4... Slightly Side Tracked

Lariat Blues

Lariat Brights

Lariat Oranges

Aren't these fun? Gosh I love hollows!! For these, they aren't quite as long as their predecessors, these are only 26in, but they still do the job.

So, yesterday, I got a little side tracked. We had the home inspection done on our old house by the couple purchasing it!! YOO HOO!! (everything went fine with that) But that meant that I had to find something to do away from the house for 3 hours. Hmmm... what takes me about 3 hours to do? Why, painting a room, of course!!

This is Lauren's room in the new house. Now, don't get me wrong, I love color... but, this room had at least FOUR! Periwinkle trim, pink walls (and not a nice pink), green built in dressers, and a sort of white ceiling (not to mention the strange colors inside the closet). Apart from the bad paint, this room has so much going for it. Great light, beautiful floors, built ins, and neat slanted ceilings.

I figured while I couldn't be working on show stuff, I should be working on house stuff. So, I decided to start with that periwinkle trim. GWAD, what a nightmare!! I really should have primed it, but oh well, call me a lazy painter. Instead I did three coats of antique white. But do you notice how much cutting in that would be when painting the ceiling? Yeah, so I decided to paint that antique white too. What should have taken 3 hours, took about 6. I did 4 in the afternoon and then 2 more after torching and eating some dinner.

As for the walls, I need to pick that paint up today. I am thinking of going with a dark but vibrant purple called "Purple Royalty" from Lowe's, but then again, playing with their digital paint tool... I really like "Cosmic Berry". One is a more blue purple, and one a more red. I think I will have to decide in person.

Oh and check out my horoscope for today!

Tuesday, July 8 ~ You should find most things moving in a pretty positive direction for you today. Any problems involving friends and loved ones that seemed to be dragging on forever may finally be starting to reach some type of constructive resolution. And many things should be resuming on a much more productive note for you right now.

Guess that means I better get off this computer and get my butt to work!!

5... Getting My "Swirl" On

Oh I can't tell you how much this bead excited my when it came out of the kiln. It has got to be my most favoritest hollow I have ever made!! For a couple of years now, I have been embracing the art that is a perfectly straight line. And in doing so... I totally lost my ability to swirl!! I kid you not... I have tried dozens of times to make a classic lampwork bead with scroll work and I sucked at it. I have been telling myself that when things come down, I am going to spend as much time as it takes to get my swirl back. I know I used to be able to do it.

By chance this weekend, during one torch session or another, I grabbed a stringer that was bright aqua over white. It was kinda on the thick side so I thought, what they hey... let's do some squiggles. The squiggles went well. I was happy. But my stringer was gone... and now I had to make another one. So I took some (my very last little bit, mind you) of my favorite transparent ink violet colors and pulled an encased stringer of that. I started with another little squiggle... and said heck with it... I am gonna go for a swirl! And hot dang it worked!!! I gotta try again when I have more time to spend focusing on just a couple beads at a time... cause my stars do I love this bead.

I was planning on making a group of hollows to make a new "Having A Ball" style necklace but though nah... I'll make hollow lariats instead. So, instead of one necklace with 8 hollows... now I have 4 necklaces. Cool huh? I'll show you those tomorrow.

6... Burning Out?

Green "Ringers"

"Beach Towels"

"Bang GAL!"

I can tell I am starting to burn out. I started feeling it Friday. I am going (4 truck loads of garage stuff to the new house on Friday) and going (3 truck loads on Saturday) and going (plus torching and beading both days)... but unfortunately, I am not a battery so it is wearing me out. Being worn out makes me grumpy and snappy. Thankfully though, I have an understanding family that lets me snap and rant. (No, I am not going to spend an hour boiling strawberries for your ice cream... just be happy you are getting any!)

Being worn out also blurs my vision. I start looking at what I am working so hard at making and I start thinking... hate it... hate it... that's stupid... hate it... wtf?... ugh... I know it is just my fatigue talking but that voice in my head saying those things is really loud sometimes. LOL... wait... I just realised... maybe Carrie isn't my only alter ego... maybe I need to name this side of me... hmmm... we'll call her Annie... the name my Mom always calls me when I am in trouble, my middle name. So, Annie starts under minding my confidence and makes me want to eat ice cream and go to bed.

Yesterday, Lindsey was by the house to help me with some of that truck loading. She got to see all my goodies in person. I can't tell you how much I needed that! Not because she told me how wonderful everything was, but she said things like "you have a lot less bracelets then you did last year"... and "are you going to do any Playgrounds or are they last season?" That is the kind of thing I need to hear to re-energize me and give me new focus.

Starting Monday, I am going to have 4 days kid-free. They are headed to summer camp at my parents' house! And I it is going to be just me and my torch. I know I need a plan to get things done. There is going to be a whole day devoted to earrings... a day of Playgrounds (I can get 4 done in about 3 hours on the torch!)... a day for a new wowie zowie necklace... and another day to tie up loose ends. Then Friday will be pricing, packing, and other pre-show prep.

Goodness... when I look at it like that... this week is gonna FLY by!

7... It Was Good In Theory

Grrrr... I don't know what it is... but something about this bracelet is bothering me. No, it isn't the fact that it broke, because I was thinking I hated it way before it broke. It just broke about 10 minutes ago when I took it's picture. (Note to self: Don't force things that don't want to bend.)

Anyway... I made the beads on Tuesday (at least I think it was Tuesday, all the days are running together). I was making some paddle style beads and had been thinking about a tutorial I saw in a new lampworking book I picked up last weekend. The book is Glass Bead Workshop and the technique is an off mandrel one for putting a hole in a bead not made on a mandrel. So, there I was making a paddle bead and I thought... "huh? I wonder what it would look like if I added a hole to the paddle!?!"

I was super excited to take them out of the kiln and I really liked my idea for linking them together. It went together super easy... I even like how it feels and lays on my wrist.

BUT...

There is just something about it... I don't know. Maybe it is the colors... maybe it is the size of the wire I used... maybe it is that Lauren kept saying the beads looked like fish... I don't know... I can't put my finger on it.

Wanna know a secret? I think I am actually glad it broke.

8... Celebrate!

I am taking the day off to do a little holiday celebrating! We are headed to the new house for a backyard picnic. I'll still squeeze in some torch time... I am on a deadline, remember!

9... About Fracking Time!

HOT DANG!! WE GOT AN OFFER ON OUR HOUSE!!

I haven't said anything, because I didn't want to jinx it (like last time). But we had a couple come through the house 3 times in 4 days! And yesterday, they gave us an offer on our old house. We signed all the paperwork last night. We accepted their offer, except that we want to keep our fridge and gas dryer. Now we just have to wait to see if they accept our keeping of those two appliances and then it is a done deal!!

I am super super excited!! The call came in yesterday while I was torching and I was so loopy that I was shaking to the point I couldn't work any more. So... I worked on constructing jewelry instead...

"Snagged" Bracelet & Necklace

"Bang GAL!" Oranges

A Pair of Pretty Pendants

"Bloomin' Earrings"

"Another Sunrise"

Now the beads in the last piece should look familiar. It used to be THIS necklace. JOOLZ had purchased it but, sadly, it never sold. So I let the owner trade it out for something fresh and I decided to rework the beads. That long tail of cord next to the clasp is there because I think I want to take it apart. I am not convinced I like this, at all. It wears okay, but I think the orange cord it a little much. I guess it is back to the drawing board on that one.

Time to hit the torch!

10... With Just A Hint Of Orange

"Monkey Business Blues"

"Bloomin' Earrings" & "Swirly Studs"

"Ringers"

"Bang GAL!"

"Between The Sheets" *my favorite*



Really, you shouldn't see any of the "orange" jewelry until tomorrow, but some snuck into the ring photo!! "Between The Sheets" has quickly become one of my favorite link designs/bracelets to wear... EVER!! It has been impossible to get a good photo of it, on or off. But trust me when I say... it really is the coolest. I like the blue "Bang GAL", it is a little toned down from last year's Bang Gals. No big spiral of wire on this guy. I am very happy with the rings, too. Oh those earrings!! I decided to try something different this season... no "Flings". So "Bloomin' Earrings" it is. And of course, posts too. This will be the first show that I have posts available!! And I have really perfected them. I have just the right back, with just the right ear nut. And, I have gotten better at the shape so they hug your ear just right. Then there is that "Monkey Busniess" necklace. I am having so much fun making these long tube beads. They let you play with them while you wear them, thanks to the giant hole, AND they are light, thanks to the giant hole. I love the colors too.

All in all, I think it was a pretty productive day. But like I said the other day... I need you to keep me on my toes!!

11... Messy Business

Cleaning beads is a dirty job, but someone has to do it. I know I said you would be seeing cool jewelry pics, but that will have to wait. Remember the pattern? Torch in the morning, jewelry in the afternoon, torch at night. Well, since I didn't do that on Sunday, there were no afternoon beads to make things with. But boy are there beads to work with today.

You'll have to excuse my messy dish cloth. We are pulling back the curtain here people... it involves messy dish rags, you are just going to have to accept that. I used to clean beads on to a paper towel, but I am trying to be more environmentally aware. So no more paper towel wasting... it is dish rags. Every morning when beads come out of the kiln, they are soaked in a tea cup of water to loosen the bead release inside them, then they holes are reamed out with Dremel tool fitted with a diamond bit file. Those Dremel's spin at such high speeds, lol... I am covered in a speckling of bead release splatter every time!!

You can see I was inspired to do some tone on tone contrasting stuff. All the blue beads were the "morning" beads and the reds/orange ones were the "night" beads. Really should have been the other way around, huh? The idea came to me while torching at JOOLZ on Friday. I made a plaid bead with turquoise and cobalt... I knew I had to make more. Then I decided I might as well work through the whole rainbow. So it'll be more red/orange this morning (a tantrum cut last night's session short... Andrew had a tantrum, not me, lol) and then lime on dark green... maybe from black/white.... oh how about mixing them all up after that?!?

Click the pic and you can read what I plan to make with the beads!

Countdown Begins - 12

Okay, this morning I realized something... it is just 12 days until The Corn Hill Arts Festival. For those of you who have been with me and my blog since the beginning, you'll know what I am talking about. For your blog newbies... check out some shows of the past... scroll way down to early July HERE and HERE. It is so fun looking back at those old shows (and the weeks leading up to them). Most of you know, I am a total spaz and I will be completely convinced that I 1)don't have enough stuff, 2)none of the stuff is good enough, 3)that no one is going to buy anything, and 4)that I don't have enough stuff.

It would seem having work to show is my biggest concern. It always is. I feel like I need to have new, fresh designs for every show. I hate going to shows year after year and seeing the same booths with the same stuff. Get new ideas people!! Or you'll lose my interest!! My art being good enough is just my personal insecurity, and I know everyone will tell me how much they love it... but I just need to get there mentally before I get over it. And as for #3 above, with more then 500,000 people in attendance... someone always buys something.

So here is what is going to happen over the next 12 days. Double torch sessions are starting. I get up early (like 6am)... torch for 2-3 hours... let the kiln ramp down... play with the kids and make jewelry with the previous day's beads in the afternoon... by 7pm the kiln is ready to be opened... get those beads out and torch for another 2-3 hours. Why not just torch for 5-6 hours straight? A) I have kids and they won't let me... B) it hurts my right shoulder blade really bad. Plus, I like the break in between to let ideas stir.

What does this mean for you all... you are going to see a lot of cool pics in the coming 12 days!! BUT, probably not a lot of chit chat. It is just me producing all this stuff. So me and my nose are staying stuck to that grindstone. I have the kiln warming right now (I know I am already running late). I am thinking some tone on tone turquoise with cobalt stripes on nuggets and a new square wire link design.

But before I head out to the torch... I want to give a big HEY to Francie, Suzanne, and Barb at JOOLZ! Friday was a fun evening. There was a steady stream of visitors and lots left with JOOLZ goodie bags. We will definitely be doing it again in the Fall.

And as for the smiling duo there... I would like to introduce you to Kelley, my BFF, lol. How third grade of me. Anyway, Kelley and I have been friends for 13 years. We were in each others' weddings, we had our babies just weeks apart, we were there when the other gave birth to our second kids... we are like peanut butter and jelly. Then the girl had to go and move 1200 miles away in Norfolk VA!! We talk every day on the phone, but there is nothing like getting to be in the same room. And after 2 years, we got to do that for a few hours on Saturday. Just sitting at the kitchen table for hours, sharing a bottle of wine, and talking face to face. Her visit was way too short!! I can't wait for her to come back. Love you, KEL! And my stars, do I need to tan.

Oh My Stars

We have a lot of ground to cover here, people... so let's get right down to it.

Anyone notice the time stamp on my quickie post about "INK"? LOL. Yeah, you read right... 1:00 AM. Anyone want to guess why I was up at 1:00 AM? Do I have a tale to tell you...

Yesterday turned into a really stressful day for me. I had to do something I really didn't want to and I was pretty bummed out. So bummed out that I didn't want to work on the torch and I almost didn't go to last night's book club meeting. I am not going to go into what the thing was that I had to do... I am going to save that for another day. Anyway, Ron convinced me that I needed the break and I should go visit with my girlfriends for a few hours. I am glad he made me go, he was right... it was good to get away from the stress, if only for a little bit.

As book club wound down, I headed to my car. I saw my cell phone flashing. I am not one that has my cell phone on me very often. I leave it in my car, all the time. It is my "in case I get in a car crash and need to call 911" phone. I don't even have a real cell phone plan. I pay by the minute, in advance! But I digress. I get to my car see it flashing, flip it open... I have missed 4 calls. Who could be calling? I click the button that takes me to "recent calls" and my heart sinks. One word... HOME. Ron had called 4 times. I immediately dialed the number to see what is wrong and there was no answer. Then I notice the little envelope icon on the screen of my phone. Why doesn't the stupid phone say "2 New Voicemail" instead of "4 Missed Calls"... really now? I called in to get messages...

The messages were from Ron (of course) and it was about Lauren.

The first message was a frantic one. It seemed that suddenly, for no apparent reason, Lauren's eyes had swollen shut and were blistering. Being as close as we are to the move, lots of things are packed, including out address book with the doctor's phone numbers. Ron was smart and gave Lauren a quick dose of Benadryl, then googled the pediatrician's phone number. He called the "on call" office and spoke to the triage nurse. This is were voicemail number two comes in... they wanted her in the emergency room! Poor Ron, home alone with 3 kids while Mom is out at a book club party and suddenly he has to take one of the kids to the ER!! I must say, he handled it all very well. But the dear had no idea what meds Lauren was taking, couldn't remember if she had her tonsils out on Monday or Tuesday and forget about knowing her height and weight. Those are definitely "Mom" things to know.

I drove as fast as I could and was to the hospital just minutes after Ron. Thankfully the Benadryl took the swelling way down. Though she is still puffy, even this morning. More then an hour wait for a resident to tell us "looks like an allergic reaction" made for a very late night. We still aren't sure what set her off... could have been the Motrin she was taking for tonsil pain, could have been the amoxicillan she is on, could be the bowl of vanilla ice cream... who knows? We will be keeping a very close eye on her. What a week!!

Anyway, I quick checked email before heading to bed. With all the adrenalin I had last night, I couldn't have gone straight to sleep anyway. That is when I got the cool news about the blurb in the Messenger Post about my Demo and Trunk Show at JOOLZ! And yep... I will be there today!! The last time I had a trunk show, we had a good turn out, but I missed a lot of my local peps!! I hope this time you'll venture down to say Hey. I know gas is $4.20+ a gallon, but it isn't as far as you think and you can make a night of it. There will be art things going on all up and down Main Street. So come down... have dinner at the Culinary Center, taste some wine, wonder through Art Walk, and pop into JOOLZ to say HI!!

INK

Look who is mentioned in the Arts & Entertainment section of Canandaigua's newspaper!! I can't wait to see the actual paper!! I hear there are pictures :)

Coffee IV Please

Ugh, it was one of those nights, again. Lauren had a very restless night which means Momma had a restless night. I don't think I got to be in my own bed, with my head on my own pillow, until well after 2am. And in my usual fashion, with no aid from an alarm, I was up at 6:30am. Hopefully, hopefully, I can get some rest this afternoon.

I have been mentioning Lauren lots lately, but haven't let you know what is up with my boys. Yesterday was the last day of school. Yeah, yesterday. School goes into late June here. They both officially passed their grades and are moving on up next year. Jacob flew through 5th grade with 6 A's and 2 B's. He is super excited to be going to Middle School next year and have the freedom of not walking in straight lines in the hallways. He also won the class prize for "Most Imaginative Writer", and that makes me so proud! Andrew did great too. He came threw with 3 A's, 4B's and 1 C-. Yeah, that C-, in listening... I am not surprised. What middle child does listen? His teacher and I really butted heads this year. She doesn't leave teacher comments, so I don't have any in site into Andrew's classroom personality. I did hear from his reading teacher that he was able to meet the benchmark for accuracy!! YOO HOO!!! After all his reading struggles this year, I am so excited for him.

Normally, as the last day of school approaches, my anxiety about having three kids home all day, everyday, grows and grows to the point of complete and total dread! All the house stuff this year hasn't allowed me any time to worry about summer vacation. Actually, lol, I think I was blocking it out, hoping that it wasn't coming up as fast as it was. LOL! I know it will be over before we know it. We will fall into some sort of routine... my guess is it'll go something like.... Breakfast, Cartoons, Computer, Lunch, Swim, Snack, Beg to Play the Playstation, and then Dad will be home. Throw in some visits with friends, picnics at the lake, trips to the zoo and like I said, it'll be over before we know it.

In Recovery

Thank you so much for all the well wishes that everyone has been sending Lauren. I have passed them along to her. Though in her condition, I don't think she knows what I am talking about! Yesterday was really rough. Turns out Lauren has my "anesthesia makes me puke" gene. The surgery itself was fine, but recovery was (and is) rough. Rather then the usual 2 hours, we were there for 5 hours. The nurses told me to let her sleep it off, and I have been, but then around 2:30 this morning she was wide awake for some reason, lol. All in all, she is sore, but doing great. Momma is gonna need a nap though!! I haven't done a wake-up-every-3-hours night in a long time.

Okay... jewelry talk... Monday afternoon, while Lauren was playing with those Pop Beads, I got in a couple hours of torch time. I knew I would pretty much be out of commission all day yesterday. So, I figured I could make the beads Monday and make the jewelry Tuesday. Here is one of the new pieces that was made. I think I am gonna call it "Tag, You're IT". The other new piece you'll have to wait to see tomorrow.

How am I getting all this stuff made? Where are all these ideas coming from? Well, I told you Monday where that idea came from, but a lot of the others are coming from something I like to do when I feel totally outta ideas. I got to my FLICKR account (or photo folders) and just start clicking through. I see an old piece and ideas pop into me head about how I could freshen up the design. "Tag, You're IT" came from the March 2007 design "Rolling". I have a list of about 12 new pieces that I am excited to work on over the next few weeks. Remember, not only am I getting ready for Art Walk at JOOLZ on Friday, but The Corn Hill Arts Festival is right around the corner too!!

Sometimes though, when I get a bunch of ideas in one sitting, some don't turn out and I end up saying to myself "what was I thinking?" That is where you all come in... be sure to give me feedback on what you think of the new stuff!!

Pop Beads

I think I may have found the best "Future Beader" present EVER!! Lauren had her PreSchool Graduation last night and is having her tonsils out today. I was feeling sorry for the poor little thing so I picked her up a congratulations-on-preschool-graduation/please-be-a-brave-girl-for-surgery gift.

POP BEADS!! (at Target)

She spent hours making herself jewelry Monday afternoon and kept saying "I am a beader, I am a beader!" How cute is that? Now lets hope the surgery part goes well.

Talis-WO-man

My train of thought... (while browsing blogs)...

Oh, that is a cool looking book...
those beads are so my kinda beads...
ooooh... she has a blog... click click...
*sigh*, I love bright colors...
huh... I wonder if I could make glass beads that were spiky like that?

yeah, but then what would I do with them? I wouldn't want to string them like that.
polka dots and stripes are so cool...
I wonder how hard it is to make ceramic beads... I should learn and mix 'em with glass beads...
like I have the time to do that...

Days later... (while not browsing blogs)...

if I made those spiky beads, I could make them so some stuck up and some stuck down and some were dangles...
where the heck is my sketchbook?
oh yeah, I think I packed it...
where is the kids' scrap paper...

A few more days later... (Friday to be exact)...

oh crap... I am outta O2... crap crap crap (okay so maybe I was thinking a different word)...
alright, I will make a couple beads and see how long it lasts...

3 Beads later...

I can't work like this...
I will let these soak and see how they turn out...
I don't think I like these anyway...

The next morning...

ooooohhh... I do like these...
I should etch that copper green...
Okay, here is the plan...
I will get Jacob's hair cut...
get Lauren her prize at Target (she finished her antibiotics so she gets a prize from the pharmacy)...
then I can get a refill on the O2...
met Ron at the new house, finish painting...
I can make beads later...
I should make sure the welding store is open today...
(looking at their website) good, 8am-Noon...

Around 11am that same day...

NO NO NO NO NO....
SUMMER HOURS...
why don't they put that on their website?!?!

On Sunday... (while sitting at my desk)...

ugh, I wanna be making beads...
stupid summer hours...
hey... where are those icicle silver thingys?
oh now those would be cool next to these... I should bend them...
I think I need a dozen beads...
plus fillers...
I could make discs for fillers...
no...
they would be to wide, I need flat things...
ugh, I wanna be making beads...
heck with it...
I will hook the tank back up and see if I have any more gas... (fyi- my O2 tank regulator reads empty when I don't have enough gas to maintain at least 200lbs of pressure, but I can still torch for about another 2 hours on that before it is empty empty)

Later when the tank was reattached and I was torching...

I shouldn't just make these spiky...
what if I squeeze these dots...
oh I like that...
okay, I need to make 12 beads, that will be 11 in the front and one for a toggle...
has to be 11 in the front, odd number means that there is a focal bead in the front...
if I am gonna make rounded circle ones than there has to be 3 to balance the pattern...
but how many spaces are there between those?
I hate spacing...
I will just make a bunch of tiny rounds...
oh and fillers... I need fillers...
I could make headpin beads...
yeah, weird ones...
wow this O2 is lasting longer then I thought (it lasted for an hour and a half!)...

Later that afternoon while grilling on the deck...

hey, the rose bush bloomed!! I didn't notice it...
where is my Talisman Bracelet?
when I mix the silver icicles in with the beads it looks like a funky talisman...
why talisMAN?
it should be a Talis-WO-man...

About 8 hours after torching...

oh these are so COOL!!
(dropped one)
SH-T!
dang it... there goes the toggle...
I need to make sure I make these thicker around the bead hole...
then again, it did just hit concrete...
okay... clean these... etch some... eat dinner... then string them...

After dinner and an hour of stringing...

gawd I LOVE THIS NECKLACE!!

A Couple Of Cool Things!

First, there is now a button on Interweave's website that allows you to "flip through" Wire Style. It is very cool! And check out who is on the back cover!! Yep, bottom left is one of my designs.

I also saw today that when you visit the Beading Daily Project Store, my Berry Wine Bracelet is one of the "Best Sellers"!! How cool is that?!?! I added links on the left so it is easy to find what projects are available. :)

Pouring Periwinkle

A few weeks back when I was working on the beads I sent to Cassie for first Parallel Crossings challenge, I had this idea to make free form beads that were cloud like and dreamy. I went with gray for the challenge beads because it fit the colors in the illustrations. I couldn't get the free form cloud shape out of my mind though.

Yesterday I stole away for some torch time. I didn't really know what I wanted to work on. Suddenly, it came to me... clouds!! It has rained here pretty much everyday for the past week. So rain has been on my brain. I grabbed several rods of beautiful medium cobalt blue and a fat stringer of periwinkle. The colors complimented each other so well while sitting next to each other on my desk. I think they were made for each other.

I started letting loose and free form shaping globs of glass on my mandrel and pressing the beads flat. I went back in and on one side of the beads added billowy bulges. Can you get more cloudy then these beads? Seriously... they are so fun to hold and feel. One side is flat so they lay just right, and the opposite side is just overflowing with texture.

I decided simple stringing was the way to show these off best. There are 11 beads that make the 12 inches of necklace in the front. Then I wire wrapped a "strap" for the back. You should see the sparkle that these give off when the light hits them. The glisten and shine... like everything seems to when the sun comes out after a summer rain. *sigh* I love rain.

Special Note: I want to thank everyone who has been sending emails wanting to claim the jewelry pieces I have been sharing this week!! YOU ALL ROCK!! And I would love let you steal everything away... BUT, I am doing a trunk show at JOOLZ next Friday and I need a little inventory, people. LOL! Anything still available after the trunk show will be made available to those that asked for first dibs and items with no "dibs" will be posted on my website. Thank you so so much for letting me know how much you love everything and I appreciate your patience!!

Long Overdue

I was scrolling down the blog here and realized there are far too few jewelry pics. I was at my desk this morning while chatting on the phone and came up with a couple new things. Plus, I owed you the photo of the second necklace I mentioned the other day.

"Circus Sailing" A yummy mix of red and turquoise. This bead has me loving "ruffled" edges!


"Western Pacifing" Pendant Coolest HOLLOW ever!! Made from ivory, silver foil and turquoise.


"Springy" bracelet I have never tried this style of "spring" links... I like 'em. And I came up with a new way of making one of those springs on one half of the link that runs through the bead. Very nice.

Time to get my backside in gear and make some more beads! If only I could find the time!!

What I See

A few of my favorite things in the new house...

Glass knobs on almost all the doors.

The twisted staircase to the second floor.

The blue enamel wood burning stove in the family room.

Old hardwood floors.

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!!