I spent too much time watching all the News channels last night (Nightline had a very interesting hour telecast) on the hurricane damage...Obviously Miss took the brunt of the force, with most of it's shoreline devestated (entire hotels were picked up and relocated), houses blown to bits, trees uprooted, etc...New Orleans has the joy of flooding, snakes, crocs, sharks (!), and looters...And its gonna be bad for a long time to come...those flooded houses will be worthless, and what I keep wondering is 'where are all those folks going to be for the next year?'..cause they certainly have no home to go to...
some are here in Austin, and the hotels are actually discounting their rates, instead of gouging them like Houston was so kindly doing..Austin is cool...But can you imagine being in a hotel for a year? I don't think so...so would you get an apartment and a new job in a new town and just see what happened in your old home? Folks can't stay w/out food, water and electricity, especially in August in Louisiana - that's crazy talk...
anyway, I stayed up too late watching all that...
Some of Brian's remaining birthday gifts arrived yesterday - the coolest thing is a Digital Binary watch that tells time in Binary code...dots light up and you have to add the numbers together to come up with the time...its brilliant! I saw it last month and wanted one for myself, but I don't think in binary (1 and 0) code...Brian does, and when he saw the pic, he told me he could use the watch...so I bought it and come to find out - the face is imprinted with the numbers above each dot, so even a dork like me can add them together and read the time...I bought him the blue face, but now I want one for me..think I'll have to buy the red one...It speaks to my love of funky weird watches...
Everyone ready for back to school? UT starts tomorrow, the kids are back in town and the parties are about to commence...
I'm getting hammered with spam email at the moment..the last two days have been brutal...is it just me? I have a spam filter that drops it into a folder, but its more than I've seen in two months...weird...
Still waiting on some of Brian's birthday presents to arrive..one of them doesn't ship till tomorrow, so his 'birthday week' becomes 'birthday multiple weeks'...sorry dude...
Lady has become obsessive and has been barking at the cats in a not-so-friendly-way...I'm concerned because she had a run-in with her last owner's dog and I hope she's not showing signs of the same thing with us...She got along w/the cats previously, this is something new...hmmm...she's still obssessed with Clem, I suspect she thinks Clem is an alien or ferret, not a cat...
Well, more tiling today, actually more pouring of leveling compound, and then tiling tomorrow...Brian laughed at my very terrible 'corner job' where I tried to get tiles into the corner - yes, it was laughable...i'm sure it'll look better once he replaces them properly...guess I won't start tiling for a living...
Back later...
I got up and watched "All Katrina All The Time" on all the major news outlets..I'm very glad that Nawlins was spared the brunt of the storm, and I hope to get there next year and enjoy the place...I was really worried that it'd be underwater and all the cemetaries would be opening up, hints of Poltergeist all over again...But the good news is, its not submerged and hopefully it survives to party another day...
I know you are tired of my tirades about my computer...so I won't bore you with the details of it...I will try to upload the files and pieces I have available, if I can manage it...I'd like to make it happen, but things are not good in computerworld at the moment...so bear with me and I'll see what I can do...
On an even more fun note, we've been tearing up the laundry room, right? well, this morning, I went to take a shower only to find there was no hot water...the water heater had been turned off by accident, so only cold water showers for me..actually i just stood back and let the shower head hit my head and then washed my hair, and did what other cleaning I could w/out turning into an ice cube..actually its so hot here that we don't really have 'cold' water, its kinda tepid..but it is a bit cooler than I expected...I got thru it, tho and now I don't have flies following me about...
I'm going to have some lunch and lay some tile down in a bit...get this rolling so we can at least move the washer/dryer back against the wall and finish the room...its not that large, its just like any project - there's always something unexpected you have to adjust for...Brian poured the leveling compound, and we let it dry overnight..Amelie did manage to get a footprint imbedded in it, so we'll have a little momento hiding under the tiles...they aren't fancy tiles, just peel and stick..its not a fancy laundry room, you should see the underflooring...ha...
And so it goes...at least I'm able to post messages to ya'll, something I'm grateful for...Hope to see ya'll in a bit...
Its E-V-I-L...actually, Brian is doing soemthing to bring it back online and working on the website, and I dunno what else...so I'm kinda out of the computer world at the moment...i have pics and everything, but am unable to post them...boohoo...
Have you read Corina's rant lately? I was cracking up..she's back in rare form...Its like she's a Hurricane, blowing down everyone in her path...
speaking of which, sounds like Nawlins is going to be out of commission for a while...they say it could be months before the town is back to normal...I hope Jan from Czech Glass gets his stock out and can keep his business going from wherever he ends up, cause I think its going to be "Nawlins, City of Atlantis" after Katrina blows thru...bummer!
I got more fuel this morning at UHaul and had two different people freakin' out because they thought I had cut line, when I hadn't...it was all rather amusing, and I just shook my head- these are folks driving their kids to Austin for college (starts Wed I think) and man, they behave worse than their kids...blah blah, what a bunch of babies...one of the ladies apologized when she realized I hadn't cut, but rather she had cut in front of me (I had been at the propane station outside when she came in, so I came in behind her, but in fact was really ahead of her to pay, if that makes sense)...it was an interesting morning...I shoulda known not to go this close to classes starting...der! but regardless, I'm stocked up on gas and can make lotsa beads now...no excuse...
oh, i haven't answered in emails in awhile, so I'll be catching up on those as soon as my email is back online...don't ask me why some of this is working and other parts aren't, I don't understand it either...my Outlook Express account is completely gone, have to re-set that up again (I think its there, but I dunno where it went)...man I do love me technology...isso wunderful...
I can't post anything until after we get back from the matinee...the network where I store images is down at the moment, so I can't publish new pics anyway...so yet another reason to go enjoy your day and come back later, huh...
I do have something new to offer, I made these yesterday..not beads, but something you might find fun anyway...need to shoot the pics and get them posted on the Pickin' page, so don't hang around waiting, cause it'll be awhile...but I finally have something to offer, after going 'cold' on the beads this week...I HAVE been making stuff, but mostly just trying new colors and testing new stuff...there are some really cool beads out there right now, tho...I've seen them and they are very groovy...ok, back in a few...
Looks like we are finally tackling our utility room and replacing the horrible linoleum that has been slowing pulling itself up off the floor for the past year or longer...anyone who's been to my house knows of the horror of which I speak...after a quick visit to Home Depot for more tiles, leveling compound and stuff to fix the rocking toilet (just goes to show ya what buying a home from someone who lived in it for 25 years and did all their own renovating will do- you'll be fixing their handywork for the next 25 years)...gotta move the washer and dryer, pull up the old stuff, mix and lay down the leveler and then put the tiles on...I think we're gonna catch a movie for lunch and then jump in head on...
What did I learn yesterday? Shrinky Dinks - not my thing...strike two...Next time, we're making bracelets or beads..something we know how to do...
I've got some chainmaille stuff to show...my new clasp arrived yesterday, so my Ancients bracelet is finally complete..and the mermaid mesh is also done...I forgot I have another wire kit to work on, so I'm happy now that I'm done with my evening book...(gotta read before bed)...I've also been listening to these Books on Tape and am enjoying them...keeps me from mindlessly listening to junk on tv...of course Jackie Guerrrrrra on Jewelry Making is never a waster of time...even if she is doing Shrinky Dink stuff...
Brian fixed a few things, and a few things are still popping out of the woodwork, but he's hitting them with a mallet (wack a mole!) as I run across them...
I've been making beads in the background, tho...nothing new to show, its more that I've pulled colors and am trying to get them to work for me...once i have something to show, I will, of course...
Letha is here, we're making weird stuff today, but not PMC..we're gonna try some shrinky dink stuff, but I have my kiln heating up, just in case I don't like this...heh...
back later...gotta go put out some fires...
This morning my mobile vet is coming out to check on Clementine and give a round of yearly vacs to Clarice...Clem has some skin abrasion on her neck, and I've done 10 days of antibiotics for her, applied topical cream to keep the sore from crunching over, but I'm right back where we started...I actually have 3 vets for the cats, my vet of over 10 years, the mobile vet who will come to the house (the cats are less stressed and she helped me with Dexter in May) and a holistic vet who does accupuncture and treats with alternative medicines...that's more doctors than *I* have, but then I rarely get sick or ill, so I just don't go...the dentist hadn't seen me in over 2 years...yeah, I'm not proud of this, but I didn't have anything wrong, so I didn't go...who goes to the dentist when nothing is wrong??
I ran around looking for birthday presents for Brian...I hit the role playing store where he plays a Star Wars game on MOnday nights and picked up some new figures and dice for him...You have to understand I don't know beans about what I was doing, so I took a stab in the dark that what I bought was the right stuff (the kids there helped direct me, but I didn't know if they sent me in the right direction)...turns out these were new figures, he hadn't gone and bought them all yet (something he does tend to do), so the present was successful...it reminded me of when kids open a Happy Meal and are excited they got the Transformer they've been hoping for...except these are just bigger Happy Meals...so today I need to get one last present, cause tomorrow's is already taken care of, its on order, but hasn't arrived yet...hmmm...I think maybe I'll make him a bead, although he won't wear it often...but its the thought and all that...
100+ all this week, the weatherman forecast looked like a report card of a really smart kid..99 and 100 across the board...i'm watering the front lawn so it doesn't dry up and blow away...the caterpillars are still changing in the back, I had one open and fly away, and one more is still cooking, but should be hatching soon...Did I mention another Ruby Throat showed up last week? I thought it was a giant bug, it kinda creeped me out at first till I realized it was a tiny bird...I need to get that feeder and water feature going!!
I made a few observations from the 12+ hour day I spent in the theater yesterday...lets see what I learned:
1. Hollywood wonders why the box office is slow and folks aren't going to the movies as much? I know why! The two IDIOTS who sat next to me and TALKED thru all 3 dang movies...I was ready to just lean over and listen to what was so important because the could not keep from talking about it for hours...argh!
2. The food was really good, but lemme tell ya -
when you're in a dark theatre and someone hands a bowl of food to you, you really DO like to see what you're eating..Have you ever eaten something w/out looking at it? Especially when a fancy chef has put a twist on whatever the item is..Give it a try - eat something that someone gives you in the dark and see how you feel about it...
3. 12 hours is a LOOOONG time to be squirreled away...I knew I'd be tied up all day in the theatre, but I feel like yesterday was just a blip on my screen...I got nothing done...I feel kinda guilty being out of touch for that long...It wasn't really a vacation, it was almost being in a 'lock in'...I coulda left I suppose, but then that wasn't the point...
So, in summation, the next time we decide to pull an allnighter watching movies, we're gonna make our own popcorn, watch our own DVD's in our own house with our own kitties and puppy and not feel guilty about it...Brian said he was glad they didn't show the extended versions because we woulda been there till 11:00 or later...he was grateful to be out by 10:00pm...and I thought I was the only one itching to leave...heh...
So today starts the week off right...its gonna be over 100 today, August summer is definitely here, so I'm in the studio catching up on emails, picking up more birthday presents and making beads later this afternoon...The dog has been out in the sun soaking up the rays and the kitties are finding spots to curl up in...all is right on this Monday..is it really the 22nd already? woohoo, that means football is right around the corner...rock on!
6:30pm We're on our second (and last) break..have watched movies 1 and 2...the food has been really good, 5 courses so far...the audience is MEGA geeky - clapping when Legolas does cool stuff, clapping when Gimli does goofy stuff - enough clapping already! ha....I guess I'm not as Lord of the Ringy as everyone else here...Brian just won a door prize, some deck of cards...silly geeky deck of cards...they're giving out LOTR games and prizes...I'm playing with my chain maille bracelets and pretending lookin' really cool with my computer...My preferred way to geek out is to talk BEADS and maybe visit ITALY...
Uh oh, the lights are going down soon...gotta go...the deck of cards has been opened, I bet we lose some before we get home...see ya'll later, if I survive the geekdom...
Ha Ha...from my horoscope today: "Feeling like a stranger in a strange land? Take some time to observe the natives. Learn the customs and listen to how they speak, then try approaching someone. See? It's a pretty friendly place after all."
I'm buried here in the midst of the theater, GEEEEKS all around...wearing costumes, quoting lines, someone dressed as Sam was looking for Frodo a minute ago...its a riot!! I'm wearing both of my chainmaille bracelets as my 'mythril' armor and I did manage to remember to wear the One Ring around my neck, but if you saw me in the mall, you wouldn't think I'm 'dressed up' for the movie...but I know that I am...
We've had some apple juice and are going to be served breakfast (or is it Elevensies?) once everything gets going...I have no idea when I'll be able to check in again, but I'm gonna be here at LEAST 12 hours, so dear lord I hope I'm back on line between now and then...
What's even weirder is the past two nights we've been watching LOTR on TNT...its not like I needed a refresher or anything...it just plays so well in the background while making beads or playing with the dog...
I'll be drawing the Sunday Freebie winner some time today or possibly tomorrow...but I've already got new pics to post for next week's bead...
Well, I'm hungry, where's my nice crispy bacon???
12:30 - alrighty then, I've posted what I have...most were made last night, the Target set has been an ongoing project that I had to just give up and move on from...I had such great ideas, but the lime stringer would not stick properly to the cocoa glass, and well, the strand is nice but I wish it coulda been more beads...that stupid Lauscha glass is pretty and all, but can be a pain to work with...Hope you find something you can't live without...
I need to go get more Birthday gifts today...So far Brian has received a new wallet that he needed desperately and some Polo sleeping pants that he practically lives in..the South Park kids pair has been worn so much that folks laugh at him when he goes out "hey, you're in your pajamas"...if he doesn't mind, I don't...hahaa...
I've got a couple of strands that I'm workin' on this morning...will post in the Pickin' page when they're done...still cleaning/stringing right now, so it'll be a bit...not lots of stuff, just a few new things...
if you haven't checked the Pickin' page, I've been adding stuff to it behind the scenes...i don't always announce when i post stuff, just cause I want ya'll to check and be surprised by any goodies you might find there...ya never know...
I assume many of you follow Corina's website, I mean I think we are all disciples of Corina in some way, shape and form...She wrote me a majorly long email a few days ago asking for my feedback on this new book she's planning on publishing by the first of January...
Then she called me last night to say she never got my feedback, even tho I replied to her email, oh its like keystone cops sometimes...Anyway, I checked the teacher list and I was tickled to see my name there...Yes, of course I want to be in the book, am happy to pay for a full page ad...If you know of any teachers you think ought to be featured, feel free to email her with your suggestions...She's on a roll and ready to make this happen...Very groovy
And what's even more cool, is this isn't even the exciting news I have to tell you about..I'm still working on the behind the scenes on that, and don't want to say anything until more details are worked out...but we are 'in talks' and hopefully I can make an announcement soon...
Yesterday was burned working on the Mermaid Mesh and I'm over half done...it is the most wonderful feeling mesh, I can't stop playing with it...its like a squish ball that you can't stop squishing, I was playing with it in the truck, and it fell on the floorboard and I thought I was going to have a heart attack...at least I didn't try to reach down and grab it while driving, or I'd have killed myself...I'll get a pic, but you need to feel this in person to get the full effect...spectacular...!
I'm already getting emails about coming down to take classes with me, now that I've officially opened up the studio again...so if you're interested, lemme know...
Time to go to work...time to make the donuts...back later, skater...
3:00pm Its late in the day, but I did say I'd check in, didn't I? I've decided to open up TEACHING in my studio again, i'm officially 'off' hiatus, so if you have been having a hankering to come see me, lets talk...email me...I needed some down time after losing Dexter, and doing Bead and Button, but things have settled here and I'm ready to get back at it...I am teaching one class in Sept., taking a Kate Fowle in October, and have a few things scheduled for January already, but there's plenty of time this Fall on my schedule, and Austin is MUCH more tolerable in the Fall than summer...so come on down and meet Lady and the kitty creatures...
The dentist was good, no cavity or problems, he thinks perhaps my bite was off a bit, so he ground down a tiny part of the tooth and I just need to check on it...
I took apart the Mermaid's Mesh and sure enough I was doing it wrong..after a lot of research online, I found more pics that helped me (Anne has a great tutorial, I was just not reading it properly) and now I'm off and running...and its actually fun...I'm interested in making some finger rings out of tiny chainmaille rings next...and maybe getting some annodized (colored) rings...I've been having a hankering to try some new metal incorporated with my beads...I have some ideas, I just need the time to make it happen...time time time...
Letha and I had lunch yesterday, then had to drop in on Mick and take a spin in her new Purple Haze Mini...it was a stinkin' BLAST! Man that thing can move, even with 3 people in it...I love that its both a Standard AND an Automatic - how completely cool is that!!! PLUS, there are controls for the radio AND ability to shift gears- all on the steering wheel!! I'm in awe, totally...Let alone watching the little automatic roof slide across and down the back of the vehicle and lower the windows with the touch of a button that has a cheeky British sticker saying 'do you *really* want to put the top up?'...All I can hope is, when my Miata grows up and becomes the Mercedes SLK its going to be, that its just as much fun as her little Mini is now...yes, that's my only hope...
Some of ya'll have been excited about my little Pumpkin watercolor that Anissa gave me, and have asked if she has any paintings for sale, so I put a hot link on her name where you can visit her Cafe Press store and buy various goodies w/ her fabulous talent all over it..tote bags, calendars, note books with gorgeous nudibranch sea slugs (prettier than their name!)...Go see...
Brian's Birthday Week starts today...Letha, Mick and I all brainstormed on what I should get him...a duct tape wallet, a DVD, a vintage TShirt of Something Cool, something from 'thinkgeek.com' all made the list, as well as a hand made beaded necklace from me...I picked up a couple of things from the mall tonight, nothing duct taped, but I'll letcha in on it once he opens the goodies...His 'big' present is Sunday - the Lord of the Rings Marathon and Feast...We'll be there for like 12 hours, maybe more?? He's arranged for friends to come visit Lady at least once (we'll take care of her in the morning) during the day...I may just take my laptop, there'll be wireless connectivity and I'm gonna need a break between movies I think...but I've got lots of practice sitting for long stretches of time...I'm gonna wear my LOTR "One Ring" that I bought last year...Its SOOOO groovy, I must say...
Gotta due the dentist in the morning, so I'll check in once I'm home and have had the car washed...its bird doo from front to back...yeesh...
I sent out an email to a few folks yesterday asking if I was missing out on the 'bead press' phenom...meaning, are there any bead shapes out there that I *really* need to be making...My favorite beadshapes are rounds and lentils, but there are a couple of press manufacturers who have all sorts of ovals, triangles, hexagons, squares, tabs, tiles, cubes and hearts that I can buy and squeeze my little glass into..I am pleased to say most everyone has agreed with me - they prefer the round and lentil shapes more than any others..(a few other shapes were mentioned, but not in a 'you must have this' kinda way)...
So, it looks like I'll be sticking with my current phase of round and lentil shapes with some cubes, barrels, hearts and misc shapes that don't require a press...If you ever spy something that you think I really need to be aware of, feel free to email and let me know..I do try to keep up with everything, but that doesn't mean I try to follow the trends..in fact, I prefer to try to blaze my own trails, not copy anyone directly of course, come up with my own color combos, my own bead style, etc...While trying to keep up, doesn't mean trying to follow the crowd...I just like to be aware of what's going on in the beadworld, and make my own decisions...that doesn't mean I won't buy a bead press that I really like (I ended up selling 8 or 10 of them at one point when I found I wasn't using them) and in fact I have a new tool on the way that will help me with some shaping (Letha convinced me that I need it) of barrels that have never been a strong suit for me...so sure, I will buy tools (tool ho that I am) and goodies as I see a need for them...I'm just glad to know that you like the round beads best, as that's what most folks tell me...
I also wanted to reply to Kathy James' question from the comments field from yesterday...she asked if I would be making more like the Pumpkin Patch that's on eBay at the moment...I've always said that "if you like something you see on eBay, you should buy it then cause you probably won't see it again..." that still holds true...I put stuff up on eBay that I think folks would like as unique and special sets...I was bombarded with requests to remake the Wild Wild West set when I put it on eBay, but I've never done it...and then I was bombarded with remorse emails from folks who never managed to bid on it...I don't remake stuff I put on eBay for a reason - its not fair to the folks who buy eBay sets to know that I will remake it for anyone who asks...the sets I put up for Pickins' are a different story, I have been known to remake those (although I'm not great at getting around to remakes as many of you know, so you don't always get those requests either)...Some beadmakers will remake eBay sets if asked, and that's fine for them...its always been my mantra not to do that, so you know what you buy is unique to you...I think that's fair...
Oh man, I'm really excited about these beads...I opened the kiln this morning and realized I made a set that matched the original watercolor painting that Anissa gave me the other night...I was waiting to show it to ya'll, but this is the perfect time to debut it...I love the little creatures dancing and playing on the vegetables and of course the colors are perfect for me...I plan to get it framed and have it hang in the studio eventually..but for now I still enjoy it every time I walk past it and apparently enough so that I made a fistfull of beads to match it...
I'm still working on the 'exciting news' so I can't divulge it fully yet because it hasn't been completely worked out, but I can say I've been invited to teach somewhere that I'm very excited about...more as I get it all settled...
Brian's birthday week begins in a few days and I need to go shopping..I know what I want to get him, i just need to get out of the house and go DO it...so you might not see me much the next few days, as I have a dinner appt tomorrow and a dentist appt at 9:00am on Thursday...my tooth was hurting, but now of course I feel no pain at all...why is that? I wonder if I just had something lodged in there..well, I need to go see the dentist anyway, so I'm still going, but he'll probably think I'm nuts...I'm not afraid of the dentist like so many folks are, they are so nice and never hurt me, and I've had nearly every procedure done...you don't wanna know...
Ok, well, i must run for the moment...the kiln is heating up, will be working today, shopping will have to wait till tomorrow...yeehaw...
Bah...I'm here and working on the mermaid mesh chain maille bracelet from Anne Mitchell..its a super cool mesh, but its making my head hurt...I can't tell if I'm doing it right, or if I have too many rings hooked together..I needed to take a break..this one is gonna take me days and days to complete, I can already tell...
Watched North by Northwest last night...great movie...kinda slow, not scary, but can Cary Grant BE any more gorgeous? good grief...
I have the NFL network playing non-stop in the background...great background noise..lets me 'think' and get stuff done..especially since these are preseason games and don't make any difference...I like the white noise...
Sounds like LOTS of ya'll have hummingbirds in your yards up north..I dunno how I misunderstood what the lecture dude was talking about..he said Mexico has like 53 species, Texas has 18 and Oklahoma has 5...his point was that the further from the equator, the fewer birds..but apparently they are up further North than I'm understanding...so I'm very glad to hear you're enjoying the birds too...put RED in your yard if you want to attract them, but NOT in the water - they don't know what red food coloring will do to the bird's kidneys, so just keep the solution clear but use red to draw them in...they don't need to drink it, tho...
Ok then...I'm off to try some new stuff...enough with the chain maille for today..I give...I know when I've been beat...my head hurts...I need to burn something...time to relocate Darcy from my seat so I can sit and cause havoc at the torch...back later...ahhhh...the A/C has just kicked in...things are looking up!
The yard was needing some attention, so we've been mowing, trimming, lopping branches, cutting hedges, cleaning up cardboard - found 4 full grown toads living in there, a walking stick, various geckos, worms, grubs and fabulous creepy crawlies and just doing what needed to be done...the lawn looks much more presentable and we've decided this fall we're going to remove a couple of plants that have seen better days and maybe put some focus on the front of the house...its has such potential, but we've been doing so much in the backyard, that that the front has stayed kinda plain jane...
Mick and her husband zoomed by in their new Mini Cooper last night...there was a whole buzz of folks flitting around the car, it is so cute and is perfect for her...purple w/ black racing stripes, convertible with a windscreen in back, chrome roll bars in the backseat, an enormous spedometer dial and who knows what all else...the engine was pristine, the boot was crammed full of stuff from Costco, there's even a handle on the door in case someone gets stuck in the trunk, but seriously, I can't see anything bigger than a watermelon fitting in the trunk (boot)...regardless, can't wait to go for a spin when she finally gets to drive it (she's working, so husband is clocking the miles on it this weekend..ha)...
Brian had never seen Risky Business so I Netflixed it and we watched it last night...it still holds up, even from 1983...still funny, still worth watching...I also have some Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn movies coming, North by Northwest, Bringing up Baby, etc...good stuff...
School starts this week, I see the college kids are moving back in, Football is on tv again and it looks like summer is winding down, even if we have another 40-50 days of 90+ heat...I'm ready to kick this summer goodbye and look forward to Halloween, Trick or Treat and some fun beads to entertain you with...
We spent the morning at a Hummingbird lecture, learning what to plant and how to draw hummingbirds into our yard...right now we've got a start on butterflies, and I've actually seen ONE hummingbird in our yard, weeks ago, but we obviously don't know what to do..and just hanging a feeder and expecting results wasn't cutting it...I won't bore you with the facts, you can read all about the Central Texas hummingbird scene here if you really wanna know...I do know that the further North in America you get, the less likely you are to see the birds, so I consider myself lucky to be near them...Can you imagine catching and banding their teeny little legs? They only weigh 3 grams, about the amt of a penny or 3 paperclips...
My massive order of crystals has arrived, all is right in my world...it took me a few weeks to find everything that I was running low on, my most frequently used colors, so its fun sitting here going thru them all...they are taped inside these ziploc bags like they're gold - its gonna take some serious scissor action to break them free...
I made another chain maille bracelet yesterday, the Ancients kit from Anne Mitchell...it only took about an hour and looks great...I still need to find a clasp for it...the mermaid mesh looks much more complicated...but still it'll be fun...i hope...heh...
beads? well, I did make some, but they were mostly to replace some I sold recently..I did an experiment again, wanted to try some new color combos, but nothing exciting...today we get to work on our leaking toilets...(50 yr old houses are a hoot, aren't they?)...and then I'm mowing the front lawn cause its about a foot high...well, not really, but still...and then after all that, maybe i'll get some beads made...I'd sure like to...Darcy is at the door asking to go out, and Clarice is still terrified of the dog..she's our last holdout, if we can get her settled, I think things will start to get back to normal around here...no new pets for awhile...please....
Yesterday was a bizarre day in my kitty kingdom...Since the dog arrived (june 21), they've mostly kept to themselves which meant I could do what I needed to in the studio w/out interruption...the dog would hang out and sleep or chew on toys, and the cats would sleep in the bedrooms...but yesterday, Clementine and Darcy started in on me, trying to get me to let them outside, eventually they left, and then Amelie showed up...then it was the 'my turn' game, where Clem would jump in my lap and leave, the Amelie would come and plop down, then Clem again and so on..I think I had Clem in my lap 4 times and Amelie at least 3..(mind you they stay for a long time when they plop)...SO...eventually I just locked everyone in the main house and got 6 whole beads done before we had to go run errands...alas...
so *today* I'm gettin' wise early...the dog has been fed and outside, the cats are fed and I'm closin' them all off in the house in the next few minutes so I can get some things made...I'm behind..I have ideas! I have plans! I love my kids, but they don't understand I'm not a sofa...
I have decided to get back on the Freebie wagon and get some beads posted for your votes...Yes, indeed...its been a few months, and I think its time to get the boat moving again...be on the lookout for that section being active again...and VOTE por favor..
There are some other things to tell you, but I need to get some more details worked out before I can announce anything...
Brian is in San Antone today and took my friends down to pick up their Mini Cooper...at least that was the plan..they were supposed to meet at 7:00am, so I'm not sure it actually took place...I certainly hope so, cause I wanna go for a spin in this new little car...Purple Haze with racing stripes...i wonder if we could launch it...?
I bought a rock tumbler over the weekend, and the stainless shot arrived yesterday afternoon so guess what I did...that's right..tumbled all my PMC disasters (none of the stones fell out, not that I would care if they did) and I actually LIKE the look of them now...I also antiqued the Flat Mesh bracelet, so it went thru the tumbler and has a nice patina on it now...the riveted bracelets from B&B made a pass too...Then Brian came home early, then Jim from BlueMoon stopped by to measure my exhaust hood so he could get some custom made for his shop locally...and then it was time to make dinner, and well, the kiln was turned off w/ nothing inside...
But today is another day and other than a 5:30 sushi dinner reservation with a friend of mine, I think I can get some beads made...I can only hope...
Lady has been eating Bagheera's breakfast when he walks away from it, and just a minute ago, I spotted him eating her breakfast...I think she's getting the better deal...
I've found a new favorite show..similar to MythBusters, this new one is on the Sci-Fi channel and called "Master Blasters"...Last week, they launched Mini Cooper cars across a field thru a football goal...it was brilliant....last night they were launching 5 gigantic 'lawn darts' at a target (that had 2 cars sitting inside, waiting to be impaled by the rockets), but just watching these things sail across the Texas sky (its filmed N of here, in Ft. Worth I think)...we used to launch rockets in fields when I was a kid, and we always thought that was the coolest thing ever...my favorite was a yellow rocket with black bats on it (go figure)...But this show is a hoot if you like that kind of stuff...next week they're building some Death Race Super charged Go-Cart and smashing it into a wall into a fireball...sweet...
Letha and I made beads yesterday...I have loads of them in the kiln, but not everything is a gem...its raining outside, which is wonderful for us in August, but shooting pics, well, I have to get creative...I really only have 2 strands that are 'offer worthy', and they are pretty small...I tried my Target inspiration, but out of 6 beads, 3 of them ended in the water death (50% attrition is terrible), so I need to try that one again today...Letha left a Mercury stringer from her play day, so I used it to make some squeeze beads, but because I was just 'fooling around', the beads aren't the same size or even all that well executed...and then the biggest problem -
I was making more black lentils w/ the silver blue on them and 10 of the 16 I made came out of the kiln black..the silver had burned off from being in the kiln too long...there's a fine line between 'fabulous' and 'freakish'...So if anyone has the need for 10 black lentils w/ a little silverish look to them, I can make you a sweet deal...
the dog just went for a wonderful tear around the yard, she doesn't like rain, so I think Brian's walk with her was abandoned, so she has lots of pent up energy in her...I think she's burned some of it off, and I'm muddier for it, but hey, its like playing in mud puddles as a kid...you're allowed to get messy...
One of my favorite inspiration catalogs arrived yesterday, and I've already found about 5 beadsets I could make from it...one of the reasons I don't do remakes often is because new stuff is always around the corner...so I've always said 'get it while you can, cause you may never see it again'...I'm already thinking of new stuff to do today...
I tried a new MOretti yesterday, one that I've never used before, but has been sitting here for probably 8 months...a fun, deep plum (not silver plum)...I'll have a couple of those to offer in a bit..
so, there ya have it...Experiment day - some beads were successful, others were not...my bad bead jar is always hungry and I do my best to feed it, even when I don't mean to...chomp chomp...
The Galleries are back online...for your viewing pleasure...
I have a set on eBay...don't everyone fall down in shock...I know...
Target has inspired a new color combo for me, so I'll be workin on that today while Letha is here burning glass and breaking things...at least we aren't ruining PMC today...the PMC isn't quivering in it's package...Kate McKinnon said I need to "never stretch it or overwork it, always compress it"...I'm thinkin' I need to just make a pilgrimage to Pac Grove and let her spin her magic on me...
I ordered the Mermaid's Mesh chain maille from Anne...
Friday Mick and Adam are going to San Antone with Brian to pick up her new Mini Cooper (its purple!)...Can't wait to get a spin in that little guy...
Finally took the Miata out for a spin (its only been driven once since I got home from B&B in June)...new air in the tires, new gas in the engine, it was a pleasure to drive...
I'm gettin' some emails from new folks, where are you finding me from?
I noticed I'm WAYYYYY down on both of the Voting pages...I guess the Bribe of Beads each week really does pay off...Must get that back in gear..I prefer to be in the top 3 on the list, not hovering around 12-15...boo...
these are my 'cliff notes' notes...random thoughts while I'm waking up...
Got yet another Tour de France commemorative shirt in the mail yesterday...an Arc de Triumphe with the roman number XII underneath it...very groovy...
must flatten my hair this morning, the rain has made me look like Bozo the Clown...folks were laughing at me last night during sushi...depressing...i hate my curly hair...
Ok, well, lets end on a downer, that's always a nice way to leave the room...I'm sure I'll be back w/ more random thoughts...mmmhmmm...
the eBay set "Back From the Grave" will be available later tonight...
Well, I be a workin' on the "Its Magic" beads that Corina posted the other day..Ironically I had sent her a pic of those tryin' to coerce her into makin' me some...when she asked for the ingredients list cause she couldn't remember it, well, I had that stored away as well..I done did TOLD her that I'd be a willin' to PAY fer her to make me sum, but I also thot I'd give it a shot and see how they'da come out fer me...Haven't heard back from her, and now a days she just doesn't wanna be a sendin' me her beads causa she tells me I can make m'own just as nice as hers...well, I dunno 'bout dat, but I did try...mine ain't quite as 'zactly liken hers, but I think I be likin' these just as much...shiny...
I decided to try my hand at chain maille yesterday, so I put together the bracelet kit I ordered from Anne Mitchell...I bought the Flat Mesh kit, and having never done chain maille before, wondered if I'd have trouble or get bored, but actually I found it all rather fun and very quick...I made the bracelet last night, while hanging out with friends and playing "Scene It"...which is one of my favorite games...I end up playing against the other 3 because I have more useless movie trivia knowledge than the 3 of them put together...My biggest coup of the night - "Name the Comedian who helped Christopher Reeve save the world in Superman 3"...I had NO idea, hadn't ever seen S3, and somehow my guess was correct...whodda thunk it, huh...I hear there is a Harry Potter Scene It - I think I know what Brian is getting for his birthday...maybe he'll play against me...no one else will...bah...
From the file of "did he just say that?" - I'm listening to the Alt-Rock radio station yesterday, and the kid who spins the tunes is describing a new band he's getting ready to play for us...He says, and I quote "I've been told this band sounds like Boston, but I have no idea what that means"...and then I just stare at the radio and think 'dummy, how can you possibly have a JOB at a radio station, what are you, 12???'...I mean, yeah, I'm old enough to know who Boston is...but I don't need some stupid kid reminding me I'm old enough to remember who Boston is...I even remember buying the "album" in the store eleventy million years ago...[sigh]...New subject:
I have beads that I made yesterday, but I don't know what you're gonna think of them, so I'll take pics, but I'm really happy with them and may just take orders if you really think you are interested...I might also send them to Pt. Townsend to Andrea's Gallery...they are letting me know I need to send more stock...and so I shall...squeeze bracelets seem to do well there, cause they are 'buy and go' kinda stuff - perfect for the tourist crowd who wants to show off their schwag while eating at the local Thai restaurant (which is rather good, actually..we ate there last October)...
I've also pulled out the eBay set and will get that posted today too...the sun is out, so I can get photos of it (yesterday it was raining furiously)...black and white basics, the kind of 'go with anything' beads...
Back in a minute...no more PMC stuff...I appreciate those who wanted to buy the rings, but I just don't trust them not to break or fall apart (remember I glued them w/ super glue)...Kate McK is teaching in November, I may take a road trip and go learn me some stuff...
Thanks to the alert eye of Larra, I've discovered that the Gallery and Designer Galleries are vamanos...adios...asta la fuego...bye-bye...We're gonna work on the restore this Sunday cause its gonna take some neat manipulation of the website and there will be 'weirdness' going on, I can pretty much guarantee that...I figure Sunday will be a 'dead day' and ya'll will have other stuff to do rather than hang out on my site...those two pages are not handled thru Dreamweaver, so when I did my massive purge of files, well, those went down the drain with all the other files...kinda funny, actually...
I'm up early today (well, earlier than 10:00, but then I wasn't up till 2:00 last night, so I got some decent sleep) and I'm restoring the studio after the past two play days have trashed the joint...its raining, the dog is tearing apart her fish toy (the eyes were removed Monday, the body is pretty much in ruin today) and the kiln is warming up...sounds like I have a few more lentils I need to crank out, eh? groovy...
Ooo..I hear thunder...neat...i hear lightning on the radio (static)...
Well, alrighty then...the Bat ring is by far the highlight of my PMC day, and I must whole heartedly agree...I really like him..I've even had offers to send him to folks who's finger he'd fit...I want to make a few more, I still have the PMC paper to punch out more bats, so maybe i'll do that this weekend...if I can stand it...
Ok, the storm is coming, I need to publish and get outta the way...electricity might go out again...i love thunderstorms...
2:45pm - I've added 4 new sets of beads on the Ready for Pickin' page...don't say I didn't warn you...P.S. - Nancy is coming over Saturday afternoon to ship anything purchased from Wed-Sat this week...so it'll be in the mail to you much quicker than previously...rockin'!
Yesterday was a trip, I spent an HOUR looking for where my hair salon had relocated to, only never to find it..thank goodness my hair chica Andee called and gave me directions so today I made my second attempt and found it with no problem..I even found a Starbucks nearby and picked up a Chantico afterward and refilled my Starbucks card..I don't drink coffee, only that mean little chocolate drink they serve there, but I put $20 on the card, so I can get my fill whenever I need it..I see that Starbucks will let you assign your credit card number to your Starbucks card, so if you run low on $, they'll automatically refill it..how completely decadent, and yet why am I even considering it? No NO NO!!!
Mick and I did Charlie Chocolate yesterday and it was WONDERFUL...Johnny Depp really becomes Willy Wonka, his voice and strange face and teeth make you forget its him underneath..I want some of those rockin' cool super huge sunglasses he wears...I love how he talked to the kids, like they were vermin...MUMBLER! my favorite line in the whole thing...cracked up...must go again...
Afterward, Mick came over and we had a play day, making beads from 3:30 until MIDNIGHT..oh yeah...I have some things to show, mostly squeeze and lentils, but I'd be happy to make them avaiable if you're interested...lemme go finish stringing them, tho...they aren't fancy, although I'm rather smitten with the PUrple/Gold squeeze that's the mirror version of the Ocher squeeze that's still available..I think I just have to show you what I'm talking about..Mick played with some techniques from Kim Affleck's class and her beads came out super cool..she's much more organic than I am, and I wish I could open up and let things 'just flow' like she does...eclectic with a good eye for design, she is...
I guess its time to show you my PMC play day, huh...good lord...ok...lemme get that posted for ya...ugh...
The good news is that EVERYTHING I had to ship has now been shipped...taken to the PO on Wednesday for delivery, even ya'll in Canada have been taken care of...you should have received an email confirm from me w/ a tracking number...
I have a haircut in the morning and then I'm gonna TRY to make it to go see Johnny Depp at the movies afterward, so you won't hear from me until the afternoon...but that's ok...
I DO have my PMC Play Day page built and ready to publish, but I'll do that later this week...don't want to overload you with stuff all at once...head spinning and all that...see ya'll later!
3:15- Just a reminder to REFRESH the Pickin page, or you won't see the new beads...AND you ought to refresh while browsing, cause the items are updated often and you might be trying to buy beads that have already sold...Hope you like what you see, tho...
2:37 - My server cleanup just finished - no lie...nearly 7000 files and pictures were deleted from the server, freeing up nearly half the space...So I'm moving forward, getting the pics ready, etc...If everything goes as planned, I should have stuff ready by 3:15pm CST...check back to see if I've changed that time, just in case...
get the song in your head..."Silver and Gold...Silver and Gold"..I have some shiny beads to offer you this morning...cleaned, strung, just need to shoot the pics...I'm not sure when they'll be ready, but I'll post a time as soon as I have a handle on it...
Do you hear that sound?.........there...what was that?..........that's the sound of Letha and me GROANING from our PMC Disaster Day 2005...ugh...we've determined that PMC is not easy to do...I think Letha has given it up for good, and I'm nearly right behind her...I think I need some more time with it, or at least some classes...
I had stones popping out, tops of rings popping off, pieces snapping in half, rings breaking, it kept drying out, no matter how much I babied it...I must washed $30 of it off on my fingertips while trying to rehydrate it...man...we've both agreed that that Zoa bracelet is well worth the price I paid for it at B&B...what a headache this stuff is...I'll post those pics too, I'm sure you want to see the catastrophe that we created yesterday...(well, my stuff at least - Letha took her carnage home and probably buried it in her yard)...
Ok, I'm off to snap some photos, wish me luck...
I think that sums up what Bagheera is saying to Lady...they are actually getting along rather swimmingly...Lady knows her place in the totem pole is smack dab at the bottom, and she's happy to just have a place at all..B is pretty tolerant of her, tho...she was sneaking a sniff on him when I caught this pic the other day...
I'm updating tonight cause tomorrow I dunno when I'll be at the 'puter, but I WILL tell you that I DO have some groovy "Petraglyph" beads (see what I did there)...and if I'm lucky, I'll make a few more sets MOnday night so I'll have more than enough to offer on Tuesday...be on the lookout...ironically, tho...
I've had numerous emails asking when I'll be putting beads on eBay again...I haven't been out there in AGES..so I think I probably will put up a set this week...I've had one simmering in my bead box, all ready to go, I just keep forgetting to get the pics taken of it..go figure..outta site, outta mind indeed...
Oooo...I washed the bed linens today so I can't wait to go climb in and enjoy the cool refreshing 300 ct fabric...did you know Target carries high thread count sheets now? Very reasonable, indeed...and worth every penny...
I am thinkin I'm gonna try to make a ring tomorrow...hmmm...I found 3 bags of PMC that I forgot I had, 3 syringes of clay, 1 jar of slip, 4 books and lots of tools...now all I need is some sleep...see ya'll tomorrow (today)...