Tuesday, December 28, 2010

You may have expected snow or Christmas images here but the winter holidays have given me this. With all the computer downtime and the need to rest my knee I have gotten this far with the new project. I still need to make the cat and the mouse and I had to order a new set of lights. Last night, resting after taking down the tree, I worked on the bug bodies which were more fun than designing a black cat.
I ordered a floral lighting kit with a battery and 10 lights. One goes into the candle (which you can almost see in the nose-hole) and the rest will be 'bugs' and lights around the outside. I tried to find lights that twinkled but so far have had no luck. I did not have luck in this one either.
For awhile I was discomboomerated by the deadline date of March 7, but now am feeling that I can get this done in time. That feeling allows me to take my time, tear out the goofies, and do my best and then redo it.

Friday, December 24, 2010


All week the storms with so much wind and rain have been taking down trees so we are either losing the electricity or the cable connections each day. Last Sunday there was a break in the storms just long enough for me to get the big net down at Point Arena Gift Show and beg someone to carry it to the car.

The organizers of the show were very pleased with me because of the many sales at the end. For the last weekend I put on a one-price sale of $10 for everything which made the cashier happy and many friends and neighbors could have some of my work.

Some of the exhibitors were not so friendly as they avoided speaking to me. I think the total sales for the event were down and several barely got back the entry fee.

It took a whole day to untangle and reorganize the left overs, but it was a quiet task done by the stove with Christmas music playing.

Tuesday I have to pick up the Big Bead Bird at The Dolphin and then the season of craft shows will be done. I am already working on my entry for the Fire Mountain Seed bead contest which closes in March instead of April. Always looking ahead, but still wanting to enjoy this special day. Thanks for reading my blog. Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010


Went by The Dolphin and was able to fluff up the old bird and add some pieces to fill the holes where things had sold. The poor old bird's head was drooping as if he had lost a battle with Christmas shoppers. I really need to attach him to the ceiling. I thought that opening his neck and adding the wooden stick would do it, but he needs more help with his droop.

I took my turn gallery sitting at Point Arena on both Saturday and Sunday and was able to get a daytime shot of the 'wall'. Many people were already wearing my pieces. What a thrill! and so many came by and bought new pieces.

Next weekend the merchants of Point Arena are having a special called "Hometown Point Arena" to celebrate the town. For this event I am offering everything on the display for $10 each. One dear person, who knew of the coming sale, still shopped in order to buy at the present prices. What a sweetheart you are L.


Friday, December 10, 2010


The silence here is the result of all my conversations I have had while standing in the yard in the rain while a sweet, sweet guy named Sam dug a French drain around the house. I had tried filling the holes with a cement repair kit but the water kept coming in. Sam came by to look at the problem and for some unknown reason, dropped his other job and started digging. He kept working even as more rain fell just to get the pipes laid and flood stopped. Today the studio floor is the driest it has been in weeks.

The fish lures arrived on Wednesday and last night I did the one I had sold at the Festival of Trees and plan to mail it off when I go to town to see Vicki. She has some guy who does lapidary work who wants to sell to members of our bead group. Am eager to get off the computer and over to see what he has.

Sunday, December 5, 2010




For the past several weeks I had been promising myself to take the time and the energy to track down the leak into the studio as soon as I got the craft shows all done. So that was yesterday, Friday, and today I moved shelves around until I could see this mess.

I had feared the leak was coming up through a crack in the floor (we had several small earthquakes this year) but I see the problem is on the wall. That should be easier to fix but I still have no idea exactly what I can do.

My solution is glue but this is all too wet for that and another storm is already moving in. I tried to dig away the soil on the outside of the hole but it soon filled with water coming down the side of the mountain on its way to the sea. Our house was built directly over a previous stream bed and though they moved earth all around, the earth remembers where it once had a small river and tries to maintain it, even if it means burbling over my cement floor.

The river had even populated itself. I noticed the last time I cleaned the studio that there were less spiders. I figured my attempts to poison ants had given the arachnids stomach aches and they left. Not so. On the bottom shelf of the rack, in a lovely basket was the fattest alligator lizard I have ever seen. He was torpid from sleeping so close above the concrete so it was easy to carry him outdoors. I am hoping that when all the fuss about the waterway is over that he will move back in.

On Friday I went to Point Arena to add to my display the items left over from the Festival of Trees. Anthony Rees and Kirsten Tanner were gallery sitting so while I hooked hooks on to the net we had a great talk about films. I had just seen "The Man who Went up a Hill and Came down a Mountain" which was shot in south Wales - near where Anthony had lived. That's Anthony making his wire Celtic designs while Kirsten rang up sales.
We were having such a good time I forgot to take a photo of my display.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

I definitely feel I should keep beading. The messages are coming through loud and clear. I got a call from Harriat who does the inventory for The Dolphin and she read off the list of items that have sold which was very encouraging. Other years I have sold one or nothing. So that was good. Finally her customers appreciate my work.
Then Susan wrote that she had visited my blog (her first!) and offered that any time I needed a bead-oost, I should let her know. The lady does have a way with words!
Then yesterday afternoon I started my new piece and so far it is going very well and I am very excited about it. I decided to work the double walls simultaneously by doing one length of thread with 8s and when I need to rethread the needle, then I switch to 11s. At this point the whole thing looks like one of those fancy sweepstakes ribbons from county fair days. But it already has the proper curve and the colors I had on hand are perfect.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010


Last night as I tore up the 4th attempt with the Pendragon cuff, and repackaged all the beads, I imagined what I would blog in here saying I was done with beads and then planning a huge yard sale. However this morning I got such a marvelous letter from Susan Phelps at Fire Mountain thanking me for the beads for the "Circle of Hope" event to raise funds for breast cancer research, that I am rethinking my planned action. She wrote so kindly and made me feel she really liked my work and valued my designs. I hope they give her a pay increase.

Maybe I will try again and not give up so easily with the beads. I was avoiding doing an original design, as that is even more frustrating than following some else's instructions! but now I am thinking maybe my own idea would be interesting enough to carry me over the rough spots when the beads don't fit together.

Yesterday I got by mail from Susan (or someone at Fire Mountain) a copy of Christmas 365 with a really good photo of my last year's entry in the bead contest - the Christmas tree that did not get a prize. I was really touched that they were still finding a use for the image and that it still looked so good. I had gotten the same magazine earlier but I felt the Universe was making sure I got it again so I would not get discouraged with beading. Gotta listen to these messages!