Change of Plans

I changed my mind on the Temptation theme project. I will still be making a necklace with the faerie button and dichro cab, eventually, but not for this challenge. I decided that the faerie in question wasn't tempting enough (I gave the pin-up girl faerie button to a friend), but the nude mermaid cab that I have is very tempting. So I glued her down, and tomorrow I get to start beading.

While the glue was drying, I made a cute little necklace with a nice brass filigree piece that I got at gem show, some brass chain, and a few beads. I made matching earrings, too, because the chain was longer than I needed. I think it's a cute set, and I'll try to get it photographed soon.

After I finish the mermaid necklace (probably titled Moonlit Seductress), it's time to start on my BFAC project! I know pretty much what I want to do, and I think it's going to be called Iris's Star.

Speaking of BFAC, auctions start this weekend. Woohoo!

Makin' Badgeholders...

That's what I've got slated for tomorrow. Badgeholders. I was supposed to make them today, but I got sidetracked and only got as far as picking out the beads. The fact that one of them has to be pink and grey, a color combination that I have no love for, is probably what caused me to put it off. That's the problem with custom orders -- oftentimes, they're just not appealing. But it's good to make some sales, so I'm not going to complain.

After I finish those, I have a few other projects that I want to work on. There's several things that I bought at gem show that are demanding to be played with, and I need to come up with an entry for the March Etsy Beadweaver's challenge. The theme this month is Temptation, which allows for a lot of interpretations. A few of my teammates have already turned out some great items, so I know I'm going to be seriously outclassed as usual. I just want to actually complete something this time! I was just now struck with the inspiration for another faerie button necklace, this one accented by one of the dichroic cabs that I bought at gem show.

A whirlwind of activity.

Well, this has been a crazy month. After gem show, I had less than a week until my in-laws were due to arrive, and the guest room was still cluttered with packed boxes from the move and BFAC items. Plus I had a scary doctor's appointment during that time (which thankfully resulted in non-scary news). So there were several days of cleaning and reorganizing and generally being too busy and tired to be on the computer.

That was followed by three jam-packed days with the in-laws. We went to the Renaissance Faire, where we got to see Mediaeval Baebes (one of my favorite bands), who were giving live performances for two weekends and President's Day only. It was nothing short of awesome. While at the Faire, I got two halter tops and veils for dancing (one set in saturated teal, one in green), and I got Chris a flute-staff. It's a bamboo staff, with a flute built in. Plus my in-laws bought us a really cool carved wooden dragon with hooks for hanging things, which will go up in the guest room. And of course, we got chocolate, because we always get chocolate for the road.

There was lots of shopping, eating, and talking during the visit, and it was really just a nice time. The corgis hit it off very well with my in-laws, and didn't even bark at them much like they sometimes do with guests. On Wednesday, we all went down to the dog park for the first time, where Maggie made friends with all the other dogs and we met a fellow corgi owner.

Since then, I've just been trying to recover and get things ready for the BFAC 2009 auctions, while at the same time receiving my BFAC 2010 kit. More about that next month, I'm still sworn to secrecy!

Anyway, I'm going to resume regular blogging now, and hopefully I won't have another prolonged silence like this.

Gem Show Pictures

Many people have been asking me for pictures of my gem show purchases, so here are a few highlights. Above is my steampunk dragon from Christi Friesen. She said that he didn't have a name yet, so it was my responsibility to name him. So I'd like to introduce you to Thaddeus P. Gearsmith, gentleman inventor. Don't let his rakish good looks throw you off -- he's really quite brilliant.
A selection of the strands that I purchased at Gem Mall. Some of them aren't even green!
Christi also had some new molded beads that she's calling amulets. I was going to buy a dragon, but ended up getting a phoenix instead. And then there's this yummy glass cab, but I forgot the artist's name. It's purple, instead of green. I have a purple top that needs a necklace to go with it.
Margaret Zinser now offers miniature versions of several of her bead styles, so I got a miniature talisman (left) and a miniature maze (right). And I met Margaret's new roommate, JC Herrell, who made the yummy mendi-inspired bead in the center.

More pictures, along with stories, coming throughout the week.

Another fun day

Today I went back to To Bead True Blue, where I got a steampunk dragon (yay!), ran into my parents, met a Facebook friend, and picked up a few things that I decided that I needed after all.

Then I came home and proceeded to tackle some of the work that I need to get done before Best Bead starts. While I was doing that, the mail arrived, and all of my packages were here. Yay! Everything that I ordered is just as awesome as I expected it to be.

Later, while Chris and I were deciding what to do for the evening, my phone rang and it was my friend Lois, who wanted the gem show scoop. So I spent an hour catching up with her, which is always fun.

After dinner, we went to Target to get important stuff, like more dog toys and Gourmet M&Ms.

Now I am supremely tired again. Yaaaaawn. This is what I get for getting up at 9am!

Why am I so tired already?

It's only the second day of gem show and I am so tired! But I guess it's probably because in addition to spending a little time at To Bead True Blue, I also took Maggie to doggie class and went grocery shopping and more importantly, watched a very boring movie, which almost put me to sleep (yes, even MST3K couldn't save "First Spaceship on Venus."). Nothing saps my energy more than sitting on the couch, in the dark, with a puppy in my lap, watching a dull film. Oh well. At least the puppy was happy!

To Bead True Blue was pretty good. I think I like the new location better than the Manning House. I'll be going back tomorrow, as Christi Friesen did not really have many steampunk beads, but was going to be making more tonight. I will not be denied! I did go ahead and pick up her Polymer Clay and Mixed Media book, which I flipped through before the movie and found to be most impressive. Lots of things I want to try!

My big purchase at the show was a whole bunch of pewter and a few shibiuchi pieces from Green Girl Studios. Nice mix of two of my favorite things: faeries and steampunk. While talking to Andrew from GG, however, I was disappointed to learn that there had been a faerie ball last night and Friday night, and I was completely unaware of it! What the heck, me? Stop living in a cave. Honestly, is there any place that I'm more suited to than a faerie ball? An excuse to put on my wings and dance? That's about the best thing ever. I will not miss the next such event, that is certain!

The only other thing I purchased was three little silver and blue enamel half-circle pendants whose vibrant cobalt hue really captivated me. There was other nice stuff, but nothing nice enough to compell me to buy. I think I'm saving myself for Best Bead.