The cool front has rolled in, its 75 and low humidity (49% is low for us, ha).  At 2:30, the Horns play the Rice Owls, [...]]]> I’m up early, watching my show, College Gameday.  Its a little bittersweet, cause Shoeless Joe used to be with me at the studio on Saturday mornings and we’d watch the show together…alas…

The cool front has rolled in, its 75 and low humidity (49% is low for us, ha).  At 2:30, the Horns play the Rice Owls, and after a while I’m going to try to head down to the local yarn shop where a bunch of spinners gather on the first Saturday. I want to see what wheel I might be interested in. I understand its kinda like buying a car – you should test drive a few before deciding which one you like. I don’t expect the ladies to let me try their wheels, but maybe watching will be helpful.  I’m going to buy a wheel, I just dunno when.  But oh yeah, its gonna happen.

Ok, all the updating is done for today…

Just wanted to spend a moment discussing my pricing – folks ask me why some things are more expensive than others, and there’s an easy (but maybe complicated) reason for it.  There are multiple factors, including rarity of the glass used, difficulty in creating the bead itself, length of [...]]]>

Ok, all the updating is done for today…

Just wanted to spend a moment discussing my pricing – folks ask me why some things are more expensive than others, and there’s an easy (but maybe complicated) reason for it.  There are multiple factors, including rarity of the glass used, difficulty in creating the bead itself, length of time it takes me to complete the finished item are all things to take into account. So just cause something has fewer beads, doesn’t mean it wasn’t twice as hard for me to create.  Or twice as expensive, depending on the glass.  I remember people asking me about this at Bead and Button, and I think it’s something everyone should consider.  I *could* charge you more for beads that are easy for me to make, just cause i’ve strung more of them on a bracelet, but I don’t think that is fair to you.  Ya’ll might remember those days when I would list all the beads, and let you pick and choose which ones to order – some of those were definitely hard to make than others, and I charged appropriately for that.

The moral of this story is, not all hollows are created equal…

Its funny when you wake up and are pleased to see it raining,isn’t it? Don’t most folks associate rain with bad news – washed out picnics or parades, flooded streets, wet shoes, not having your umbrella, rain gets a bad rap from people who don’t appreciate it.  We in Texas appreciate the rain. Because we often [...]]]>

Its funny when you wake up and are pleased to see it raining,isn’t it? Don’t most folks associate rain with bad news – washed out picnics or parades, flooded streets, wet shoes, not having your umbrella, rain gets a bad rap from people who don’t appreciate it.  We in Texas appreciate the rain. Because we often times go too long without it. My friends in the PNW (well, some of my friends) are always begging for the sun, and whining about ‘more rain’. We are the opposite down here – tired of the blazing, burning, roasting, toasting sun and wishing desperately for some wet relief.  This morning we finally have rain and its wonderful. I couldn’t be happier, but I bet my trees are even happier than me…

Yes, I was up till nearly 2am last night and yes, i woke up at 6:35am, and yes, I’ve been trying to go back to sleep, which I think I managed a little, having a weird dream that I was IN the movie Rocky Horror Picture Show. Not one of the dressed up attendees at my local hipster theater. No, i was being chased around the house by Tim Curry, singing songs and since I cannot act, doing a fine job of bad acting. I have no idea why I dreamt this, I haven’t been to RHPS in ages, I haven’t heard any songs of late (even tho I owned the soundtrack in college and know most of the songs by heart). I haven’t even BEEN to the show all that often, maybe 12 times at best? So, I have no idea, but there I was and it was fun. My head is hurting from lack of sleep, but I’m going to just soldier on, get some breakfast, take some advil and deal. I cannot see myself sleeping any more this morning…maybe an afternoon nap. Or go to bed at 7:30pm tonight…but not now…

Some of the cats ventured outside in the rain, but the dog and a few others have stayed inside. Scaredy cats they are.Its not THAT bad out there, we aren’t talking thunderstorms or torrential rain, its a soft pattering at best. But if you need to stay dry, I wont kick you out.

1:45am – I’ve been up really late, making as many earrings as I can possibly make. There are brand new silver earwires, brand new wired hollows, and plenty of dangly goodness for you tomorrow. I’ll [...]]]> I want green walls and green lamps in my house now…and purple walls…and turquoise walls.  this movie is so cute…

1:45am – I’ve been up really late, making as many earrings as I can possibly make. There are brand new silver earwires, brand new wired hollows, and plenty of dangly goodness for you tomorrow. I’ll be up shooting pics, cause there are a lot of them to shoot…I’ll keep ya’ll updated when I start to load the Etsy store. Prob not till the afternoon…Gotta get my Wii Fit time in first, of course…

See ya’ll tomorrow…

I’m *trying* to have a weekly update, so that I’m on a more regular schedule and ya’ll don’t have to wait months to see what I’ve been working on. The past two Friday’s I’ve updated my Etsy account, and thus, I am actually working on the hollow earrings that have been sitting here, waiting patiently for me to make their earwires and get them online.  While watching Nanny McPhee (I now want to paint my walls in bright green and purples!),  the earwires are now complete, so its just a matter of getting the beads wired and attached..I think I will tumble these first, and while they go round and round, I’ll work on the wiring the beads.

So, what I’m trying to say is, look for new hollow bead earrings to be posted tomorrow.  Fall colors. Dark glass. Hope ya’ll come back tomorrow and see what’s up…

I’ve been trying to update this morning, but am having a hard time accessing my laptop…because Charlie insists on crawling on me, right up to my face, laying down and demanding pets.  He’s very attention starved, no matter how much petting we give him. I hold him awhile, petting, scratching, talking, then set him aside, and [...]]]>

I’ve been trying to update this morning, but am having a hard time accessing my laptop…because Charlie insists on crawling on me, right up to my face, laying down and demanding pets.  He’s very attention starved, no matter how much petting we give him. I hold him awhile, petting, scratching, talking, then set him aside, and he crawls right back up for more. then he leaves, comes back, jumps on me and it starts all over. Right now I’m blocking his paws from the keyboard cause he likes to press them and make weird things happen on the computer.  He’s a big cat who thinks he’s still a kitten. Eko still chases him, so we are doing what we can to keep them separated. Eko still goes to work with Brian and Charlie has run of the house. Then Eko comes home and Charlie goes outside. Its a dance.

Last night’s class was pretty good. There are 9 students, most of which haven’t had a lot of torch time, which isn’t a surprise. Many folks take intermediate bead classes after having one beginner class, and doing very little practicing at home. I took my beginner class in October, didn’t set my torch up till December, made a few beads and couldn’t remember what to do, so took my intermediate class in January. I had hardly touched the glass inbetween, so I expect the same from any intermediate group. It helps that Jim, the owner of Bluemoon is helping me, cause I originally said I could handle no more than 5 at a time – there is a LOT of personal time needed by each student, and i cannot get to all 9 people by myself. But he said he’d help, and he’s doing a great job.  Everyone is pretty upbeat and in a good mood. They did better than they think they did, for folks who aren’t used to putting glass on mandrels. Last night we did shaping – spacers, round beads, tubes, bicones, cones. Next week, we cover encasing.

I’m glad that I have a few days of being home, so I can get work done. Work! I have stuff to string, lists of orders to make, I need to be home to get this done. So, today, the tv stays off, the radio goes on and I fire up the torch, and pull out my wireworking equipment.  Time to wire up some earrings!

I’ve been buying a LOT of really nice, really very cool yarn of late. So much so, that I’ve put myself on a ‘yarn diet’ – and have abstained from buying much at all. Maybe a skein here or there, like a [...]]]> pictures lovingly borrowed from Ravelry stash.  Yarn is “Jane Fairfax” by Sanguine Gryphon

I’ve been buying a LOT of really nice, really very cool yarn of late. So much so, that I’ve put myself on a ‘yarn diet’ – and have abstained from buying much at all. Maybe a skein here or there, like a limited edition that is a one-of-a-kind release, never to be seen again (for at least 6 months).  I have a couple of those on order, to be delivered this month, and they weren’t outlandish in price, so I don’t feel guilty about it…

pictures lovingly borrowed from Ravelry stash.  Yarn is “Jane Fairfax” by Sanguine Gryphon

However, there is a yarn that I’ve been eyeing for weeks.  Its so popular that when it comes in stock, people make announcements on the Ravelry group, everyone flocks there and they buy it all in frenzy. I am seemingly too late every time, which is why I have none…Its not that expensive, about $25/skein, which is quite reasonable, but the problem is I want at least 2 skeins, if not more, and that’s where I kind of have to say ‘well, do you really NEED that much of one yarn, why don’t you wait’…so I wait…and then this particular yarn was available for the past 24 hours, and I thought about buying it many times, but never actually pulled the trigger…only to find today its no longer available. Its a seasonal color that the dyer is putting on hiatus for new Fall colors coming out, and this one is no longer on their site.  I had 24 hours to get it and I still failed.  I am not all that upset, I’m slightly disappointed, mostly amused at my lack of decision, only to have it taken away from me in the end.  Its ok, I mean, its not like my life will stop w/out this yarn.  I just had to laugh at myself for having the opportunity, having it stare right at my face, having the ability to get it, and then not doing it.  I just feel guilty buying $75 worth of yarn at the moment…because there was no way I was going to walk away with one little skein.  the yardage makes it impossible to do anything with it (about 200yds) unless you have at least two or three of them.  Such dilemmas…

pictures lovingly borrowed from Ravelry stash.  Yarn is “Jane Fairfax” by Sanguine Gryphon

I do this with glass at times, especially the $100/lb silver glass.  I can buy a measly 1/4lb for $25, but do you know how little that amt of glass is? you can hardly make anything before you run out…so you need to pick and choose very carefully.  I’ve learned which colors are worthwhile and which ones to stay away from (my Hailey class taught me that, saving me lots of money in the longrun) cause who wants $100 worth of glass that isn’t going to perform? Not me…

pictures lovingly borrowed from Ravelry stash.  Yarn is “Jane Fairfax” by Sanguine Gryphon

The busted kitten we’ve been fostering, Nickel, is doing better, he’s feeling great, but his eye is still only partially open. It seems to be taking forever to heal. He’s still got some congestion and some small patches of nose skin that come off, but nothing as bad as he was.  The vet tech got to see him yesterday and spend time snuggling with him. We hope she’ll be able to take him home to her boys soon.  He’s out and about in the house right now, jumping on everything and having a ball…Kittens are the best ever, truly…

There are a lot of things coming [...]]]> Note to Susan Conrad:  I sent a reply to your email and Comcast gave me a ‘blocked by spam’ message. Please check your spam folder for my reply and if you don’t see anything, lemme know and I’ll try to send my message via another one of my email accounts…Thanks!

There are a lot of things coming at my way right now and I have to decide what path I want to travel…I have lots of requests for beads, and I do plan on making those for everyone who’s asked…I have a 4-week class beginning tomorrow that I will be teaching on Wed evenings (and possibly more in October, we are working on a schedule)…I have an opportunity to get a booth at the new Bead Fest in Arlington, and sharing a hotel room with Julie Nordine of Credit River Glass…and that happens in a month…Plus I am still trying to get a few other smaller situations taken care of behind the scenes, like changing pet rescue organizations, and just making Fall beads for the fun of it…(and to post on Etsy)…WHAT TO DO?!?! I am contemplating it all, some of it is already committed, I just need to figure out what I want to do and when…

As a result, I decided to pull out the Wii Fit and start doing some yoga and maybe little skiing and hula hooping. Its fun…And i’m getting better…I used to have such good balance, I used to dance on a drill team and do cheerleading WAY back in the day, but when you get old and fat, it all disappears…Its not like I fall down stairs or anything, but I’d like to regain some of my strength in my muscles, and I don’t really want to go to a local gym to do it. The Wii Fit is actually a pretty good work out. I can feel the muscles in my legs burning, and I’m having fun. Different games are unlocked as you progress, so it doesn’t get boring. I’ve also been told that EA has a good Fit game I should look into. Apparently it will ‘kick my ass’. Ok then!

UPDATE: Just read that Disney and Time Warner have reached a deal and I’ll be able to watch my show Saturday. Disney was the troublemaker in this dispute. Creeps. Football starts this Saturday. I am SO ready, as you know. Disney (ESPN, ABC) and Time Warner are locked in a battle, and word has it we might lose their feed on Sept 2. I am holding my breath because if I can’t watch my College Gameday on ESPN Saturday morning, I will not be happy. At. All. Come on you stupid mega-billion companies, stop putting us in the middle of your spats and get your shit together. I don’t like being held hostage by you stupid people. We already lost NBC for TWO months because Time Warner fought with you. Satellite is not as reliable as cable, plus we have our computer and phone tied up with them, so to drop the cable portion wouldn’t benefit us much. If you hear a big yell on Sept. 2, you’ll know things aren’t going well in my sports world…

There are a variety of good and bad aspects to living in the country…one of the bad ones is there are too many stray cats out here…And not enough people to take care of them. At least in Austin, there were more folks to give out food and take in strays..Another bad thing is flat tires…Because [...]]]>

There are a variety of good and bad aspects to living in the country…one of the bad ones is there are too many stray cats out here…And not enough people to take care of them. At least in Austin, there were more folks to give out food and take in strays..Another bad thing is flat tires…Because you have to drive further to get where you’re going, and being in the country, there are all sorts of what-nots in the road that you don’t get much when driving down the paved streets of Austin. Not that you can’t get a flat in Austin, but since moving here, we’ve had two flats in the truck and at least one in the Honda…That’s more than we had in Austin, by far…

This morning, after I made my routine trip to Austin, I found my left rear truck tire flat. Like a pancake.  There is some sort of metal thing in the tread. Not exactly a nail, more like a piece of flat steel.  I think the tire can be plugged and fixed, and Brian will take it in tomorrow.  He came to try and put the spare on the truck, but then of course the little wacktacular jack that comes with the vehicle had a piece fall off and we couldn’t retrieve it…Maybe once its cooler, we can go outside w/ a flashlight and try to wedge this piece out of the small opening its gotten into…Still, since the jack was now inoperable, we phoned our insurance road assistance and they sent a very nice repair person who was able to use their working jack, get the spare on, tighten the bolts and off I went.  I drove slowly home (45 miles), just in case the tire decided to bust into a million pieces, but it held together. Who knows the last time it was used? But it had air, and all we had to do was get it on the truck. Easy. Four hours later, I’m finally home…

Days like this feel like they are slipping away from you. I was hoping to be home by 11:00 at the latest…and now its 2:30 and I’m far behind. Guess its time to get to work…

ALL packages are in the mail, except those purchased yesterday…I’ll get those done this week. If you have an overseas package, it was mailed today, so look for it in a week or so…(sometimes it takes 3 weeks, lets hope its only 1 week)…

We need rain. Send rain, please…

Winston digs mashed potatoes…

Whatever that means, its Sunday, and quiet, and sunny and the kitten we’ve been fostering and giving meds to, Nickel, is running all [...]]]> UPDATE:  It might have been late, but I got ALL the goodies packaged up and labeled…They all go out in the mail tomorrow…Yeehaw!

Winston digs mashed potatoes…

Whatever that means, its Sunday, and quiet, and sunny and the kitten we’ve been fostering and giving meds to, Nickel, is running all over the house. All our cats are outside, so he has free reign of the house and is taking full advantage. He’s very much feeling better, and while his eye is still partially a mess, and he’s still got a little blood issue on his nose, I think we’re going to try to turn him over to his new family on Tuesday when he visits the vet’s office for a followup. The vet tech there wants him and I’m hoping she’s able to take him at that time…Her three little boys will love this cat, they’ll all have such a great time…

I am heading upstairs to do all the shipping of all the Etsy stuff, so if you’ve ordered something, it’s on it’s way…look for an email w/ a tracking number coming your way today…

We have loads of Halloween stuff that we’ve acquired over the years and its just taking up space in our storage area upstairs. I think we are going to start donating it to local thrift stores since its starting to his the shelves…We don’t decorate for Halloween like we used to, since we moved down this little dirt road, we never get any foot traffic, never have given out one candy in the 4 years we’ve been here…and some of the decorations have been gnawed on my squirrels and frankly they are just taking up valuable space that we could use. I’d like to donate some Christmas stuff we’ve acquired as well…Time to dig out boxes and start hauling stuff away. Lord knows that’s one of my favorite things to do…Donate! And then maybe we can get a small table loom and set it up upstairs…Yes…I like that idea!

Its also Clean the House day…Its time to get it in order…and I’m actually looking forward to it. One of the benefits of having a small house is, it doesn’t take too long to clean. And since we took out the carpet and have wood floors, its even easier…plus that Dyson Animal vacuum was the best investment we’ve made to combating cat hair…its brilliant!