelet to wear on the other hand. I'm also thinking of making another necklace. It's time to get into gear. Next week is when all the events begin. I need to get ready for this.


















Do you like the necklace? It just slips over my head.