Playing For Sweden

My Lauren had her first ever soccer practice/scrimmage yesterday. She has been waiting months for June 29 to arrive. And girl, oh girl... I should have signed her up years ago!! She is a natural. You wouldn't believe the ball control she has!! Seriously, it is amazing. And when all the other players bunch up in one spot, she hangs back and plays defense. She was so excited, she wore her uniform to bed last night. It's not the lovely outfit she picked out in the photo above, but rather it is black, white and red and her team is Sweden.

In case you are wondering how I did this half black and white, half color photo, it is done in photoshop. Easy as 1, 2, 3... First go to the drop down menu at the top click image>adjustments>hue/saturation... Next, in the new window that pops up, click the box next to colorize and drop the saturation down to zero... Last, select the history brush tool from the side bar (it is fifth one down and on the right in my version) and just "paint" over the area you want it color. It restores the color history for that spot, it is like magic!!



So, yeah, the kids made up their own stretches, lol.

Ho Hum to HOT DANG!!!

Lookie what just showed up in my inbox!! What an unexpected surprise! There I was, just readin' my emails, browsing today's "Beading Daily" message, when BOOM!! Right there at the bottom of the email was an pre-order message for the summer issue of Step By Step Wire.

That's me on the cover!! Okay, not me, but my project!! They are "Licky Split Super Quick" cocktail rings. Go pre-order your copy now... these are so much fun to make.

Ho Hum

I have used ho-hum as my post title several times in the past. I don't mean to be so blah. Alas, tis my life at the moment. I feel that I am a much more lively person then this. I certainly have more energy then I feel I am putting out there right now.

It is the kids, I guess. All my energy is focused on answering a million and one questions. Mom, where is... Mom, can you make him stop... Mom, what can I have to eat... Mom... Mom... MOM. It has only been a week and I am forgetting that not only am I Mom, but I am Kerry too. Kerry who likes to make beads, yet hasn't gotten to sit behind her torch in weeks. Kerry who likes to make things, who likes to paint, and who likes to curl up with books.

I know it is all about balance. Finding that place that lets me be Mom and Kerry at the same time. Right now, I am not sure where to find it. Is it in the backyard? Is it in the studio? Is it in my big comfy chair? Maybe it is in a new sketch book where I can doodle while the kids play in the creek. Maybe it is in the car where I can get the kids to sing along to the songs I like.

Wherever it is... this blog is going to be a little dull until I find it. I hope I don't loose y'all while I am looking.

3 Peas In Pods

Last night, at book club, we had a surprise baby shower for our three pregger Mommas to be. A couple of weeks ago, I shared some pictures of yarn I bought to knit up three little baby sweaters. I am happy to report, I was able to get all three done in time! Book club was a blast and the ladies were really surprised. The bellies above belong to Renee and Jill. We missed Olga last night.

Here are the three tops with what details I could link to, otherwise, it is all on Ravelry!!


This periwinkle one is for Olga's baby boy. I used the cast on details of another baby sweater I have made, then made it up after that. You'll see each top has seed stitch in it, and all have the same buttons too. This yarn is Berroco Comfort.


This one is my favorite of the three!! This is the "Manly Man" vest for Renee's baby boy, Max. The yarn is Cascade Super Wash. This is so soft and such a pretty shade of green. I love love love it.


Last is a little orange number for Jill's little one. It's a variation on the "Mossy Jacket", with the yarn being Reynolds Odyssey.

Cute huh? Makes me wish I knew how to knit when my kids where little. I would have had a house full of hand knits. *sigh*

Mission Impossible: Group Photos

Buttercup

Oh.my.stars... I thought I would never finish this. Jeez. Finally though, last Wednesday, it was done. And it spent until Saturday blocking (drying) because of our week of rain (thank the rain for the grainy photos too... and my kids who keep messing with my camera to make movies of themselves). 100% humidity does not aid in the drying of yarn, nope, no way. I wanted it dry by Saturday though, for my Father's Day outing with my Dad. Yellow and Green are his favorite colors, and being the delightful daughter I am, naturally I would wear his fav.

I am in a state of love/hate with this top. I looks so nice in the pictures, but when I look in the mirror, ugh. I have been wanting a yellow hand knit for months and months and months. Once I had the yarn in my hands though, I worried that it wouldn't work with my skin tones. Fortunately, I was wrong and it does seem to work. Yes, I am looking all busty and voluptuous in the photo there, and I am a fuller top lady... but again, in the mirror, I feel like it is a very boxie top making me look flat. And it is too short. I should have went on for another two inches before adding the lace detail at the bottom. Oh well. I will still wear it.

I am super excited about the new project I cast on this week!! It is a pattern called Whisper that was in the Spring issue of Interweave Knits. EEEEEKKKKKK... it is raisin purple people.... RAISIN! I am about a quarter way up one arm, it has a different style of construction, and I love it already. The color is so lush and fantastic... the weight of it is like a feather... I can't wait to get it done.

72 Days Until School

Yes, I am already counting the days until school starts. Not because I am pulling my hair out, that hasn't happened yet. Though I do feel the need to look at this as a me vs. them situation. Sure, they look cute when strawberry picking on Father's Day, but watch out... they can bicker and fight and nag and whine and tattle tale with the best of them.

I am trying to keep my me vs. them attitude a positive one. I am not going to let the monsters, I mean, angels, get the best of me. LOL. I know what I need to do to survive... be proactive. I need to plan activities... boredom breeds contempt. We need play dates... for some weird reason, the more kids there are the nicer they play together. Keep plenty of snacks on hand... being hungry makes them grumpy. Our library and YMCA cards are found and ready to be used, frequently. Andrew's doctor told me about a website called Kids Out And About, it should come in very handy.

I know summer starts later here in NY... what are you all doing in your areas to keep the barbarian hoards, I mean, cute little munchkins, entertained these days?

Personal Shoppers - A Giveaway!

This should be FUN!!

Okay, I need a little blog reader help. I have this shoot coming up for my spot on PBS's Beads Baubles & Jewels. I just received info in the mail telling be all about the what nots of being on tv. Of course, I flipped right to the spot about what to wear!! LOL. The criteria is tough, so I need your help!!

I know y'all are a bunch of wild web surfers... find me something to wear! I need a top that can fit the terms and conditions below. You leave me a comment with a link to a website telling me what you found that you think will work. You have read my blog... so you know "me" and you have seen plenty of photos of me so you know what I like. Put you knowledge to good use.

Here is what it has to be or rather NOT be:
1 - NOT black, white, or red (not even a white tank top under a button up, though a black one would be okay if it is with another color)
2 - 3/4 to full length sleeves, no short sleeves or sleeveless (apparently it is very unflattering to everyone)
3 - the camera like jewel tones or bright colors, pastels are only so-so
4 - Avoid large florals or geometric prints
5 - no tiny stripes, polka dots, or check (they 'dance' on the screen)
6 - has to be able to accommodate a microphone
7 - nothing heavy or warm, lighting is HOT
8 - try to make it reasonable priced, let's say under $80, please

Now, to make finding me what to wear worth wild... I am going to do a giveaway!! I haven't decided what I will send you, but it will be good. Which ever top I decide to order will decide the winner.

Get to surfing and find me a shirt!!

Copy/Paste

I come from a very talented family. This is my cousin Henry in his Senior movie project. He steals the spotlight! It is fabulous.

I Bought Two Copies

Along with the Glass Wear exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery, there is another exhibit showing. It is called Maira Kalman: The Elements Of Style. Anyone who has had to take a college English class has heard of the classic book explaining the rules of writing by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White that White started writing in 1918. I had time during the trunk show to wander through the museum and this exhibit really got my attention.

Kalman is an illustrator and this collection of her original drawings was so... lovely. Yes, lovely is a good word. And funny... and colorful. What a brilliant idea this artist had to give new life to an old stuffy book. It gives it such a personality. The titles of her pieces are names like "Well, Susan this is a fine mess you are in" to go with a basset hound on a pink background and "Know - Ledge" to an image of a man in a library and a window ledge. I slowly worked my way past each piece in the collection, smiling and even laughing out loud along the way.

I came out of the exhibit, walked straight to the gallery store, and bought two copies of the book. Yes, two. Why two? Well, as a soon to be author I had to have a copy to read from cover to cover. I love reading this like "22. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end." And the second to cut the illustrations out of, matte and frame them, and hang them on my living room wall.



I have had a big area of blank wall in my living room since moving in last summer. One of the things I told myself when we moved in was that I wouldn't hang anything, anything, on the walls that I didn't LOVE. I know me, I would hang something so-so and leave it for years out of laziness. So, the rule is I have to love it or the walls stay bare. I was hugely inspired by Kelly Rae's living room picture montage. But I held off on doing something like it waiting for the right "thing" to put in the frames. Illustrations from The Elements of Style is the thing!

The colors are fantastic, I picked things with lots of soft pinks and oranges with my favorite shades of blue. Ron even likes the idea! (we don't often agree on decor things) His only request was that there be spaces between the images on the wall (no touching frames). There is a big empty space in the photo because one of the frames I bought was damamged.



I have stared at a blank wall for so many months now, it looks a little odd to have something finally hanging there. I am going to give it time to grow on me. I would love to see pics of other living rooms!! Leave links in comments :)

(Oh, please excuse the craptastic grainy photos. Something is going on with my camera, again. But I am finally going to take care of that problem... I am getting me a new camera!!)

Website Update

Check out new designs in the following categories:

Knock Out Necklaces
Bevy Of Bracelets
Pendant Pandemonium

Weekend Sewing

A big thanks to everyone to stopped by this weekend! The trunk show was slow most of the time, but did have a steady drip-drip-drip of people. I ended up taking a total of 42 pieces to the show (I made extra Mod Dots & the Gallery had two bracelets on hand). Of those, 10 pieces sold and the gallery kept another 7. A few people had "dibs" on designs that didn't sell... and that leaves me with 21 pieces to list on the website. Imagine that! A website update!! I haven't posted new designs in ages. I will be working on posting things later this afternoon. Keep an eye out for all the pretties.

I got out of the gallery at 4pm on Saturday with just enough time to run over to the fabric store. I bought a copy of Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing last week and I have been itching to make the "Yard Sale Skirt". The shop closed at 5pm, so I had to speed just a little bit. LOL. But I got there in time. I wanted to find a fabric that was light and soft, and something that would match my new Buttercup top that I am working on knitting. I was looking for a yellow-gray color combo and thought I had seen one the other day when I was getting Andrew's Birthday Quilt fat quarters, but apparently I was wrong. I settled instead on this yellow and green one. And hey, not only will they match Buttercup, but it matches my "Pucker" top too.

I shimmed up into one of the apple trees in our backyard to get a photo like the one on the cover of the book, but this just didn't quite cut it, lol. I think my skirt turned out like camouflage for my backyard. I really love it. It is just the right length. It is soft and swingy. And both Jacob and Ron told me I looked pretty yesterday. That makes me smile. There are a few other patterns I can't wait to try from the book too!

In other news: I have a post today over at Watch Me Create! I had a light bulb moment about how my desk reflects my state of mind. You can read more about it over there.

Something else happened when I had the light bulb go off about the desk thing... I realized that I have tons of "stuff" that I don't use... beads mostly. And more beads... and components too. From my days before glass and wire. We are going to have a big De-Stash Bash!! Mark your calenders!! On July 1st I am loading up my Bead Box with rock bottom prices. I want this stuff outta here. You know if I bought it once, it was because I thought it was awesome and would use it. Things are still awesome, I just have to admit I am not gonna use it. LOL.

Trunk Show... Ready Set Go

I made it through the first night of my trunk show. I thought you would like to see the display I have going on. These three pedistal things are smack in the center of the store. All I had to bring was my fabric and some busts to set the jewelry out on. The display showing the "Re-Inspired Junk Collection" is rather low. I would say it is at about knee level. The ladies in the store assure me it has never been a problem though. I decided to keep all the collection pieces together and up on the higher area are my "all glass" pieces.

I will be at the museum all afternoon, from noon to 4pm. I hope more of you will be by to visit me!!

Long Distance Phone Call

This photo is a little deceiving. I don't think you can tell much about this necklace from this one little picture. It is so cool! Those beads are hollow and BIG! I would say they are slightly smaller then ping pong balls, but not much smaller. And those coil, swirly links, they are about 3inches long (or 10inches of coil straightened out). It is a great summer length, about 22 inches. Lots of colors too, of course.

Anyone bored of jewelry? LOL. I AM!! Two solid weeks of new jewelry designs everyday and I am bored outta my skull with my blog. We need a little more life thrown in here. Which has been going on in the background. I have been knitting my fingers to the bones on my Buttercup top. Andrew is finishing up his baseball season with his last game on Friday night. And speaking of Andrew, I started picking out the fabrics for his birthday quilt. Remember, I made Lauren a birthday quilt and I said I wanted to make each kid one. Designing a quilt is fun and nerve wracking. What if my measurements are off?!? LOL. Oh, I signed me and the kids up at the YMCA for the summer. Should be fun! We spent the evening at a place called The Epicenter. They have electronic bikes, wii's, ant wall, indoor playground/swing set thing, and more. It was great!

Back to business though... Tonight is the night!! I will be at the Gallery Store inside the Memorial Art Gallery from 6-9pm. I was talking to Ron last night and told him just how nervous I am about this. People are going to get to see my new designs in person for the first time! What if they don't like them? Eeeekkkk. I think it will be fine. And I hope to see some of you there!!

A Shadow Box

Does anyone still have a shadow box? My Mom does. She used to have several all around the house. They were old printer's tray screwed to the wall and filled with bits and bobs. Mom is down to just four now, on one wall in her room. And I think it is mostly filled with Wades. I remember having to clean all those miniatures on job jar days when I was a kid. There were 100s of tiny little figures that needed dusting. It is no wonder I tend to be a neat freak about cleaning... I was trained that way, lol.

Anyway, the minute I put this necklace on... I thought about shadow boxes. I have no idea why, lol. Maybe it is the dark rich purples that reminded me shadows... then word association led to the next. Hmmmm. Who knows?

I didn't get a "beauty" shot of it before it went to the museum on Monday. So, this will have to do.

Big BOOOM

Oh My Stars... we heard the most intense crack of thunder last night. Ron swears it was the loudest he has ever heard in his life. You Moms know what that means! Yep, the kids slept in our room, lol. On top of that, Jacob has been vomiting since 9:30 last night. The last time I looked at the clock was around 3am. Ugh. And here it is, barely 7am, and I am up at facing the day. Nice to know things will be relaxed and I can lounge a bit while waiting for Thursday.

Check out my latest Mod Dot experiments! These beads are BIG! They are an inch and half in diameter. So bigger then a half dollar coin. I never get board of Mod Dots. It got me wondering just how long I have been making them. I remember my very first set of them, I used them in THIS BRACELET. I liked those so much, I made them into sprees for THIS BRACELET. And then I started experimenting with color for THIS BRACELET. Those were from the Fall of 2006... that is almost three years!! Oh oh... remember Rustic Dotism? Or how about Artist's Drop Cloth? Not to mention all the times they have shown up as Bead Box Beads.

*sigh* I love my Mod Dots.

Ring-A-Ling-A-Lings

Helloooo...

You guys remember the book Wire Style that I contributed on last year? Follow the link and scroll down and check out the last page of the "preview". You can see my "Ring A Ling" design on the back cover. It isn't on the back cover of the book sstore shelf copies but it is there online. Out of the blue, this design popped back in my head and I decided I had to do a few for this week's show.

I decided to have fun and do them up in BRIGHTS! Lots of brights! You know what is great about these? They fit any one. If you think it is too long, squeeze together those coil and you can shrink these up at least an inch. If you need something a little longer, pull those coils out and you can add length. Cool huh?

I am very excited to have met my goal of 30 new pieces fof this week's trunk show. Actually, I passed the goal! I am taking 32 pieces in this afternoon. Everything has been polished and tagged. Today is the day that I will drop things off to the gallery so they can input it all into their system. One of the nice things about this show is that I don't have to handle the transactions. They do it all! It does mean I have to give them a huge percentage of the sale price, but it all benefits the museum so that is good.

As a reminder: the show starts THURSDAY June 11th and I will be there from 6-9pm. I will be there FRIDAY from noon - 4pm. And again on SATURDAY from 10-4pm! I hope to see lots of you there.

Weekend Eye Candy

I got to go on a date with my hubby last night. Imagine that! We got some yummy dinner, and then stopped off at the store and bought 2 slices of cheese cake. We took our cake and went to the pier at Webster Park with a cup of mocha coffee to share. It was a much needed break and it was devine.

It Ain't All Junk

Now what kind of lampwork bead making, wire working, book writer would I be if I did all "junk" pieces for next week's show? LOL. Ya knew I was gonna make some all glass n' wire stuff, didn't ya?

Up top is a piece I am calling "Make Mine Mint". It is the same design as "Spring Into Action" but the colors are inspired by "simple bloom". It is so soft and light with the etched surface of the beads. Yep, they are all hollows. I have done lots of hollows lately, haven't I? I reworked the design slightly. I have some fine sterling silver rolo chain just small enough to fit the hole in the beads. These "springs" tend to pinch in just a bit with the weight of the beads against them. So, even though to string it the right way, eventually, there is beading line exposed at the ends. Yuck! I much rather see a small bit of exposed chain than exposed beading line. There is more vintage chain too. Actually it is a big chunky layered chain necklace that I found at an estate sale for $2. Nice.

Down below is "Cosmic Pop". Oh. My. Stars. I am in love with Dark Periwinkle and Coral Orange. I used to love all things turquoise and orange... but now it is all the dark periwinkle. I have really been enjoying my torch time and working with my glass. I am liking playing with the shape of the bead, and exaggerating the size of those shapes. So you'll be seeing lots more of these shapes showing up in my work. I am also suddenly addicted to making spheres. Yeah, spheres! Perfectly round little goodies, not the usual doughnut shaped beads. So more new designs with those coming soon too.

I have a confession to make. I have been creating in utter swill and chaos. I took photos of my desk yesterday and it was an embarrassing site to say the least. I am pretty sure there was mold growing in one of the coffee cups I had there... ew. So I spent a good hour cleaning things up. Oh how happy that makes my inner OCD-self "Carrie", lol. It was a long time coming. I actually had to have 16g wire overnighted because my desk was so messy that I didn't know I ran out!! It is so much easier to create in cleanliness then in chaos! After the desk cleaning, I set to making beads and after four straight hours, my kiln was over flowing. And when I opened the kiln this morning and pulled the beads out for cleaning.... eeeekkkkk... I squealed. I am loving them!! I will give you a hint... think BRIGHT... and think "Ring-A-Ling".

Pretty Pretty Flower Flower

LOL... no I didn't name this one. Lauren did! The other night she was trying to earn an extra night of dessert (we only do ice cream for dessert two nights a week). So she decided to clean her own closet. I was working on editing photos and taking too long in her opinion. She wanted me to see her clean closet and get her ice cream. I told her things would go faster if she helped.

I was editing this photo when she offered her services. I said "what should this one be called?" She said "Pretty Pretty Flower Flower". I said "okay". LOL. I was at a loss for what to call it so, her name works. I checked out her room and she did an awesome job cleaning her room!!

Blooming Bangle & Book Bummer

Those checking in today may notice that I took the sticky note off the top of the blog. Bad news. :( Turns out that book two isn't going to happen. The British publisher, Quarto, who asked me to write the synopsis and articles used to create presentation spreads, needed a US publisher to sign on to the project before it could go live. The US publisher decided to pass on the project. Without a US publisher, the project can't move forward. So it goes. I am really bummed about it. This book had such an awesome concept and I really think it would have done well. You can't win them all, right?

But as one door closes, another one opens. I don't know if I can share this yet, but what the heck! I have been asked to do a spot on PBS's Beads Baubles and Jewels!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!? Me, on TV!! LOL. As always, there is the chance that things could change, everything is always tentative until it happens. But I will let you know more details as it gets closer.

A huge thanks for all the wonderful comments on the jewelry this week!! I will keep things coming right up until the show on Thursday June 11th. Today's design is a bracelet for the "Re-Inspired Junk Collection". It is made much like my "Sandy Lanterns" bangle. The way I attached the hollow to the top allows it to pivot and spin on the top of that bloom. So fun, but the bangle/cuff style wire work keeps it tight to your wrist so it doesn't go any where. I worked in the studio for a few hours yesterday and made a bunch of hollow for even more new pieces!! Some turned out exactly as I hoped, some not so good. Oh well. I better get back to work.

Metallic Popper & Pillow Talk

While I was in Loveland, the bed I slept in had the BEST pillows. So soft and so smooshie. My head just sank right in and I was out like a light. In total there were NINE pillows on the bed. Six were decorative, and three for sleeping.

Now, my bed at home, if has six pillows in all. Three for me, three for Ron. Two of them are king size pillows for our king size bed, though they are far from fluffy. Two are flatter then pancakes and probably 1 years old. And the other two are somewhere in between the flat pancake and the far from fluffy. Each night when I climb into bed, I throw the "in between" pillow on the floor, and sleep on my flat pancake pillow and my king size, far from fluffy one. It works. I have tried using the pillows in a different order. Ya know, using the mid-sized one with the flat one or the mid-sized one with the king one. Those nights, I don't sleep so good.

So, yesterday I was wandering around Target. (One of my favorite things to do!) And I thought... "I should check out the pillows! Maybe I could get ones for our bed like the ones at the apartment in CO. Yes, Yes, Yes!". I wandered up and down the pillow aisle. There were firm ones, soft ones, smooshie ones, down ones, and down free ones. Prices ranged from $3.99 to $29.99. I instantly ruled out the firm ones... and the prices ruled out the down and down-free ones. That left me with soft ones or smooshie ones. I went with the $3.99 smooshie ones, LOL.

I was so excited to get home and try out the new pillows. Ron teased and said I should have gone to TJMaxx and looked for Nautica Pillows, lol. But no I was convinced, my smooshie $4 pillows would be great. Hello? Wouldn't anything be better than flat pancake pillows? With fresh clean pillow cases, I set to try to get to sleep at around 10pm last night.

At first, my head hit that smooshie pillow and it was cradled in all kinds of smooshiness. *sigh*

But then... slowly but surely... I became uncomfortable. I was punching and prodding the smoosh. I was twisting and turning. I tried different layer options too with the flat pancake pillow and then with the king size one. My new smooshie pillow wasn't smooshie, it was springy!! It was a firm pillow in disguise!! You put your head down and *think* that you are in a happy smooshie place but NO! It springs back and gets firm and soon you find yourself bashing your head against it tryng to find the smooshie spot again. DANG IT!

After a thirty minute fight where the smooshie pillow won, I was back to my king size far from fluffy pillow and the flat pancake one. Oh well... the hunt for the perfect (and inexpensive) pillow goes on.

As for today's jewelry!! This is "Metallic Popper", and new favorite. I wore this to a part on Sunday and I just love it. There are 72 small metallic silver plum rounds strung to hang the big popper pendant and they have an almost mirror like finish to them. The big lime green hollow is just the right contrasting color for the plum and pink. LOVE IT! And just a little more of the vintage enameled oval and round chain. *sweet*

Rusted Tea Party

Oh what a fun week this is going to be! I had a very productive weekend. Which means you are going to see a week FULL of new jewelry designs! The Glass Wear : Wear Glass Trunk Show is coming up fast and with all these new designs, I should be ready. My goal is 30 new pieces and right now I am at 8, so I am getting there. Up first... "Rusted Tea Party".

This new piece needs to come with a warning, if you are ticklish, wear it over a higher neckline. LOL. Those little petals are so tickly. The design is simple, there is a length of vintage paper clip style chain. From there is linked a second chain that is ovals and circles. The vintage floral components are wired on with sterling and there are tiny orange and copper green rounds. Oh and some teeny weenie four leaf flowers added with some bright jump rings.

I like the colors of this piece a lot. It maybe a bit "fall-ish", but who cares? I tried this one with a brown tee shirt I had layered with a blue tank top and it looked perfect. It wasn't out of place at all against the blue. *sigh* I love blue.