What's Going On ...

What's planned for vacation?

We don't usually take a summer vacation, our trips are in October or December, but if ya'll are going somewhere this summer, where is it? Why did you pick that location?

What was your most favorite place to go? I've been to Cozumel, Jamaica, England, Canada as well as all over the US... I think my favorite place to go as an adult is NYC and as a kid was to amusement parks...We visited DisneyWorld, DisneyLand, Six Flags over Texas, America, Marriott's Great America, Sea World, Astroworld and I'm sure more I don't even remember...I remember doing DisneyWorld when they still gave out the Ticket Books...and you handed in an 'E' ticket for the 'big' rides...Our favorite rides were Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and the Haunted House...I heard they tore down Mr. Toad - did they replace it with another or is it gone forever???

The Fairy has landed

Is there a trick to growing long, strong fingernails? I've always had broken, chipped, ugly nails, while my hair grows long, fast and sturdy. I know they are made from the same materials - so how do I get my nails to grow? or at least how do I keep them from splitting and falling apart? I remember as a girl I would eat those red gelatin capsules we bought at Ben Franklin, thinking that would help, but it never did...I also bought Clearasil because I wanted to be part of the 'in' crowd, and they were all using it. Only I never had pimples that I needed to cover, so I would just put the stuff on a freckle and pretend. Deep down I was glad I didn't have the messy faces so many kids had, but I would keep buying that Clearasil cause it was the closest thing to make up I could use...hee...

Ready, Set, Click! Maybe you'll find something fun today...!

Not seeing today's beads? Hold the F5 key when clicking the 'refresh' button in IE and that will show *todays* Pickings...

I've tested the Paypal code and its working - at least it was 5 minutes ago!!!

Lets get crackin, Grommit

Look what Michelle from Twisted Thoughts Originals did with some of my beads...Beautiful!

Yesterday's class was great fun, we found all sorts of things to talk about and found lots of ways to solve all the problems of the world...(and where to find really great antique diamond jewelry- pawn shops were both our secret weapons!)...Both ladies caught on quickly and I felt good about their progress and ability to get some kick ass florals made....Now all they need is to make 100 of them and they'll be making better ones than me!

Its time to get back to work...first I'm taking my torches to BlueMoon and having quick disconnects added onto the hoses. The point of those is so i can swap out my Minor and my Lynx conveniently and therefore can use whichever torch is best suited for the beads I'm making. Most folks like one torch over another, but I've found that different torches do different things so I like to use the Lynx for small concentrated work, and the Minor for larger pieces like hollows, fish, bicones, pendants and beads that are larger than my usual...Plus I'm a torch junkie (and a tool junkie) so any excuse to be able to use both torches frequently makes me happy...

will draw the Freebie winner soon (when my Sundays are busy, I never get the drawing done till Monday)...and will post some new beads now that its slightly sunny outside...stay tuned...!

Time to teach Florals

I have a Florals class today with two local students...(the class is pictured at the bottom of the middle column). I have a pretty nice gig at the shop BlueMoon Glassworks - If we get at least 4 ppl to sign up, then we'll hold class at the shop, but 3 or under and I'll hold it here at my house...So with the 2 girls signed up, we'll be here at the Blackberrybeads Studio goofing around and making floral beads...the kilns are firing up, i've had a shower and am all powdery fresh...(I'm sure they appreciate that!). So, kick back, enjoy your Sunday and I'll see ya'll when we're done...

What's the big deal on the Squeeze?

My Beadsqueeze tool has arrived and I spent a lot of time last night squishing beads with it...What's the big deal you say? Well, for me, its FUN to squish these, and I don't have to be exact with my amount of glass so it gives me a little freedom when making the initial bead...for you, the deal would be the comfort of the bead. The shape is pretty much like any Tab bead you've seen in the past, but the edges have been 'lentilized' by being squished to a sharp edge. This seems to make the bead lighter to me - and I can tell you that it does make the beads comfortable to wear on your wrist. You may or may not care for it, but you designers who have customers who want smooth, uncomplicated beads will love it...

I've also tried very hard to just keep the shape as-is, meaning I have very little decoration on it. The whole point of the bead is to be smooth and easy to wear, so I've not done the edge or surface decorations (except for the 3 little gold dot cluster I use). I'm sure down the road I'll be experimenting more, adding more junk all over, but for today, they are 'streamlined'.

I'm also excited about a new frit combo I played with last night. I only made two beads using it, because I wasn't sure what the outcome would be (why waste a bunch of time and glass on a bad combo!), but I will DEFINITELY be making more of these babies...Will post a pic shortly...

The first auction going up at Noon today is a 7 day, so it'll end at Noon next Saturday (CST). I hope that wasn't a bad idea, as next Sat is July 3 and ya'll might be at the lake having fun and unable to bid in the final minutes...I'm rolling the dice and trying something new (typically as you know my listings are in the evenings) and we'll see how this turns out...

Ok, back to cleaning beads, will be posting more pics soon...am trying to do 8 things at once, silly rabbit...

What's up Doc?

This morning I have an eye dr. appt...I hope they can fix me, my eyes have crossed and now I'm only able to make 2 beads at a time...but they're wonky and wobbly...

Yes, I made beads and a couple of pendant orders last night...but they were more for 'play and experiment' rather than for sale...so nothing new today, but definitely new stuff tomorrow!

My beadsqueeze is due TODAY in the mail. I'll letcha know when it gets here and no worry, i'll have plenty of beads made with it...It looks interesting, eh?

I will be working on an FAQ for the site, answering a lot of questions I've been getting lately..if you have any suggestions on what to include, let me know!

I shook the Bead Fairy down

I have one of these on order, had it shipped 'very fast delivery' and hope it arrives today or tomorrow...it looks cool, no?

am working on orders (almost done!) and new eBay sets...tra la la...

Pendants are ready...a few Fireworks for ya'll who missed out and wanted one...And a few new 'Neon' pendants for those who want a splash of color for the summer. I worked in black with bright neon colors cause it just felt like the fun thing to do...groovy..!

I laid a trap for her and she took the bait of chocolate covered crickets and tangerine nectar (strange Fairy) and once I got a hold of her, I shook her real hard...Some groovy new pendants fell out and while I was grabbing those, she flew off, but not before stuffing her pockets full of crickets...She clocked me a good one with her wand, I have a lump over my eye, but we've called a truce...I think she'll be back tonight if I lay out more bait...I wonder if she likes creamed eels...

Am cleaning her pendants, will post them as soon as I can..gimme a coupla hours...

Ever have one of those nights?

Well, yes...I'm sure you have....I managed to make a pendant last night, but when I tried to reduce the silver it made very dark brown streaks across the white glass...i know this can happen, but I tried so hard to avoid it and yet, I couldn't...I then tried to disguise the streaks, thinking maybe I could camouflauge them...and I don't like the final look...ugh..

And then my new Harry Potter watch has broken...There is a small faceplate glued onto the main plate, and its come loose...So, I packaged that up and am sending it off today and will hopefully get a replacement (which I would expect) but I hope the serial number is still as low as the 0075/2000. (which i don't expect). Rats!

So how was your night?

Want an Inde-pendant?

9:00pm - I'm firing up the kiln now and we'll see what pops out tomorrow..I got a new surprise in the mail today, hopefully I'll have some beads made with it for ya'll tomorrow...i wonder how late I can stay up tonight...hmmm...

Alrighty, all these guys are gone, but it looks like ya'll are diggin the pendants...SO, I will make some more, in RWB and in some summer colors, as I transition into the summer season...so if you've missed out on any of the Fireworks and you want one, hang tight, there'll be another opportunity for you and for those who prefer something in the summer style, stay tuned..I already have some ideas in my head...oh, this is gonna be FUN!...rock and roll...

I love making these pendants...they are so fun to experiment with...I feel like I've barely (barley?) scratched the surface on what can be down with these..
I was in such a hurry to get them photographed and uploaded that I haven't even made the bails for them yet...but they'll come with SILVER unless you specify you want GOLD...just fire me an email and lemme know..

Each pendant represents one of your favorite Patriots...enjoy the show...

I made a few more last night and will post them here shortly...RWB with shiny accents, these guys are all different from the first pendants...hope you like them..

its raining here and actually a little cool outside...have the door open and am enjoying the rain...thanks ya'll Northerners for blowing the cool air down our way...

1st day of Summer - get the Coppertone

Thanks for the quick shot of votes, Artzee reset and I was at #7 and worried I'd never make it up for air... I do appreciate the votes, ya'll are coolio...

Another Monday - another day w/ my posse in the Blackberry Studio...should be action packed and fun...

Time for summertime activities - take your kids to the pool, give your dog a flea bath, buy a new sundress and floppy hat, eat a corndog...mmmm corndogs...

July 4th pendants

8:30pm The pendants are all gone, thanks for the buys...I'll have more pendants, possibly more Fireworks for the 4th....

Its been a quiet day, both here and on email...I'm guessing summer is in full swing, ya'll are on vacation, eating hotdogs from the grill, splashing around the pool and waterskiing on the lake...i'm watering our new tree that's suffering from heat stress and eating chinese take-out. yep, its summer in my house...

Ch Ch Ch Changes..

As you may or may not have noticed, I've done some updating to the site. The Gallery is now better organized, and more sets are on display...Brian deserves all the credit for that, though...he's the code guru, I just point and click..

I've also removed the Beads and Rings catalog for the time being. I'm taking a break from offering the 'instant purchase' catalog and instead am offering just a 'viewing gallery'.

The Gallery is really that - a Gallery of my work for viewing and the pictures are there for you to see previous work - some of its really old and will give you a laugh at how far I've come (there are dates below the pics to show when they were offered on eBay). I may just take those awful old pics down, ugh...
If you're interested in a set, you are welcome to email me and we can discuss details of how many beads, the total cost, delivery timeline, etc. I don't mean this to be my new Catalog, but I realize you might find something you think would be fun to own...I can't guarantee that I can get everyone's requests done, though. In fact, I know for a fact that I cannot. But I can see what I can do...

Also, the Order info page has been removed and replaced with 'Contact' info. People kept telling me it was hard to find a way to email me...so now it should be easier..I will probably put another Orders page up so you know what to expect before you request a set of beads...I'm still working on that, gimme some time to get it posted...

I've also just activated the Archived Blogs section. You can now revisit chats from as far back as 1 year ago and perform a Search function - pretty cool!! So if you're new to the site, or you just missed a week while on vacation, sit back and catch up...or ketchup, whichever you prefer..,

Another bit of info that I should share - If you ever receive beads from me that you are unhappy with for whatever reason PLEASE email me and we'll work something out...I don't want anyone to feel they *have* to keep beads the aren't happy with...I'm more than happy to refund your payment!!!
I don't know if ya'll ever had the chance to read the Orders page, but I used to have a blurb that stated I did not reproduce sets from the catalog identically - my skills and knowledge had typically gotten better since I made the original set, I like each person to have their own unique set, and sometimes the supplies or glass I used for the original set were no longer available to me (glass dye lots can change from batch to batch, etc). So, most everything coming out of my studio today is 'similar' in appearance, but the designs will more than likely have changed...I realize when you see the picture, you expect an exact copy, but I rarely if ever do that because I'd rather you have a nicer set of beads than originally pictured..however, MY idea of 'nicer' may not be YOUR idea so you may not like what I had in mind..So, email me and let me know and we'll get everything fixed up just right...!!

more later as I think of new stuff I keep meaning to tell you about...

Banana bread? and a Quick Picking

8:04pm Brian has fixed the permissions issue and the Blog is back online...enjoy!

I'm really happy with this little Picking...the beads are all in shades of coral and pink with a little cocoa sprinkled in (heh, read my banana bread rant to know I don't know a thing about sprinkling cocoa)...enough beads to make a cool bracelet to wear with this little pendant...and a couple of sparkly peach cubes because you must know by now I like sparkly things...

am looking for an *easy* banana bread recipe. If you've seen the blackberry cobbler recipe on my cobbler page, then you know how easy I need recipes to be before I'll consider them. 15 little 1/4 teaspooons of spices are not my idea of easy...I have maybe 5 spices on my cabinet - cajun powder, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper...hard to make a great banana bread with those! I could buy a bunch of allspice, cinnamon, and whatever else, but it would all sit there unhappily for another 5 years before I even looked at them again...I can't taste all the little goodness in a recipe (my nose does not work, no sense of smell)...email me if you have something to help me out (I have 5 bananas that are needin' a loaf pan soon).

What's for lunch?

I guess I'm ready to update now...heh...I've cleaned and mailed some orders, ran an errand for some additional leather to make a couple of necklaces for another order, and have been catching up on some emails...
I don't know if you follow Kim Neely's auction (Bluff Road Glass) but how about this as an auction win? Wow, I don't think i've ever seen an auction go for that much, except when Corina auctioned a private class...Kim's beads are definitely worth it..I've never seen them in 'real life', but in pictures they are pretty darn groovy...

We're doing another Harry Potter viewing tonight..looking forward to seeing it again...

Brian is almost ready to launch the new Gallery pages..He's been going through *all* the pictures I've taken since Sept and adding them to a new thumbnail viewer...they'll have dates and some of the eBay sets will have the original text I wrote for the auction. I've been moving pics from one group to another and changing a little on the layout, but he's done the majority of the work. Can't wait for ya'll to be able to peruse these shots...there are a lot of sets that I've forgotten about - which means I hope to be able to go back and play with those colors again...

Orders are coming along...

I just heard something that I think means the end of the universe as we know it...Michael Bolton is getting a talk show?

Michael Bolton...

I'm going to go sit and put my head on my desk...

You're probably tired of hearing about *orders* and want me to get back to Pickings and new stuff..ahhh...there is the Catch-22...I don't have time to do it all, so I have to choose - filling orders or making new stuff...And since you nice folks have already paid for these beads, I suspect you'd like to have them arrive before Christmas, right? Hence, I'm working on orders and the rest of ya'll are bored silly...The good news is - i'm making nice headway through the orders and hope to have the majority of them filled through this week...So I should be back at making Pickings very soon!
I forget that some of ya'll are new to the site and wonder what I mean by "Pickings"...I offer 'daily special' beads during the week for instant purchase -

no need to wait on eBay, no need to order ahead of time. They are typically sets that I feel like making, colors I feel like experimenting with, sometimes new frits or new glass (I have loads of bullseye glass just waiting for me to play with, can't wait!)...I call these 'Pickings' as in the 'picking of a blackberry off the vine'...

I've also had people ask me "what's the Bead Fairy?" She's a little sprite who visits my kiln and like the Tooth Fairy or Santa, she leaves me wonderful little beads in my kiln for me to clean and post as Pickings. If you see a picture of the Bead Fairy on my homepage, chances are good that I'll have beads for sale sometime that day...So look for her in either of these two pics (with more to come)...

Things are quiet again, hurray

I don't work well in a busy environment, so Mondays are really hectic for me - but they are always a blast and I love having my bead-buddies over to play at the torch...Mondays are like everyone else's Saturdays - getting together with friends and enjoying the day, having lunch, figuring out the secrets of life (we come up with all the solutions for the world you know...). I have 6 days to make beads, so I am happy to spend Monday in a whirlwind of activity...

And of course, today is 'crack down' day...I have plans to get a bunch of orders completed, as well as some Pickings made...I did make a cool pendant last night, I may post it later, or save it for later in the week to include with some other stuff...I'm not sure yet...are ya'll enjoying the pendants? I wear mine on a simple cable chain and enjoy it...they are pretty versatile and of course I'm enjoying making them, so don't expect them to stop anytime soon...there are loads of shapes and color combos I'm dying to try with them!!

Brian has been working on my site behind the scenes to update my Gallery section...look for that update in the next few days/weeks...he's coming right along, there are just a lot of pics that need to be updated/added...

I hear thunder, we have even MORE rain on the way...its a wonder the plants don't just pack up and move to higher ground themselves...its typically feast or famine in Austin - we either have too much rain and it floods (like now) or we don't get enough and people's back yards burst into flames from being so dry...I'll take the rain, any day!

New Picking in the kiln...

I just finished an order and then spent some time for myself and played at the torch...I came up with a new Black and White set and here's my dilema - Its kinda big for a Picking (14 or 15 beads I think) and therefore would be more expensive than my typical Picking...I'm considering listing it on eBay, but then it'd take at least 5 days for the auction to close and you may have a phobia about eBay (which I completely understand, it can be addictive!)...SO, I'm considering putting it up as an 'Picking by Proxy'...meaning I'll list it on my site and ya'll can email me with the price you'd be willing to pay for it...That way I would not be pricing it for more than any of ya'll would be willing to pay for it and hopefully you would feel that you paid a fair price for it...I haven't worked in Black and White for awhile and I know its a popular combination - this one even has a jazzy pendant...Think about this idea and I'll post the pic in the morning for you to decide if you're interested in it or not...

Class results

I didn't take any pics of either of my students or any of their work last week - but one of my students, Tara Harris has just put up a set on eBay that used a lot of the techniques she learned in class...I think she's done a terrific job and feel free to bid on her set all you like!! Beadarella Class Results...

SCTV is on the air!

I grew up watching SCTV - now the episodes are out on DVD and I just bought Season 1 at Target...I thought it was funnier than SNL, and am so excited to be able to watch the old eps that I've already thrown it into the DVD player...

Am working on orders today...maybe some surprises too, ya never know!

Brian discovered he used compost instead of soil to mix and cover our holly bushes - so now they are burning...We made a quick trip to the nursery and bought another yard of soil, and he's going to remove and replant the holly bushes. We hope they aren't ruined, but they are burnt to some degree...

I'm cleaning...

NOTE: I think mail isn't running today due to gov't closing to honor President Reagan...so everything that I mailed today will be picked up tomorrow...

Pickings are ready...hopefully you haven't spent your bead allowance for the month already...

I made orders, Pickings and eBay stuff yesterday...14 hours, no kidding...give me some time to get at least the Pickings cleaned, shot and posted...dunno when they'll be ready, figure a few hours at least...

its finally stopped raining

its been raining non-stop since Monday...while the sky has finally stopped opening up, everything outside is soaked to the core...i just took inventory of my backyard and I have lots of toadstools and roly-polys (pillbugs?) all over...our wheelbarrow is filled to the rim with fresh rainwater...if you hear about flooding in the Texas region, its going on in spots around town, but not in Casa Blackberry...in here were are playing with fire! fire! and staying dry...

time to get to work...back later!

Yea! today is major torch day

I seem to be pretty caught up on emails, i've mailed all the tardy beads and have given the order sheet a good once-over to get an idea of what I'm facing...I'm having lunch w/ Lydia and then I'm at the torch all day and night...its been raining here since Monday, keeping things cool and green...any relief from the heat is always welcome...

so far its been kinda quiet...the City of Austin Energy guy came out and did an audit of what needs to be done to save electricity ($$) like adding screens, more insulation, a new A/C unit, etc...with the rebates from the city, the work is very reasonable...our house is 50 years old and the A/C that was put in is not ducted properly...we only have R7 in our attic when we need R30, all the windows need a stronger sunblocking screen surface...but the electric bills would come way down and its good to conserve...I hope we can get the work done soon, I'm ready!

I'm coming up for air...

I see on She Who Must Not Be Named site that she doens't have anything to chat about today..sometimes I feel that way too, but think 'would folks still come back if I don't have anything fun or weird to talk about?'...I feel like I ought to keep things moving on this site, because *I* enjoy going to sites that are frequently updated everyday myself...We were discussing this in class over the weekend, and we all agreed it was difficult to 'put ourselves out there' for the whole world to see...Both students laughed when I told them that I consider myself a private person, but I do. When I first started this site, it was a big struggle for me to post anything about what was going on in my life...First - no one was reading this, so I figured 'why bother'...but I wanted folks to read, so I posted as if ya'll were out there, even if you weren't (yet)...

I also felt as if not much exciting goes on in my life - making blackberry cobbler? how exciting is that? But as the site has grown, and more of ya'll come by to visit, I look at the site as a way for us to 'talk'...you get to know what i'm doing in Austin, it doens't have to be exciting or even fun, but its a window into another part of the country like looking at a National Geographic and seeing an exotic land...(we do have hippies here, is that exotic?). So I find it easier for me to write about what's going on in my world, what movies I've seen, what flowers I've planted, what the cats are up to...I try to keep the beads coming for ya, but when I don't have any beads I like to know that you're willing to just come by and peek in...I'm feeling like I'm getting back in the groove - I'm the only one in the house today, the kiln is firing up, I've responded to a lot of emails, I'm organizing my orders and I'm getting inspired to make some Pickings for this week...The rollercoaster has glided into the station and I survived the ride...my hair is askew but I'm ready to get back into the park and play some more...I hear a cardinal singing outside now that the rain has stopped...

Whew...Its been a very busy, action packed few days...but today its raining furiously, I have no errands to run and no one is coming over...my goal is to clean and mail any beads that have been sitting here the past few days, and look over all the orders that have come through to get an idea of what I'm looking at. Once I get a handle on everything, i'll know better if I'll have time to do any of the 'non-catalog' requests that came in.

Classes are done..for now

I just realized that the last 3 weekends I've been in or preparing for classes...no wonder I'm not getting much done...but as of today, I don't have any classes scheduled until Sept...now, that doesn't mean I won't be putting together some Beginner classes - I've had lots of inquiries about that, and I've still got some work to do before I feel ready to offer B-classes to ya'll...but now that things are settling down, I'm planning on getting some orders knocked out (some are done, they just haven't been mailed yet...) and I'm going to try to get some Pickings for ya'll one day this week...

Class was fun this weekend, and I forgot to get any pictures of the girls while they were here - how stupid was that? I need to start a 'class catalog' and start to take pics of the students...the problem is that I tend to forget to take any pics of things most of the time. I can go on vacation and not take a single picture...I DID get pics of the studio setup withOUT anybody sitting in the seats, and I can post those...

Today is a PLAY DAY at the torch...Lydia and Mick are coming over (Dodie is out of town) and we're just hanging out at the torch - well, THEY are hanging out, I'M working! good thing the entire studio is setup and ready for them...

Ok kids, I'm off to get some of the orders organized and figure out the other requests...thanks for hanging in there with me...back later...!

Sunday is a fun day..

Knee deep in my class, but having a great time! Tara and I stayed up till 11:00pm working on techniques and then I could not unwind to get to sleep...i think I finally drifted off around 2:30am, when I finally rounded up the last of our kitties who'd been playing outside in the dark...I'm up and ready this morning, time to make twisities and play with foils, enamels, pixie dust and reduction frit...

CATALOG REMINDER: I'm closing the catalog tomorrow, June 7, at 5:00pm...If you've emailed asking about a set that isn't in the catalog, I'll return your email shortly. I'm having to figure out some logistics to those requests and have not returned any emails regarding them yet (sorry) but they are all flagged to be answered. I don't know yet whether I will be making anything this month that isn't in the catalog, but I may re-work the catalog and get it prepared for those types of orders for next month...So don't despair...

Class today, indeedy do...

the calm before the storm, the girls aren't here yet and I just woke up..heh...but the kiln is firing up and we're gonna do a LOT of work today...i have them scheduled until 7:00 tonight...and then dinner afterward, and then back here for practicing if they want until midnight...I mean, what else are ya gonna do, go sightseeing? no way, man! gotta make beads!! its a bead-making action packed weekend, oh yeah....

will post pics later, have some updated studio shots i took last night...groovy!

Harry Potter was a blast

Wow, I am totalled thrilled with this movie! If you enjoy the books, I hope you'd enjoy this movie too. Not much w/ the Dursleys (i don't think Dudley or the Mom even say anything!), only a small Quidditch (yea) More Snape (yea!) and Lupin and Sirius are great...And the kids look 'normal' not like action figures come to life in their perfect robes. They get dirty, they have 'normal' hair, they wear 'normal' clothes...

All the kids are MUCH better actors than they used to be, and Harry is on screen practically the entire time (course the movie is called "Harry Potter and...") I don't have kids, so I don't know a good age cut-off, but there were some 8-13 yr olds in our midnight showing (we got out at 3:00am, good thing this is the summer or they'd be sleeping through spelling today), but I didn't see them afterward to know if they were scared. I think the spiders from the LAST movie were scarier (and I LIKE spiders!, but those guys were really great, weren't they?)

Brian and I agreed we'd be going back to see it again when the hoopla dies down... but it was fun going to yet another Midnight screening...I of course had a hard time getting up this morning, but think I did pretty well to manage about 4 hours of sleep...I'll definitely be going to bed early tonight for my CLASS tomorrow...Tara Harris and Robyn Knapp are in town to soak up the sights (we have a Biker Rally in town this weekend...Harleys!) and melt as much glass as they can stand...I expect it to be an 'All-Glass All the Time' kinda weekend...

After class, on Monday I have an open studio day for my sidekicks (Lydia, Dodie and Mick) and then on Tuesday I will be back making Pickings and cracking down on the orders...the GOOD news is that I've actually completed a couple of orders already...how cool is that?

Gone Pickin'...

berries are picked, and being cleaned..i'm HOT, and BURNT and ready for lunch...but it was fun...saw all sorts of cool spiders, grasshoppers and little round bugs i've never seen before...lots of kids and grandparents out picking today, i didn't even think about that...i think i was the only 'single' person in the patch...the farm is closed on Wed, so going out Thur has allowed the bushes to rest and ripen an extra day...i picked 7lbs in an hour, so I think I did pretty well...

more info about Beginner classes coming up...I need to go change clothes and clean some berries...

Are you looking for beads?

quick note: i've updated my Class schedule with new Fall dates and changed the info a bit...if you're interested in coming to Austin this fall, check out the page...

I bet you are...but alas, I have not made any sets of beads lately. I've been on a pendant kick,but all that will change today - the kiln is firing up right now (its 9:20am) and I plan to just sit and make BEADS today...some will be for orders, some for Pickings, who knows what will fall from the rod and into the kiln...

The opening of the catalog yesterday brought a lot of unexpected response - most everyone emailed me instead of ordered through the catalog, and most everyone is asking for stuff not found in the catalog - like beads from the banners, beads that have been removed from the catalog, beads from the Gallery...I hadn't planned on making beads from those 3 areas, I was shooting for beads from the *catalog*....but I'll get back to you as to whether or not I can fill your requests...i did not expect all the interest in those beads, it certainly surprised me!!!

We are seeing a 'sneak preview' of Harry Potter tomorrow at midnight..the theatre is planning on having a giant chess set in the parking lot, people are going in costume and its going to run from 7:30pm to 3:00am...I don't think i'm going in costume, though - I don't really have one to wear, and wearing a cape in 100 degree weather is not the best way to spend the evening...the movie looks really dark and groovy...can't wait!!

Catalog is officially open...

A cute little pendant is available, in case you missed out on the others...I have some Gaffer lentils to post too, maybe later tonight, if you're interested...

Its June 1...you know what that means...well, maybe not...my 'closed' catalog has officially opened for the next 7 days...if you spied something there previously and considered ordering, now's your opportunity...I will close the catalog by June 7, or sooner if needed (probably not, but you never know) and it'll reopen again on July 1...go ahead, treat yourself to some Blackberrybead Goodness...