Show in Oklahoma

  The home show in Oklahoma went really well.  I sold 32 pieces!  I am excited about the 11 custom pieces that were ordered.   I will be working on those this week and next.

  The show was at my mother’s house.  We set up outside with the very few display items I packed.   My husband polished the pieces that needed it while I set up.  The younger son was shooting at Coke cans with a pellet gun.

It was beautiful weather, so we sat outside all afternoon. 

 This is a piece that everyone liked, but did’t buy.  (They don’t dress up on the lake.)

The home show was a good experience and I would do another one.   I would plan the display a little better, but it is always great to talk to the customer.

Enjoy your evening and get creative!

New Pieces

  I have been making pieces with all the beads that I made a couple weeks ago.  I am working with my tribe to get some pieces in the gift shop in Shawnee.  I will keep you updated on that.

 I am going to Oklahoma this weekend for a home show.  I haven’t done one for my jewelry before, so we will see how that goes.  I was trying to get pieces done for that and stressing about getting enough made.  I decided to put bead sets in little bags and take those with me.  I can take orders for pieces made with the sets.  That ended the stress.  I am trying to get everything inventoried before we leave.

This piece was an accident.  I was wrapping the loops with the 18 gage half round wire and the links turned out not as long as the other bracelets.  ( read: I didn’t think the thicker wire inpact through)  I needed to add a center piece because I didn’t have any more glass to make more beads.  I drilled another hole in this shell pendant easily enough.  I add the wire swirl because without it , the bracelet looked a little 80′s.  The beads are cream with a swirl of honey.

 I made a piece with a turquoise pendant that has been dyed hot pink.  I used dyed and white shell with sterling to finish the necklace.  I have been experimenting with coins that my husband has collected on his trips.  We’ll see what becomes of them.   It’s too bad that we only have Iraqi paper money with Sadam’s face on it.  The coins could have been really cool to work with.

  With the cooler weather, I hope to be more consistent about getting on the torch.  We’ll see.  It seems to be a lament that most lampworkers have, not being able to get on the torch as much as we would like.

Have a great day and let me know what you are working on!

Up and Running

Yahoo!  The shopping cart on the web site is up and running.  Now we wait and see how it goes.

  It was a really nice day today.  The wind was blowing and it was a little cloudy, so I did a little gardening and “auditioned” a new trim paint.   Then I got creative.  I made 17 beads today.  

I sat down the other day and sorted the beads from last week.  I was imagining what kind of piece I would use each set in.   Some sets needed spacers or a focal or just one more of the same.  Today I made those needed beads.  Not the most exciting while copying a bead, but knowing what I will make with them was exciting.  Then I realized I needed to order more wire before I could make the pieces.

 I received my How Ni Kan (Citizen Potawatomi Nation newspaper) today.  There is an article about trying to get the artists in the tribe to put their work in the gift shop.  I was thrilled.  I talked to the vice chairman in July about this.  I met another lampworker in the tribe in June and was able to see many talented artists at the tribal art contest.  I hope many of them take advantage of this opportunity. 

 I took a couple pictures of new pieces today.  I mentioned one of them a couple weeks ago.  This is the hammered piece I was working on.

Okay, the picture isn’t the greatest.  I was really tired and gave up before I got a good one.  I haven’t named this piece yet.  I think I should have used bigger stones.  close up.  the wire wrap detail is lost in the photo.

I need to do some paper work.  Yawn.  What I would really like is to get back on the torch, but too late tonight for that.

 Have a great evening!

Web site

I spent the first week of school working with my web site designer setting up the shopping cart.  I had no idea there was so much work that goes in to web sites.    I have been writing text, taking pictures, doing inventory, looking up stuff………    Needless to say, I didn’t get to work on any pieces this week.  I still have at least 3 sitting on my work table, waiting. 

 Getting started on line has been such a learning experience for me.  I am much more comfortable creating than marketing, but I am trying.   One of my sons asked me this week why I keep trying.  Wow, I had no answer for him.    Here is what I have come up with since:

 -to show my kids perservance.

-because I am still learning and improving.

-because every failure/disappointment teaches me something.

-because I love what I do!

 What keeps you going?

One of the pieces I photographed today.  Titled Down by the River.

BEADS

I finally got on the torch last week.  We had a break in the weather and it wasn’t too hot.  I made 76 beads in 3 days.  Okay, maybe half were spacers, but I am ready to make some pieces now. 

This was without the third day’s beads.  That day was all greens.  It is time to order more glass.

Along with playing with fire last week, Cody was injured in the first football scrimmage.  He hyperextended his elbow.  The doc and radiologist thought the elbow was fractured but the orthopedist said no.  He sees the Orthopedist tommorrow.  We hope he can go back to practice.  His first game is Wed.

 The boys started school today.  They are both at the high school now.  Zack even let Cody ride with him to school this morning.

 Jim left for Ft Lewis, Wa this afternoon.  He is speaking at I Corps about what worked for III Corps’ deployment.   He will only be gone a couple days.   He and Cody went fishing on Sat.  Cody likes to drive the boat.  The came home with one large bass.  I was going to share a picture of them with it, but I can’t seem to upload it right now.

 I have been so stressed the last couple weeks.  I am trying to find what the causes are.  I guess I need to do what I can about what I can control and let the rest go.  I have checked a few things off the to do list today, do that’s a start.  I have a new idea for some pieces for the Bazaar in Nov.  The bazaar pieces are on the lower end of the price range.   I will work on those and let you know how they turn out.  I may list one on the website, if my test market (read my friends) like the sample.  Website shopping cart is waiting on me, so I am trying to get everything done this week.  We’ll see.

Enjoy the day God planned for you, especially if it is the first day of school!

Almost recovered

Jim is fine and back at work but I am still recovering from Cody’s birthday party last weekend.  Eight boys and one girl played paintball for three hours and then came to our house to eat and have cake.  No one thought to bring clean clothes.  Really all that was going to transfer from the clothes did it in the cars. I am trying to pay one of the boys to clean the car, but no luck yet. We had some parents and four more kids join us for the food and video games.Two of the boys stayed over until Sunday afternoon.  Not much sleeping happened.  I could hear the video games all night.

 I have been working on pieces that I could work on in front of the t.v.  I have been watching the Olympics.  That has been keeping me up later than usual too.  Anyway, I promised pictures last week and did get some taken.

Birthday boy

Belton Lake

This piece was inspired by an afternoon on Lake Belton.  The water was a beautiful blue-green and the cliff was striated brown and cream.  The tall grasses and trees at the top were still green and the sky was a perfect Texas blue.  The problem with this bead was the hole wasn’t perfectly centered and it had to be worked horizontally.  I made another one that I can  work vertically.  All the decorative wire work on this piece is new to me. 

 I am playing with a piece that I have hammered quite a bit on.  I ordered some stone to go on it, so hopefully I can finish it soon.  I am trying to work with beads that I have already made since it is still so hot.  Maybe I will brave the heat one morning and get on the torch.

 Stay cool and enjoy the day God has planned for you.

Rain!

All my central Texas friends, wasn’t it wonderful to wake up to rain this morning?  My lawn is so thankful.  Cody is already practicing football and he was happy to have the cooler temp.

  I had a birthday over the weekend.  My Sunday school class had cookies and coffee cake to celebrate.  Because Jim wasn’t feeling well yet, Zack and I brought home Sonic (with Blasts) and that was my celebration at home.   We’ll have cake for Cody’s birthday next weekend.

  Jim is recovering.  He is in playing video games, so he must be feeling better.  He still has head pain and some bleeding and a part of his lip is still numb.  Prayers for the numbness are appreciated.

I have been wire working this week.  I made a couple pieces and have one in progress.  I am trying some new techniques.  So far I am happy with the results.  I will try to post a couple pictures tomorrow.  Let me know what you think.  Work continues on the shopping cart on the web site.  I never knew how much work goes into a site.

 This afternoon we had to go on post to get new ID cards.  The old ones expire on the 11th and you can’t do anything on post without one.  To get a new one the sponsor (active soldier) has to be with you or you have to have a power of attorney.   So we all went today.   We had a short wait, only 2 hours.  The result is we all have IDs for the next 4 years. 

Enjoy the day God has planned for you!

Surgery

  Today my husband, Jim had sinus surgery.  We didn’t have to be at the hospital until 0800, so that wasn’t too bad.  He went straight to pre-op and then as soon as everyone signed his chart, he went in to surgery.  He was in surgery for almost 3 hours.  He is still groggy (9:40 pm).  He said he hasn’t had any pain so far.  I am tired.   He will be home for 2 weeks.  We’ll see how that goes.

 Yesterday I did get the garage door replaced, so I can work on the torch again.  Yea, just as soon as I clean up the mess we made to clear the way for the new door.    I am going to photograph some of my pieces this week.  I need to be ready to upload them when the shopping cart gets up and running on the website.  I am playing with pictures for a back ground to myspace too.

 Enjoy the day God has planned for you.

Home from New Orleans

The boys and I got back from N.O. on Sat.  We were there on a youth mission trip to work on houses with Operation NOAH Rebuild.   Our group worked on 5 houses and I think all the kids had a great experience.  Parts of N.O. is still devastated.  One of the boys said a strip mall looked like a scene from “I am Legend.”  I am guessing that maybe a quarter of the homes and businesses are rebuilt.  The spray painted markings on the outside of the houses that we saw on tv,  are still on the houses that are not repaired.   People are living there and are trying to build it back.  The French Quarter and the tourist spots were fine.

 I had a few design ideas while I was down there.  One came to me while attending the First Baptist Church of N.O.  I will start working on it this week.    I had a piece commissioned last weekend and she needs it this weekend, so I have been working on that.   Since we are getting the clouds and rain from the hurricane, it was cool enough to try to get on the torch today.  Unfortunately, I forgot the garage door is broken and I couldn’t ventilate my work space.  So, no new beads today.

 The shopping cart will be up soon on my website.  Seven aspens does a great job working with me to get what I want on there, even when I’m not sure exactly what I want.  

 

Yes, he is kissing a baby gater