Creative Thoughts

This is a "skewered dragon-fae" necklace that I made for my dear friend Michelle back in July. It was a special request, right down to the beautiful blues. Michelle and I met way back when I belonged to the fantasy/medieval role playing group (the same one wherein I met the love of my life). Once upon a time, Michelle and I did not speak to each other for years, which was a very sad time for me. We have since found our way back to each other, for which I'm exceedingly grateful. It's not easy to find good friends. It's even more difficult to hold on to them. I kept forgetting to post the picture of her birthday present! Her birthday is three days after mine, and her celebration was absolutely fantastic -- it was at a CHOCOLATE AND WINE BAR in Austin! Heavenly!!

And I've been trying to take my mind off my pain. It's a little worse this time, but this knee was in worse shape. Anyway . . .

I'm looking more at fibers. I left off fibers a while back, thinking that I just didn't have time to play with them. I might be wrong. I'm still hungering to work with wire more. I feel that if I make more of my own findings, the pieces will belong to me even more so. Of course, that might make parting with them even more difficult. Then there is metal. Geez, I love copper and bronze and etching seems not so difficult to do so I really, really want to.

But I also have to consider what I've chosen to do for a living and try to work all my little desires into the time I have left over when not coaxing little bits of glass into pleasing shapes and then writing down how to exactly that for others. And I couldn't leave those infuriating bits of melted sand if you held a gun to my head. As a result of all this musing, I've also been trying to think of ways to meld a few of the "I wants" with the tiny beads. Aha! (Believe me, it's probably much more difficult for me than it sounds.)

I'm also trying to come up with little items to stock in the Etsy store that folks might like to purchase for holiday gifts, and I've made the monumental decision to offer my patterns, tutorials and kits in the Etsy store. At this point I would like to open the floor to you, beadlings, to find out what you would like to see out of my repetoire of said patterns/tutorials/kits. Just remember that I'm still not up to full steam, so it will be a trickle of goodies, not a huge flood!

Have a beadiful weekend!

I'm Not Typing

Okay, I am typing. I'm just not typing what I should be typing. This is what I did instead:This is my Laura McCabe Dahlia Locket. I bought the kit last summer and finally put it together a couple of weeks ago. All I had left to do was attached the loop and toggle today. Let me just say as a project designer, kit builder and beadwork technique teacher that I absolutely love Laura and her projects. I have never done so much with just one stitch. The instructions were clear and, oh my stars, if I could do hand rendered graphics like she does, I'd be in seventh heaven. I hate struggling with computer rendered graphics. The kit is generous in the amount of beads and thread, and she sent FIVE needles in two different sizes. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that a beginner could do this (knowledge of peyote stitch is definitely needed), but it was not a difficult project and I am just pleased as punch with it! And I happen to have a pink blouse that needed a spark. Yowza, this sucker sparkles! Swarovski crystals and cubic zirconium abound (you just can't quite see the spark with the scanner). I can't wait to do my other LM kit and, by golly, this summer I'm buying more of her kits!

So, what have I done today? Well, I've been corresponding with my gal pal Gaye. As her daughter gets older, Gaye gets busier. We just haven't been able to get together this year the way we have in the past. Of course, I don't have a bead shop down the street from TSU (where she works) like I used to! Hah! Do you think that has anything to do with it? She is now the proud mother of a new driver (snicker). They'll get through it okay. Their insurance rates may go up, but they'll get through it. My problem is that I remember this girl as a small child who used to come to my store with her mom, and she always got to pick out beads. I have a bracelet that I made based on a palette that Victoria picked out, and I never fail to get compliments on the color. Now she's a grown up, gorgeous young woman. She really needs to stop making me feel old!

I've also been in touch with Pam Way today. She is also putting things together for the San Antonio Bead & Ornament Society's bead bazaar. Hopefully we will have booths next to each other. I happen to know that she has a whole bunch of new sets ready. Maybe I can shop before the bazaar begins! Hee, hee, hee!

I also stayed in bed sleeping until 10:30 this morning. The insomnia has been hellish this week. I have another appointment next week regarding the sleep study, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, I'll just deal with feeling like a lazy slug.

It's obvious to me that I'm not going to get any typing done today, so I'm off to finish beading another project and I will definitely take pictures when it's finished. You just might not see them until right before the bead bazaar (I want you to purchase a kit or pattern, you see). We're off to get our little chickies tomorrow, so I'll have lots of pictures of them for you, plus wildflowers in my back yard and T-man's little garden (our lettuce is an inch tall now). Ariel is at her weekly chess club meeting today. I hate to say it, but my little girl is going to be a nerd just like mom was. And Natalie has things to do for Relay for Life tonight. I am very proud of her for getting involved in this. Please go visit her team page and consider making a donation. Natalie will be putting her info up there sometime this week. "We Hate Cancer" is the number two team in the amount of donations so far. It is such a worthy cause, and such a personal cause to us, and it would mean so very much to everyone involved to receive donations from you. Okay, I'm off the soapbox for now. Remember, don't worry -- bead happy! (groan)

Sunny Day

It is a very sunny day today, as was yesterday. We loaded up some plants and a bit of jewelry and took off, along with Ariel. We stopped by the local feed store. The chickens I want won't be there until the 15^th, and they will be itty-bitty. That gives T-man plenty of time to build their coop and yard, though. It just means that Momma Hen here will have to keep a very close eye on them. Anyway, we had quite a few people stop by to look at the plants and everything else. Ariel drew a couple of pictures. We ended up selling a couple of bracelets and one of Ariel's drawings to a very nice man who was in the process of leaving Texas to go to New Orleans. I hope he does well there. Ariel actually came home and went swimming! It's still a bit too cool for mom, though!

So, today I'm getting things together for my class tomorrow night with the Georgetown Satellite group of the Austin Stitchers. I have no doubt that we will have a blast. And the ladies will be making their calorie free chocolate bracelet! What more could you ask for?

Tomorrow, once I'm finished with my class kits, I start typing my little fingers off. Then, joy oh joy, I get to start counting, weighing, packaging and pricing in preparation for the San Antonio Bead and Ornament Society's Spring Bazaar where I will be doing another trunk show. This time I will have even MORE items than I had in February at the Austin Stitchers' show. Have I mentioned how much I love doing the trunk shows? I am so glad Tracey suggested it. In fact, I'm glad she suggested a lot of things last year! And once I again I beg of you, if you have the replicating technology, please share it with me. I could use another me right now!

Natalie and my niece Brianna will be participating in the Kyle/Buda Relay for Life on May 2^nd. You can see their team page here and you can make donations online. If you check the picture of Natalie from Easter Sunday, you'll see she's wearing her team shirt. The girls started participating in Relay For Life six years ago when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Mom just celebrated her fifth year after chemo and she is still cancer free. I also have several friends and relatives who are breast cancer survivors, uterine cancer survivors, skins cancer survivors, and the list goes on. This is a very, very worthy cause, so please consider donating. T-man, Ariel and I will be there, and I'm going to try to get my mother out there.

That's it for today, beadlings. I hope you have had a wonderful weekend. I hope I see some of you at the class Monday night, at Relay for Life, and at the bead bazaar May 3^rd and 4^th. In the meantime, itterasshai. Ki o tsukete!

Dodging Bullets

I see five of these beauties in my yard this summer. No roosters, just hens. You don't need a rooster to make eggs, just to make chicks, and roosters are mean. Plymouth Barred roosters are not quite as mean as others, but they're still pretty feisty. We chose the Plymouth Barred hens because they are prolific layers. So, when the eggs start rolling in, I'll let y'all know! Now the reason they won't be here until at least this summer is that all the hatcheries are out of chicks right now! *whew* I guess I dodged a bullet there, because I'm not ready for keeping five little chickens safe from varmints and cats! We need feeding and water pans, heat lamps, and OH MY GOODNESS a chicken coop! None of that is ready.

The garden is mostly planted, except for potatoes. We didn't plant any potatoes. T-man is waiting to fix my mom's tiller, then he'll plant them (he says). We'll see. He was even talking goats and bees, but I informed him that I'm not milking anything and bees need shade, which we don't really have. *whew* I really dodged that bullet, didn't I? If you keep bees, you will get stung -- often! I don't like being stung. And goats need to be wormed and vaccinated and fenced and whatever else. Nope, no time here for goat keeping.

We also have plants to propagate for sale -- jade plants, sanseveria, pencil plants, pothos, swedish ivy, agaves, etc. They should be ready in a couple of weeks if the weather holds. And T-man has started making flower basket hangers with dragonflies on them (Cat, I'll send pictures!). He has been happily cutting and welding out in his fortress of solitude. It makes for a much more relaxed T-man. And he enjoys having his hands in the dirt. Instead of rushing to fix the tiller, he did most of the garden with his bare hands. The lettuce we planted two years ago has come up! That is correct -- two years ago. It did not come up when we planted it. Nope, nope -- it came up this year, and it is GOOD! There's nothing like fresh butter-leaf lettuce for your salad, except maybe the cantaloupes that came up near the firewood one year. They were a total surprise as we had never planted any melons anywhere on the property. We had cantaloupe with every meal for three months! And T-man took them work to give away.

Today is my last day of beading before I start being attached to this computer. I've been working on a Laura McCabe piece. I love the way she puts her kits together. It's given me a lot to consider about my own kits, so there may be some changes soon. And I think my calendar is running a week ahead, because I'm not teaching tonight. I'm teaching NEXT Monday. *whew* There went another bullet! I was not ready to spend the day printing, sorting, packaging as there was very little sleep the past three days. Now I can spread my preparations over a couple of days and chill out a bit.

So, today will be a sort of play day for me. I'm trying to keep it very low stress, since I have the next four weeks to completely freak out! I really wish I could wiggle my nose like Samantha and everything would be done. Oh, that would really be a talent to have, wouldn't it?

I've added some new web site and blog links over there. Oh, and I changed the music for a while. It's kind of jazzy, not too loud -- let me know what you think. Have a great day, and remember:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss

Hellooooooo!

Wow, I feel like I've been gone for ages. It must be blog withdrawal or something. I spent a lovely morning with the Beadalicious Beading Babes in South Austin. Much hilarity and jollility was had by all. These little Friday get-togethers have become more important since I realized at the bead retreat just how much of a hermit I have become!

So, I guess you want details of the Austin Stitchers' exhibit and show, huh? Just promise to read my details first, and then go read Margot Potter's details about her trip to Tucson for the shows there. I'm so jealous! I've wanted to go for years, and her stories will make mine seem piddly, but I digress.

Okie dokie, here we go. The very first thing I did was to herniate a disc in my lower back with the very first thing I picked up to load into the car. I have a very light-weight table that I use, and as I walked out the front door with it, the wind caught it. But I didn't let go, oh no, no, no! And then I stumbled, and that was all she wrote. So I called T-man. "Can you come help me load the car?" No, he was the only person in the office at that time. "Can you meet me over there?" Sure. Well, I tried to pick up a box and carry it to the car. Oh, duh! Yeah, yeah, I know. Now it's time for A to be home from school (it's getting later and later at this point), and as she comes in I tell her how she's going to load the car for me and then help Dad set up my booth. So, off we go, only to get stuck in traffic in between two wrecks, and what should have been a 30 minute drive has taken two hours. We got there with just enough time to set up before the deadline. Everything else that weekend was a piece of cake. There was lots of schmoozing, lots of selling, lots of ooohs and aaaaahs, Donna won a ribbon with my design so people have requested more kits, I got to see some old friends and made a couple of new friends, I got some nifty new tools, I had the most wonderful chocolate cake I've ever eaten, and what was really three days of hard work was very enjoyable. There were some amazing pieces in the exhibit, as always, and I really regret not having my camera there.

Can I tell you how much I enjoyed doing a trunk show? Oh my stars, it was such a blast to have all those other designs in the booth! And extremely low stress to boot! I loved it. I want to do it again. I've discussed it with my distributor and we will probably do the same thing come May, so stay tuned! I sold out of several kits, both mine and hers, and I sold out of a few patterns. We definitely came home a little lighter. By the way, this was my 10-year anniversary with the Austin Stitchery Guild, so it was even more special to do this particular show. They are still some of my favorite people when it comes to beady things.

Some of you who were there noticed that I did this show solo, which I have never done before. Well, I usually get my dear Joyce to help me, but since she has become Regional Director for the South Central Region of the Embroiders' Guild of America, she hasn't had a lot of spare time. (I wanted to make sure I got the entire title in there, Your Majesty!) I did get a chance to give her a little something, which is pictured below. The pattern was adapted from one of Suzanne Cooper's patterns, called India. When I saw the pattern, it just seemed to have Joyce stamped all over it. The one thing I neglected to do was take my camera so I could get a picture of Joyce wearing her new goodies. Damn. Joyce does a lot to promote me and my little venture. I can never properly repay for the things she does and I wanted to do something special for her.

So, there it is. That's about all that happened. I had a good time, as always. And I'm ready to do it again, after a few days of rest. I'll be back Monday morning, bright and early. Have a great weekend, and bead your little hearts out!

Monday, Monday

I'm back. The show was a lot of fun, but I'm exhausted and I've got lots to do. I did get to visit with quite a few old friends, and made a couple of new friends, but more on that tomorrow afternoon. I'll have more time for a good, long post then.
I am very proud to say that Donna Jansma won a ribbon for her interpretation of my necklace, "This Side of Midnight". Yay Donna! There were over 400 items displayed in various techniques of the needle arts, and they were all exquisite. More tomorrow, gang. I need a nap and some food and then I must count kits, etc. Later!

Time, Time, Time

I need more time in each day. Yes, this is what I have decided. More time is needed to do things I wish to do. I need it, I want it, I've got to have it. Now, how do I make the rotation of the earth slow down?

Self-portrait:So today was the last of the blood tests for the endocrinologist. We pretty much know what's NOT wrong with me, but we are still trying to find out what IS wrong with me (other than the obvious things, thank you). Oh, and I get to do a sleep study to find out why I have insomnia. And who knows what else. I guess the best is yet to come, right? And any day on the sunny side of the dirt is a good day!

I must make this short again. I've got some kits to put together, some instruction packets to price and I must locate all my display items in the mess that is my studio right now. I will be glad when the living room is finished and all the stuff can go back in there. We might just need to have a yard sale soon! Would I add beads in there? It's entirely possible. We'll just have to wait and see! Until tomorrow, beadlings!

Vampires Suck

I saw the witch doctor and this is what he said. "One more test." Yep, one more blood test and if it doesn't show what he's looking for, then I must find another specialist for another part of the body. At least the phlebotomists at the clinic I go are good and fairly painless. *sigh* And if this test does show what he's looking for, it's easily fixed. Cross your fingers.

I need to take photos, and it's a perfect day for it. It's gorgeous outside and T-man is taking a day off, which he richly deserves. I do believe he's going to putter in his workshop or just veg in front of the telly. Then we're going to have Family Night with a bad sci-fi movie and card games while we make fun of the movie. So, a little work and a little play make for a much happier me. Tomorrow I need to type up some instructions and put together a few new kits for the show next weekend with the Austin Stithcers. This is the Nefertiti Earring. Coming soon to ears near you! I'm off, but then y'all knew that, didn't you?

Proof of Beading

Okay, this is supposed to be a blog about beading (among other topics). You've all read my rants about not being able to do anything beady. Well, here you are.

This is one of my newest patterns, which will also be a kit come February. It is a bracelet, and now I must come up with some sort of clasp, else it will fall off the wrist! HAH! I've also picked out the next palette for the next new thingie, and my angels will be happy to know that their projects will be put in the mail tomorrow. Yes, dear readers, it has finally happened -- my ass is on fire!

I love my husband, but you all know that. One of the reasons I love him is that he supports me in my endeavors. Now, the bad news is I am going to need some outside work (and that is because we had to buy a car the month before T-man got laid off), and I've signed up for substitute teaching in A's school district. The good news is, T-man does not want it to interfere with the other things I do, so it's not something I must do every day. There is more to this story, of course.

We were driving home from the grocery store last night, and I started talking to my ADHD hubby about my seemingly ADHD tendencies. I think I've finally got this figured out -- it may not be the meds, it may just be me. You see, what I do with the beads was starting to feel too much like work again, and I don't like that feeling. I truly believe you should love your job, whatever it is, but when mine starts feeling like work, I dig my heels in and I just don't want to do it anymore. Soooo, T-man agrees with me. Then he points out that I've fallen back into that hole where I'm too concerned with making what I think the general public wants instead of making what I know to be creative and artistic. Are you with me? Once I got my mind around this idea, I got up off my duff and became productive again. And yes, it was pretty much overnight. No, the beading was not done overnight -- I picked this particular piece up and put it down so many times it would make your head spin. What occurred overnight was the change in attitude, the desire to create art and not just beaded stuff. T-man also pointed out that when I do what the universe has been trying to direct me to do for years, everything else around me falls into place in the best possible way.

Crap, it's Monday. I'm still hoping for those three day weekends. Plus there was the time change. Try explaining the why's of this to a 10-year old, and then explain why Arizona doesn't play along. *sigh* And this coming weekend I'm in Houston at the Houston Bead Society's Bead Bazaar as an employee of Yellow Dog Beads. I've got to get my hair cut, get some more groceries, figure out what clothes to pack because you never know what the weather in Houston will do. And of course, I must figure out (1) what beads to take and (2) what beads to shop for! And I understand that Beyond Beadery will be there this year!! Oh my stars, I've heard that you need sunglasses as you near the booth because of all the Swarovski sparkling in the light! More tomorrow, beady buds!

Musings on Wednesday

Hee, hee -- Pam updated her site. She did so yesterday, when the weather was exactly as she described. But this morning, the sky fell down again -- pretty near zero visibility when I took A to school. But now the sun is shining brightly, trying its best to burn a hole in the gray blanket of fog.

Today, I am finishing up new patterns that will go into new kits. I will print them out, pick out the beads, and distribute them to my lovely bead angels. Therefore, I'm trying to stay in a creative mode, which is a bit difficult with the new medication. It seems I've developed a bit of ADHD, just like T-man!! This bothers me a somewhat, because I don't want to be MORE than I can be, just ALL that I can be. And in that vein, I leave you with this quote from Bill Cosby: I said to a guy, "Tell me, what is it about cocaine that makes it so wonderful," and he said, "Because it intensifies your personality." I said, "Yes, but what if you're an asshole?"