Sylviebead Journal

Hi Wednesday Blog-reading friends!!!!!!!

I'm back from California, teaching the girls at Creative Castle. What an INCREDIBLE weekend of fun and beads!!! I love Carole's store and it was soooooooo tempting to snatch up every little bag of seed-beads she had, but I showed some restraint! (I didn't even LOOK at the crystals!! I knew she had some good ones too... but I was a good girl and stuck to what I needed...a thread zapper and size 11/0s and delicas in shades of blue and blue/green)

My classes were full of incredibly fun people who also happened to be talented beadworkers. They made my designs shine...adding their own personalities to their pieces. I loved that!!! The first day was the Sunshine Ring and we had a smaller group for that one, but it really let me get to know those 5 beaders before our larger class on Saturday/Sunday. I can't even begin to tell you how special they all made me feel. I can't imagine another job that would make you feel so personally appreciated...not just professionally, but to be appreciated on a personal level.

By the end of these classes, I knew that I had truly been missed in bead-world. It wasn't just me that missed it, but I was really missed as well. That was huge. I also left knowing that THIS is what I do (which is exactly what NanC Meinhardt told me back in 2001 and I thought she was crazy) This IS what I do...and it's what I love... and it's what I truly can make a living doing. It just requires working my butt off to do it. And I intend to!

So... Flora Flora was a big success. I loved the way all the kit colors turned out (only 2 of the 7 kit colors remained un-beaded, so I need to get samples done of those ASAP... people need to see the subtleties of the pastel one and the richness of the grape-colored one) I'm not going to sell the project on my website for quite a while, so the next months will be dedicated to finding teaching venues for it and then I'll launch it at Bead and Button in the summer (2011)

Between now and then Head Over Heels limited editions will continue, Christmas decorations and glass sculptures will be created and I will work on another new design to have ready to teach at Creative Castle in a year. I PROMISE I will be back there, girls!!!!! You won't have to wait another 7 years for me to teach!!!!

In the meantime, I need to get other classes booked, get all my shows scheduled and get busy making more things!!! Off to do that!! (after I get Thing2 to school)


coffee - oh yeah... I have it in hand. We had an EARLY morning and I needed the Cinnamon Dolce jump-start!

music - not yet, but I'll be playing CHRISTMAS music in the studio today. Time to start prepping for fall shows where I'm selling my new ornaments!