What's Going On ...

Friday I'm in Love..

A little Cure reference for my goth buddies...

Not a lot to discuss, so I'll just say enjoy your Friday, put up some Halloween decorations this weekend and watch some football, drink some cider and enjoy the cooler temps...I'll be workin', making beads and having fun...email me if you get bored...i need to work on some silversmith ideas too, sketch some designs, get prepared...

I don't 'go political' on my site, but I heard a funny thing the other day..a talking head was on a news program talking about the Tom DeLay indictment, and of course the whole thing went down here in Austin w/ our DA...So the talking head referred to us in Austin as 'Hippy Dippy Austinites'...THANK YOU!...I think that's a hilarious way to refer to us...

Fall beads make me happy...

But the REAL question is, are you a Good Wife, or a Bad Wife? Personally, I hope the kids are scaled by the pot of soup on the stove- don't they know not to rough-house in the kitchen? Boys!

I've made a giant set (33!) of Fall beads that was a 'test' - I made 3 groups of only 3 colors each, and only used 1 color of stringer per set...(the gold accents don't count)...I'm happy with how these came out, they look good in separate groups, BUT, they also blend seamlessly with each other...velly eeenteresting...

Part of what makes this fun is having all the beads in one large group, so I'm gonna offer these on eBay...just so they all go to the same person who can play with them as they like...kinda like the 64 box of Crayolas - some kid in class (usually ME) had one of these when the other kids had the 18 count box...I loved having the Gold, Silver and Copper crayons, they didn't color well, but the thought of a precious metal in my box was more than I could stand in first grade...life didn't get any better than that...

So, I'll spend some time putting this page together and getting it posted today...and since my social plans have fallen thru, I'm gonna stay home and enjoy the cool fall weather that has blown into town...i have the doors and windows open, the cats and dog are running in and out, generally having a great time...thanks Canada for your cool air!!!

A MUSE me..

I've been working on getting all my pics and info submitted for the Flame Guide..I HATE putting together that kind of stuff, I'm not GOOD at writing about myself..I used to have friends put together my resume for me, based on the info I told them...Spin is not my specialty...

Ok ya'll..i have BOTH of the Orrb presses on order, so I'll be making them and (hopefully) you'll be happy with them...stay tuned..

Well, the muse did show up last night, but she was so late that I didn't get a lot of beads made...4...so today the muse will arrive on time and ready to work and I'll be there making whatever she whispers in my ear...

I probably should clarify my statement about Corina from yesterday's post...My point isn't that I agree or disagree with the content of what she's posting, its only that she should be ALLOWED to post whatever she wants...its her site, and she can say what she wants in FREEDOM..if you don't like it, don't read it...there are folks who hate reading CNN or FOX, (Faux News?), its what makes this country great...freedom of choice...read what you want...say what you will...folks will agree or disagree...that was my only point...I am not going to debate her content, only the fact that if you try to change what she's saying, you're not going to get anywhere...

Enough seriousness, I'm ready for some poptarts and milk...more breakfast of champions...the cats and dog have been outside to play frisbee, I've plucked some caterpillars off my passion vine, that they seem to be devouring in this ungodly heat (its been 105-108 the past 5 days, its normally in the 80's this time of year, we are DYING here)...and the kiln is ramping up..I'm not even LOOKING at my silversmithing stuff right now, although I have this great desire to hit my local shop and pick up some sheet silver and tubing...hmmm...ummm...hmmm...I..must..
stay...home...and...work...

Here's a funny Halloween Candy review site...I haven't even SEEN most of this candy, what is going on??

Wow, today is blowing by!

I guess my Tuesday will have a very late start to them now that I'm taking a class across town from 10-1pm...Its already after 2:00 and I'm just now updating...but a lot has happened today...I like the class, there are only 4 of us, and everyone is at a different level, so each person is working on their own speed...this is nice for the instructor to be able to give each of us our own attention..plus we can learn from each other as well...I took beads and bracelets for show and tell, and I got to see a lot of fabulous stones the girls have been collecting...its amazing how different our backgrounds are- I know very few of the stone names, but they kept pulling out prettier 'rocks' every time I turned around..fascinating...

So what did I do today? learned a bit more about how to work with my saw, and started to bezel set a bead...what I need to do is bring some design ideas with me to the class and work on them...the instructor had me look thru a book and mark the pages of pieces that I liked, and we've determined that I like order, symmetry and clean lines...yes...big surprise...! Oh, and I like swirls...hmmm...and bugs too! I also know I plan to do lots of little projects, cause I like that instant-gratification of it...that's why I make sets and not focals - I can't work on a bead for very long, I get bored with it...I like to 'get in, and get out' when making beads...fast and fun...I like focals, I'm just not patient enough to do them...Remember Loren Stumps motto "The longer you work it, the better it does not necessarily get"..or something to that effect...but he's right..

So today I'm gonna make some BEADS...yes, I know you think I've forsaken you for the world of silversmithing and that's not true...I plan on making beads, but trying to incorporate a little silver into the mix...why not? its a perfect marriage and a great way to broaden my horizons..I'm still taking classes, next month is Kate Fowle, January is Bronwen Heilman and after that, who knows...Maybe Loren again, maybe who knows who...I love classes of ANY sort, like my buddy Gayle, who takes more classes than I do, and that's saying something...

Are you keeping score at Corina's place? One of her anonymous emails was from me, but I asked her to keep my name out...can you tell which one I wrote? ha...probably... I DO like it when she's wound up and going full force...I'm glad she's doing it on her website where she has the freedom to say whatever she wants...folks who warn her against offending people, or saying too many curse words should simply get out of her way - she's gonna roll over you and you aren't gonna like the taste of her tire treads...its her site to say what she wants, this is still America isn't it?

Bark bark

We've given Lady a new bag of food and she apparently likes it a LOT cause she's just barked at Darcy twice, as Darcy was inspecting the open bag...Let this be a warning to all kitties in our house - do not touch Lady's bag of food..at all...ever...bark bark...

I have some ideas of what I want to learn tomorrow in my first day of class, but if you've seen anything you think is groovy, feel free to email me with links or pics...I've been looking thru some websites, some mail-order catalogs and some old pics I collected a few years ago...I don't want to COPY anything, but really, how original is a circle or heart or cross shape...I'm pretty sure I could do something 'circlish' and not be considered copying...I was thinking maybe some simple bug shapes?? Flowers...not really cutesy, tho...not into cutesy...anyway, if you are excited about something, lemme know...

I REALLY need to work on the studio, get some of this clutter moved and organized...I need a rolling cart of drawers to put all my wire and silversmithing stuff into, cause believe me - its all over the place...I think I need to take the truck to Target...

I DO have a squeeze bracelet that I put together with some left over denim/purple/cornucopia beads that I'm diggin' on cause its very shiny from the silver...but I didn't make any beads this weekend, I spent it hanging out with Brian instead...today begins the work week for me, and thus, I shall get to work...

Corpse Bride matinee

3:45- Just got back from the movie, we both agree that we liked it and keep using words like 'pretty' to describe it, but its just not as catchy at Nightmare Before Christmas was...And I must admit I'm excited to see that Alamo Downtown is having a Nightmare Sing Along in October...Considering I own the soundtrack for that album and can sing almost all of the songs by heart (you don't wanna hear that, tho), I can't WAIT to go...We did the South Park:Bigger, Longer, Uncut Sing Along a few years back and it was fun...they handed out the lyrics to all the songs and most of the folks didn't sing, but since I have the soundtrack to that movie too, I sang everything...quietly..

Today we're gonna go see Corpse Bride and have lunch at the theatre...

and then I'm spending some time putting together a goodie package of silversmithing projects, ideas and tools for class on Tuesday...I dragged Brian with me (he was a willing participant, I bought him Mexican lunch!) and we found the studio and instructor and the place seemed legitimate...the instructor is very nice..there are 3 folks in the Tuesday class already working on stuff so Letha and I (if I can ever get a hold of her) can work on new projects with assistance as needed...I've got to round up all the old stuff I made from my last class, as well as print out some ideas and whatever else I think I'll need...the instructor saw some of my beads and said I should bring more with me to class, so I guess I'll be rounding up the few I have here...if I can find them...!

So I'm a busy bee today and it's gonna be fun...

I DID order the new Corina press, so I'll make some beads with it and show ya'll...I can only imagine a smaller version is in the works, so for ya'll who can't handle 3/4" beads, hang tight...I'll get the smaller one too if/when it comes out...

Enjoy that Sunday whereever you are...101 again today...make it stop...

No Hurricane here...

It was too far East to bring anything to us..we'll get a little wind, maybe some clouds, but no damage, no rain...gonna be a nice day...thanks for your concerns, tho..

I found a silversmith who teaches classes in her studio and thought I'd freshen up my skills...class starts Tues morning...I'm going over today to pay and get on the formal roster...very groovy!

I have some organic lentils in the kiln waiting for me to spring them...Have you seen the new shape Corina debuted yesterday? What do you think? Should I grab me one and give it a whirl? kinda lentil-ish, but different...lemme know what you think...

CSI: Hurray they're back together!

If you like movies, download this quiz
and give it a whirl... (right click on the link and choose 'save target as')...If you can't download it, email me and I'll send a copy to you...You have to have Excel installed (but most of ya'll probably do)..The first answer is filled in for ya, to make it easy...I got about 51 before I started asking for help...

I like Eckley - he stirs things up and makes life hard for Grissom...but when he split the team last year, it took away the pizzazz that makes this show great...I'm glad to see they are back together, and hope it stays that way...I did catch Wed's finale and last night's season opener, all ooey and gooey as it was...I hope I get to see more episodes this year, I'm going to program it into my DVR (I need a good name for him) and that way I can watch it whenever...how ingenious! that technology, boy, isn't it swell?

I'm just finishing the remakes, had a few stragglers I had to complete and those are done and shipping today..of course my printer is not cooperating - it just stops in the middle of a print job and says 'error'..20 min later, it finishes the print job..I'm in the middle of one right now, just waiting for it to finish...where's that baseball bat? I'll threaten it into working for me...

Hello my favorite creatures...

{UPDATE: the Artzee link is working again!}

I paid Amelie in tuna fish cans, do you think that's fair for that amount of work she put in? I think she wanted some 20's, but I didn't think 15 seconds of work warranted that kind of cash...

I made a PO run and dropped off all the beads that had already been paid for...today I'll finish packaging and dropping off the stuff ya'll paid for last night...I really like when I have an empty armoire, with only a few freebie beads holding down the fort...

I promise my best not to talk about the weather or any rain-related, power-outage, wind-damaging kind of natural occurance that might happen near me...

I can say that we made a Target run last night and stocked up on the essentials...we anticipate power outages if nothing else..so we have massive flashlights and batteries to keep us going, as well as food and water...but the further the storm goes East, the better for us..

Its beautiful and hot here today..only 101! Oh wait, I said I wouldn't talk about weather...d'oh!

I need some breakfast of champions and to get a start on the day...daylight is a burnin' and I don't have anything ready...I'm in a funky silly mood today, I think its the giddiness before the upcoming ride..you know - the excitement you feel about riding a roller coaster..its all fun and games in the parking lot, then you get in line and start to feel a little anxious, then you get strapped in and think 'what was i thinking', then they blast you off into the ride from hell and you think 'get me offa this thing!', then it stops and you laugh cause you survived...yeah...that's what I'm feeling...this time tomorrow, I'm gonna feel like 'can I just sit this one out...ya'll go and have a good time, I'm gettin a hot dog'...

Hurricane Rita, Meter Maid...

Well, the storm has gone from a 4 to a 5 just today and is getting stronger by the minute...Folks are leaving Houston and the coast in droves (smart) and coming to Austin, where we have NO hotel rooms open, due to the Austin City Limits music fest going on this weekend...rain or shine..(hurricane or shine?)...

I just heard from my buddy Gwen who was at the grocery store where she said folks are 'going nuts' buying stuff off the shelves...I still haven't gotten the tank topped off in the truck yet...we DO have lots of soup and ravioli, so if the power goes out, at least we can open a can of soup..we might lose power Fri or Sat, so I'll keep ya up to date, but I guess I just don't expect to get that much brunt of the storm here...rain, wind, yes...damage, no..we are 300 miles from the coast, thereabouts...its a big storm, indeed, and the eye is supposed to go just E of us, which is better than if it hit W of us (the strength in a hurricane is in the NE quadrant, which we will be behind, supposedly)..Anyway, who KNOWS what's gonna happen, its still Wed, we have a few more days for this thing to cook in the Gulf, and move inland..I'm glad to see folks heeding the warning and getting out, tho...learn from Nawlins...get the heck offa the coast and inland...anyone need to come torch for the weekend? oh, we might not have power, i guess we'd have to just string beads instead...

anyway, Texas is getting geared up for the Hurricane...it intensified overnight from a Cat 2 to 4 - cool...very warm waters in the Gulf, but that's nothing new..its hotter n heck here, as you know...so is the water..I lived 4 years near the coast of Galveston while going to High School, but ironically when all the BIG storms have blown thru in the past, I was always out of town at Drill Team camp or at RA camp in college...when I'd phone my parents, thinking the house was submerged, they'd just laugh at me, cause nothing bad was happening to them...their house is only 7 feet above sea level (or so I remember) and most of the houses in their neighborhood get water damage, so I just figured they would as well, but nope...So I'm not gonna worry about them this time - they have vehicles, they know how to evacuate, they'll be fine...

Of course I don't like the damage the hurricanes bring, but I DO love threatening weather...thunderstorms, tornados, its all exciting - as long as I'm not in the path of them (but that's not very sporting now, is it?)...we had hail here in the Spring, it was loud and scary and did some damage to our siding, A/C, fence and my car, and that was enough...so while i wish no one any harm, I am fascinated by MOther Nature and storms in general...but on the off chance the storm doesn't make its way to Austin by Saturday as projected, I'm watering my almost-dead lawn anyway...if I wait till Saturday, and the storm goes East, we'll miss all the water...We could have potential flooding, tornadoes, etc, but compared to what Nawlins, Miss and Alabama have gone thru, my fate is rather peanuts in comparison...I'll still be watching the major news cable shows, tho...its all rather interesting, at least to me...

Have you been keeping up with Corina's site lately? She's back in rare form, indeed...

Ok, time to pack up these beads...I think once i get them packaged I'll be able to get the invoices sent properly...I just need to jump in and DO it...so send me emails if you dare, I'll be here all day shipping and watching the Gulf...groovy baby...

Artzee link is broken

Class is over for the week, I've posted the 2 sets of goodies that I've made lately, and the kiln is firing up for more...except I need to get on these existings sets, so I might or might not have anything for youse guys tomorrow...but check back anyway, por favor...

Its gonna be 101 tomorrow...i know, i know, i choose to live here..but no one told me the furnace doors would be open in September...ugh...its freaking HOT...bring on Hurricane Rita, we need some cool air and rain...!

It looks like the kid who owns the Artzee.net site forgot to renew his domain name, and so the site has expired..what does that mean? well, until he rebuys it and hosts it again, the Artzee site is down...I do hope he does get it back up and running, but till then, there's nothing I can do...it would be as if I forgot to renew blackberrybeads.com - my site would simply disappear off the internet...good thing I remember to keep it updated...So, just vote for the Top 25 if you get a chance, and lets hope Artzee comes back...

Yesterday was a good teaching day, and I even managed to get the Linus PUmpkin lentils remade, so tomorrow I plan to mail everything out..this afternoon, after class, I will be sending invoices to everyone who asked for a remake...so get ready with them pennies...

I made a new set of beads last night, but haven't opened the kiln yet to see them...i'm on my way...back later today w/more goodies for ya...rock on!

You know...

...I made all the Linus beads the other night, but the pumpkin lentils managed to stick themselves together, so all of them are ruined...must remake them...the pumpkin squeeze survived, all the eyeballs survived, just the lentils stuck...the opaque glass can get a little softer and will do that...i need to be more careful, but making more isn't that big a problem...

Today and tomorrow i'm locked away teaching...everything is setup, and Beata arrived from Japan last night, so I know she's here in Austin...I hope she got enough sleep, and of course I tossed and turned all night, afraid that I would oversleep, even tho I had an alarm set...time for the 'huey lewis' wakeup ice bath for my face..ha!

ZZZzzz...sleepy time

All the days of me staying up late, getting up early have caught up with me and I slept till 11:00 today...whew...but i'm showered, shaved, aftershaved and ready to go...I sound like Burt Reynolds! Time for some breakfast, and then its back to clean clean clean last night's haul..I do have one extra set, but i'm not sure what it's gonna look like, so don't hold your breath...and remember, I'm teaching the next two days, so I'll be here, but not...tomorrow night i have my wire art bead class too, so its a rock-em sock-em day Monday...but I will see if I can get the kiln fired up today and make something fun and special in the meantime...cleaning these beads won't take all day...!

I'm a puter- offer...

9:40pm...DArcy and I are doin' a happy jig- all the Linus beads are complete and in the kiln...I'm going to take a break and then come back and work on something for ya'll for tomorrow...i dunno what yet, but hopefully I won't fall asleep before then...acutally I'm watching the Arkansas/USC football game, to see what USC is all about since they are ranked #1 and UT is ranked #2...oh man - they are really good...this is gonna be a good game, until Arkansas gets tired...whew!

Well, the LInus beads aren't quite done yet, but I'm working on them while watching College Football today...I'll be sending out payment requests once they are complete and my goal is to package them and get them in the mail tomorrow so they are on their way to you...I'm teaching all day Monday and most of Tuesday, so I want these to go out before Wed...

The past couple of days its been scorching hot here (98 today, rah) and the A/C in the studio has been delivering less cold air...it wasn't completely out of cold air, it just wasn't as cold as normal...after resigning ourselves to call the A/C dudes, I went over to look at the thermostat, wondering why the unit had been blowing for hours, only to see that the button had been moved from 'auto' to 'fan'...

now that its back on 'auto', the cold air is pumping out and I'm wearing a parka again...hurrah...you'd have to see this gigantic A/C to understand why we didn't want to have folks come looka at it..its a 5 ton unit..most houses have 1 or 1.5 ton units..this one is 5...its as big as my Miata...i don't know how many 'regular' A/C dudes have seen something this size or would even know how to fix it...I DO know that there are many many wasps inside the unit, cause I see them flying in during the spring..sometimes they end up in my studio, coming in thru the ducting...I go out in the winter and anhilate them, but alas, they come back...whatever...

So after Target, we went to a local store that had wonderful Halloween goods and, well, I didn't make it out so easily this time...but one of the things I bought was called a Fire Jewel..its a swarovski crystal that has been strung w/ optic fiber and attached to a battery, and when you wear it, it lights up...its the COOLEST thing you've ever seen..I got an orange one, cause I like Fall colors, but i want one in EVERY color they make...oh man...I'm lovin' this thing...!

Napoleon - Head of Microsoft

Cass sent me the link to the Napoleon Dynamite video, he takes over Microsoft..! The audio is very quiet, so turn up the volume and listen in a quiet area...too hilarious!

And you will be proud of me...I ventured into Target's Halloween department today...I found many many temptations, but I passed the test! I shall go into the West and remain Donner...I only bought a couple of things, a black feathered wreath and a purple bag that says 'I want Candy'..how could I pass those up? But I was tempted, Frodo...

I missed the CSI finale last year and want to see it this year before the new season debuts next week...last night CBS had a 2 hour block of CSI, so I figured they'd be showing said finale...nope...so does anyone know if/when they'll be playing the finale from last year? Tarantino directed it and I hear its good..speaking of which, QT is in town for his week of cool 70's movies, but we don't have tickets..we did manage to get into one of his scary features a few years back, he introduced the movie and was very cool...I watched Pulp Fiction again, that thing holds up 11 years later...wow...11 years...gee...

So I did make some groovy 70's beads last night...in a cool retro color scheme of ocher and grape...large beads w/ dots...not very colorful, but I dig them...and making large beads was fun...

today I'm workin' on finishing the LInus beads, so that I can get them shipped this weekend, before I teach next week...and it wont take me long to get them completed (the kiln is ramping up, its not even 10am yet!) so I'll be doing some other fun thangs as well...

I've submitted my very groovy ad for the Flame magazine that Corina is putting together...Annette put it together for me, I'll see about giving ya'll a sneak peek of it...and this weekend I gotta submit pics for the Flame Guide so they can build my Artist page...oh, does that mean I have to WRITE something about myself as well...good grief...Did you JEWELRY DESIGNERS see this??? Corina has space for YOU to place an ad in her Flame Guide...Come on, ya'll...you do great work, why not advertise?? We just added a new category to the Guide: now we will also accept ads from jewelry makers who use lampwork beads in their work!!! I am not sure that a 2.25" x 2.375" ad would be large enough to show images of jewelry, so we might offer a slightly different format. suggestions for a good ad-size are appreciated!!!!

Its teachin' day...

1:00...Patsy was great, and she didn't want to stay too long, so we got all out teaching in from 10-1 and now I have the day to play on more orders...the cubes are done, so the Linus beads are next up...Are you having a good bead day today? I hope you're having a good bead day today...Happy bead day today...(an inside joke)...

Yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm teaching all day today..one of my fave students from SAn Antonio, every time she comes up, I enjoy the day..she's a hoot...but we're workin' on stringer control, twisties and raku, and whatever else she wants to...

I finished the remakes of the Halloween cubes, the rest will be done in the next couple of days, cause Mon/Tue I'm teaching again! A student who's moving from Japan to DC is stopping over here in Austin and we're spending a coupla days hanging out...

So here we go...need to brush my teeth and get some breakfast so I can start the day the right way...

Halloween sets have been delivered

4:00...everything has sold, but I am still entertaining requests for sets, if you're interested...a few more googly eyes, the cubes are popular...i'm heading to the torch right now, so send an email and I'll come back and check on them, and ask questions if I need more info...thanks to everyone who bought what I put up, I'll be doing shipping on Friday (i teach all day tomorrow), so you should get them in time to design for Halloween...I say 'make something for yourself' with them, but then I'm very selfish when it comes to beads...

2:30...alrighty then...i hope you find something you can't live without...

2:08 - I'm adding the pricing right now to the page, so it'll be ready in about 15 minutes...how about we say 2:30 for the unveiling?

yep....you see her...there she is...the Bead Fairy arrived, probably because my next door neighbor brought over some homemade tasty treats, and I think the fairy smelled them overhead...I noticed they had been nibbled on overnight...Five sets of Halloween beads, yes, you'll see some Linus beads, some cubes, lentils and rounds...they are still on the mandrels, tho, so it'll be a bit before they're ready for sale..gimme a few hours at least...as always, i'll post a time when i have a better idea for it...

Heat index here today: 100...yes...i said that...doesn't really feel like Halloween, feels more like beach ball weather...send some cold air down here please...

Alright, well, I dunno what else to talk about, so I better go get these beads cleaned and ready for ya'll...yeehaw!

Sounds like I know what to do..

Ya'll have spoken and I'll get some Halloween beads made for ya...I TOO like the Linus Pumpkin patch set from last year, so I think I'll make a couple of those and maybe some lentils as well...and some hats and who knows what else...

I ran off last night to audit a Wire Art beads class at Nomad Notions, where Mick teaches (and manages the store)...So, since we all know I do my best work at night, well, guess what - I wasn't at the torch last night...I did get a Raku Squeeze bracelet made, I'll post that, but that's all...its kinda a drag that I do my best work at night, I have all day to get beads made, but they are truly BAD beads and its just a waste of glass and time...so tonight I don't have anything on the books, so I'll be workin'..The class was fun, it wasn't full when I spoke to them in the afternoon, but by the time I arrived at 7:00, 5 more folks had filled it, so it went from 8 to 13 people in class!...we were hangin from the rafters, but it was all fun...If you like Lynne Merchant kind of wire beads, then you'd enjoy this class... I overheard folks at Bead and Button this year giving the 'nose up' to Connie Fox about how she just took Lynne's designs and claimed them as hers...Whew, there's one thing about the beadworld - as nice as it can be, its filled with WOMEN and they can be VERY catty...I have a friend who tells me how their glass group is full of 'backbiters' and in-fighting...I like to keep a low profile when it comes to group events, I rarely go because its typically filled with little cliques and whispers behind the hands, and pointing at people...and I'm not interested in 'playing junior high school' again...been there, survived that...so anyway, didn't mean to go off on a rant, but we are learning Lynne Merchant designs and its all rather fun...I hope THIS time I actually finish the beads and make something from them...my homework is to bring a one-of-a-kind bead (wire of course) to class next week...hmmm...

Its actually nice outside..

A little warm and muggy, but I have the door open so the cats and dog and come and go...it rained again last night, so its pretty wet and snaily out...i'm crunchin' too many critters..gross...

I have a couple of sets for ya today, I made beads, but they were remakes or requests for a few cubes, etc...I've got a few more to make today, after I get the foreign shipping dropped off and maybe pick up some more dead soft wire for more bracelets...but mostly I'll be makin' beads and rockin' around...Yesterday's football day really filled me up, I'm feeling like it's fall again...

Do you want some Halloween beads? I had a request for some witches hats, and thought they sounded fun...Maybe more pumpkins? but with a 'grown up' twist, not the cutesy stuff that I'm not really fond of...but I do like black bats and black cats with large spoooooky eyes!

Oh man, the UT game was a blast!

You've heard me whine about not being able to make beads during the daytime, that my mojo kicks in after the sun starts going down...I was just at the torch a minute ago, pulling some stringer when the following took place in a 10 minute span: Dropped a prong tool on the floor, dropped a stringer on the floor, dropped my tweezers onto my torch, dropped both of my punties onto after pulling the stringer, and finally one large rod exploded into my left hand and left hot and sparkly little glass on my palm...and you wonder why I don't make beads during the daytime...jeepers...i'm Klutzoid the Klutzomaniac!

We went over to a friend's house to watch the game last night...I dunno if any of ya'll even watch football (I love it, as you might know), but that game was one ROCKIN' time!! We were kinda bummed thru the middle of it, but that fourth quarter (the 'money quarter' as Brent Musburger informed us) was the best part of the evening..My voice is still sore from all the yelling and the newspapers in Austin are flooded with pics and stories...a good time had by all...

So, since yesterday took a lot of time to complete the shipping (but the good news is - its ALL done! the foreign stuff goes out tomorrow, but all the domestic stuff is in transit on its way to you!), today will be Makin' The Beads day...its rainy and dark outside, a time to stay inside, watch Pro football (!) and make beads...woohoo! Brian even offered to clean the cat boxes...whoa...

The BeadGirl bag order is going in tomorrow, if you missed out, or would like to submit your order for a bag or two, email me and I'll pass the info to Annette...I'll need to know which bag, which color and how many...Annette will email you with payment instructions...remember, this is a bulk order, so the prices will be lower than they show on the site...don't miss out!

I started another Spiked Spiral bracelet while at the football game (gotta do something while Ohio State was making me nervous) and I'll show ya when its done...Mick and I want to make more, using larger wire for larger links..very funkadelic...I noticed that Lisa Kelly is out of stock on these kits, did ya'll go buy them up from her? Good job!

I might have to come back and update later as the day goes on...in the meantime, lets get some beads made, shall we? yeehaw!

I think I'm allowed to print now..

I've been busily packaging and shipping all morning and have found a bug with the new Stamps.com update...even tho I'm selecting to notify ya'll by email, the check box keeps unselecting itself, so no emails are being sent...SOOO...if you are curious about a tracking number, email me and I'll forward it to you..These are dated to ship on Monday but i'm going to drop them off this afternoon at my local PO and they'll be 'in transit' so you oughta see them by Wed and Thur next week, possibly sooner..(did you know the mail is processed on Sunday, just not delivered..? so things are still moving over the weekend, although you might not realize it..i can hear the employees working on Sunday when i check my PO box..its like hearing Keebler elves...)

what does that mean? well, everytime I started to get the printing done to ship, Clementine would crawl under the printer (its elevated on a stand next to my computer) and lay all over the printing labels..I didn't want to try printing with her up here, her hair would clog the printer something fierce...but today, Clem is in trouble and not in the studio at the moment...she was eating my bamboo plant, and knocked it off the desk and it crashed to the floor...Lydia gave me this plant, it had a beautiful blue vase and now its in bits and pieces all over the floor..Clem has been banished from the studio for the day...ggggrrrrr....

Sandi left a good comment yesterday about when I choose to end my auctions..actually, all my eBay auctions do end in the evening, 9:30pm Eastern, 8:30pm Central, and 6:30pm Pacific..that way, everyone ought to be home by the time the auction closes, and able to bid...the Cubes 'auction' that I held on my site yesterday closed at 3:00pm Central cause, well, I've *tried* doing Pickings in the evenings, and guess what - no one shows up! I've tried it a few times, and it was interesting to say the least...After a couple of attempts, I decided it wasn't the right thing for ya'll, so I keep doing 'day' Pickin's...actually, I've posted enough Pickin's of late that they weren't all snatched up in 30 seconds, so there has been time to get in on them for everyone, and I'm glad for that...So while its a great idea, it just never took hold...

Brian asked what we are doing today, I told him I needed to get on the torch and he was all for that...so it looks like I'll be working (yea) and he'll be 'I dunno what' but he'll find something...Time to fire up the printer and get everything shipped (its all packaged, just not labeled)...you should receive an email w/ a tracking number and if you don't get one, then I'm probably remaking your beads per your request...so don't worry, they'll all get there soon...

Tonight is UT vs Ohio State...should be a great game, and I hope we don't get pounded into the pavement...Hook 'Em Horns!

Today is a 'behind the scenes day'

Now, THIS is how you do PMC..are these pieces not FABULOUS???

I meant to put a more prominent link to the Hurricane Relief Auction that Kim Miles and Leah Nelson are holding at Kim's site...so look for that link in my left hand column..it'll be up for at least a month, but go buy some raffles and see what groovy things folks are donating..sweet...

Why can't MY cats be this creative?
When Philip and Joan Worth's cat Brumas went out for a walk last Friday near his Devon, England, home, he was the same shade of white he'd always been.

"He seems fine, he's eating well," observed Joan Worth, "and the other cats aren't terribly bothered."

Noon - I've decided to take Monica's advice and post the beads here...click the pic to see a couple of larger images...Email me if you're interested and make an offer..I'll know by 3:00pm who the 'winner' is...that way I can get them in the mail to you TODAY and you can start playing with them by Monday...Groovy...

I really need to get the stuff shipped that is sitting here, so I'm gonna tackle that today...and I have a lot of requests for the Pair remakes, so I'll be working on those as well...and after that I need to get my pics together and submit them to Corina...she's asked me to write an article for her upcoming mag, but I dunno what would be interesting to read about...any ideas?

I have 1 very large (21 beads) set to offer, should I do it here and ask what I want, or post it on eBay and roll the dice?

there ya go, quick and painless update...now lemme go put on those shippin' shoes...

Workin...workin...

Back...site is updated and I'm making beads...groovy...

Noon- i'm heading out to lunch, so if you buy something and don't see it marked, I'll mark it when I get back...and if two of ya'll buy something, I'll just remake the pair...sweet!

11:20 - ok, PP seems to be working, the beads are posted and ready to go...hit REFRESH on your browser if you don't see the page...

10:50...I'm getting an error trying to log into PayPal, so it'll be a few minutes longer before I'll be able to post anything...
We are unable to complete your request at this time. Please click Retry or try again later. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Message 3004

ha, my whining is working - the votes are rolling in, thanks ya'll...and Katie B is right, she does vote every day, so lemme put her name on the 'Voter of the Month' plaque that's right here in my studio [smirk]...

look for beads about 11:00...12 pair, in fall colors of purple and amber...

I'm workin on the pic of the new Pairs for ya...and obviously the Freebie Focals aren't generating any votes at ALL, cause I'm 50 on the Top 25 boards....geez...SO, I'm offering a SET of beads and we'll see if that works as a better bribe.. :) I can only hope...

Back in a minute...heading outside to shoot...

Hey, I'm back...

My Fuzzy Bracelet Tutorial Buddy, Katie Bernier, won the Pumpkin Patch eBay set the other day, and her email was so fun that I asked if I could share it with ya'll:

Your works of art arrived over the weekend and I was left breathless! I wasn’t home Friday when they arrived so we had to run to the post office Saturday to pick them up…. I drove there, but once I got that yellow envelope in my greedy little hands I made my hubby drive so I could goggle over them properly! The kids were in the back and I was showing the beads off to them too…. My 2 year old daughter, Brigid, promptly declared them HERS! (her new favorite word… MINE!) Luke, my 12 year old son who’s into jewelry making with me a bit, wanted to know if HE could make something with them! HA! Not gonna happen….. We stopped by a bead store while we were out in order for me to buy some glass and crystal to properly set them off and took the beads with me in to the store to match things up… you should have seen the reaction of all the ladies in the store! I had a crowd around me admiring your work! I let them know your name & website which several of them furiously scribbled your info down on paper so they could check you out themselves! It was so cool! Showing off you beads & being smug in knowing that they were MINE to take home with me & play with! Joy…. Rapture… oh so FUN! Forgot to bring them with to work today… I’ll have to bring them in tomorrow! I’ve gotten several ladies here hooked on beads and given them jewelry making lessons…. Heeheee! Can’t wait to show them off!

-Katie B

11:15am...the cable guy got here early, turns out there was a problem all over the city and they are running around patching things everywhere they're called..good thing they aren't the 'major' cable company in town, or it'd be bad...anyway, he was here and gone in 10 min and I seem to be back online...my computer woes continue, but I know that's boring, so lets move on...

Leah Nelson, the ISGB Southwest Region contact (I'm not sure that's the right title) let me know there is a really cool Bead Raffle going on at Kim Mile's website - go donate via PayPal, and you could win some great bead goodies...I'll be sending something to her as well, just need to make something really groovy...

and I DO have some pairs, about 10 sets...haven't done pics or anything yet, so it'll be awhile, but I'll post when they'll be ready...round beads (!) with gold dots...fun...

Yeah, what is that about Lance thinking of coming out of retirement? NOOOOoooooo!!!! He might be mad, but he doesn't need to go for another title, even tho he prob could beat everyone in the Tour...its too much...back off and sic your lawyers on the lying liars, or let it go...you know they are just trying to piss you off, and now you're letting them.../rant off

earlier this morning: Just a quick note from DH Brian. Our cable modem decided to blink out on us yesterday evening. We've got a technician scheduled to arrive any time between 8AM - 6PM today to replace it. Donna will be offline until they get her fixed up. I think Donna DID mention something about a kiln full of beads. That'll make her return even sweeter, eh?

Thank you for your support and patience! :D

Cat restoration

Just got back from the vets office..Bagheera hasn't broken his leg again, but he has sprained it, so the good news is - no surgery...we have to keep him inside and apply anti inflamatory meds, and he'll make noise wanting to go out, but it ain't gonna happen...He's not fond of being inside, he likes to keep an eye on his plantation outdoors, but alas, its inside-time for him now...

Heading back out for dog/cat food and supplies...then to a lunch appt, and finally (hopefully) back home..I only have a few beads ready to go, so I'm gonna make more today and have a larger offering for ya'll tomorrow...

Hey, if you get a chance, check out the mock up of my teaching studio Corina created (well, I think Don did) for her book...I think they just stole the info from my site cause I haven't submitted anything to her yet...Hey Annette, I need to talk to you!!!

Happy Labor Day

So, don't work too hard! I, on the other hand, was working until 2:00am making fun stuff...I've posted them in the Picking page, and I've also posted an eBay set- you ask for it, I make it happen...yeehaw...

Bagheera is limping quite pronounced again... last year he broke his right rear leg, and it looks like the same leg is giving him problems again..He's such a sturdy little cat, doesn't complain, just wants to go back outside...I've called the vet's office, they're closed today but said if he's putting weight on it, then its not broken...I'm hoping he just sprained it, but we'll know more tomorrow...right now he's happily lounging in the house, asking to go outside, but we don't want him jumping or moving too much, so he stays in today...

Brian has nearly finished the laundry room retile job...just a few small pieces to be stuck down, and of course the re-working of the pieces I put in the corner that don't match..he's so meticulous, I just toss the stuff down...did I lay a plumb line? a blue chalk straight line? Hell no! too much time..the room isn't that fancy, you should see the mismatched paneling that only covers half the room...[sigh] Gotta love them older homes and their personalities...

A new chat zone

I've *finally* posted all the chainmaille bracelets that I've been making the past few weeks...go see!

I don't frequent Wet Canvas or ISGB chat boards very much cause they are highly addictive and I'll spend hours there doing nothing but reading and before I know it, I've wasted 4 hours...However, there are LOTS of good info out there (I like to use the 'get in, get out' method of searching for what I want, then going on with my business)...The reason I'm talking about this is there was a big bustup over at WC! and the entire glass forum seems to have relocated to a new board called Lampwork Etc...now granted, the whole reason they ended up at WC! to being with was they got miffed at ISGB's rules for posting, and they took their toys and found a new 'wonderful' home at WC!...

and so I guess its time to move again to a new home, and Lampwork Etc. is the new place...so I've updated my link on my site, but don't be surprised if they move yet again..I think that just seems to be the way of the interenet, in order to keep things fresh is to cut loose, pack up and move to a new board..I've seen it with other fan forums, so its not so unusual...I have 0 posts at this new place, but I figured I ought to see what's going on in the world of beadmaking and I see a lot of 'old' friends there like Nicole, Letha and PEtra, so it can't be all bad!!

I did, finally, post some new stuff in the Pickin page...and someone has already found something they wanted...i love waking up and seeing if something has sold- its like Christmas kinda, or like opening the kiln in the morning after a rockin' visit from the Bead Fairy..speaking of which, I see her circling overhead, so I gotta go get some chocolate donuts...I have some brownies, but apparently she can't dunk those in coffee...She's such a freak...meaning, she might make a delivery today or tonight, but she didn't leave anything last night, so I have to lure her down from the sky...hopefully we'll have Happy Labor Day packages awaiting us with bows on them tomorrow...now lemme go get some Chantico from Starbucks - oh wait, thats hot chocolate, well, its the only thing I'll drink from there, so that's what she gets...stupid fairy...

Alrighty then...

Hey, did you see that I'll be semi-featured on the Flame Guide page (the new book Corina is publishing)...? (Its kinda burried in her chat, scroll down on her chat page to see what I'm talking about)... She called me yesterday asking what torches I used for teaching, but I didn't realize she was going to post anything about it...I still need to get together w/ Annette to work on the pictures and write up, but I'm glad to see the Sample page featuring Sharon Peters...Gotta bust a move and get on this soon...

Ya'lls comments/emails were great, I know this subject has been discussed before, sorry to drag up old stuff, but I needed to vent...and in the meantime, while I'm making new beads, I've gone thru my bead box and put together some sets for ya...remember me saying I've been making beads, playing around w/new colors or shapes/techniques, etc...well, i'll post those here and you can see what you think...

It was fun going thru my beadbox and putting these together, and I even have finally finished an eBay set that I've been working on for a few days...I'll post that tomorrow...

I didn't hit the Austin Bead show today, I didn't get much sleep last night, and just didn't feel like cruising the booths and spending money right now..I'm sure its a fun show, and I hope everyone in town is enjoying both buying and selling beads at their best...

I am working on a kit I bought from Lisa Kelly at B&B, her Spiral bracelet..last night we visited friends who were having a poker game and I figured it'd be safer for just Brian to lose money than for both of us to, so I was productive and made a killer bracelet...I'm not quite done, still have to antique it and finish the spires, but I'll take pics of it and all the other chain maille stuff I've done recently..and whole page of silver goodness, can you stand it? and I'm really enjoying making chain maille bracelets too, Anne Mitchell has been well-visited from my little computer, let me just say...I have 3 more kits on the way, I can't wait...

So, more beads to come, definitely...good stuff...I did make a set of squeeze beads and strung them today, but am not happy with the fumed part of them...so I'll prob keep it for myself, its too ghastly to sell to ya'll...maybe I should call it the Addam's Family bracelet!

Beads beads, where are the beads?

After thinking more about what I just wrote, and after you read it, email or comment your thoughts...should I go back and revisit old sets? are you bored with the same looking beads from me and all the other folks out there? are you looking for something new and different? I guess I feel like I should be offering you NEW things, but if you are happy with some of the color sets you've already seen, its easy enough for me to revisit them...what do you want?

Jean's comment from yesterday interested me...I thought I was the only one who had taken an unintended long-term hiatus from making beads, but it sounds like there are others out there who are taking time off like me...the plan was to take some time to spend with Dex in his last days back in March/April/May, and then after Bead and Button in June, get back on the torch with full force...and while I am back at the torch, its certainly not like last year when I was cranking out set after set, at times I was offering Pickings 3 times in one week...So what's the deal?

Well, I have some behind the scenes things going on that's been distracting me, yes...but even so, I've had plenty of time to get on the torch, and yet I find myself sitting there, wondering what to produce next..I feel weird going back and remaking stuff I've already done, I feel that making the same dot beads is going to make my head crack open...so I sit...I do play around, but those beads don't often look very good (I did like the Lava Rock results, however)...

I remember Jennifer Geldard saying she was tired of making her 'famous' enamel beads, but that's what she's known for, that's what the customers want, so she feels like she's trapped at times..as much as she likes exploring and trying new things, its her famous beads that make the most money...so she keeps making them, but would really like to be able to make other beads that are just as popular...

I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, its not that i don't enjoy making beads, its that I am just trying to branch out and try new stuff...a friend gave me the link to a website where the artist makes neat beads and they go for a lot of money on eBay- but she has maybe 4 different designs..and she makes them over and over and over...just in different colors...I LIKE the beads, I really DO...but I would go bonkers making the same thing over like that...so I am trying to keep it fun and exciting for both me and you, so you don't feel like I'm in a rut either...

Anyway, I've been staying up too late, watching too much Katrina coverage and I think I'm overloaded...I'm donating beads to the Austin Bead Society show this weekend, and there are some cool folks here in Austin finding housing and jobs for the lucky ones who made it here...So, its bad in NO, but there are good stories out there too...Austin is being asked to provide 5 supplies, peanut butter, granola bars, water, diapers and canned meats..other cities are asked for other items..then all the items will be trucked (today or tomorrow) to NO...I worry about those folks still stuck in the city rooftops w/ only a few jugs of water and no one looking for them...this is just nuts...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Remember in Beetlejuice how Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis took a vacation, but stayed home and did projects around the house (before they dropped off the bridge)...that's what Brian and I am doing this week...yesterday was the start of his vacation, and we've been making runs to Home Depot and Lowe's to pick up tiling tools...the washer and dryer are back in their spots, and hooked up, and so we just need to finish tiling the rest of the floor, which might take a bit of time, but not too much...and we're not in any hurry...its nice to have a usable walk way again, not having to squeeze around the W/D...the cats would sneak around the back and play hide and seek, so it was fun for them at least..

I was glad to see that Kim Neely updated her site and she's OK..I was wondering about her being so close to New Orleans...what a nightmare for those folks...I see they are bussing them to the Astrodome, and I've seen more than a few Louisiana license plates around Austin (one in the drive thru bank lane this morning in fact)...I hope they enjoy their very extended stay here in Austin, and who knows, maybe they'll just stay here when they see how cool it is..(even tho we don't have enough room for everyone who wants to live here and our traffic is terrible because of it)...well, its better than Houston, that's all I can say..heh...(I lived there for 4 years, I can say that)..

While Brian was walking Lady yesterday, someone stopped their car, backed up and asked Brian about her...whether she was 'full blooded', etc...he wasn't a very trustworthy lookin' dude, and I know dogs are often stolen for breeding purposes, so I told Brian to be careful...at least we don't leave her outside unattended..she's mostly indoors with us where its cool and safe...she's such a good girl...and right now she's dusty from rolling in our backyard that looks like the sahara...i think it'll rain again around November...

I haven't had beads for awhile now, have I? well, there are reasons, but I'm going to see what I can do today...its time to work on my favorite colors, what am I waiting for???????