I did give the 3 stone beads to my friend Julie for her shower - but I had made extras and that's what I've got listed here...I couldn't decide between giving lentils or grape-shaped beads, so I have a couple of sets to choose from...They are more expensive than my other beads due to the additional process these go through - and they are made using silver leaf so that adds to the cost...but they are one of a kind beads that I think are pretty..the first set is strung on a thin leather cord that's about 18" long, the lentils are on a leather piece thats about 8" for a bracelet...or do your own thing with them...and as always, have fun! (click the pics to see the beads against a fall leaf...very pretty!)
Cold...wet...rainy...perfect day to stay inside. Except I have a bridal shower to attend and have to get out in this evil weather and drive across town...rats...but when I get back, its 'all beads, all the time' this afternoon and evening. I made a few 'stone' beads yesterday for the shower - we are to bring 3 small stones to add to a bamboo vase that symbolizes strength and I don't know what else...anyway, I thought - 'why go find ugly rocks in the street when I can make beautiful stone beads?" So that's what I did...Still need to clean them, and i'll try to get a pic for ya even if its taken indoors.
The Carrie in Paris set has sold, and now I'm really sad again..it was my last little reminder from the show and its leaving the house..I've already boxed it up so I don't have to look at it longingly..Sure I can make a set for me - but this set was made before the show ended..its the memory of the whole thing...I'm sure its going to a great home, though...my customers are the BEST!
Are we all excited about the Oscars tomorrow night? Some years I'm more excited than others, and with Billy Crystal hosting, it should be fun. I would like to see Bill Murray or Johnny Depp win -I like Sean Penn and he's a great actor but comedic roles are rarely awarded (Kevin Kline did win for Fish called Wanda), and I loved both Lost in Translation and Pirates...I'll probably be making beads, maybe I'll make an Oscar-themed set, depending on the colors of the gowns...I've heard the dresses are going to be chocked full of color and not as much black...we shall see!
The torch was quiet yesterday but I'm working all day today, so hopefully we'll have some new beads to show. I do have a new auction going up tonight, a sneak peak of it is on the eBay page...
I've heard from you 'Pink folks' and will be making more pink beads, I promise. I needed to order more pink rods, and they are on their way...more shades of Pink...so I hope to get those ready for you in the coming weeks..hang in there!
Check out the very groovy paperweight I bought...
While we were there, we watched a vase being made and wouldn't you know it - they messed it up and had to salvage the mistake...only 5% of the stuff they make turn out bad and we were lucky enough to be there when it happened...but they turned the mistake into a cool 'fan vase' and we were all impressed...its like what Loren Stump says..."Its not what you can Make, its what you can Fix". Boy howdy!
I've got a lunch date in Wimberley with a friend - we're hitting Wimberley Glassworks to pick up a prize they are donating for charity- and having lunch...Wimberley is a little town with 1 stoplight and cozy little shops...I used to 'escape' to this area during my college days when I needed a break from studying and to catch some hill country scenery...I'll be back this afternoon - i have plenty of beads for Pickings and a new eBay set...so check back with me later...!
The month is almost gone and before you know it Spring Flowers will be popping up all over...I'll have pics here of our wildflowers - bluebonnets, indian paint brush, winecups, phlox and sorts of others...the colors are wonderful! I can see making a bunch of road trips during March - its the nicest month in Texas - the weather is still mild, the colors are out in force and its sunny almost every day...Hurray! Spring...and on that note, I'm making a set today that is in green, purple and touches of butter yellow...i started on it yesterday, but didn't get enough sleep and found myself nodding off at the torch...not while it was on, mind you..but I got 2 whole beads made before I decided I needed to stop and start again today...so now I'm off to the post office to ship the overseas packages and then I'm burning glass and having a great day at the torch...still working on the orders, but they are finishing up quickly...Oh! and a new set is coming up tonight...!fun fun fun...
Wow! I'm famous! Both Val Cox mention me in her write up AND Corina mentions me in her auction...thanks to all who've emailed and let me know - I was excited to see these mentions, do folks know me by name? or just by 'blackberrybeads'? Either way, I'm not complaining - I'm thrilled to be mentioned with the big names...
I DO have new beads to post here today - something bright and flowery for spring... AND a new pink and black set will go up on eBay too...this one is light pink, black and a little white - very retro 50's colors...just have to get the beads cleaned and pics snapped...its cold and dark here this morning, but i'll do my best...
I watched the last ep of SATC - wonderful! I'm happy with how everything turned out, happy endings are good...I haven't watched the 'Farewell' special, i'm saving that for later...but I knew I'd better watch the ep before all the websites and Entertainment Tonight would spoil it for me...
I did get a few beads made yesterday, but not too many...so today is torching day while it rains outside...see ya'll in a few...
I've been busy! Beads and rings made over the weekend, I just finished snapping pics of them...
I have the SATC finale and farewell ready to be watched, but I'll wait to do that after I finish my 'chores' - the weekend's beads are cleaned, I just need to snap pics and post here...I even have my next set of rods ready to go, just haveta pull stringer, make twisties and get underway...back in a few...
Have you check out the Picasso Gallery lately? Pretty cool stuff! There's a link on the page where you can make your own - email it to me and i'll post it!
Ok, so I am not able to catch SATC tonight -but I will see it TOMORROW...so please, don't reveal the ending to me...it'll be hard enough to miss it tonight and try to keep away from the news and papers, but I'm going to try...I have my own thoughts as to how I'd like it to end...but I think I'm in the minority. I've never been a Big fan - he's always been pretty crappy to Carrie, so I'm hoping she will stay single for now, and I'm quite sure she'll return to NY - not much of a movie if she's in Paris and the girls are in NY - did you hear they will be working on a movie for release in 2005? we can only hope...
One thing I've found since I've been working on my orders - my eBay offerings have dwindled on my shelf...so I think I need to balance making a set for eBay and an order a day. I hate seeing my little shelf all bare with no colorful beads on it...
I have some bead tools for sale, if you're a beadmaker or just want some groovy tools, check out this link: Tools
A new eBay set and with 3 twisty beads, I had to call it "Victorian Twist"...More of the popular amethyst and cocoa colors that we all know and love...
Still plugging away on orders, have completed some and have more to do...and more are pouring in...I may have to put a hold on orders till I get caught up...
Today's Picking - Sunshine Day - a tribute to bright, sunny days everywhere...Go and enjoy your Saturday -its beautiful here today...!
I have some bead tools for sale, if you're a beadmaker or just want some groovy tools, check out this link: Tools
The Picasso Gallery is coming right along - check it out if you haven't already...
new Pickings for you - while I'm busily finishing up my orders, I'm getting a few little pieces done for you as well...the Ocelot Spot frit mix is Val Cox's very popular blend and I love how it looks on Ivory...so I made a few beads just because its been so long since I've played with this frit...still wonderful as always.
The Pink Caged Heart is done with a new glass that I'm experimenting with. I'm not allowed to divulge any information about it right now, its still in in the test stages, but it is 96 COE, and completely compatible with the redux stringer that is all over it - what that means is - the stringer won't pop off like it would on Moretti which is 104COE. I'm very excited about this glass and hope to have more of it in the future. I'm going to hoarde what I have now incase it never comes back...ha.
Just a quick update today - am working on orders today! hurray...send me your Picasso!...new class dates have been set, see below...talk to ya'll later...
Check out the gallery, and email me your portrait!
Don't you love how Picasso became so popular with such weird looking faces? I do! Make your own Picasso face...Show everyone your artistic side (use the 'scale up' icon to enlarge each feature when building your face)...Here's my self portrait-
Create your own portrait, email it to me and I'll build a page for all our weirdo artwork!
Got a late start on the day..beads are out of the kiln, need to be cleaned, photo'd and posted...one more set of Sea Breezy Pickings in case you missed yesterday's set...
Its going to be 70 here today, and 75 tomorrow - I'm taking tomorrow off and driving thru the hill country w/ the top down...the Vampyre's ice has melted, so its time to go get a bath and zoom around in the sun for fun.
I'll be working on orders this week, trying to get caught up. If you've ordered something and haven't seen it and still want it, shoot me an email. I may have overlooked you, which is not my intention!
I'm updating early while I can jump online and get a connection...the 5th visit from the tech didn't produce anything and my connectivity is really bad. Maybe I should resort to using carrier pigeons to get my information out - what do you think?
New set on eBay tonight..."Sea Breezy"...fun, summery, nautical colors, I am working in these again today...
Looks like the Athena set will be a bargain. I really love those beads, but I guess they aren't everyone's (or anyone's) cup of tea...but that's ok, I'm cool with that. I like to experiment and I am happy with the beads regardless if they sell or not...
My supplier should be getting the Pink glass in stock this week - look for more Pink/Black, Pink/Mystery color sets as soon as I can get the rods in my house...! Thanks for hanging in there with me!
No more ice or snow, its 50 outside at 11:00am and I think the high will be 65 or something...its sunny out and I'm in shorts needless to say...so i got rid of all the ice and snow pics and we are moving ahead to Spring! wheee..!
Today's Picking was a request that came in a while back - and I never heard from the customer again! I emailed her a couple of times and never heard back so I'm offering them to anyone else who would like them...Similar to the Antique Lace set, but these are pastel instead of deep colors...very lacy look. The spacers are soft aqua that have also been etched...
My ISP is still giving me fits, today will be visit 5 from the tech guys, and I'm about fed up. So again, if you don't hear from me in email or see my posts updated I'm probably in my studio jumping up and down waiting on a connection that never seems to come...argh!!
I ordered a foot of birthday snow, but only an inch fell...I'll take it, though...I had to get up early and get these pics because its all melting away as we speak. Its supposed to be 50 today, so this stuff will be gone in a few minutes, but its still fun to wake up and see. And I'm glad it'll be 50 today - i'm ready to get out of the 30's and back into 'real' weather...ha.
Click the pic to see all the snow...and laugh at us - we don't mind..!
well, here's something we don't get in Austin Texas everyday...
we have ourselves an ice storm. I know, I know - its nothing like the blizzards ya'll get in the North...and we don't pretend it is...BUT it's very unusual for Austin to get any 'bad' weather at all - it was in the 70's in Dec and the 60's in January, but about 1 week in February we get temps in the 40's and sometimes ice or snow falls from the sky. Abigail went out to investigate and she's having so much fun that she's still outside...
More beads will be posted after lunch..and after the ice melts away...or I may have to take the pics indoors and thats always icky. On a good note, it's supposed to be 65 by Sunday.
-updated February 12 2004-
I have all sorts of beads from yesterday that I'm excited about... I'll post them in the next few days, once the sun comes out and I can get some nice pictures of them. Its just cold and dark here again today, and there are rumours of possible sleet and/or snow tomorrow. That will close Austin down for certain..Not that we'll get a lot of snow - a few flakes will close the town in no time. It was a real culture shock when I moved here from Chicago (a hundred years ago)...I was used to lots of snow growing up, so when I saw Texas kids getting excited at a few flakes in the sky I thought they were nuts...And then I found out that it snows in Austin on average every 11 years, and most kids who grew up here have never experienced snow in any quantity before, so of course they were excited. Brian and I went through a fabulous winter blizzard in NY this year, and at 34, it was his first snowstorm. He loved it...but I don't think he'd enjoy months and months of it..He's a southern boy and I'm happy to live in the heat rather than the cold, so I don't think we'll be relocating anytime soon...
I'm a little late I suppose, but I did finally make a Lime Green and Fuchsia set for eBay - "Tickled Pink". To make up for my tardiness, I made a little frog bead to go with it. Frankly, how can you make a lime green and fuchsia set and *not* have a frog bead, I ask you? I've nicknamed him "Sebastian" but if he goes home with you, you can call him whatever you like...
Today's Picking is a set I made awhile back, but I like the color combo...Don't ask me what the name means, it was the first thing that popped into my head...
My ISP is working better - a problem at the transmitter or something that is being replaced at the pole...so I'm answering emails at a normal clip...
More rain and ick today - i took today's pics on my front porch, using a neutral tan backdrop. I like the lighting it provided even though its practically nightime outside..but natural light beats indoor light any day! Dunno when we'll see sun again, its like living in a tunnel...yeeeech...
I should let you know that my ISP has been having major issues the past few days - my email takes hours to send/receive and I can't update my website like I need to. So if you don't get a response from me right away, I'm probably here jumping up and down, yelling at the computer. This has been happening on and off for a month, we've had the cable guys out here 3x (tomorrow will be the 4th visit) and the modem and cable have been replaced, plus a tree limb has been sawed down...and still problems..mostly when it rains and is cold...I hope it is resolved properly tomorrow, but I can't get my expectations up too high, they keep crashing down w/ more problems...
I've heard from lots of you about the Blinkin' Pink set that sold on eBay tonight...I WILL be working in those colors again soon, and I WILL have sets available for purchase, but I don't plan to remake the set exactly as you saw it on eBay. I prefer to create new sets using the same colors - its more interesting for me and you - you get something new and completely unique. And I'll probably offer the sets for sale on my website, so check back and don't freak out if you don't get one - I'll make more!
Its rainy and gray today, time to jump into some bright colors and bring back the Spring momentum...Bright colors are in the stores and everyone is ready for the flowers to pop up. March is the nicest month here in Texas, its warm but not sweltering, and our famous wildflowers appear on our roadsides and in the country...its the best time for weekend roadtrips with the top down. From April to October its in the 90's here, and we all take shelter inside in the A/C. But we are willing to slog through the rain and ick for the beautfiul reward of the bluebonnets in March.
I've got a small set of flowers for you today and am really excited about these Hematite Lentils...I have no idea how they'll be received, I may get no bids on them and have to keep them, but I can tell you that I LOVE how they look..i've even put the wired strand around my neck and it looks so good...I almost kept them for myself...but we'll see if anyone else takes interest in them...
I can feel a burn out approaching today, so I'm taking the day off to recharge, go have breakfast tacos down the road and who knows what else...I've already got beads ready for eBay tonight, and a Pickings set for you to consider...
My birthday is this Saturday and we can't decide - do we go out Friday and miss the Saturday crunch of everyone else, or do we just take the plunge and go out with everyone else, but just go to a *smaller* venue...there's a meditteranian joint down the road that I love and maybe we'll just hang out there...we can actually WALK to it, something that doesn't happen much in Austin - we are attached to our cars and drive everywhere. Walking to a restaurant reminds me of my time in NYC and London when we'd walk to the end of the block for a pizza. Good times, great oldies...
Aha! I had much better success yesterday with my 'retro' color experiment and I feel a lot better about the whole thing....Isn't it funny how first impressions can be wrong and once you 'sit in the space' you grow to like what you've created? I've done that with food (I used to hate cheese as a child and now I love it - is that good or bad?) with music (used to think jazz was boring, now that's all I listen to) and movies...
the beads are cleaned, its time to go out and take pics, then i'll post them. I have some Pickings for you today as well...
NOTE: our internet provider has something wrong with it, so if you don't hear from me in email...well, i'll answer you as soon as I can...
My experiments are not going well, the retro color combo had some winners and some losers...I haven't completed the entire set, so I'm planning to do that this morning and I'll use the lentils that look good, but those that are bad will be ridiculed, scorned and made to sit in the corner...
its time to do some more frit testing - I have the mint julep, cashmere and zen white, and I've done some quick testing for Val, but the beads were really lame and not publish-worthy. I hear that the Easter Sampler is on its way to me too, but hasn't arrived yet...I look forward to that too, especially since I came up with the color combo...yeehaw...
Bracelets are reduced, all sales final. I'm making beads, not jewelry..that's for YOU to do...!
Lots of success from the torch last night...I'm taking a friend's advice and making my eBay sets smaller - 49 beads in a set is getting a little enthusiastic, don't you think? Brian thought so as well, but I got excited and thought I should just keep all the beads together...I broke up my new eBay set ("Hush") into smaller groups and ended up with 3 separate sets to offer...I've got a trunk show coming up in June and unless I start keeping some for the show, it's going to be me standing around holding 1 bead saying "I really DO make beads, I just don't have any to show you." So, I will keep offering beads to you, you won't even know that I have more stashed away here...
I have a new 'weirdo' color scheme to work in today, all retro-mod 70's colors - purple, periwinkle, orange and avocado...should be interesting. I think i'll love it or hate it...But you'll find out tomorrow when the beads are done...
REQUEST: if you have cool catalogs that come to your house tell me about them - i'm looking for stuff like West Elm, Pottery Barn but they could be for any product. I'd like to know what you think is cool...!
Sorry, no new beads today - my errands took over and I never made it to the torch, except to pull stringer for the new set I hope to make today...But I have plenty of eBay auctions you are welcome to view and I'll be back w/ more beads before you know it..!
Thanks for voting for me, I'm finding new customers through the links, and that helps me stay in business and keep making beads for you. You can vote on each link 1x daily. I've slipped onto the second page on the Top 25, so feel free to click for me on that guy...
I'm off to the torch, back later...
Running errands this morning, I have a set for eBay and a set for my Pickings, just need to photograph and post them...will do once I return...back shortly.
I think I'm going to call my daily offering of beads "Blackberry Pickings". Today's pick is a bright set of Mardi Gras inspired beads...Who wants another 6 weeks of winter when you have these bright beads to perk up your day? Exactly!
A new set for eBay called Blinkin' Pink, thanks to Michelle for inspiring the color choice. It certainly fits the 'hot' color theme of the moment...goes up tonight 8:30 CST.
its a beautiful, chilly day here in Austin...the sun is up, and I have a new set of beads to photograph for ya...still gettin' used to my new computer setup, but now I have speakers and can access our MP3 player online, so I can play our 60gig of jazz tunes all day and never listen to a single commercial...now THIS is living! back in a minute...
I'm late in my update today, I had a customer and her sister over to do some bead shopping and they had a great time. I demo'd how to make a couple of beads and they were so excited to see the 'behind the scenes' of the process...They had missed me at the Austin show and then again when I was in NY on vacation they came over w/ a friend who was watching the house - so although they knew my work and had bought my beads, they had never met me...I think they wanted to know that I really existed and wasn't some made up Stepford BeadMaker who wasn't real. Oh, I'm real alright...I'll really sell you beads and really take your check, oh yes I will...!
Things are going good here - we've moved my computer and office into my studio so I can access email and shipping in the same location, and I hope that will make my life a little easier. Its weird to be in the studio to do my computer work, i'm not yet 'in the zone' because I feel like I'm in unfamiliar territory. But I think it'll be good to have the computer, printer and shipping dept centralized, so I'm willing to give it a try...
I made a killer set of beads yesterday but am working out the kinks, so I'm not ready to show them to you until they are pefect. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it at all, but I'm just really happy with them that I can hardly stand it...Hopefully they'll be ready in a few days, though...be sure to come back and see!
I hope you got everything done that you needed to in January because today is the last day of the month - wow did it go fast! The Super Bowl is tomorrow and as much as I love football, this game is so over the top that I have a hard time watching it any more. And usually its so lopsided that its not fun either. This year its 'just down the road' in Houston (about 3 hrs E of here) but I'm not going - too much mayhem for me. I've gone to professional games (Cowboys, Oilers) and you can see more at home on TV than you can at the game. I remember making beads while watching the Patriots play 2 years ago (I'm not even a Patriots fan, why do i remember this?) and I still have that set of beads..its pretty awful, as it was 2 years ago and I was still figuring out how to get my beads down from pumpkin size to raisin size...I'm sure i'll be making beads tomorrow, but I doubt I'll be watching the game...well, maybe a little...
I have a new set for eBay later tonight, once it gets light out I'll get pics and post them. Its dark and dreary here today - look for another 'rainy day' title for this set...haha...I'm also almost all caught up on my orders, they've taken a while to get done, but I like it when my plate is empty and I can play without feeling guilty...so maybe this weekend will be a productive one - lets hope!
I've created a new page on How to Care for your Lampwork Ring. You can access it by visiting the Rings page at anytime.
Wow, I feel MUCH better than I did yesterday! the sun is out, my headache is gone and I've caught up on a lot of my backorders...there are still some left to do, but not as many...so I feel a lot better in so many ways!
Have I mentioned how much I love Stamps.com? Its made my life so much easier! I just print the postage, stick it on the package and put it on my porch in a cooler..no more running to the post office (except for international packages, which isn't often).
I need a name for the 'daily special' sets that I post, but I don't want to use the name "daily special'. I'm taking suggestions...email me!
Haircut is done, kiln is hot, time to get crankin' on some beads...
I made it to be 'early' last night (11:00pm) and I got good sleep but still have a headache today...its rainy and dreary out, that could be it - a low pressure system will cause my head to hurt, but i'm pressing through. its not like i can't sit still for awhile..
New set for eBay tonight and one for the website, am optimizing pics now and will post very shortly...stay tuned..