Happy Birthday to Lauren!

That's right... it's my little baby's birthday! My little Lauren is 3! In honor of her big day, today's photo is one of her baby pictures. This way you can see just how much she has grown! We are making a butterfly birthday cake and have a little party later tonight. She got a very special birthday present from her Gee (that's what she calls my Mom)... a new kitten! She doens't have a name yet but Lauren is calling her "Bitty Kitty". My Mom has an abasinan kitten called "Biddie" so that's where Lauren is getting the name. We have been pet free since I was pregant with Lauren. Ron isn't a fan of animals and while I was pregnant refused to help with litter boxes. So our then 7 year old cat Abby went to live with an elderly couple that need a special friend. With the boys gone all day and Lauren getting ready for preschool, I think I am ready for a new friend. When I get a cute photo of her I will post it.

Not much bead making getting done around here these days but I promise to get some done this weekend. "Spring Rain" will be going up on Ebay tonight though. Be sure and come back to bid! Gotta run... Lauren is yelling "I gotta take her Mom..." I wonder where she is getting taken to?

Tuesday!

So I didn't get make beads yesterday like I hoped. Prisonbreak and 24 reeled me in. Plus Ron had to study so I didn't get my usual after dinner torch time in. But hopefully tomorrow night :) I have been thinking... I surf a lot of lampwork sites. I get ideas on styles, colors, shapes... loads of things (and you know me, if I take ideas... I give credit) but anyway... I noticed a LOT of artists have beads for sale right on their site. Smaller sets $30-$50 a set about 8-10 beads in a group and they put up new ones all the time. Are you all interested? I am thinking on working on 5 -6 sets that I can list right on my website with Paypal buy now buttons. I was thinking of calling it "My Bead Box". I will still have the larger Ebay sets of 18-20 beads but this might be fun... you need a quick bead fix, you just click and order. These wounldn't be custom so they would be made and ready to ship. Let me know your thoughts!

Here is Jacob's new hair do. I got him a couple of new skater shirts at Target today... he feels so cool. He is such a brainack, it's good he lets loose a bit and lets his very creative side take over!

Loads to tell ya...

Well first of all... Congrats to Holly! This week's winner of free beads! Lauren just pulled the name and new beads are posted. Go check them out and start voting. The cleared the slate again last night on Artzee.net and the count went back to zero for everyone. Hopefully I can get back up in the lists again soon. Thanks to everyone for your support!

Next, new beads & new jewelry! I was a torching fool yesterday. I got about 40 beads made in one sitting. That's a lot.. for me anyway. The first 15 or so were for me and my new necklace "Mermaid Rain". It is on the website if you care to check it out. I love this necklace. The design has been floating in my head for a few weeks now. All the prethought made it go together in a snap. Once I had the beads cleaned it only took about an hour till the necklace was done. U loved making the encased sculptural beads. The clear glass pulled so nicely and the beads practically made themselves. I thought the beads looked like dropplets of water, they are so dazzling to look at. I loved making them so much that I made a full second set to list on Ebay. There is a preview photo of them on my website in the "Glass Gallery". I will probably list them later in the week. I don't think I want my auction ending the same night as American Idol, LOL! So probably Thursday. And in the meantime I am hoping to get a couple other sets done to go up with it.

I got another new tool. I know you are thinking "WHAT? She got another one? Doesn't she have enough already?" Well the answer is no, you can never have too many zoozii tools. This new shape is called "Spree". This tool will most likely replace my lentil tool. The shape is sort of a puffed coin, very similar to a lentil but with no indent at the hole. I can't wait to use it... hopefully tonight. :) I went to the mall on Saturday with my sister and my fashion report is this... neutrals... everything is blah! I didn't find a single thing I wanted to buy! I am not going to follow the trend and make blah beads. I think with all those blah colors you need a pop of color in your jewelry!

On the homefront... Lauren is feeling great today. She is nearly 100%. Jacob loved his hair do. I will share that photo on a day with less going on. I am nursing a sprained ankle and bashed thumb. I missed a few steps coming down the stairs last night and did a number on myself. But I am fine, just a little sore. Anyway.. I will hopefully have lots of beads to show ya tomorrow!

Ohhhh.. Ahhhh... new jewelry!

Two new pieces to share with you. I was actually pretty surprised I was able to get them done yesterday. But when inspiration strikes you just gotta go with it! First image is of my new necklace "With Luck". Once again I couldn't come up with a great clasp for this square link bracelet so I transformed it into a necklace! The emerald green lampwork crystal beads inspired the name. The strand around the back of the neck is two shade of green seed beads. It is fun to wear! The second piece is "Glittering Tide". The glowing aqua lampwork rounds were from a set I started on Thursday night. They were just too good to let go. I had to use them myself! As I was making the bracelet I thought it needed more, so I added a wave a seed beads in and out of it. There are clusters of crystals, fresh water peacock iris dyed pearls and sterling silver Thai beads too.

On the home front... Lauren is doing well, as long as she has medicine in her, her fever stays down. She is being spunky as usual right now. She wants to be outside playing in the mud but it is only 40 degrees out so I am being mean and making her stay in. My sister is coming by this afternoon to dye Jacob's hair. He wants to be blonde, LOL! I have to let him express himself. And besides his hair grows fast. I will share a photo when his hair is done :)

Bad Readers!

Alright... which one of you was it? Who didn't cross their fingers for me? I specifically asked you to cross your fingers and hope Lauren wouldn't get the mysterious fever that was in my house all week! LOL! Someone wasn't crossing their fingers cause at 10:30 last night the "fever" showed up again. This time is was 103.4 and in my poor little Lauren. Need less to say... last night was a rough night. She was sleeping in our bed with lots of tossing and turning.. and middle of the night medicine doses. But... daddy just ran to the store to get her "Princess M&Ms" (the pastel ones) and extra tylenol & motrin. If it is anythign like the boys this week she'll have this fever for the next few days and suddenly it will be gone leaving befind a nasty cold.

I am hoping to get out to the mall for a little bit with my sister today. I want to research colors for the up coming seasons! I will let you know what I find out.

Friday!

Hey all... thanks to those of you that sent me messages about the links for my new bracelet. I will share the finished bracelet when it's ready. I finally got some quality torch time in yesterday. But, the colors didn't turn out how I wanted so I will be making things out of these beads myself, rather then putting them on Ebay. Hopefully, I will have time this weekend to get some good Ebay sets together for you. So stay tuned for that.

Andrew finally went back to school today. Thank goodness. He was driving me nuts! LOL! I hate when the kids are home sick... as soon as the motrin starts working they are bored out of their minds and whinning like crazy. I can't get a thing done! Keep your fingers crossed for me that Lauren stays healthy... no fever for her, please!

The boys should be off the bus any minute and we are off to visit with my Mom & Dad. Not very far just about 15 mins away. But the boys love to play in the woods befind their house. Gotta run some energy outta them monsters!

Link 1 or Link 2

Hey gals... this afternoon when Lauren and Andrew fell asleep, I started playing around with a new bracelet design using my Crystal Shape lampwork beads. I can't decide which link I like better... the top or the bottom. I will no doubt end up making both bracelets but I would love your feedback on which style you prefer.

Other then that... not much to report today. Andrew is still home sick and will probably be home again tomorrow. I am hoping to get to the torch after dinner tonight.

Germ Warfare!

Watch out! Stay clear! This is a bad germ zone.. enter at your own risk! LOL! Do those of you with kids ever feel like that should be posted on a sign and hammered to your front door? I do these days. It would seem that it is now Andrew's turn to be under the weather. He woke up this morning with a fever and looking pale as a ghost. He is currently asleep curled in a ball under my covers. Poor little guy... no doubt he will be home sick for the next few days and then it will be Lauren's turn. I will taking a run to the store tomorrow for tubs of bleach and lysol, ugh! I just had a 5 hour clean spree on Friday, will it never end?! LOL!

Bead time was cut short last night by the season primere of Prison Break. I love that show and right after I get to watch 24 (which is kinda getting far fetched but I love seeing Keiffer so that's okay.) I did experiment for about and hour. I got an interesting start on my next set of beads, inspired by of all things, my dish soap! I noticed the my transparent teal was the EXACT same color as my Mountain Spring Dawn with bleach. SO I started a set all blue and bubbly! I'll share it when it's finished.

Today's photo is of the gift I sent to my secret beader. The B&B community has a Secret Beader gift exchange every few months. It is loads of fun and I can't wait to see what I get. I hope my person enjoys this! She has a SUPER tiny wrist! These were the beads inspired by AmyK on wetcanvas.com THANKS AMY!

DON'T FORGET... "MELTED VINYL" ENDS TONIGHT! GO GET YOUR BIDS IN!

3/20 Winner

Congrats to Mare R. this week. Sorry to everyone who didn't win but KEEP VOTING! I just loaded up some fresh new beads for this week... go check 'em out!

Haunted Hollow

Check out "Haunted Hollow".. the second in my Burtonesque series. These were inspired by Sleepy Hollow. Do you remember that movie? All dark gray and dreary with the only vibrant color being the bright red blood. Kinda grose I know but it was an awesome movie! I am sorry to say... these were already scooped up! Strutandcrow had asked for an email notice of when these would be ready and she already said she must have them. She also purchased my "Deep Sleep" beads, the first Burton set. She made some fabulous bracelets with them and as soon as she sends me the photos I am going to add her to my "Creative Corner" on my website.

These were the only beads I got to work on yesterday. I plan to get out to the torch again tonight. I am kinda inspiration-less at the moment. There aren't any beads I am dying to make so if you wanna see somethign in particular send me an email! I will work on my transparent sculptural ones for my necklace I am working on and I want to do a full set of kaleidiscope beads. We'll just have to see what happens.

Jacob was home sick again, I took him to the doctor's today since his fever is still holding on strong. It's only a cold. I have to wait another 5-6 days to see if it is a sinus infection. Lauren is sleeping right now... but when she wakes up I will have her pick this weeks free bead winner! Watch for your winning email!

Snowy Sunday

I know I know.. I promised you all a new set of beads to oogle at. Only problem... It took all my mandrels to finish my orders so I didn't get to start a new set. But the kiln is warming up right now. And I am heading out to start my work. Hmmm... will it be transparent sculpturals or Haunted Hollow... guess you are just going ot have to wait and see! Maybe it will be BOTH!

The snow is coming down hard right now. We woke up to about 4 inches and still falling. We never got it during the week but it was bitter cold. I will have the heat blasting in the studio today.

This afternoon my family is getting together to celebrat my grandfather's 80th birthday. I come from a very large family. On my dad's side... he is the second of 13 kids (10 girls, 3 boys) and I am the second of 36 grandchildren and I am also the mom of the 3 great grandchildren! Our annual family reunion is HUGE! Unfortunately Jacob's fever is holding on strong so everyone won't be able to go. :( We'll see how it works out. Today's photo is from the "Kester Family Reunion" 2004. Sorry the best group shot come from the still cameras not the digital... but you get the idea!

That darn photo loader isn't working again! I will try again in a bit.

Sunny Saturday

Oh my... two sunny mornings in a row! I don't know if we can handle it. Did everyone enjoy some cornbeef and cabbage last night? We did! It was incredible... even if I do say so myself. The cornbeef was so tender it just melted in our mouths, we didn't need to chew. lol! And the cabbage, I forgot how much I love boiled cabbage. It's funny... at our family Christmas Eve party with my husband's side of the family we have a big Italian feast. They make everything (most of which I can't spell, but I'll try) they make fried vegetables in a bread batter, lentil soup, calimare, tripe, sausage at midnight, atichoke dips... all sound good but I can't stand any of it. LOL! My husband said to me "what will you eat?" And I nicely reminded him I don't have a drop of Italian in me... I am not used to this stuff... I am Northern European, remember. And he said you want a piece of bread? LOL! And I said YEAH! So loving boiled cabbage may sound strange to most but hey it's me. Now, enough of my boring eating habits... you wanna hear about beads right!?!

Well Ron ended up having to go into work today. But once he gets home I will be firing up the torch, finishing my orders and getting a new set made for Ebay! YooHoo... come back first thing tomorrow mornign to see the new beads! I must tell you I was horribly disappointed with the beads I got this week from FMG. The sterling silver I got was crap! So I am returnign most of it and I am upgrading Shaina Karen Hill Tribe Silver. It is beautiful pure silver (better then sterling) and it comes direct from a village in Thialand which supports fair trade. But that also means that it costs more so I am hoping people at shows and events this summer are ready to make the switch to higher quality.

Jacob woke up at 3;30 this morning with a high fever again. Poor boy, he had such a rough week. He tells me the girl, Baylee, that he has a HUGE crush on doesn't want to be his friend anymore. His poor heart is broken in two (remember he is 8 and in 3rd grade). I had to tell him girls change their minds all the time and there are millions of girls out there that are going to love him. I made him give me a big Momma hug and he started to cry. I know you all are going ahhhh. So today's photo is of my Jacob and if you have a daughter or granddaughter that would like my Jacob... send him and email!

St Pattys Day

Morning ladies, I have woken up today to a beautiful sunny morning. Book club was so fun last night. Out of 8 women only 1 had finished the book. No one really liked it. Everyone is going on vacation next month so we are reading 2 books and meeting again in May. I am so excited about the new book we are reading The Time Travelers Wife. I read it a few years ago when it first came out. I loved it, it is the first book that has ever made me cry and made me laugh out loud. If you are looking for a great read... get The Time Travelers Wife!

Lauren and I will be having a hard core cleaning day. I know boring boring. But when I came home from book club last night it looked like a spagetti sauce bomb went off. It is everywhere, on the stove, on the counters, on the floor, all over the sink... its a ghastly site. Then I started to notice just how much dust is in the corners and how much laundry is in the laundry pile. Then of course I have to start the cornbeef and cabbage for dinner. Only get to have it once a year... I love it. And we might have a couple of Killian's too. :) I will be working on new beads ALL weekend so be sure to pop back in.

Wicked - Book O' The Month

Well tonight is my first reding group night with my friend Susan. We were supposed to read "Wicked - the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West". I only made it to page 160ish. I am an avid reader, I love to read... I can read 300 pages in two days. I couldn't find the voice of this book. And I couldn't find the point either. If anyone has insites, let me know, LOL!

These beads were ones I finished last night for an order. Enjoy!

Much to do...

I had to take few minutes yesterday to organize my thoughts and get my "To Do" list together. I didn't realize... I have 5 orders to do, I have 3 sets I am dying to make, I need to order so more glass (even thougth I just spent $175 on glass 2 weeks ago), I have my secret beader gift to create and plus winery time is just around the corner. Yikes I am one busy Momma. But I LOVE IT! I thrive when I am busy. Bored... Bad.

Did I tell you, Jacob was home sick yesterday. I had to pick him up from school Monday with a fever and he stayed home sick Tuesday. He tried to stay home again today but Ron was convinced he was fine and sent him to school. I am such a push over... they whine enough to me and I say FINE! But not Ron... no fever... no vomit... go to school!

My Fire Mountain Gems order should be here today. I can't wait to see all my goodies! And I will be busting butt to make beads tonight and get orders moving. Thanks so much for your continued support in voting. I am holding strong at #4 on Artzee and last I checked I was #25 on Top-25. I have to add "Make More Free Beads" to my to do list. Ron suggested something... what if I did the free bead drawing once a month instead of every week and that one set would be BIGGER! Like 15 beads? Send me an email and let me know what you think about that.

Do you like my new take on the 5 strand illusion? I will get a better photo when the sun comes out but I think it is really neat. Let me know what you think.

Melted Vinyl

I went a little wild and crazy last night with this newest set of beads. I needed a break from the orders I am working on. Sometimes when I have to work with certain colors the ideas just stop coming so taking a night off to just play does loads for my juices. This set is called "Melted Vinyl"... the other night I was laying awake unable to sleep and I was thinking about a striped bead I had tried making earlier in the day. I had added too much glass and it squeezed out of the brass press I was using. Usually when I use too much glass I can use my tweezers to pull out a little of the excess glass and just reheat and repress the bead. But because that one had stripes I couldn't save it. But it got me to thinking... what if I pulled it out and didn't "fix" it. What would a wild set of whonky kinked beads look like. Naturally the work "kink" made me think of the band The Kinks, one of my dad's favorites. So I called my dad last night and said "Dad, what color do you think of when you think of the Kinks?" he answered with "Black and very Mod". So that's what I did and very mod black crisp set of kinked wild beads. After the first one I thought it looked like a melted record album so that's how they got their name. I will be posting them on Ebay later tonight! Unless someone emails me first with an offer ;)

Today is a very very long day... and most Tuesdays for the next 12 weeks will be. Ron has class this symester on Tuesdays until 9:00pm which means he won't be home until 10:00pm. Yuck! He leaves at 8:00am and doesn't get back until 10:00pm.... he'll miss the kids going to bed, dinner, and he cuts my bead making time out. Who's idea was getting his Master's anyway? LOL! Just kidding, I know it is good for him.

Anyway... I will check in tomorrow with any beads I happen to get done tonight.

3/13 Free Beads Winner

Finally the image loader is working... isn't she cute! It is the highlight of her week getting to pick the name. :D

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I have a great photo of Lauren showing the new winner's name but for some reason the image loader isn't working for me. Anyway... CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Bee this week. I will try and get the photo loaded later... for now go check out the newest free beads... a triplet set of rockin' raku lentils... then go vote :D

Busy Brain

My brain is very busy today with all the ideas I have cooking for new beads. I have a bunch of orders I need to work on. I have sets to get finished for Ebay and the wonderful weather this weekend completely distracted me and I got very little done. I did get a HUGE Fire Mountain Gems order placed yesterday. I don't even want to think about the total I saw when I clicked place order. But it's all things I needed to get back into the swing of jewelry season. I was low on accuflex (my beading wire), I ordered tons of sterling silve beads, lots of pearls (glass and natural), Swarovski crystals... and some display things too. I am going to Virginia in April and my girlfriend Kelley is going to have a jewelry party. One suitcase or clothes, one of jewelry LOL! So I am already starting new earrings and necklace designs. I have one new necklace from this weekend that I'll share once the sun comes out today. That crazy Rochester weather is at it again. Yesterday sunny 65... today thunderstorms and 40... tomorrow 3 inches of snow!

Did anyone notice artzee.net reset the rankings last night. The reset it every 2 weeks. I was #1 for a few hours last night and I am #4 right now! I am sure I will get bumped back down to the teens by this afternoon. But it's pretty cool right now. KEEP VOTING, please!

I'll be back with today's free bead winner later this afternoon. And I already have the new free beads picked out... raku, yummy!

My Hot Date

This is my little sister, Bonnie and she was my date last night, lol. We went to a movie and then out to a local bar called Mex. It was very interesting because the St Patricks Day parade was yesterday so everyone had been drinking since 8 am and was histerical to watch. We just went out for one drink and came home early. I never get out anymore being a Mom and all so it was fun. But since I never get out I have no tolerance and will be taking it easy today, LOL! I want to get out and make beads. The weather is still warm so I am looking forward to being at the torch with the door open and breathing the fresh air. I'll share photos when I have some new beads!

DON"T FORGET... "Skinny Dipping" and "Dragon Wheezes" end tonight. And there is no bids on "Dragon Wheezes" so someone can scoop them up for a great price! So go bid!

Hey can you guess what Bonnie is going in this picture... she is using the camera on her cell phone to check her teeth. LOL! She is too funny.

Help Wanted:Jewelry Assistant

There is a great thread on Bead & Button right now about placing an ad for a jewelry assistant. So here is mine...

Help Wanted: Jewerly Assistant
Job Requirements - Applicant must have at least 2 years jewelry making experience with knowledge of gems, crystals, glass and findings. Good colour sense absolutely required. Duties include sorting bead soups back into their individual components and picking up beads I drop or spill. Absolutely must be very patient, fun to talk to, and enjoy the same music I do. Non-smoker preferred. Must have clean crimping record - i.e., no mutilated crimps for at least two years. Strong calluses on fingertips useful also. Extensive knoweldge of packaging, addressing, and mailing multiple packages. Must also be a certified accountant and adept at sales and marketing, yes. Will also be required to research bead prices, using internet, phone, and footwork, taking note of interesting bargains along the way - thus saving me from being lead hopelessly astray by the bargain bins, close-outs, etc. Most love fire and not be nervous around exploding shards of glass.
Salary - Non-negotialable... non-existant... all money must go towards beads. :)

If you fit the description and want to work for free... send me an email! You are hired.

Anyway... credit to Joann at B&B for starting the thread. I did copy and paste most of her requirements with just a bit of editing. :D

The weather today is amazing! It is sunny and 65. Jacob Lauren & I picked up sticks for an hour and had a small fire this afternoon. I am feeling guilty about being inside now... it's just so nice out. I had a great workout this morning and then cleaned the garage too. The house is picked up and I will be folding approximately 10 loads of laundry later, LOL! Tonight my sister ans I are going to see The Libertine... gotta love Johnny Depp!

Today's photo is of my arbor in my back yard (photo taken this past summer)... that is my garden, I love it. Can't wait to see the plants and flowers popping up again in a few weeks :)

Alien Pea Soup

They all... here is "Alien Pea Soup". These beads are teeny. You can fit 3 across a dime. They will be made into what my client, Tricia, calls a "Waterfall necklace". Check out Tricia's webstore. She has a lot of beautiful things. She also got a few of my "Sandy Lanterns" so I will be waiting to see what she does with those. If you go digging around her site you'll see what she did with a few of my "Space" beads and I hear she has sold out of them already!

Check out these beads too... I LOVE THIS STYLE! And this artist posts on wetcanvas.com all the time so I get to oggle her beads often. I sent her an email yesterday to ask if it would be okay to make a few beads in "her style" as a learning experience. She was all for it and wished me luck (don't you just love supportive people like that!) She told me to send her and email with what I come up with. I am thinking of trying this style with an all black white clear & gray set. We'll see how it goes.

Well I should get off this dang computer and get my butt in gear. I was gone all day so naturally the house is a mess! And I wanna play with my torch later so I best get cracking!

My Boys

It was recently pointed out to me that I don't have a picture of my boys up on my website! What a rotten Mom I am. You'll think I only have Lauren. I'll admit she is spoiled and she's my little girl but I LOVE MY BOYS! This photo was taken this past Fall on our annual Fall Walk in PennYan NY. Aren't them angles? Yeah right! My boys are all boy. They are handfulls. Thank goodness I have my beads and jewelry to keep me sane. :)

My Mom came by today for a tea party with Lauren and I got lots of beads made! Unfortuatenly they were special orders so they won't be appearing on Ebay. But once they are annealed, cleaned and strung I'll share a photo. They are called "Alien Pea Soup" becuase the wonman, Tricia, who ordered then asked for somethign pea size in greens and blues with lots of dots. I kept thinking of Marvin the Martian when I made them so thats how they got their name.

Be back soon :)

Kaleidiscope Knob

Isn't this knob cool. There is a color in the Moretti glass rod family that is called "Evil Purple". It is a beautiful color when you see the rod... but put it in the flame and it does ugle nasty things. But there a few really neat things it can do. One thing is this kaleidiscope effect. I read about it in the book "Passing The Flane". SHe has a step by step tutorial in it on how to make beads with this look. I thought it would be a cool effect on the surface of a knob. It didn't do "the effect" as much as it does on a bead but it is still there. See how the transparent purple has kinda leeched out of the purple dots and pushed into the white dots... that's the cool thing it does.

I will be working on some orders today and on the phone with the school again about more bus issues, UGH! But "Moody" ends tonight. It looks like no one is going to scoop them up with Buy It Now so they will most likely be relisted as a regular auction. So, watch for them and bid because they really are awesome beads!

KEEP VOTING! Last I checked I was #23 on artzee.net. I am so excited! And it's all thanks to you guys :) Something weird is going on at top-25.com there are only 17 votes registered but I know there are more like 28-30? weird? Oh well! Keep voting anyway. Thanks!

And the winner is...

Lauren just picked the first winner in my Free Beads Drawing and it's Sharron W. I loaded up a fresh bunch of beads for this week... go check them out. I emptied out the fish bowl and will start refilling it with your votes as soon as you email! So even if you haven't voted today... it's okay, you might win next week!

(Excuse Lauren's crazy hair, LOL!)

Skinny Dipping

Did anyone notice I snuck in a second auction last night. So there are two one right now along with "Moody". "Dragon Wheezes" and now "Skinny Dipping". The photo really really doesn't do them justice. These beads are so cool. They are definately my colors. I wear them all the time... especially the greens. It took forever to come up with their name. I had the idea for them while watching golf with Ron on Saturday afternoon. He said hey you should do a green and blue set and i said I was just thinking the same thing. SO I was going to name them "Saving Par". For golfers, you'll know it is very hard to get a par after you have fit the ball in the water. But the more I looked at them the more I thought of summer and being a Kueka Lake with my cousins when I was little. I decided they needed a funner name and that's why they are call "Skinny Dipping" (and NO I didn't skinny dip with my cousins when I was little. I didn't do that till I was older ;) LOL!)

This weekend was so busy.. Saturday we had friends over... I was a bead making maniac... Jacob had a science project due... I have all the auctions end for the books I listed... Ron came down with a cold. It has just been crazy. I am on my way out to the post office and grocery shopping now. I will pop in later with the 1st free bead winner's name. I am going to let Lauren pick the name later this afternnon. I want to thank everyone who has been voting and tell you to keep up the good work! In just a few days I went from #59 on artzee.net to #26! And on Top-25.com I wasn't even ranked, now I am at #33, SWEET! So thank you so so much. I really do appreciate it and I have some awesome beads lined up for this week! SO KEEP VOTING AND I"LL KEEP OFFERING GREAT FREE BEADS!

Dragon Wheezes

Just a drive be update today.. I had LOADS to do. I finished up "Dragon Wheezes" and they will be up on Ebay tonight!

Animated Ocean

Well chalk these up to having a total screw loose. Once I got these all cleaned and strung together I said to myself "What was I thinking?" Individually the beads are great but as a group they are down right ugly! LOL! If anyone is in love with them send me an email and make an offer. Other wise I will send them to the bad bead jar!

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I ended up ditching my plans for "Dragon Wheezing" yesterday after curling up on the couch with little Lauren and watching Finding Nemo. As I watched it was was struck by the beautiful colors and amazingly vivid world of just plain fun is under the ocean. I don't know why the colors fit my yestrday. Jacob's 2nd grade class did a school play of Finding Nemo that I painted the sets for. I had to watch the movie a couple dozen times to get ideas for the sets and to help with memorizing lines and costumes. Anyway... I ended up grabbing my sketch pad and designing a bead for each character. There are 15 beads, 7 lentils and 8 rounds (like I have been making all my auctions lately). I just went out and pulled them all off the mandrels but I haven't cleaned, strung and photographed them yet. Once I do I will post the photo. I will be torching again tonight and the Dragon set is on my to do list. Those ones I don't pre sketch... I wing 'em. I also have a couple orders to fill and some beads to make for some of my own jewelry designs. I love having things to do. I am so miserable when I am bored!

Apart from making beads later, today is going to be a "cleaning day". I make a very strong effort to keep a daily routine going that makes sure our home looks well kept. I go around and make the beds each morning, do a quick wipe down of the bathroom, sweep, straighten couch pillows, wash dishes and clear off the counters. It usually fill the first hour or two of my day. And I tend to do most of it while talking on the phone (don't you wash dishes while on the phone?). Well right now (for some strange unknown reason) the house looks a bit like a bomb went off in it. It just feel cluttered and messy. AND I HATE THAT! (sorry, my Mom's OCD cleaning habits are coming out in me, LOL) So the kids and I will spend the morning making the house look presentable and we may even have some visitors later. We invited our friend Pat & Julie and their sons Louie & Joey over tonight. Should be fun.... cleaning, beads, guests... I am taking tomorrow off! LOL!

Organic Exchange

You know I thought I would have tons of torch time yesterday... but it turned out it wasn't as much as I thought it would be. I finished the beads for the "Free Beads" and I made the 5 beads shown above for the wetcanvas.com Organic Bead Exchange. They are BIG beads, bigger then a quarter! Close to the size of a half dollar. BIG! I think they are great. I am glad I made them for the exchange, I couldn't sell them. My perfectionistic tendancies wouldn't allow it, lol! The ends are perfectly even (technically with organics they don't have to be, but...) and in one or two a bubble made it to the surface have it was in the kiln, ugh! But they are beautiful and I may make a few for the website. Let me know if you really want one!

Did you VOTE?

I am editing to add the photo of this week's free beads! Hope you like 'em... just a few simple spacers with some swarovski crystals and a GREAT square focal bead!

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Morning all.. I have lots to unload on you today. First and most eagerly announced is my new bead offer. I have been a member of artzee.net and top-25.com for about 8 months now and my ranking on the sites is about 47. I want move up in the rankings! And the ONLY way to do is that is with votes by people who visit my site. I know of at least a dozen sites off the top of my head that offer "rewards" for votes. So I have hemmed and hawwed for months wondering if I should be doing the same. So I finally am! If you love me, my beads, and my jewelry please go to my website and click the "Free Beads" link. After you have vote for my site using the links on the free beads page, send me an email with "I Voted" in the subject. I will put your name in a hat for a weekly drawing of free beads. I will draw names on Mondays... it'll be a great way to start the week! A couple of "rules"... you can only vote ONCE in 24 hours at each site, if you vote more then once the vote won't register. And MOM, no you can't win... I love you and yes you can vote but you don't make jewelry so you can't have my beads. (trust me people, you don't want my Mom in this! she is very very lucky and wins everything) I will post winners on my website. There will be small sets of 3-5 beads, I have to get this weeks photographed. If you vote 2 times a day (that's once at artzee.net & once at top-25.com), everyday, that's 14 chances a week to win! I really hope you all will vote!

Now to my rollercoaster of a day yesterday... this is going to get confusing and I am rant a bit but this is my BLOG, my personal space to share my thoughts and feelings so here I go. (This is my therapy) Yesterday while surfing the forums I found a post by my former glass teacher about "Idea Pirates". Her initial comments were vague and she didn't name me specifically but the more I read the more I reallized she was pointing her finger at me. She had to know I would see it, she knows it is the only forum I really frequant. She has done this before. In Sept, she accussed my of taking her idea of giving free glass bracelets to Breast Cancer Patients after I posted an example of a bracelet I donated to her Bead for Breast Cancer Marathon, and offered to make more if anyone new some one in need of one. I eventually just took the page down. Yesterday's accussations took my by surprize and really threw my for a loop. I have gone out of my way to make sure my designs are nothing like her's for this specific reason.

I sent her an email expressing my hope that it was not me she was referring to and if it was can she please let me know what it is she felt I had done this time. Then in the meantime I posted a thread on a different forum that I knew she was not a member of and asked what I should do. I explained that I was being accused of coping and had not, did anyone have advice for more. I received many wonderful responses letting me know that I need to be the bigger person and just ignor it. (Which is basically what I did the first time.) One member did end up sending me a private email letting me that my teacher had not posted this on just the one forum but in 3. In one forum in particular she really crossed the line. She actually laughed at and said she would enjoy forever the vision of seeing me pushed down the stairs. She said she had thoughts of sending someone to rough me up at the next show. Told people this is my MO I do it all the time. I was so hurt and upset I had no idea what to do or say.

What happened next really made me feel good. Once senior members of the forums connected the dots and realized who was accussing who, many were outraged and gave her a bit of a verbal lashing about how she is quite the copy artist herself and how she should not be teaching if she does not intend to have her students work look similar to hers. There are only so many ways to make a black bead with white dots. One person said it best with the comment "Pot. Kettle. Black." My teacher did end up calling me yesterday afternoon. I can only assume it was after reading what everyone had wrote. She, I feel, only called to defend herself. She didn't apologize in anyway, she feels she did nothing wrong and is hinding befind the fact that she never actually said my name and website. ASked her to please come to me with any issues in the future rather the publically outing them in inappropiate ways. She thinks that I copied ID bracelets that she has at a store here in Rochester but my "Dream" bracelets. It's a store I, in fact, have never been to. I later say she posted new thread inthe forums titled "A fresh start" where she let everyone know she called the person "wronging" her and "worked everything out". Again, never apologizing, never letting anyone know she was wrong and that I never did copy her.

I got wonderful advice from a women on the forums who I truly consider a friend, Gwen Fisher. She said "Be A Duck"... let the water roll off your back! So that is what I will do. This is the last I will say about this. But should this happen again, I will be contacting a lawyer and have something done about it. I won't be bullied.

Now that I got all that off my chest... my daughter is at my Mom's for the day, the boys are at school and I have the whole mornign to make beads! The kiln is hot and I am ready to get torching! I am going to get my "Free Beads" made, some organics for a bead exchange I am doing and get a start on my "Dragon Wheezing" set! I am hoping today is a good day!

New Beads

The new beads have been officially named "Moody" and they are up on Ebay now. Go and check them out!

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Here they are the "New Beads".. they haven't been properly photographed yet and they don't officially have a name either but I just couldn't wait to show you them! I emailed a photo to my sister, hopefully she'll have a great name for them. They are so different, and really beautiful in person. It was so good getting to torch these last night. I was sooo missing making beads. Once they have been named they will go up on Ebay. So if you want them... watch for them!

I have come down with yet another cold... sniffle sniffle. Not a knock my on my backside one though. I haven't had one liek that in a while. This is just a annoyance one. So once I get the majority of my "work" done this morning... I am laying low for the afternoon. Since I have the sniffles I decided I am going to do another dragon set next. I did "Dragon Sneezes" and "Dragon Sniffles"... next "Dragon Wheezing". Poor old dragon, I hope he gets well soon!