My mind is full of thoughts and ideas right now, and I can't really get them gathered together well enough to write a decent blog post. So let's just go over a couple of things real fast, and tomorrow I'll write a real post!
1: There's a huge sale going on at my website. I'll go over the why tomorrow.
2: Speaking of my website, the Daily Special over there is Phoenix Feathers. I love this necklace and hate that it's waiting around in a box, instead of being worn by a beautiful woman.
3: The Daily Special in my Etsy Shop is Sacred Clouds. These are really pretty earrings and would look cute with a blue or white summer dress, don't you think?
4: This weekend is your last chance to bid on BFAC auctions!
5: I am SO looking forward to going to Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa/Scottsdale next week. I need a change of scenery like nobody's business.
Since the weather is so perfect for anklets, and I've been busily making some to list in my Etsy shop, I decided that Palo Verde Pixie should be one of the specials for today. I have an anklet very similar to this that I wear frequently. The beads go great with the sort of earthy greens that have been popular the last few years, and the leaves and flowers are a cute look for Spring and Summer. I've been thinking of making similar designs in other colors, for those who don't love green as much as I do.
And over in my Etsy shop, my beautiful Midnight Enchantment bracelet is on sale. The black and purple palette is delightfully Gothic, and the joy of my crystal bracelets is that they look equally nice with modern or historic-themed outfits. I wear mine with everything from jeans and t-shirts to silk cocktail dresses.
As usual, both of these Daily Specials will run until 3pm PST tomorrow.
There were also two specials yesterday, but I didn't get the chance to promote them because I spent all day chilling with my friend and then all night gaming with my group. I should probably be like the rest of the group and take my laptop to the game with me, that way I could blog and Twitter and whatnot, but I prefer to play with beads during that time instead. I got some great progress on my Gothic-Tribal anklet last night, and hope to be able to list it, the Steampunk anklet, and maybe another one or two anklets this weekend.
Today I decided that I should really have Daily Specials on both my site and my Etsy store. So today's two specials are Lilac Whisper (website) and Napping Treasure Hunter (Etsy).I also decided that the specials should be easy to find, because I do want people to buy them. My Etsy shop now has a Daily Special section, and on my website, the Daily Special will be featured on the front page. What could be simpler? Well, I guess maybe checking here for them, or stalking me on Twitter or Facebook. Whatever floats your boat.
One reason why I'm so keen on having Daily Specials is that I'm going to a Rings and Things trunk show in a week, and I'd like to have a little extra spending money to buy new and exciting things. While I'm up in the Phoenix area, I'll also be visiting the Bead Museum. As you may or may not already know, they're having some financial difficulties, so I'm going to try to help them out with a little gift store shopping, as well as purchasing a membership. If you live in AZ and haven't already visited the museum, it's worth spending a couple of hours there admiring the collection.
For at least the next week, I'm going to run a series of Daily Specials. For one day only, one or more items will be discounted! Today's Special is the Forest Singers bird earrings. Regularly $40, now $30 until 6pm PST Tuesday. And remember, always free shipping in the US!Also, the last week of Beading For A Cure auctions is running now. There are some beautiful items sitting there with very low bids, so now is an ideal time to try to buy yourself something special and help a worthy cause.Be sure to check this blog, my Twitter or my Facebook for tomorrow's Daily Special(s).
The bead forum that I'm a member of has a great program called "Beads For Birthdays" where all participants are assigned to be someone else's secret birthday buddy. My birthday was on the 1st, so on the 30th I received a big priority box that said "No peeking til May 1st!" I patiently waited until the day and opened it up, to find all sorts of wonderful packages big and small, popper bottles, a card, and even a bag of treats for the girls. Topher was NOT in the box, he just likes to be the center of attention.
Hmmm... everything is wrapped in Scotty Dog paper. Could this be a hint as to my buddy's identity ;) I'll find out next January!
Topher says: "Baby, I'm all the present you need!"
A cute card, and an even cuter beaded wizard keychain! I attached him to my dice bag, much to the game master's amusement last night.
So many amazing goodies! Hmmm... Next time, books in back, beads up front! You really can't see what all is in this image, so in no particular order:
Mastering Beadwork. I've been eyeing this book for a while but hadn't purchased it, and now I'm glad I waited! It covers a lot of weaving techniques, including some I haven't learned yet (like Dutch Spiral and Diagonal Peyote), and its convenient spiral-bound format means I can leave it open to learn from. Very handy!
Bead Embroidery by Yukiko Ogura: I just saw this book on Amazon the other day. Bright, well-illustrated book which shows how to do a lot of decorative bead embroidery stitches. I can see using these techniques to embellish some dance clothes in the future.
A flip-latched box full of cube seed beads and pretty silver-edged glass teardrop beads in lots of colors. I think I might use this box to store and transport my BFAC project, it's just the right size for that sort of thing.
Red Velvet Cake 3-in-1 Body Wash/Bubble Bath/Shampoo. Smells amazing, lathers up nicely, and even has a recipe for cake on the front! And I'd just run out of body wash, too.
Surgeon's Hands lotion. If it's good enough for doctors, it has to be great for this beader's battered hands!
A Turbie-Twist. Clearly my buddy knows of my long hair. Can't wait to see if it really does work better than a towel. Have to wash it first, Mr. Self-Centered Topher Cat assumed it was a cat pillow and now it's covered in his fur. *sigh*
Two packages of sparkly green square-shaped sequins. I'll have fun with these!
A doll form. She reminds me of a dragonfly faerie, but without wings, so I think I'll make some polymer clay dragonfly wings, Christi Friesen style!
Pearls! Pretty silvery-grey ones, faceted ones, and bubbly-textured ones. All gorgeous!
Cabs! Lots of pretty earthy cabs and stone focal beads that could double as cabs.
Cinna-Bun Spiral Beads. Pretty enough to string, flat enough to use in embroidery.
Stone chips: Earthy ones and amethyst ones.
Stone beads: A strand of green tube beads, and a strand of green and white stripes overlapping dimes.
Mystery Thread: Clear Japanese thread. I shall have to experiment with it.
PowerZap: I think it's one of those cool thread burners, but it might also be a mini-taser for keeping the gamers in line.
Shell beads: tiny, pretty shells that can be worked into embroidery or jewelry. Oooh, maybe I'll work them into a tribal bra!
So, thank you very much to my ultra-generous and awesome birthday buddy. I love it all :) Oh yes, and the puppies love their treats, too!
BFAC auctions are back up!
I must apologize for them not being up on Sunday afternoon like they were supposed to be. I, er, sort of forgot that it was my weekend to list them, and made plans to hang out with my friend (and didn't bother setting up a delayed listing on Saturday like I normally do). When I got home and realized that they needed to be listed, I popped onto eBay only to learn that they had completely deleted the listings, instead of just deactivating them, so there was no easy way to relist them. They had to be completely redone from scratch.
Luckily I still had the descriptions, but I was just way too tired for 2 hours of auction-listing last night, so they got done earlier today.
Anyway, awesome items are up. Just remember that if you are a family member, roommate, or employee of anyone on the BFAC board, you're not allowed to bid! Luckily most of my readers don't fall into those categories ;)
I spent this afternoon in Marana, visiting my friend Helen. She's the one who I often dogsit for, and I'll be staying with her dogs for 4 days in June. She came up with the great idea that if all our dogs got along, I could bring the girls with me, and then they wouldn't drive Chris crazy while he was working ;) So we all piled in the car, drove up there, and played "Introduce the two little dogs to the three big dogs" with a small intermission for "Seriously Maggie, we've been in the desert for 5 minutes and you already have a cactus spine in your nose?"
Luckily, the spine was removed without causing any damage to Miss Mags' nose or psyche, and the rest of the visit was pure fun. I got to meet the new man in my friend's life and see all of the wonderful work they've been doing on her home, we spoke with each other about our plans in the future, and we played with each other's dogs (and laughed at Daisy and Maggie flirting with her boy-dog).
Oh, and she gave me some lovely, shiny dance things as an early birthday present! A gahwazee coat, some necklaces and anklets, and some music. Lots of sparkle and jingle!
I've been spending more time with friends lately, and I feel good about it. By nature, I'm an introverted, anti-social person, but I'm trying to be more active, friendly and outgoing and I think I'm having some success. Someday, people won't even believe me when I say that I'm shy.
I'd like to have more pictures of this necklace, but I decided to go ahead and list it on Etsy today, just in case someone would see the three pictures I have and realize just how beautiful and awesome Avatar of the Moon Goddess is. It's hard to let this piece go, as I have a pair of awesome black and blue silk pants and a silver and cobalt jingly belt. All I need is a cute black top, maybe a cobalt veil, and I'd have the perfect outfit. But I can't keep everything I love, or all I'd ever have up for sale would be a bunch of pink earrings.
Yesterday I made a cute steampunk anklet, but I don't have any pictures yet, so it probably won't be on-line for a while.
But you know what's really exciting? I'm going to the Tahoe Mountain Bead Retreat! I'm going to take a class with Sherry Serafini! EEEE! I love her work. I hope I don't squeel like a fan girl! Plus Beki Haley, who is a good friend and awesome teacher, and Marcia DeCoster, who I am not super-familiar with, but I know it's going to be an awesome class. I'm so excited and I really can't wait. October is a long way away...
I love how the bottom motif of these chandelier findings matches the pattern of the blue enamel fans in the tribal necklace that I posted recently, so I adorned the findings with the same beads that I used in the necklace. All that I left out were the big vintage black glass teardrops, because I'm not good at doing wrapped loops for teardrops. Wire and I, we don't get along.
The other thing that I love about these findings is that they're actual filigree, not just molded. Fine twisted wire is coiled and laid out within a framework to form a very delicate and attractive design. The antiquing stays in the little crannies of the twists for nice contrast. They're really quite spectacular.
I didn't really bead last week, because I was getting my house ready for one last house guest (no more until Fall, I say!), and then visiting with said guest. Good times were had. Now this week I need to get out the beads. Since the weather is warm, and I've been dancing, I feel like it might be time for more jingly anklets.
I made this set a while ago, and have been struggling to get enough decent photos to list it on Etsy. I still need some decent close-ups of the focal, which means I won't be posting it until I get a new tripod, but in the meantime, it can pretty up my blog.
The focal is a piece of brass filigree with a foil-backed green glass cab in the center. I bought it at the same place that I get all of my vintage keys at Gem Mall, and I'm pretty sure I got it for free. There was no price on the bag, and they're one of those vendors where they write all the prices on the bag, eyeball it, add it up in their head, and round it down to a nice even number. It's a little annoying for inventory purposes, but awesome for saving a few dollars.
I just listed this necklace and earrings on Etsy. I guess that I've been in a stringing mood lately. Sometimes it's good to take a break from the weaving and do a little "instant gratification" beading.
My weekend was fun and busy, with not much time for beading but lots of time for friends. I garnered a few compliments for my kambaba and cicada necklace at the birthday party yesterday, and did a little networking, too. It's fun to get out of the house and hang out with other creative people.
A little sneak preview of another necklace that's awaiting more photographs. I call this one "Athena's Familiar." It features a two-sided owl pendant by Green Girl, some awesome star-shaped cubic zirconium drops, metallic blue Swarovski crystals, and some unidentified nifty stone beads. Plus clear faceted Czech glass beads with Bali-style bead caps. I have a feeling it will be quick to find a new home, what with the fact that owls are pretty trendy right now and this is a unique, and if I do say so myself, pretty wicked kewl necklace.
I took some great pictures of this one on some black pin-striped paper, but that was after the tripod broke and they were all fuzzy. But I do like this reddish-brownish faux-painted paper. I think it makes for a good dark and dramatic background. I'll probably use it for a lot of Goth and Steampunk stuff.
Anyone want to take a stab at identifying the stones, by the way? They're light to dark grey/black, with moonstone-like chatoyancy and slight translucence. I really like them and think I should have bought more. Why do I always do that? I guess it's because I stopped using stone beads for a while, so I didn't want to buy too many, but I just used them in three projects this week, so I guess my muse likes them again.
I was feeling a little annoyed yesterday, so I made this necklace for myself. It features the carved green stone insect pendant that I bought at gem show, some gorgeous kambaba jasper coins, and green turmaline Swarovski crystals. That's all. Nice and simple. I'm very pleased with it, though, because it looks neat and I did a great job wire-wrapping the bail to hang the bug from the strand. Wire-wrapping is not my strong suit, you know!
The background in this image is scrapbook paper! Last night we went to JoAnn's and I bought a whole bunch of decorative papers to use in my photography. The scattersheet that I picked up for the BFAC photos is nice, but it starts to get drab after a while. I wanted some color and texture to punch up my Etsy images.
I took a bunch more photos tonight before my tripod broke, and it looks like a decent amount of them actually turned out, so look forward to lots of eye candy over the next few days.
And still I can't get the mosaic to show up as a decent size... whatever. Voting has started for the Time Machine challenge. Go over to the Etsy BeadWeaver's blog to see the mosaic at full-size, links for all of the items, and the voting widget. Lots of great entries this time around, as usual.
The May challenge theme is Hollywood Red Carpet Creations. I don't know if I'll do it or not. It might be fun to make something extra glitzy, but I should probably get started on my BFAC project instead.
Speaking of BFAC, we were inadvertently participating in eBay's definition of shill bidding and they suspended our account for 14 days. That's right, no warning, no chance to cancel the bid, just "We're shutting you down for 2 weeks." Just another thing that I dislike about eBay. Makes me really annoyed that I'm stuck using one of their subsidiaries, PayPal, for a lot of things. Don't you hate it when a company that you don't like buys up the things that you do like?
I think I need to spend more time beading and less time at the computer. There's too many annoying things going on in Internet-land lately.
I made a neat necklace today, with more gem show purchased beads and some leftover crystals from my stringing job and other pretty things. I intended to take photos of it and my other recent work, but never got that far. I probably won't tomorrow, either, as I have to clean the house up for the game and mail the weekend's BFAC auctions out to their new owners and write the descriptions for next week's auctions (I was going to do that today, too. Where did the day go?).
Definitely need to work on my time management skills again...
While I'm still trying to decide what to do next in regards to getting erthefae.com back, Chris and I took a few minutes last night to set my website up at ErtheFae.net. And believe me, if I had realized that it would seriously take only a few minutes, I would have done it a lot sooner!
So anyway, this is the same website that I had before, but at a different address. I think that I took down all of the items that I had sold or moved to Etsy during its downtime, but I need to go through and double-check. That will probably be a job for tomorrow.
Today I had been thinking of taking some pictures and maybe making a necklace, but then a friend of mine called and said "Hey, I'm bored, I'm coming over!" and since I don't get to hang out with female friends very often, I said "OK!" So we played Silent Hill, talked girl stuff, played with my beads, and I tried to convince her that she needs to learn to belly dance. Good times all around.
I didn't get enough good pictures of this necklace to list it on Etsy yet, so here's just a little teaser. I actually beaded it quite some time ago and have just had abysmal luck getting decent pictures. I think that I have to go back to doing photography in the game room. The dining room just doesn't cut it.
Anyway, this is an awesome necklace that I made with the idea that it would be perfect for a Tribal belly dancer like me, except one whose favorite color is blue instead of green. Or even one who has a gorgeous black and blue outfit that needs the perfect necklace. There are three of those fan-shaped motifs. I saw them at gem show and simply had to have them. The blue is so vibrant!
True story: with the exception of the earrings that coordinate with this necklace, everything that I've made since gem show has involved components that I purchased at the gem show.
Steampunk Cameo Necklace: 6mm brass Swarovski pearls that I took home from work, and 3mm bronze firepolished beads from Gem Mall.
This necklace: The fan pendants.
A brass necklace: Brass filigree focal and brass chain.
Moonlit Seductress: The size 15 seed beads and the ribbon.
Her Airship Sailed Through Time: The gold iris seed beads and the toggle clasp.
And I'll probably continue this trend with my 2010 BFAC project, which will involve a dichro cab that I bought at the show.
Speaking of BFAC, my necklace went for over $150! Yippy! Be sure to check out this week's auctions, too, there's some great items.
Her Airship Sailed Through Time is my entry for the EBW April Challenge, Time Machine. I'm very happy with how it turned out. I think it's attractive, wearable, and fits the theme pretty well. It's also completely not what I had planned originally.
Originally, I was going to make a necklace called Trinkets I Gathered on my Journey Through Time. The spiral was going to be a lariat with a dizzying array of nifty beads and found objects in the long fringe at each end. But as I was working, I realized that I might not have enough black size 8 beads to finish it, and since I had started it so late in the game, I didn't have time to order more. Remembering the neat steampunk heart toggle clasp that I bought from Green Girl at gem show, I decided that instead, it would be a front-clasping necklace with fringe spilling out from behind the clasp.
So yesterday, I went into my temporary beadroom (aka the laundry room) and picked out all sorts of awesome items. Keys, a coin, a carved skull, a carved moon face, various little lampwork beads (domestic and import), vintage beads, stone beads, Czech glass, a scarab, nuts and washers, etc etc. Then I laid them all out on a bead mat and strung a single eclectic fringe. I went to the mirror, tried it on, and found that the fringe did not hang nicely from behind the clasp like I had planned.
Well drat, I thought, now what? Maybe I could attach the fringe to the extra hole at the bottom of the clasp. Except that it was a small hole, so not a lot of fringe would fit. Then I hit on the idea of using one of the washers as a ring to hang the fringe from, so I used a little chain and a jump ring to attach it to the clasp. But it looked so cute that I couldn't stand the idea of overwhelming it with all of that chaotic fringe. What to do, what to do?
I remembered my stash of Earthenwood Studios Steam Stones, so I dug those out and my muse demanded that I use the ship's wheel and the "freedom" charm. Unfortunately, the ship's wheel had a very odd hanging loop configuration. I wasn't convinced that I could cut the superfluous loops off without either leaving poky bits or damaging the tile. But wait! I could use chain to attach the freedom charm to the bottom, and chain to attach the extra loops to the extra hole in the clasp. I could make it work!
At this point, I had the idea that maybe I should get a second opinion, but Chris was working and couldn't be interrupted. Well, forget the approval of others. Like a mad scientist, I was caught in the grip of an idea that wouldn't let me go, and I had to create! I returned to my little beading spot and began linking chains and rings and components until it all came together in the piece you see above.
And all of those eclectic beads and found objects? They're still sitting on my table, waiting for me to put them away before the cat decides that they'd look better on the floor.
I finished my Time Machine challenge entry just a few minutes ago. I changed my mind on what to do, and I think it turned out pretty awesomely.
The problem is that I changed my mind after I picked out all of the components I was going to use for the original idea, which was very bead-intensive. Now I have to put them all away. A beader's work is never done!
Pictures and full story tomorrow :)
This awesome doll was created by Cynthia S. Bicker, and I won it in last week's BFAC auctions. Woohoo! I think I'll hang it in my guest room, to keep vigilant watch over the well-being of my guests.
I took a break from working on my beaded flower to create an entry for the April EBW Challenge: Time Machine. I'm hoping to finish the necklace tomorrow or Friday at the latest. It's going to be a little different from what I normally do, more eclectic, and I'm excited to see how it turns out.
Locked Away is finally up for bids on eBay! I'm so proud of this necklace. I hadn't looked at it for a while, until I had to get it out to measure when I wrote the description for the auction. Holding it in my hands reminded me of all the hours I spent beading it, all of the little changes I made along the way. I was so into working on this piece that I even worked on it in bed a few times, something that I rarely do because of paranoia about dropped needles (I've heard some horror stories). I could barely put it down. There's something so addictive about bead embroidery.
I'm actually pretty excited about this week's BFAC auctions in general. There's a lot of stunning items up for bids, so you should really check them out. Beautiful jewelry, a doll, a vessel, and a suncatcher! Don't hesitate to bid -- remember that all proceeds, minus our small operating costs, will go to the NCCRA! Help us make this our biggest donation yet.
If you'd like a small update on the state of my attempts to get my domain back, you can check the comments on my previous post. I'm trying not to dwell on it too much. I don't want this blog to turn into a complete font of negativity. Not when there's cool things to talk about.
The first cool thing is TotusMel's Wunderkammer, a brand new Etsy finds blog that focuses on dark and steamy Etsy finds. No cutesy sparrows or candy-colored plushies here! No, this is a blog that features corsets and long black skirts and other things that appeal to Goths, Steampunks, and those who just like a darker aesthetic. It just started two days ago, but I'm very excited to see it grow. Of course, I'm already a fan of TotusMel's, as I own a pair of cuffs and barefoot sandals from her.
The second cool thing is that, since I was annoyed at the internet (you would not believe the trouble my e-mail has been giving me since last night), I spent most of the day off of the computer. Since I'm also caught up on housework and BFAC duties, this meant I had lots of time to bead. Yeah, beading. That thing I do. Except that I haven't been doing it much lately. It felt great to let hours slide away as I stitched one pair of beads after another, growing my unnaturally teal flower to its full size. Tomorrow: stamen and figuring out how I want to attach it to a hairstick.
The third cool thing is that I picked up the latest issue of Beadwork magazine, and as promised, there is a paragraph about Beading For A Cure on the editor's page! Thank you, awesome BW editors, for squeezing it in there at the last minute! Interweave Press really hires some great people. Which also reminds me, you should check out this week's auctions.
And in mixed news, we've been having a lot of wind here in Tucson, which has been blowing around the blinds in my beadroom, shoving everything off of my desk and onto the floor. It broke the cute bowl that I used to keep my thread in, and spilled beads and junk everywhere. This is just the kick in the butt I needed to finish moving things out of there and start pricing windows, so I can rennovate that room and actually work in it. That's another thing I'll be doing tomorrow -- well, the cleaning and moving, at least. Windows will have to wait until next month.
The nice thing about having done business under the same name for 10 years on the internet is that I apparently have a case for trademark on erthefae.com. I've just submitted a form to a law firm who specializes in domain and internet law to see if they can write me a nice cease and desist letter. If that doesn't work, it's lawsuit time. Oh yeah.
At this point, I'm thinking that I should have bid on the auction when it was $60.
Anyway, I've done all I can on the domain front for now, and I've written all of the descriptions for this weekend's BFAC auctions (Locked Away is one of them!), so now it's beading time. Yeah! I've got a flower to finish.
It's been a while since I posted about the saga of my attempts to get erthefae.com back. Some months ago I tried to get it back, only to be informed that the person squatting on it wanted $800. For a small business like mine, that's a ridiculous amount of money, so I simply couldn't purchase it. I was also too busy to pursue arbitration, so I sulked.
Yesterday, one of my husband's co-workers decided that he was going to take up my cause. He put in a small offer on my domain, I guess hoping it would prompt them to offer it to one of us at a more reasonable price. Instead, they informed him that they now wanted $5,000! According to them, erthefae.com is valued at $8-10k, due to high ranking in searches. Yes. That's right. Based on the content of my website, I was highly ranked on searches for the names Erthe Fae and AJ Reardon, and things like Spiral Bracelets. Funny, that wasn't making me a lot of money. I don't think it would make anyone a lot of money.
So it's time to finally pursue arbitration. ICANN's website is full of legalize, though, so I'm going to have to wait until later (ie, when Chris is not on his endless work-day conference calls) so that I can focus on reading it.
I have to admit, there have been times when I've considered just throwing aside the Erthe Fae name and coming up with something different, but I've been using this for 10 years, so I guess I should stick with it.
In the meantime, I'm working on a beaded flower. It's good to actually be beading again. I need to stop letting things get in the way of my work.
My brother-in-law is visiting from NY, and will be here until Saturday afternoon. So I'll be away from my computer a bit again.
Still no photography. I've had to spend my time cleaning house. I tell you, domestic chores eat into my bead and camera time way too much.
I have been playing a bit with the Shaped Beadwork book and hope to be able to post a review next week-ish, along with some photos of my practice attempts. I'm making shapes to make a bracelet to go with the cute dress that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I don't have a lot of Delica colors, but I did have just the right vibrant green and soft gold to match the dress. Woohoo!
These amazing fully-beaded juggling blocks are just one of this week's BFAC auction items. Go, look, bid! As of this posting, only a few of the gorgeous items even have bids on them. This is a situation which must be rectified!
Funny thing about listing these juggling blocks. eBay, in their infinite wisdom, doesn't have a section for juggling supplies. I spent a good 10 minutes searching and deliberating before I decided where to put them. I hope this doesn't hamper their ability to get bids. Denise Smeaton put a ton of work into these beauties!
No photography yet, I ended up being too busy yesterday. It took me 3 hours to list all of the eBay items, I had some crystals to string, and there was some housework that absolutely had to be done before the mess drove me nuts. That's how I know I'm feeling better after being sick, is when I feel compelled to go on a cleaning binge instead of beading.
I'm almost over my cold, finally. It's so annoying because I feel like I've pretty much lost a week. All I did was read -- a lot. You can find reviews of the books I've been reading over at my writing blog. Now that I'm feeling better, I'm looking forward to getting back to beading. I've got flowers to make, and beaded shapes to try, and a BFAC project to start!
I also need to take some pictures. This blog is definitely suffering from a general lack of them, and I even have a few new pieces of jewelry that I haven't shown off yet. Maybe I'll get to that tomorrow, in between listing next week's BFAC auctions and tidying up the house and stringing pretty crystals.
Ah yes, the pretty crystals. After gem show, I picked up a job stringing crystals at home, for my gem show boss. It's much like working at gem show, except that I do it at home, and I'm stringing bicones instead of packaging rivolis. It's a nice way for me to earn a little bead money while jewelry sales are slow during the economy, and a fun way to see all of the different color/finish combinations of crystals. Tonight I'm working on emerald AB 2x. Yummy!
Today, I'd like to tempt you with news of an awesome giveaway! The very talented tatter TotusMel, from whom I have purchased tatted cuffs and barefoot sandals is celebrating her one-year blogging anniversary with a Super Awesome Giveaway! The cool thing about it, besides the beautiful prizes, is that you can actually increase your odds by telling others about it. The more people who enter, the more prizes she's offering. So go forth and enter, and maybe shop a bit in her store, too! I can vouch for the quality of her products, I just love my cuffs and sandals and will probably be buying hair flowers from her soon.
Speaking of hair flowers, I want to make some. A lot of tribal bellydancers wear real or silk flowers in their hair. It looks nice, and I'd like to incorporate that into some of my dance costuming. But I'd also like to give it my own twist, and wear some beadwoven flowers instead. I'm daydreaming of beaded flowers on combs, hairsticks, barrettes, and various sorts of pins, to be woven into my hair or worked into turbans. I started one the other day, but I got distracted by shiny crystals, and now I'm sick. Woe is me! But as soon as I'm better, it will be flower time all over again.
I never seem to get these mosaics to load up at a size I like! It would probably help if I did HTML instead of using the basic blogger thingie, but if I took the time to learn HTML, I would have less time to bead, dance, and write.
Anyway! Voting has begun for the Temptation challenge! There are 35 gorgeous items to choose from. Click Here to view the mosaic at a more realistic size, visit all of the item listings, and cast your vote.
April's theme is Time Machine. I can't wait to get started on that! I might even put off my BFAC project, in order to have more time to dedicate to the Challenge. If I can settle on an idea, that is.
In the comments of my last blog post, Arline mentioned that her doll was going up on this week's bead auction. I thought that you all might like to see her! Her name is Fire Dancer, and not only did Arline do all of the bead embroidery work that you see on her, but she also stitched the doll form and made the face. You can see her, and the other eight awesome BFAC items for this week right here. Bidding's already off to a good start!Due to our usual auctioneer being in the hospital (get better soon, Marilee!), I had to take over listing the auctions. I have to say, I am not a big fan of eBay's interface. I messed up the picture on Sandra Graves' beaded vase, and I can't edit the HTML to fix it! On Etsy, it would be a simple matter of going to the photo section, removing it, and re-uploading it. Of course, on Etsy, everything would be fixed price instead of auctioning. Oh well.
Yesterday I received Diane Fitzgerald's new book, Shaped Beadwork, and it looks pretty awesome. So far I've only flipped through it and drooled over the pictures, but I hope to sit down and actually read it soon, maybe test some of the techniques, and post an actual review.
Last night, at around 11:45pm, I finished Moonlit Seductress, my entry for the Etsy BeadWeavers' March Challenge, "Temptation." Given that it had to be completed and listed by the 5th (you know, yesterday), I was really, really cutting it close. I had planned to finish it on Wednesday, but Wednesday ended up being a bad day and I didn't bead at all. In a way, that was for the best, because the ideas that I woke up with yesterday are better than the ones I'd been toying with all week. I didn't come up with the cab edging or the idea to stitch beads onto the edge of a ribbon until I was finishing the embroidery around the cab yesterday afternoon. I wish that the pictures were better, but let's face it, this is what happens when you finish a project 15 minutes before it has to be listed on Etsy.
In other bead and jewelry related news, the 2009 Layne's Legacy -- Beading For A Cure auctions are under way! All photography and auction descriptions by yours truly. All beadwork by around 70 incredibly talented artists. It's a couple weeks yet until my Locked Away necklace goes up for bids, but by all means, you should visit the rest of the auctions and see if there's anything else you'd like to bid on. Remember, all proceeds (minus our small operating expenses) get donated to the National Colorectal Cancer Research Association. Bid early, bid often!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Ok, clearly I need to stop taking lazy pictures on my desk, because they turn out all blah-like. Nonetheless, here are some goodies from my Gem Mall trip. From left to right: A green stone carving of a bug on a leaf; an opalized ammonite, a teardrop of some pretty green and crystal stone, a turquoise carving with a lizard and flowers, a boulder opal, and another turquoise lizard. I picked all of these up from Intrinsic Trading, and they're all drilled to be used as pendants. With the exception of the first two, they're also all flat enough to be used as cabs if I prefer. I love versatile components!
So. Gem Mall. Always a must-shop for me. Has been ever since my friend Schermo snuck Chris and I in because she wanted to go say Hi to her friend Marie (yes, Marie from East of Oz, my favorite vintage supplier!). It's a very nice tent show, with a real floor and solid-ish walls and climate control and good lighting and good parking, and lots of quality vendors whom I frequent year after year.
After waiting in a long line to register, we popped in to the usual entrace, which I always go in because it's right next to Lanshang, where I get my crystal fix. I only needed a dozen colors of crystals this year, and they had them all. Nice. Then it was around the perimeter. Hit Sandy Schor again for more vintage keys. There was someone already digging through the keys when we got there. She proceeded to move on to watch movements. Clearly, a competitor in the steampunk jewelry business. Luckily, she did not take all of the good keys. I found some beauties. Chris helped. We even found a couple big, manly keys.
Next stop, of course, was Raven's Journey, where I chatted and shopped for pretty glass. I got some firepolished, some leaves, and these weird little spade-shaped drops in a weird shimmery green color. Plus gorgeous buttons and a ceramic raven pendant. At that point, I had purchased everything that I went to Gem Mall for, and intended to just browse the rest of the show.
The flaw in this plan is that I had Chris with me, and he is quite the little arm-twister. That's how I ended up with half a dozen stone carvings that I originally had no intention of buying, plus some pyrite, green kyanite, and seraphinite from the same vendor. I don't normally buy a lot of stone beads, but these were very high quality for what struck me as a nice price, and the pyrite and seraphinite match cabs that I already had at home. The kyanite is just something that I've personally wanted for a while, and since it's green, it will get used.
The other impulse stop was Da Beads, where there was lots more Czech glass to be had. Because their beads were by the strand, instead of by the hank, I was able to pick up some weird beads that I will really only use a few of. Plus more nice Czech buttons, and a handful of made-in-the-USA dyed silk ribbons, which are nice to put things like rivoli pendants on (I've wanted some for a while, and the price was right).
After that, I was pretty much done shopping. I looked at some cabs, but ended up deciding that I would rather buy a few very nice cabs (like what I got from Gary Wilson at the September show), than a lot of < $5 cabs that had no real "wow" factor. We didn't even go to the second tent, as it was a lot warmer than I had expected and I was roasting alive in my long-sleeved tee and just wanted to take my heavy bag-o-swag home.
Tomorrow: To Bead True Blue!
Gem Show starts in the morning! Here's my schedule for the next week and a half:
Saturday: Go to Gem Mall, stand in line, register, buy crystals that I need, Czech glass that I want, other things that I'm inspired by.
Sunday: Take dogs to class. Take dogs home. Go to To Bead True Blue. Get steampunk bead from Christi Friesen, steampunk beads from Green Girl, and look around for other things of interest. Go grocery shopping.
Monday and Tuesday: Get things done around the house, finish planning out what I'll wear, find insulated lunchbox, put away weekend purchases.
Tuesday evening: Crafting time with Mom, if neither one of us is too tired or busy.
Wednesday: Get up at 8am to get into work (Beyond Beadery at Best Bead) at 9am, so I can be prepared for the opening-day rush this time. Work until 8pm. Come home, eat food, game for a bit, probably be snappish at the group because I'm tired. Make sure to apologize beforehand.
Thursday: Work from 10-6, then head out for a nice dinner with my employers, fellow employees, and interesting bead people who I don't already know but am looking forward to meeting. Chris gets to come along, too, as he is marginally beady ;)
Friday: Work from 10-6, then go to the Swarovski party. Oooh! I hear that it is quite swanky there. I don't normally get to go, but my wonderful boss Betcey wrangled an extra invitation, which she extended to me. A chance to dress up and spend the evening making small talk about beads? Who would turn that down?
Saturday: Another 10-6 day, followed by another dinner, this time with people from my on-line bead forum.
Sunday: Working 10-5, with a break for dog class. May get together with my friend Deb of Bead Indulgences, if her schedule allows.
Monday: No work! Taking a dragonfly class from Christi Friesen in the afternoon. Mom is also taking the class. Much fun will be had. Possible get-together with Deb if Sunday doesn't pan out.
Tuesday: I collapse from sheer exhaustion.
I'm going to go get some sleep now while I still can.
I've spent the first half of this week doing housework. Since I know no one comes to this blog to read about housework, I won't bore you with the details. I'll only say that I was bored with the details. Too much domesticity does not do an artist's mind any good. I kept trying to set time aside for beading, and failing miserably, so last night I put my foot down. I delcared that today would be a day of no housework. It was a day for beading!
True to my word, I picked out beads for a project. I have this shell cameo that I picked up at Michael's on Thanksgiving, and I wanted to bezel it to make a neo-Victorian necklace to go with the steampunk outfit that I want to wear to next Thursday's dinner. I picked out some Delicas and size 15 seed beads and got to work. Of course, the first 15s turned out to be galvanized, and thus I knew they would flake all to heck. Ok, I picked out some Charlottes instead. Those proved to be too light. Then I picked out some other 15s, and they looked nice with the Delicas, but not necessarily with the cameo. I decided to soldier on anyway. Then I realized that the bezel was going to be much too wide for this super-thin cameo, so I scrapped it. Now the cameo is glued down to some felt, I have 4 colors of beads picked out (thus drawing out more of the colors of the shell), and all of the beading that I did this afternoon was for naught. Oh well, I've got plenty of time this evening!
And then there was shopping. Actually, there was shopping throughout the day. While I was working yesterday, I kept thinking about how I really wanted a pair of TotusMel's tatted cuffs to wear to gem show. So today I treated myself to a pair, as a reward for all of my hard work. But while I was logged on to Etsy, I also had to buy some cool carved wooden earrings, and a present for Chris (can't tell you what, because he reads my blog and wants to be surprised, but he can just not click on this link), and then later I had to go back and buy myself a hoodie, because I keep stealing Chris's hoodie that I bought for him as a present. And I had to buy socks, to go with my steampunk outfit (because neither of the two pairs of steampunk socks that I already had would look right).
After dinner, we had to go to Target, for important things like cat food and dog toys, and while there, I had to get pants, because skirts really aren't practical for cold weather or dog training. I got two pairs of practical jean-weight pants, and one pair of dressier navy blue slightly shiny wide leg indescribably cool pants, which probably don't go with anything I own, but I had to have them anyway. Plus we got three plain-colored dress shirts for Chris, so he can wear all of his stylin' pin-striped vests. Oh yeah!
Hey economy, you feeling stimulated yet? Or do I need to go buy more dog toys? (the dogs say: buy more toys!)
Yes, it's almost gem show time, which means that I will be blogging more again! Is it bad that I found myself wishing that I had something nicer than my bottom-of-the-line flip-phone, so I could do live Twitter coverage of the show? I will say yes, it is bad, because my boss would probably prefer to pay me for packaging crystals, not posting "Wow! I am packaging so many sparkly crystals today! Come to the booth and buy them!" On-line marketing is good, but doing the job you were hired for is better.
The picture above is the steampunk beetle assemblage necklace that Chris gave me for the day after Christmas (since I wasn't home on Christmas). I figure it fits the post title, since, you know, it has little watch pieces embedded in it. Of all my holiday presents, this is the one I've worn the most, because it goes very well with a casual pants and tee sort of outfit, where my crystal jewelry might be a little overkill. Plus, since it's mixed-metal colors, it also goes with whatever color I'm wearing. It's a good necklace for when I'm feeling lazy, which is all too often lately.
I'm almost done with my kit bracelet, which has morphed slightly from the original kit design. I'll probably finish it tomorrow or Wednesday, and post pictures... sometime.
Anyway, back to the subject of gem show! Gem Mall, my source for Swarovski crystals, Czech glass, vintage glass, and random vintage keys, opens on Saturday, and I hope to go there opening day. Unfortunately, my favorite vintage seller, East of Oz, will not be there, but I can still fill all of my other needs. Then on Sunday, I will go to To Bead True Blue, which has very conveniently moved to within walking distance of my house. Monday and Tuesday will be days of getting things squared away at home, and then Wednesday begins my exciting work week. Hooray!
With a little help from Chris, I finally completed the desk tonight. Woohoo! It's a very nice sense of accomplishment, especially since I found several steps in the instructions to be stupid, and I decided to do them my way instead, and it worked. That's the DIY attitude! Also, I avoided further injury, which is good.
I'm working on filling the desk with assorted beading and craft supplies which are scattered around the house, and once that's done I'll take a pretty picture of it. It will be nice to have things put away. The cabinet on my computer desk that should be holding my laptop and gaming bag is rather full of packages of beads and things, and the guest room has a few craft store bags full of miscellaneous stuff.
I am still sick, but sometimes when I have a cold I have a sudden burst of energy which makes me want to do something, like build a desk. Actually, I do feel almost all better, so hopefully I'll wake up healthy. I have big plans for tomorrow (ok, it's 1:30am, technically today), which involve friends and sushi and Mom and crafting, and maybe Chris and drywall.
Yesterday I decided that I was going to assemble my new crafting desk/table. The box was inconveniently in the walkway, and it was way past time to open that box and put the thing together. I planned to do it by myself, for two reasons: because I could, and because Chris was sleeping off his cold in the bedroom. Daisy assisted me in her capacity as Construction Dog* but since she doesn't have opposable thumbs, all she could really do was offer moral support.
Things were going fine until I got up to adding the slider for the drawer, and I discovered that the tiny screws used (of which there are about 50 used in various places) are made of cheapola metal, and that using a power screwdriver on them totally strips the head. So I soldiered on with a manual screwdriver, which also occasionally stripped the head. What the heck.
Many curse words were uttered, but I was resolute. I was going to finish the desk! I felt like even with having to do almost everything manually, I could probably finish it before bed if I stayed up a little late. I was feeling energized, partially by the great feeling of putting something together by myself, with no male intervention, and partially by the two liters or so of white tea that I had drank throughout the day, not to mention the holiday chocolate that I'm still working my way through.
And then -- disaster struck! The top of the desk/table features a little side table that folds down when not in use, thus taking up less space. I had already attempted to attach the main top to the base first, and then attach the side table, but this required upside down screwing, which the cheap screws could not withstand. So, as per the directions, I assembled the two-part hingey tabletop and prepared to place it on the base, which would require lining up 8 holes with their associated pegs.
The assembled tabletop was rather heavy and awkward, perhaps too much for a 5-and-a-half foot tall, 110 lb, pipe-cleaner armed young lady to handle on her own, but fueled by my pride and the success that I'd already have doing things All By Myself, I did not listen to the little voice that told me to ask Chris to give me a hand for a moment. Hey, the man was sick, I figured I should let him enjoy his video game, and I, being perfectly well**, could handle the grunt work.
Most of you already know what happened next, thanks to e-mail or my Facebook status. The hinging desk hinged, and pinched both of my forefingers. OW! My right finger got out of it with just a little pinch. My left finger, however, got a huge, nasty gash which is currently wrapped protectively in a magical pink-and-purple faerie bandage. And thus ended my desk-constructing dreams.
So now it's sitting, mostly completed, in my living room. But wait... is that a cat in that cubbyhole? It certainly is. Topher wasted little time in discovering that there was a perfect kitty-sized cave in the new desk.
*Daisy is a dog of many talents. She's also the Science Dog, the Cooking Dog, and the Laundry Dog. She pretty much likes to be wherever we are, and will sit there and watch very attentively, in case there is any dropped food or petting involved.
**Yeah, that didn't last. I woke up today and found that I had Chris's cold.
Here's an in-progress picture of the bracelet I'm making from a kit. Since taking this picture, I've added one more medallion. I really haven't been beading much lately!
I'm not at all happy with this picture. Way too much light for these super-sparkly beads. In fact, I think most of the photos from that shoot look a little washed-out. This is why I usually prefer to rely on lighting and not use my flash. Ah well.
Once I've finished this bracelet, I want to make a necklace with the same technique, but less bright colors. I just haven't decided what colors yet. I'm leaning towards my old stand-by of earthy greens, but I could also go with browns for a steampunk look, or maybe saturated teal and chartreuse, a color I've been wearing a lot, or maybe purple to go with the purple top I bought last month. I may even wait until after gem show, and buy some beads specifically for it. It uses Japanese 15s, which I was planning on buying a lot of anyway.
It's just over 2 weeks until gem show! I can't wait.
As promised some time ago, here's a slightly better images of my faerie button pendant. I think there was a little too much light. I'm still adjusting to photographing in the dining room instead of the game room. Sure will be glad to have that project done so I can go back to the way things were.
I know I've really been neglecting my blogs as of late. Actually, I've been neglecting pretty much all of my on-line stuff except for e-mail. There's a lot going on in my life right now and I'm feeling rather overwhelmed. Erthe Fae Designs and the Internet have both kind of been put on a back burner as I tend towards matters of home and health.
Of course, I am still excited about gem show coming up in less than one month -- woohoo! -- and most of the issues I'm dealing with right now will be cleared up by then. I just let too many things pile up and now I have to deal with everything at once, as deadlines rear their ugly heads.
I'll try to be more chatty. There are cool and interesting things going on in my life, I just don't seem to have the energy to write about them anymore.
Earlier today, I was taking BFAC pictures, and I thought I was all done, but Topher disagreed. There was one more important item to photograph -- HIM! Actually, he really likes to get into my photo tent. I had to lock him into the office while I was actually taking the pictures, because he wanted to get inside with the items. *sigh* Luckily I grabbed him before he could sit on anything important.
Oh yes, he's sitting on my dining room table. Isn't it pretty? It has a row of big metal studs running along the edge, which gives it a rustic medieval look. The chairs are made out of the light wood, with studs along the back, and have puffy cushions in micro-seude that almost matches the dark wood. It's a spiffy dining set. We love it.
I'm really quite tired now, and I can't coherently organize my thoughts, so I'm going to wander off.
The game room project continues at a snail's pace. Would you believe that Chris's job called him while we were hanging insulation, and made him work 4 hours, on a Sunday? Then today, he tried to get off at 3pm, which would have given us a couple of hours of daylight* to work in there before dinner, but he got stuck working until almost 4. Ugh. We're hoping to get a little bit done tomorrow, but we probably won't have time to put serious work in again until Saturday.
Meanwhile I've been working on other stuff. The BFAC pictures, which I am way behind on (thank goodness someone is taking them over for the next round. I'm not cut out for semi-professional photography). Beading my kit project (the necklace morphed into a bracelet). Keeping the house from sliding into general disarray. All that good stuff.
Tomorrow I'll be taking pictures, and while I have everything set up (probably in the dining room, because the game room table that I usually use is piled up with power tools, hardware, safety gear, and miscellaneous game room contents), I'll be taking a better picture of the faerie button necklace, some jewelry gifts that I received, and the bracelet I'm working on, all of which will be posted in this blog throughout the week.
*The game room's well-lit and all, but it gets COLD out there when the sun goes down.
Ah, dogs. They're rarely shy about letting you know what they want. Here, Daisy and Maggie show us how much they'd like to have their fuzzy bellies rubbed. Actually, I think Daisy is sleeping in her picture, but there's never a point when she doesn't want a belly rub (except perhaps when she's eating dinner, which takes her 30 seconds), so it's still accurate.
Tomorrow we get to go down to the park and start obedience lessons. Both puppies desperately need them for various reasons -- Daisy because she won't stop barking and nipping, Maggie because she doesn't listen. Plus it will be good for them to socialize with other dogs and people, and learn important commands like "stay."
Sorry to have been so quiet lately, life has been crazy with cleaning, renovating, and New Year's Day gift-giving. I'm hoping that by this time next week, things will be closer to normal. Of course, then it will be time to start preparing for gem show!
Well, so much for Thursday Thirteen. I went to their site today and I got a Godaddy page instead. Looks like someone forgot to renew their domain or hosting (then, the pot proceeded to call the kettle black). I'll still stick with the theme that I had in mind for today, however!
I've never been a New Year's Resolutions kind of gal. My family didn't do them growing up, and while there's a lot of things that I do differently than my parents do, resolutions were never something that I felt like adding to my holiday celebrations. But I do like to start the year off by thinking about things that I want to do in the following year. Today, I'd like to talk about fun things that I'd like to do this year.
1. I'd like to go to the San Diego Comic-Con again. I had so much fun in 2008, that I really want to go back. Besides, my little brother is getting a fan booth for the Toy Soldiers (the fan club of the musician/performing artist Dr. Steel), and I want to be there to offer him a little support and help if he needs it.
2. I'd like to go to the Faerie convention in Phoenix. I wanted to go in 2008, but then I got corgis, and I didn't want to leave them home alone. This year, they should be settled in and able to go to a boarding kennel for the day.
3. I definitely need/want to go to NY this year! 2008 was too chaotic, so we didn't go visit Chris's family, and I feel bad about it. I missed them, and I missed all of the fun things that we do together while we're out there. His Mom and Stepdad are coming to visit next month, but let's face it, Tucson just isn't as exciting to visit as NY!
4. There's a bead retreat in Tahoe in October that I'd like to go to, if time and money allow. I really enjoyed the Vegas retreat that I went to a few years ago. Bead retreats are just a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, and also hang out with old beady friends that are spread out across the country.
5. I'd like to bead at least one coin bra for belly dancing. I'm terribly unhappy with the selection on-line, and I've got the skills to make my own... and I bought the right coins at the September gem show, too. Now it's just a matter of buying a bra that will be able to support their weight, and deciding what else to add to the mix.
6. I have this necklace planned, called Bioluminescence, and I want to finally make it. It's going to be a very large project, but I need to do more large projects.
7. I'd like to have a short story published somewhere in 2009, even if it's in a very small magazine.
8. I'd like to get my corgis well-trained enough that I feel like they can go places with us. Right now they're kind of bratty, but they're such sweet, friendly girls. I think they deserve to be out in the world, meeting new people and experiencing new things.
There's more, but I'm starting to drift into goals instead of daydreams. I'll discuss goals in another day or two.
My mind is full of thoughts and ideas right now, and I can't really get them gathered together well enough to write a decent blog post. So let's just go over a couple of things real fast, and tomorrow I'll write a real post!
