What's Going On ...

Keith Partridge - My Hero

There's nothing like staying up until 2:00am (again) watching two Biographies- the first episode about David Cassidy and the second about the Partridge Family. I had such a huge crush on David/Keith growing up (Donny Osmond and Bobby Sherman were right there with him...). I was 7 and thought these guys were the best ever...Maybe it was the great hair and teeth, or their singing, I dunno...but still, I was caught up in the Biography of David last night and made lots of beads...the sad thing is, they were for the Art Deco lentils that I posted the other day, so there's nothing new for today...well, maybe there will be later this afternoon, but don't hold your breath...go and enjoy your Saturday and sing C'Mon Get Happy to everyone you meet...

Catching up on my sleep

I was playing in the beadbox and made a cool little set that I thought ya'll might like...neat for a bracelet, or use them mixed w/ other beads, however you want...

I'm up late this morning, but its a good thing - i've caught up on my sleep from the night before...I could hardly make a bead yesterday, all the wheels were falling off, but I'm rested and ready to go today...Not every day is a 'good' beadmaking day, I've found. Sometimes I just need to get out of the house or need to work on another project that's been buggin me (like vacuuming the cat hair from the studio - ugh) and then when I've accomplished something 'good' I feel ready to play...So, today is a play day - i'll be making some Art Deco lentil requests, working on a set for eBay and I have plans for some other goodies too...I love looking at the calendar and seeing a completely blank page - it means I have no other committments to interrupt my day, and I'm free to do whatever I want...I'm such a hermit, but it works for me, ya know? Hairy beard-face, pointed ears, knarly walking stick - yep, that about sums me up...

Workin' on an FAQ- wanna help?

I'm writing an FAQ for the site. I have about 18 questions, but if you've ever wondered something about the site that you'd like an answer to, feel free to email me...I may or may not use it in the FAQ, but if I get a lot of the same type of question, you can bet it'll be there...i still have to flesh out all the answers, but right now I'm just brainstorming the questions I want to use...and I promise not to make the answers too long - or you'll fall asleep reading them...

Everyone raise their hands...if you are even awake yet....the Fairy dropped her stash and ran and I'm left to clean up the mess...and man is it a mess...tons of beads...gimme some time to go thru and see what's salvagable...so sleepy...

Back to school already?

Hmm.. I smell something cooking in the kiln.. considering I can't smell, that's pretty impressive...HAHA...maybe I should say "what is that sparkly thing flying around the kiln...waving some kind of magic rod-like item in her hand...maybe I'll know more in the morning..."

Speaking of going back to school, check out the cool things you can do with old typewriter keys...i doubt we'll see cool computer keyboard jewelry in the near future, but hey - ya never know...

There are school supplies in Target - I'm certainly not ready for back to school - its still July! but our local kids start in the middle of August...i've never gotten used to that..growing up in IL, we always started *after* Labor Day...September...not August...granted, we also went to school during the month of May and in TX they get out of school like the first week of May...I don't even HAVE kids...but boy do I love pens, pencils and notebooks...mmmm...clean white spiral bound notebooks...I probably own 100 pens and even more markers and crayons...I majored in 'coloring'...ha

Oh yea, this list thing is working

Although I didn't get everything done on my list yesterday (I loaded each day up with lots of stuff, figuring I'd get *some* of it done each day), I am finding the list is working well...I sat down and made a set for eBay and that was my main goal...As you might be able to deduce, I received my new Zoozii tool - the Mini pillow/diamond press and I went to town pressing beads into the new shape. I had planned on making a Fall set using these colors, so smushing them was just extra fun...these are my favorite colors by far - I could work in them all day, every day...Course now that I say that, I'm not working in them today...or maybe I will...! who knows what I'm going to do from day to day...My list knows!

I also spent a few hours cleaning up my desk area...I'm one of those 'neatniks' who likes a clean workstation. I can't stand to have a rod of glass 'splode all over the place, I'll busily pick up all the little glass chips, but of course I miss a few...after awhile those few turn into a ton of shards everywhere...so I removed everything from my desk, swept the thing down, and reorganized my stringer containers. I feel all shiny and special now that I can FIND what I'm looking for. My desk gets that 'supplies creep' - where I end up with extra jars of frit, enamels, piles of stringer, paperwork, pens, beadstamps and other crap all over it...I made a 'clean sweep' of it and put everything back in its place...I think I was needing to do this for awhile, as it just makes me happy to work in a clean environment. Most beadworkers have messy desks - nothing wrong with that, look at Corina's work space - and the amazing work she produces. Its not always bad to be messy - in fact I've heard her say she's created some great 'happy mistakes' by picking up the wrong stringer on her desk...I just make "ugly mistakes" when I do that...

I'm not going to tell you what I have written on each day of my list, otherwise I'll feel obligated to get it done when I may not feel like it...So I will tell you that more Pickings WILL be coming, I'm just not sure yet which day...so stay tuned!

Do you make lists?

NOTE: If you emailed and asked me to make you a set of Tanzanite Flight beads (a Picking from 2 weeks ago) please send me that email thread again...the beads are ready to ship to you - I just didn't write down who you are...!)

I am, by nature, a list maker...I like to write down my assignments and take great pleasure in marking them off. A line through, a checkmark next to, it doesn't matter as long as I can say "that's done, what's next"...

So I've been feeling a little lost with all the things I've been trying to do at the same time...and so I went back to my favorite list-making technique (why I didn't make a list previously, I dunno)...and so this week I have everything scheduled - when I'll be making eBay sets (and how many beads), when I'll be making Pickings, when I'll get some old orders completed (I procrastinate, yes) and when I have time to play at the torch. I don't have the hour-by-hour part scheduled, because I do need *some* flexibility, but at least I have a plan when I sit at the torch each day. I'm one of those weirdos who needs to know what I'm doing for the day so I don't feel like I'm wasting time...That little list has put my mind at ease and I feel ready to attack the week...

I've 'hired' Brian to run my shipping department - he's taking care of everything from packaging, printing the labels and sending the emails...look at me 'expanding' my operation...hardy har...I have 13 mailing tubes and packages going out in today's mail...you should see your goodies soon...

back later...how's your Monday going?

What a sweet morning...

and afternoon...Yea for YOU - the Tour is over and my days will not begin at 11:00am any longer...Although, you remember I ordered every single Tour DVD going back to 1999...but I promise I won't watch them each morning and instead I'll get back on track...Thanks for putting up with me for the past 3 weeks, its just how it is...and hopefully next year will be just as exciting!!

New Freebie beads, honoring the popular Fall color palette - apparently everyone is ready to move onto the Fall and get out of the summer heat...In fact, I'm working in Fall colors today...

Rock on and enjoy your Sunday...go read the paper and wash the car...

Hello Kiddos!

Just got back from the Bourne Supremecy...Fabulous!! I missed the first one (we'll see it on DVD) but even not knowing who was who, the whole thing was a thrill a minute, ride on the edge of your seat thriller...I can't recommend this enough! (not gorey, language is not bad, no nudity - just really good action). Next up: The Village...could be another Sixth Sense (yea) or another Unbreakable (ugh)...we shall see...

Wow, Sarah was a GREAT concert! If you're a fan, and she's coming to a town near you, you will enjoy her. She played all her favorites (I think she played everything off Fumbling Towards Ecstacy, the one album I know best) and she came out for 3 encores...Austin was very much in vibe with her...a great audience and a great concert. The opening act was Butterfly Boucher (her real name) an Australian singer who reminded me of Courteney Cox in looks mixed with Natalie Imbruglia in sound...very charming and we liked her songs so much we bought her CD in the lobby...

Did you all watch Lance win the last ITT today? He's rockin'...Austin is gonna have a party on Sunday and possibly later in the year when he finally comes home...He doesn't like all the hoopla, he'd rather be just a 'regular' guy and have a beer and some fajitas...

We're heading to see Bourne Supremecy in a few minutes...never saw the first one, but we'll watch it with friends, J. Allen and Anissa, who bought the DVD...we saw Sarah with them last night and they've now invited us to the movie today - i guess we were 'well behaved' and didn't scare them off...hee...!!!

The vegetarian Indian restaurant last night was fabulous...we had no idea what we ordered, except we knew what Samosa's were (Brian calls them the 'triangle things'...) but the entire dinner rocked...we'll definitely go back. And how cool is that- to be all vegetarian...dig it..

I'll be at the torch later today and into the night. I've got some plans and goals for some eBay sets and then some Pickings, and a few other things mixed in...should be fun...maybe i'll scare up a Picking sometime this weekend..you know how I hate going too long w/out offering something for ya'll...if you have any requests, lemme know!

back later...enjoy your very sunny Saturday!

Squeeze me Seymore

I'm heading to a Sarah McLachlan concert tonight...and some vegetarian Indian food before hand...yum...back later...

This bracelet is very comfortable, I had to try it out and made sure it passed OSHA standards for safety...didn't want any elastic to break and shoot beads in your eyes...So far, so good...(click first pic for larger image)

I get more done if I just listen to the Tour on my computer while I clean my beads...so - I didn't even bother to turn on my tv this morning...bah...

I have 1 groovy purple bead squeeze bracelet today...and I talked to Corina and Catt and they are working on a 'small squeeze' tool, so I'll be making little squeezes soon...I also ordered the Mini Pillow/Square from Zoozii so I'll be making more of those. The size of the pillows now are just so big that I've just never bothered making them...i prefer the smaller sized beads...This new tool was shipped yesterday...cool!

I also have a prototype tool on its way - Corina emailed asking for my opinion and she's sent one to me to try out. It looks like a cool little tool...Speaking of Corina, she won't let me buy her beads...I tried to buy the Subtle Flowers the other day and this is what she wrote to me: "YOU can make your own damn flowers, even nicer than mine"...well, I doubt THAT!!!

Ooo...Uggh....

A lot of you have asked if I teach Beginner level beadmaking, and I've finally put together a page on why I don't offer this...Read here in interested...(you can also get to the link via the Classes page).

I spent last night soaking up hours of cable and now I'm paying for it...I've turned the tv off, its time to get to the torch and get some stuff made...no chat, I'm staying away from the computer...enjoy your day!

Tour Pendants

All gone..thanks for the enthusiasm for the Tour. I'm sure you're not as big a geeks as I am (and Jennifer Gurganus, thanks for the comment, Jenn!) but I hope you enjoy the pendants/beads all the same...More soon!

My cable is installed and working in both the front room (our living room barely holds 4 ppl comfortably, its hardly a 'living' room) and in my studio...I just did a quick look at what's on and the only thing that looked somewhat interesting was Kolchak: the Night Stalker on Sci-Fi. I used to watch that as a kid and loved it! I heard Chris Carter used it as his muse when creating the X-Files..another one that I will stay up past bedtime to watch...Anyway, the Tour is on digital in the front room, but i'm being good and working in the studio..

I forgot - the city is working on installing a new fire hydrant by my curb, so I have no water at the house..I have to get in my car and drive to a store or restaurant to go to the bathroom...its 2:10, I think I'll be heading out shortly..haha...

All the DVD's and Tapes have burned into my brain, and I worked in Yellow and Black yesterday...I have some Hearts, Pendants and 1 set of beads all dedicated to the Tour...Its almost 8:00am now, and I'm also waiting on my cable installer- we all know when they say 'he'll be there between 8 and Noon', they mean 11:59pm...But, on the off chance he arrives before then, I may be detained before posting these...I'll try to keep you aprised of what's going on, so you don't sit and wait hopelessly..And of course if you don't like yellow and black, that should free up your morning nicely :)

Where are the beads?

Ok...Here we go...Evening Pickings are ready....!

So now you see why I was so excited when UPS dropped off this big box yesterday...I went bananas and bought all the previous Tour DVDs...plus other schwag...well, not officially 'schwag', since thats 'free' stuff and all this stuff was definitely not free!

I am still trying to figure out what Budget sets I want to post...so I think I'll post them later tonight...I'm working on new stuff for tomorrow and trying to answer phone calls (email is better, sometimes I'm at the torch or I'm outside and can't answer the phone)...I have an appt later tonight, but I should be posting these after...so look for them around 8:30 or even 9:00pm CST tonight...An Evening Picking! We haven't done that in awile, have we???

Yes, that is a good question...I was tied up w/ my bead bud Mick yesterday and didn't get home until after 9:00pm...so, nothing got done...However, I have the kiln warming up and have some plans for today's work...

I might find a few more budget beads and post those later...They seem pretty popular, eh?

I did get an exciting package yesterday, I'll show that to ya'll shortly..You'll laugh, but *I'M* very excited about it!

Wow, that was interesting

New Freebie beads are posted...and I'll announce the winner of the Rainbow beads when I get back...!

I'm back and I bet you're wondering what happened??? Well, in the world of the Internet, occasionally things go wrong and websites slip off the backbone of the network...And all you can do is wait it out...A change was made to my website to update something at the very root of the site, and that took awhile for it to propagate through the Internet...Ok, that's as technical as I'll get on ya...I knew it was a waiting game, there wasn't anything I could do except ride it out and hope the change would be complete by today, which it is...so now I'm back...

Thanks for the emails you sent to my other addresses (and through eBay)...If you ever need to get a hold of me and my 'blackberrybeads.com' email isn't working, you can use either of the following:
donner@austin.rr.com OR
donner27@hotmail.com

And there ya go...what fun!!

Wahoo!

Lance wins today's stage!! He's put a serious time hurt into Voeckler...Yellow is not far away...

My website is now connecting...and Lance is punching his way up the mountain...I'm doing the Snoopy happy dance...!

I can't seem to update my website properly (this blog is updated through a different server) so i can't update the Budget beads for sale, nor can I remove them...Something evil has happened on the back end and now I can't connect via FTP...What does this mean in English? Well, i can't remove the Budget beads link, so if you buy the Teal set, you won't see it updated...And I'd like to update that column with a new pic and am unable to...Brian will try to untangle the problem (he does the behind the scenes, I do work on the pages that you see) when it gets hotter and he has to come in from working in the yard...back w/ more later...

Beads on a Budget

As the description explains, I'm doing another 'Beads on a Budget' offering. I don't know if you were here with me a few weeks ago, but I offered 6 sets of lower priced, less-fancy beads for my beadbuds who are on a budget. And lets face it, we all love good deals...These beads were made before I could manipulate the smaller stringer, and there is no gold on them, it was in my 'pre-gold' stages...If the beads were bad, I would not be offering them at all..But I will be taking a good deal of these to my show in Sept (here in Austin) so I have no qualms about selling them at all...In fact, if any of the beads looked bad, I pulled and tossed them into my 'bad bead jar'.

The picture taking and PayPal code inserting went faster than I expected, so I'm ready earlier than thought.

Nothing today

No beads today...just a rant about getting cable tv installed, if you want to read...otherwise, go and have a great day..am working on an FAQ for the site...

I've not had cable TV for over a year...its ok and I miss it, but I knew if I stayed home to make beads, cable might be too distracting for me...But yesterday the Tour was hard to listen to, the feed kept cutting out and I only caught about half the race and none of the ending...So Brian and I decided we'd get cable so I could enjoy the rest of the race on TV...And that's where it all goes wrong...I went to the local cable company who said the earliest I can get hooked up is NEXT Wed...which of course is AFTER all the great mountain stages...I drove there to pick up a cable box as they tell you to, but of course I left empty handed -"oh the guy will bring the box when he comes to install".. Now, there's nothing to 'install' we already have the cable running to the house, all they need to do is flip a switch at the pole..but alas, I will be at my computer and hoping my OLN feed stays on...bummer...

Howdy Ya'll

I worked on my display boards yesterday for my upcoming show..i knew if I didn't do it when I felt like it, I'd be jammed up down the road...plus we've had a new A/C installed, new ducting, blah blah and that was being finished yesterday...Our 50 yr old house has been retrofitted and not always in the best way, so we've had to put the A/C in properly...but its all done and today is a good day to make beads...

The pic shown is a recent order I completed and sent away to its new owner...If you ever see a set in my Gallery that you're interested in, you can always email me and we could work something out...While I'm not taking orders from my catalog, I do entertain requests from the Gallery...I'll put this up in an FAQ page that I've been working on...if you have ideas for the FAQ, email and tell me!

Got Beads?

Scroll down to check out my Show and Tell too...sometimes I make myself jewelry, although its not very often... i prefer to buy it back from ya'll...

I've got 4 sets of beads and a couple of 'baby sh*t' green pendants using that fabulous Vetrofond Yellow Ocher color. If you aren't familiar with it, you'll see what I mean when I post the pics...I love it, very organic and weird looking...
I have a new eBay set for posting tonight, if you liked the purple/orange color combo of the Jalabert pendant from the Pickings the other day, then you'll like these...stay tuned, am cleaning/photographing/posting later this morning...

Rest Day

I went to bed at 8:30 last night...I needed the sleep...and boy do I feel good today! I have colors pulled and ready to go, some new frit to play with and lots of ideas...time to get to work! Brian and I bought new glasses yesterday, mine are ready today, his - in two weeks... they have to send his off for special work, but he's excited about the new frames he picked out...I love glasses, I always wanted to wear them when I was little, and would buy the fake frames just cause I liked how they looked on my face. My glasses-wearing friends thought I was insane - they hated *having* to wear them and here I was *choosing* to wear them...but I never outgrew that love of glasses and I love trying them on, although I don't buy them very often now that they cost me $300...My new ones are groovy, I'll have to find a pic for ya!

Czech glass is all sold

that didn't take long..thank goodness two local beadmakers bought it all, so there's no shipping to worry about... time to get back to selling BEADS instead!

its all good...I'll draw the winner of the pedant Freebie shortly and will post a new pic of beads too...The Czech glass is ready for ya'll, I only have 1 of each bundle of most colors, I do have multiples of clear and black and a couple others, but that's it...there's a link on WC now, welcome to ya'll who came via the Swap Shop...!

Go turn on the Tour...tomorrow is a rest day, then they hit the mountains where the real Tour gets underway...rock on...

Whats new with you?

I will be posting 2 pages of Czech Glass rods for sale starting tomorrow morning. If you are a beadmaker, or just starting out, this is a nice glass to play with...prices are very reasonable, nice color selection, small quanities so you don't get too much of any one color...I'm always lookin out for ya'll...!

I'm showered, awake, fed and a Fed Ex box was just dropped off at my doorstep from July 3...hmmm..looks like glass...i'm gonna bust into it and see what trouble I can get into...back after awhile...Go and enjoy your Saturday, you deserve it!!

i'm rather brain dead this morning, so if ya'll have anything you want to discuss, leave a comment...i'll be back when i've awoken properly...am listening to the Tour and stumbling around looking for breakfast...

Some new stuff for ya...

My regular mailman has left for another part of town, and we've been having 'temp' mailman until a new person is assigned...My mail comes around 5:30-6:00pm every day now...so if you aren't getting your items as quickly as you used to, that's probably why. They are also not smart enough to figure out the little sign that I put out "Postman, Packages in the cooler for pickup" means to open the cooler and take the packages out...So i'm finding myself running to the PO more frequently to drop off Priority packages and 10 mailing tubes at a time... I was going to the PO every day, then Stamps.com reduced it to about 2x a month, and now I'm back to about 2-3 times a week...

i'll be glad when a permanent person is assigned and we're back at getting our mail at 3:00-4:00pm and he's picking up my stuff again...Our neighbors get their mail at 11:30am (i just saw the postman walking down the street a second ago) and it kills me... especially when I'm waiting on shipments of goodies like frit or glass that haven't arrived all week. You just know the stuff is sitting at the post office waiting to be delivered, but because they are all temp, no one wants to bother...ugh..! I've got some new 96 COE glass that's compatible with my Gaffer that i'm dying to try out (new ivory, white and black are the main colors i'm excited about) and I know it was shipped last week...this kills me!!

I would leave and go buy something to make me feel better (that always works) but I got a call from Fed Ex that somone will be here "between 9:00am and 7:00pm" to pick up the package I'm sending out...So no leaving the house...Hmmm..good thing there's nothing for sale on the internet..heh...

Pickings are ready
F5 to refresh the page if needed...

I've got 2 squeeze bracelets with matching pendants, and 3 individual pendants...some cool color combos! will post these in a bit, am working on the pics and have Fed Ex arriving any minute, so that'll take a chunk of time...Gimme at least 90 minutes, probably more...

1000 Glass Beads book

My bead buddy Cindy came by yesterday and showed me the new 1000 Glass Beads book by Lark...She's in the book (I'm not, didn't submit, wasn't making good beads last summer when pics were being submitted...) and if you're a lampwork bead fan, you must have this book. Amazon is offering it for 10.00 right now (it retails for 24.95) and having looked through her copy yesterday I can tell you that its worth every penny you spend... What intrigued me was the number of GOOD beadmakers who are not well-known names. Either they don't have websites, or don't offer work for sale, or I've just not cross paths with them, but it made me appreciate the fact that this artistry is much larger than just ISGB or Wet Canvas would indicate...The pictures are super and the work is wonderful...yum!

Squeeze Bracelet Pickings for you!

Ok, I came up with 3 bracelets and one set of beads...4 Pickings today...not cheap! ya'll will probably grow to hate the Squeeze beads...but these guys take time and are fun to squeeze, but getting accurate sizing is tricky...A friend told me she made 43 beads to get 12 that matched...whew!

Remember F5 to refresh your internet cache if the page isn't showing up!

YEAH! Lance has just gone into Yellow for the first time in the tour..The USPS team has come in First in the Team Time Trial, and that will give Lance enough time to take over the Yellow...YeeHaw!!

a smattering of Pickings for ya'll...I worked on a new color combo and while I feel like I made a ton of beads, because the Squeeze guys take 10 beads per bracelet, I only have 2 to offer...and an eBay set i'll post after awhile...I'm etching at the moment...
I know I have a couple of other sets I can offer...not bad beads, just stuff I've set aside previously..So today's theme is "Variety"...hope you like it...

Birds Chirp Chirp

I think I picked a good spot, don't you?

I'm trying to find a new spot for a new bird feeder I picked up..i have 6 cats, so I'm trying to keep the birds safe while they eat...the first tree I chose isn't tall enough and the cats are running around too much 'on prowl'. I kept all 6 in the house yesterday, they all complained and cried, so today they go out...We have a fenced backyard, so i'm not too worried about them being out, but I do check on them frequently to make sure they are safe and nearby. I need a box to stand on to reach the tree branches...We have grey Doves, Cardinals, Sparrows, Blue Jays and a local Blue Parakeet. Sometimes Chickadees will come by and I'm surprised at how really loud they are for their size...

Enjoying your holiday?

Curious what I do in the mornings now that the Tour is on and I'm getting up at 7:30am to listen? Well, today I spent 3 hours packaging everything you see here...There's glass that I'm swapping for some hard-to-find colors, there are eBay wins, orders, Picking sets and Pendants all ready to go. I've printed the labels w/ tomorrow's date on them so the PO should not protest in my dropping them off today...I thought I'd give my own mailman a break...We have the mailman who walks from house to house, and having to drag this lot down the street would be a drag indeed!!

I'm listening to 'behind the scenes' of the TdF...I dunno if they realize they are broadcasting, but Phil and Paul and making comments about yesterday's tour...as if they don't know they are coming over the airwaves...its rather hilarious...At least the broadcast is working properly after yesterday where all I heard was background clapping and cheering...

No new beads today, am working on orders and I have LOADS of things to package and ship to you tomorrow...I'm enjoying one last look at them before they cruise out the door...

Hope you enjoyed your fireworks and parades yesterday...It was fun here...!

Happy 4th...Yippee!

I only have 3 sets of lentils for you to choose from today...we went to see Spidey 2 yesterday and it was a lot of fun, even though I have a hard time seeing Tobey Maguire as a superhero...oh well, my problem...But the movie was fun, you should go. Perfect summertime fun.

I've posted the pic of the Mystery bead for this week and have even drawn a name - HollySue is the winner! But notice I've put up this week's Freebie - I'm on top of things this morning, oh yeah...

Too bad the audio commentary isn't coming through for the Tour..I'm listening to a lot of European horns and clapping and cheering...the ambient background is coming thru, but not the announcers...kinda funny, actually...

The Tour Begins...

I'm so happy- I'm listening to the streaming audio on my computer. goofy Phil Liggett (who seems to really dislike Lance) is screeching his play by play of the action and it's officially Summer in my little world...

Pickings are ready...I've tested all 9 of the paypal codes and they are all working, although I had to alter a few things behind the scenes...sorry for the delay, I've been fighting with it for the past 30 min..but its all working now...Give it a shot, see how it works for you...(i'm holding my breath)...

I will try not to bore you with details you could care less about over the next 3 weeks...But know that I'll be up early each morning to listen to live coverage on OLN (links on the left column) and cheer on Lance...To kick off the race today, I've made 10 pendants, so you should easily find one that you like...I'm way tired, was up till 1:00 last night...things might have to change in my evening sched for the next 3 weeks while I'm getting up early...but I can't miss it...!!

Am cleaning the pendants, will have them posted as soon as everything is done...gimme at least 90 min from now (7:45am CST). or I might post them a little later so our West Coast friends will havea chance to get up. its only 5:45 out there right now...

Party Party Weekend

Is everyone looking forward to the 3 day weekend? I myself will be having fun at the torch, doing chores around the house and being glad the rain has stopped...our June rainfall is typically 3 inches and we received 14...I think they said it was the wettest June we've ever had. course, it is supposed to be 100 on July 4th...hope your holiday is slightly less hot than that...

I'm going to work on some Pickings for the weekend...I realize most of ya'll may not be around, so those who are might snag something you haven't been able to previously...

Bead and Trunk Shows

Info about the Trunk show (you asked, I answer...cool!)
Austin has a few beadstores, one of which is called Nomadic Notions and the manager is my buddy Mick (she also comes over on Mondays and we play on the torch and solve all world problems)...She would like to start having 'major' well known bead/jewlery/wire wrapping celebs come in from out of town, but she'd like to start with me as the guinea pig and do a 'dry run'...that way, if all the wheels come off, well I'm her friend and won't sue her...heh..
So, the plan is for Fri and Sat, November 6+7 for me to bring my stuff, probably my torch, and hang out and talk beads...I don't know if that date is hard and fast, Mick was going to check her sched and let me know...but that was the date that worked well for my schedule, so I hope it will be the final one...
I believe the plan is that folks would get a 'preview party' invite for Friday, with Saturday being open to all customers.

I will also be doing the Austin Bead Society Show here in Austin on Sept 4+5 (Labor Day weekend, oh yeah)...Last year I was in Loren Stump's class during the show so Brian and our friends Jim and Julie ran the booth for me. This year, I have a small table and will bring all the stuff I have, or that will fit...Its the only show I'm doing this year (I sell all my stuff to ya'll, I don't have that much stuff in stock, so i'm going to try and make stuff between now and then...hmmm...good luck I say to that...) so if you're in town, come by and see me! Its typically a very busy show, but its also usually in Nov, so since its in Sept, I dunno if anyone will even know to attend...plus Labor Day weekend - oy!

You've probably noticed by now that I don't have the Beads and Rings pages available any longer...That was my 'catalog' where you could buy at any time by clicking the Paypal button...I've decided to CLOSE the catalog and not take orders for the time being. Why??

Because I found I was reproducing existing beads instead of having time to play and create new ones. Hate me if you must, and I'm sure some of you will, but it was a decision that I had to make. Ive also taken a look at my upcoming committments, and I have 3 classes (and more filling) a local beadshow and a local trunk show scheduled between now and December that I have to be ready for. Please email me if you want to discuss this further..or leave a comment, either way is cool with me!