Last Day

Today is the last day of National Blog Post Month. I made it... all 30 posts. And you know what I learned in the process? This blog helps me stay busy and on track. I don't know if many people actually read this blog but I know that the few who do also help me stay on track with their wonderful words they share with me and their beautiful blogs I love reading.

Yesterday was my father's birthday and tomorrow is my mother's. There won't be a post tomorrow because I will be driving up to see them (it's been a while since I've been to see them... I have my reasons). But I'm going to try and keep posting regularly. No disappearing. Not from this gal.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! Thanks for sticking with me :)

A Handy Tip

RH bought me some glass beads and they came in a plastic tub. At first, I didn't think too much of them. They were made in India which you would think would have me all goo-goo eyed, but most of them were chipped and they had a funny residue on them (which smelled like oil so I suppose it was oil). But, there seemed to be a few treasures in the bunch.

I knew I had to get the residue off but wasn't sure how to go about it. We'd just bought some hand wipes and I snatched up a few and decided to give them a try. You know what? It worked like a charm. I picked through the bunch looking for beads that weren't chipped. I ended up with a beautiful batch of shiny glass beads.

It was interesting. The dark blue bead in the middle and the one off on the upper right corner seemed black at first but they're blue! And the pretty round blue bead in the lower left corner? I saw a tutorial in the latest Bead Style that would be PERFECT for that bead.

Ahh... Happiness.

Oh Buttons, I Missed You

I had meant for today to be a day of Etsy posting. However, I didn't get home in time to catch the sun light. Shorter days... blast.

I did manage to finish up a pendant I'd started yesterday. Even made it a full-fledged necklace with a chain and everything. And do you see that? There's a BUTTON there! I missed my buttons. And I figured out how to work them into these pieces I've been doing. :)

Copper wire with seed beads and an amethyst chip. Smokey purple crystals and copper chain finish the necklace.

Did you have a good weekend?

A Newfound Love

Usually when I'm creating (jewelry, sketches, etc.), I have a movie playing in the background. Because my disc drive on my computer has finally decided to crap out on me, it's been music lately. I have trouble finding something to listen to because sometimes I get distracted by a good song and want to dance or sing or sometimes (and this happens on Pandora), I skip songs until I find something I like and then when that song's over I might skip again if the next is a dud. Blah. These moments of singing and skipping add up and bug me! I love music as much as the next person, but jeez. What is my problem? :P

At work, most everyone has read the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. There's something like 12 books out right now by him and I have been wanting to read them but have other books I'm reading as well. I feel left out when people start talking about this awesome series. So, one of my friends offered to let me put copies of his audio books on my iPod.

I'm not big on the audio book... or rather, I wasn't. I thought they'd be distracting. That I wouldn't be able to actually pay attention to the story or I wouldn't be able to pay attention to my work. So, after a few weeks of saying no, I finally went up to him the other day and gave in.

I got home from Thanksgiving around midnight. I wasn't sleepy so I thought I'd play around with my beads and maybe give the audio book a try. Before I knew it, it was 4am! O_O Can you believe it!? The only other thing that lets me work that long is the Lord of the Rings special feature discs and after three or four hours, I have to change the disc! Wow. I think this thing might really work out.

I'd like to get Harry Potter on audio. I think that would be fun to listen to. Anybody have any suggestions on what audio books would just rock my world?

Giveaway Teaser

Did you know that CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it's tv tables, a dollhouse, or a baby stroller? I recently purchased a beautiful bag and plastic storage box for my jewelry kit and you know what? I thought I would share the love!

Coming in the next few weeks, I'll be doing a giveaway! I'm deciding what to give away from the awesome sites but when I do figure it out, you'll be the first to know :P

Here are some thoughts:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some fun turkey facts I compiled from a quick Google search:

• Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.
• Oh hey. Turkeys fly :P (Silly, I know, but hey, they're HUGE! I didn't think they could fly! It says commercially raised turkeys can't fly but still... I like learning.)
• They can swim too!
• They can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour and can burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.
• For their first meal on the moon, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin ate roast turkey in foil packets.
• 50% of US consumers eat turkey at least once per week.
• Turkeys can see in color.
• Male turkeys (toms) gobble. Hens do not. They make a clicking noise.
• Around nineteen million turkeys are eaten each easter, twenty-two on Christmas, and FORTY FIVE million on Thanksgiving!
• Turkeys' heads change color when they become excited.
• Turkeys have a wingspan of about 4.5 feet. I am 5 feet tall. Wow.
• The thing that hangs from the top of the beak is called a snood. Nice word.
• Scientists believe turkeys have been around for over 10 million years. I wonder how big they were then O_o
• A group of turkeys is called a rafter. Most people call them a flock or a gang but the official term is rafter.
• It is possible for a turkey hen to lay a fertilized egg without mating. This process, called parthenogenesis, also occurs in some invertebrates, fish, and lizards. For turkeys, this process always produces male chicks. These male turkeys are no different from male turkeys hatched from mating.
• It takes about a month for a turkey egg to hatch.
• Peacocks aren't the only birds who use their fancy tails to attract a mate. Each spring, male turkeys try to befriend as many females as possible. Toms puff up their bodies and spread their tail feathers just like a peacock.

Hope everyone has a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving! Eat tons and enjoy your day!

Beads, Buttons, and Poker

RH and I were playing cards last night (he kicked my butt at War). Before we dealt out the cards, I wanted to pull out the above beads for a project I have in mind. Out of his mouth comes this: "We could totally play for beads and buttons." Instantly, I thought of playing poker with my beading heroes and friends, using beads and buttons as our currency.

Oh, I'd probably lose. I suck at poker. I have a terrible poker face. But, still, fun to think about.

RH and I discovered we like playing Go Fish. Ahh... to be in love. :P

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Reclaiming Rose: That Voice

I started another blog a few months back about my battle with staying on the creative path. I stopped posting when I got a job and have recently started posting again. Here's the latest post from Reclaiming Rose:

WARNING: This post contains one swear word (used twice). Avert your eyes if you are offended by such things.

"Resistance has no strength of its own. Every ounce of juice it possesses comes from us. We feed it with power by our fear of it.
Master that fear and we conquer Resistance."

I am afraid of failing and losing myself in the process. I am afraid of succeeding and the expectation of more after I've "made it..." and not being able to deliver. I am afraid of the pain of rejection. I am afraid of the commitment of an acceptance.

These fears (and countless others) keep me from creating. I make up these scenarios in my head. All of which are rational fears and the little voice in my head calmly doles out the list of disasters that could happen in a very lawyerly like manner.

Never once does this voice say, "You could actually make it." When I say it outloud and the voice in my head responds, "But more likely you won't."

Stupid bitch, that voice.

Remember that... the voice that is filled with negativity is a stupid bitch. It's hard not to listen to her but I have to try.

For every negative thing she says, I will say a positive. That way, I hope to never fall prey to her lies.

Ceramicy Goodness- Etsy Treasury

Instead of a boring post about my theory as to why I still feel sick, I created an Etsy treasury of beautiful handmade ceramicy goodness. Happy Monday!

Pretty Pendant

Hm.. I'm the only one left in Corner Bakery other than staff... this... feels... um... odd...

I finished making this pendant last night. The wrapped frame (brass wire and pearly white seed beads) had been sitting in my tool kit for about a week and I couldn't decide how to finish it. Then as I was going through my stash of beads, I found this lonely flower. Stick it on a head pin with a brass spacer and VOILA! A pretty pendant.

No clue how I will string it. Any ideas?

I have a terrible headache. I think it has something to do with this tiny cut I discovered in my left ear... right at the opening of the hole... canal? Hole? Meh. Whichever. ANYWAY. Gross. I know. But it's the center of my world right now. I took Ibuprofen and it just blah... didn't work. SIGH.

Maybe tomorrow's post will be about butterflies and puppies? :P Hope you guys had a fantastic weekend and that Monday treats you well! :)

Bread and Butter

I read somewhere that every handmade artist needs to have that "bread and butter" piece. The one thing that they can make over and over again and 1) not really get tired of it, 2) it's the piece that they believe will sell, and 3) they WILL sell it. I think this is that piece.

I had so much fun making this. And I made it during my lunch hour at work (well, technically 2 lunch hours...). I love the color of the seed beads and the feel of the leather on my wrist. It's so easy to wear and... GAH! I just love it. I know, I'm totally tooting my own horn here, but seriously. This is a piece that I drew and it came out exactly how I wanted it to.

...Well, that's not entirely true. I was going to add some dangles to the focal/clasp but decided against it. Do you think it's too plain? I was wearing a t-shirt yesterday at work and decided that this could go with it even though I wasn't dressed "nicely" (hey, I need to do laundry... so sue me :P). But I can see this working with a summer dress. Something white and flowy and pretty.

This one is mine. I'm working on others in more colors. YAY for staying productive! Bringing my jewelry kit to work is really working for me. I get stuff done in the hour I have to eat. It's really wonderful.

What is your "bread and butter" piece? I'd love to see them! Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Moo

I had a deep, philosophical post all planned out in my head and I decided that it's Friday, and I'm not going to get any deeper or serious than this kitten.



Hope everyone has a FANTASTIC weekend! I'll have something more substantial tomorrow :P

A Bracelet on Date Night

First off, sorry about the crappy picture. I forgot my SLR at home.

RH and I are on our date night. We've made a habit of having a date day every week, really. This usually includes running around town shopping and being together during the day and then at night, we'll have dinner and go to a movie. Lately, we've been trying to sneak in art time so he can paint and draw and I can do jewelry. The above bracelet is what I made tonight.

All copper wire and blue crystals. All handmade, as well... even the hook. YAY! And I'm wearing it right now. It matches my blue shirt :)

I need to invest in a bracelet sizer... anyone have any good suggestions other than the one linked?

A Corgi

I had a pretty miserable day yesterday. The highlight of my work day was when a long-haired corgi and her owner came into the store. The corgi's name was Sandy. She sniffed my hand, bowed, I patted her head, and she promptly sat on my foot. She was adorable and I thank her for making me smile. I mean, how can you not smile when looking at a corgi?

I didn't take a picture of her but a Google search yielded the cutest photos. The above is the closest thing I could get to Sandy. The real Sandy was plumper and hairier. I so wanted to take her home with me.

I cannot wait for my day off tomorrow.

A Peak Into My Travel Kit

I've taken to bringing some of my jewelry making stuff with me to work (have I mentioned that before?) so I can make pretty things at lunch time while scarfing down some soup. Even if I don't feel like making anything, I still bring it just in case.

The box shown is roughly the size of my 15" laptop. Its got enough room for my pliers, wire, seed beads, honey pots, and other beads and things I've put in baggies so I can stuff as many things in the compartments as possible. I like having a ton of stuff to play with and hold. Even if I don't use them for the piece I'm working on, sometimes holding the beads will remind me I have another bead that would be perfect for the current piece... its a beautiful thing.

The flowers you see there are made of RESIN. Can you believe it? I couldn't when I saw them so I had to snatch them up. I've only used them maybe once in a piece but I like having them and have tons of sketches for future pieces using them. I'm just completely obsessed with wire wrapping wire frames right now that I can't be bothered to flip through my sketchbook. Haha.

In the middle row, in the compartment on the far right, there's a little statue of Ganesha I keep in there. He makes me smile and reminds me that the obstacles placed before me can be overcome.  Do you have a travel kit you take with you places? What are some essentials you absolutely need to have with you?



PS. We're more than half-way through the month of November! I can't believe I've actually been posting everyday! I think I should buy myself a treat... some kind of chocolate something or other maybe. :P

Feathers Turn to Crystal

Remember yesterday's post? I ended up buying the feathers. They're peacock neck feathers, so says the package. And at my bead store, you can get them 2 for $0.50. RH and I did some driving around before picking up these feathers and found out you can get some pretty floral picks with peacock feathers (with eyes, even) in them at Michaels. The one I wanted was $6.99! I'm glad I got the neck feathers because I ended up breaking one of them anyway and because they were only $0.50, I didn't feel too terrible about it.

I was attempting to wrap wire around the ends so I can hang them... well... they're very delicate and didn't like that very much. I decided, anyway, that they didn't work for the design and ended up finding some peacock blue crystals for my earrings.

Much better, I think. Sorry about the crappy photo. Light's not very good in my room at 7am.

These will make it to Etsy... someday... hahaha. I am planning a massive shop update... I just need to find the time. :P

Happy Monday, everyone!

Birds of a Feather

Miss Shannon's latest post has me thinking of peacocks. I love peacock blue. I have a dress in that color (sadly, it's fading but I still love it!). Last night, I was wrapping wire and beads and couldn't think of a way to finish the design so I went to bed. The idea to get my hands on some peacock feathers came to me not 10 minutes after turning off the lights (poor RH was awoken by my sudden burst of inspiration and thought something was wrong... hahaha).

My problem... the place I buy my supplies from does have peacock feathers but only eyeless ones. They're still beautiful but not what I was thinking of. I'm not sure if I should buy them or order some feathers with eyes.

Hmmm... what a wonderful problem for a beautiful Sunday. Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Om

When I went charm shopping last week, this was another one I picked up (it's in COPPER! Yum!). I'm sure many of you are familiar with the "om" (or "aum") symbol. There is so much associated with the symbol! One particular tidbit I read is that the a, u, and m can represent birth, life, and death in Hinduism.

I can't wait to work it into a piece!

Honey Pots

I read somewhere that some people call the plates or bowls they put beads they're working with "honey pots." I think it's a fitting name. My honey pots (which I normally use for seed beads) are from Sur Le Table. They're not terribly big... I often tell people I like things that fit in my pocket and this little baking thingy certainly does. It's wonderful for seed beads because its easy to pour out (though sometimes, I still use a funnel if it's super full).

I'm not sure what they'd be normally used for seeing as they're so small. Maybe individual creme brulees? Still a bit small but possibly.

They're not cheap... $2 for one. I don't normally like to spend a ton of money on things like this but I have 6 of them and use every single one. I think it's money well spent... for me anyway.

What do you use for honey pots?

Inspire Me

I can't, for the life of me, remember where I got this image. I know I Googled "india jewelry" and it came up with this image of a bride and her bangles but I can't remember where I got it from. Might have been National Geographic.

Anyhoo. This is one of the pictures I look at when I'm starting to feel like I have nothing left in me to create. Its in a folder called "India" which is in a folder called "Inspire Me." I love the henna tattoos, the jewelry, and the colors. Just beautiful.

It's day 11 of the National Blog Post Month challenge thingo and I almost didn't post because I don't have jewelry to show off but then I remembered this is MY blog and I don't just post jewelry. I post my arts and rantings and ravings. I'm glad I posted because I think this challenge is helping to keep me sane while work gets crazier and crazier because of the holiday season... and yesterday was only my first full day back at work. Ahh... the joys of retail. :P