Puppy luv

Here's a rare shot of Puppy and Desiree snuggling where they are both awake. Usually at least one of them is snoozing when I try to take a picture of their combined cuteness.

Beads, beads, and more beads:

These are more beads made with Olympia rain and Nyx glass from Double Helix. The middle bead has dots of Nyx, covered with clear, and the Nyx looks like abalone shell. Very cool effect. I need more of this glass. This is definitely one of those "must make beads to sell so I can buy more glass to make beads to sell so I can buy more glass to make beads to sell so I can buy more glass..." kinds of situations. *Sigh.*



Shield your eyes if you don't like cute. Here it comes...







Seriously, how cute is this? Well, it's even cuter in person. Back to school time is right around the corner...

EGA Newsletter Prizes, SF and bead block

http://etsyglass.com/ega_newsletter.php

Sign up for the Etsy Glass Artists newsletter and win free schwag! August's prize is coming from your's truly. :) I'll post a picture of it later this week.

Yesterday, Mark and I drove up through Half Moon Bay and Pacifica on our way to San Francisco. I've lived here in the bay area about a bajillion years and I have never driven through HMB or Pacifica! The scenery was quite pretty. Mark and I were going to walk the dog in Pacifica but it was kinda ... gosh, I don't want to make anybody from Pacifica mad but it was a little run down and full of sketchy types, if you know what I mean. I was kind of surprised. Anyway, we just kept driving and walked the dog all over the Presidio, which was absolutely gorgeous. They've made it a national park now. Cool!

I've been out making beads all day today. It's kinda warm but only for a few hours and then it gets cool again by 6pm. I have an order to start and another to finish. I also need to figure out what to make for the EGA newsletter giveaway. They need the photos by Wed. morning. Not a good time to have bead block...

StarFlowers and block parties and Wii fun

Last year, I went to the annual block party but this year I decided to blow it off in favor of a day out with Mark. Am I anti-social? Probably a little bit. I had a pretty good time last year but didn't really have much in common with most of my neighbors. Most have little kids where I have a 20-year old. Most of them work outside the home and I stay at home and make beads. I don't think any of them even know I make beads. I don't think any of them would know what the heck I was talking about, even if I showed them the beads. Anyway, Mark and I had a good day out so I guess that's all that matters, right?

So, today we went to Fry's Electronics so I could pick up a movie that was on sale (Idiocracy) and a cordless Dremel to use to clean my beads. Mark got Desiree another controller for her Wii so she can play a game she downloaded. The game is an old version of the Legend of Zelda that she has always wanted to play. Now she can! The best game we have found for the Wii is so far is Cooking Mama. It is awesome! Desiree plays that one all the time and it's a fun one to just pick up when you have a few minutes to play.

I finally got out to take some pictures of the beads I've been making. Well, two of them, anyway. LOL! I'm calling these StarFlowers and I really love them. They have lots of dimension to them and I love the shape. The backs are left undecorated so you can look through the clear and see the colors underneath. They are for sale at my etsy store - http://www.loribeads.etsy.com/.

Good coffee from good people

Need coffee? Please consider ordering from this fledgling coffee roasting company run by a dear friend of mine. It's a struggle making a new business work and she and her husband could use all the help they can get. Plus, the coffee is awesome.

http://www.buzzjoycoffeeroasting.com/

1pm - Ok, I am back from the post office and got a chance to take pictures of the beads I made with Olympia Rain. Click on the picture so you can see it full size. I love them!

Why I do it

Today I got an email from a customer friend of mine. It was so sweet, so wonderful, and so touching that I was in tears as I read it. I feel really lucky that I get to be friends with such awesome people. People I might have never met if it wasn't for the beads.

Desiree has been helping out around the house so I can get more beads done. Today she cleaned the whole house! It looks so lovely. I am thrilled. I got my bookkeeping up to date and made some really cool sets of beads.

Today I also played with Double Helix Olympia Rain glass. I have had this silver glass for so long that I almost forgot I had it. I read all the tips and tricks on how to work it and every time I did experiment with it, I got a really nice clear. Humph. The stuff is $100 a pound. I better get more than clear. I had put it away, kinda miffed with it, long ago. Well I tried again and *POW* it worked. Absolutely gorgeous. Dang it. Now I need more $100/lb. glass. Great. LOL!

Tomorrow is post office and picture taking day. YAY!

Kim, GyPSy and the Kwik E Mart

Friday night I drove to Kim's house!!! It's a couple hours away but I managed to turn the journey into more like 4 hours. I should have checked actual maps before I got in the car, I think. I've never been to her town and if it was a question on a quiz, I couldn't even tell you what county it was in. Not good. But, I figured, "Hey, I have my GPS. How hard could it be?" Well, we all know the answer to that question is, "Pretty f#*!ing hard." LOL! The GPS mapped the route but since I haven't exactly fully figured out how to use the thing, I couldn't see the whole route, just the part I was currently on. Not. Good. Still, I wasn't worried.

Everything was going along swimmingly until I got to Oakland. Oh my stars, what kind of psychotic freak designed the freeway interchanges in that town? Well, I won't bore you with the details but GyPSy (what I started calling my GPS by that time) and I had a little disagreement about what she meant by "stay on this road" and I ended up on the Bay Bridge while GyPSy figured out how to bail me out of this mess.

Unfortunately, or if you are the adventurous type, fortunately, I ended up dropped in the middle of downtown San Francisco with no idea where I was going. GyPSy kept rebooting because the stress of my stern discussions with her were starting to overload her delicate nature or something. I started to panic and started chanting, alternating between "I will not cry" and "You can't just leave me here, GyPSy!" Finally, GyPSy decided to not quit her job and find someone less crazy to work for and gave me directions to the Golden Gate Bridge, I think. Some freeway that got me onto 101, anyway. I couldn't tell you which one because, at this point, I was driving with my eyes firmly transfixed on GyPSy's screen.

Ahhh, let the traffic jam begin. When I hit 101, I had a lot of time to stare at the screen. Not much moving. Very little driving was involved. I finished my now-stale Diet Pepsi and munched on a little beef jerky I had brought along. Finally things started to pick up and I made it to her house in one piece and with most of my sanity back. YAY!

Kim was awesome!!! I got the house tour where the highlight was definitely the studio where she works her torch magic. She also has another room that she calls the craft room where she has the most awesome table set up with all her jewelry making, electroforming, packing, shipping, and silver work stuff. On top of that, she even had a fabulously comfy bed for me to sleep on in the guest room. I tell you, my family better watch out. Kim's place is pretty tempting.

We went out to get some finger food and drinks and ended up sitting there and talking for HOURS! It was great therapy to have someone to talk to, face to face, who really gets you. I had just the best time.

I was sad to go on Saturday but I can't leave The Puppy alone with Mark for too long. She starts to love him best if I do.

Sunday, Mark and I went to the Kwik E Mart in Mountain View! The whole place has been de-7-11ed and turned into The Simpson's favorite place to get comic books, Squishies and pink frosted donuts. I loved it! The place was packed with people and since it was Sunday afternoon, most of the Simpson's merchandise had been bought out already but it was fun anyway. We got a big gulp and a pink frosted donut. Yummy! I only had one bite because that is definitely not on my diet.





Mark and I were discussing why they picked this 7-11 to use as the Kwik E Mart. We think this one got picked because it is really close to Google's headquarters, it's a new store, and it's right next to Starbucks.

Ladybug, ladybug...I can't stop making ladybugs. They started out normal, red and black, and then the mad color wheel lady in my head stepped in and now we have Ladybugs Gone Wild.

Today I am going to go visit my friend and fellow beadmaker Miss Kimberly Lynn! YAY!!! I have been longing for a girl's night out but scheduling stuff is hard and she lives way over an hour away in Santa Rosa. I will tell you though...she is worth the journey. I love my friends!!!

Desiree cut my hair last night. It is SHORT now. It's quite a change but I love it! I also love how she is getting more and more confidence in every aspect of her life since she started cosmetology school. She is on her way!!! And I'm the practice head. LOL! (I am saving a bundle on haircuts and color.)

1st post...a test of sorts

Ok, I have a few minutes before I play taximom again today so I think this is as good a time as any to start my new blog. What to talk about...

Yesterday Desiree came home from school looking like a rOcKsTAr! She's in cosmetology college so I have come to expect a little drama now and again. We went out for a sushi lunch because glamor like this should not be wasted. :)

I have a pile of beads here that need to be photographed. I've tried about three times to get good photos of some of them and they just refuse to sit still or something because all I get is a blur. Hmmm...maybe I should lay off the coffee while I'm taking pictures.

I did manage to get a couple clean shots. I really love this bead and was so happy that the photo really captured the colors so accurately. We were having an overcast kind of day yesterday and that is just perfect for taking pictures.

Ok, well I'd better get moving. Lots to do. Places to go, beads to make. You know the drill...