Agh - the pink has gotten to me.....

I will give you updates on the poll tonight. I haven't received that many responses, but I am keeping what I get from RCB. I will make a lampworkers poll and post it here and on WC. I'll get the ball rolling.

I also wanted to thank Carla for coming up with this idea. Even though she didn't think it would go anywhere it's grown into something.

I know not everyone could. It was an idea -- for those customers who could do it. The $5 a month was way too low to ask lampworkers to do. ~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

See, I'm thinking of the artists. And the customers who're flush enough to actually be patrons of the arts. I'm not thinking of the people who want to get beads for almost-nothing. To me, the idea of getting a bead a month for $5 is a ripoff of the artist. To ME. ~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

:) A $5 bead from me would be a simple scroll bead of medium size. But the customer would have to pay for shipping. And to be honest, one simple bead per month is just not worth it for either the artist or the customer, IMO. And 50 scroll beads would be a major production nightmare for me. However, something in the neighborhood of $20 to $30 per month, with full artistic license might work. One focal bead or maybe a very small set. But it's still production work. It's like doing beads for a show. And $80 a month would be amazing, but that's a lot of beads in one month. $80 would buy someone 10 or 11 beads in general, and that multiplied by 50 people is mind boggling. 500 - 550 beads. Yep, that's pretty much what I have been doing for the last three months, and I have no desire to do that again. That kind of production work is not my cup of tea. I'd love to bounce around this idea a little more though - it's kind of fun to think about. :)

The artists would rotate months. You would make 50 beads a year, period.

Right, but it would have to be all in one month. And depending on the cost, it might be more than one bead per person.

Okay, I just posted on WC. Here is the link. Please go read and post.

When I tossed out $5/month, it was just off the top of my head (heck, I never expected the idea to be taken seriously anyway). I do know that the work is worth more than that, and I'm not trying to denigrate the artists' work.

But I'd never be able to buy another bead if $80 is what they're gonna go for. Even if I came up with the money for that, it would mean not buying stringing material or findings or wires or new tools, etc.

I'm not trying to rip anybody off.

Cheers, Carla

Dr. Sooz wrote:

Isn't the point of this that instead of sending money you send beads? Instead of paying $25 for a bead a month, you'd pay with one of your own beads.

Tina

Huh? No, that's an exchange. They do that on WC and other places all the time.

Actually, I would rather not post to WC. I'll keep my posts here, if it's all the same. :) The glass art forums on the web have left a bad taste in my mouth lately. I'll read the thread, though, so I can keep up with what people are saying.

Yes, I see from other responses that I had gotten it wrong.

Tina

That's cool with me. My WC presence hasn't been optimum lately either. I hardly post anything.

I think several of us agreed that $25 is a workable range. And another idea I have is that if you want to do it on a monthly basis when you can you will fall in after those who have paid yearly and then quarterly. If there are spots available that month you will be a recipient. That way we can have some folks take advantage when they have the funds.

Carla I am glad you mentioned it. It's a great idea if we can get the logistics worked out. I know you tossed out a number and I never took it as anything bad. Thank you for thinking this up, even if it was as a dream. It might become reality.

Does that mean someone could pay for a month and not get anything?

(My husband just mentioned that he should get a royalty since he originally mentioned the idea to me .)

Anyway, if it flies, I wish y'all luck with it. In the meantime, I'll have to keep searching for another way to build a stash :)

Cheers, Carla

starlia wrote:

Absolutely not. We will only have 50 (or whatever the number is) open per month. Once all the slots are filled you won't be charged unless you want to secure a spot for a different month.

Isn't it funny when money is mentioned they perk right up?

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "starlia" :

]I think several of us agreed that $25 is a workable range. And another idea ]I have is that if you want to do it on a monthly basis when you can you will ]fall in after those who have paid yearly and then quarterly. If there are ]spots available that month you will be a recipient. That way we can have ]some folks take advantage when they have the funds.

THAT sounds good! [thinking hopefully toward the future!]

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

Kandice,

If you have 50 paid subscribers for the year, and you know when your (the artist's) month is, you have until then to get the 50 beads made. That is, they're all due in one month, but you don't have to make them all in one month, right??? Unless, of course you're the first artist on the rotation. Perhaps y'all might want to build in a (possible) 6-week delay from time of subscription to shipment of first month's beads.

But, if you know in May that you'll need 50 beads for the club in September, you can spread out your production across 4 months.

No? Alison

Yes, true. Which might work for me if the charge was around $20 - $30 (which means no more than 1-2 beads per person). I'm still thinking about it - and am interested to see what others think as well. If there's enough interest, it sounds like something worth doing.