November 17, 2006

I am finally back on eBay! I think that was the longest period in 5 years that I haven't had weekly auctions on the Bay. Thanks to all of you who emailed me with concerns about me! I am trying to get my life back to normal despite the domestic chaos in my life. Our 4 week remodeling project is now looking like a 4 month adventure with life lessons for the naive and uninitiated. I have heard so many funny and unbelievable remodeling stories from friends and customers over the past few weeks that I am reminded of the stories women used to tell about giving birth! No kidding! What a wild ride this has been!

My contractor hurt his back last week and is unable to return to the work site until his doctor releases him for work. He thinks he has a "herniated disc now. I have learned that it takes 4 weeks for a cabinet to travel by truck from Ohio to Oregon. I have learned that the lady in kitchen design at Home Depot has me on her "hostile customer" list. I have learned that you really need to make sure that you have home insurance for people who work in your home. Gee....lots of learning for me. LOL! Here's a photo of my kitchen after 5 weeks of work....

November 6th, 2006

I'm finally done with my 2006 shows and able to concentrate on my web site and eBay again! Even though my intentions are good....please bear with me for the next month or so. My entire house is in chaos with contractors and boxes everywhere. Needless to say, my "4-week, major remodeling project" (yeah....I know how funny that sounds now) is waaaayyyyy behind schedule. I won't rant, whine or bore you with all the upsetting details but it will be tricky trying to stay online amid the constant disruptions going on around me. As my husband says.....someday we will laugh about all this craziness when we look back on it. Right. Maybe. Meanwhile, I'm going to find some new hotplate recipes and buy more paper plates. What a mess!!

BTW, I've got some really great new work that I will try to post soon. These focals are just so lovely that I almost want to keep them!

October 9, 2006

I decided to play with some of the new Effetre and Vetrofond colors today. I usually am so locked in to the organic and earthy hues that I forget about the rest of my palette. I am loving the new, dark Periwinkle blue and the streaky lime green - not sure what the name is. Robin Poff encouraged me to buy some of the new colors last month when we we doing a demo at Frantz Art Glass. She knew so much about the bright vibrant colors that I just bought everything she told me to buy. So far, she has been right about each one.

October 5, 2006

I want my eBay customers to know that I might be taking few weeks off from my regular auction schedule. I am having trouble keeping up with the show inventory, eBay submissions and the kitchen demolition. My studio time and computer access will be limited while the demolition and serious remodeling occurs in the weeks ahead. I apologize! After the BABE Show and the PBS Bazaar, I intend to get my eBay auctions back on track! This is going to be sooooo stressful!

September 28, 2006

I have been given several more weeks (a reprieve) before the kitchen demolition/remodeling is due to take over my world. Now I am concentrating on making beads for Oakland (BABE) and the PBS Bazaar which are both on the same weekend in November. I suppose that I really do perform better under stress but I am sooooo physically out of shape to put in long days at the torch. I wonder if people who think beadmaking as a profession is such "fun" realize how grueling it is to create and maintain constant inventory. I am dying to just play again at the torch...........

New Ammonite Sprees......I love this shape!

September 17, 2006

I am looking forward to getting into the studio tomorrow. It's been two weeks away from the torch and I am really feeling some anxiety about upcoming shows. Meanwhile, Warren and I have hired a contractor to start knocking down walls and remodel our kitchen in the next few weeks. Warren wants to know if this will be stressful when I am getting ready for the two bead shows in November. Well...yeah...Duh! My home studio and work space is connected to the kitchen and garage so things will get interesting! I keep thinking about the Money Pit movie and suffer slight pangs of anxiety. Oh well..... I guess it's going to be a bumpy ride!!

September 15, 2006

Well, I finally got my new web site launched today! Lots of new tricks to learn so I can update it and manage the pages properly. Another tech challenge. Who says you can't teach an old Gal new tricks! LOL!

I am recuperating from 2 weeks without a kiln and going through a beadmaking "withdrawal" that is really hard to deal with. Thank God for Craig at Arrowsprings! He really came through for me and now I am installing a new kiln-controller to get things back to normal. I never would have believed that I could have two kilns break at the same time! Bummer!!

September 1, 2006

The holiday weekend is fast arriving and Fall right behind it! I need to get back into the studio and start creating beads for the Portland PBS Bazaar and the BABE show in November. Unfortunately, both shows are on the same weekend again so my DH is going to fly down to Oakland, CA and do the BABE Show for me again. He has to be the greatest husband there is to do this for me two years in a row! Still, I really miss seeing San Francisco again. I hope this conflict isn't going to be repeated each year! Bummer!

Hey, for those of you who spend a lot of time at your computer and would like to listen to the best music (no interruptions and you pick the genre) then I urge you to check out Pandora, the Music Genome Project and create your own personal radio station: http://www.pandora.com/

September 14, 2006

I am finally getting back on track after having both of my kilns inoperable the last 2 weeks! I thought I was prepared with a backup kiln but it didn't work either. Today, Arrowsprings came through for me and I recieved my new Kiln Controller. It looks like I will be able to salvage my 2 Big Blue EKMIller kilns afterall! What a relief! Color me very happy!

September 1, 2006

The holiday weekend is fast arriving and Fall right behind it! I need to get back into the studio and start creating beads for the Portland PBS Bazaar and the BABE show in November. Unfortunately, both shows are on the same weekend again so my DH is going to fly down to Oakland, CA and do the BABE Show for me again. He has to be the greatest husband there is to do this for me two years in a row! Still, I really miss seeing San Francisco again. I hope this conflict isn't going to be repeated each year! Bummer!

Hey, for those of you who spend a lot of time at your computer and would like to listen to the best music (no interruptions and you pick the genre) then I urge you to check out Pandora, the Music Genome Project and create your own personal radio station: http://www.pandora.com/

August 30, 2006

Seems like summer is just about over. I almost failed to stop and smell the roses this last month. I think I'm going to set aside days each week to just relax and sit on the patio and enjoy the flowers and neighborhood noises. A few deep breaths and a cold glass of organic, raspberry lemonade........doesn't that sound like heaven. In fact, I think I will do just that today. I need a day away from the torch.

A moment of Zen..............