The Entertainment Rundown.

So, I used to talk about what I was reading, watching, listening to, and generally doing all the time on this blog, and then I thought to myself "Maybe I should talk more about beads and business." But then the problem became that when I was having a low creativity week, I wouldn't post at all, and that was boring. So I'm going to try to find a happy balance.

Lately I've read a lot, picked up some new how-to books, and watched a few decent movies. I thought I might share my opinions on them with you, so maybe you might be tempted to go out and read or watch them yourself.

Books:

I have a bit of an addiction to Tamara Silver Jones's fantasy forensic novels. Unfortunately, she only has three of them. I read the first one (Ghosts in the Snow) probably a year and a half to two years ago and said "Huh, that was cool" and made a mental note to keep an eye out for future work with her name on it. Then one day recently I was at the used book store and found Valley Of The Soul and then discovered that hey, there was a book between the two of them, called Threads of Malice. So I had to take a trip to B&N to get that. Then I summarily devoured each book. I really enjoy her books for a couple of reasons: one being that gruesome mystery novels are a guilty pleasure, and the fantasy setting makes them all that much better. But the main reason is that they're actually well-written. The author has a solid narration style that never interferes with the flow of the story, interesting characters, good mysteries, and a nice meta-plot that ties the books together.

Best of all, she avoids my biggest pet peeve with mystery novels. In any mystery series that doesn't involve a cop, and maybe even some of the ones that do, it's just ridiculous to imagine that so many people who are connected to the main character could not only die, but be murdered in a mysterious fashion. I mean, honestly! You'd think eventually people would stop being friends with the protagonist and his or her family would disown him or her and everyone would distance themselves, all for fear of being the next murder victim. All ranting aside, the author wisely made the character a castellan whose duties include investigating murders in a rather large geographical area. I highly recommend these books as a good read for anyone who enjoys mysteries or fantasy.

My other recent novel experience was somewhat less enjoyable. For a while now I'd had my eye on Windhaven by George RR Martin and Lisa Tuttle. I am, after all, a pretty big fan of Mr. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Unfortunately, Windhaven is absolutely nothing like those books, and really was not that great. I still read it all the way through, in my usual obsessive "do nothing else until I finish this book" manner, but I wasn't enthralled. The writing was not very strong, and because the story covered the life of a character from early childhood to ancient cronehood, there were many large gaps between sections, which I felt weakened the story. I also felt like the book never got quite deep enough. In a way, it reminded me of all of those rather meditative sequels to the Earthsea Trilogy, but without the benefit of being written by Ursula K. LeGuin. I really can't recommend it.

I'm working my way through The Dragon Chronicles which has been sitting on my shelf for a long time (I think I received it as a holiday present, and since I tend to get a lot of books as gifts, it got lost in the shuffle). Like many more successful illustrated storybooks, such as Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book and the immensely popular Dragonology, the book tries to present itself as a modern reprinting of an ancient book, which has of course been pooh-poohed by modern scholars, etc etc. Where The Dragon Chronicles fails is that it is utterly and completely unbelievable. The above mentioned books succeed because they mix enough reality and tongue-and-cheek humor into their work that you play along, suspend your disbelief, and enjoy the art and story. Now, I am no expert in the Dark Ages, but the countries and people mentioned in this book all sound entirely fictional. On top of that, the scientific knowledge displayed by the wizard in his notes on the dragons are far, far ahead of what anyone knew 1500 years ago. This book would succeed, in my mind, if it had marketed itself as the pure fantasy it was meant to be. I half-suspect that the note at the beginning was tacked on by the publisher in an attempt to cash in on Dragonology's popularity. If so, shame on them! They should have trusted their book's ability to stand on its own, rather than cheapening it with a poorly-implemented marketing trick.

I have a large stack of new books to go through, including a novel and two how-to books that I want to test out before I review... So I suspect you'll be hearing about more books in the next week or two.

Movies:

The only film I've seen in the theatres lately is 300, and I think I already talked about that here. However, I'm still doing the Netflix thing, so I'll talk about a couple of notable films that I've seen recently.

Kakurenbo is an animated short. It's only 25 minutes long, which lead me to wonder why I would waste a spot in my queue on something that was less than half an hour. However, the reviews were positively glowing, and I needed some good anime to restore my faith after having watched some real tankers in the past. Well, it was so good that we watched it on a Tuesday, then took it to gaming the next day and everyone watched it before the game. They all enjoyed it, too.

The title refers to the game of hide-and-seek, and this story is about a dark variation of that game in an abandoned part of town said to be inhabited by demons. Because the story is so short, obviously I can't say much more about it without spoiling things. What I will say is that the art is beautifully done, with great backgrounds, wonderful colors, and really cool character design. The music was bizarre, which fit the tone of the story well. And if certain elements of the story were predictable, well, it was still a lot of fun to watch. At only 25 minutes long, it's definitely a nice thing to watch at a party. I highly recommend it for anime fans.

Just this week I watched a movie called Seven Swords, which may or may not be a Chinese version of Seven Samurai. Although it had some really interesting weapons on display, including the titular swords, and a few good fight scenes (I really enjoyed the one with two guys having a sword fight in a narrow corridor), over all it was not that great. The story, such as it was, jumped around a lot, the characters were poorly developed, and the sexuality was kind of rough and icky. Also, the villains could not have looked more stereotypically evil if their banners had said "OMG! LOOK GUYS! WE ARE SO EVIL!" Which, for all I know, they might have been, because my Mandarin isn't very good yet so I couldn't read the characters on them. Seriously. Chinese Goths. They would have looked more at home in the medieval flashback scenes of Underworld or Night Watch.

I'm also finally almost done watching Futurama on DVD. This is why I don't watch TV. Any show that I really do enjoy, like Firefly or Futurama, gets canceled. This show is uproariously funny, especially for a geek like me who grew up on sci-fi. I think that's part of the reason it failed. Where The Simpsons is very mainstream in it's humor, so much of Futurama is geared towards young geeky people. Everyone else probably "didn't get it." Alas.

This post is full of links to books which I would categorize as Cool Things, so I'm going to be lazy and not post an additional Cool Thing. Please tune in tomorrow for Fashionable Friday, which may end up being more hot than cool! :D

The Birth of Flaming Teeth Part Two.

Well, I took a picture of the finished base strip, but it didn't turn out, so I'll do another one in the next chapter. For today, I present to you... Two of the "teeth" that will make up my Flaming Teeth necklace! The one with Lois's awesome lampworked bead attached to it will be the focal point at the center. The little guy will go at the end. I haven't decided yet exactly what size(s) I want to go between them. That's something I'll work on figuring out tonight.

And of course in this image you get to see my added bead! Because I'm not a fan of the opaque beads, I decided that I had to add something with more pizazz, and due to the nature of my design, I also knew that it would have to be a Japanese size 11 seed bead. I checked my stash and found that *gasp* I only have about 4 different oranges in my collection! I have got to fix that. But this transparent iridescent orange that I had was just perfect. Bright, fiery, and a nice compliment to the opaque orange seed beads and the fire opal Swarovski crystals. I've decided to make it the predominant color in the teeth, as fire really should be transparent.

I know that I want to make matching earrings to go with Flaming Teeth, but I haven't decided yet if I want to make them beaded triangles, or order these cool Sterling triangle chandelier findings that I found and use those. Maybe I'll do both. We'll see what I'm feeling like when the necklace is done.

Today's Cool Thing is another awesome BFAC auction! Shelley MacGregor's quilted wallhanging is just beautiful, and I love how she picked fabric that goes well with the bead kit, but takes her project way out of the green and pink range of most of the rest. If I had more wall space, I'd probably be bidding on it myself.

Just a Post.

I just really have not been focused lately, which means there hasn't been a lot of blogging, beading, writing, or anything going on. If you asked me just what I've accomplished in the past week, you'd probably get a big blank stare.

It doesn't help that I've been having really strange dreams lately, and not even ones cool enough to turn into book stories. In the last week or so, I've dreamed that I was held captive by abominations that lived in the back of K-Mart (apparently my subconscious dislikes the place even more than I do); that I was a Guild Wars Dervish and that some random people kidnapped me, but it was okay because this scribe was smitten with me and was going to help me break free; that I was my L5R character and I was trying to do... something important that I've since forgotten; and that I was a random shugenja (L5R spellcaster), that my house started collapsing and I couldn't stop it, and then I had to run away with this guy on a train. Did I mention that there are no trains in L5R? These dreams have all been tied to bad sleep patterns, so I've been tired a lot.

Anyway, today I went out and bought some crafting books and bead magazines, so I am feeling a little more inspired. I also picked up some pretty fabric to use as a photography background. I'm hoping to test that out tomorrow, which will tie into part 2 of my BFAC in-progress series.

I hope to make the blog a little more interesting this week, with BFAC stuff, book reviews, an overview of recent entertainments I've partaken in, and a really good Fashionable Friday column at the end of the week. I'm already saving links for it! Also watch the website for interesting things; new graphics are up but may need tweaking, and I've finally opened the Gallery, so I will be filling that up as well as adding new jewelry on Friday (I am thinking more anklets, oh yeah!).

To make up for a lack of Cool Things lately, I am posting a Super Duper Extra Nifty Cool Thing: The Rare Bird Finds "100 Goodies For $10 or Less." This is like 100 Cool Things in one! How awesome is that? There are so many things on there that I want, either for myself or as gifts for others. For instance: Dashboard Ninjas? Definitely for my friend Alex's birthday at the end of the month. Kung Fu Coasters? For Alex and his roommates' new house soon. "Invisible" Playing Cards? Perfect for my friend Craig who likes card tricks and poker. Ninja Remote? My friend Casey already has one and loves it. Spiderweb Arm Warmers? I would totally wear those. That little windup photo holder? Chris got one for the holidays, we love to confuse the cats with it. I honestly think there is something on that list for just about everyone. And best of all, of course, it's all CHEAP! Can't beat that!

The Birth of Flaming Teeth -- Part 1

Welcome to the first installment of my series on the creation of my contribution for the 2008 Layne's Legacy -- Beading For a Cure project. As I've doubtless mentioned before on this blog, BFAC is a very important cause, dear to my heart, so I'm always eager to create something new and hopefully exciting for it. So, let's start by taking a look at this year's kit, created by Sandi of Stormcloud Trading:Included are Japanese seed beads in five colors, Czech chicklet-shaped beads in pearly white, Swarovski crystals in three sizes and five colors, and one lampworked bead donated by Lois Oster of Wolf Song Designs. This is a challenging kit for me, due to my lack of love for opaque seed beads (except for black, of course), and my extra lack of love for the color yellow. On the other hand, I love black, I love lampwork, I love fire colors, and ohmigosh look at all the sparkly crystals! Sandi even included those awesome new 2mm crystals.

My project for this year is called Flaming Teeth, and it is inspired by a Fijian myth, which you can read on Encyclopedia Mythica. For some reason, that just struck me as one of the best "How man got fire" stories ever. It could be because "Flaming Teeth" is such a wicked, evocative name. I'm envisioning a nice, spiky collar, with a heavy emphasis on the black and orange elements in this kit.

I started Flaming Teeth last night, working during my weekly Legend of the Five Rings game. I always like to have beads during games, and the base row of this project was a pretty easy task for the evening. If only I could complete it in one evening. This is my progress:Not that impressive yet, I'm afraid. Just a simple black strip of beadwork. This will be the base upon which the entire necklace works off of, however. Humble beginnings for a more elaborate piece. Already today I've more than doubled its length. Without my friends and gaming to keep my mind occupied, I have to turn to music so I don't get bored with this very repetitive stitch. Today's beading was done while listening to Rakshasa by The Black Drum and Annwyn Beneath The Waves by Faith and the Muse.

Tomorrow will of course be Fashionable Friday, so I won't be posting Part 2 of this series until at least Saturday. By then I hope to have the base strip finished!

Today's Cool Thing is Jen Kuhns' absolutely amazing baby dragon and egg, which is one of this week's BFAC auctions! I am a huge fan of Jen's work and I am so glad to see this auction getting many bids. I can't wait to see what it ends at!

Fashionable Friday -- Best Foot Forward

Ahhh, warmer weather! Finally it's time to put away the boots and sneakers, say good-bye to socks, and slip into a pair of sandals! As someone who loves to walk around her home barefoot whenever possible, I am always glad when sandal season comes around. And of course, sandal season is also anklet season, and I do love my anklets!

With Spring here and Summer quickly on the way, I'm working on increasing the selection of anklets on my site. I have four anklets in two new styles up, one of which is illustrated above These anklets are of course best worn with a slide or thong that doesn't have an ankle strap, and are perfectly delightful with bare feet.

Of course, you'll need some sandals to wear them with! Store shelves are full of them, but you can also shop on-line. I love mohop's sandals. What could be more stylish than having ribbon straps that are perfectly coordinated with the beads in your anklet? I can just see it now! I also really like these cool Chesapeake Bay sandals that I found on Etsy. I wish the seller had more ephemera sandals, because I think that is just too awesome.

After being cooped up all Winter, your feet may be in need of a little TLC to get them in their best shape for those revealing sandals. As nice as it is to go out for a pedicure, it's also nice to pamper your feet at home! There are many wonderful independent bath and beauty companies on the web who have great foot spa products that you may want to try.

Body Systems has a nice selection, including a salt soak with wasabi in it!

Foster's Creations has several items for your consideration. I love the foot-shaped soaps!

Flower Peddler has a large selection of products, including a Tired Tootsies spray which sounds nice for when your feet need a little pick-me-up and you're too tired for a full pedicure.

Bidwell Botanicals' selection includes a PM foot repair set designed to shape your feet up while you sleep.

Cioccolatina has wonderful-sounding Tingly Foot Butter, and is based in the UK, which may be a plus for any European readers out there!

Lindsay's Candles and Stuff recommends her body butter and sugar scrub for pedicure uses as well.

Tranquil Meadow has an entire line of new foot care products coming soon, so please check back with them in the future!

No matter which of these companies you choose to buy your scrubs, soaks, and creams from, you'll probably want to consider Earthenwood Studios' terra cotta foot scrubbies and smoothies. I've received rave reviews of them and really must purchase some of my own!

Those sandals sure are looking inviting now!

Back in the Proverbial Saddle!

I've really got to stop slacking off on this whole blogging thing...

I've spent the past week or so working on some unfinished items from early last year. Just personal stuff of mine that has been cluttering up the beadroom. It's been kind of fun to revisit these old projects. Expect some pics either later this week or early next week.

While working on these "UFOs" (UnFinished Objects), I've been letting my mind wander. It's spent more time wandering into writing territory than beading territory, but I have already figured out what I want to do for my 2008 BFAC project. Hooray! It'll probably be rather time-consuming, which means that the website updates for the next few weeks will mostly contain smaller items like earrings and spiral bracelets.

Speaking of BFAC, today's Cool Thing is Lora Tobias' Green Man, currently on auction! I'm hoping to win it for my very own, but if you'd like to battle me for it, feel free! There are of course many other great items up on auction this week, and more coming in the following weeks.

Burning and BFAC.

Last night I went out with my brother and a couple of his fire-loving friends to the desert, where we had a bonfire and played with various spinning devices. Oh, and there was much roasting of marshmallows. Although it's been very warm during the day, nights out in the desert are still cool enough that it's nice to put on a long-sleeve shirt and stand next to a fire. Until my brother dumps a ton of lamp oil on it... Then you want to stand about 20 feet away from the fire! There was a bit of wind, so I decided not to do a burn with my fans -- I'm not very good with them yet, so the last thing I needed was a sudden gust to light me on fire -- but I did practice with them unlit. It was nice to be out someplace where we could all play with fire and not worry about disturbing anyone or lighting anything on fire that we didn't mean to -- Because when I say "the desert" I mean a home in the desert, with a nice cleared dirt lot. No brushfires for us!

Last night's "bit of wind" turned into today's constant wind and overcast skies. I'm really hoping for some nice Spring rain, to keep down the dust. Ren Faire this past weekend was terribly dusty... my once-black shoes are now brown.

The Layne's Legacy - Beading For A Cure auctions are doing very well this year. I'm so happy to see all the bids coming in, and I can't wait until my necklace goes up! That should be sometime next month. In the meantime, I've already received my kit for the 2008 project! I am sworn to secrecy until all of the new participants receive their kits as well. As such, I'm going to wait at least a couple of weeks to start on any projects. I'd really like to do a series of "in progress" posts on this blog for this year's BFAC project. I hope you'll all enjoy it!

Today's Cool Thing is these great Wrapped Silver Bracelets. I wish I'd seen these to be included in my most recent Fashionable Friday column! They'd be right at home on the wrist of a dancer at the Faire. They kind of remind me of something that one of the women in "300" would be wearing, too. Very stylish!

Two Really Good Days.

So, yesterday was a good day because we spent it out at Ren Faire. We both had a great time and picked up some nice things. I'm happy because I got to watch some very skilled dancers and think "That's what I'll be when I grow up!" I'm unhappy because the two main places with dance clothes kind of sucked. On the other hand, I did see a costume that would be great for fire spinning, if it was made of something other than mock velvet (gotta use natural fabrics when playing with fire). It was kind of a jester or acrobat outfit -- Tight, probably capri-length pants that laced up the sides, a brief tanktop that laced up the front, and a little vest over it.

The most amazing thing was that I pretty much avoided sunburn. I have a few small places that feel a little tender, but mostly my skin came out unscathed. It helps that Chris bought me this really nice painted umbrella which did a great job of keeping the sun off. Since it was so hot and sunny, but with only the occasional light breeze, umbrellas were very popular out at the Faire! I saw a lot of people carrying them, and one lady near the end of the day asked where I'd purchased mine... After I told her, she said she wished she'd started the day out with one!

In a way, today was even better than yesterday, because Chris finally received a promotion that he's been trying to get for years. We'd both given up hope of him ever receiving it, so it was a very pleasant surprise. To celebrate, we'll be going out to the local dessert spot. Mmmm.

Today's Cool Thing is Cynthia Bicker's BFAC necklace. If you love dragonflies, you will be stunned by this necklace! It's one of my favorite items for this year. And of course, this is my not-so-subtle way of directing you towards this week's BFAC auctions ;)

Spring Sale!

I would like to direct you over to my website, where I am having a sale in honor of the upcoming Vernal Equinox! Select Spring-themed items will be discounted until the 23rd! I also have an ongoing clearance sale which you may want to check out.

I am up bright and early in order to go to the Renaissance Faire! It's supposed to be a beautiful day, so it will be very nice to be out seeing shows and shopping. I just have to remember to sunscreen thoroughly, as I am quite pale and will be wearing a midriff-baring choli! After the Faire we will go out for a nice dinner, to celebrate the fact that we've been married for 7 years! WOOHOO!

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to go get all costumed up :)

Fashionable Friday -- Faire Garb.

Have I mentioned lately that I'm going to the Renaissance Faire on Sunday? Well, just in case, let me say it again: I'm going to the Faire, weeeee! Oh, wait, I'm supposed to strive for a professional demeanor here, aren't I? I can't help it, I love the Faire! It was one of the first dates that my husband and I ever went on, and we've gone every year since. It's so much fun to wander around, shop, and see all kinds of shows. This year, of course, my big priority is to watch some belly dancers and get some more dance clothes!

The first time I went to Ren Faire, I was really worried that everyone would be dressed up, and that my brown jeans and embroidered Mexican Wedding Shirt (which fell somewhere between Renaissance and Hippie) would look kind of cheezy in comparison. But as it turns out, most people go there in normal street clothes. Now, that's perfectly fine, especially in Arizona, where the forecast is 90 degrees for Sunday, but personally, I love to dress up. I take any excuse to wear a costume, and Renaissance Faire is one of the best excuses in the world, next to Halloween and being in a play.

There are a lot of options open to you for Faire-worthy costumes. Remember that although it's usually called a "Renaissance Festival," Medieval-era clothing is just as acceptable. You'll also tend to see people in fantasy costumes (I was a faerie one year, I kept hitting everyone with my wings!), and maybe even Asian costumes from various eras (my husband and our friend Alex both dressed like Chinese martial artists last year, and I heard tell of a group in another state who went dressed as ninja). Don't ever feel that you have to slavishly adhere to historic accuracy. The most important thing when going to the Faire is to have fun! (please note that some historic recreation groups may require accuracy. This column, however, is geared towards the average person who wants to dress up for an open-to-the-public Faire)

If you're dressing up for the first time, I recommend starting small. Depending on your sense of style, you may even be able to cobble together a fun outfit from the contents of your closet (especially if you're a woman, as I imagine most of my readers are). If not, you can hit the thrift stores and/or resale boutiques. Sometimes, you can even find good things at the mall. You want to look for long, full skirts, poofy blouses, corset-esque tops, tops that lace up, shawls and scarves, that sort of thing. Heck, pair capri pants with the right top and a scarf for your head, and you're a pirate!

You can also use a store-bought Halloween costume for Ren Faire, but those can often look kind of chintzy by the light of day, and do not hold up very well. I do recommend them if your kids want to dress up, though. Kiddies grow up so fast that you don't want to put the money into buying or making a more authentic, durable costume that will just be too small when the next Faire rolls around.

If you're the creative sort, you can also sew your own costume. Most of my Faire wear has been sewn by my talented and generous mother (you rock, Mom!). A quick trip to the pattern book section of your local fabric store will show that there is now a plethora of high-quality historical costume patterns for men, women, and children, drawing from different eras and nations. There are also patterns inspired by Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (Jedi robes would not be out of place at a Faire, but lightsabres would). It's a lot of work, but you can end up with a nice, unique look, and make sure that it fits just right, too! Plus you can accent it with cool stuff, like the ribbons and trims from Realm of Regalia.

And of course, you could just buy a costume from one of the many vendors of medieval, renaissance, and fantasy clothing on the internet. One of my personal favorites is The Renaissance Store, which is based here in Tucson. They have a great selection of high-quality merchandise, and the people who work at their storefront are friendly and helpful. I'm also fond of Crimson Chain Leatherworks; while I don't own any of their clothes, they made my dice bag and it is roomy, attractive, and quite durable. If I hadn't taken up belly dancing and thus decided to dress like a dancer from now on, I would have one of their bodices by now! You can also find attractive clothing at Raspberry Beret and Arcane Lore Designs. Even Mechanical Bunny has some nice clothes that while not authentic, have a renaissance vibe to them, and are often more lightweight and hot-weather friendly.

It's oh-so important to accessorize, of course! Most modern handbags look out of place with a Renaissance costume. You can check some of the above links for leather pouches, or for a more lady-like look, you could buy a beautiful drawstring bag from AP2 Creative Designs. And if you want to add an air of mystery to your costume, you could wear a gorgeous mask from Andrea Adams.

Then of course, you might want some jewelry. Much of my jewelry is designed with the idea that it could be worn with a Renaissance or fantasy costume. I like to add that little touch of fantasy to my daily life, after all. Specifically, I like just about any Woven Collar with a costume. I also love to think that Lady Ghost, Queen of Love and Beauty, or The Moss Spirit might someday be worn to the Faire. My Bluebells anklet would be perfect for a dancer costume. Well-to-do lady costumes would be nicely accented by chandelier earrings, perhaps like Enchantment.

If you're seeking more clothing or accessories for Renaissance costumes, you may want to check the website of your local Renaissance Faire. They often have a vendor list which includes links to any vendors who have a web presence.

Bead Museum Trip!

Before I tell you about my fun trip to Phoenix today, I'd like to mention that my website is back up. Apparently there was a problem with it and it had to be transferred manually, so if I had e-mailed them sooner, it would have been up sooner. They were quite quick to fix the problem after I e-mailed them, so I'm happy now... Even though my mail was bouncing back while the site was down. Ugh!

Anyway, on with the trip! My parents and I went to the Phoenix Metrosprawl today, to visit the Bead Museum there. None of us had ever been, but they were having an exhibit by our favorite polymer clay artist, Christi Friesen. Well, as it turns out, the "exhibit" was only one small display case, but she still has some very nice things there. And between the museum's permanent contents, a huge exhibit on African ritual beadwork and the Trajectories exhibit from the ISGB, and the fact that the gift shop is of course a bead store, there was a lot to see. Not enough to really justify a trip to Phoenix, but we all agreed that it was just nice to be out of the house doing something different on a beautiful day.

Of course I had to wear my latest polymer dragon, Sky Dancer. You can see her above. She's a little coatl who likes to flirt. You can see it in the teasing way she glances over her shoulder and the saucy tilt of her wings. And of course she's adorned herself with green pearls, malachite, lapis, and cobalt glass. Making all of those individual feathers was a chore, but sooo worth it!

While we were in Phoenix we also ate In-N-Out burgers (mmmm) and visited a gigantic Bookmans. For those not from Arizona, Bookmans is a huge used bookstore, which like most book stores these days, also sells CDs, DVDs and other forms of entertainment. They are quite possibly my favorite non-bead store in the whole entire world.

Today's Cool Thing is this week's BFAC auctions! They're ending Sunday, so you'd better bid now :D Of course, there will be more beautiful items next week!

Website down

My website is down. My host said they were moving it to a new server and that it would be down for maybe half an hour. It's been down since sometime last night. Needless to say, I am not too happy about this.

My e-mail is also down, since it is tied to my website. Grar! Thank goodness I had the foresight to have my blog here on Blogger, so I could keep people informed about this sort of thing.

From An Eclectic Tribe.

Remember the little strip of beadwork from this post? Now look what it's grown up into! I think this may be the wildest, most eclectic necklace that I've ever made. I cannot wait to wear it to Ren Faire. Even for me, it's a bit much for every-day wear, but I definitely intend to make it a part of my dance garb.

For those who are curious, in addition to the Japanese seed beads, I used: Czech glass, Swarovski crystals, trade beads, vintage glass, coral, turquoise, mother of pearl, freshwater pearls, malachite, lapis lazuli, copper, tagua nut, those weird black beads with rhinestones and metal and stuff stuck on them, some random green stone (maybe a type of serpentine?), wooden skulls, a cowrie shell, a copper bottle, and a button made from a coin. In other words, more different beads than about 5-7 other necklaces put together.

I'd like to add some tribal-themed jewelry to my website stock as well. If I can just stop keeping all the good beads to myself, you might see some within the next month or two.

Fashionable Friday: Butterflies Instead

I surprised a friend of mine the other day by telling her how much I'd been drawn to butterflies over the past year or so. I suppose given that my interests tend to lean towards darker things, it doesn't quite fit. But I loved butterflies when I was a little kid, and in recent times, I've just noticed that there are so many beautiful pendants, beads, and artistic things with butterfly motifs. With Spring here, Summer on the way, and a Spring palette for Fall designs, this seems like the perfect time to add butterflies to your look!

Because of this current attraction to butterflies, there's a rather varied selection of jewelry with them on my site. For necklaces, there's Dancing Butterflies (pictured above), Tranquil Butterfly, and On Pastel Wings, which is new for this week! In bracelets, I have Empress of Butterflies and Butterfly Harmony, new this week. And in earrings, I have Flutterby, Imperial Butterflies, and Flying Free, which is also new this week. With all those different styles and colors, there's sure to be something to please almost every butterfly lover!

Many other jewelry artists incorporate butterflies into their work! Chic Cosas has this Mariposa necklace, which I think is just delightful with its earthy colors! And Matilda's Boutique has Butterfly Fling earrings that feature Thai silver butterflies. I just LOVE Thai silver! I also love this Bamboo bracelet! Earthenwood Studio has several style of butterflies, which may be worn on a cord as a pendant, or worked into your own jewelry creations.

Clothing is a wonderful medium for displaying butterflies. This butterfly jacket from Soleil Rouge is simply a knock-out, for instance. I just love that cut, it's so classic! And take a peek at this stunning purple michiyuki jacket on Kimono Momo. Japanese jackets are so very cool, and you can't beat that color. Of course, if you prefer a more casual look, Artwear Tops has this vibrant t-shirt just perfect for Summer!

As it turns out, handbags and butterflies also make a great combination! Becky Oh! offers her Bolsa clutch in a cheery butterfly print. Enamor has a great hand-painted Monarch Handbag which should appeal to anyone who loves orange. Vintage kimono fans like myself may find this purse more to their liking, whereas anime geeks -- also like myself -- may prefer the Miss Butterfly clutch.

You could even accessorize your head with butterflies! I think these Metamorphosis Hairpins, made with Vintage fabric, are just adorable. And there's no denying the 1920s-style appeal of this Lavender Hat, which includes a removable crochet butterfly.

You can have butterflies around the house, too, even if that butterfly bush you planted hasn't been attracting them. Keep your table safe with hand-felted Butterfly Coasters, and decorate your couch, favorite chair, or bed with a rich purple brocade pillow. Hmmm, looking at a lot of these items, it seems that purple and butterflies were made for each other!

Finally, with warmer weather upon us, it's time to socialize! You can involve butterflies here, too! For every-day correspondence, there's cheery notecards from Zuzu's Petals. For a wedding, you could have Plantable wedding favors, which come in a couple of different butterfly designs. I've never heard of these before and I think they're quite cool! And if you've got a little girl on the way, you might be interested in the Flutterby line by Fete!

Whew. That's even almost too many butterflies for me. Almost!

Of Music, Seasons, and More.

Despite it being over a week and a half until the Vernal Equinox, here in Tucson we've had beautiful 80 degree weather all week. It's been very pleasant and I feel so energized. Not only have I been dancing, but I started working out again. This is my favorite sort of weather, and I'm going to enjoy it while I can, because soon enough it will be 100+.

It's odd, but all Winter I was pretty content to work in silence. I only turned on music when I wanted to dance, and I didn't mind that Chris hadn't been playing his iPod all night. But since the weather started warming up, suddenly I've wanted music. I guess it all started when I was thinking about a band I used to listen to a lot, and how I hadn't in a while, and how, come to think of it, there were a lot of bands that I loved, and wasn't listening to. So it's been very musical around here lately. Today alone I'm up to my third CD.

Yesterday I was working on finishing up my new tribal necklace, and I decided I really needed some tribal music to go with it. So first I played some Dead Can Dance. Their "Spiritchaser" album is some of my favorite dance music, so it seemed fitting. Then I broke out the Afro-Celt Soundsystem, which I hadn't listened to in almost a year. WOW! I forgot how much I liked them. I ended up dancing to them later -- the music is so high-energy that it's a lot of fun for dancing, and a great workout, too. I was exhausted when I finished, and that was just a little more than 15 minutes. Of course, I did finish the necklace first, and it looks awesome. I'll share it sometime next week.

The jewelry is all ready for tomorrow's update! Today I was going to do photography, but I have company coming over so I had to clean instead. Bah!

Today's Cool Thing is Prickie.com which has a HUGE selection of pin-back buttons by various artists. Woohoo! I sure do love buttons.

And, of course, the BFAC auctions are still cool! ;)

Earring Overhaul.

Earrings have really taken off for me in the past year or so. They're quickly becoming one of the best sellers on my site, and I have a lot of fun making them. So last week, I decided it was well past time that I tidy up the Earring section of my website. Click Here to see how much nicer it looks now! Somehow I missed taking a new photo of Midnight Waltz, so it will be looking silly until Thursday or Friday.

That's just a taste of what the rest of the sections will look like soon. This week I intend to rephotograph my crystal bracelets and strung necklaces, and replace the photos throughout next week. I've finally reached the point where I've got a photography set-up that I'm happy with, so taking a lot of pictures is not the huge chore that it used to be.

In other news, I already have three items ready for Friday's update, and tomorrow I will make at least two more. I'm pretty happy with them, and I think you will be, too!

Today's Cool Thing is Absinthe Art by Ophelia. True story, the other night I had a dream where I went into McDonald's and they had absinthe as a fountain drink, so I decided "What the heck, I'll try it!" I think it tasted kind of like a sweet, minty green tea, but taste isn't my strongest dream-sense ;) Regardless, I really like Ophelia's vintage-influenced artwork!

By the way: Don't forget to check out the BFAC auctions!

In Progress.

This is another in-progress item. When it is done, it will be similar to the "Moss Strands" necklace displayed over on the side of my blog. For now, it's just several inches of base strip. I really enjoy these multi-strand pieces, as it's so much fun to pick out all the different beads along the same theme, and bring them together. This one will have a very tribal feel, and is intended to go with my outfit for Ren Faire this year.

I spent the weekend working on another little something for myself, a feathered serpent done in polymer clay. I feel that I'm getting a lot better at claywork, but I don't expect that I will be selling it anytime soon. I take so long getting every little detail how I want it that I would just have to charge way too much. I do enjoy making things for myself and as gifts, though.

I have several items planned already for this week's update, plus more page maintenance.

Are you ready for today's Cool Thing? It's my talented friend Deb's 2007 Beading For A Cure necklace! This is my not-so-subtle way of pointing out that HEY! The BFAC auctions are up! After you enjoy Deb's beautiful work, be sure to click "View seller's other items" to see the rest of this week's offerings. And tell all of your friends!

Fashionable Friday -- Oh, I could never wear that...

Recently on the beadwork forum I'm a member of, there's been a bit of talk about how beadwork isn't "in," as well as a discussion about what people are wearing. Now, in my own little world (population: me), beadwork is always "in" and it's appropriate for every occasion. You know, to the point where I say "Oh, I need to go to the grocery store, what necklace shall I wear?" But I also recognize that not everyone feels the same way.

In my experience, there are two basic reasons why people do not purchase and wear beadwork. One is a matter of value, perceived or otherwise. Traditionally, jewelry made of gold and precious gems is well-regarded due to its value. Gold is always worth money, in a pinch you can pawn it, sell it, melt it down, whatever. The cost of fine jewelry comes from the intrinsic value of the materials, as well as the jeweler's time.

Beadwork, on the other hand, does not have as much intrinsic value. To be certain, there are necklaces just dripping with precious stone beads, but they are invariably of a much lower quality gem than you might find set in a ring. More often, the beads are made of glass. The cost of beadwork is not so much in the materials (although some of them can be quite dear), as in the jeweler's time.

The important thing is to realize that jewelry does not have to be an investment. I think of my beadwork and the artist's beads that I collect as art. While some people display their art on the wall or a pedestal, I choose to display mine on my body. You can as well! The added benefit is that when your art is stationary, only people who come into your home can enjoy it with you. When you wear it out into the world, you share it with everyone.

The other basic reason why people do not wear much beadwork is that they seem to feel overwhelmed by it. I often hear people say "Oh, I could never wear that" or "I have no place to wear it" or of course "I have nothing to wear it with!" Excuses all. If you really love something, you'll find an occasion to wear it and an outfit to wear it with.

Remember that not all beadwork is completely over the top and dominating. You can start out with something simple and subtle, with little more substance than a gold chain. I particularly like herringbone twist necklaces like Magic Twist or Shadow Twist for a comfortable "barely there" feeling. Eventually, you may even feel like moving on to something bigger or bolder.

In regards to having no place to wear it, well, that argument always falls flat with me. I'm sitting here in my living room wearing beadwork, after all, and I was wearing even more earlier when I went out thrift-shopping with my family. Although there were once etiquette rules which stated that one saved fine jewelry for the evening, nowadays such things have fallen by the wayside. There's no reason why you can't wear a nice necklace to go out to Wal-Mart in the middle of the day, if that's what you feel like doing. You can even wear it to work!

When it comes to having nothing to wear it with, I'm of the mindset to buy an outfit to go with the jewelry. That's just me, however. Just remember that black goes with everything, so if you buy black jewelry or black clothes, you can wear any color with them. If you buy black jewelry and black clothes, then you'll be a lot like me.

To me, there are three standard approaches one can take to the relationship between clothes and jewelry. The jewelry can accent the clothing, the clothing can be a backdrop for the jewelry, or the jewelry and clothing can be equal partners in helping you feel beautiful. Allow me to give an example of each one.

When the jewelry accents the clothing, it's usually a subtle touch. A single Crystal Bracelet or a simple pair of earrings makes a nice addition to your daily wardrobe, without being in any way overwhelming or too flashy. This is especially nice for casual or very professional settings. It's also nice when your outfit is simply so gorgeous already that you don't want your jewelry to draw attention away from it.

Clothing serves as a backdrop for jewelry when you wear very basic, almost simple clothes with a stunning piece. This works especially well with elaborate necklaces like Queen of Love and Beauty or Lady Ghost. I personally own a lot of black tops and skirts, as I feel that they're perfect for looking elegant without distracting people from the fact that I'm wearing something really nice around my neck. Other neutral or subtle colors also suit themselves well. If you want your clothing to serve as a backdrop, avoid prints or trims. For tops, I enjoy camisoles, v-necks, or turtlenecks, depending on the style of the necklace.

The best of both worlds come together when your outfit and your jewelry perfectly compliment each other in a matching ensemble. Although the best way to achieve this is to have jewelry custom-made to suit your specific outfit, or to go out and buy clothes to match your new jewelry, sometimes you can pull it together with a little less work. I like to pick out color combinations or motifs and use them to match jewelry to clothes. This leads to a very polished look that will have everyone commenting on how stylish you are!

If you have any questions or comments along this vein, I would really love to hear them. Either post in the comments section here on the blog, or drop me an e-mail!

And now, March.

February is probably my favorite month of the year, being as how gem show happens and I get to see a lot of my friends. But March is a very close second. The weather's very beautiful here in Tucson in March. This is usually the month that we take our trip to Ren Faire. Most importantly, our wedding anniversary is in March! So although I love February, I'm happy to welcome March.

Today I spent some more time linking items together. This was made difficult by the fact that my web hosting keeps acting up! I apologize in advance if you try to visit erthefae.com and find yourself faced with a blank screen. I may have to contact my host and find out what the heck is going on.

I also made a great pair of earrings this afternoon, some really ornate chandeliers. I love how they look, but geesh, making those things is hard on the hands! I doubt I'll ever make more than one pair in a week, unless someone were to order several custom pairs.

Tonight or tomorrow, I will sit down and do some serious photography. I think that since I have new earrings to photograph, I'll go ahead and replace the pictures for most if not all of my old earrings. It may take me some time to get all of the images up, but if I take a whole slew of them in one sitting, I can work on putting them on the site throughout the week, when I'm not making new jewelry.

The update and Fashionable Friday column may be a bit late tomorrow. I have plans to do lunch with my Mom, my grandmother and maybe grandfather, whom I haven't seen in about a year, and my aunt Wendy, whom I haven't seen since, well, sometime before I got married. I'm looking forward to some catching up with family and maybe a little shopping, too!

Your Cool Thing for today is this Branches 6 painting. I love trees and leaves of all sorts, and since a major part of my current novel takes place in a forest full of naked trees, this painting especially speaks to me.

Under Construction!

Yesterday I talked about how I was considering posting photos of larger projects in the works. I figured I'd start that today with an image of the cameo I'm working on. The pendant is finished, as you can see, but it turned out quite a bit larger than I'd anticipated. This put the kibbutz on setting her in a choker a la Lady Ghost. Instead I'm going to do a long necklace. I'm thinking two strands of assorted black beads, modern and vintage. This is a personal project, a little present to myself.

The cameo isn't the only thing under construction! Although I will have or or two new items and a Fashionable Friday column this week, I am dedicating my time to some website improvement. I've just spent the past hour working on the linking system, connecting one item to another in an endless chain of linkage! Alright, well, once I get everything done it will be endless. Right now you might find a few dead ends and cul-de-sacs. Also on the agenda is taking new photos for old items. Heavens, I still have things that were scanned rather than photographed. This won't do at all.

In writing news, my book is still moving along. I hit a bit of a roadblock, but I decided to take a detour. The point I'm at right now has two of my major characters seriously injured, and a third major character is a first-year resident at a hospital. It gets to be a problem when ones characters would be far more knowledgeable in a subject than oneself is. I foresee much research in my future, but for now I left a note to myself to fill in the details later, and kept moving forward with the story.

Speaking of which, I'm going to go move forward with it now!

But first, we of course need a Cool Thing! In honor of tonight being the night that I play a samurai fantasy role playing game, I give to you: Japanese Death Poetry! I appreciate that this site has them in both English and Japanese. I personally enjoy haiku and find these poems to be very poignant.

Things and stuff.

I have really got to get back into the habit of blogging! I told myself that I would post every day, but things keep distracting me. First of all, I am absolutely obsessed with the book I'm working on. I've written almost 70 pages so far. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if I have the first draft done by the end of March. I am just on fire with writing! Saturday, after D&D, I sat down and wrote from midnight until almost 5am, and the only reason I stopped was that I had a party to go to at noon. The party was kind of fun; basically just a bunch of us sitting around, talking, joking, playing Soul Calibur 2 and watching movies. I'm trying to be a little more social, as I found myself growing reclusive recently.

Let's see... what sort of things are going on that I can talk about? The picture above is of the necklace I made to wear to Bead Dinner during Gem Show. I designed it to go with this really foxy corset, which is made of red, black and ivory floral brocade. Since the corset was a rather European style made with decidedly Asian fabric, I decided to echo that theme in the accompanying necklace, opting for a pseudo-Victorian Gothic choker accented by Chinese lacquer butterflies. Swarovski crystals add some nice sparkle and the perfect shade of red, and the vintage black flower beads were a great match for the plum blossoms on the fabric. I received many compliments on it! I'm quite happy with the design and will hopefully be making something similar for the site in the near future.

I've started studying Chinese again. There are two things that frustrate me about the language: trying to say things in the proper tone, and how difficult some of the characters are to draw. I love reading characters, but forget writing them! Ugh! Nonetheless, it's a nice activity for Chris and I to share.

And you know what I would really like to talk about? Layne's Legacy: Beading For A Cure! I know, I know, I talk about it all the time... but that's because it's important to me. Anyway, the 2007 gallery is now up, and auctions start this Sunday. THIS SUNDAY!!! Auctions will run every Sunday in March, and the first Sunday in April. My luscious necklace should be somewhere in the middle of there. I will be linking to auctions quite often once they are up.

Another thing that I have been thinking about is whether or not this blog is interesting. Do the random musings about my daily life bore you? Is there a subject you'd like to see more or less of? I'm considering posting "Work in Progress" photos so you can see the evolution of some of my more complicated pieces. Let me know your thoughts.

Today's Cool Thing is the Art of Meredith Dillman. I am an absolute junkie for faerie and fantasy artwork, and hers reminds me of Nene Thomas and Amy Brown, but with a definite Japanese influence as well. I will have to buy some of her buttons!

Fashionable Friday -- Asian Flair

(My apologies for not posting this yesterday, my site was down which I meant I couldn't get the necessary links!)

The use of Asian elements and Asian influence in fashion is not a recent trend, but it does seem to be a lingering trend. Whether it's kimono-sleeved tops, or Chinese brocade used in a decidedly Western corset, "Asian Flair" is everywhere!

I'm not immune to this trend, of course. I'm drawn to Chinese carved beads, artistic depictions of Geisha, and of course, anything with a dragon on it. While I mostly have a bad habit of hoarding these items for myself, I do occasionally relent and make them into beautiful Asian-inspired jewelry for sale. One of my most recent creations is Almost Ready, which features a beautiful Geisha image as the focal. Also new are the nicely coordinated Empress of Butterflies bracelet and Imperial Butterflies earrings, both made with Chinese lacquer butterflies and vintage jade-inspired glass beads. Looking a little farther back, you can see the delightful Of The Earth bracelet with its beetle focal, and the teal-hued Tranquil Butterfly necklace. During Gem Show this year I picked up a nice selection of carved Chinese focals, so expect to see some more Asian-inspired necklaces in the next few months.

I am also a huge fan of Asian textiles and clothing. The internet is a wonderful source for clothes, whether they be authentically Asian or just inspired. For genuine vintage kimonos, be sure to check out Kyoto Kimono. I purchased from them during Gem Show and found them to be polite, friendly, and bursting at the seams with Japanese clothes and fabric! I am really enamored, however, with this short Kiki Lee Kimono by designer Wai Ching! Way out of my budget, but just look at those colors! If you view the designer's other items, you will find more gorgeous modern kimono dresses and tops. And don't forget to accessorize! Might I suggest either this obi-style belt, or anything from Kimono Momo's line of scarves and handbags?

For a casual, unisex look, you really can't go wrong with t-shirts. SquidFire offers this great Praying Mantis shirt. And ethaibid has this very cool woodblock wave long-sleeve top. I love this shirt and am really tempted to get it for my husband! Be sure to check out their other items, as they have many Asian print tees.

Many other jewelers are inspired by Asian artwork and textiles as well. This great matchbox Geisha pendant even has a mirror on the back for checking out your hair, clothes and makeup while you're out on the town. The Sounds of Japan inro box features a lively musical scene, and would make a nice addition to any Japanese-inspired outfit. Meanwhile, this wonderful Kimono Flower Ring would be the perfect compliment to just about anything you wore! If you need a safe place to keep this jewelry, or a nice way to present it as a gift, what could be better than this Omiyage Daffodil Pouch? I love it!

This is only the tiniest selection of what you can find if you look for it. I could have easily made this blog 5 times as long and not mentioned all of the great Asian-themed items I've seen on-line. If I've only whetted your appetite, you may want to visit the Asian Buzz blog, for Asian business and products!

An assortment of things.

I had a rather pleasant day today, which included a trip to our favorite sushi place with our friend and neighbor Alex. Mmmm, sushi. If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be enjoying raw fish, I would have scoffed at you. Now I look forward to sushi nights as a way to have some tasty, not-too-heavy food and some nice conversation with whoever has joined us. The tempura fried ice cream today was an added bonus.

I have plans for Friday afternoon, so I think Thursday is going to be photography day. That means that tomorrow is my big day to make a couple of things for the site. Luckily today I finished embellishing my cameo (see, I told you it was a pleasant day!), so I can put it aside and focus on something else for a couple of days. Also luckily, I can get a decent amount of beading done at the L5R game.

In other news, I am really enjoying working on my third book (working title: A Darkened Dream). It's really been flowing lately, and the only reason I stopped working on it last night is because I'm trying really hard not to fall back into my old habit of staying up until 3-4am writing. I've been so much more productive now that I get up before noon. I'd like to get an early start on my writing tonight, so I think I'm going to wrap this post up now.

But first, I am going to leave you with an extra-special Cool Thing! You know how much I love the beadwork charity that I participate in, Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure. Well, today I am very happy to share with you this beautiful slide show of all of the 2006/07 BFAC projects! It is set to a song called "Fern Grotto" by Doug Hamer. You will need Shockwave to view it, and please be aware that it takes a while to load -- but it's so worth it! Auctions should start in a week and a half. I hope that you're as excited as I am! :D

A great day.

Although I probably should have spent today updating the ol' website, instead I went out with Chris and did some fun errands. At this rate, I really won't be updating until Friday, bit it will be a really nice update. Currently I have, let's see... 4 pairs of earrings, one woven necklace, one collar, and two anklets. That's before anything I bead this week. I also have some beautiful things that I've made for myself lately, which will probably get posted here in the blog after I photograph them.

Our first stop today was JoAnn's. My Mom kindly agreed to my request for some choli tops, so I had to go out and buy fabric. Seriously, I have at least half a dozen skirts for dancing, 4 belts, numerous veils, and even a turban, but I am utterly lacking in shirts for a dancer persona to wear for Ren Faire. This had to be remedied! So I picked out fabric, and I got thread to match, and then I waited in the gigantic cutting-table line. I have got to stop going to the fabric store on Monday holidays -- it's always a zoo. Anyway, I was waiting in line when this lady walked by with this fabric I had to have. It was black with skulls wearing shnazzy, colorful hats. Luckily she was ahead of me in line, so when my turn came around, the bolt was sitting in the basket of fabric needing to be returned to the shelf, and I was able to get some as well. Hurray! I am going to make such a fun miniature beaded quilt with it. I can't wait!

Then we went to the used book store, where a good $100-200 worth of unwanted gaming books, a small stack of magazines, a board game and a puzzle only netted us $30 in trade credit. Bah! Of course we spent a lot more than that while we were there. Not only did we get three gaming books and three novels, but I found a boxed belly dance set with a book, a CD, and a set of zils. I really need to get around to learning to use those now, since I'm up to about 3 or 4 sets of them.

Our final stop was the comic shop, where we picked up some graphic novels. Perusing the shelves reminded me of why I really don't read comic books anymore... There was nothing that tempted me to buy it. The only thing that looked good was a graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, but I decided to pass that up for now.

Now I'm home and happily beading away on a Gothic cameo project. I've wanted to work on it for a while and finally started it this weekend while my internet was down. I'm mostly done with the cameo part and I just need to decide what sort of necklace would best compliment it.

I realize I've been remiss lately. Not only have I been blogging quite infrequently, but I have not been posting Cool Things. So tonight, we have a Cool Thing, and it is Hawkwolf's Armory, a website which features some beautiful chain maille clothing, accessories, and other cool stuff.

More about my connection

So, the cable guy showed up this morning and declared that the problem had to do with the cruddy old cable running from the cruddy old cable box, and said that they would replace it... On the 27th and 28th. Today is the 17th. That's 10-11 days that we were supposed to put up with having NO connection. But what could we do? The connection was up for a bit while I slept, but by the time I got up it had gone down, stayed down for a few hours, came up for about an hour, then was down ALL DAY until Chris decided to try removing the attachment that the second tech put on.

That was about 4 hours ago and we haven't even had a little disconnect since.

So quite honestly, I think the people at Cox have NO idea what the heck they are doing. Honestly. The first guy was sure that with our great signal strength, it had to be our modem. The second guy was sure that the thingie he put between the cord would fix it. And today's guy was sure that we needed the outside cable replaced. PHEH on all of them. I just hope that the connection continues to behave.

Depending on what else goes on for the next day or two, I may update tomorrow or Monday, or I might just wait and have a huge update this Friday.

No update today!

Ok, so here's the deal. I'm feeling better, I've made a ton of great jewelry this week, and I'm all rarin' to go for a regularly scheduled Friday update and companion Fashionable Friday column. So what's the problem, you might ask? My cable connection has been acting up for months, and today it simply refuses to work. It's spending its time either being completely down, or claiming to be up while not loading anything. Honestly, right now I'd be happier with dial-up than I am with my normally fast cable connection! The only reason I can post this is that I snuck on to my neighbors' wireless network (no worries, we're friends and have permission).

Yesterday it disconnected and didn't come back up for 3 hours -- that was after being down for 20 minutes and then doing a couple more rapid-fire disconnects and then giving me half an hour of proper internet behavior. On Wednesday, it went down for an hour, then disconnected me half a dozen times in the span of 10 minutes. So far we've replaced the modem, had some sort of filter placed on the cable, and replaced the actual cable that runs from the wall jack to the modem.

Tomorrow a technician is coming out. This will be our third technician visit in about as many months. If he or she does manage to fix the connection, then I will post a rockin' update this weekend. If not, then it may be time to give DSL a try!

I'm back, sort of.

So, here's the thing about gem show. People come from all over the place. Unfortunately, they bring their germs with them. So you take a whole bunch of people of varying degrees of wellness, and you cram them into a warm room with barely passable air circulation, and by the time it's done, you feel lucky if you get out of there healthy. This was not one of my lucky years. Friday night I had a tickle in my throat. Saturday I was sick, but I sucked it up because by golly, I was not missing Bead Dinner (which was a lot of fun, by the way). Sunday morning, the sounds coming out of my throat were not human. I spent most of Sunday and Monday asleep. Even my cats slept less than I did. It's been a while since I was this sick.

I'm mostly better now. I was actually awake for most of yesterday, and today I feel sick but alert. Unfortunately, it's doubtful that I'll have an update ready for this Friday. I have too much stuff that I have to catch up on.

Next week, however, there should be an incredible update. I picked up such cool stuff at gem show! Graceful chandelier findings, new colors of crystals and seed beads, pretty leaves. I'm excited to start working with all of it!

Today's Cool Thing is Kyoto Kimono! I picked up a really cool haori jacket from them during the show. I can't wait to wear it to My L5R game! Yes, I am a total nerd.

Gem show is awesome!

The title says it all. Well, I suppose there is lots more to say, but to be honest, I am exhausted. It's almost 11:30 and I could go to bed right now. Normally I'm up until 3 or even 4 am. Working and shopping all day wears me out!

I've been working out at To Bead True Blue for Wolfsong Designs. If you happen to be in Tucson, come out and see us! We're in the Morning Star Ballroom. TBTB is a confusing show to get around, but well worth it. There are so many awesome vendors, including my employer (duh!), our booth neighbor Jeremy Sinkus (not only does he make great beads, but he brought in an extra table to put in behind all of our tables, so we the three of us at the end have extra space to work), Christi Friesen (who said nice things about my humble sea dragon! she's so sweet!), and Kyoto Kimono, where I bought a haori jacket today. Woohoo!

Tonight was the night that Best Bead was open late, so after work my boss Lois and I went over there. We did some traffic ninja moves and made it down there in an amazing 18 minutes during the end of rush hour. Go us! More amazing was the fact that I managed to do all of my shopping there in a little over an hour. The show is great and deserves more time than that, but since I would have to take 3 shuttles to get down there again, I decided to rush and get it all done at once.

I would love to blog at length about my awesome purchases, the cool people I've been hanging with, and the interesting things that have happened, but I am so tired that I can barely focus on the screen. It is time to crash!

Gem Show is HERE!

Whew, am I tired! Today was the first day of Gem Show for me. That meant shopping. Lots of shopping. We only hit the G&LW Gem Mall, but that was enough to wipe us all out.

We happened to walk in right next to the place that I always buy my crystals from. So the first order of business was to get crystal. I had a list of what I needed. I purchased everything on that list, and then a few other very cool colors. Swarovski is raising their prices in February, so I figured I might as well buy a little more than I was planning. Besides, all of the colors were so beautiful! I always say "I'm not going to buy so much crystal this year" and then I see that wall of sparklies, and I just can't help myself.

I actually did exercise a little more self-control when it came to Czech glass and vintage, though I did let Chris talk me into this really cool strand of slightly twisted green and black triangles. What will I do with them? I have NO clue. My other awesome vintage find was a bag of domed tortoise shell glass disks, with a hole at the top. They will make great dangles in something, but again, I'm not sure what.

Other purchases included some Thai hill tribe silver, not a lot but some really cute little dangles which I'll probably add to collars. Then there's my secret weakness, Chinese carvings. Not only did I get another crow seated on a skull, but I got a skull with two owls sitting on it. How wicked is that?!? Plus I got TINY wooden skull beads. I'm used to seeing the big ones, strung up all mala-style, but these are little 5mm guys. So sweet! And I got some really pretty Sterling chandelier findings, so as soon as I buy more headpins, there will be great new earrings.

My best purchase, however, was BELTS! There was this booth that had all of that tribal jewelry stuff, including lots of belts. I was admiring them, and they didn't have any prices, and I thought "They're going to be too expensive, I should just get a necklace or some bracelets." Then a lady asked the guy working there how much one style of belt was, and he said $20. I thought "Wow, those must just be the super-budget ones, surely this cool style that I like must cost $75-100." I was prepared to maybe spend a lot anyway, since I had, after all, saved my Christmas money for just this purpose. So I asked how much the belt I was holding up was. He said $30. Then I asked him about the other belt I was eyeing. He said that it was $25. So at that price I naturally decided that I had to have BOTH. I now have a silver-metal and blue glass belt with chains with little jingly hearts dangling them, and a cord belt with "amulets" hanging from it, including two mirrors. Nevermind that I already had two belts.

The blue belt is actually too long, but it should be easy to remove a segment or two, and then I can use that to make a necklace, or since I already have a necklace which will look awesome with that belt, maybe I can figure out a way to attach it to my turban, or I could sew it onto a bag, or make it into a necklace to sell. Either way, the extra piece will not go to waste.

By the time we were done at Gem Mall, we were all beat and starving, so we decided to forgo "Metaphysical Row" which is OK, because the main thing I was going to buy there was tribal jewelry, and I already got my belts, da ha! Now I am here at home, struggling to stay awake because I got almost no sleep last night. I just lay awake thinking about gem show.

Tomorrow is set up for the show I'm working at, and it's also when I'll be dancing for my friend/boss Lois. Should be fun!

No Cool Thing today, Gem Show is so cool that everything else pales in comparison!

Way too busy

Erf. I was going to have a website update and a Fashionable Friday column today, but it's just not happening. Doing the BFAC pictures took longer than I expected, I ran into some trouble with my jewelry project this week, I had some columns to write, and today is my last day to do things before gem show starts. That means lots of housework, laundry, and searching through my inventory to see what all I need to buy more of. Plus running errands. If I wasn't the only healer for my large D&D group, I wouldn't even go to gaming tomorrow.

The good news is that the BFAC projects should be up on the website soon, and also, of course, that the Gem Show countdown is now at 1 day!!!

I have to go get back to work now. I will pop in and out with some blogging throughout the show.

Blogging on my laptop!

Ahhh, this is the life. I'm sitting here with a nice mug of pina colada/peach rooibos tea, typing away on my laptop. The laptop is so nice to use in the winter, it's much like having a cat in my lap, except that there are no sharp claws and it doesn't bite me when I type (my cat Topher likes to attack my fingers when he thinks I should be petting him instead of doing my e-mail).

Today was a pretty good day all around, actually. The weather warmed up and Mom and I went out for lunch and shopping, which we hadn't done since well before the holidays. We hit our favorite thrift store, where I picked up a bit of clothing (some of which I can wear for gem show, yeah!), and then we were off on a quest for Bead Unique! JoAnn's didn't have it, but Mom found some fabric to make herself some nice pants. Michael's didn't have it, but we killed plenty of time browsing. And then, we hit Borders, which actually had it! Hooray!

So are you ready for the big news?!? My BFAC project is on page 66! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I really did not expect to be one of the people featured -- my necklace is nice, sure, but there is some downright phenomenal beadwork done by BFAC contributors! Of course, they also chose some of the very best items to showcase, including Jen Kuhns' beaded baby dragon and egg.

Well anyway, I also picked up an awesome album, covered in sari-style ribbon and little mirrors, and we hit the check out. I was wearing my tribal necklace with the bone crow, and the cashier complemented me on it. When I said my standard "Oh thank you, I made it myself" she seemed impressed, and then Mom did the Mom thing and said "Well, she had to come in and buy the magazine because she's in it!" So the cashier turned to the article and ooh'ed and aah'ed. It was a very nice ego-boosting moment. My real hope is that she'll remember, check the magazine out, and go bid on our auctions when they start ;)

Tonight I started a new necklace for Friday's update, something with a little "Asian Flair" as my friend Deb likes to say. I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow at the game, and then Thursday I might make a couple more little things, and then I have a necklace that I need to make to go with something I bought today. Gem show demands cool clothes AND cool jewelry.

Speaking of which, gem show countdown is down to FOUR brief days!

I don't have hardly any bookmarks on the laptop, so for tonight's cool thing you are going to have to settle for the fact that I am in a magazine! Hey! I think it's cool!

I kid you not, it snowed!

Yes, you read that right. It snowed in Tucson. If you don't believe me, read this article and look at the picture of snow on saguaros. I missed most of the snowiness, because I decided to stay inside and be warm, and sleep. But even at 3pm when I went to get the mail, there was still a little scrap of it in the lee of the building. We haven't had any snow here in a really long time, in fact, I think that in the almost 13 years that I've lived in Tucson, the winters have grown progressively warmer. I'm really not used to this really wintry weather.

All weather chatter aside, things are great here. On Saturday night, I finished the second draft of my book! This means that I feel free to start work on my next book, which I've been wanting to do for a couple of months. I also did a little beading in the past two days, which resulted in a nice Tribal necklace for me. I'll post a pic later this week.

The main thing I've been doing, of course, is finishing up the BFAC pictures. I'll be done with them tonight or tomorrow, depending on whether I decide to give in to the urge to write tonight. I want to get them done early in the week, so if there are any problems I can correct them before gem show.

Speaking of... Gem Show Countdown: 5 days!

One more random thing: Last night we watched a movie called Kill! It's a parody of the 1960s Samurai movies, from 1969. Even though it has parodic elements, it also stands pretty well as a serious movie. It helps that it's based on the same book as Yojimbo and Last Man Standing, which is just a good story. Definitely something to watch if you enjoy Japanese movies.

Today's Cool Thing is Rainbow Flame Crystals. I can't remember where I saw them (maybe in Rare Bird Finds?), but I think they're pretty awesome. If I ever go to the bonfires that my brother and his friends have, I want to bring a can of these. Heck, I might just buy my bro some for his b-day in a couple months. Lucky for me he doesn't read my blog, ha ha!

I am a nice, normal post.

Ok, so Thursday's update came dangerously close to waxing melancholy. Today's post shall be more upbeat. Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the Fashionable Friday yesterday!

Today doesn't feel much like a Saturday, because D&D was canceled. Our GM wanted to go to some miniatures tournament or something instead. To him I say BAH! And just for that I'm not going to his next game. Well, actually, I won't be at his game because I'll be working all day at gem show and spending most of the night having dinner with beady friends.

Speaking of gem show, are you ready for the countdown? That's right, only SEVEN days left. One glorious week! Oh, the fun I am going to have!

If you have been to my website recently, and if you looked at the proper items, you may have noticed that I now have similar item recommendations! My amazingly coding-savvy husband got that all set up for me, and someday I hope to have at least one recommended item on every product. For now, if you want to test out just how it works, I recommend looking for a black-and-red item. I linked them all together in an unending chain of Gothy goodness.

I think I've had too much sugar today, I am in a pretty goofy mood.

I've got to go brew myself some tea and get back to work now, so I will leave you with today's Cool Thing, which is a very informative blog post about one of my favorite things in the world: green beads! It makes you look at those vintage green beads in a whole new light, doesn't it? Of course, it's a little hard for you to look at MY vintage green beads, since I hog most of them to myself and don't use them in website stock ;)

Fashionable Friday -- Thoughts of Romance

Valentine's Day is almost upon us, and so our thoughts turn to romance. The stores are full of chocolates, heart-shaped candies, and cards with sentiments that range from sweet to raunchy. Perhaps you and that special someone are already planning on how to spend the evening.

Jewelry is a natural part of Valentine's Day. The large jewelry stores would of course have you believe that gold and diamonds are the perfect gift, but a lovely handmade necklace can be even more wonderful. What better gift than something unique, something that stands out from the crowd?

My latest creation is The Queen of Love and Beauty, seen above. Although it doesn't have the traditional hearts, its colors and styling are nonetheless incredibly romantic. This may very well be the most beautiful necklace I've ever made.

Of course, I have many heart-themed jewelry items on my site. Midnight Passion is a darkly romantic collar. Blue Heart and Opulent Romance are two delightful bracelets. And True Love and Gothic Romance are both lovely earring pairs.

I'm far from the only jewelry artist with perfect Valentine's Day offerings. Dornick Designs has I'm Burning For You, a tribal heart necklace. Tomoko has Black Heart, which appeals to my Goth side. JewelLace has Old Gold & Pearl, which is quite elegant. Dreams and Jewelry has a Blackened Heart Lariat that I really like. And Paper Jewels has Chinese Kiss Heart pendants, which are way too sweet.

Of course, romantic jewelry is even better if you pair it with romantic clothing. I simply love this Juliet gown by Martin McCrea -- In fact, I think it would go perfect with The Queen of Love and Beauty. For a slightly more casual, but still elegant look, I love this burn-out velvet blouse. If you'd rather just carry a romantic handbag, this Knight and Lady bag is perfect!

Sometimes romance can be silly, too, which is why I like the Skelly in Love card.

Love is everywhere!

I missed yesterday!

I fully intended to post yesterday, in the afternoon before I left for my L5R game. But first of all I got really absorbed in the bead project I'm currently working on... Then a friend came over. I think we were all only planning on her being here for a few minutes, but then she noticed the thing about bead crochet on the cover of the latest B&B, so I showed her the article, and then we spent a good half-hour sitting on my living room floor trying to figure out bead crochet. One beader, one crocheter, and we still didn't figure it out! It was fun anyway, though, and we might give it another try in the future.

I am going to be super-busy for the next few days. I volunteered to take over editing all of the pictures of this year's Beading for a Cure projects. Little did I realize just how many pictures that was! I received the disc today, spent a while looking at the projects (they're phenomenal), and tonight I will start the long task of getting them ready for the website. I will of course let you know when they are up, so you all may go "Oooh" and "Aaaah" appropriately. The auctions, by the way, will be starting in March. Start saving your pennies now!

Beading for a Cure is done in the memory of a woman named Layne, with whom I was friends for a few years. I was thinking about Layne yesterday, as I was working with peyote stitch. She lived in California, but her parents lived in Green Valley (the next town over from Tucson), and so it wasn't too unusual for her to come out here and visit, when her health allowed. One time she tried to teach Chris and I peyote stitch, with giant needles and plastic pony beads. I didn't fully grasp it at the time, but I kept at it. Whenever I saw her after that, I'd show her the projects I'd done with tiny bits of simple peyote stitch. As I was sitting there, making a peyote ruffle around the edge of a cabachon, I started thinking about how I wished I could show her that it had finally "clicked" and I could really do the stitch now. I like to think that she'd be pretty proud of me. And in fact, one of the colors of beads that I'm using in the project was part of the sizable bead collection she left me after she passed, so I guess in a way, there's a little bit of her in this necklace.

I'm hoping to finish the necklace tonight, so it can be part of tomorrow's update. And just in case Layne is out there somewhere and able to know when she's thought of, I'd like to say: Thank you for everything; the teaching, the beads, but most of all the friendship and being there when I needed you.