Wow, I just read Corina's post from Saturday (i didn't turn the computer on all weekend, good for me!) - she's going thru (although a much more severe case) what I was going thru last week - I think we both needed to decompress and not try to jump back into things too quickly...I just emailed her and told her to take a few days off..one of the things that she noticed that I would do in Murano would be to just go back to the apt in the evening when I knew I needed some 'down time'...I know myself well enough to know when I'm feeling pushed to the edge and can't take anymore information...she said she admired my ability to recognize this in myself, and that she was always afraid she'd miss out on something that everyone else was doing - well sure, there's that, but there's also running yourself so thin that you can't do *anything* right the next day...I would stay at the studio till midnight with everyone one night, and the next, I'd go back and make dinner and enjoy a quiet evening w/ bad Italian TV...it was just what I had to do to get thru the next day, when in fact we'd stay at the studio till midnight again...so even tho I missed a late night here and there, I was still able to function well each day...I don't wish her any ill will of course, but I must admit I was amazed she could jump back into the fray upon returning, making beads and posting on eBay when I was a bit of a Zombie...I guess it hits all of us in different ways, at different times...
Alrighty then - I've taken the weekend off, and I'm 'back at work' today...I feel better and am ready to get things done...first thing, I'm going for a walk in this cold and wet weather...while in Murano, we walked *everywhere*...and my body actually got used to it..I'm rather sluggish when I'm home and stomping around the house during the day, since I don't actually DO much exercise...
so I thought why not take advantage of the 'intial burn in' that my body has already experienced in the two weeks of being gone (not to mention all the dragging of my suitcases around the airports, etc...its all exercise) and keep the momentum going...so even tho its cold and wet out, i'm dressed and ready to go...I'll be back to update the Freebie section, and get more pics optimized...those are my two goals today...oh, and I'll get some emails responded to, although they might be kinda short, since I have a LOT to get thru...
We did find a new TV for our DDR mats, and we tried out the mats on Sat morning - they are fun and I look forward to when they're hooked up permanently in the studio...but we have some rearranging to do before then (nothing like a trip to the Pottery Barn outlet to make you have to rearrange furniture) and I have lots of delivery guys scheduled this week to handle the cable/tv problems...eventually it'll all be done, I'm hoping by Friday...but no DDR till then...
See ya'll in a few...time to go shiver and get wet...fun...
No, I haven't run back to Italy, I'm finding that since coming home I've been trying to do too much too quickly...My sleep is off whack, and while I'm awake during the day, I'm kinda 'zoned' and not getting anything done cause I'm trying to do everything at once...SOOOOO....Brian and I are taking the weekend to get caught up on some errands/tasks that we need to do (our DDR mats came in, so we need a new TV for the studio so we can play/dance)...and I promise to be 'back at work' on Monday with new pics, updated Voting results and the like...I just need some time to get everything settled...oh, and nope, i haven't returned most emails, although I have read most of them...will get to that too...
I've started the 'schwag' page, there's one overall pic for you right now and I've taken individual pics of everything (plus tools that aren't shown) and I'll get those posted when I return later today...
Have you ever heard my little rant about 'buy it when you see it, cause you may never see it again?'...well, I shoulda taken my own advice - its been sunny and warm the past few days, I cleaned the deck yesterday ready to take pics this morning - and its cold, dark and rainy out this morning...argh..why didn't I take pics outside when it was 75? well, my back up plan is to shoot them indoors, so they'll be kinda blueish when you see them, but I promise that I'm getting ready to shoot them right now...today's pics - the Italian scwhag that I brought back with me...not all that much, acutally - I focused my money on pieces from Lucio and Vittorio instead... but I do have a cool purse, and some masks and necklaces that I can show..and depending on how well it goes, I might get the pics of my class pieces shot as well...
I'm still going to bed early - 9:30 last night, after starting to get sleepy at 7:30pm...ha...and woke up at 4:30am again...actually its not such a bad schedule, its just completely opposite of my 'normal' life of staying up till 2:00am and waking up at 8:30am...i made a few beads last night, nothing exciting, tho...I'm feeling blocked - i think I'm still kinda sorting through everything I learned, plus I'm trying to get these pics for ya'll so you won't bust my door down...hee...i'm getting a LOT of the 'when are you gonna post your pics' emails, so I know ya'll are being as patient as you can be...and yes, I'm working on it as quickly as I can...I'm also decompressing at the same time...i have an appt at noon today, so it'll prob be after I return that the pics will be posted...but I'll make an announcement, I promise...and thanks for being so interested, its better than getting NO emails asking to see the stuff, right??? ya'll rock...
Ok, i've got LOADS of pics, most of them are good, some are redundant...It will take me HOURS to put all of them up, so what I've decided is to put up a few each day, so that you can get a feel for the trip and come back and see what's new each day...I've got some Venice and Murano SCENERY up today...pics of kitties, my apt in Murano, etc...I have lots of pics from the class, Lucio and Vittorio, each of their finished pieces, bugs, figures, LOTS OF NUDITY to come...I'll post a 'warning' image so if you're offended, you don't have to look...Lucio is all about nudity, most of his work is 'erotic situation' as he likes to call it...But I'll get to THAT eventually...
I also need to get some pics of MY finished pieces and souvenirs so you can see what I brought home and why my bag was tagged "HEAVY" by the airline...no duh...i was glad that thing had wheels, lemme tell ya...
the cable dudes are coming to figure out why our cable modem keeps dropping, so while they are tying up the lines, i'll be working on pics and story pages...first a shower, tho...
i like waking up at 4:00am, its kinda cool...course, I went to bed at 8:30pm last night, after yawning and feeling tired...still - its better than losing the 30+ hours of sleep that I lost when flying over...i was a complete Zombie when I arrived, and THEN they all wanted to go out for dinner...
ok, I'll be back this morning with interesting things to see and say...back soon...
This might sound weird - but the only thing I want to do right now is to fire up the torch and play...its 75 and sunny out (unlike the 35 in Murano)and I have all the doors/windows open, the cats are running in and out and sunning in the backyard, i've reconnected my propane, setup my new rod rest, and plugged in my generator...its time to burn some glass, baby....I've downloaded the pics from the memory stick, they look good..i'll optimize some for tomorrow (maybe later tonight when I'm vegging - remember I'm still 7 hours ahead of here, so its almost 10:00pm on my body clock right now...it won't take long to get back in action, but man I'm ready to jump on the torch and see what happens...time to burn...ciao till later...heh..ciao...
OH! And if you want to see some fast pics, go to Corina's page of Murano life and you'll see what I saw...and she even admonishes me for not getting my pics up in time...yeow! I better get on it...!!
Tra La!! Yes, that would be ME! I arrived in Austin at 5:00pm yesterday and we ran to get some Mexican food as soon as we could...ha...then, it was time to come home and open all the groovy pieces that I bought and made - not all the many, really, but show and tell is always fun...I have loads of pictures to upload, new pics of these goodies to take, and all sorts of things I have to do to get back on track...
First things, tho...time for a shower and teeth brushing (well, yes, I did do those things in Murano, but its nice to do them at home as well, with a 'normal' sized bathtub), and I must get thru the 700 emails I received...I couldn't check the Blackberrybeads.com email, so if you sent email, I wasn't able to check it, only my Road Runner account...
it was a great trip, I hope to do it again, but boy is it great to be home too...I was ready by last Thursday to come back - you know how the horses start running for the barn when they see it in sight? yep, that was us...
Ok, I...will....be....back....I have some freebies I need to draw! thanks for voting for me, ya'll ROCK!!
Howdy all...We are past the halfway point in Murano and only have one day left with Vittorio, and then our classes will be formally completed...I think we'll have a 'fun' day with Lucio, maybe Friday, and then on Saturday its 'shop' day...I still have to run back to Carlo Dona's shop and pick up a few tools...and hit Venice to pick up some bugs and fish from Vittorio's shop...I'm pretty sure I'll need to sleep for a week when I return home...and I'm actually one of the more slow pokes here - the other girls are cruising around the island (its all walking, no vehicles here - how 15th century is that!) more than I am, but I'm seeing what I need to see...we were lucky enough to get into another studio tonight and to get inside a local shop and pick up some beads as 'special customers'...we've been making communal dinners at the studio with olive bread, tomato/mozarella, fresh fish, salad, balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, potatoes, smoked salmon, asiago and parmesiano cheese, and red wine...oh and the pasta...can't forget the pasta! I made zucca ravioli in my apt last night - its filled with pumpkin...wow, I sure hope Austin has some shops where I can find food as tasty as this...
I learned a new way to make rings tonight, but alas, I'm afraid to sell any rings due to the beadmaker who's being sued by a customer who had a glass ring injure her...the liability is too great in the US...Here, they say 'its glass, be careful, don't be stupid'...in the US, its 'you owe me 500K for a glass ring that I hurt myself with cause I'm too stupid to know better...' So, I will make rings for me and if I hurt myself with them, well, I have plenty of band-aids...
I guess I better get off the computer so someone else can jump on...we're tired...I'll check in again before coming home...i'm going to try to get an earlier flight on Sunday- perhaps they'll take pity on me and get me to the
... to start your work week.
DH Brian here. I thought I might share this with all of you. Maybe it will perk you up a bit on a Monday morning.
http://60gp.ovh.net/~cleanyou/
This link is office / work friendly. Beware though ... proceed with caution if you are allergic to the feline kind.
Howdy everyone...I've been in Venice and am now living in an apt on the island of Murano and have no intention of leaving...Its very quiet here - no cars, no planes, no radios blaring, no noise really..just the water lapping against the canal, the locals speaking Italian, the church bells ringing and people laughing...the weather is cool and crisp, with fog in the morning, sun in the afternoon...I've been making pasta in the apt for dinner and walking to the grocery to pick up fruit and yogurt..i feel like an Italian myself now and could really get used to this life...it makes me realize just how hectic the US is and how removed from the frenetic pace this place is...its like living in the 14th century, almost..(we do have electricity, that's good)...I've been walking around saying 'ciao' to all the locals and acting like I live here...they always smile and are friendly like 'who is this weird American girl and her weird American poncho?'...but I don't care - it's fun and I'm having a good time doing it...
So, today was the first day of class, we made human figures and torsos and watched Lucio demonstrate some of his really fabulous works...swan-women, a huge mermaid, I've got pictures of all of them, but no means to download so you'll have to wait till I get back for all the cool stuff...we snuck into a hotshop yesterday and watched 4 guys making chandelier parts (I have pics of that too) and just wandered around peering into shops...haven't bought anything yet, but eventually I hope to...some of Lucio's smaller pieces are £4000, so we'll see if I can find anything I can afford...heh...
The days are really zooming by, and I'll be home before you know it..I hope to get another update in here again, right now I have my chance cause nearly everyone has gone to Venice, so the apts are empty and the computer isn't tied up...I dunno when this opportunity will happen again, so if you don't hear from me, well, know that I'm having a good time and will have lots to show when I return...
Ciao, bella
Check out the cool website Gail sent to me : Bookcrossing.com
I've registered the books I'm taking w/me and when I finish them I'll leave them behind - whoever finds them can enter the ID number and make comments on when/where they found the book...I hope whoever finds them can read English and will make comments...I've got 4 books to set free in the wild...I'll update ya'll if anyone finds them...
Alrighty then...i'm up early, cause I knew I'd forget some stuff- sure enough I forgot to pack my blue jeans and a jacket...so NOW I think I'm ready to go..you KNOW I'm gonna forget something important, but oh well...too late now!!
I'm doing last minute shipping of the Murano stripes sets this morning, so you should see those later this week..sorry for the delay...and I'll be back in action in a couple of weeks with pics and stories and weird looking glass things...see ya'll then!
Well, there's nothing exciting going on for you to see here...I'm spending today packing and doing last minute errand running to pick up stuff that I coudln't find, or pick up stuff I forgot I'd need...I hit Target for sleeping and sock stuff, and some great travel goods last night, and then found 4 Mary Higgins Clark books to take with me...they were thicker and looked like they'd last longer for my reading purposes than the teeny little Agatha Christie book...Considering I can finish a Harry Potter in about 8 hours, I need something that will take me TIME to read..I can't take HP cause my 'plan' is to read and abandon the books as I go - leaving them for someone else to enjoy who might be needing a quick book...plus it lightens my load as I go, one little book at a time...
So, what's left to pick up? I've been told to get "Airborne" which is a good remedy when you're in enclosed places with other folks who could be sick...Created by a school teacher who was tired of getting sick from her students, she created this little pill...my guess is that it's a strong shot of Vitamin C and some other magic mystery dust...you don't need a prescrip, so it can't be THAT powerful, but I hope it works..I picked up some "No Jet Lag" so we'll see if that helps too...I just don't take drugs - I barely take aspirin when I need it, so I have no clue, but I figure this might help keep me from getting sick which I always seem to do when traveling overseas...
I'll check in with ya'll tomorrow before I head to the airport...feel free to email me while i'm gone - and today I'll post 2 freebie sets to take care of the next two Sunday's I'm gone...so keep the votes coming in while I'm riding the gondolas...thanks ya'll!
Yeah, I don't leave till Tuesday, but i've updated the site so you don't have to look at the same pic of beads for the next two weeks...Instead you can check out Venice, Murano and I've included Lucio's link again so you can see the kinds of stuff we'll be doing...if you need me, i'm here till Tuesday, just shoot me a mail...
Well, I behaved myself last night and did not do a marathon beadmaking session...in fact, i made only 7 beads for an order that I have to deliver tomorrow...talk about waiting till the last minute...I'm not as bad a procrastinator as I make myself out to be - a bad one would wait until Monday before leaving town to do all her errands and packing, only to find out she won't have time to gather everything she needs...A bad procrastinator would wait until Monday (night even) to do her sales taxes and then find out she needed info that was only available during business hours...So, while I didn't do my taxes over the Christmas holidays as I'd originally planned, I did get them done in enough time to build in mistakes, should any occur...
So while I like to call myself 'lazy' I'm not as bad as I could be I suppose...One of my favorite Simpson's is when Ned wakes up to find its Jan 1, and he jumps out of bed and gets his taxes done that day..Homer waits until 7:00pm on April 15, saying "I already did those last year" and Lisa tells him "but you have to do them every year!"...Brian kept calling me "Ned" when I'd say that I had to do my taxes back before Christmas...hi diddly ho...
I baked some salmon, rice and green beans for dinner and while the oven was hot, I tossed a chocolate cake in for dessert...the instructions said to just grease the bottom of the pans, no flour, no side walls, so the first time I'd read that I thought 'no way, i'm doing this the right way'...well, last night I thought 'well, if its printed on their box, then I guess they wouldn't be lying to all of us, I'll go ahead and try the grease-only bottom of the pan trick'..and you know what? worked great...the cake was a little more moist (moister?) but it frosted up just fine and it tasted good...I would expect brownies to do well in that environment, but not a chocolate cake...I was surprised...
speaking of, its breakfast time, should I slice me up a big ol' hunk and wash it down w/ some milk??
4 of the sets are for sale, click the link to see what I've got..and if they oversell, I will be happy to make more for ya when I get back...i'll give you the option of course...I'm heading in to make some salmon dinner, so I won't be watching the site to take the buttons down when they sell...thanks kids!
Let's dance! {wiggle...wiggle}. I'm so glad to be done with my sales taxes for the year...and as you can now see - I was REALLY putting them off last night! I made 72 beads just *last night* alone...I was on a roll with these Murano Stripes and have also incorporated Corina's Subtle Stripes tutorial with them...These beads almost glow and are perfect to wear with denim shirts (which I happen to have on)...I made a necklace/bracelet/earring set to wear to Murano and posted a close up of the earrings...very easy to make, just clip a long length (about 3")of 20g silver wire, and put a loop in one end, string your beads on and bend the wire over a fat pen, add a dangle and clip the excess wire to a comfortable length...put a small bend in the end, file the wire to remove the burrs and you're gorgeous...
I got jammed on my Tx sales taxes yesterday, so I'm working on them again today...and I still have a few errands to finish up tomorrow and then I *think* I'll be ready...but are you ever ready? I'm sure I will forget something...like my torch eyewear or something...
I checked the weather in Venice and its in the 40'-50's and rainy...kinda what I expected...probably better than swealtering heat - especially in a studio full of hot flames and kilns...I'm gonna take my wool poncho, just in case the studio apt. doesn't have very good heat - this can double as a blanket...man, is this suitcase gonna be heavy...and I'm trying so hard to keep it minimal...
Ok, if I get my taxes done here soon, i'll update w/ a new pic...but until then I'm gonna try to stay off my computer until this chore is complete...!
Here's my one little Picking - named in honor of my new residence for the next two weeks...I took Corina's Subtle Stripes and adjusted them slightly so they are not a direct copy...these have more green and purple in them, less blue and pink, and that's how it should be...take an idea and put your own spin on it...The heart is a deep capri-aqua with gold dots all over it...the high silver content of the blue glass causes it to pit slightly when marvered, so there is some slight pitting (kinda avoidable with you're making a heart with this glass)..So, don't say I didn't warn you..its not very noticible, unless you're looking for it, tho...the bumps have a nice textural quality about them...all in all, a nice set for a bracelet/pendant...
Yeah, I have one whole strand of beads today...one...I've been running errands the past two days and just haven't had much torch time..and what's worse - i have more errands to do...I knew waiting till the last minute was the wrong thing to do, and yet - I did it anyway...
I picked up some traveling snacks, earplugs and anti-sickness remedies, a small pocket map and got my hair cut...but now I realize I don't have a nice zippered tote to use as a carry on...so guess what - more trips to the store! ugh...eventually I'll be ready...I hope after Saturday that I'm done...(Oh, and today is Sales Tax day - its due while I'm gone, so I have to get it done before I go...does it ever end??)
I took this hilarious footage of Clementine rolling around with her catnip buddy, but while it looked fine on the memory card, its not got very good resolution when you download it...and I don't have time to dink with it to clear it up...so, watch it with squinted eyes and you'll see her being silly...I'm running off to the PO - all the beadsets and presses are going out today...you should have received an email yesterday (except ya'll in OZ, NZ and Can, your stuff is going out too!)
Back after my haircut...maybe I should just have it all shaved off...?
I just downloaded 4 mpeg clips of Lucio working - if you want to get a feel for what I'll be attempting, you should download these and watch...each one is very short, so it won't take much space or time...
Slight change of plans...I will be out doing errands all day tomorrow (i forgot i had a haircut and appt at 5:30pm tomorrow, so might as well just go get everything done that I need to)...That being the case, I'll be making beads today but am not sure when I'll have time to post them tomorrow, if at all...so it might be Thursday when you see beads from me again...and Thursday is my 'drop dead' day for posting, cause I'll be finishing up last minute stuff over the weekend...I'm starting to get excited about the trip, I'm ready to put pointy things on bug's legs and make ladybugs and beetles...oh yeah...! Check out Lucio's figures...and Vittorio's website seems to be down, but you can see an example of his fish here...
I made a point of going to bed no later than midnight and look at me - I'm awake at 7:30am! rock on! Just in time to go to Italy and throw my sleep way off whack...but my good buddy Katie has given me a fool proof remedy for jet lag, so I'm going to give it a try and hope I don't get sick like I have every other time I've gone to England...ugh...
I have four little sets, mostly just misc beads that I enjoyed stringing together...will get those posted shortly...
New frit blends for testing have arrived, I'll get those tested properly after my trip...but they are really neato...
well, I've hit a brain freeze - I dunno what else to say right now, so I best go get these pics taken, uh-huh...see ya'll shortly...
I've just been cleaning beads and sending PayPal requests...I've got one strand for ya'll today, some really groovy Starlight lentils that I need to snap pics of...its raining out, so we'll see how that works...
I'm trying to get prepared for my trip next week, so if you hear from me intermittently, I'm not ignoring you on purpose, but rather am probably running around trying to get a handful of Euro's or travelers checks or making sure I have enough of the right stuff to wear...so bear with me...
I'm trying to get all the requests done before I leave, so I'll be working on those this week...don't be surprised when you get a PayPal request from me...I'm using all this money from ya'll to pay for my lodging, so consider it your contribution to my knowledge base and when I come back I'll be able to make some really kick ass figures, bugs and fish...well, lets HOPE anyway...
Remember Timer the after school cartoon who'd sing and dance while showing you how to make juice popsicles in your ice tray using plastic wrap and inserting toothpicks? Time for Timer...la la la...
Its been a sorta lazy hazy day here...raining, but warm and humid, we went out for breakfast and ran in and out of Target as fast as we could, to pick up a rolling wrapping paper storage bin...Using tips we've learned from MIssion Organization (my fave HGTV show right now) we organized and purged our old wrapping paper and ribbons (to be dontated to our favorite thrift store down the street) and put all the remaining rolls of paper (4 rolls down from 19) and a few bags of bows and ribbons into this new vertical rolling container..its fabulous! and we found some cool strands of lights for only $1.74 that I'll hang in the studio to give it a retro feel...and a few tins of cookies/candies for .64! i think the most expensive thing in our basket was my toothpaste at 4.59...(well, except the wrapping paper container)...
We went to a friend's house last night and they have "DDR" - Dance Dance Revolution - where you dance on a lighted/sensored floormat and hit each of the blocks when the arrows on screen tell you to...I was not tempted to jump around and risk spraining an ankle just before heading to Italy, so I refrained, but we're looking at getting some of these for our own...who doesn't like to jump around looking like they are stamping on an invading army of ants?
Speaking of Italy, I'll be leaving next Tuesday (11th) and won't be back until the 24th...I will be taking my camera and they apts supposedly have internet access, so I'll try to respond to email, and Brian and I will try to get my site updated, but it might be kinda sparse while I'm gone...we'll see...I just don't know what to expect...I'll be posting beads through Thursday of this week, and then I'll be shutting down the studio and doing last minute prep for the trip...(thank god my passport has arrived, so that's not a problem)...I'll be shipping any beadsets/beadpresses tomorrow...
Ok, well, there ya go...have a groovy Sunday and I'll be back tomorrow with something for ya'll...(I'm working on a few requests today)...
Amazingly enough, all the bead presses have sold, and thanks for such a fast response!!!CLEEEEK
1:00pm - I've posted two sets in the Ready For Pickin' page...these are not for the faint of heart (re:$$) but its the first day of 2005, why not start it off with a bang, right?? besides, you have a hangover, you can't be held responsible for your actions...
Are there beads on the first day of Jan 2005? why, yes there are! but its nearly 4:00am and I'm just now heading to bed...so you'll see them later in the day...enjoy the parade (gee, I wonder if I'll even get to see it) and I'll see ya'll shortly...booya...