What's Going On ...

Garden Stakes Abound...

Ok, all the stakes are ready in the "Ready For Pickin'" page...I dunno if they are priced accordingly or not - I think they are a bit under what I'd charge if these were beads (these still take a while to make) but I doubt you'd pay $75.00 for a garden stake...so I went with my gut and hope its the right move...

I'm workin' on the pics for the garden stakes, will begin posting them as I optimize them...get those hamburgers ready on the grill first, tho..and get some lemonade...and chips...its almost like 4th of July, but not yet...

workin' workin'...

Howdy ya'll...

Its been a good weekend, I'm working on some plant/garden stakes for ya'll...now that I've made a few, I have some that are smaller than others, so I'm thinking those should be for house plants, or hanging baskets..and then I'm making some on much larger mandrels that won't get lost in your garden...I'll make sure you know which is which when I offer them, so you don't get something you aren't happy with...Right now I only have a few made, so I'll be watching Poirot (there's a marathon on Biography channel that runs until at least 1:00am tonight, maybe longer!) and I'll see what I can get done...these are fun, similar to the Fiore beads in that they are bright, big and you never really know what's going to happen next..plus I'm able to get some neat shapes and goofy designs with these...I'm glad you like them enough to want them and I hope you're around tomorrow to see what comes out...Enjoy the rest of your weekend and hang your flag on your porch tomorrow!

Garden Stakes!

Janice Peacock has instructions for sale for those groovy Sprout bracelets...you'll enjoy making these, they're addictive...

First, lemme give you a preview of what I'm working on...I'm not ready to reveal the entire set, cause I only have a few beads made, but I hope you like it -

So, what is a garden stake you ask? Well, its common knowledge in the beadmaking world that if you get glass on a mandrel w/out any bead release to separate it, the glass will stick permanently...The 'joke' is that when you have a bead you love that won't come off the mandrel, you call it a 'garden stake' and stick it in a planter...

Another common occurance in beadmaking is that overtime the mandrels we use will bend or become unusable with wear and tear, so we have to set them aside, or cut them down to get them straight again...I decided instead of just letting them sit around, I'd make plant stakes on PURPOSE with them...So, using the clue from my buddy Maggie O'Leary, I made two brightly colored, silly plant stakes yesterday...they are big and tall and will brighten up the garden w/out needing to be watered...I plan on making more of these..perhaps with themes or something - like gnomes or wizards or creatures...weird!

Lastly, I have been having fun with my organic experimentation and came up with a groovy looking turquoise stone effect, like the "Ancients" auction that I have on eBay right now, only this time I squeezed the beads and made a couple of bracelets from them...no stringer work, I wanted them to look like natural stones instead...simple but pretty..

Today looks to be busy, lunch plans, Dex is coming home this afternoon, guests who want to buy beads and a class later tonight...the kiln is on, we'll see if anything actually enters it...hmmm..and I have so much stuff I want to do...

Double Whammy Yesterday...

Both my American Idol choice and my Jeopardy! choice went down in flames yesterday...Boo...! I won't say who they were in case you TiVo'd the shows (Lisa!) but oh well, whaddya gonna do? I'll still buy the Runner Up CD when it comes out, since that person was my fave...I have Clay Aiken's CD and boy did it stink...Why do they make him put out songs we've never heard? I LIKE Clay, but he needs to do a CD full of Neil Sedaka and Barry Manilow covers (well, would I buy that one? hmmm...ehh...well...)

Time to get some stuff done at the torch...after teaching the past 2 days I'm in the mood to get back and do some stringer work...I know ya'll are ready for something too, since I haven't had a set of beads in like eleventy years...slacker=donner

A drive by update...

Class is going well...

Who's gonna win American Idol tonight?

Have you reserved your new Harry Potter 6 book coming out July 16? I just finished HP4 (again) and am working on HP5 (again, only slower)...

Going anywhere exciting for summer vacation? All my money is going to Milwaukee...I hope I don't have to hitchhike home...

Here's a link for how to Crochet these flipflops, although I bet if you Google them, you'll find a few more hits...And this is how I did them: Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater Version

Its class day today..

I got an email from Lisa Niven Kelly this morning saying ya'll had been nice enough to tell her I'd referred you to her site for the Say It On the Wrist kits...Thanks! I hadn't told her I was sending ya'll there cause I didn't want her to think I wasn trying to get something out of it, and I wasn't sure ya'll had ordered anything, and that would have been somewhat cryptic - 'hey, I've been sending folks your way for the Wrist kits...' 'oh, that's nice, no one has bought anything yet...' D'oh! But it sounds like you're giving her some business and I highly suggest you visit her site if you're interested in making those little message bracelets...I'll be seeing her in B&B and will get a chance to meet her so that'll be groovy too...

Yesterday was harder than I thought it would be, but today and tomorrow should go by fast since I'm teaching all day..

If you're a Jeopardy fan, be sure to catch the shows (yesterday if you have TiVo)today and tomorrow - Ken JEnnings is back and facing two guys who are equally geeky (and good)..I told Brian this is like the Super Bowl for Geeks...like us!

Cleaning up for class

I'll be busy teaching Tue/Wed this week, so today I need to put a hurt on the studio...it doesn't really get messy - well, I guess it does, but mostly its just cathair and leaves from outdoors that need to be swept up and relocated...into a vacuum cleaner...but once I'm done, I do have a plan for some new beads, so hopefully that'll all come about...

I'm still slogging thru the days...its still hard...One of Dex's vets called to find out how he's doing (she's been out of town) and I just couldn't call her back and talk about him...I finished reading Harry Potter 4 last night, and it was sad because I had started reading it with Dex in the evenings...I even spent some nights reading out loud to him, just so he knew I was there...there are all these little reminders...thanks for listening, I do appreciate all the support, it really means a lot...most of you have been through a loss so you know what it's all about...and that it'll get better...

I've been down, but not hiding...

Yes, I've been sad and movin' kinda slow, but when I am in the mood, I've been getting a few projects completed...The Fuzzy FlipFlops were very easy - $2.50 sandals from Target, 5yds per shoe of eyelash yarn, and then I just used a blanket stitch to wrap each one...no knitting or crocheting...My buddy Mandy sent me the jazzy bright ones - she did it 'properly' and it really makes a difference - hers are thick and fluffy, mine are kinda thin...but considering how hard I am on shoes, I'll probably tear mine up anyway, so no biggie...I can make matching bracelets for each pair of shoes too...kinda groovy eh? This is what one evening of watching Napoleon Dynamite will getcha - lotsa finished flip flops...

And the other thing I finally did was to make a few little lentils using a new techique I learned way back in February, but only now got around to playing with...I called them 'Ancients' cause they look like the kinds of beads you'd see in a museum exhibit in the Egyptian wing...like aged copper when it gets that cool green patina on it, these look old...I like both sides of the beads, so you can see the green...They'll be going up on eBAy tonight and will be a 5 day auction...My thought was - if I tried to offer a special here, you might be angry if you missed it..this way, I will just make angry the ones out there who hate when I put stuff on eBay...see...always thinking...{tap tap on my head}...

Its been 101 here today...I've been giving all the trees a good drink, when they start to wilt, you know its hot...It ought to be about 85 in May, not 101...I hope this isn't the start of a very long hot summer...boo...

I plan to build a little page with Dexter pics as well as all the other kitties or creatures that live with us (maybe a few bird and squirrel pics, since they keep us entertained as well)...Will letcha know when that's ready...

'Thank you' can't begin to say enough...

I'm just checking in to let you know that I'm still here...I have been just keeping a low profile, taking it easy, rememebering Dexter and all his fun antics (writing them all down so I can remember them), and thinking about what I should plant in the garden to honor him...

Brian took me to pick berries and we got a really nice couple of boxes full...maybe I'll make some lemonade with them, who knows..

I'll be back shortly, and hope to email ya'll with proper emails...enjoy your weekends!

My Boy Wonder

My heart is broken...Its been a hard 6 weeks for both of us, and now I'm going to take a few days to just disconnect from the world and this computer...I'll be back in a bit...

Please enjoy some pictures of Dexter and thanks to everyone for all your well wishes and concerns...

Garden photos

Hey- For all the seed bead bracelet enthusiasts...Janice Peacock is in the process of creating a 'how-to' for her bracelets, so feel free to email her directly and ask about how to get the instructions...

Are ya'll thinking this is turning into a garden website and not a bead website? heh...

I just took a walk into the berry patch and look at what happened overnight..I think the kiln fairy was out there ripening the berries instead of leaving beads...I had no idea these guys would ripen overnight - literally...but yesterday's pic that you saw had all red berries, today we're lookin' at a few black ones...wow...I better go get these before the birds do...

I also have some groovy pics to show you of our new furniture, trellis and passion vines...gotta get a page built of those...you should see some 'before and after' pics to get the best effect, really...

Gardening Fresh...

I'm getting a late update in today - well most of ya'll will be reading this tomorrow anyway, so it'll seem new and fresh to ya then...so why not?

We've spent the day running around picking up sale patio furniture at Target, and a few passion vines with trelli at the Natural Gardener...Pics tomorrow, as they are still on the camera, which is inside and I am outside enjoying the new furniture and flowers...

I've been playing with a new combination of glass and frits and finally found one that I like, so I'll be making more of it and offering it soon...this week looks quiet on my calendar, the calm before the storm (teaching two classes in the next 3 weeks, then off to B&B), so I'm glad to have the downtime...I am by nature a quiet, shy person, believe it or not, and I get strength from wide open time on my hands where I can do what I want, explore, experiment, enjoy...I get drained when I'm constantly talking or taking classes or am just busy non-stop...its not good for my Qi..ha...so, this week=good...

I'm also coming to some hard realizations about my business and the truth is that I've burnt myself out doing remakes and making promises that I'm not good at keeping...if you've ever asked for a set of beads, you've probably heard me say 'yes', but then never saw the beads materialize, and then got frustrated and probably aren't even reading this cause you're so mad at me for not following through...SO...what I need to do is say 'this is it- what you see is what you get' and if the set oversells by a few buyers before I get a chance to put up the 'sold' sign, then I'll have to refund you the amt...its not YOU who's caused this, its ME and my inability to feel comfortable at disappointing you...I want you to have my beads, enjoy them and feel happy that you're getting them...but I've been making and remaking the same sets so much that I'm tired of even looking at them...I'm finding that I need to stretch, grow and find new designs, new ideas, revisit colors when I am ready to play with them and not feel forced or obligated to do so...I think its been a big block for me the past few months, something that I'm having to dig myself out from under and its taken me awhile to get to the point where I have to admit to myself that I have to do this...I bet you understand this better than *I* do...I'm probably already telling you things you knew and are rolling your eyes saying 'well, der Donna, you should have done this long ago'...and thus, I am here finally...thanks for reading, listening, and still hanging in there with me...

Saturday Sunshine

Its a gorgeous day here, only 74 and sunny...I've got the doors and windows open and everyone is coming and going...How's your Spring day?

Headin' to the courthouse...

9:30am Boom! I'm home already..got there at 8:00am, the judge came in at 9:15 to say that all the cases (about 30) for the day had already been settled, so we were free to go home...and don't have to come back for at least 2 years...now that's how I like my Texas justice - served hot and swift...pay up you deadbeats...pay those parking tickets...Time for the kiln to start a cookin' and me to start a workin'...

7:30am I'm up early (do they still make a 6:00am?) so I can get on the road and a good parking spot for jury duty this morning...ugh...

Last night's clasp class was fun, both Sara and Gwen who are sometimes known to post messages here were in class and we all made some groovy clasps...I remembered once I saw the handout that I'd already taken this class a few years back - obviously it sank in since I completely forgot that...but I LOVE taking classes, so it was all good...and I picked up some new tools and seed beads and twisted wire, so it was all worth the trip...

I faceted 4 of the beads shown in the pic from yesterday, I'll get those posted so you can see the creamy center...hope your morning is starting off well...wheeee....

I'm out of control..

As you can see from the photo, I spent yesterday making MORE beads for grinding...What is going on you ask? Well, I've taken all these groovy classes and haven't DONE anything with the techniques, so I'm just playing at the torch and having fun...Will I ever make small sets of beads again? You betcha...

I even have a color palette pulled and sitting next to me at the torch, but I've been having so much fun exploring the faceting aspect that I haven't made the set..In fact I have LOADS of color ideas for sets, its just a matter of getting to them...so don't worry...

Yesterday's beads took me about an hour per bead to make, so its not like I wasn't at the torch..I started at 10:00am yesterday, which as you know is unheard of for me - typically I'm lucky if I start by 3:00pm, its normally around 5:00pm and I tend to go till midnight or later...but I like to take advantage of when the mood hits, and so I jumped in...Today I want to get at least the 2 smallest beads ground down/faceted cause they'll go the fastest...I have a class at 7:00pm tonight (making wire clasps) and then I have to get prepared for jury duty tomorrow, blah blah, so faceting is the only thing I'll have time for today..but Brian is going to Dallas for a Star Wars thing on Sat, so I'll be home all day (mowing, probably) and able to get back on the torch...don't you love just knowing every in and out of my day? good grief...

I have just finished adding ALL the flowers to my little perennial bed and gave them a good drink of water...I'll go get a few pics once they've dried off and the sun has come out...not everything is in bloom yet, but its coming...I added the Celosia this morning and really like the texture of it...super groovy...

More facets..

One of the cool things about making the faceted beads is that the next morning you can't wait to start grinding them and peeking inside...I have two more that I made last night that I'm going to attempt to facet today...they are sitting patiently on the grinder, but Clementine is settling in for a long winters nap right next to the grinder, so I'm gonna let her get some winks and then I'll get over there...hopefully she wont pull and all-nighter...heh...

Ahh..the seed bead bracelets are popular - I've emailed Janice Peacock to see how she'd like to handle this, since its her instructions I'm using...I'll post how to get these instructions as soon as I hear back from her..I dunno if she'll want to send them to you directly, or charge for them, or just have me post them on my site...Gotta go thru proper channels, you know how it is...Glad you like them, tho..they are pretty fun to do and you can make a couple each night (well, maybe one each night) and you're stylin' the next day! still haven't finished my cocoa one..

And did you watch Idol last night? Love that Bo..his first song was pretty boring but his 'Money' song (the theme from the Apprentice for all you youngsters) was sweet...loved those flip flops and $ money belt...Poor Vonzell, she had a bad day yesterday but her second song was great - i just wished she'd smiled, but you gotta cut her some slack...she's so cute...

Getting caught up

Ok, I've ground down one of the focals and put up a page showing some interesting aspects of the faceted focals, as well as some seed bead bracelets I've been making...I have TONS of seed and delica beads, its really interesting to be making stuff from them again..I haven't touched them in years...

Here are the organic focals I made yesterday...I'm looking foward to grinding the two biggies and revealing their inner workings...I love the look that ivory gets when you add silver - it turns the wonderful caramel-butterscotch gold color that the regular Moretti palette doesn't offer...I have ideas in my head on what to do with this, its just a matter of getting there which will come in time...

I'm finally getting the Freebie winners caught up and will be posting a new freebie today...I also played around at the torch yesterday and have some 'weird' focals that I made...I'll show them to ya, I don't expect you to be interested in them cause they are just experimental kinds of things..One thing I learned - if you leave Silver Blue redux stringer in the kiln too long, the shine will burn off of it..bummer...But I made a couple of large 'horizontal' hearts and those were fun to do...and I have 2 of the big encased beads that I'll be grinding down to reveal the 'secret surprise' in the middle..but seeing as how each one takes at least an hour (no joke) to grind down, I'll do that AFTER I post the pic, and then i'll show you the gooey guts of the beads...cool, huh...

And how was your weekend? Rainy like mine?

It poured here all day and night yesterday...We camped in and watched a marathon of I Love the 90's on VH1...I made some lemon bread with a new loaf pan from Willams Sonoma...today everything is soaked outside, so I'm staying in and trying to get some stuff done on the torch...

I have some new color ideas to try and I figure I'll get some bad ones made before I get some good ones done...but at least I'm giving it a shot...and I haven't felt like being on the torch in a long time, so I'm actually looking forward to today..

On Friday I have to report for Jury Duty selection..hopefully I won't get selected, or if I do, I hope its just a one-day jury...ugh...

'Comments' are working again

Brian fixed the 'comments' field so its working again...I didn't get any good beads made again, what else is new...I did want to show ya'll the area that Brian has been working on in our backyard...this is actually the side yard, just off from the computer room...its a nice small area thats not overwhelming...and Brian has done 99% of the work here, all I've done is plant the little flowers (shown in the lower left that weren't planted yet when this pic was taken)...

Eventually he's going to remove the grass and put in gravel pathways...but its getting hot in Texas and the 'sod busting' days will have to wait until it gets cool again...Oh yeah, the mushrooms came from the Natural Gardener nursery that we visit almost every weekend...you might find them locally in your own nursery, tho...

I broke the 'comments' field

I dunno how I did it - but Brian will be hunting thru the code to try and fix it when he gets a chance..He's in San Antonio at work, but he thinks he'll have some time to look into it...I don't even know how the two folks who left comments yesterday managed to do it - I can't even leave them myself...ha...

Nancy has come and shipped everything I had ready to go, so if you've bought something from me but haven't seen it for eleventy million years, its now on its way...

i'm going to give the torch a go today...I swapped out the Lynx, put the Minor in, just cause I was needing a change...I love the Lynx, but the flame is so narrow that its not great for making large beads with (at least not for me)..so I use the Minor when I want to do larger stuff and today I feel like playing with some of the new techniques I learned from Janice and Kim...Who knows what will appear tomorrow but I hope its worthwhile...

I made my reservations for my flight to B&B yesterday, so now it feels 'official'...and I used my freebie flyer miles, so the cost of the ticket - $10.00...Man, I LOVE that...all it means is more $ for beads at the show...do you think I'll be buying beads there? hmmm...I wonder...

Still slogging around

Since I don't have any beads to offer to ya, I know of some on eBay if you're interested...Twisted Thoughts has some auctions using a set of my 'Blackberry Wine' beads...

I was on the torch yesterday but the few beads I made didn't come out very well...so I've put up a pic of the kitties in the new garden section that Brian carved out last weekend...all the flowers are butterfly friendly, and we plan to keep adding to it over the summer..its amazing how easy it is to put plants in the ground when the soilbeds have been prepared...the soil in our yard is icky, poor Brian is always chopping it up and removing it...its grey and more like cement..I dunno how anything can grow in it, honestly...we've spent a lot on 'good' soil (the dark stuff you see there) and eventually I think the entire yard will be covered with it at least 6" deep...I need to water my new flowers I planted Monday, they are already suffering...

I'm back on the torch again today, gotta keep trying to see if anything will spring out that's decent enough to offer...wish me big luck...

A little sumtin' sumtin'

Ok, here are a couple of goodies you might find interesting...I dunno how I managed to mess up the right hand column *again* but I'll try to get that alignment fixed...

Well, its not as much as I'd hoped, but its a little sumthin' in summer colors...a squeeze bracelet and matching earrings coming up in a sec...maybe i'll stomp around and see if there's anything else I might have cooked up and forgot about (or was hoarding)...back shortly...

I've been making beads - no way!

Well, yup...I'm late in updating today, but its cause I've been busy at the torch...Dex and I did a vet visit, then Lydia came over for lunch and now I'm at the torch...so I hope to have some beads for ya'll tomorrow..probably not as much as I'd like, cause I'll be at Lydia's having dinner with the gang who was in Andrea's class today...

I spent some time on Sunday catching up and hanging out w/ Andrea and we had a great time...today she's teaching a class in New Braunfels, but since Lydia and I flew to Seattle last October, we didn't want to 'hog' a spot today, so we're stayin' out of sight until tonight when we're all gettin' together for dinner...so I'll be on the torch for the next coupla hours and then off to dinner...So, I'll shut up now and get back to work...See ya'll tomorrow for a few summery beads, eh? rock and roll kiddos...

Spring Flowers

while the weather is cool and overcast (70 in May is unheard of, it should be 89 and sunny so I'm taking advantage of it), I'm planting new flowers in the flowerbed...I didn't buy enough (do we ever?) so I have a few holes to fill...the coolest thing is we have a nursery that backs up to our house, so we just walk over and pick up what we need...I have petunias, marigolds, salvia and dianthus in right now, and I think I need some greenery and dusty miller to fill in for some texture...will get a pic once its completed...Dex is out there with me (well he just walked in where I am) Dex WAS out there with me sleeping in the cool dirt...

I'm up and moving, things are going well....

I took some quiet time to just hang out with Brian, Dex and the family yesterday and it was good...Dex has stabilized - he's actually eating and drinking quite heartily and he seems to have more energy than he has in the past 3 weeks, so for that I'm happy....He's not 'better' per se, but he's more active, even if he is stumbling and falling over (paralyzation will do that to ya)...I'm giving him all the food he wants and am constantly changing the water for fresh, but its all worth it...whatever he needs, whenever he wants it...living like a king...

So, with a renewed enthusiasm, I'm spending today at the torch and later will hit the Whole Bead show and go see my buddy Andrea Guarino...I may see if she wants to come hang out tomorrow, just to get away from the craziness of the show...She's teaching on Tuesday at Molly's studio, but I didn't sign up - I didn't want to take someone else's spot, but we can still hang out and have dinner...

Will I have anything for sale soon? It all depends on how well today's session goes..and for not being on the torch for at least a week, longer actually if you don't count last weekend's class, then I might just end up with blobs and gobs today...I still have a couple of things I need to tie up for some of ya'll, so I hope today isn't a complete waste, but you know what? This entire week is W I D E O P E N on my calendar, so I hope to get some work done...NEXT week is another story - my first Jury Duty summons...sheesh...I've already signed up via the web, so I'm registered and received the week of May 9-13 as my 'report for duty' week...I'm not sure what I need to do - it says if I've signed up online, I don't need to arrive in person...hmmm...i'm already confused...i sure hope if I get selected it'll only be for a one-day trial...and being from Texas, where we LIKE to hang folks for littering, I don't think I can scare them with any wild tales of my 'crazy beliefs' or such...oh well...