So COOOOOOOL!

This is such a great video. While making plans for my trip to Switzerland and England I see that I will have a lovely window of opportunity to go to Kew gardens in London. This delights me, the last time I visited was 33 years ago as a horticulture student.

I love time lapse photography.

Click on this link if you love it, too!

Compositions delight!

I love these little compositions. They let me play with movement, color, texture. I get to felt, to color and bend metal and compose a quick pendant or ornament. I will soon have the kits available online. My last 3 trips out have proven that this a popular activity!

Striving for balance and struggling to master a degree of effective time management is my daily challenge. Let's see how it goes today as I order up some supplies, go after some oxygen....(so I can finally put together several days at the torch starting Monday), divvy up some sequins, continue to do badly needed clean up. I need to set a mouse trap. My husband and I were awakened by a bold little mouse who was chewing VERY LOUDLY in the eaves next to our heads at 3 A.M. where was Mr. Fluffypants, our in house hunter?

I am home and somewhat rested after a grand adventure! The Great Lakes Bead Workers Guild is comprised of a whole great batch of lovely, helpful and warm individuals that saw to caring for the 5 of us teachers in a thorough and thoughtful way, I want to send grand thanks out to each and every one of you, it was a special 5 days spent in your care! Time spent with my 4 friends was nothing but hilarious, laughter being the best medicine, of course!

We had a great little storm while there which was met with an intrepid response, funnily enough.....I flew home and the same storm caught up with me here and made my trip home from the airport a bit hairy.

I'm in the process of pulling myself and my belongings back together, setting my sights on March. With the new month comes a trip to Santa Fe, with big social plans as well as teaching and vending. This trip is followed up by an adventure to Switzerland and England to teach both Glass and Felt making. Hardly a time to let down and relax!!!! I have a marvelous job and am so grateful for all of the support that I receive in doing what I love.

A special day......

My eldest daughter turned 18 today, what a lovely milestone! Valentines Day has special meaning to our family as it is not only Olives birthday but my sister Nancy's as well.

Her younger sister skied a 5 K race today as we watched from the banks of a snow filled basin on a beautiful winters day, white, blue and sunny.

Home again, to rest.... and then start in heartily tomorrow for final preparation for Detroit Bead Daze.

I hope that your day is full of life, love and laughter.

Dessert, anyone?

I am at the airport after a lovely time away. Headed back to cold country with a mountains worth of work to get through in 3 days! The irony of this business is that sometimes there is absolutely no time for reflection, just a push on for the next event. I did spend 30 minutes in the sun yesterday replenishing my vitamin D, the weather here in Tucson has been glorious as has been seeing a large group of friends!!!

This world is so full of activity. Yesterday was my mothers 81st birthday, she got calls from all 6 of her children. The calls came from Buenos Aeries, Pearl Harbor, Seattle, Washington, D.C., central Pennsylvania and Tucson. I sometimes fantasize that we all have a string attached.....how long would it take for total gridlock?

Next stop? Detroit.

Borrowed from Kretyn's photostream......

So clean, so fresh. I'm 'outta here' back on the 13th!

So much texture.....in a piece of pasta.

From morning till night.....so many things need my attention!
My final few minutes of this day spent looking for visual stimulation.
Next stop...what's playing on the inside of my eyelids?

Curly Ice

Water or Ice?

While trying to keep the studio warm I am busy scurrying about from project to project. On the list are tying up many loose ends.

This necklace is a collaboration between my longtime design partner, Karen Flowers and myself. It is a submission to 'Convergence', the design challenge sponsored by the International Society of Beadmakers and Bead and Button.

I have been chosen as a finalist in the Saul Bell awards. Amazing. The piece is proving to be a real challenge to complete and make thoroughly workable. By Sunday evening it needs to be ready to mail... I don't follow astrology but my workaday world seems to be impeded by forces similar to 'mercury in retrograde' in a large way, may the sludge turn clear and let me proceed?

Meanwhile, my delight in the workings of our nations leader and all that surrounds it has dusted the edges off of these work challenges, I believe that all will be well!

I was one of not too many people crossing the George Washington bridge this morning at sunrise, with the city to my south and the sun coming up behind it and the grandeur of a flag this size...(I am wondering if the flag that was up wasn't even bigger than this one....it was monstrous) i had a lump in my throat as I was listening to both M.L King, Jr. and Mr. Obama for the long drive back from Baltimore. What a wonderful world, in all of its complexities!

This flag that flies on only a handful of days a year was so well done as it filled the magnificent archways of such a bridge, luckily I chose to go over the 'upper level' or I would have missed it completely.

I had originally thought that my sister and I would brave the volume of people and head into D.C this week but we either chickened out or came to our senses....in my case the time commodity is running short so I really was feeling the need to get back home and get to work.

Home now but no more work today.

Fondness for dapping!

I love the simplicity of this tool! As you might know my mission is to turn anything 2D into 3D, this makes my job really easy.

The new year is starting off well, as I said in my last post....my trip to Texas was a delight, tomorrow I drive to Baltimore to set up for the Baltimore Bead Society Show which will go through the weekend.

I am then home to finely tune my offerings for my time in Tucson.

If you are interested in spending a fun, informative and productive day in the midst of all of your shopping madness while in Tucson, sign up for a one day extravaganza at the studio of Anne Mitchell where she and I are offering a class in reshaping metals, making components more easily used and adding color to them. Two dates are available, February 2 and 11. Please come join us! I have some fabulous new shapes that we can alter!!!