New Stuff!

I have been working at getting new stuff listed in my Etsy shop in the past couple of weeks. I still have a box full of beads that are ready to be listed but I'm making a dent! I'm also working on my masters degree so that tends to mean LOTS of writing which I'm putting off doing at the moment because the subject is not one that interests me....

Anyway, here is my newest listing!

Inspiration

As far as glass is concerned, I find inspiration nearly everywhere. Trees, foods, the color of a car that goes by, the outfit someone is wearing, and animals. Having three doggies of my own, they are an endless source of inspiration (and comfort) to me so today I listed my first attempt at a dachshund bead and named it after my own doxie, Mighty. Mighty came to us as a rescue about a year and a half ago and he has been through quite a lot. Just before Thanksgiving last year, his "brother" Chance (also a rescue) blew a disk in his back. We took him to a chiropractor that also works on animals and she said our only option was surgery which may or may not work. Being a holiday weekend, the minimum was going to be $3500 for something that may not work and a 10 year old dog. We were heart broken but just couldn't afford it. Long story short, we lost him. Sometimes in doggies the paralysis will move forward and that is what happened with Chance. I still miss him every day. So what does this have to do with Mighty? Well about a month later, Mighty blew a disk in his back too. We went through the same process, vet, chiropractor etc. This time the outcome was a little brighter in that they told us for him there was hope that he might walk again. We gave him meds and since he was unable to urinate on his own, we would put a catheter in 3-4 times a day for several weeks. We took him outside with the other two with a towel holding up his hind legs so he could keep up the strength in his front and carried him up and down the stairs every day. Finally, after about 3 weeks we decided he probably wasn't going to walk again so we found a pattern on line for a wheelchair for him. He was having NO part of that! He used it for about two days before he started really trying to pull himself around on his own. It took some time but today, you can't tell there was ever anything wrong with his legs. He runs and plays right along with the other two. It's amazing how much inspiration you can find around you if you just keep your eyes open. :)

Ready for Fall

I love this time of year! The air is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter...soon the leaves will begin to change. It's my favorite time of year! I love everything about fall, the crisp air, the warm colors, the appearance of apple cider on the shelves, and pumpkins. I LOVE PUMPKINS! I have been trying to find a way to incorporate them into my home year round, I love them that much. I have some of every shape, size, and color; mostly made of glass. Speaking of ones made of glass, here is my most recent addition to my Etsy shop, you guessed it; a sweet little pumpkin!

Everybody wins!

So, since I only had two people respond about my bead giveaway, I decided that you both win! How fun is that?! So, Mallory and Jennifer, please send me your addresses to nursekb08yahoo.com or via etsy convo and I will pick your prizes and get them out soon. Not really much else to say from me, it's cold here...like 34 or something like that which is pretty unusual for us in October. My in-laws (as much as I hate that term, they are FAMILY!) have some friends visiting from Louisiana this week and we are going to breakfast with them bright and EARLY in the morning, and I am NOT a morning person so I really should be off to bed...

Lucky me, are YOU next?

So I told you all in the previous post I had won a bead from StudioMarcy. I knew that I would be ecstatic with whatever bead she decided to send to me, but I did not expect for her to pick one of my favorites from her shop and send it to me! I was beyond thrilled, I think my poor hubby was a bit scared that I was that excited over a bead! :) Anyway, here is the bead she sent me (hope you don't mind Marcy, I used your pic. It is better than I can take!)



So not only did I get this amazing bead, but about a week or so before that I also won a bead from Jennifer Cameron of GlassAddictions! I haven't had the chance to take a picture of it yet, but it too, is truly amazing! It is from her Insomnia series which is just beautiful! I will try to get a pic of it sometime this week.

Anyway, now it seems that it is time for me to give back. I have been lucky enough to win two beads so now I will give away one of my beads! Post a comment here giving me a two or three color combo to work with and from those posts I will let my hubby draw a winner for a free bead! (make sure you leave a way for me to contact you!) I will let this run through Sunday and try to post the winner on Monday, Good Luck!

Florals!

I am really excited about a couple of new floral beads I just finished! One even has cz's in it. Why am I so excited? Because these are some of the best ones I have made AND they didn't break! I know it is just part of the process of learning what works and what doesn't but it is so frustrating when you have a bead that you think is going to be amazing, and it is....until it splits right down the middle! :( I also managed to make my first hollow bead tonight....followed by several more once I figured the process out. I think it was hollow beads that first attracted me to lampwork years ago, no commercial bead can even come close to comparing to them (or any other artisan-made bead imo!). My husband even liked the hollow one, which is really saying something for a man who could really care less about beads! :) Anyway, the florals are up in my Etsy shop, here are the pictures.

New beads

Well, today has been a fairly productive day. Along with the laundry and various other household things that I hate to do on my days off, I managed to get some decent beads finished today. I hope to get a few more done tonight and work on them most of the day tomorrow but I don't know when I will get pics taken. I have been using my husband's camera lately because mine has suddenly just quit working right, all my pics have lines through them. I really need to get a new camera but I will probably wait and ask for one for Christmas.
This week, I have been playing with some new techniques and have been using my press a little more than I have for a long time. It seems like I go through phases, a couple weeks ago I got some new frit and I spent days playing with them; but I haven't really used them since. I'll go back to them in time, but I don't seem to stick with one style for very long before I have to change it up and do something else for a while.
Anyway, off to the torch again! :)

Another long day...

I just got back home from a management class at my "real job" and let me tell you it was a LONG day! Eight hours of someone reading to you, word for word from the paper that we all had in front of us...makes me want to scream! I am not a morning person anyway, and while being having to be there at 8am is not early to some, to someone who doesn't normally have to be to work until 3pm it is torture! I am hoping to get some time with my torch later this evening after we eat, but I need to finish cleaning the hot tub too as it has been getting cooler here in the evenings and it is my favorite part of our new home! :) And I really should clean up my "studio" a bit, things are piling up and I am starting to lose track of things...strange that I'm such an organized person at work but not in my own little space...

Anyway, here are some pics of a couple of the items that I have listed in my shop this week, another octopus and a couple of pendants.

Still working....

I'm still working on getting new things listed in my shop but this week is a bit tougher because other things in life seem to be getting in the way! Tomorrow I have a mangagement class all day that I'm sure will be absolutly thrilling; anyway I doubt I'll get much done when I get home from there. If I could only figure out a way to support myself on the things I like to do instead of the things I have to do....
I have some ideas in my head for new beads to create, but haven't had much torch time here lately to work on them. I really want to start working on more Halloween and Christmas things...maybe this weekend.