Festive!

I've been making holiday beads!

Moral of the story: Simple doesn't always equal easy.

Ok, so, my friends are a wonderfully wacky bunch of gals. Kim is world famous for her "How hard can it be?" approach to life. This little project was the one Linda, Kim and I tackled on Friday. Cute, huh? Well, it took ALL DAY and three soldering irons. Seriously. Three. The first one Kim had ordered online with the glass slides, solder, and copper tape. It was D.O.A. so we hopped in the car and took a trip to Michael's (and Starbucks...mmmmm) and got another soldering iron-like device that was actually more of a wood burning device, as it turns out. Well, we managed to burn through the tip after only a few passes through the solder.

Off to the hardware store! (And another trip to Starbucks....mmmmm) We got an actual soldering iron this time and *bonus* it was also equipped with a tip meant for jewelry making! YAY! Well, yeah...not so much. The tip managed to crap out on us before Linda had finished making hers.

How hard can it be? Pretty fricken hard, aparently. LOL! Still, we had so much fun and laughed like idiots all day long. I love my friends. They are the best.



More owls at Etsy!

A happy thanksgiving was had by all...

Ahhhh, hubby is finally back from the UK. Two weeks is a long time to be gone and I miss him when he's not around. Most of all, I like that he does all the heavy lifting around here. A week after he left, the tire on his Honda went flat. Argh! I don't like dealing with that kind of stuff. Blech. Anyway, he said to just leave it until he got back - YAY! Well, it's all fixed now, thank goodness. They found two nails in two different tires. We must have been driving in Nailville!

Last week I took Desiree out for a celebratory dinner at the Sundance restaurant in Palo Alto. It was so yummy and the food was so beautiful, too! She had a great time. We were celebrating her passing the 'baby board' exam, which is basically the final exam for her school. Whoooo hooooo! She has a few more weeks of school left and then she is done! YAY!

I've been busy making gift beads so things might be a little sparse for a while in my Etsy store. When I'm done making gifts, I will be back, full force.

Owls!

I have been sick for a week. Blech. Yuck. Do not like.

Anyway, I was trying to gather some inspiration to get me out to the torch when I came across someone on LE making owls! No, I didn't copy. I did my own spin on them. They are so cute sitting here on my desk, staring up at me with their big ol eyes. Anyway, thanks goes out to Georgie for making owls and inspiring me to make some too.

Pics of beads

Just pictures today:

BABEs and beads

Here are my partners in crime, Kim, Sarah and Linda. We went to the BABE show together on Sunday. BABE is the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza, by the way. Linda's birthday was Saturday so Sarah brought a champagne lunch for us to eat! Awesome!! By the way, two dixie cups of champagne makes me tipsy. I will take note of that for next time. LOL!

We had a great time but it went by way too fast. I miss them already!


Here are some tube beads I made with a new tool from StacyLynne Russom. I used the Back to Back tool to make them. I love the tool!!! I can finally make tube beads!!! YAY!

Busy Days

Yesterday was crazy busy. Desiree woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose so, naturally, we decided it was a good day to go to the museum instead of school. We went to The Tech museum in downtown San Jose to see the new exhibit, BodyWorlds. It was incredible. Absolutely incredible. They allowed NO photography so I couldn't take any pictures of exhibits but the whole thing was amazing.

After the museum, I took Des to the doctor just to make sure the stuffy nose wasn't turning into a sinus infection and that the sore throat wasn't strep. She got the all clear from the doctor so we went off to meet a gal who is going to teach her welding and sheet metal cutting and all kinds of cool stuff in exchange for some help making jewelry.

A few more errands later, I rushed home to make a bunch of beads for a friend who needed them ASAP. When I finally crashed into bed last night, I was POOPED.

I have a few sets of beads to put up on Etsy today but I need to photograph them first. Until then, here is a photo of my doctor's office lobby. Pretty posh, eh?

Muses wanted.

Over the years, I have gotten a bit of flack from my fellow beadmakers for taking special orders. Many won't and I totally understand why they don't want to. It can be a chore to make the same bead over and over, especially if it is a bead you don't enjoy making. Even my muse is finicky and likes to pick and choose which which projects to embrace and which ones are better left alone.

On the other hand, someone else's muse can be a welcome guest here in my studio. I enjoy having a guiding hand every now and then. Here are some beads I made this week with the help of my customer's muses. I thank them for visiting and would welcome them back here anytime. :)