Back from Philly

I came home from the Philly Bead Fest with my head filled with ideas and a lot of snot. 

I somehow manage to catch germs every time I'm in Philly, but I still love the show so I keep coming back. 

Now that I am finally recovering from the snot portion of the trip  I. Feel well enough to tell you about the idea portion of the trip.

It's  always an electric time when you have so many creative people in one place. Designers, bead makers, new tools, and new products make you think of new possibilities.  

I was lucky enough to have Brenda Schweder, the creator of Now Thats A Jig and Collaborate in the booth next to me 

And Nikki Thornberg  on the other side. 

All weekend I was covered by the  magical pixie dust of creativity coming at me from both sides.

We bounced ideas around all weekend and came up with a really great project for bead and button 2015.

And of course I got magic pixie dust up my backside with   Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Beads and her guest from the UK, Leslie Watt, being situated in the booth behind me. 

Except for the cooties, it was a great weekend. I'm looking forward to next year.

Summer Time

Its already July and that means the summer is starting to fly by.

It also means The Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair is fast approaching. It is a race between what comes first, a nervous breakdown, a copius amout of work produced or setting up my tent.

I have been really busy and focused on making enough work to make me feel like I have not come to the party naked when the  art fair rolls around.  I have been so focused it might even be considered unhealthy as everything takes a back seat to  my work. 

You shall have a fishy in a little dishy

I'mmm Baaack!

I've been back from Bead and  button  for  a couple of weeks now. 

It always takes a while to decompress after a big show like that. Of course I cam home and the house was a mess.  I left it a mess when I departed, but thats beside the point.

Seriously where are all the elves to clean up your shit like in the fairy tails? 

I had a wonderful time, saw lots of old friends, made some  new friends and bought these beautiful beads from Beads  Direct.

 There is no way to capture the beauty of these gems in a photo, but I tried.

 Several of these have a luscious  AB coating that makes them seem almost magical.

 Leslie and  Mary own the company and they are  most wonderful people to deal with. Leslie is always helpful, pointing out wonderful stones I may heave over looked. Haha thanks Leslie!

These are all the beads  I bought at the show, but I don't feel bead  deprived. This time it was all about getting some great quality gems for jewelry designs.

 I have the Ann  Arbor Summer Fair next month so I had better get busy  with some new designs.

OK off to the studio I go...

6 more days!

It will be 6  days until I leave for Bead and Button. I am trying desperately to tie up all the loose ends at home and get all my beads finished.   I am also trying to stay calm but things are slightly more desperate then usual. On April Fools day,  I broke my ring finger on my left hand, and did soft tissue damage to two other fingers. The healing process has been slow and painful and I have not been very speedy in my production work as I struggle with  a wonky grip.

In addition to my beads,  I am making some finished pieces of jewelry to show case them.
I have been playing with the  Now Thats A Jig™. The last bead shows,  I have been  next to Brenda Schweder and her helper Tracy Bell, watching them show people how to use the jig.  I decided I needed one after  watching and listening for hours.

I am exploring all sorts of possibilities with the jig. New things emerging make really excited and I forget that the clock is ticking down to the show. 

I hope I'll have a new body of finished work to show by the time the show rolls around.

experiment #1

I am so over this winter

Okay first off let me say that I am so over this stupid winter been waiting for the snow to melt in spring to come forever every time I go outside and look for signs of spring I actually have some little green pics coming out of the ground so we know it will come here eventually the meantime I hope you take advantage of this lease sale in my exes I am so over this winter it's been miserable fate God I went to to serve for two weeks otherwise I probably would've murdered someone by I've been waiting for spring for so long it feels like it was curb it's no secret that I have a heart term dealing with winter in this world has been particularly rotten thank goodness the 6 feet of snow we had our starting tomorrow I've been going out everywhere looking for signs  of spring me know it has to be coming it does every year it just seems like it's really yanking my chain this time so as I look forward to the melting snow in the warmer weather offering a meltdown bring meltdown sale.

First row Snowbottom are 35% off until April 15 that's right you have until text data bye them

Just use the Etsy coupon code snow 35 and then everything in my AFC shop will be on sale 20% off from now until April 15 that's right text day you have until text data get some fabulous savings I have new work and and it's all cheery and ready for spring designs

  

Goodbye little friend

When I came home from Tucson I had to say goodbye to an old friend.  Kirby had been little friend and  my companion for 14 years. The night I returned home I knew immediately something was wrong. I kept him comfortable  through the night and took him to the vet first thing in the morning.
His heart hard become too enlarged for his little body. So we gently led him across the bridge where his brother Buster has been waiting for him.
It was sort of poetic that Kirby died because his heart was too big. He always had a big heart full of love and sweetness. He had waited for me to  return from my trip before he told us  it was time for him to go.  I am grateful for the chance to say goodbye and be there to help him as he crossed over.
It was with great sadness that I said goodbye to such a fine fellow. The house is quieter without him I miss him snarfing around the barrel of my chair well I worked in the studio there will never be another dog quite like Kirby. Goodbye old friend thank you for all the love you gave me anywhere after and smiles during this past 14 years together you will always be remembered.

Greetings from sunny Tucson

Greetings from sunny  Tucson! Did I mention it was sunny? 

I had a good show at the To Bead True Blue, made even better by the fact I was miles away from cold and snow.

I met lots of new friends and had fun with some old ones. 

I had a great response to my new work.

I met Tammy Jones from Jewelry making daily 

She is warm and friendly and I am so glad she stopped by and introduced herself.

My new work was well received and I am excited to explore it further.

Thats one of the great things about doing a show like this, you are so energized being around so many creative people.  You leave more energized then you came.

Greetings from Tucson

Greetings from sunny  Tucson! Did I mention it was sunny?
I had a good show at the To Bead True Blue, made even better by the fact I was miles away from cold and snow.

The reason for the season!

As we come to the middle of this Holiday Season, I think it does all of good to reflect upon the reason  this time of year is so special.  It's not the presents, it's not the food, it's not the time spent with loved ones.

Yes, its true, there would be no Happy Holidays without sparkles!

Ok before you go and tell me how irreverent you think  I am, consider this:  Every year the world spends about 1.7 trillion dollars on wars and military spending. That is almost $250 per every person in this world. If they spent half of that on glitter, the world would be so sparkly and glamorous that there would be no need for war  or violence. I'm not making this shit up.   Have you ever tried to kill someone with $125 worth of glitter?  I rest my case.

glitter

I love glitter. I might even have a problem. ITS SORT OF AN OBSESSION FOR ME.  IF IT SPARKLES  it makes me happy.