Like Trying To Eat An Elephant

My father in law, Butch (Ron's step dad), was over at the new house yesterday giving it a once over with his master electrician eye. Weeks ago we waived our engineer's inspection when we went non-contingent so this was our opportunity to get a better idea of just how "sound" the structure of our 1946 house is. Thankfully, the house won't be falling down anytime soon. Though it does have some "need to get to in the future" projects that will need handling. (ex: new electric... imagine that, our electrician thinks we need electric... some how I saw that coming.) But for the most part, everything needing doing is minor and cosmetic.

In our chat about projects, Butch said something that stuck with me. He said "this house is going to be like eating an elephant... have you heard that before?" I said I hadn't and he explained. "Say some one tells you 'ya gotta eat an elephant' you'll look at it all at once and think it is impossible, can't be done, no way, too hard... but if you take it one bite at a time, you'll get through it". I really liked that and I am keeping that in the fore front of my mind.

I think it is kind of needless to say that I am really really stressed out right now. My OCD inclined alter ego has definitely taken over this week and is making sure everything that needs getting done is getting done. I feel hyper focus and if I deviate even for a few minutes from what I have planned in my head to do... I lose track and feel overwhelmed. I have been stopping myself and saying "a bite at a time". The new living room is about 400 sq feet... it is a big room... and I thought painting it would be a breeze. That was until about 5 minutes into it. The walls are long and I felt like I was working on one wall endlessly. So I started to say "just get to the window... okay done... get to the corner... okay done". It took two days but it is done. (Thanks to help from my Dad! He did the spackle work on one wall that was badly damaged.)

People have sent me emails and friends have called saying "I don't know how you aren't completely freaking out!". I think it is because I am keeping really busy and just don't have time to freak out. And the meticulous planning in my head helps too. I just keep going until it is time for bed, then I crash. I even found a few minutes to string a pair of necklaces up. Below is "Beach Bum Blues". Creating defintely helps keeping me sane... making jewelry... and even little things like figuring out how to get a picture of me painting while I am the only one in the house.

I love this necklace. The colors are wonderful, year round, colors. And I really like the pool of sea mossy green blue that transparent aqua makes when it sits in ivory. Deeeeelish! OH... and those new wire coil cones for end caps... too cool. But the secret to making those I am saving for my book :) (yeah, I am still working on that!!)

Oh crap... I deviated!! What was I saying? What was I doing? Grrr... I better get back to work!!

Things My Kids Say

Jacob (age 10): "Oompa Loompas used to freak me out when I was a kid."

Re-Enchanted

I decided yesterday (and had to explain this to Ron) that life wouldn't be what it is if we didn't have stories to tell about the things we do. And the more there is to the story... the more rewarding it is to share. At least, that is how I am going to think about it.

Get a cup of coffee... this is going to take a while.

I can't even tell how many blog posts I have done so far about this whole buying a house and moving thing. Be prepared because here comes another one. But it all adds to the tale we will always have to tell about how we found, fought for, lost, recaptured, stressed about, hated, then loved again this house on Maple Drive. I have already told you the found, fought for, lost, recaptured, and stressed about parts. Now you need to hear the hated then loved again part.

Thursday morning we went to the new house for our final walk through. We were earlier then everyone else. So we wandered around the yard. I should really have started by telling you just how excited I was about this walk through. We hadn't been in the house since April. I couldn't wait to get back in and be reminded why I fought so had for it those months ago. I was giddy about being there again. Just so so so excited! My heart absolutely broke as I we started to walk around the house.

First, we came up the front walk to the small screened porch off the kitchen. Along the sidewalk, in the one week the house was empty, something else moved in. There was a large, I am talkin' 2 foot wide, 1 foot (or more) deep, HOLE that burrowed and hollowed out under the sidewalk!! Turns out it is a ground hog. We venture out into our beautiful new one acre back yard... and there are 3 very large, very old maple trees (imaging that, maple trees on Maple Dr). DEAD!! One is completely gone, the largest and oldest in the center of the yard is about 75% gone, and then a smaller one that shades the large deck has about 20% dead. WHAT THE HECK?!?! Why are all the trees dead?!? We saw the trees first, then turned our heads to look at the deck... underneath it was cram packed with junk. An old plastic kiddie sandbox/pool, pvc pipes, tarps, and wood, lots of wood. The wood I didn't mind so much as the house has a beautiful wood burning stove, but the garbage turned my stomach. We head out to the old shed in the back corner of the property next. We knew the shed was in rough shape, but the bones were solid, it just needed the siding replaced on it. Yeah, that is what we thought until we walked up to it, opened the door and the doors fell off the hinges. Not to mention, we had to wade though 10inches of grass to get there. The lawn... not mowed this year.

Somewhat needless to say, we were dumb founded/furious/frustrated/confused about what to think and what to do. And, we hadn't even been inside yet.

The impact of what we were to find on the inside left us thinking that we should say screw it to the possibility of $30,000 in litigation fess, we are backing out before we buy a lemon not even worth what we paid!! The door opened and we were nailed with the stench of wet dog and mold. Two smells I assure you were no where to be found on our first three visits to the house. In the kitchen, every door and every drawer were open, which I think made "Carrie" a little upset. That and the thick grime that coated the counter tops. Into the dinning room and the baseboards had about an inch of dust and grime. In Jacob's new room, the door was off the hinges, walls were mangled, it looked like someone spilled soda on one wall and didn't clean it and on the floor it was so black you could hardly tell if the hardwoods were salvageable. Andrew's room has a chair rail that we noticed this time seemed to be falling off. In the boy's bathroom, there were holes in tiles where fixtures had once been. I am guessing the former owners' thought they might need those in there new place. Venture up my favorite twisted staircase to the second floor, then open the door to our neat nook of a storage closet to find a FOOTBALL SIZED HOLE IN THE WALL! If those things weren't enough, there were screws (not nails, screws) left in every wall. (Lindsey can vouch for this, I am not exaggerating... she saw the repair work!) Many of those screws had nickle size holes around them. In the main living room, holes in the carpet in every corner. In the entry way, tiles broken in the threshold of the closet. Basement had about 2 dozen paint cans and more junk.

I could keep going but I think this is enough to give you a picture of what had Ron in the basement squatting on the floor ready to throw up saying "I don't want this, I don't want this, what are we going to do?"

The response from the agent of the sellers... "you buy the things you didn't see". Excuse me? What did she just say?

We went home, called our lawyer and were presented with three options... back out (and pay upwards of $25-$20K for lawyers fees, damages and litigation), go through with the closing and relist the property for sale with little hope that it would sell for what we paid for it, or go through with the closing and keep waiting for our Coppersmith Trl house to sell. Ron was so so so very tempted to say to hell with the money I am not buying this house, let them try to sue me. Our lawyer ended up getting in touch with the attorney of the sellers. They were insisting that there were never fixtures in that bathroom, the tiles were always broken, the hole in the closet was there, the holes in the carpets were there... they can't stop a ground hog from moving in and the trees were alive last summer.

Their lawyer happens to be a very good friend of our family (also the Webster Town Judge). He graduated high school with my Mom and had a crush on her sister (or so the story goes). My Mom even used to clean is law office back in the day when she cleaned houses while we were in school. I went there a time or two to help her while preggers with Jacob trying to induce contractions!! LOL. When Ron and I contemplated not being married in a church, he was going to do our ceremony!! So, we go way back with their lawyer. When everything happened back in April, my Mom kept saying "do you want me to give David a call (the lawyer) and tell him that it is you?" I told her repeatedly "NO" because I felt that I didn't want to pull strings, he needed to represent his clients the best way he knows how. I can't ask him to put is integrity aside and possibly wreck our family friendship. A few weeks later though, my Mom did run into him on the street and she scolded him and threatened not to make him anymore apple pies, lol. All light hearted at the time since everything had worked out for the best at that point. But now, he knew who the people on the other side of the table are. When we called with our laundry list of concerns he personally took care of everything!! He himself went and cleaned the garbage out from under the deck, he had the lawn mowed (and weed whacked), and he offered to pay for the damage to the walls. How can you say "we are backing out" when a friend of your family takes out of his own pocket the money to fix your concerns?

So, yesterday we went through with the closing. Ron didn't say a single word through the hour of paper signing. He was sick with concern and worry. Saying he was having panic attacks about the subject is putting mildly. After we closed and were given the keys, I sent Ron home to worry about Lauren and school... I went to the house to tackle the mess. If we were going to relist it for sale, it would need work. I pulled in the driveway and walked to the door... the ground hog hole was filled in, the lawn was mowed and it had just rained but the sun was starting to shine and the gardens (though needing weeding) were bright with yellow butter cups. I went inside, took a deep breath and sighed... I was totally re-enchanted. It was the house I fought for. The sun poured into the rooms... there was no smell... yes we needed to wash floors, and yes there were screws to remove with holes to fill... but this was it... this was what I fought for and I was in love again. I smiled a huge grin, walked through the rooms of our new home, ran my hands along the walls, imagined what would fill its nooks and crannies... it just felt so right.

I spent a few hours there yesterday afternoon and my Mom & Dad came to help. Dad took out all the screws (in every room) and spackled every hole. I'll go back tonight or tomorrow, sponge the holes and give them another coat. Mom washed most of the floors (much to Carrie's disappointment). I worked on the kitchen cabinets and the counters (grim gone, YEAH!). Every room will need to be painted, something I thought I would have months/years to do, but will now do over the next few weeks. I convinced Ron to come back to the house last night, to try to get him to feel what I felt being in there. It was hard for him, but he is coming around. We are dropping the price on Coppersmith Trail (again) and giving it a few more weeks. If it still doesn't sell, we will list Maple Drive for sale and try to recover what we can of our loses. At least if we sell that and stay here another 18 months, we will earn the last $10,000 of our grant. That would make up for our lost closing costs.

So, as I said to Ron last night as we walked through the freshly mowed new back yard... it didn't go smoothly at all, and there are lots of uncertain things still ahead... but someday when we are sitting on our deck with friends and they ask us how we found our house... dang will we have one heck of a story to tell!! Life would be boring if all we had to say was our house was handed to us on a silver platter.

The Double Bind ~ A Book Review

First of all... thank you all so much for your comments and emails of support! You all ROCK and I love you!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that I can come here, vent/ramble/pout, and know that I have friends to give me the support I need. So, thank you!

Now, I know you are wondering when the hell I am gonna have beads on this blog again!! They are a coming... you'll just have to be patient, lol. I made beads yesterday... yummy beads... cool beads... so-delicious-you-are-gonna-want-to-eat-them beads! They are soaking in a tea cup full of water as we speak. I need to get them cleaned and inspected, then I'll make more to go with them, then I'll decide if they are jewelry beads or Bead Box beads (or both), and then I will make more, and then I will offer 'em up. But just to give you a little clue as to what they are... any of you peps remember what happens when you mix ivory and transparent teal?

Anyway... time has come to a crawl. It is all the anxiety and anticipation leading to tomorrow (the closing on the new house) that is doing it. Yesterday was incredibly tedious. Not only did I make beads, but I took Lauren to pre-op appointment, mowed the lawn, washed 3 loads of laundry, other wise cleaned the house, made dinner and read the first 207 pages of my latest book club book. In recent months I have been a bad book club member. I go to our get togethers, but have been boycotting the books. I didn't want to read Sharp Objects or the one before that (can't even remember what it was). But, I was happy when we voted that we picked the book we did, so this time I am reading it.

Having the book to read has been a HUGE escape for me mentally. It is an intriguing story and I am really really enjoying it. The book is The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. Last year we read Midwives by this other author and I really didn't care for it. I didn't like the writing style or how a man was attempting to capture the essence of childbirth (no man will ever have a clue about THAT). I am having the total opposite experience with this book. I love the writing, I love the characters, I love the plot. It is a don't-want-to-put-it-down kind of book.

I haven't finished it yet, so this "review" is a little premature. But I will be sure to let you know if I am happy with it all the way through to the end. So far... you gotta read it!!

Wait Lists

I think that it is pretty apparent that I am not a patient person. I know I have an inner two year old and I accept that. I have grown accustomed to it, lol. I want a new glass color... I order it... I want a new tool... I buy it. Patience smacience. I don't do patience.

These past few months have tested my patience in more ways then I can name. A few things came to a head today, so to speak, and it has me reflecting on patience, and life lessons. So bare with me while I get a little introspective. I find myself in the midst of a life lesson in patience. I have had to be patient about the house, both buying and selling. I am learning better patience with my kids, their wants and needs. I am teaching myself patience in my business (because of the house) to save and buy better/more wisely.

In some ways, the lessons are paying off. I did better research and was able to save over $100 on some sterling supplies I needed. Then used my scrap metal to pay for what I needed to buy. In the past I would have just ordered what I wanted from the same old place for the same high price. So my patience did my business good. I am getting better with being patient with the kids too. It works... things are good with them.

In other ways, I am being pushed to be more patient. I received two letters today... one via email and one via my old fashion mailbox. The first was in the mailbox, a letter informing me that I have been put on the "Wait List" for the 2nd year in a row on an art show that I really want to be a part of. The second was the email saying I am on the "Wait List" for the other show that I was dying to do this year. I have been accepted to all the others I am usually accepted to, but these two continue to elude me. So, more waiting there and another year of trying to get "good enough" to get into those.

The other thing forcing me to be more patient is the house. Things didn't end up going well last night. The couple's realtor (who our realtor said is shady) convinced the couple that our house is too small. So... no offer on the house. And now, our final walk through is scheduled, our closing is scheduled... everything is moving forward and we have to be patient when it comes to this house. Ugh.

Okay, so I don't have any point to get to with this yet. I don't think you can have a point until you are finished learning the lesson. I guess I still have loads to learn in this patience lesson. I'll let you know when I have learned it.

Don't Jinx It

I really don't want to jinx it, but I am feeling excited and good about this so, I wanted to share. Yesterday's open house seems to have gone well. There was a Polish man who came by with his sister (his translator). He really liked the house. Unfortunately, his wife was working and didn't get to see the house. The realtor told us they would probably call and set up a time to come back. Nope, no call... they just showed up yesterday evening!! And now they are coming back again tonight at 6pm.

This couple really seems to be the perfect fit for our house. They are slightly older with no/grown kids, so the smaller size doesn't bother them. They loved the pool. They come from a farming community in Poland so they love the open fields behind our house and the big yard. They like the quiet neighborhood too and don't like the loud, busy area they are in now. Plus, a huge deal for us, they would have a non-contingent offer.

I am so so so hoping that this is the couple we have been waiting for and that things will fall right into place. We are supposed to close on the new house on Friday. It would be such a relief to close with an offer accepted on this house. Nothing like leaving things to the last minute, right? lol.

Cross everybody part you have and think positive thoughts for us today!! And thank you so so much for following me on this crazy house buying journey :)

Sally Seashell

This is Sally Seashell... and she eats Jenga for lunch. You better be on guard or you'll be next. LOL. Check out the latest addition to the Bogert Family!! One of my Mom's beautiful Siamese kittens (she is a blue point) has become Andrew's (yet Mom is the one changing the litter and making sure she is fed) new best friend (and transition thing to the new house). Yes, her eyes are crossed... yes, they are always crossed... yes, she is okay with that. She is quiet the "talker" and no, Bity Kity (our two year old cat) isn't happy she is here. Oh, the things we do for our kids. LOL.

Anyway, we are suffering through a 90+degree weekend. Yesterday 94... today 92... tomorrow and Monday 90+ as well. Gang it is HOT!! Who is going to want to buy a house with no central air? I am thinking things might not go well for tomorrow's open house, but hey, who knows! I buried a St. Joseph in the front garden (upside down, facing the house... THANKS MARCIA!) I have faith... it might work!

As for me, I want to curl up and smooch my hubby in our air conditioned bed room, but those dang kids need watching while swimming in the pool. I am looking forward to getting back to the usual thang next week. It'll be a stressfull one, but I wanna make some new beads... play with jewelry... work on my Parallel Crossings project. I can't wait.

Saying Goodbye

I am such a crier. I hate saying "goodbye", it breaks my heart every time. I could barely even get the words out to say goodbye with the knot in my throat trying to hold back tears. Lucy is up in the air right now, headed back to NYC and then to England. She left with promises that the next visit wouldn't be so far off. Maybe shopping in New York at Christmas or meeting up with the kids in Disney next Spring. The visit was much much much too short. And I can't wait to see her again. LOVE YOU LUCY!!!

Okay, see... there I go again, the knot is back in my throat.

Anyway... I have some beady things to tell you. This weekend is Fairport Canal Days here in the Rochester Area. I don't have a booth this year (I haven't since the 1st year I did it about 4 yrs ago). HOWEVER, The Millstone Block, smack dab on Main Street just north of the lift bridge, will have a display of my jewelry. I (with help from Lucy too) made a fresh batch of bottle cap pendants and they'll be there with a couple other goodies. If you are in the area, I hope you'll stop by to check things out and get yourself something special.

Other beady news... pop over to Parallel Crossings and check out what is going on in the first challenge exchange!! I received my beads from Cassie and she should have hers today!! I can't wait to dive into this project (and the million others I have going on).

As for the house... we are set to close on the new house next week. As of yet, we still have no offers on this house. It has all been extremely stressful. There is the slight possibility that we are going to see if the couple that "bumped" us a few weeks ago still want the house. I have my fingers crossed that we will have an awesome turn out to our (4th) open house on Sunday and that people will be putting in multiple offers. Put some positive energy and prayers out there for us!! I don't want to let my new house go!!

She did it!

Lucy is a natural!!

Friendly Visit

Here we are inside Cavern Cascade at the Watkin's Glen State Park. It was a positively picture perfect day yesterday. I have tons of photos of the gorge to edit and share. But first, it is a day of shopping ahead of us. I haven't been to the mall in about 8months, lol. Should be interesting.

I just uploaded photos to Flickr. Check out our walk HERE! It really is a hidden treasure of a place.

Wire Style Preview!

Look what I found hiding in a link in a Beading Daily email!!! I have been waiting for this for over a year!!!

Check out Wire Style, available for pre-purchase on Amazon.

Here is the book description:

Featuring original ideas from top jewelry designers, this collection covers a range of contemporary and stylish projects, such as bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and pendants. Beginning with a primer on basic tools and techniques and covering fundamental wire-working skills in detail, including wire-wrapping, weaving, coiling, chain-making, hammering, texturing, and oxidizing, this guide helps jewelry makers of all skills levels develop a range of talents. Each project includes a comprehensive materials list and step-by-step instructions that guide crafters through a variety of projects, including wrapping found objects with wire, making chain mail, creating spirals, straightening wire, making jump rings and ear wires, and creating clasps. Constructed with many different materials—from precious metals to plated and colored wire—these striking creations are a mix of funky and fabulous wire designs combined with stones, beads, and cords to create an interesting and eclectic jewelry collection.

I have 6 projects in the book!! I can't wait to get my copy and pour over the pages. I wrote the projects Winter 07. I can hardly remember what they look like. It will be interesting to see how they blend in with the other projects. I am hoping with this being published now, I can get more feedback about my own book. I want to see my name on the cover of one of those some day!!

I Forgot!

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this sooner!! We are having company!! FROM ENGLAND!! My dear friend, Lucy, is flying over the pond tomorrow and staying with me for the week. I can't wait to see her. It has been almost 7 years since our last visit.

I have lots of (what I think are) fun things planned. We'll be going downtown for a night out with my sister, a 1st birthday party for my little cousin Amber, a visit to Watkin's Glen and a winery tour too. Not to mention just hanging out in the back yard and going to the boys' baseball games. I think she'll need a margarita night too. OH, and we gotta go to Aja Noodle!!

I expect I will be out of commission for the whole week. But I hope to pop in once or twice with some of our adventures.

Hey, maybe I will teach Lucy how to make beads :)

Pendant Pandemonium

My stars y'all are fast!! You were helping yourselves to Big Honker Hollows before I was even done listing them. LOL, Not that I mind, just be sure that you speed racers go back and check out the other cool new things I posted. There is a beautiful new Glass Cameo, Talk The Wonk and Walk The Wonk too. Don't forget... you don't have to wear the hollows as pendants, you could use them in your own jewelry designs.

I really loved making these hollows and it is definitely something I am going to do more often. Lauren had one of those "little windows" yesterday where the Mortin was working. She came out to the studio with me and we made all those hollows together. She would tell me what color I should do next. It was great! Turns out the little gal has strep throat. Antibiotics has been picked up and a nap has been had. They'll be no baseball for us tonight. Maybe we'll make more beads :)


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
earlier today...

I had a really great hollow torch session yesterday and I have been able to string up some really cool new things this morning!! I will post them later this afternoon, so keep an eye out for them!!

I'll be back later with lots of photos and details. First though, Lauren is taking a trip to the pediatrician.

One for Me, One for You

Beady connoisseurs will recognize, right off the bat, that the bead on the left looks a lot like an Amy Johnson Sucker Explosion bead. I love the wild forms in Amy's work, and decided a few months ago that I just had to make myself one of her giant hollows. I wear it all the time, no matter if it matches what I am wearing or not. I just love love love it. Carter Seibels of Divali Glass Jewelry has some cool hollow pendants too.

I have been wondering for a while now how I could take the idea of a single giant hollow focal and make it my own. That's where the beady on the left comes in. I was experimenting with layering giant dots on a hollow and I think I am coming close to where I want to be with the bead design. I still need to work on color (this was just what I happened to have on my desk at the time). I will keep you posted on how they continue to evolve. And you be sure to comment with your thoughts on the idea of a big ol' hollow pendant.

I can't tell you how happy I am that I experimented with making a hollow that day back in November while at JOOLZ . I thought I was hopeless when it came to hollows, and now they have become a staple in so many of my designs. *sigh*... hollows make me so happy. I think I will make more of them today.

Oh, but there will be a wrench in that plan. My poor little Lauren woke at 2:30am with a fever of 102degrees. It is a day in bed with cartoons for her and I am sure she'll need lots of snuggling. She has already called me three times while writing this because she can't reach her cup of water that is on the nightstand next to my bed where she is curled up under the covers. Maybe she'll take a nap and I will get some work done then.

Results

I have a quick little sneak peak at one of the beads using the murrini I made yesterday. I love this ring. The murrini reminds me of tumbling beach balls. SO, this will be called the "Tumbling Ring". I made this on that cab mandrel I bought when testing the new Zoozii's Tool. What I find very interesting is that when you put this bead next to the disc bead used in the ring below, they are the same size!!

Another new item... a funky barrel bead with a 1/4in hole that just screamed to be made into a playful pendant. I am calling it "The Monkey Business" necklace!! I am working on conserving chain (remember the Lemonade Stand Of Art), so I had an idea to do a sorta half n' half style chain. I really like how it turned out.


Today is going to be a crazy one. I am taking my Mom to a doctor's appointment... then running back and forth across town for Lauren to go to school... plus baseball for the boys tonight. Just busy, but not too bad. I really hope I can get tot the torch this afternoon... I am feeling the crunch of time. It is just a few weeks until closing on the house, then a few more weeks to the first art show of the summer, and I also signed on for Art Walk at JOOLZ on June 27th. I won't have much of a show if I don't get my back side in gear and start making more stuff!!

A Reason To Celebrate!

AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!! I DID IT!!! For the first time ever, I made a Murrini!!!

I have been trying to make these for years. I have only tried a handful of times, and every time, I fail miserably. At breakfast this morning, Andrew said "Mom, I have an idea for you for a bead. You should make a star." I don't know what got into me, but I figured I would try again.

Now this is a very very very basic murrini. I made a simple black star with turquoise edging. You can see the little burst it makes on this chunk of broken bead. The bead is all busted up because I wasn't happy with the colors. So I layed it down on my desk and let it crack. I am glad I did, cause now you get to see the murrini and not wait for the kiln to finish cooling.



I can't wait to get back out to the torch and make more!!

Things Kids Say

Lauren: Momma, did you hear the timer go off?

Me: No Lauren, I didn't hear it. My ears aren't working good, remember?

Lauren: oh... well, it went off. Momma, I think you have an ear confection. Because when I get ear confections, my ears don't work good either.

Holiday Weekends

Finally, after nearly a month of weather barely out of the 40-50s, the weather man is calling for an awesome weekend here in the Greater Rochester Area. You should have seen us all shivering at baseball last night. Imagine the verge of rain, wind, 40degrees and an open field. Yeah, it felt like March, not late May. The forecast for Monday... sunny and 78!! YOO HOOO!!

We have another over booked weekend. Tomorrow, Ron walks the stage to get his Master's degree with a luncheon after, Sunday is the Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill here in Rochester (Ron's going) and Monday, well, I am sure there will be a picnic involved. PLUS, we lowered the price on the house today too, so it is now at a price that will have it move, in our realtor's words, "surprisingly fast". We have been feeling the crunch with our closing just 3 weeks away and no offer on the house yet.

I want to send a shout out to the ladies that sent me emails yesterday about Beading Daily's latest email!! It looks like they have added my "Berry Wine" bracelet to the downloadable project line up. I should add a list of projects to the side bar so they are more easily accessible.

Which leads me to yesterday's comments... I hope that you WILL try these projects and I hope they spark your creative juices to create your own new pieces. Please send me pictures of what you make with my tutorials, I LOVE SEEING THEM!!

Yesterday's remarks on my part, were kinda generalized. Which I did to embarrass the one particular person they are directed at. I have some pent up emotions about a particular situation and I didn't want to publicly "call out" an individual but rather, let every one know that it isn't right when they take designs that aren't theirs and represent them as their own. It hurts and frustrates me to see it happen. I know things are going to be copied, it is a fact of artistic life. I have to think, every time I post a photo... "am I ready to see this done by some one else?" I have been told by a number of people, "don't post it if you don't want it copied". Sometimes I am so excited to share something I have come up with, that I post before thinking that. Other times, I know a design is so simple and basic that we see it every where (like lariats), so it is my beads that make the piece stand out. Sharing my process and what I make is a huge part of how I work as an artist, I don't want to change that because of the unethical behaviors of a few "bad" people. I think the majority of you who read this blog know me pretty well. You know the kind of person I am. You know how committed I am to making truly unique work. And I think you know that I am not a mean/aggressive/threatening person either. I love this blog. It is my little corner where I get to be exactly who I am, and if I am having a bad day and someone has got under my skin you are going to hear about it. I can't help it. It's my blog and I'll rant if I want to, LOL.

So, I will just say... thanks for stopping by today! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!! And lets all hope my cough goes away and my hearing comes back by next week, LOL!

And in the words of Forrest Gump "... that's all I have to say about that."

On the mend...

I am not 100% yet, a couple nostrils are still clogged and I have no hearing in my right ear... but I am not feeling as drained of energy as I was earlier this week. As is evident by this cool new work!!

There is this new little shop here in Ontario, NY that a friend of mine is opening. She asked if I would display some of my work to help fill up her lovely glass case. I know my market... and little town Ontario is not the place to be trying to sell my kinda art jewelry. BUT, I thought maybe some of my recycled art pendants might be appreciated by the locals.

I have been trying to come up with a display idea for a week or two now... and suddenly last night it hit me!! ACEOs!! As soon as I woke up this morning, I filled a tissue with weird colored nose contents... grabbed a cup of coffee... and went down to my studio.

Now not only are the pendants made of recycled components, so are their displays!! You just snip the colored wire on the back of the ACEO to take the pendant off, and you are left a very cool mini work of art. Each one is signed, titled and numbered. They were made on bicycle playing cards, which I think is very cool. Why? Because a pack of cards is only about 75cent and it can make 2o or so ACEOs.

Thus far, I have made about 18 new bottle cap pendants and I am up to 6 finished ACEOs. I won't be posting these on my site just yet. I can't tell you how awesome it felt sitting at my desk painting all morning. I really got into a zone. I have a few to put in that new little shop, and I am trying to build up some inventory for the first SHOW of the year coming up in JULY!! I know you might be thinking July is months away, but with the move, Lauren getting her tonsils out, kids finishing school... and just life in general, it will be here before I realize it.

However, if you see one that you absolutely can not go on living without, zing me an email. The cost is going to be $55 each. Don't forget... you'll need a chain to wear the bottle cap pendant on!

I thought I would add something... I was a little apprehensive about sharing these. I think I have a blog stalker that is "borrowing" some of my ideas. I am afraid that I'll be seeing her knocking off these next. I am trying to be okay with the fact that my work is so awesome that everyone wants to be just like me, but sometimes it just plain sucks to have your original works hijacked with someone else getting the credit for ultra awesome-ness. I am not going to change who I am as an artist and start putting my art in a bubble that no one but me gets to see, just to keep it from being violated in these ways. Just beware unethical blog stalkers! I know you are out there, and so do the wonderful people that support me and my work. They are on to you too!! Remember, what goes around, comes around.

eta: I want to add a more visible response to a comment I received about the last bit of this post. The ending of this post was not meant to be harsh or threatening to every day blog readers. I apologize if anyone felt offended. I felt I needed to address the issue of people who come here, sees things they like, and then feel free to copy, claim as their own, then sell my designs. It has been brought to my attention by readers sending me private emails that it has happened in just the past few weeks. I have said on several occasions that I don't mind being copied, what I mind is people not giving credit where it is due. I suggest reading THIS POST, if you haven't already, to get a better idea of the kind of thing I am talking about.

Again, I am sorry if I offened anyone. But I stand by my words. I am going to leave them, and not edit the original post. I want the unethical visitors to know it isn't right what they are doing.

Little Windows

I get little windows of time where the Day Quil kicks in and I can breath for an hour or so. I used one of those windows yesterday to make this new necklace. (And I am using another one right now to post this, LOL.)

This new necklace is called "Spy Game". It is a sneaky little necklace that leads a double life. It can be a mild mannered 38in extra long drama necklace by day... and sometimes it is a attention getting double dose of twice wrapped goodness. There is lots of sterling chain, funky links at varying lengths, and 3 fantastic hollows.

OH, and I meant to tell you, I put three pieces of jewelry still left from last season *ON SALE*, go check them out in my "Knock Out Necklace" category. I think my window is closing and it is time to go back to bed. I feel the faucet that is my nose starting to run more, lol.

Calling In, again

It seems like only yesterday that I "called in" sick to my blog, I hate to do it again... but ugh... I am sick!! The weather around here can't make up it's mind. Half the time it is sunny and warm, the other half it is pouring and freezing. I think that is what makes this "cold season".

I have a nasty hacking cough, congestion, chills and just all over ache-iness. I really just wanna crawl in my bed, but unfortunately, I have tons on my plate. So, something has to give. Between orders that need filling, tutorials that need writing, house stuff that needs housing, and kids needing parenting... blogging needs to be side tracked.

Don't worry, hopefully, it'll only be a day or two. I'll let ya know when I am feeling better.

More Ring Bling

*sigh*... finally, FINALLY... I think I have made a ring that I am happy with. I haven't come up with a clever name for them yet... and posting them on my website means completely reworking the categories, lol... but oh well.

Okay... a little side note... I have The Today Show on while I am typing this and OMG... NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!! AAAAHHHHH!!! What a flash back! I was totally addicted to them when I was around 10 -12 yrs old. I had every tape (oh my stars, TAPES), I saw them in concert, I had tee-shirts and giant buttons, and I was madly in love with Joey McIntyre. I didn't know I could feel "old"... what a wild sensation!! LOL! Dang, I need to get a grip.

Tomorrow is Ron's birthday! My hubby is turning a ripe old 38!! And Sunday is baby Ben's baptism. It is going to be another busy weekend. What is it about the month of May? I feel like a crazy person running all over the place.

Take Two

Oh look, it is a double post day!!

I just finished putting the final touches on the newly reworked bottle cap earrings. I hope you'll go check them out! There are only 8 pairs of earrings, so grab a set before they are gone.

I did the math and each set takes about 3 hours to make. Any jewelry maker will tell you... 3 hours on ONE pair of earrings is a lot of time. So, I hope my efforts will prove to have been worth it.

I think they are cool anyway...

Parallel Crossings

I don't know if you all click on my profile here very often. But if you do, you'll notice that I have TWO blogs listed. There is this one and something called Parallel Crossings. Look closer and you'll see that there is a Team Member listed under Parallel Crossings too.

I am so excited about this new project.

Cassie D, www.glassbeadle.com, and I are teaming up for a new creative adventure. I was inspired by the blog Eight By Eight to create a spot where "Funk Fighting" was the main goal. I wanted a place to write about and seek out new inspiration with other people doing the same thing. At first, I thought I would make it a big team blog with anyone who wanted to post. Then, I was chatting with Cassie one day and thought... it should just be two people.

So, here is the plan... we have come up with 11 themes (December & January are one month)... each month we are sending each other a box of goodies based on our interpretation of the theme. And we intend on keeping the box contents a surprise (but of course it'll be blogged about by the recipient once it is received). So then... we are to take the contents of our goodie boxes and create something new by the end of the month. Sometimes we'll be sending beads... sometimes we might be sending fabric or ribbons... heck, we could send sticks from the back yard. We are leaving it totally open... but glass needs to be involved in some way.

The over all goal is to stay inspired in a fun, relaxed, and creative environment. I hope you'll pop over there, read our introductions, book mark it... and visit/comment often. And hey, if you like the theme for the month, try it yourself! The first theme is Children's Books. I have my favorite picked, Cassie has hers... do you know yours? Could you design something inspired by your favorite children's book?

My Gatsby Girl

I can't tell you how long I have been waiting to cut Lauren's hair!! Okay, wait... I can tell you... how old is she? YEAH, I have waited FIVE years. Lauren has never had more then a little snip off the ends of her hair since she was born. With hair as curly and beautiful as her's, it seemed a shame to cut it. I started suggesting a cut about 4 months ago, but her Daddy had her well trained... "don't touch my hair!" she would say. But then... Emma at school had her hair cut. I said "hey Lauren, what if we get your hair cut like Emma's". YOO HOOO!! She was all for it!!

First the before... the hair that touched her fanny... the hair that is going to Locks of Love.... the hair that was a daily swirly knotty unbrushable mess...

And now the cut... the stylist is my Aunt Therese (my Dad's sister). She is at a salon called E.GADD...






Isn't she a doll!?! She looks like she just stepped out of the 1920s!! I love it. And more importantly... she really loves it. I can't wait to play with it this morning, lol. I always wanted curly hair.

My Day

I haven't done a "My Day" post is AGES!! I think today is typical of what I have been up to lately... so here is my day... (and I'll keep coming back and updating during the day as I do more stuff.)

6:08am ~ Rolled over, checked the clock since the sun was up... I was too. I started a pot of coffee then climbed back in bed.

I officially got up at 6:39am... I poured my coffee, and read some emails. I answered the few I could before the boys started waking up.

I explained to Jacob that he could not have four eggs for breakfast... more like two eggs and some toast. He decided to have an apple and boycotted the breakfast that was two eggs shy of what he wanted.

I quick checked my favorite blogs while Andrew spilled milk as he poured his bowl of cereal. I found Andrew the "missing" sponge so he could clean his spill. The sponge was right in the sink, imagine that.

I smelled my hubby's freshly shaved cheek before he left for work. Then grabbed the Pledge, Windex and broom.

I made my bed... then sent the boys out for the bus.

Then I started to dust... then I went out and broke up a fight over the scooter and bandaged a bloody elbow and knee. Then decided I needed to stay out till the bus arrived... so the garage got tidied and swept and the chalk was sprayed off the driveway.

Finished dusting, sweeping, windexing, and mopping my room. Then did the same to the boys room and started a load of laundry.

I took time to explain to Lauren that lolly pops are NOT a good breakfast!

Cleaned her room and decided to take a break to blog.... I wonder what will come next... its only 9:30am.

Bathroom's scrubbed... living room, dining room and kitchen too. The dishwashers is washing... the dryer is drying. Lauren has been dressed and we played a quick game of Candyland too. I think I stink and a shower is definitely coming up next. The stairs are vacuumed... oh the studio straightened.

That takes care of the inside of the house. And in case you can't tell... we have another showing of the house this afternoon. Otherwise, the floors and bathroom wouldn't have been scrubbed, lol. I think after my shower, I will be mowing the front lawn before running Lauren to preschool.

I got to snuggle and coo one of the new babies at preschool while waiting for Lauren to go in. Gianna is a two month old little snuggly bear and a dream to hold. I tucked her in her saftey seat and headed back home. Then my afternoon turned chatty!

Ring ring... hello?... I talked to Kelley in VA... I talked with Audrey (Ben learned to smile!)... I talked to Cindy (and got the laundry folded too)... I talked for a quick second to Lindsey (she is borrowing a book) and I just finished up with my Mom too. And man is my ear tired, lol....

Next is one of the more exciting parts of today! Miss Lauren is getting picke dup from school early and we are headed to the "beauty parlor" for her first EVER hair cut. (Yes, I'll have pics!!)

Hair was cut, friends were visited, dinner was made, homework worked on, disappointment was had at American Idol... and then I totally passed out, lol. And that was my day.

Fine Twine-ing

Holiday weekends are so insane. There is always so much planned that before you know it, its Monday morning and you're totally exhausted. Between our anniversary (10years!!) on Friday, Mother's Day duties with our Moms on Saturday, and our own day together yesterday... I am already in need of a nap!

I wanted to give a big 'ole HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY shout out to y'all!! I hope each of you got to be a little pampered on Mom's Day. For the first time in 11 years, I had my Mother's Day wish come true!! I have been begging and pleading with Ron to have a year at home, with no one but the 5 of us. I asked that he help the kids make me feel special/loved/appreciated. No gifts necessary!!

It was a wonderful day!! Just what I always wanted. The kids made me cards, I got to have crepes for breakfast (my favorite), I was given bead making time (see fantastic new necklace above), we cooked burgers on the grill, played boccie in the backyard, had a crippling game of Monopoly, I was wined and dined with chicken in a lemon caper sauce, I snuck in a hot bath, and finished off the night with some yummy Hot Fudge Sundae Cake. If there is a better day I could come up with, I don't know what it would be. SO THANKS Ron, Jacob, Andrew and Lauren for making me feel so special!!

Okay, now to the jewelry of the day. I have had something like this in my sketchbook for a while now. I wanted to mix hollows and rounds, but then rounds next to hollows don't really work because the hollows are so big. I fixed that! I made chunky rounds (black spotted ones) the size of the hollows! I had an AH HA moment when I decided to add the twisted wire knot beads. You might remember I have made these in pieces of the past... look at Industrial. I wanted to conserve sterling and thought.... DUH, use the colored wire!!

I think it is just too too cool. It is heavy and substantial. It is bold and lively. It says "LOOK AT ME!!" But then it is sophisticated too. I am totally in love with it. I am calling it "Fine Twine-ing", kinda like Fine Dining. Can you imagine this with a crisp black suit that has a bright turquoise camisole underneath? Or that perfect necklace for that perfect little black dress? But oh, it would ROCK jeans and a white tee shirt too. Can you see why I am in love?

Every Year On This Day

It is that day again... our anniversary! When my eyes opened this morning, after getting a whiff of his smelly breath for the gazillionth morning in a row, I was thinking about which picture I should share here on the blog. I have a few favorites that I have shared already, so it was time to dig deep in the (already packed for the move) archives. Here we are circa 1995, lol. Look how young and cute we are!! I think Ron's eyes are a little buggy because I made him take his glasses off, lol. Too cute. I was 17 and he a cradle robbing 25. Doesn't seem so bad now that we are 30 and 38. LOL. Anyway, the kiddos are off to a sleep over and we are going to enjoy a quite dinner and movie. I can't wait!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEY!!


In other news... I reworked yesterday's new lariat design a bit and found a GREAT way to use that 10g wire I mentioned last week. I soldered this big ring of 10g then wrapped it in colored wire. It looks too cool. I love it so much more then the solid glass ring.

It also looks great with the ring left bare. Clear hollows are a nightmare to photograph. Thankfully I don't need to get a good shot of this one... it already sold :)

Sometimes I Itch

I can't help it... I have to make things. It is like an itch that needs scratching. I get side tracked too long and eventually, a little idea in the back of my mind squishes through everything else going on. The idea sits there, front and center, taunting me.

It says things like "I am not going anywhere until you make me..." or "come on, you know you have those couple of beads that would work with me, it'll just take a second to try it..." or "finish me and I promise I'll let you fold the laundry in peace."

What am I supposed to say to things like that? I just can't resist. This new lariat was one of those ideas. It just wouldn't get off my back until it was on my neck. I can't really pin down where the idea originated. I have been trying to rework lariats in my head for MONTHS. Ever since my sister broke her simple rings ones by dropping them on her ceramic tile floors. Beads are very durable, but not indestructible. I wanted a design that was stronger... and well, um, cooler. Enter in the hollows.

These two hollows have been on my desk for a while, just waiting for the right project. This was it! Hollows are a lot stronger then plain solid rings!! I played around with how I wanted them on the ends. I decided to let them slide. So they run along the chain and move... y'all know me and moving parts... it is a must have. I went with a super long chain so it could be worn a couple ways. The solid ring acts kinda like a dogs choker chain. Have you seen or used those? They are essentially a long chain with a ring, the chain can be slid through the ring to form a loop (that your head goes through) and then you just adjust it to the length you want. Fold it in half and you can wear it short like a traditional lariat.

I am still worried about what will happen to that simple solid ring!! So hey, maybe I will try to make some of the fused fine silver stamped rings that Cassie shared in the latest issue of Step By Step Wire magazine!!

Nice Catch

I am not getting much "work" done this week. Between the tea party, doctor's appointments and what not... I just can't seem to get to the torch. Oh well, its not going anywhere... I'll get to it soon.

Isn't that a great photo! I got lucky with my timing at baseball last night. Andrew is having so much fun!! It is really great for him. This tippy toe catch was made during warm ups. Such grace, LOL!! How do kids do that?!? I am very happy to report that the Riverdogs WON 10-4, YOO HOO!!! AND... Andrew had one of those runs. His hit was a double... he stole third... then he stole home!! We were all yooping and hollering. It was great!

In house news... there is still no sale to report. It is been just about a month and no bites. I am not overly concerned but Ron is. It is really starting to stress him out, to say the least. We took the house off the market yesterday and relisted it a couple thousand less. We will see if that gets us some new traffic. I am also looking into the option of renting! We hear there are great tax benefits to renting and it is always good to have assets, right?

Tea For Two

I don't know if you realize it or not, but I am not very "sentimental". I have things that are very special to me, don't get me wrong. But, let's just say, I chuck about 98% of what the kids bring home from school. I go on garage cleaning rampages where nothing, I mean nothing, is safe. It is why when I make something that people think is "really cool, how could you let that go"... I can let it go.

I hear a lot lately, when I mention Lauren will be going to kindergarten this September, that I must be so sad. And I say HECK NO!! I am oh-so-very close to getting all three out the door!! I am not sad about it, I am excited about it. I have been home with kids for 10years (and I am only 30), what do I have to be sad about?

Yesterday, though, was a tough one.

It was the Mother's Day Tea at Lauren's preschool. Need I say more? It was my last Mother's Day Tea. I went to tea parties at this preschool first with Jacob. I remember taking bits and pieces of scrap paper strips to weave a place mat for my Mother's Day breakfast... it is still in my china cabinet. I remember the same tea party with my little Andrew. He was never big on projects so we played cars most of that tea party with a little Lauren in a car seat near by. In Lauren's class we played "Who's Mommy is it?" About 20 Moms hid behind a curtain and read a single line of story. Kids call out "That's My MOMMY!" Lauren squealed with excitement and knew it was me before I even finished my sentence.

So, today I am a little misty eyed. I am going to miss our tea parties. I know we will still have more at home with teddies and dolls. But watching her in school, being so independent, venturing out in life to be who she is going to become is different. It is going to be a whole new world come September.

Where has all the time gone?

YOPP

"...And he climbed with the lad up the Eiffelberg Tower.
“This,” cried the Mayor, “is your towns darkest hour!
The time for all Whos who have blood that is red
To come to the aid of their country!” he said.
“We’ve GOT to make noises in greater amounts!
So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!”

Thus he spoke as he climbed. When they got to the top,
The lad cleared his throat and he shouted out, “YOPP!”

And that Yopp…
That one small, extra Yopp put it over!
Finally, at last! From that speck on that clover
Their voices were heard!..."


From Dr. Suess's Horton Hears a Who.

Horton has always been a favorite around here. We actually have the old VHS of How The Grinch Stole Christmas with Horton as an extra on the video. I love how Dr. Suess made up his own words. YOPP, happens to be one of his extra good ones in my opinion. Naturally, I took the kids to see the new movie when it came out. I thought it was great and it was oh-so-very visually stimulating!! Enough so that a couple months later, I am still thinking about things I saw in the movie that I want to translate to beads.

The one thing that has stuck with me the most is tone on tone stripes. I love love love stripes. Maybe it is the orderly-ness of stripes, I don't know. What I do know is that stripes in jewelry don't make you look fat and that is an extra good thing. So, above you see the YOPP necklace. Fantastically fun stripes in a fabulous new color with subtle weightless stripes and swirls of sterling silver... *sigh*.

Last week when testing the Zoozii's tool, I was keeping true to my "Lemonade Stand for Art" promise and decided to pull out some old glass I hadn't used when I bought it. I had four rods of a color called Orange Sherbet. And oh my stars, I am gonna have a hard time not reordering more of this. I used up every inch of that glass!! It is soooo delicious. It is soft and creamy, opalescent, and a wonderful softer version of my favorite Coral Orange. I found it meshed wonderfully with pale turquoise and transparent aqua. Add in a dash of persimmon red and you have a combo made in heaven!! For the bracelet below, and for the LSFA (Lemonade Stand For Art), I decided to conserve wire and put a dent in my Accuflex beading line. Cool huh?

Message In A Bead

(Kinda Like a Message In A Bottle, LOL)
You can purchase the jewelry (ALL SOLD!! THANKS!!) and ACEO shown HERE (and some not shown) in this post on my website!

Drum roll please.... are you ready for the big reveal?!?!






The new Zoozii's tool is WORD PLATES!!

This tool has been so much fun to work with. But I'll get to the ease-of-use-infomercial stuff in a minute. First.... AAAHHHH!!! How COOL is that? I got to test a tool!! I was so excited to be asked. Amy O, the owner/creator, of Zoozii's sent me a convo on Esty way back when my "Growing Glass No4" piece was on the front page. She said that she loved the new stuff I was doing and that she had a new tool she thought might lend itself to my new art. (Be sure to click the pics so you can see better close ups of these new beads!)

I was so excited and totally honored to be asked. I just finished up another post for Watch Me Create about getting to test this tool. One of the things I said was that "in the back of my tortured-in-high-school-always-picked-some-where-in-the-middle-for-dodge-ball mind I always wanted to be "good enough" to test something." I couldn't be more thrilled that the thing I am testing is a Zoozii's tool, because frankly, I am a Zoozii's press whore. I love them, I have at least 10! No other tools will do. And the fact I was sworn to secrecy just put me over top... I love a good secret and all the teasing leading to the surprise of it.

Amy had me pick a few words I wanted to play with. I asked for LOVE, CALM, CREATE, JOY, and DREAM. I picked words that spoke to me. LOVE is obvious, it is a must have... CALM because I like blue and greens in my artwork and I think they make for CALM feelings... CREATE, well duh, I CREATE everyday so it is a must have word... JOY because I think it is a highly under rated word, we should all find reasons to use it more often and because it is my sister's middle name... and finally DREAM, just because. DREAM was still in the testing stages in the Zoozii's studio so I haven't received it yet, but I see it is already to go on the website!!


For my lampworkers out there... here is what you need to use the tool: Texture Press Base, Shape Plates, and Words. It really is so easy to use... you pick your word, slide it on to the base, slide the shape plate on top of that, then screw it down... then you do the same to the top portion of the press... pick word (or no word), slide on the other half of the shape, screw down and you are ready to press. It is easy to change the words in and out. And you can also turn the words so they can either be parallel with the mandrel line or perpendicular (except for really long words). You'll need one more tool for these new flat back clasps I have made. That is the Cabochon Mandrel. It gives you a base to build up glass with no hole in the middle. I ended up buying 5 of them... they are that awesome. With the word press, I just worked up a dollop of glass on to the mandrel then pressed it into the word press. Easy.

For my beady people out there... these new beads turn out just like any other lampwork glass bead! The hole sizes are the same... the bead sizes are the same... only now, you can say things in your jewelry!! I love the long rectangular bead for pendants. Amy and I talked about it and she is going to make vertical words as well so they read top to bottom for pendants like this. I will definitely be adding word beads to Bead Box bead sets!! And if you have suggestions for other words you would like to see me use... leave a comment and let me know!

So there you have it... my secret project has been revealed!! Let me hear what you think!! And if you are lampworker... you better go get one before they are all gone!!

Edited to add:

A before and after cleaning of beads made on the Cab Mandrel ~

Teaser

I have hinted once or twice that I have been testing a new tool for Zooziis. It is top secret, and super hush hush. Tomorrow is the big day for the reveal! I thought y'all might like a little teaser...


Just wait until I flip that over and show you what is on the other side!!

And big thanks to my friend CASSIE over at www.glassbeadle.com for gifting me a bunch of her handmade silver shanks. They work great for this project and when the tool is released, she said she is going to make the shanks available on her website. So, beady people, you are gonna want to get some :)