An Early Birthday Present

My friend gave me my birthday present early. I love the baskets she makes, they always have a theme and are very creative. Now let me introduce you to one of the gifts....my new Juicy shoes.

Lazy Weekend

Didn't do much this weekend except enjoy the beautiful weather. We had baseball and softball Saturday and Sunday and while at softball I noticed all these poppies. I am so glad my daughter didn't see me taking the pictures on my stomach in the weeds and dirt because she would have been so embarrassed.





I also did a little baking. I made a sweet Easter bread for breakfast. I have been making beads, but I don't have anything to show yet. Soon... very soon I will have happy bead news.

Hair Dryer Meditation

I woke up this morning to take a look at my beads and started beating myself up again. I was disappointed with all of them. They weren't what I had envisioned the night before so I threw them in the cleaning bucket and went off to get ready for my day. While I was blow drying my hair I was thinking about how silly it was to have these beads make me so sad. (I do a lot of my deep thinking while drying my hair.) I went back out and took a newly enlightened view. It turns out they weren't as bad as I originally told myself. My starfish (Yes it supposed to be a starfish) is pretty chubby and looks like a flower but it's kind of cute. My palm frond actually is much better than I thought it was going to be while I was making it. My other three beads are really close to what I was going for.


I also am happy with my new bead background. I stopped fighting with the white and decided to go more natural. Actually my daughter came up with the idea. I was just thinking yesterday that I would try a colored background maybe a blue. When I came in from the torch yesterday my husband and daughter took pictures of some of my old beads and used the wood background, and I love it. One less thing for me to fight with. :)

My Bead City.

This last weekend we were running errands when at a stop light out of the corner of my eye I noticed this organizer drawer thing at a garage sale. I have been looking for something like it for a year or two and I was so excited to buy it. It reminds me of a condo or apartment for my beads to live in. Now the problem is where do I put it.

As I was saying yesterday I have been in a snorkeling mood. I am still working on booking a trip to Belize in fall, and now I am starting to be really ridiculous and am trying to find a way to go to the Seychelles in the next year or two. In the mean time I will have to enjoy the underwater life in glass.

It Happens

Please ignore my ugly hands and poorly manicured nails.

One question lampwork artist get asked is, "Do you ever get burned?". Yes, I think all people who spend time at the torch get burnt every now and then. For me it tends to happen when I am tired and just not focused. The first time I burnt myself was when I sat down a glowing hot glass rod and immediately picked it back up by the tip that was just in the flame. It melted a black fingerprint into the glass, and my index finger blistered instantly. This latest burns happen this last weekend.(Yes, there was more than one.) The first I quickly put my hand down on a HOT glass rod and burnt my ring finger under my knuckle. The second was glass shrapnel flying through the air and landing on my wrist. The last (pictured above) I can't even remember how it happened, but I know a very hot rod of glass was involved. I did finish up what I was doing then called it a day because I knew nothing good was going to happen.

I do have new beads to show tomorrow, and I have been in a snorkeling mood.

5 Out Of 38 Out Of 450

Here are 5 photos, out of the 38 I choose to post, out of the 450 total pictures I took in Baja Mexico last weekend.

Back From Baja

I am back from vacation, and we all had a great time. We did a little beach combing, swimming, lounging, and racing.
Well, we didn't actually race but you definitely feel a part of it when only inches from the cars speeding by you at 70 mph. These races have become part of the Baja culture. I was first introduced to off road racing by my dad when he raced the Baja 1000 in the 80's.(My dad even taught me to drive when I was 15 during a Nevada off road 300 pre-run.) Standing on the side of a dirt road, lined with people, close enough to touch the cars racing by is amazing, we definitely can't do that here in the states. People camp in tents on the side of the road to claim their spots a day in advance. They climb the electrical towers to get the "best view". They run between cars just to keep things interesting. And from what I have seen they all look out for each other and the racers. (When they aren't setting up booby traps for added excitement.) It's quite the experience.

Hasta Luego

Soy va Mexico. Sorry, I am sure that is not right but I am trying. Here are 2 out of the 6 beads I have been working on. (The others are so similar I didn't post pictures of them.) I love them both but my favorite is the first one. I think the colors are so close to the real thing. My husband on the other hand likes the second one, which I do like the color combination its just not Baja. I did get the cactus technique from Jelveh Designs.


I'm sure I will have tons of pictures to show when I get back. I promise I will try to edit.