Happy Monday World (except for Delaware)


I am going to do an experiment today...

Delaware Ick Stractors, Delaware "They really like me", Delaware "Oy with the Poodles Already" Delaware, Delaware, DE, Delawarians, Delaware Delaware Delaware Delaware

Maybe those random Delaware phrases will bring the Delawarian blog-readers to my blog-doorstep!


ok... that's the silliness for today. I've spent a BIG chunk of my day today tearing out beadwork and re-doing it. Something about the color just looked wrong and had to be fixed. HOPING to finish in the next day!

no coffee
no music
boring boring boring

Rerun Friday...

I was telling someone about my trip to Canada the other day (waving to Stacey... hi Stacey!!!) and it made me think about this blog posting from back in July 2003. It always makes me smile when I read it...and I do go back and re-read it every now and then because it's such a fun memory and I'm glad I wrote about it right after it happened.

SO... without any more delay. A rerun blog entry... Happy Friday Everyone!!!!



............ July 2003 ..............

So...after the intro to the new blog junk is done...here is the scoopula what I've been up to.

Well...spent way too much time obsessing over my weblog, so I will begin it with a REALLY REALLY long entry, entitled...

I went all the way to Canada to see the Dixie Chicks!

That's right folks...flew all the way to Vancouver, BC Canada to see the chicks. Why might you ask??? Well, I will tell you! I know that my life is a train wreck ready at the click of a mouse for viewing, but this alas is no train wreck. It's a vacation entry! Sort of a Travel Log!

My best friend Denise and I decided we were going to see the Dixie Chicks. Since she's in Houston and I'm in Atlanta, one of us was going to have to fly to the concert. So...I couldn't go when it was in Houston because of something else I was doing. She couldn't go (or I couldn't...can't remember) when it was in Atlanta. We decided that if one of us was going to have to fly...we might as well both fly and make it a fun girl trip. So...off we went to check out the tour dates. Well...they weren't as exciting as they could have been. (no offense to anyone reading from any of these cities but they weren't for us) Ames, Iowa; Oklahoma City, OK; Greenville, SC.....places we just didn't think were vacation-condusive.

Our next choices were West Coast...all of them we'd both been to before...L.A., Portland, Seattle. I loved Seattle and so did Denise and we thought about Seattle or Portland until we saw....VANCOUVER! Yes! Denise had been there while going skiing, but I never had. I said "let's do it!" So we bought Dixie Chicks concert tickets to a concert in CANADA! We're totally laughing at ourselves at this point, but it was a fun idea. Then after Denise buys the tickets, we remember the exchange rate and hootie hoo! We got a discount because they were puchased in Canada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So...the travel date draws nearer. I find us a hotel in Vancouver by doing a search for "boutique hotels" in Vancouver. Find a gorgeous hotel (or it looks that way from the website) called the OPUS Hotel and make reservations. Denise makes our airline reservations and we wait till July...the trip time!

Some time in June I find this funny funny halmark card which says...

"This year for your birthday let's go bowling in Canada...so that someday we can say we went bowling in Canada"

On the plane on the way to Vancouver, I give Denise the card. It becomes my running joke for the whole trip. "Let's go to the dixie chicks in Canada so that some day we can say we went to the dixie chicks in canada" and on and on and on.

We go through immigration (behind the family of non-english speaking people who were in the line that DIDN'T need a translator). They asked us "why are you coming into Canada?" and we said "to see the Dixie Chicks concert!" Laughing at ourselves at how silly the notion was. Then Mr. Immigration says..."Did you see them? They just came through a little ahead of you?". Of course, we didn't see them...we only saw the woman who had made us get up out of our seats so that she could go to the bathroom 15 times on the flight there. From immigration, we make our way through the airport without me actually losing any digits, though a family of French Canadians did try to prevent that from happening by trying to run me down with their smart carts. Finally...we made it safely to our rental car place...got a gorgeous big car to hold our many shoes and took to the Canadian road! (with our strong american dollars in hand)

We get to Vancouver and go to lunch...very cute pizza restaurant in Gastown district of Vancouver (going to have to look up the name). Got lost at least once going there and had to go around 3 blocks to get back on track (the pedestrians and one way streets really messed us up)

Went to our hotel to check in. GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!! The Opus is such a gorgeous/funky/cool/spa-like hotel I can't even believe we were so lucky to pick it by only looking on line. And the bonus is...it's Canadian! (which in Sylvie-speak means it's like on sale!)

We veg out at the hotel for a while and then go to dinner on Robson street at this wonderful Italian restaurant called "Cin Cin" (pronounced Chin Chin). I can't even remember what we ate for dinner, but it was wonderful and the desert was even better! Did a little shopping on Robson street then headed back to the hotel to crash....and we got great deals because of course...we were spending Canadian!

Friday morning we got up and headed out for a day of shopping. We began at Starbucks across the street from the hotel. I was so psyched with my american dollar power that i purchased a gift card...figuring $50 in Canada would be $80 in the US!!! Well folks...gift cards don't work that way. Alas, they figure these things out ahead of time. Anyways...the coffee I got there was a discount, so whoopeee! Bargain starbucks! We got our coffee and hit the road!

Went to Gadsen Island which was way cool with little artists studios and galleries all over the place. We got lost at least 10 times trying to get there, because we kept taking wrong turns and getting back on this big bridge over and over and over. By the time we made it there...we were in a giggle fit just from the silliness of being lost so many times. We got a kick ass parking space, which in my universe means that you will find good shopping. Bad space...you will find nothing you like or can afford. Well, we got a good space and the shopping was great. I would love to go back and spend more time AND money there!

from there we went downtown to check out shopping there. Went to their mall which was a colossal disappointment. Should have stayed boutique-y, but took a risk and failed. :( Probably because we had a bad parking space!

Went back to the hotel and took a little nap before getting ready for dinner and the concert. We got ourselves looking very concert cute and went to dinner at the hotel restaurant...Elixir. Delicious meal! Our server asked us where we were going and we said "to the Dixie Chicks" and he said.....(dramatic music pause) "Oh did you see them?...they're staying here."

OMG!!!!!!!!!! The Dixie Chicks are staying at our hotel!!! There are only 90 something rooms in the hotel, so it's not like it's a huge hotel or anything...we could be staying down stairs from us...or just above.... They could have seen naked man too! The man across the street who Denise saw out the window while she was getting ready...walking around nude in his apartment. (it was like a Seinfeld moment) The Dixie Chicks could be calling him "naked man" also. They could be excited about spending american dollars at the same starbucks I was. Who knows?!!

So...we head out for the concert. We get there and wait through security and what not and head in to find our seats. As we're coming in...we hear Michelle Branch! We didn't know she was opening for them!! She was not listed as opening when we bought our tickets. So the way I see it...Dixie Chicks, and Michelle Branch, plus canadian dollars. It's two concerts for the price of one AND it's canadian...so that makes it basically FREE! We're jamming and psyched at Michelle Branch being there. As soon as there is a break between MB and the Chicks concert...Denise gets up to go buy a T-shirt. As she does, she says something to the 2 girls on the aisle who have to stand up to let her out.

They say to me after she's left..."hey, you're not from Canada are you?!!" Well, no...we're not. She asks where we're from. I tell her Atlanta. OMG! She just moved back to Vancouver from Atlanta last month! She was going to school there. So here we are at the Dixie Chicks in Canada sitting next to someone who is from Vancouver AND Atlanta. She thought it hilarious that we were there and begins to tell her friends who think it's funny too. Then I mention the silly card about going bowling in Canada. As soon as I say "let's go bowling in Canada for your birthday" she says "So we can say we went bowling in Canada!" She'd bought the same card for her friend! Bizarro!

So the concert was incredible! We head back to our hotel, write a note to the Chicks and leave it with the front desk thanking them for such a great concert. We find out later that the chicks had already checked out before the concert but the nice Opus hotel people faxed their office our note. Wasn't that nice?! It wasn't even a big deal. We just thought it would be funny to write a note since we were in the same small hotel and we'd come all the way to Canada for the concert.

Saturday we went to Victoria via ferry. It was a beautiful ferry ride. The island was beautiful! We went to an old mansion called Craigderoch (sp?) castle. As I walked around it, I was reminded of the PBS show Manor House. Denise hadn't watched it, but it was a lot more real to me after seeing today's people trying to manage/clean a huge house like that in the way that they did in that era. The house had a museum with all that historical stuff about the family. This family, however had juicy gossip in their past, so it was FUN to read about all their wayward daughters! One of them left her husband for Taluleh (sp?) Bankhead! (I have no clue if I spelled that anywhere remotely correctly) It was funny anyways that they had the gossipy stuff in their museum!

Shopping in Victoria was incredible and we barely scratched the surface of what there was to do on the island before we had to go back to the Ferry. On the ride home, I almost punched a French woman. I am NOT a violent person. However, sitting next to someone who says "zeees orrible americans" over and over was about to drive me mad! I controlled myself, but really wanted to let her have it. I didn't care about political views...just politeness. She had to know that there were lots of people from the US on the ferry. If you don't have anything nice to say...don't say anything at all...at least not NEXT to the people you're dissing! Tres rude!

We flew home EARLY on Sunday. On my flight home, there was a near air-rage incident between a Brazillian couple and our less than polite flight attendant. The people around me were all truly afraid that these people would come to blows with him. Very bizarre ending to my travels.

All that considered...It was a wonderful trip with a truly good friend. We laughed like 9th graders, ate like gourmets, stayed at a hipster hotel where the beautiful people of Vancouver hung out at night, drove like crazy tourists, and shopped like true American-dollar-toting girls!

I learned on my trip...
-that many Canadians see us as less than they are. Sort of in a snooty way. That was sad.
-that Victoria was Beautiful,
-that Vancouver was Beautiful,
- that the Opus Hotel is FABULOUS,
-that I like Parisians (the drink ironic...huh?),
-that it is easy to get run over in customs and immigration
-that the Chrysler 300M is a cool car with funky mirrors that move to make it easier to parallel park
-that my coffee order is different in Canada "Venti Half Sweet Mocha"
-that the Dixie Chicks stay at great hotels AND put on a great concert
-that the American dollar in Canada ROCKS!
-and that you can't buy a Starbucks gift card and benefit from the exchange rate when using it in the US.

And thus ends Sylvie's trip to Canada report. :)

today's coffee - Venti Mocha light on the Mocha (american order purchased with Canadian Starbucks card)

Ok... (it's never good when I start a post with "ok...")

Stress Free Thursdays are NEVER "stress free" SO from now on, I'm going to refer to them as

STRESS FILLED THURSDAYS!!!!!!!!!!

(and maybe the fact that nothing in my life goes the way it's supposed to on a Thursday go will cause them to not be stressful... whadda ya think?)

It's been a rough couple of days in my life.

I got turned down to teach at a venue I really wanted to teach at.... every car I find has SOMETHING wrong with it or is sold by the time I get to it.... and then a lot of other random junk has made today a pretty lousy day.

Somone the other day told me that she worried about me because I was always happy. WELL, hopefully, when she reads this (if she does) she will see that there are days that I'm definitely not suzy sunshine. I just try to look for the good when I can... because if I don't... well, then the bad wins. And who likes it when the bad side wins???? No one!!!

SO.... looking for the bright side today, I'm going to go with my one good news item....

I'm going to see Taylor Swift with my baby sister for her 40th birthday!

We're going to have fun. I have a week to find something cute and concert-worthy to wear. I'll take lots of silly pictures of us surrounded by 12 year old girls. I think I'll find something pink and sparkly... very Lorelai Gilmore... to wear. I'll keep you posted and if you're in the "inner circle" will post pictures to facebook after the concert.

Well... that had absolutely nothing to do with beads, but c'est la vie.


tiny blah blah blah...

coffee - yes. CDL and it was yummy.

music - none today. I spent my day looking at cars, talking about cars, trying to buy a car.... and not succeeding.

So... it's a night-time post again. That might be how things end up on my blog from now on.

If I'm concentrating on beady/beading/glass things during the day and away from the computer... computer time will be at night when the house is quiet.

Today was about being mom to sick kids again. They seem to be a day apart in working their way through this crud. I totally feel for them since I had it last week. I felt like a truck ran over me for 4 days, so I know what they're going through!! (and I didn't run a fever... so I know they probably feel worse than I did). Sounds like lots of their friends have it too. :(

Hopefully it will disappear from my house FAST! I need some well kids!!

Because I need to get more work done!!!!!!

and I need to buy a car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have prospects. I have a loan. I have no trade-in because my van is totally worthless now... but I WILL find something to drive before next week. I have to! I can't keep renting a car forever!!!

I think everyone will giggle when they see my new "ride" if I end up with the one I've been looking at. I don't think anyone would have predicted this as my car. (I'll post pictures once I actually own something!)

ok... that's it for today. It was not a beady day!


tiny blah blah blah

music - Chris Tomlin's Sing Sing Sing has been in my head all day and I keep re-playing the Youtube version... even though it's not as good as Kyle and the guys at CCB

no coffee - I haven't had starbucks since Sunday. It's mostly a Sunday thing now (shocked?)

An ode to Delaware.... my favorite state that starts with a D


Delaware, thou art a state.

Delaware thou art so great.

You might be small

But No sales tax says it all.

If only you would read my blog!

(it's a good thing I make pretty things.... I would never make it as a poet!) :D


Thank you to Laura who I know is trying to recruit Delawarians to read my blog and fill in that one last elusive state on the blog-reader map.


tiny blah blah blah...

it was a sick kid day at my house... no coffee no music. Lots of automotive classified ads. yuck!

I have NOT been good at daily blogging lately, have I?????

Need to improve on that one!

I've been totally bogged down with normal-life stuff (i.e. being sick then trying to buy a car, which still hasn't happened) that it has seriously hampered my creative time!

BUT I'm working on my Head Over Heels for the Holidays and HOPEFULLY will have her completed SOON!!!


this is super short... have a lot on my plate right now in personal-life land.


tiny blah blah blah...

also boring... no coffee and no music! what has this world come to????!!!!!

It's Stress Free Thursday!!!!!!

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!

We've made it... one more day till the weekend. And although today really isn't stressful, I'm not feeling as "woo-hoo" as that probably looked like it sounded. (huh? not sure that made sense to anyone but me!)

I'm out and about today, but definitely still not feeling well and not sure I should be coming into contact with people either. I was thinking originally that this was allergy related, but I'm pretty sure now that it's more of a bug since I've been hearing from people around me with the same crud.

But you don't want to hear about my sniffles and coughs! You want to hear about beads!!!!!

So... the good thing that has come out of my being sick is that I have had to sit still (because I didn't feel like much else) and that has let me BEAD... the kind of sit there and be still beading that needed to be done. I've been slower for sure, for a couple of reasons... 1. because I'm in design-stage and that takes a little longer. 2. because I just don't feel great and 3. because my eyesight has officially hit the FORTY mark and turned south on me. I need readers now and that drives me crazy!!!

BUT the piece is turning out SO SO SO cute and I can't wait to get it kitted and ready to roll. I've had the lampwork made for a while, but hadn't figured out the color placement exactly. I didn't want the piece to be all red and green AND I didn't want it to look just like all the other Head Over Heels girls, so I've been stitching and un-stitching quite a lot, but yesterday I hit the YES! That's it! moment and I should have her structure finished by tomorrow. Embellishment always takes me almost as long as the piece itself, so I'm going to have to give myself a couple of extra days past my self-imposed deadline of tomorrow.

I'll try to get pictures posted here early next week because she is SO SO SO cute! She's a holiday jester... sort of elf-like, but no pointy ears... a jester hat instead. She has pointy-toed elf shoes, candy-cane legs and the cutest little jumper...makes her look very nordic and not just like all the other HOH girls...which is the point of these limited edition pieces. She also is wearing mittens!!! Cute, huh? I can't wait to show you!!!!

Can you tell I'm excited about it???? I really am!!!


The UNexcitng part of my life this week is car-related. I have to go buy a car this weekend (or early next week) It's a must... my old car went ka-put... BIGTIME ka-put. I like the car I've picked out, but have to get through the buying part... but then that will be done and I will be a happy HEALTHY girl in a happy healthy car! (it really is a happy car. I wish it was a happier color, but that wasn't meant to be... but it's a fun car just the same)



tiny blah blah blah...

Chick Fil A Tea

No music...I forgot to bring my ipod to the office, but I will probably have the Gilmore Girls on in the background later when I get back home. Does that count?

I haven't mentioned this earlier and it doesn't really matter to anyone but me, BUT I haven't really watched TV in almost THREE months! Isn't that crazy? Other than a few exceptions... hanging out with my kids while they were watching something, being at my mom's when she was watching something... that's it. Watching Flight of the Conchords online and then watching Gilmore Girls on DVD are the first PURPOSEFUL watching of anything I've done all summer (other than going to a movie). There are shows I'll want to watch when re-run time is over, but I haven't really missed much this summer.

sniffle sniffle

cough cough

stitch one skip one stitch one skip one

It's another day of sniffles and coughs and working on my Head Over Heels sample. She's looking very festive and cute... which is something that canNOT be said about me! I hate being sick!!! (does anyone like it though?? guess not)

Phooey on whoever passed on this junk to me!


tiny blah blah blah...

no music - watching re-runs of the Gilmore Girls

no coffee, Chick-fil-a tea instead (I bought a gallon jug for myself yesterday)

Happy Tuesday Beady (and not beady) Friends!!

I'm home sick today. :(

I was home sick and working yesterday, so hopefully I'll get less dopey (cold meds) and get some more beading done this afternoon.

I'm working on my Holiday Head Over Heels sample. I've only got a couple of weeks to go before it's in the store, so I need to hustle my butt, huh???


This is short and sweet. Hope you all have a very fun day! I'll be watching Gilmore Girls, practicing my witty banter and off-beat pop-culture references, drinking tea, taking decongestants and couting teeny tiny beads!

TOTALLY forgot to talk about this....

I want to have a bead retreat. I've had them in the past and they were lots of fun. I've got a new holiday project (will post pictures here next week) and think that it would be LOTS of fun to do a North Georgia beading retreat later this fall (late October/early November)

What do you think??? Where should I do it??? Who wants to come???


just starting to think about it....

Well here we are on Thursday again... STRESS FREE THURSDAY!!!!!

I said last night that I was looking forward to stress free Thursday and was met with that half-crooked head look that my dog gives me when he has no clue what I'm saying. I explained to the person that it's my wishful thinking that Thursday will be smooth-sailing so that Friday will get here quicker! She liked that.

So... we're going to sail smoothly into the weekend when I have MANY plans... none of which are on the list of things that I'm willing to talk about here! oooh... except one. I think I'm going to the Southern Flames (Atlanta's glass beadmaking group) meeting on Saturday. I remembered it yesterday and had to change some plans around to accommodate it... but I think I'll be there, at least for the beginning of the meeting.

Anyways... I'm looking forward to a wonderful weekend. I need it!!!

So... where were was I on All Request August??? I am still granting Regan's request of knowing how I got into beads... I got you all to the point where I was just delving into making jewelery....


I forgot to say that after college, when I was working office jobs, I also worked part time at a clothing store (I tend to be a hard worker...very financially driven, if you haven't figured that out yet). The owner of the store and her husband had a line of clothes that they sold at the Apparel Mart. I showed her the silk scarves I had been making, and she started rep-ing them at the mart. Soon I was selling my scarves to stores across the Southeast. I found a rep in the midwest (I can't even remember how I found her!) and she started selling my stuff up there as well.

I added some painted silk skirts to the line eventually and had quite a cottage business going (while at the same time working a day job and working a couple of nights a week at the clothing store... I was a busy girl, but it was needed money back then.) Eventually the clothing store closed and I was only doing the painted silks as my "other job" but I had enough orders to keep me quite busy.

This was all happening at the same time that I was learning to make the simple jewelry. I spent lots of afternoons in the beadshop buying this and that... designing pieces that got a little more complicated. The beadstore owner asked if I wanted a part-time job on Saturdays and I said "sure!" Once I was there, I learned all about jewelry construction (basic jewelry, not silver-smithing or beadweaving... just stringing and wire-wrapping... but learned to make some cool stuff).

I saw these incredibly cute "fimo beads" that a woman sold to the beadstore. They were fairly new back then and each bead sold for about $4. I thought to myself (being the entrepeneurial girl that I was), I wonder if I could make those??? And went about learning how! I made some fairly simple faces... then some wacko mask-like faces and used those to make jewelry that coordinated with the silks I was painting. THEN I figured out how to make Christmas faces... (insert ooooh and aaah here) and everything changed.

I made really cute Christmas-y jewelry and sold it to people I worked with... then got into a few local craft shows and ROCKED with the Christmas jewelry. About the same time, I found out I was pregnant and let the silk-scarf biz end. I kept working at the bead store part time and kept making cute fimo beads to sell to them and as jewelry at local craft shows.

And then I had a cute baby boy!!! And things sort of changed, as all things do when you have kids! I kept making fimo things on the side, but stopped working at the beadstore. I was still a regular shopper there though and that lead to the next installment of "how the heck did Sylvie start making glass beads??!!" Which will continue later.

Hope this is interesting to Regan and hopefully someone else because it sure is long!!!!!


coffee today - no, but I think i'll go get some in a bit.

music today - not yet... I'm at the office sans ipod

Dinners with Marcy,

I'm off task with my "all requests August" (not that you all have given requests anyways!!) and I'm going to talk about something I feel like talking about today (doesn't that always happen though?)


I had dinner with my friend Marcy last night. Lots of people in bead world know her as Studio Marcy. I'm lucky to know her as my friend....and I'm even LUCKIER that my friend lives so close and we get to have dinner together now and then.

I absolutely adore Marcy and she is one of the smartest chicks I know. Her beads are totally whimsical and fun... but there is a very thoughtful, insightful side to her that I truly admire and value. I think that side of her is sneaking to the surface in her new work...which is absolutely beautiful. (click here to go check it out!!)

SO... this is a public "shout-out" to my friend. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR INSIGHT AND INSPIRATION!!! (and for letting me be the dessert chooser last night) You are the BEST!


tiny blah blah blah...

no coffee today.

no music either... my ipod wasn't charged when I went to the studio... bummer! I had songs that were stuck in my head... like YMCA and Weezer's Beverly Hills.... but I don't think those count.

Today's posting is a link to Jeannette Cook's blog.

She has some pretty important stuff to say about intellectual property of beadworkers/bead artists being pirated and offered as free downloads online.

Please go read what she has to say. She says it WAY better than I can paraphrase.

Jeannette Cook's Beady Eyed Women Blog

have a great day everyone!!!

This one's for Regan!!!! (imagine me waving hi to Regan here)

Regan's request was that I blog about how I got into beads. Well, as Regan knows, I do NOT write a short story, so I'm going to TRY to be as brief as possible here.... TRY being the operative word!

I grew up surrounded by arts and crafts. My mom dabbled in lots of different crafty things when I was a kid... knitting, weaving, latch-hook, crochet, fabric-wire flowers (remember those mom???)...lots of stuff. My dad painted and did pen and ink drawings as a hobby... so there were always artsy things in the house and it was normal to DO something. I remember my mom saying something about people who don't DO things being boring... and I still think that's sort of true (sorry you non-"do"ers out there.... find something and PLAY! Create!)

I always loved fashion and designed my own clothes and forced my mom to sew them for me. When I got old enough to sew them myself, I tried that too... but I wasn't great at it and mom still ended up doing any of the difficult designs. I just had pictures in my head of what I wanted and she'd find a way to mix patterns and make it work. (thanks mom!!)

When I went to college, I thought I'd be doing something having to do with fashion. I started out at a liberal arts college first because it was small and safe and I knew people going there. I started with just basic classes that all freshman take plus a studio art class. I LOVED that class. It was a painting class and I'd never really painted before. I was TRULY BAD at it, but I loved the class. I decided that I'd take more art classes, which meant that I had to go to the state school that was close to the college where I was because there wasn't really an art department at my college. I took basic design there. When I was in the class, the instructor kept saying "do you know this looks like fabric" about almost everything I did in the class. She talked to me about studying fabric design, which I'd never even known was a possibility.

Back at my own college, I had a talk with the art professor there (he taught art history and humanities even though he could have been a GREAT studio art teacher as well... they just didn't have the department for it). ANYWAYS, I had a discussion with him about art and stuff and he pretty much told me that I needed to stop being a wuss and decide if I wanted to study art or not. If I wanted to do art, I needed to just do it and not worry about the "will I have a job" part of things. SO I decided, for that and some personal reasons, that it was time to go home and look into art school.

I ended up going to Georgia State because they had a Surface Design department (fabric design, but more inclusive... wallpaper, carpet, etc.) I started art school and loved it. I got married while in school and rushed my senior year.... and got a B.A. in Studio Art instead of a B.F.A in Surface Design. I wish I could have a do-over, but you can't.... and it is what it is.

While I was in art school, one of my surface design classes was dedicated to painting on silk. I absolutely LOVED it. I liked it better than learning to design production fabrics/wallpapers. I loved the one-of-a-kind fabrics... but that wasn't really a JOB (in my mind), so after I graduated, I did administrative/clerical work (because I wasn't brave enough as Mr. Knocklein had said I should be) and painted silk scarves on the side and sold them here and there.

Some time during that period, I was talking to someone about jewelry. I told her how much I loved her earrings, but that I couldn't wear things that weren't real gold or silver...that they bothered my ears. She clued me into Beadazzles, the bead store in Atlanta where I could go and buy beads and make my own jewelry. Shazaaaaam!!! I was hooked!!!!!

My first earrings were all tiny little ones.... 2 little swarovski crystals with a silver bead inbetween. I made tiny necklaces that matched tiny earrings... all very delicate.... all very NOT artistic, but very wearable and they made me happy!

and this is a good place to stop! More on my history in beads on Monday.... please leave your requests for other topics or I'll have to start coming up with more on my own... scary!


no coffee today
no music today

quelle horreur!!!

Happy STRESS FREE THURSDAY everyone!!

It had SO better be stress-free or I'm gonna have to wave my sparkly magic wand and kick some butt!!! (not exactly sure how I would go about kicking stress in the butt, so let's just hope I don't have to figure out a way!)

I spent a lot of time yesterday afternooon at the pool talking with friends (what does this have to do with beads???... I'll get to that!) about life and stuff and... my blog (ta da! back on topic) We were talking about who reads it and why (which I still can't figure out) and how it definitely is a tool for my keeping in touch with my customers... but it's a bonus that I get to keep in touch with friends and family this way too.

WELL... one of my readers (hi reader!) is NOT a customer or a beady person, but is a friend who I haven't known all that long and doesn't know the history of my beady life. She commented yesterday leaving a "request" and that sort of made me laugh. I wondered... what would the requests be if others of you picked topics, SO....

It's SUPER STRESS FREE ALL REQUEST MONTH!!!! woo hoo!!!! (are you just way too excited???)

Here's how it works.... YOU leave comments about topics you want me to talk about and as long as they don't fall into the category that I've told you I'm NOT going to talk about (which is my personal life... family, ex-family, dating/relationships, what-not) I'll talk about what you want me to!!!

SO... you want to talk about Art History? Cool! Have a lesson on pixie dust? Cool!

Need to know all my secrets to making tiny faces? Cool!

Curious who my favorite beadmakers are?? Cool!

Want to know if Delaware has joined the readers or any other fascinating info about my google statistics? Cool!

Can't stand not knowing what I do on a friday night (NOT COOL! gotcha!)

Want to talk about my favorite 80s music?? Cool!

Want to get crazy and talk about art vs. craft? (risky stuff, but ok. I can do that too.)

You make the call!!! And if I don't get requests.... well, then Regan gets her way and I drone on about how I got into beads and bore you to tears! ;)


so... Happy Stress Free Thursday to all of you! Put your thinking caps on and give me your best stuff!!!

off to find coffee and music!

I should be blogging regularly.

I should have things to blog about.

I don't.

I wish I did, but I don't.

You come here looking for me to say SOMETHING interesting I guess, but I just don't have anything artsy to talk about this week. Sorry!!!!

It's the end of the summer vacation and it's been all about kid stuff lately.... school supplies, back to school clothes, having fun.... stuff like that... not beady at all!!!

BUT things will be very beady in a week and I will do my BEST to keep you informed of every little beady thing. :)


OOOH! I do have a beady thing for today! I got Barbara Becker Simon's new book!!! It's gorgeous and TEMPTING! After watching her demo at the Gathering, I was definitely lured into the evil land of PMC (precious metal clay) Teaching the creativity workshop to the PMC gang on facebook isn't helping anything either! I'm wanting to play with this stuff.... to see how it would work in my mixed media pieces. SO very tempting.... thank you evil Barbara Becker Simon!!!!! ;D


coffee - a latte at Barnes and Noble. I haven't had Starbucks for a while.... working at home changes the pattern of the mornings.... and working out does too. I don't want a latte before I work out (duh) and afterwards, I'm too hyped for coffee.... so we'll see how things develop on the Starbucks front. I'll keep you posted.

music - I SO wish I could find my old ipod. It's really starting to bug me. I can't IMAGINE that it was stolen out of my car.... I don't remember leaving my car unlocked EVER, but that's the last place I remember having it. Maybe the squirrels stole it when they broke in!!! (yes... a squirrel broke into my car... sad but true... THAT is what seems to be the problem with my van...the reason I thought it was about to break down... the reason I was hurrying to trade it in... too late... utter break down and apparently it's caused by...squirrel damage! Totally unbelievable. Waiting for the scary grand-total from the car dealership now...and then to begin dealing with insurance to find out what they're going to cover and not cover with this incident of "animal vandalism") See? This is the kind of stuff I've been busy with this summer!!!!