Bead Porn And Holiday Cheer!

Chantilly Lace ã2012 Theresa Buchle

http://www.nomadicnotions.com

This is what I'm teaching this Saturday (November 17) at Nomadic Notions. There is still room in this class. Want to see another color way?

Chantilly Lace ã2012 Theresa Buchle

http://www.nomadicnotions.com

In the mood for Christmas but don't want to make jewelry? How about some special holiday decor for yourself or someone else?

Christmas Banner ã2011 Theresa Buchle

This kit includes everything you need to make your own, gorgeous Christmas Banner. Order now - time's running out!

So This is Christmas

Okay, I've finally got a bit of Christmas spirit. Pam wanted to know if I had gotten it from a bottle. *snicker* Not yet, but I am spending Christmas Eve where I am not very wanted and don't really want to be, so it may well come from a bottle that afternoon and into that night. I'll try to be good, but I'm not promising anything. Oh, the things we do for love. Pass the spiked nog, please. My recipe for egg nog calls for egg nog (duh), cinnamon, Cool Whip (or comparable whipped topping) and Bicardi black or gold label rum. Put everything in the glass/punch bowl to taste. Yum!!! But not yet -- we'll have the first cups Sunday night, then Monday night, then Tuesday night. And then we'll have it again New Year's morning, but probably without the rum.

Hey, guess what? I slept last night. I realize it was from sheer exhaustion, but I did sleep. T-man had to leave at 2:30 this morning to be in Plano by 7:00. For you non-Texans, that's driving from just south of Austin up to just north of Dallas. And he got there just before 7:00 as planned. I vaguely remember him leaving. He should be home about the same time as A. I would have gone with him, but I had already promised to eat lunch with A at school. She was honored for her scholastic performance this past six weeks. She was very happy that I was there. She's going to be in junior high next year. Hard to believe, isn't it? (That was directed to all the adopted aunties in her life!)

We're putting the tree up tonight, but no one knows that yet. Tomorrow night, we want to take A to look at lights she hasn't seen since she was just a year old --- 37^th Street in Austin and the Trail of Lights at Zilker Park. We used to walk to the Trail of Lights from our old house in Austin when N was in grade school and A was just a sprout. It should be fun.

I have my first big beady income to-do for 2008 already planned. See? Making plans for changes is already working. So, first there was getting up earlier. The next change on the list is to become more active and work with my army of doctors to get all this excess weight off me one way or another. I'm stopping short of liposuction, but if I thought it would work without being in horrendous pain and the insurance company would pay for it, I'd do it. My third 2008 lifestyle change will be listed tomorrow morning (and maybe a couple more). Remember -- changes, not resolutions! There's a rumor that if you do something for 90 days it becomes part of your lifestyle. Three months doesn't seem that long in the great scheme of things, and that's how I have to look at it -- it's not that long in the great scheme of things and I'll be a better, healthier, happier person for it.

Have I mentioned that I have some of the best friends a person could ask for? The other High Priestesses of the Temple of the Goddess of Beading have arranged for me to attend the 2008 Texas Bead Retreat. This will be the very first time I've been able to go. This is a picture of us taken this past April. By the way, those tumblers are full of Cosmos. Never again, never again, never again. My Bead Angels are flexing their fingers, ready for more work regarding that first beady income to-do. I'll get a picture of them next time we are all together. I'm already planning our first pot-luck bead class for 2008, which T-man will be teaching. And Pam and I have some things we'll be working on very soon.

Go check out Art Bead Scene's 12 Days of Beading. It's great, with quite a few links for wonderfully beady things. Don't forget Suzanne Cooper's Countdown to Christmas. And tomorrow will be Margot Potter's last installment of Ornament Thursday, with lots of eye candy.

Tomorrow is cookie baking day. Just imagine my children when they get home, greeted by the smell of freshly baked cookies (mmmmmm) and the sight of mom covered in flour and drinking wine straight from the bottle (Oh MOM!). Did you know that Costco sells this giant box of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix? It makes 18 dozen cookies, I kid you not. Sorry, no homemade cookies here, except for the Tollhouse cookies. I leave all that to my youngest sister who proudly shows off her baking skills every Christmas. I will take my homemade lemon curd pie to Mom's, though. So tune in tomorrow beadlings (and others) for more items for change, maybe a picture of the tree, and other various and sundry STUFF that makes my world go round!

Un-beading Part II

Okay, I have completely un-beaded the necklace and am starting over. Crikey, I hate doing that. I also hate fire ants. Because of all the rain we had, they have made their home in our walls and we are having a hell of a time getting rid of them. Do you know where I found them yesterday? In my microwave. They were in the microwave so thick that I had to get into the car and drive to get something for lunch. Those of you who know where I live realize how long it took. For those of you who don't, I will enlighten you. When I got back home an hour later, lunch was rather cold, and I could not warm it. Fortunately, we live across the road from a professional exterminator. He gave us some stuff called InTice. It's sweet ant bait, and it contains orthoboric acid. We put it near the ants, away from food, and out of reach of the cats. Today, there are far fewer ants in the microwave, but I am afraid they have made a home in the walls of the appliance! Crap, crap, crap!

I am off to the local bead store to pick up beads. I had a little "guinea pig" session a few weeks ago. Basically, when I teach a new class with time constraints, I need help to make sure everything works. So I invited a few beaders over with the promise of free kits. Come to find out, I did not put enough beads in the bracelet kit, so I must fix the problem. A southern lady is only as true as her word, right? And so, hi ho, hi ho, off the bead store I go. And I'm sure I'll come home with a few more beads, because heaven knows I need more beads . . . .

Beads in the Afternoon??

First, class this morning was wonderful. I'll have a picture of the class, plus pictures of variations on a Zinnia to share. Second, I am almost finished with the sample for the "comment" prize kit, and will post a teaser picture of that. And third, I'm exhausted. Today was the first day of school -- for both girls. I got up EARLY. Here is a synopsis of my day:

(1) Drive A to school, (2) drive back home after sitting in a line that backed up 100 yards because parents did not attend "back to school" night last week to meet the teacher & find the classroom, (3) wake up N, (4) listen to N grouse because she had to get up early & her classes are on line & she doesn't have to be at work until 1:00, (5) take a shower & get dressed for class only to stick myself in the eye with the mascara wand, (6) getting dressed is interrupted by N who cannot figure out how to set the DVR to record only the portion of the ACC televised classes that she needs, (7) go back to finish getting dressed, (8) start walking out the door but stop to listen to N grouse because now she has to drive into Austin & go to campus to get her ID & to price textbooks, (9) look Ma, I'm driving --- oh crap, 18-wheeler gravel truck who should be turning into the quarry, (10) nope, he's not turning into the quarry & I've got 20 minutes & OMG could I be driving any slower? (11) yes, I can, (12) I've got 10 minutes but why is person driving 35 mph on MoPac??, (13) hello, ladies!, (14) I need to go by LB -- okay, I don't really NEED to, but I really WANT to because I'm sure there are a few colors I don't have, (15) schmooze with Olivia at LB and leave with a beautiful rhodonite pendant plus the appropriate seed beads to make a killer necklace, (16) get back in the now HOT car, (17) where are all these people going?, (18) stop for lunch at Sonic, but now I must sit & wait because the idiot parked next to me pulled half way out so he could wait for the backseat passenger to fasten the baby back into the car seat, (19) still waiting, (20) driving home, (21) walk into the cool house & look at the clock only to realize the bus will be here in 15 minutes & we still need to go get a lunch box, (22) it's the first day of school & the bus is 20 minutes late & the car is hot, (23) very talkative small person in the car who is VERY excited about the first day of school, (24) drive to Target where the PERFECT lunch box in purple camouflage resides, (25) "I need two composition books & a brad folder & glue sticks & erasers & don't forget my juice boxes", (26) on to Office Depot because Target does not have brad folders, (27) now on to Wal-Mart for those juice boxes, (28) what do you mean we didn't get erasers yet?, (29) back into the SAUNA car to drive home, which is where I am now.

Beads in the afternoon?? No, there is still dinner to cook, first day of school paperwork to sign, I'm sure there is some part of A's day she has not yet discussed, N will want to discuss her day, and the hubby will have his turn. Beads tonight??? No, because after dinner & talk, it will bed time for A (which is getting to be a bit of a chore, but I'm sure it's just 10-year-old self-exertion), then more talk with N & hubby, THEN it will be my bed time and I'm pretty sure I'll sleep tonight!!

Beads tomorrow!!

It's a Bead-iful Day!

What a wonderful class last night. I had one baby beader (someone who has never beaded before). She was impressive. When something didn't look right, she instinctively ripped it out and started again. I always enjoy my classes with the Austin Stitchers. Here is a picture of some of them, beading away.

Okay, you people are a tough crowd! Still no comments, even though they have been requested. I tell you what. I will come up with some sort of contest, with a prize. I'll post rules and pictures on Tuesday, because Monday I'm teaching the Austin Stitchers again. And I might not be posting over the weekend, as I have a lot of organizing to do in the bead room, plus I have to design a beadiful prize! See ya later, alligator!

Good Day Sunshine . . . .

I wasn't going to post today as I have much to do in the way of preparing for class this evening, but I'm sitting here waiting for multiple sets of instructions to finish printing. I'm watching them because inevitably, my ink jet cartridges will run out somewhere near the end. But this time, I am prepared! I went and had cartridges refilled last night! Ah, the marvels of modern technology.

I bet you're wondering when we're going to get to the beading part, aren't you? Very soon, I promise we will get there soon. This is all new to me, but comments will help. So . . . . .

Let me know what you would like to discuss in the way of beading. Just click on the little link below that says "comments" and type away. Ask me questions, give me suggestions, share a beading tip. But for now, I'm off to get some packaging of kits finished. ¡Adiós amigos!