April Showers bring May Flowers. Mayflowers bring smallpox.

Haven't updated much lately because I haven't felt like I've done anything. Mystery sickness is still hanging around a little bit, but I'm working on getting back in the creative saddle. So here are creative happenings from the last couple weeks.

Daughters turned 3 and 5 last week (they share the same birthday, two years apart). These were their cakes - ying and yang, light and dark, half and half, flora and fauna. They were happy and I was satisfied with my first ever attempt at drawing a koi fish. The cakes were marbled Devil's Food and butter cake with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercreme.

Next comes jalapeno peach, and jalapeno strawberry jam. We were out after mailing a bunch out as Pay It Forward and Christmas gifts, and they make an amazing glaze on pork or chicken so I had to make more. 

Third grade at Son's school did a mini-society project where every kid had to make something worth selling, then they earned fake money for a couple weeks and sold their stuff and bought goods from the other third graders. His project was a pillow box with three glass beads in it, tied with a ribbon. Each one was different. 

I've spent the last week or so working on seed bead projects. These are peyote stitch. I've now made three similar sets and have moved on to starting a spiral tubular piece that will be turned into a bracelet if I ever finish it. 

This table and chairs set was found by a friend in North Carolina as she wandered an antique shop. So I plan to take the stain off and re-do the upholstery. It will make a perfect addition to my Painted Lady house. 

So that's that. No updates don't mean no work, though it feels that way to me. Thanks for stopping by :-)

Uh oh! Guess What Day It IS?!

Guess. What. Day. It. Is.

Hump Daaaaay!

There is a nest of tiny birds somewhere right outside my office window and they have quite a story to tell this morning. I am glad they waited until the sun was up before they decided to sing the song of their people so loudly.

Today we are doing laundry and trying to get the house somewhat ready for a large birthday party this coming weekend. The carpets need cleaned anyway since they haven't been cleaned since before the floods last fall and I'm sure the dogs have tracked in obscene amounts of mud over the winter. I also really need to throw out a bunch of stuff that's been sitting around forever so now is as good a time as any.

I made one bead yesterday but it took five tries for me to get the core finished without my bead release breaking for no apparent reason, and I'm so glad I didn't give up on it because it is technically the best bead I've ever made. It even slid off the mandrel like melted butter. It's currently on a 24 hour auction on the facebook page Lampwork Beads for Sale but here picture collage of all sides of it. It did take three tries to get the cubic zirconia to stick but well worth the effort, I'd say

Also, congratulations to my little sister who ran off and eloped over the weekend. We were all starting to wonder if she and he were ever going to get married, so there was that surprise. 

Anyway, that's what I've got for today. Thanks for coming by.

Pretty in pink

Yesterday I wrapped my new rod of goldstone in a striking pink before pulling it into stringer. This is the result.

I'm very fond of this new purple and the pink together, so I may be expanding upon this idea. I also have some French renaissance ideas to combine with some gothic elements that I'd like to experiment with translating into glass. So maybe some new stuff coming soon. 

Splitting Hairs

I have a friend who got married back in October. When she met her to-be spouse, she had VERY short boyish hair. She grows it out really long and cuts it all off every few years. She has done so as long as I have known her. She grew her hair out long for their wedding and now that they're back from their honeymoon, she wants to cut all of her hair off again. Her spouse is saying "no" to every style she's chosen. It makes me wonder; if her hair was acceptable when they were dating, why is it unacceptable now?

Anyway, I made some beads yesterday. Nothing too spectacular as I've been away from the torch for months and I'm very out of practice (and I had to force myself to get started in the first place), but I've finally got some goldstone that I actually LIKE, and I've got some ideas for dichroic additions to my beads. I made a small dread slider yesterday, and a bunch of small beads for Beads of Courage, and this cone-y tube thing.

Shaped a little strangely at the top because I'm out of practice but I like it anyway. I had a couple people remark that it reminds them of butterflies or dragonflies and that has given me some interesting ideas that I want to play around with. I may add it to my Release A Bead stash, or save it to send out as a bonus for Etsy sales. I'm undecided. 

Anyway, we celebrated Son's 9th birthday on the 26th and this weekend we're having a big birthday party for him and my aunt and my grandmother. Husband and I went to the Avalanche v Sharks game on Saturday to see the Avalanche clinch a playoff spot. I'm waiting on frit and purple glass and a couple other things to be delivered today. Not a whole lot else happening around here, it's mostly the same thing day in and day out. 

Independent Artist feature

It's not often that I find a jewelry piece that sets my heart all a-flutter, because frankly I'm not a jewelry girl. That said, I have a piece today to share just because looking at it gives me one of those rare "Oh my gosh look at that!" moments.

This ring, called "Calyx", was made by Stephanie Aust. People who know glass artists by artist names know her as "copperrein". It has one of her glass beads as the focal point, accented by glass micro beads and wire wrapping that she did by hand. It's a really impressive piece and a steal at $26. You can buy it here. So shop independent and fuel the creative flame!

Countdown to Launch

I haven't had much time or energy to post lately as I've been busy trying to get the house in order for Christmas at the same time as getting through daily chores. I have been experimenting with some new product ideas and plans for some other things if I can figure out the method for the base pieces.

About three weeks ago (November 30, to be exact) I tripped over a bird bath out in the front yard and hurt my hand in the process. It's still really sore, like it hurts to straighten out my finger or wash my hand or push on anything with that finger. I thought I'd probably broken it, but didn't go get it checked after I was assured that it's probably only sprained. Well last night one of my friends (who is a nurse) said it's almost surely broken or has some tendon damage. I probably should go get it checked but I'm afraid that my  doctor will end up putting it in a cast or something and I can NOT have my hand out of commission for weeks. It's my dominant hand. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So in a prime moment of brain overload (or maybe brain disconnect) I noticed this morning as Son was leaving for school that the gift I'd wrapped for his teacher had the label and the bow on the bottom. It sat on my desk for two days and I didn't notice! Oh well. Too late now.

Husband and I spent most of last weekend making homemade jams to send out to our family in South Carolina for Christmas. While they are done and ready, I still don't have the boxes to mail them out. I think Saturday is the very latest I can mail them by priority and know for sure that they will be delivered on time. So I think a trip to the post office and click-and-ship will be my project tonight.


Anyway. Here are some things I've been working on lately. A couple of them got scrapped (the blue and green tree switch plate covers, to be exact) and others are in progress or prototypes.

scrapped

lollipop dread bead prototype

fractal dread bead 

scrapped

purple glass beads

cabled scarf in red

this one is still on my desk, 1/4 done but temporarily abandoned