Bellflowers and other stuff

Ok, update on the Gathering bead bazaar and conference.  Amazing.  So much fun and we sold a ton of stuff.  Awesome!  Mark and I made it into a little vacation and stayed in the Seattle area for another week.  It was beautiful, the weather was great and we just loved the area. 

 

I treated myself to one extravagance while I was there.  A tool.  A beautiful, fabulous tool made in Italy by a master lampwork toolmaker.  It's the Carlo Dona bellflower press.  I love that thing.  It was ridiculously expensive.  I will have to sell a million of these flowers to pay for the darn thing but I figured, wth.  It's a business expense, right?  Oh, and by the way, I have actually made a million of these flowers so ...

 

 

 

 

Oh and now I am also making some kitties. 

 



And there's always the murrini and silver glass calling my name...

But we will save that for next time...



 

What are you so worried about?

Ok, so I am going to the annual meeting of my "coworkers" called the ISGB Gathering.  Saturday is the Bead Bazaar where Kim and I will have a table and we will try to sell our little glass beads and murrini to other beadmakers and hopefully a few others who wander in from the local area. 

We've sold beads and murrini at shows before.  This should be the same, right?  Um. Not exactly.  These are our peers.  Our biggest supporters. Our toughest critics. People who know how to do what we do. 

I'm terrified.

Trying to figure out good ways to get easily through security when we fly to Seattle for the gathering.  I have lots of beads to pack and I am going to take them with me as carry-on so I am nervous about it.  Pack too well and it will take forever to unpack and repack.  Don't pack well enough and I will be dealing with breakage.  Such a conundrum. 

Bead Show Prep

Kim and I are doing the annual bead show at The ISGB Gathering at the end of this month.  This year, it is taking place in Seattle, WA and since I've always wanted to go there, why not? 

I have the answer to that question now.  Panic.  That's why not.  Sheer, blinding panic.  I don't have enough beads.  Not nearly enough beads. 

Production mode has commenced, though...

New stuff - headpins in action

Remember those headpins from wayyyyyy back in February?  Well, I finally figured out what to do with them...

I am so happy with how these came out.  I have many others on deck as I am getting ready for the upcoming bead shows. 
Speaking of shows...Kim and I will be at the Bead Society of Northern California Bead Bazaar in Oakland at the Marriott hotel on April 21st.  Here's a link to the website for the info:  http://beadsocietyofnorcal.org/bazaar.html
I hope we see you there!

Lampwork head pins

A couple months ago, Sharon Peters posted a tutorial on how to make headpins using sterling silver wire with lampwork at the end and I have been addicted to making them ever since.  I just LOVE them!  Here's a link to the tutorial: http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212284

They are pretty easy to do and don't take too long to assemble.  They do have to cure for 24 hours, though.  I love how shiny and untarnished the silver wire is.  That's always been my beef with doing them on copper or steel wire.  They aren't exactly "jewelry ready" if the rest of your piece is done in shiny silver.  I love these for wire wrapping with a loop and dangling from a plain chain.  So fun, so playful!

So, thank you Sharon!  I have had a blast making these! 

Come back, Vetro Lt. Turq!

I should have tried this color as soon as it was delivered.  Had I known it was so awesome I would have ordered 4 more pounds of it before it disappeared!  Oh, Vetrofond Light Turquoise, how I long for thee!

Here it is, encased. Yum.  Way more vibrant than Effetre's current version of light turquoise.  Doesn't get all gray and meh when left unencased, either, like Effetre dark turquoise.  It's in between those two in intensity and tone.  I just love it.  I've been burning through it like there's no tomorrow.  And, considering I can't find it available anywhere right now, I am concerned.  But, no matter, it's way too pretty to hoard so beads will be made and I will hope another batch is on its way soon.

StrikingColor glass...

StrikingColor glass rocks my world. :)  Brad hand makes every batch of this marvelous glass and I adore it all!  It's hard to get so when he has some up for sale, there is a feeding frenzy.  http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/StrikingcolorGlass

It never lasts long but when you get some you'll understand why.  Zing go the strings of my heart.  Kim and I make murrini with most of it.  Check it out -

But it also makes amazing beads.  Here's a forum thread chock full of beauties:
http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114871

And some of mine...

So, anyway, I just wanted to sing the praises of StrikingColor glass and thank Brad for making such an awesome product

We went to the movies!

Mark and I saw "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" last night.  Loved it.  We had just watched the BBC series of the same name starring Sir Alec Guinness a month or so ago (we have it on DVD, along with Smiley's People - also fabulous) and so the storyline was pretty fresh in our memories and made it easy to do a direct comparison.

I liked the movie's treatment of the storyline very much.  It tied up loose ends better than the BBC series, somehow.  The acting of the peripheral characters was FAR superior in the movie, especially for Ricky and Irina.  Gary Oldman as George Smiley really held his own against Guinness.  At one point, the poker-faced Smiley is showing no emotion other than an almost imperceptable eye-twitch.  Fantastic!

We were nearly alone in the theater, with maybe a dozen people in the theater for the late showing. Thankfully, no crying children...I think that was a first.  Yay!

What's up, Internet?

Long time no blog. Yeah, I know.

The holidays are behind me and I am planning the new year - three bead shows, one that involves air travel which will be tricky considering how much we will have to bring with us.  I am really looking forward to that one since it will be in Seattle and I've never been there.  The three shows are pretty evenly spaced out through the year - March, July and November - so I can fit other fun stuff into the gaps in between.  Next month the girls and I are going to Disneyland!!!  YAY! I haven't been for something like a decade so I am really looking forward to going. 

I am keeping my head above water, barely, as far as murrini and beads go.  I am trying to kick it into full gear since we will need a TON of both for the shows and it's always nice to have full Etsy shops, too. :)  Trips to Kim's will be more frequent as we gear up for the shows and since we are planning to expand into new product lines.

Now, for something completely different. 

What in the hell is wrong with people lately???  There, I've said it.  Don't tell me you haven't been thinking it because I know you have.  I have been avoiding my normal online haunts because the cranky level has been hitting a fever pitch during the past couple months.  Is it because it's winter and everyone has the SAD?  Is it the economy? Is it mercury and that retrograde thing? Is it because it's an election year and every time you turn on the TV someone is griping about the other guy and puffing themselves up like ridiculous, middle-aged male peacocks?  Whatever it is, it needs to stop.  Everyone needs to suck it up and slap on a strained smile and start talking about the weather and how a cold front might be coming in or other such pleasantries, just like my nordic ancestors have done for the past umpteen millenia. 

I have spoken, internet.  Don't make me come out there.