Thursday...

First day of part day babysitter so that I can make beads!!! Get another day of it tomorrow too!!! It's a nice balance of work in the morning, play in the afternoon. I think this will help all of us deal with summer better.

Am plugging away at making beads for Bead and Button. Kits are slowly getting put together and I think I'll be ready when the time comes!!!! This is a little more secure than I've felt in prior years about my actually being ready.

Am working on shipping right now and then off to the gym.

starbucks - no and it's a good thing. It's just not good for my weight. I've tried the non fat, the sugar free and I just can't do it. Besides...when you're there you want a pastry too! Must stick to diet snapple and food from home!!

Music - not today, listening to the devil wears prada on the ipod. Weird story so far. A bit depressing more than funny.

making beads like crazy this week. Hooray! Am finding a rythym to the summer and might actually be ready for Bead and Button when it's time to go there! (guess I'm ready no matter what I've finished or not when it's time to go there!)

Not too much time to go online when busy with beadmaking AND kids at home. So far so good though. Have a wonderful assistant making kits for me, so life is a bit more sane than it might have been at this moment.

coffee today - mint chip frappucino - not sure why I ordered that, but the suggestive sell thing at the drive thru got me. I think I can safely say...not going to be my "regular" starbucks order. Kind of like a girl scout cookie frozen on caffine! Way too chocolate-y for me.

music - no, but listening to the Devil Wears Prada on the ipod. Somewhat amusing so far, but not too far into it.

Today is the first real day of summer vacation for the boys...so far so good, but it's just 1 p.m. :)

I'm getting ready to go to the studio for a little while. We'll see how much I get done. Maybe I'll have a grip on some sort of schedule by the end of the week.

I need to go pick up the fairy godmothers that I made at the bead store the other day. They were cute and I want to see them!!!!!

Ok, off to lunch and work.

coffee - nope, trying to abstain, again Diet Snapple to the rescue
music - not yet.

A grey day. Not outside (well, it was early, but now blue skies) but mentally. I even made grey beads! I didn't think of that until I was getting ready to type this, but I did make lots of beads (mostly small) today and they were ALL grey! (It was kind of a theme, so once I made one grey bead, the others went with it, so it's not like I said "I will only make grey beads today")

Just had some weird stuff go down yesterday and it put me into a "grey funk". Hopefully I'll be in a lime green funk next time I make beads! :)

music -ipod mix - music for mermaids and a bunch of Jason Mraz who I just love!
coffee - no, but snapple diet peach tea- yes.

Party or Panic...

That is the question.

It's the last day of school and all though it's fun to think of a relaxed summer with the kids. That is somewhat of an oxymoron...fun and relaxed with kids. :)

So, rather than freak out, I'm trying to go into this next week with a new attitude of happy-mom-ness and not the woman who is the subject of "mother's little helper"

I had a great "last hurrah" day by making beads with Margo at the beadstore. It was very fun to be a social beadmaker and I'm going to have to do it more often....once I don't have kids at home all day.

Coffee today - tried Starbucks Skim Latte with sugarfree vanilla syrup.....ICK!
re-tried Starbucks thanks to generous Margo with Unsweetened Iced Tea. not as fun as my usual sweet stuff, but there are only ___ days till my class reunion.

music today - lots of fun mixes on the ipod, which I took with me to the store and plugged in the speakers while I worked. I love my ipod. Have I stressed that enough lately?

I made beads today!!!

I did go to the honors assembly at Harrison's school AND got to make beads too!!!

Just finished watching apprentice finale and am glad he chose Kendra. What cracks me up is that he says there is going to be an Apprentice musical on Broadway! That's wacko!!!

Just a short entry today...wanted to say hooray that I got to make beads. The oxygen concetrator wasn't shipped until yesterday, so I'm really really glad that Rob brought me 2 new tanks...that way I'll make it until the arrival of hte oxy con.

Tomorrow I'm going to make beads at Beads by Design in Marietta with my friend Margo. It will be the first time I've actually rented torch time! I'm doing it as a fun activity, not because I don't have my own studio, but it gives me a social outlet. :)

no coffee today
diet peach snapple. mmmmmmmmm

watching Lost (way behind and way "lost" myself) and making bead bundles. Cleaned lots of baby beads last night.

Still no oxygen...no concentrator has arrived, so I'm going to have to go on an oxy quest tomorrow...otherwise no more beads until the concentrator arrives. and when will that be????/ not sure yet.

Will be going to Beads by Design on Friday to rent torchtime, just in case no oxy arrives in time.

today - no beadmaking - at work for my Dad
Coffee - Venti Iced Hazlenut Latte (and lemon poundcake for which I feel guilty)
Exercise - no
Children's Honor Asseblies Attended - One, where the same 6 kids got awards over and over and over (and I think you can guess mine wasn't one of those 6...otherwise I'd be thrilled about going to an Honor Assembly! LOL)

IF YOU ARE A BEADMAKER AND READ MY BLOG...Please comment on this posting. thanks!

Another Tuesday posting...

I had a cornucopia of oxygen and made lots of little beads before it ran out. and that is all of the oxygen until either my concentrator arrives OR I go get more tanks. In the meantime I'll work on the book and kits I guess.

Maybe clean beads? I don't know....but I'll find something to do. (doesn't it just figure that when I have the most beads to make, I run out of oxy?!)

Well on to other things...

I had a posting pulled from Wet Canvas today because it was considered a solicitation. I felt bad about that...BUT I still need help!!! I need to figure out if people would rather have a LONG video with lots of demos OR short demos each on one DVD. I like the idea of having an "audience" so that they can ask "frequently asked questions" and have it be more of a class-type video than me just talking step by step. I think it would be more interesting, but I don't know if people would like that or not.

This is why it was considered a solicitation I guess, but I really just want to work on something that is useful and marketable rather than a dud. :)

drinking gatorade at present...was out in sun at swimteam. Am getting very tan :)
exercise today = 1 hour, candy = none (but I really want some!), Days till 20 yr class reunion - 95!

It's Tuesday...I have nothing on my plate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Other than to do what I need to do today. You don't know how huge this is to me. A whole day to work. Now, that said. I'm down to 100 lbs of oxy, so I'm not going to be making beads for very long, but I'm on my way!!!

wooo hoo! And if I run out....I'm making kits or something productive because...

It's Tuesday and I have nothing on my plate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no Starbucks - more like Slimfast I think (though I don't even know if I have any)
Music? About to plug in the ipod. :)

Monday doesn't go the way I want it to...ever.

Planned to make beads all day. Forgot I had to go help @ Harrison's school. Got home...almost out of oxygen...had to make little beads instead of what I really need to make...in order to keep going on this last 500lbs I have left.

Made 1 vessel (pretty cool one I think), a couple of little faces, one fairy godmother, one weird-test focal...just have to wait and see if it's anything worth trying again, lots of little baby beads, a couple of hearts...I think something else big, but I can't remember. mostly little beads, though, due to oxygen shortage.

I am waiting for my new concentrator to arrive and don't want to go get new tanks of oxy...but I'm probably going to have to. :(

Realized today actually how few days are left until Bead and Button and somewhat freaked out!

In bigger, happier news...I am making a DVD!!!! It's not all finalized yet, but I am making it! After seeing myself on video...the one of the demo I did at the Southern Flames meeting, I was a bit weirded out. I talk like Minnie Mouse, have a double chin, look way more like my sister than I thought I did, but AM A GOOD DEMO and a GOOD BEADMAKER! It's funny to watch myself do what I do every day...but from the other side of the flame.

So, am in discussion with film people (yes, real film people, not just do-it-yourself video) how and in what time frame we're doing this, but I AM MAKING A DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's going to be a DVD version of my class. 8 demos (maybe on 2-3 separate dvds, maybe 1...have yet to decide)

I am going to ask for some feedback, but I think I'm going to actually have an audience to ask questions while I do the demo. It just seemed to flow nicely in the demo with the question/answer patter.

Ok...enough for today.

No coffee (and might have to give up Starbucks until after my 20 yr class reunion in August, as I fear it is a contributor to weight gain)

yes ipod music - today "midnight music for monkeys" - the playlist I made for my kids to go to sleep to. :)

Am posting quickly because Griffin is sitting here jumping up and down waiting to go to Barnes and Noble. (why I don't really know...he just knows we're going, and I'm guessing he's planning to hit me up for something while we're there!)

Am going to head straight to magazine section in a moment of vanity to see if I'm there!!!

Here's a funny funny site that my friend Jan e-mailed me this a.m. I died laughing, so I'm putting the link here. I'll add it to my side bar later...

www.threadbared.com

off to get books and starbucks and hopefully magazine.

no music so far (other than in church)
no beads either!

(update...tea not coffee at Starbucks. They didn't have any Bead Unique Magazines at Barnes and Noble...I will check again in a few days)

Here's a picture of the article though!

Happy Dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I'm in a magazine, I'm in a magazine!!!!!! (sung in my best Sandra Bullock voice from Miss Congeniality when she "sings" "you know you like me, you want to kiss me...")

I was taking Brad Pearson's class today and Gerry, the owner of the beadstore where the class was asks me "will you sign my magazine?" YOWZA! It was my article!!! I knew that I'd been interviewed and sent pictures, but didn't know when the magazine would publish the "artist spotlight" about me. They did!! It's here!!!

Bead Unique...page 22!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bead Unique Magazine Current Issue
(this link is to the "current issue page" which as of today is not the current issue...hopefully it will change soon!"

happy dance!

And here are some beads from this week. Not my best photos, but they were fun beads!





coffee today - mais oui....iced venti hazlenut light ice latte (that's a mouthful!)

music - thanks to Brad Pearson, lots of fun reggae. I'm going to go find the album he played which was Bob Dylan songs done reggae!

p.s. funny link du jour...a blog (which wasn't what drew me in, rather this page with fortune cookie style quotations. I loved these!)
Fortune Cookie Quotes from Fussy

Oh my word!

I just read the entry that I wrote earlier and it verifies that I am nuts!

I'm going to delete it so that the world doesn't see HOW nuts I am!

I didn't make beads today. :(

I hope I get to tomorrow.

coffee - no, chik fil a sweet tea - mmmmmmmmm good!
music - nope

I tried to post yesterday, but blogger was offline during the window of time I had to type. :)

Swim Team dramas continued yesterday. Hopefully, things will have calmed down a bit today....otherwise this beadmaker might not make it through the summer without a visit to the NUT HUT!

Beadmaking yesterday was wonderful. I made things that I really liked. Hopefully, I can get some pictures here soon. I was exploring striking yellow with enamels and gold leaf (I love gold leaf!!) You would never know that looking at my beads that I even use gold leaf because I tend to melt it in and make the colors richer. The new vase-face beads have windows of gold leaf that are actually gold.

Today, no beadmaking. I have a sick kid. :(

I did clean part of my studio today. All stray glass is off the worktop. If you've ever seen my workplace you would know that is a HUGE thing.

I have tons of glass to be sorted and put into appropriate color drawers...but for now, at least the table top is clear!

I am hoping to get my new tabletops installed soon, and that required getting the old table cleaned off.

I need an assistant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no starbucks today - snapple diet peach tea
music - more "music for mermaids" I love my ipod!!!!!!!!

Did get to make beads for a little while today. Halo faces...6 made. woo hoo. Several not made, as they were icky bead messes...spinning on the mandrel...no good for anything.

After completing 6 of the "to do list" beads, I made another faces-vases bead. I used completely different colors, so I'm interested to see how it turns out.

Tomorrow is dentist day and hopefully will get to have a little torch time in the afternoon. Swim team started today and so did the drama of making my children do something they don't want to do. I might have to spend my afternoons forcing my children up the street to the pool. You'd think I was forcing them into a child labor camp or something worse...homework camp!!

I'm hoping that the drama wears off soon. I'm enough drama all on my own!!!

Today's music - a new mix of music in the studio today. I'm not sure what to call it, but it's not mermaid music, nor is it really angelic (like the faces I'm supposed to be making), but it sure rocks!

no coffee - Chik Fil A Sweet Tea w/ lemon

Monday!

2 weeks of school left!!! aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

I think that's the call of mothers heard round the world. Our precious children are about to wreak havoc with our schedules!!!

So, I have to type fast and go make beads while I have a chance to do so!!!

Already worked out, did e-mail checking...so I'm off.

Have ipod, ready to roll. Actually planning to make the beads I'm supposed to be making today...halo beads.

Up and at 'em. Doing shipping (finally...it's been on the to do list for a few days and I'm making myself do it this a.m.).

I really really want to go make beads, but alas I have sold these and must ship them. I won't get to make beads for myself (or to sell, rather) until later tonight...if then.

We have soccer games this noontime, then I'm going to Beads by Design for the Southern Flames - Beadmaking Extraaaaaaaaaaaaaaavaaaganzaaaaa (you have to say that with big Circus voice...holding all the "a" sounds for a long time). Our group volunteered to make all the beads that go on the totebags for this year's Gathering Convention in Louisville. Our party (extravaganza) is so that people can sit and make beads together, using the group's glass/gas instead of their own since the group is making the donation.

So...after that, I come home and might get to make beads then, but probably not...just have to see how things go.

I really need to be getting ready for Bead and Button, but I'm so scattered right now. I've got 3 new seed bead designs that I want to make (and if they're good write patterns for). I've got all these new glass bead ideas in my head that I want to try, AND I'm in the middle of writing my "book". I need to FINISH something! AND I need to make some money at whatever I do finish. Bead and Button is pressing, though, as I have already spent the $ to do the show..the ad $, etc. It's a biggie for me and I HAVE to be ready!!!!

ok...off to ship.
need coffee...need music, but if i go downstairs to the studio, I'll make beads and forget shipping.

Getting ready to head to the studio to continue this new "bend" I'm on. Here's the history of where this is all coming from.

In 2000 (?) I began making these faces with tall hairdos (originally cakes, but they became hair), I then started computer drawings of more girls with "big hair" - example circa 2001 (below left)



Since then, in between mermaids, I keep coming back to this same motif. These beads with taller and taller hair (above right).



So, I was playing with beads earlier this week and did the progression of beads below (a few days ago). After that, I kept thinking of ways to incorporate them into my already existing work. Well, while having my oil changed yesterday, I sketched this big hairdo with embellishment and it became a vessel. I came home and made this bead and here it is...



I am so grooving on this bead. (it cracked a tiny bit because I was distracted while making the bead - long story)

Now, this said, take a look at the art below...am I so on this same page or what? How much more can one have going on in their head or hair (however you see it)???? My therapist (yes I said it here, publicly) said that I might be drawing/making/drawn to these things because they CONTAIN all the stuff that's in their heads/hair. She wonders if it's because I'm always saying that I have so many ideas flying around in my head and I want to keep them contained. Hmmmmm. Interesting....(that's my best therapist-speak) I think I just like big hair. :)

It's just a funny observation, but in looking at all these things (drawing, bead, new bead, the paintings I like below) they all have the following in common - LOTS going on above the face level AND all have serene faces. It's just such an interesting thing. I'm going to have to actually explore the concept now that it's been drawn to my attention.

coffee today - no (and probably shouldn't. I'm zooming already)
Music - not yet, but handy ipod is going to studio with me in a minute. My "music to make mermaids" might have to be changed to "music for big haired girls" and include some B-52s. :)

on a non-related to anything note...I think that I might have some google sponsored ads on this page. Mostly because I think it will be funny to see what key words they pull out of my postings to find things to sell. Will there always be a coffee link? Will Ipods be linked? Hmmmmmmm. I think it would be funny to see. It reminded me of when people found my site because they googled "the ozbornes" with it spelled incorrectly like I did! I also had a lot of hits from people looking for "poison ivy, itches". I always look to see how people get to my site other than the predictable "sylviebead" way. :)

Thursday beadmaking update.....

(I kind of imagine that tickertape/news music here)

I did have some studio time today after the teacher conference. I decided to go with the klimt thing I've been on lately, but with a twist. As I was sitting and having my oil changed today, I was drawing bead pictures. I kept being drawn back to a vessel shape. I first was thinking of a vessel with an angel or something like that on it (similar to the red headed girl from the earlier bead) but then I thought about that big hair thing again. What is it about me and big hair?!!

So she's a vessel with big hair! I can't wait to get her out of the kiln...always is interesting to see if I like things when they've come out of the kiln as much as I liked them when they went in. :)

I recently went to an art show where I bought a really cool print and t-shirt from an artist that paints BIG HAIR! I didn't really notice that it was big hair until later. What is it with me?!!! I'm going to try to find his website and post a link. I loved his work.

Here's a link to his site. At first you don't think of it as hair...I didn't, but the more I thought about it, I realized it's just that same subject matter that I do, only with more chaos and bigger "hair" (and a little less girly girl). :)

Bruce Holwerda

Our Lady of Perpetual Confusion (my favorite!)		The Elusive Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Not a beadmaking day...so far.

Personal Trainer
Oil Change
Lunch (that's right now) and computer catchup
Teacher Conference
Shipping (ick)

Music - not so far.
Coffee - no - Chik Fil A

Funny thing du jour....saw this quiz on another beadmaker's site and had to go take it.

Guess this explains my excellent ipod playlist (mix tapes in the making???)

You are LaFawnduh. Why are you so sweaty?


Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you?
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I thought I posted the update to "bad bead day" yesterday, but it looks like I didn't.

Here are some pictures of what I made on my "days off". Definitely off kilter! :)

(I'm watching Dr. Phil. I love it when he says "and how's that workin' for you?")

BIG NEWS!!!!
Ikea is opening sooner than I thought!!!!

didn't make beads today...worked at my dad's office
didn't listen to music (did listen to a book on the ipod while I worked)
Starbucks - Venti 2 pump mocha. mmmmmmm!

for the first time in a long long time I had a day of non-production beadmaking in my studio.

I had a wonderful time and it wasn't long enough. I had the ipod loaded with "chick songs" (hard to describe, but could probably be the soundtrack for a chick flick basically). Sang loud, had fun.

Getting ready to go to a small group thing from church. Babysitter is here, but I just had to take a second and say whoopee for me on my beadmaking day. I'll hopefully post pics tomorrow or later this week. if not here, then on WC.

also...there are fire trucks driving around in my neighborhood with no sirens on. It disturbs me. I am quite different about that since having a house fire. I would never have really blinked before when seeing a fire truck. Now I'm always worried that it has something to do with me. Hopefully, that will pass at some point. I really feel for my kids though. I know they have to feel a similar way, only more scared. Griffin hates the days that firemen come to school. Harrison hates when they ask him in class what kids should do in case of a fire (like he's a pro or something). His answer is "don't be home". Gotta love him!

Anyways. The fire thing put a damper on my good bead day. Hooray again for me!!!

ipods rock by the way. Maybe they're the good vibes I had been needing in the studio. It had been a long time since I had music instead of tv. Maybe I need that music thing instead.

Starbucks a.m. order - Venti Iced Hazlenut Light Ice Latte. Boys had decaf frappucinos. I spoil them. :)