bluestem studio video now on youtube

The short piece PBS Channel 39 created about the artists on bluestem studio is now on youtube. I have attached it below.

Searching for Lake Superior Agates

When I was a child and wandering down the road that led to my lake house near Brainerd, Minnesota, I found a wonderful Lake Superior agate. I knew it was an agate, but I didn’t know that it had a special designation until recently, when I was watching the show Cash and Treasures on the Travel Channel. The host was traversing the upper Midwest, discovering and selling these stones.

On a recent trip to central Minnesota, I set out to find Lake Superior agate cabochons that I could use in my jewelry making. As a child I remember the many rock shops that were along the highway so I thought this would be an easy task. Apparently, the rock shop is a thing of the past. Getting out the handy yellow pages and searching on the Internet, I found the only one in the area to be about an hour away and closed during my remaining two days in Minnesota.

In my research I did learn about these agates, how they were formed and where you can find them. And that they are the official state gemstone for Minnesota! If you would like to learn more, here is a link to the agate page on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources site.

And here is a photo of the agate I found as a child …

Web site update

The Web site was updated this week with some new features. I heard from many of our regular viewers that they have a hard time telling what is new on the site, so appropriately, I added a “what’s new” section on the left side of the home page. This just gives people a quick look at the latest pieces. I also added a PR section (thank goodness, we are getting some PR) and a link to this blog.

And speaking of PR, you can view the piece PBS Channel 39 did on us from the PR page. Just click through to the story and the link is there. Tempo! did a wonderful job … although there are way too many close-ups of my double chin! I better just face the facts, I am not 28 anymore!

PBS Channel 39’s Tempo! features bluestem studio

The date for the airing of the feature on bluestem studio on Tempo! has been posted and it looks like next week is the week. The show is running twice, once on Tuesday, February 5 and again on Friday, February 8, at 7:30 p.m. They are promoting it as “this story sparkles as these jewelry makers turn up the heat on profits”, so there must be a lot of footage of us soldering and casting! The filming took place at the Baum School of Art in Allentown, Emily’s home studio and my basement office (which I cleaned nicely for the event). It was a lot of fun and I really appreciate the station, and Crystal Fisher, creating this piece on us. Of course, the usual fears go through my head … did I say anything really stupid, how does my hair look and, as expected, does that shot make me look fat? If you can’t see it when it airs, you can view it on the Tempo! site at a later date.