Cooking up something!

Here they are... see why I was so excited! I love em! I would love to hear what you think!

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I just finished some time at the torch about an hour ago. I CAN'T WAIT TO PULL THE NEW BEADS OUT! I am so excited about these ones. A sort of monochromatic set. All shades of browns with just a touch of ivory. I am going to try my etching solution on them as well. There are 12 beads total, all lentils. 6 are simple solids ( the ones that will be etched) and the other 6 are all decorated. YUM! I think I am going to call them "Honey Roasted" but I won't know for sure until I see the finished beads and decide if the name really suits them.

The kids are feeling wild and cooped up. I would kick them outside to play but it has been rainging here the past 3 days so our lovely snow pack has turned to a muddy mess! Ugh! So if they aren't being zombies on the computer or playstation 2 they are running around like maniacs! What is a MOM to do? I think I am going to have to break out the big guns... it's time to play with playdough! I rarely get it out becaseu 1) if they played it all the time they would be bored wiht it & b) I hate the mess... cleaning up little blobs of mushed into the floor playdough is not my idea of fun!

I'll be back with photos of "Honey Roasted" when they are ready.

Lots of EBAY goodies!

Hey everyone... I posted a bunch of goodies on Ebay last night. A new set called "Antique Romance", it's a sister set to "Vintage Love". I had originally been made as a custom set but my customer decided that she wanted soemthign with more pink so you get lucky and can hopefully get it at a good price on Ebay. I posted the "Seeing Spots" drawer pull! If you can think of a place for it.. it is a great thing to have! They are so fun and funky! Last but not least... the new "Wishful Thinking" set. I had a request for something bright red, orange and green. I couldn't stop there... I pulled out ALL the colors! And I used my new bead press so they are a great fun shape! I was thinking last night about a amber set just browns and ivory... maybe a little etching too? Hmmmm.

Ron and Jacob are going to go see King Kong today. And I am again stranded somewhere on Laundry Mountain so I need to dig my way out of there. LOL! I may sneak out to torch some more later tonight. It has been wonderful having Ron home all week... I get a break when ever I need one. But seems today is his turn for the break, thus the movie outing!

My Favorite Gift

This is the 2005 winner for "Best Gift of The Year"! My hubby made it for me. It is a glass organizer, obviously. I LOVE IT! But it is already too small. I think I will be on a glass buying restriction for a while. I need to use what I have. I love the new Zoozii press too and really look forward to using it later today. I had a request for something bright and fun! And I think that will be a great way to start the new year! So some bright red, orange, and green tabs and tiles will be coming soon! The runner up in the "Best Gift of The Year" was from my sister, she is taking my to see "The Lion King" when it somes to town in April. I have always wanted to see it!

My In-Laws are coming by this morning for brunch and gifts before they leave tomorrow. They winter in the south and this year they will be in LaBelle Flordia. They won't be back till April-May. My Father-In-Law swears they are leaving after Thanksgiving next year. The snow has been aweful this fall and he can't stand being stuck in the house.

Did you have a white Christmas? We had a slushy Christmas. We had about 8 inches on the ground Thursday. Then Friday it warmed to 40 degrees and started to rain. Now we only have slush. The kids are bummed because they don't get to use the snowtubes and snowboards they got from Santa. =(

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Christmas Eve...

My husband is giving me a wonderful early Christmas gift... I get to go out and torch the morning away. My normal mornings usually involve repeating myself hundreds of times until the boys are on the bus. "Go get dressed" "GO get dressed" Did you hear me? I said you need to get dressed!" "GO GET DRESSED!!!" "Get you boots on" "GO and get your boots on" Do you see a pattern forming here. My boys aren't great listeners and tend to dilly daddle. Which leads Jacob to believe "Mom is just a yeller". LOL! If they only knew. Anyway, I am ranting. My coffee is ready, the kiln is hot! I am having a great Holiday so far!

Oh, I almost forgot.... I have a new knob. The "seeing spots" knob. Isn't it great!?!

Seeing spots

These are 2 of the raku beads I was talking about. Aren't they beautiful! I made a few more last night in the same style as these two so they can be a set. I am going to call them "Sandy Lanturns" Sandy because my husband thinks the raku glass looks like course sand and Lanturns because to me they look like Chinese Lanturns. Fun huh? I will wait till after the holidays to put them up on Ebay. I hope everyone is too busy to bid right now and are snuggling with love ones instead!

Last night I made another knob as well. I LOVE this new one. I think it'll be my first Ebay knob. It is white with random dots of green, blue and yellow all over it. When I get a good photo, I will be sure to share it!

Today is going to be my big wrapping day! My Mom is taking Lauren for the afternoon after her playgroup this morning so I can get it done. I think Ron is taking the day off too so he can help! Christmas Eve is tomorrow... I can't believe it!

Fun with Raku

Raku is a glass that when super heated and then slowly cooled it gets a rainbowish effect to it. I bought a small jar of Raku frit (frit=crushed glass) and finally got to play with it last night! I still need to clean the beads but once that's done I will share the photos. These were my first try and it wasn't until about bead number 8-9 that I finally go the effect to come out. But the fisrt 7 are still just as beautiful. I have some more playing to do, I want to try to come up with some more imaginative ways to work with shapes and stringers to get more fun and funky beads!

My friend Lindsey is coming with her 8 month old daughter for a visit today... I think we are going to make waffles =) Plus she wants to see my new toys. Then it is off to the dollar store and to get some groceries. I am all done with my Christmas re-shopping but still havent' started wrapping! I know there is at least an hour and a half's worth to do! I am really getting excited about Christmas, especially for my Mom's gift... she ordered me a Zoozii tool! www.zooziis.com is the site that I order my bead presses from! They are the best and I love the 3 I have!

Time to get the kids going for school.

Vintage Love Ends Tonight

Just thought I would remind you all that the auction for Vintage Love ends tonight! It still has no bids with a little over 11 hours left! I am hoping you are all planning on bidding at the last mintue hoping to get a good deal and I hope it isn't because you don' tlike the bids. I know it is a higher starting price but these beads are SOOOO worth it!

I will check back in tonight when the auction ends... Hey, any ideas how to wrap presents with a 2.5 yr old napless toddler running around?

One mad Momma

I had a rough afternoon yesterday when Jacob got off the bus. For months now we have been having issues with this one child. He swears, hits, intimidates and no one does anythign about it. Well yesterday on the bus ride home he got Jacob in a head lock and smacked his face several times. Jacob's ear and temple where all red and he has scratches. I was furious. Jacob was a mess, he was balling for at least a half an hour after school not wanting to have to go on the bus again. I called the bus garage, I called his teacher, I called the principle, I called again this mornign and all they say is "We will talk to Nick..." Well, talking doesn't seem to work with this kid! I think further action needs to be taken... I think he needs to be removed from the bus all together! Ugh it is all so frustrating! I was one that was taunted and tortured by bullies all through school. I didn't know how to handle it then and I don't know how to get it handled as an adult either. My husband has taken to telling Jacob that if the adults aren't doing anything to help you then hit him back. Jacob is a very strong athletic kid, but he is also very kind and gentle... he won't fight back. I am proud of him for that. Though I wish he acted that way with his little brother. He never hesitates to pound on Andrew, whatelse are little brothers for?

Needlass to say I did not get out to the torch as I had hoped and tonight we have a Christmas Concert to go to at school... so any bead making will not happen until tomorrow or thursday. Vintage Love ends tomorrow and it still has NO BIDS! So you might be able to get it for a good price... keep your eyes peeled!

Thanks for listening to my rant... you have any suggestions for dealing with bullies please let me know. I would love to hear the advice.

Lost on Laundry Mountain

You know how I said I didn't have to do house work but I should do some laundry beacause it was getting out of hand.... well, I didn't do any... and now I am lost on Laundry Mountain. I have at least 10 loads to wash and fold. So that will be today's focus. LOL! Boring I know but hey... that's my life!

I had tons of fun Saturday playing with a new toy! I got the Zoozii drawer pull bead press a few weeks ago and just had a chance on Saturday to try it out. The black and white spiky one is my favorite! They are great to make! If anyone is interested in a custom one let me know. I would love to make you one! I think they are so cute to have just here or there around the house. I put one on an end table in my living room and I will make one for my nightstand. They would be wonderful on an entertainment center or in a bathroom! The possibilities for where to pop these little guys on is just endless! Let me know what you think of them.


I had a crazy "reshopping" day yesterday... I took back all the board games that were for the boys. My to "techies" just won't settle for boards games. I learned this after a Christmas party Saturday night when the got "Connect 4" and said... "is that all?" I was mortified by Andrew's rudeness but it let me know my idea for a board game Christmas was not the way to go.

Finally a quiet Saturday...

I can't remember the last Saturday that I had nothing to do! Finally today is one of those Saturday's. I can stay in my PJ's all day if I want... I don't have to clean the house... I should work on a little laundry though it is getting outta hand, LOL. We do have plans for this evening... we are having a Christmas get together with family at my parents house tonight. I should be fun. I think I will sneak out to make some "fun stuff" today. I wanna try out my drawer pull tool!

Vintage Love

The auction has started... I hope everyone bids ;) You can quickly link to the auction from here by clicking on the link over on the right hand side of you screen. One bead did get sacraficed to the bad bead jar... so the set is down to 26. But a wonderful group none the less.




Here is a sneak peak at the auction "Vintage Love" that will start later this evening.

It is by far my favorite color combination! I think I like it even more then "Caribbean Cocoa" & "Beach Blanket Blues". I decided to make a bigger grouping (27 BEADS! WOW!) and mix the rounds and lentils. This means I have to start the auction price higher but once you see these beads you'll realize they are well worth it! Now I am thinking of something along the same lines in greens just to change things up a bit. If you have a color combination you would love to see... post it here or send and email and I will see what I can come up with. Just don't ask for yellow & purple... I can't get it to work out. LOL. I named this set "Vintage Love" because I wanted a name that would reflect the warm romantic feel that the pinks, corals, and burgundy gives.

We got a 1/2 an inch of ice last night and then about 5 inches of snow on top of that. And it's still snowing. I wish I could curl up and watch movies all day but alas... Lauren needs to go to playgroup for speech therapy... My mom got a new kitten and wants Lauren to come by for lunch... and I still need to get all the proper photos taken of these beads. The day will fly by I am sure!

I will check back in once the auction starts!

A little Christmas Spider...

I made this little Christmas Spider last night with some loose beads I had on my desk... she is so cute. The UPS guy has redemed himself... there was a wonderful package of goodies from Heritage Glass on my door step when I got home from Christmas shopping.

Speaking of Christmas shopping... everything went GREAT! It should be a fun year for the kids... I decided we are having a "board game" Christmas. I got them Life, Trouble, Operation, Clue, and a few others... Plus they are getting new lightsabers and snow tubes! Lauren will be in her Disney Princess glory with new dressup clothes and a play mirror that talks. I can't wait for Christmas now! I was feeling so bahumbug, and now that's gone and I am getting very excited! Still haven't decided what to get for my husband though!

I am counting the minutes till he is home... I can't wait to get to work!

I thought I would share the legend of the Chirstmas spider I found on a few websites...

On Christmas eve, a long time ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year... Christmas day, the day on which the little Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner on the ceiling. They had fled to the farthest corner of the attic.
The Christmas tree was beautifully decorated. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the little Christ child's visit. Then the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone went to bed and then get a closer look.
When the house was dark and silent, the spiders crept out of their hiding place. When they neared the Christmas tree, they were delighted with the beauty of it. The spiders crept all over the tree, up and down, over the branches and twigs and saw every one of the pretty things.
The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long they danced in the branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. In the morning, when the little Christ child came to bless the house, he was dismayed! He loved the little spiders for they were God's creatures, but he knew the mother, who had worked so hard to make everything perfect, would not be pleased when she saw what the spiders had done.
With love in his heart and a smile on his lips, the little Christ child reached out and gently touched the spider webs. The spider webs started to sparkle and shine! They had all turned into sparkling, shimmering silver and gold.
According to legend, ever since this happened, people have hung tinsel on their Christmas trees. It has also become a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the Christmas tree.

UPS fella on thin ice!

My UPS driver is now officially being taken off my Christmas list! He never came yesterday afternoon. I tracked the package and it was "on-time for delivery". It must just be all the Holiday mail. Hopefully today!

I had a really productive day yesterday! I CLEANED MY DESK! This is the desk that I make jewelry at, clean beads, organize projects, package items and whatnot. I have a terrible before photo for you and a spic n' span after too. It was the extremely busy couple of weeks I have had that let it get so out of hand. It ended up taking me 5 hours to get it done... but I did everything... I sorted all the drawers of the storage boxes... I emptied every box of the small shelf under the desk... I had to top completely cleared off so I sould scrub off the coffee cub stains and then put everything back on. Lauren was a HUGE help/pain in the butt... haha. I have a TV and DVD player in the room there with me so she watched Cinderella and Beauty & the Beast... but most of the time while the movies were playing she was sitting on my lap or playing with my "bad bead jar"...

I am going to start my Holiday Gift Buying today and make LOTS of beads tonight! I can't wait... I have been so looking forward to getting out to the torch! I will be cleaning and photographing bright and early tomorrow so come back to check out the new set!

Don't you love UPS Drivers

I love my UPS driver! He should be here later today with a big ol' package of glass and goodies for me! I can't wait to get out to that torch today... yesterday's beading got cut short with a call from the school nurse, ugh... Andrew had a rash so I had to run him to the doctor's. The rash is nothing but that ment no bead making for me =(

I am thinking of taking a class in PMC... I started researching it yesterday a little. I want to make charms and links of sorts to go with my beads and in my jewelry. I haven't taken the plunge yet, I am waiting for emails from other members of the bead guild I am in with suggestions. Stay tuned for more on that.

Today's big project is CLEANING MY DESK! I should take a before and after shot for you... You would really wonder how I get anything made if you saw how cluttered the top is. That will be for tomorrow =)

It makes you wanna home school

Ugh... Jacob has gotten another cold. He had the sniffles yesterday morning but today he is coughing, sniffling, sneezing, and is just plain miserable. We can't seem to go more then a week or two with out someone getting sick around here. It is all those germs at school I am sure! Needless to say he will be spending the day curled up on the couch watching Christmas movies. If I sent him to school he would just end up going to the nurse everytime he need a tissue. My dreams of getting to the post office and starting some Christmas shopping have now been squashed! I haven't even started yet! And there is less then 2 weeks left... it will all come together by the big day.

Not much has changed in the 12 hours since my last post...LOL I am still dyeing to get out to my torch but it is freeeeezing... I will be beading by this afternoon though =) I will be sure to share what I make. One of the visitors to Saturday's Open House had a lampwork collection necklace that was really neat. It had about 10 beads on it, all different, mostly in blues and purples. It was strung on a kinda sterling snake chain that was reinforced with wire. She ordered a bunch of beads to add to her collection from the ones I had out in other jewelry. Should be FUN!

Now we are working...

Well it looks like it works. I spent the past hour getting this BLOG working and I think I am finally done. I should have spent that hour making beads but it is cold outside! It is a whopping 2 dergrees with the windchill. Who wants to make beads in that? PLus we got a good fluffy 8-10 inches of snow today on top of the 6 we already had. It is more then a foot deep out there! I was able to get 4 of 6 orders done today, so I do feel like I got a lot done. Tomorrow's orders are all glass so I will be getting those done and starting a new Ebay set. Watch for those preview photos I promised :) Next task will be to create my "About Me" page on Ebay so others can find this too.

I hope you will find it easier to post comments now. Let me know what you think of the changes. I know this layout is really boring but I havent' found a better one I like yet and they don't have any as fun as Yahoo's... oh well. I am off to an early bedtime... this weekend's Open house took a lot out of me! Saturday was a great success though, Thanks SO Much to all those who stopped out. We are planning on having another open house in the spring to launch the summer season!

The photo above is of the "glass" set up for the show. It really was a great day! Unfortunately when I went back to Heidi's on Sunday to clean up I feel down her porch stairs while carring a table. It hit my face as I hit the ground. I have a bruised chin and bum. I was really swore this morning when I woke up, ugh... I am fine now though!

Testing the new blog

Hey all... this is the new blog site. Here anyone can leave a comment with NO signing up! I hope this works =)